Novel - Nine to Hive

Author's Note

This story was originally finished around ten years ago. As it takes place in the same universe as my latest released novel, 'Tick Tock,' I decided to write more endings for this story, as I had originally planned to do at the time.

As such, I've re-edited the story. No changes to the plot have been made, though it should be more readable with fewer consistency errors. Alternate Endings C, D, and E have been added at the end, for your reading pleasure.

If you wish to purchase 'Tick Tock,' it is available here:

Tick Tock - Kindle edition by Waters, Caroline. Literature & Fiction Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

Synopsis

Suzy is tired of being a cog in a corporate machine. After interviewing at Rankotech, however, she discovers that being a corporate rubber slave drone can not only be fun, but fulfilling, too.

Tags

Mind Control, FF, MF, FD, Transformation, Drone, Hive, Science Fiction

Prologue

She sat calmly in the alcove, her mind tuned in to the low, background hum. It was lyrical and soft, the melody deceptively simple. Her mind was wrapped in a blanket of warm cotton, butterflies nibbling gently at the edges.

Calm, she waited without hurry, her vision obscured by a visor that sat inches from her eyes. Around her body clung a thick, black bodysuit, dark as the night, shined to a mirror finish that emphasized her ample assets. Her legs were angled perpendicular to her torso, knees and legs forming a perfect ninety degree angle. Each foot was clasped tight in thick, highly polished black platform boots with chunky heels.

Deep in her vagina was buried a thick, knobby dildo, the rubbery mass pulsing very slightly with the beat of Hive. Welded to her head was a black, shiny ball that absorbed light, hiding all features of her drone self.

The world appeared desaturated through her helmet, but for a series of colored lines that swam through the air. The lines danced joyously, entwining and embracing. They didn’t exist, not really, except as a figment of her imagination.

She wasn’t really sure what the lines meant. They were probably a product of a vestigial portion of her brain which was still trying its best to interpret her surroundings.

Not that the drone cared, of course, for it had long ago discarded any pretense of thinking for itself. She had given everything to Hive, pushing her uniqueness into the gestalt.

In return, it had filled her to the brim with its thick, warm obedience. She had been cored, invaded, and pacified, remade to serve Hive’s purposes. Now, she waited patiently to be activated, made to do whatever would serve Hive best. There was no need to worry, or feel concern. There was only silence, and the colors of obedience.

Her impassivity dragged on interminably. At regular, controlled intervals, she exhaled softly and her eyes blinked, pussy rhythmically clenching at the dildo as she stared into infinity. The colors pranced in a step formation and the chorus stirred, the tone of Hive taking on a slightly different timbre. Unexpectedly, the colors drained from her sight and the hum dissipated, the dildo becoming a still block of rubber.

She was not concerned, incapable of being concerned at this turn of events. She continued to sit, even though Hive had temporarily withdrawn from her body. She had truly given up everything she had, her body remodeled into an empty husk to be filled and commanded by others.

This state of affairs continued on for some time, but like a tsunami breaching the shore, Hive’s presence crashed back into her, filling her completely. Her body involuntarily gasped, a simple reflex that had no conscious control behind it. Her mind was being repurposed, restructured.

The soldier drone stood up smoothly, the pleasure instrument slipping from her vulva. She reached down and zipped her body suit shut, the rubbery material now forming an impenetrable second skin over her body.

She cinched her belt tightly around her waist, various tools secured to its shiny rubber surface. The fact that Hive was upset did not bother the drone. She had been given a task, and she would accomplish it automatically without thought. Anything else was irrelevant.

Maneuvering on her platform boots, her body steered itself to the pulse of Hive. Feet lifting, she moved forward at a measured pace. Harsh, white light shone from fluorescent fixtures mounted to the ceiling, gleaming over her alien, rubber form.

Hands at her sides, she marched forward, head and neck fixed in a rubber helmet and collar. The walls glistened around her, covered with a shiny goo and rubbed to a glossy finish. The substance had been excreted over every possible surface, left to dry into a slightly pinkish polycarbonate.

Stomping over the solid surface, she listened to the music of Hive as it steered her through the nameless corridors. As she continued on, the amount of the substance coating the walls slowly appeared to subside, its thickness gradually trailing off. Her pace never varied, steady motion unhurried, but determined.

Her steps echoed, the coated walls absorbing little of the sound energy. As she rounded a corner, the hallway opened into a four way intersection, corridors leading off to other areas of the complex. She stopped abruptly, standing dead still at the center of the intersection, rubbery arms angled slightly at her sides.

Her body obeyed an unseen authority, waiting expectantly for something to happen. Rhythmic marching began to throb in her ears, a soldier approaching from both ends of the hallway.

The sister drones were dressed in identical rubber outfits, approaching her position in lockstep. They both reached her at the exact same time, each one executing a perfect turn to match her stance with the grace of synchronized swimmers.

Lined up in a row, they were identical, unidentifiable slaves, waiting in silence for Hive to make them do its bidding.

Three pairs of shiny black boots lifted in unison, their masked heads now leaning forward into the synchronous motion. They moved as one, a picture of perfect obedience, each controlled with precision by Hive.

Goose stepping with effortless grace, a perfect line in motion, they continued their march down the hall, each leg lifting easily to a forty five degree angle before dropping back to the floor.

Now that they were together, they moved forward quickly, driven by an unseen urgency. Despite their rapid forward motion, their breasts didn’t bounce, as they were tightly held in place by their clinging suits. The coating on the walls continued to get thinner, the dried gelatinous ooze giving way to clear, clean white walls.

Finally, they reached the end of the hallway, a large doorway with a striped red outline blocking the exit. When they came within a few paces, both halves parted simultaneously, sliding smoothly and silently into either side of the wall.

As the drones emerged into a new corridor, their environs changed drastically. Instead of the slick, coated walls, a generic workplace greeted them, offices lining the walls.

The first drone stopped two paces outside the doorway, the second four paces, the third, six. Then, they executed a sharp right face. The drone that lagged behind began to march again, picking up the second drone when they were parallel to each other.

In the same manner, the third drone came back into step with the first two. There was no conscious thought necessary to execute this formation - Hive controlled them absolutely, directing their bodies to do precisely what was necessary to complete the maneuver properly.

The door slid shut behind them, the green light above turning a solid red. They continued to move, the corridor opening up into a larger office space, white walls replaced with the dull gray of a cubicle farm. Phones rang in the distance, the chatter from faint conversations overlaying the sound of their footsteps.

From time to time, an office worker would stand up and look at the scene they were making - three identical faceless automatons dressed in shiny black rubber, marching straight through the office to an invisible beat.

No comments were made by the observers, and nobody moved to stop them. A few of the workers looked nervous, sitting back down in what appeared to be an attempt to hide. Some of the others were excited, lust lighting their faces instead of fear.

The soldiers ignored them all, continuing their progress to the other side of the room. They entered another corridor, this one looking nicer than the one they had exited from.

The pale, white walls had been replaced with warm wooden paneling. Steel office doors gave way to solid oak masterpieces with golden handles. Thin, wall length windows meant more for show than for privacy ran to the end of the hall, a solitary door at the end providing the only entrance and exit.

Although still noticeable, the march of the drones on the carpeted hallway wasn’t nearly as loud as in the hallways with the plastic-looking coating. This meant that as they approached, a conversation from the conference room was clearly audible.

“I said no, and I meant no, Mason!” The feminine voice was loud but carefully controlled.

There was some inaudible speech, then harsh laughter and a loud male voice. “You’re too naive! I’ve been planning this acquisition for months! Have you even been paying attention to who owns your stock?” More gloating laughter followed.

Ignoring this diatribe, the soldier slaves continued their march to the end of the hallway. The businessman, his back to the windows, was so occupied with his rant that he took no notice of their muffled footsteps or the motion out in the corridor.

When the drones reached the conference room doorway, all three of them turned and stacked up in a row, standing there silently like ghosts. Behind the closed door, loud voices continued to penetrate the inadequate soundproofing.

The female replied in a controlled voice. “Unlike you, I am not an unprincipled slob.” She became louder, overriding the protests of the other party. “I know what is required to execute a hostile takeover, and you simply don’t have what it takes. You have taken much longer than should have been necessary, and my patience is wearing thin. I have been expecting this meeting for more than three months, and therefore I have had more than enough time to prepare!” Her hands clapped three times, rhythmically. “Enter!”

The lead drone opened the door, stepping through in time with the others. The last one mechanically shut the exit, all three turning to present themselves to the conference table.

Sitting half way down the left side of the conference table was a rotund, sweaty man. His face was red from shouting, expression indignant at the interruption. His thick fist waved in the air, mouth half open, ready to continue the argument.

Next to the garrulous fat man sat a prim and proper woman. She was industriously taking notes, lips thin. Her fiery red hair was arrayed around her head in a simple bob cut, the rest of her body dressed in suitable business attire. She was the perfect picture of an executive assistant.

On the other side of the conference table sat a stern looking businesswoman. She had clearly put herself in a position of power, her elevated conference chair giving her the height advantage over her two visitors.

She was dressed in a matching jacket and blouse, hair pulled up in a French twist. She smiled blandly at the man’s indignation, refusing to become agitated by his antics. An almost invisible purple sheen seemed to flow through her eyes.

“There’s nothing you can do now!” shouted the fat man. “I’m clearly in position to make a leveraged buyout, and there’s nothing you can do to convince me otherwise!”

He jumped slightly, sweating prodigiously, finally taking note of the three drones that were now arrayed on his right. “What’s all this about? You can’t touch me, you hear? I own the police in this town, and I’ll have you arrested!”

The drones made no threatening moves, arms at their sides. They were unreadable, black tinted helmets hiding all expression, not that they had any to show. They took pleasure in being completely obedient.

The businesswoman stared at the fat man’s outburst, unimpressed. “Don’t worry, Mason,” she said with a smirk, “there’s nothing I have to do to you directly. In fact, I’m sure you’ll change your mind shortly without any need for me to even lift a finger.”

She tilted her head slightly, looking at the man’s assistant. “Resurface code aqua, enslavement protocol Beta.”

The assistant became rigid, dropping the pen she had been using to take notes. Her eyes filled with a purple hue and the corners of her mouth lifted into a grin. “Thank you, Mistress,” her mouth oozed gratefully. “I am your drone. I hear and obey.”

She turned towards her boss and embraced him roughly, knocking her chair backwards to the floor. Before he could react, her hands clamped around his barrel chest, lips pressed tightly to his. Stunned, he was momentarily unable to react.

The businesswoman made a subtle hand motion, the drones behind her speeding into action, splitting up into two groups and marching around the table. Before Mason was able to disentangle himself from his amorous assistant, two of the slaves had flanked him and grabbed both his arms in an unbreakable grip.

He spluttered, pushing forward in an attempt to dislodge his assailants. Roaring like a bull, he tried to use his bulk to his advantage. Instead of sliding off his body as expected, the drones refused to let go. All three clung to him like leeches, dragging him down to the floor.

Unnoticed by the struggling businessman, the third soldier drone used the distraction to position herself behind him. In one motion, she reached down to her belt, retrieved a syringe, and jabbed it into his neck. She depressed the plunger for a full dosage, then tossed it aside and wrapped her thick arms around his back.

Mason continued to struggle, but he was clearly outmatched. He shoved himself sideways, smashing one of the drones into a window. The impact made the pane vibrate like a gong, but it didn’t crack, and the impassive slave still managed to hold on.

He was tiring fast - he wasn’t in the best of shape, and the drug was taking effect quickly. In the end, he was unable to dislodge enough of the lithe soldiers to make much of a difference.

His arms went slack, eyes unfocused. The soldiers took advantage of the situation, forcing him back into the chair he had made an aborted attempt to escape from earlier, their rubber uniforms peeling off him like Velcro.

“How?” he asked softly, eyes shining with frustration.

The businesswoman grinned. “Is it so surprising? I gave you several hints earlier. I knew that you would attempt this strategy at least four months ago. It took me a week to infiltrate your organization and convert your assistant. Margo, here, has been a willing slave of Hive for three and a half months now, and she’s been working on you the entire time. She’s not a mindless husk like the soldiers here, but actively uses her talents for the good of Hive.”

Mason slumped in the chair, stunned at the utter betrayal he faced, still confused. “If you managed to convert her so quickly, why take so long with me?” he slurred, dumbfounded.

The businesswoman frowned. “A simple question with a simple answer. Males cannot hear Hive with any regularity, and therefore are not subject to its allure. Over time, we have discovered how to ‘adjust’ men in society to further our goals, but it is time consuming. It’s much easier to recruit females, and, in fact, I personally prefer it.”

She gestured towards the soldier drones. “As you can see, they love Hive so much that they have sacrificed everything for it.”

Margo turned towards her Queen and smiled beatifically, her eyes shining with adoration. “Hive sings to me. Thank you for subverting me, my Queen.”

She gave her Queen an inquisitive look.

“Yes, you may,” said the Queen, satisfied with the assistant’s efforts. Her eyes glowed with the purple power of Hive.

Margo turned back to her victim. “Don’t worry,” she said with fanaticism, “you’ll enjoy being owned by Hive.”

The soldier drones stood indifferently as she pulled her blouse and panties off, revealing her aroused pussy. She unzipped Mason’s pants, coyly slipping a svelte hand inside to draw out his stiffening penis. An aphrodisiac mixed into the drug made certain that he would be ready for her whether he was willing or not.

She massaged his dick gently with one hand until she deemed it ready for action. Straddling him, she slipped his hardness slowly but firmly into her willing center. As she began to move downwards, she clasped his sweaty head between her hands.

Her eyes started to swirl, purple waves drifting through her irises. She gripped him as Hive’s influence began to rise. Moving faster, she rose and fell, the wisps of purple becoming a veritable torrent, her eyes glowing unnaturally from within. He grunted softly, unable to make any reciprocal motion. She was utterly in control.

As she neared climax, she leaned forward with the motion, locking her lips to Mason’s. She exhaled into him, expelling a cloud of purple into his lungs. A haze exploded from her eyes, streaming towards Mason. He couldn’t look away, seeing wonders no untouched person could comprehend.

The majesty of Hive flowed into him, rushing into every nook and cranny, as it had so many times in the past. How had he ever forgotten its presence?

His mind flashed back through all the ‘board’ meetings, the after work trysts, the ‘late hours’ where he had met with his assistant. Over and over again, until he would do anything just to touch Hive for an instant. He groaned, both overjoyed and dismayed, only now realizing how far he had fallen.

Margo sat down, thrusting the man’s cock deeply into her core, a nova exploding in her mind. She leaned back and moaned out her pleasure, pleased that she had been able to serve Hive so successfully.

Day One

The phone buzzed, demanding attention. Suzy stared at it, dreading yet another confrontation. The day had just begun, but it felt as though she had already been working for hours.

After four rings, she managed to overcome her reluctance, and picked up the phone. “Hello, this is PolyCorp, Suzy speaking. How may I help you?” She put on a cheery tone, hoping that this call wouldn’t end up like the last one.

“Hello, yes? This is Emma Drydon calling from SoftChange Incorporated. Please schedule me for an appointment with your boss.” The voice was curt, inviting no dissent.

Suzy frowned, pressing one hand against her forehead. SoftChange was a very minor client, and she knew that her boss wouldn’t enjoy being interrupted by another inconsequential meeting with them. How was she going to defuse this situation?

“Just a moment, I’ll check his calendar.” She put the lady on hold, and pulled up the schedule on her computer. Her boss was out on vacation, but there were several obvious free spots available the next day.

She didn’t need to tell Emma that, however. She picked the phone back up.

“I’m sorry, Emma, but his calendar is full. I could possibly fit you in next week?” She crossed her fingers, doubting that putting this client off would end well.

“I’m very disappointed to hear that,” the voice replied with irritation. “Well, then, since this is time critical, we’ll simply take our business elsewhere. Your service has been rotten, and we consider your business to be run by third rate citizens. Consider our account closed.” The phone disconnected abruptly.

Shaking her head, Suzy hung up the phone. It was the second tongue lashing she had gotten today. Hopefully she hadn’t ruined things too badly. Still, it was only a very small account. It couldn’t be that big a deal. Could it?

She turned to her computer, minimizing the schedule. There wasn’t anything she could do about it now. Might as well get back to working on the charts her boss had requested yesterday.

She opened the spreadsheet, starting to dig into the numbers. She had always enjoyed working with numbers more than people. They acted rationally, always balanced. They never had hurt feelings, or were rude or dismissive.

She smiled, sinking deeper into the patterns, trying to figure out the simplest way to present them to her boss.

She collated some data, creating a line graph. Something seemed strange about the shape - if the numbers were right, her company was somehow missing revenue.

This wasn’t adding up…maybe she needed to contact her boss. This might be serious enough to interrupt his vacation. She was about to reach for the phone again when the door to the office opened.

Dave stepped in, one of the regular stiffs who worked in Accounts Payable. She didn’t know Dave very well, but being both the office manager and executive assistant, she could recognize almost anyone who worked at PolyCorp.

Dave was a short, stout fellow who had obviously eaten well and exercised little over the years, but he was normally slow and dependable. Today, he was dressed conservatively, a buttoned up cardigan covering his semi-formal attire. She smiled wanly at him, hoping for some kind of acknowledgement. “Good morning.”

Normally, he would have made a muttered greeting, shuffling past her towards his cubicle. Instead, he sidled up and placed his arms on her desk. “Good morning,” he mumbled softly, blinking his eyes behind his thick glasses like a lobster.

His voice was thick, like warm syrup. “I hate to bother you, but I think that the elevators are broken again.”

Now that he was close, she noticed that he was wheezing. “I hope you can get someone in to fix them quickly, because an important client is supposed to be coming in tomorrow. Just thought you should know.”

Without another word, he slipped off her desk and trundled on into the office, considering his duty fulfilled. “Thanks,” Suzy said softly to his back as he disappeared.

Well, that was certainly curious. She didn’t remember hearing about any kind of client coming in tomorrow. She shrugged, hoping that her boss had simply forgotten to keep her in the loop.

Had they been invited by the head of a different department? Either way, the client wouldn’t be impressed with broken elevators.

This time, she reached for the phone with confidence, the number for the elevator repair company already springing to her fingertips. She dialed it in, sighing as she listened to the rings.

The elevators never seemed to work for more than a month before some minor issue caused them to malfunction. This time, it had only been a week.

“Yallow, this is Gus Grayson with Everlahsting Elevatah repaiyh soivoces. How can ah help yuh?”

Gus appeared to be one of those people who knew he was barely understandable under his thick accent, but didn’t care. The rest of the world would have to adapt to his peculiarities, rather than the other way around.

Suzy began politely, hoping to get through this conversation quickly. If she was verbose enough, perhaps she could prevent this Gus fellow from asking too many questions in his indecipherable dialect.

“Hello, Gus, this is Suzy from PolyCorp speaking. Your company was in last week to repair an elevator problem we’ve been having. There appears to be another issue, which is preventing both elevators from working properly.”

“Ah, yuh, PollyCorp. We fixed her up good! Should be no prahblums there, now!” He sounded cheery at this proclamation.

She decided to change tack. Maybe she just needed to be sterner with these people. “I’m sorry, but they’re broken now. I need someone to come out immediately, or we’ll start losing business.”

“Yuh, I getcha. Elevatuhs work great!”

With that noncommittal statement, the phone disconnected. Suzy did a double take. Was that a yes or a no answer?

She slowly set the phone back down, wondering whether anything would go right today. She would have to do a follow up later to make sure that they were on the job, since right now she simply had too much work to get through before her boss returned.

She unlocked her machine, ready to look through her numbers again. There had to be an answer in there - maybe she was just missing something? Perhaps she had put the wrong formula in one of the cells. She started going back over her figures, trying to diagnose where the problem might be.

“Sizzlin’ Suzy!” a voice loudly proclaimed, making her jump.

She had been so deep in concentration that she hadn’t noticed Larry sneaking up behind her desk. Not even the slight motion on the convex mirror she had mounted at the side of her monitor had been enough to warn her in time. She locked her computer to hide her work, then turned her chair to face Larry.

She kept her face neutral, but inside exasperation was building. Larry, or ‘Lewd’ Larry as she thought of him, was clearly an ass. He styled himself as some kind of playboy, and was constantly trying to hit on women at the office. The guy didn’t seem to know how to turn it off, to the point that he would probably try to make love to the conference room desk if it had boobs.

Larry was a careful predator, never quite crossing the boundary that would cause HR to take notice or give his victims enough proof to get him in trouble. Despite the fact that he was creating a hostile work environment, he hadn’t yet been called on the carpet for it.

This situation wasn’t helped by the fact that he was the head of operations, only a step or two below her boss, the CEO. This made for a toxic atmosphere, nobody willing to do anything that might get them fired unless they had solid proof of his malfeasance. It was a sad state of affairs, but with the economy the way it was, employees didn’t want to rock the boat.

The way he was undressing her with his eyes made her uncomfortable, but there was nothing she could do. She pretended not to notice, but she felt slimy inside. “Yes, Larry? How can I help you?” She tried for a fake smile, being as polite as possible.

His lips curled into an unctuous grin, leaning over to try and get a peek down the front of her shirt. She wanted to punch the smile off his face, but determinedly sat still, refusing to rise to his bait.

“I hope you’re having a great day!” He announced broadly, stroking his loud, orange tie with one hand while he spoke. “Did you get the memo?”

Memo? What memo? “No, I can’t say that I have.”

“You should really keep up with your email! We’re having an important client come in tomorrow, and we need to get the status reports up to date before they arrive! I’ve taken the liberty of sending you the relevant materials.”

He stated this as though he was doing her a huge favor. “I’ll need them for the big meeting tomorrow, so no dilly-dallying! These reports take precedence over anything you’re currently working on!” He snapped a suspender to illustrate his point while leering at her breasts.

Internally, she was sweating. She was already behind on the number crunching, and now she’d have to spend the rest of the day on his stupid reports to get them done on time!

She knew better than to make an inconsiderate reply, but was sorely tempted. “I will get right on it, thank you.”

Turning back to her computer, she unlocked it, ignoring his presence. From past experience, it was the only way to make him go away without insulting him to his face.

“Great!” he said brightly. “I’m glad I could be of assistance!” It was hard to tell if he was being serious or facetious.

Suzy watched him depart in her mirror, relieved that his ego had been stroked enough to leave her alone. She was less happy when she saw him stop again down the hall at Nancy’s cube.

Nancy had been her best friend and confidant at the office for years, and she didn’t want her to be pushed to leave by Larry the asshole. Hopefully, she’d be able to catch up with Nancy at lunchtime and convince her to stay.

She doubted that she’d hold much sway over Nancy’s decision if Larry really was trying to put the moves on her, but if Nancy left she’d probably have to start job hunting too.

It was all so unfair! It was hard to find a job that fit an intelligent financial graduate, and she had thought that she had finally found a position where she would be able to utilize her talents without having to work too much overtime.

Instead, she had ended up in a backbiting, political institution that was grinding her into sawdust. Things needed to change, she knew that, but she didn’t know what to do.

She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Larry move on from Nancy’s cube, back towards his office. She definitely didn’t need that worry on her mind at this point.

Checking the time, she saw that she’d only have a short while to see what Larry had been babbling about before lunch.

She sighed, shelving the mysterious issue with the numbers, bringing up her email. She needed to find out what was going on with those reports!

As soon as she saw the message subject, she put a hand over her mouth, her body wracked with uncontrollable laughter. Larry had managed to shorten ‘Trial Project System Reports’ to the acronym ‘TPS.’

***

“Really? It really said that?” Nancy started giggling.

“I knew he was an ass, but an idiot, too? Has he really never seen that movie? It’s like a primer for every terrible management practice ever!” She looked at Suzy with a mischievous glint in her eyes. “Is he going to demand a cover sheet?”

“I know, right?” Suzy sighed, depressed about how much her workplace mirrored Hollywood. “You know, I’ve been thinking…about how I need a change. I feel like I’m living in a perpetual joke right now.” She looked uncertainly at Nancy. “What are your thoughts?”

Nancy shifted in her seat. “Well… I was going to save this news for later, but… I’ve decided to quit. Today will be my last day.” She looked at Suzy with pleading eyes. “Please don’t blame me for not telling you sooner! I only just found out!”

Suzy’s heart plunged. “Found out what?” This was not the kind of news she was hoping for.

“That I’ve been offered a job at Rankotech! Not only will they pay me better than PolyCorp, but I’ll finally be able to move out of a data entry position! It’s more than a lateral move - it’s a clear promotion!” Excitement danced in Nancy’s eyes.

Suzy was conflicted. Clearly, it was the right choice for Nancy to make, but now she felt worse than ever. The fact that her best friend was leaving for greener pastures while she still had to put up with the utter drudgery of PolyCorp was almost unbearable.

She didn’t understand, though. How had Nancy found a better job with Rankotech when she hadn’t displayed any feats of brilliance at PolyCorp? She had always thought of Nancy as barely competent, able to get things done, but not in the most efficient way possible.

It wasn’t laziness, per se, but she would only expend the minimum amount of effort necessary to get the job done. How could Nancy get a better job than Suzy when she was the one constantly working overtime to clean up everyone else’s messes? And what kind of a name was Rankotech, anyway?

She hated thinking such uncharitable thoughts about her friend, but it was hard to suppress the bitterness that she felt.

Suzy opened and closed her mouth once without saying anything, trying with all her might to suppress the vitriol that burned just below the surface. “That’s…great…” she said, unenthusiastically.

She tried to produce a smile, but it was so very hard to mask her true feelings. “It really is! I’m so proud and happy for you!”

Nancy looked concerned. “I know you’re jealous, but don’t worry, I understand. They simply made an offer I couldn’t refuse.”

She smiled briefly, her eyes staring off into the distance. “They understand my talents there, and I will finally be able to reach my full potential.”

Suzy shuddered at the strange phrasing. Was that a glimmer of purple in Nancy’s eyes?

Before she could question her friend’s remark, she seemed to snap out of it. “There’s just so much more for me out there! I’ll be able to do things I never would be capable of at boring old PolyCorp.”

Suzy chased the salad around on her plate, trying to buy some time so that she wouldn’t blurt out something angry. The bald truth was that she hated her job, and all the stupid, stressful work that was associated with it.

She set her fork down. “I know,” she said carefully, “but I just feel horrible. Now I’ll have to deal with ‘Lewd’ Larry all by myself, and he’ll be twice as infuriating. It won’t be the same without you.”

Nancy leaned forward, a speculative look in her eyes. “You know, you don’t have to put up with it. You’re twice as smart as any of those troglodytes. I’m sure it wouldn’t be hard to get you an interview at Rankotech… they’re always looking for more recruits.”

Suzy was taken aback. Was this really her opportunity to get out of this hell hole? The decision should have been a no-brainer, but it was giving her trouble. “It’s a steady job… I don’t know, I’d have to think about it.” She was waffling.

“Alright, then, but if you change your mind, I have their number right here. I’ll put in a good word for you!”

Nancy pulled a card out of her pocket and handed it to Suzy. “You really should reconsider - it’ll be a step up from what you’re doing now!”

Suzy glanced at the card before stuffing it into her pocket. ‘Rankotech Solutions Inc.’ it declared in bold type. ‘Business process solutions for busy companies,’ was the suitably vague tag line in italics.

Below was a simple phone number, no names or other identification. “Say Nancy… now you have me curious. What does Rankotech actually do?”

Nancy’s smile was a little too bright. “I can’t say. They’re a very secretive company, and I’ve already signed a non-disclosure agreement. What I can tell you is that it will be so much more fulfilling than those ghastly reports you have to make today!”

Suzy was suspicious, but a thick layer of depression had already started to overlay her thoughts, so she decided that she just wasn’t interested in digging deeper. “Alright, then,” she said sadly. “I hope you do well.” She hugged herself, feeling alone.

Nancy stood up, moving over to Suzy and embracing her in a bear hug. “Don’t worry!” she said, happiness in her voice. “Everything will work out for the best! Trust me!”

***

The day after that dragged on longer than ever. The elevator guy hadn’t shown up, and she had fielded several requests for other fixes around the office.

A fluorescent light had gone out, and the HVAC system was making strange noises. It was about mid-afternoon when she got a break from the interruptions and realized that she was starting to fall behind on the so-called TPS reports.

It was just so blasted unfair! She was doing stupid reports that a brain dead five year old could complete, while Nancy was going to be able to do - whatever it was that Rankotech did.

Did it really matter? Whatever it was, it had to be more interesting than what was waiting for her here. She pulled the Rankotech card from her pocket and looked it over speculatively. Maybe now was the time to reach out for a better future?

She glanced around. Nobody had stepped through the main doors for an hour now, the regular employees most likely preferring to take alternate entrances and exits.

She picked up the phone and dialed. If she acted like everything was normal, nobody should be able to tell what she was doing.

“Hello? You have reached the Rankotech recruitment hotline. What is your name?” The voice sounded breezy, soothing to Suzy’s mind.

“Suzy Willis,” she said hesitantly. “I was given this number by my friend, Nancy. She said that you might have open positions?”

She trailed off, unsure as to what the open positions might be. She was starting to second guess herself - she didn’t even know what she was applying for, for heaven’s sake!

“Suzy, yes, we have you on our list.”

The answer was smooth, confident. It was strange that there was no pause before the reply. Didn’t they have to look her name up in their computer system?

“We do have several open positions. Would you like to interview for one of them?”

She’d gotten this far - might as well go the distance. “Yes, please.” She hesitated. “Can you describe what the job would entail?”

This time, she detected a brief pause before the person on the other end continued. “The work requires basic computer skills and consists of processing data for our clients.”

The description was vague enough to mean practically anything. “Before we can go into the specifics, we would need you to come in and sign a non-disclosure agreement. We don’t want to reveal our secret processes or confidential client work to competitors.”

That seemed reasonable. Maybe they were doing classified government work?

“Would you be available to come in today?” the voice continued. “I could schedule you for an appointment this evening. That would be after our normal working hours and we would be able to process your interview at a more relaxed pace.”

When she said the word ‘relaxed,’ her voice sounded almost dreamy.

At that moment, the main office door opened and Suzy’s boss John sauntered in. Thinking quickly, she murmured “Can you hold, please? Thanks,” into the phone and hit the hold button.

Well, this was awkward - arranging an interview for another job at the same time your current boss is in the room? That was just not done.

She looked at him in askance. “Aren’t you supposed to be on vacation?” He wasn’t scheduled to be around the office until tomorrow, and usually he would need to be chained to wild horses before he would cut short his free time.

“No time to chat!” he exclaimed broadly. “I got word that a huge client is considering contracting with us, and I’ve got to put together a presentation. This could be a big deal, a make it or break it event for our business! Fortunately, it’s going well so far. We just need those reports tomorrow. You’ll have them ready?” His stern gaze was enough to make her wither, even though she hadn’t yet done anything wrong.

“Yes, I’m in the middle of working on them right now. They’re going well!” She lied through her teeth.

They were taking forever to put together, and she’d rather be self-flagellating herself. That’s not what the boss wanted to hear, however, and she’d learned quickly enough that he’d much rather be placated, even if the project was aflame and falling down a flight of stairs.

“Great!” he said cheerily. “I expect them on my desk by eight AM sharp tomorrow!” He waved a hand imperiously, then strode into the office, humming a jaunty tune under his breath.

She rolled her eyes at his behavior and picked the phone back up. “Hello? Are you still there? Yes, I believe I would like to interview for that position today.” She couldn’t imagine surviving another two years at this dysfunctional company.

***

Rankotech was housed in a nondescript building in an office tower that didn’t scream wealth. Suzy strolled up to the doors, getting mentally ready to tackle any crazy interview questions that might be thrown her way.

On the door under the company name was a logo that looked like some kind of musical notation, followed by a short motto: “Prosperity through productivity.”

Suzy dismissed it out of hand - typical corporate hogwash, standard boilerplate that every company was required to have. She was far more interested in seeing if the work she’d be doing would actually be intellectually stimulating. There was also some latent anxiety about being able to measure up for a job she didn’t even have a job description for.

The reception area she entered was eerily reminiscent of the one she had just exited a few short minutes earlier at PolyCorp, except this one had ‘Rankotech’ in big, bold letters inscribed behind the desk. Otherwise, the gray tones of the environs matched any other office she had ever worked in.

Behind the desk sat a short woman dressed in severe looking clothing, staring intently at her computer screen. The amount of concentration being displayed was admirable, and Suzy felt a little bad about interrupting her.

“Ahem?” She said nervously, trying to attract the worker’s attention. The receptionist didn’t appear to notice her presence, the keyboard clacking away.

“Excuse me?” Suzy ventured further, trying to make her voice sound more confident. “I have an appointment today to interview here?”

Suzy leaned over, curious about what was so interesting to the receptionist. She caught a glimpse of a colorful display, intriguing patterns dancing around the corner of the screen. It was very pretty, but not something one would expect to see on an office worker’s computer.

The receptionist clicked a key on the keyboard and the display blanked. She turned abruptly towards Suzy and a thousand watt smile lit up her face. “Hello, this is Rankotech. How may I assist you?”

Suzy jumped back, startled at the sudden change of demeanor. She was discombobulated, seized with a sudden desire to see more of what had been on the receptionist’s screen.

The smile being beamed at her was disconcerting, as it didn’t appear to reach the receptionist’s eyes. Perhaps it hadn’t been a good idea to come here?

“Yes, my name is Suzy,” she said slowly, gathering her scattered thoughts. “I’m scheduled for an interview today?”

“Ah yes, the new recruit,” the receptionist replied in a steady voice. “You’re not too late - simply follow the signs over there, they will direct you to our candidate testing center. Good luck!” The fake smile faded from her face as she turned back towards her computer screen, Suzy’s presence already forgotten.

The whole situation seemed weird, but Suzy was determined to at least complete the interview. “Great, thanks!” she said to be polite, though the receptionist was clearly no longer paying her any attention.

She looked around, spotting the ‘Candidate Testing’ sign she needed to follow. Pushing open the indicated glass door, she proceeded down the hallway. The interior of Rankotech looked like a typical office, though the hallway was buttressed with a series of locked doors instead of cubicles.

The corridor made a turn at the end of the hall, but a sign dangling from the ceiling indicated that she was to enter the door to her left. She opened it, entering a room containing rows of desks with computers and monitors. Most of the seats were already taken by a mix of young people, but near the back she noticed some open spots.

“Ah!” exclaimed a tart sounding voice. “We were told to expect a latecomer.”

At the front of the room stood an older woman dressed in a beige pant suit. In one hand she loosely held a pointer which she had been using on the white board behind her.

“Please, take a seat.” The woman turned and continued her lecture in a monotone. “You are all here today to interview for a position at Rankotech.”

Suzy worked her way to the second to last row and sat down, listening to the lecturer with only half her attention. Before she could make herself comfortable, an outstretched hand thrust itself into her field of view.

Turning to her right, she saw that the hand belonged to a young woman, younger than her, dressed in simple jeans and a t-shirt. The lady was plump and well endowed, her stature such that she almost looked like a stout dwarf out of a fairy tale.

“Hi!” the owner of the hand said vivaciously. “My name is Lainey, how are you?”

Attempting to retain a sense of decorum, Suzy took the hand, allowing Lainey to pump it vigorously. “Hello,” she said quietly. “I’m Suzy. How late am I?”

Lainey didn’t seem to catch on, continuing in her normal, bubbly voice. “Oh, you’re not late. We just started. I can’t wait to take the test and see where I might fit in!”

Before Suzy could reply, the instructor’s pointer rapped on the desk in front of her. Belatedly, Suzy realized that the instructor’s voice had trailed off while she had been distracted with Lainey’s greeting.

“I realize that you’re all new here, but we need to get started,” the instructor growled, giving them both the evil eye. “If you’d like to pay attention, we’ll begin.”

“Sorry!” said Suzy, settling down into her chair, feeling chastised.

So far this interview hadn’t been going well, and she hoped that she wouldn’t be summarily dismissed. She blushed as the murmuring in the room increased slightly. She could already sense the others mocking her.

The instructor harrumphed, back at the board as if nothing had happened. “As I was saying, my name is Erin, and I will be your instructor today. All of you are here to interview for a job with Rankotech. Some of you might be wondering what Rankotech actually does. Unfortunately, I cannot tell you until you have become an employee, as that information is confidential.”

There was a susurrus, speculation about the company spreading. The instructor waited patiently for the noise to subside.

“It is my job to administer the Rankotech Aptitude Test.” She smiled briefly as nervous chuckles echoed around the room. “Yes, it’s known affectionately as the RAT. Over the years, Rankotech has learned how to best use the resources it is given. The RAT uses a highly efficient algorithm to rank and categorize all participants to determine where each person might excel in our organization. Now, please put on your headphones and turn on your monitors. Follow the instructions on screen to proceed.”

Suzy shrugged and picked up the headphones lying on the desk in front of her. They were some kind of futuristic design that she’d never seen before. Two clam shell shaped speakers were connected together with a strip of flexible hard material that felt like a spongy piece of amber.

Each speaker had a stylized ‘R’ embossed on the side. She wondered idly if Rankotech had special ordered them. That probably would have been a pain to put together.

She pulled the device over the top of her head, surprised when it clamped firmly to her skull. All exterior sounds were sealed off, making her feel like she was in a separate room from everyone else.

It was more comfortable than any headset she had ever worn in the past. She clicked on the monitor, wondering why Rankotech wasn’t selling these in retail - she had certainly never worn anything quite like this before!

The screen lit up, fading to white. “Welcome to the Rankotech Aptitude Test!” the screen announced. An animated green arrow pointed to a button that read ‘click here to begin!’

When Suzy clicked on the button, the screen cleared and the greeting was replaced with a multiple choice question. Classical music clicked on in her headset, something by Brahms, though there was an unusual undertone threading through the background of the piece that she didn’t recognize. She tuned it out, refusing to let it distract her from doing a good job answering the questions.

“You’re working on a complicated task,” the screen said. “You promised the boss that it would be completed within the hour, but it’s become clear that it will take several more. What do you do? A) Continue the work and pretend that you never gave the boss the original estimate. B) Tell the boss what has happened and ask for more time. C) Recruit others from your team to help you finish the task on time. D) Work quickly to finish the job on time.”

Below the question, at the bottom of the screen, a small text box proclaimed “Remember, there are no wrong answers. Please answer to the best of your ability so that we may evaluate where you might best fit into our organization.”

Suzy considered the question for a moment. She didn’t like the idea of ‘A’ because that would qualify as misleading the boss. ‘D’ was distasteful because she might make errors that would have otherwise been avoided if she had worked at a steady pace.

Choosing ‘C’ might take her co-workers off of critical tasks. She’d have to choose ‘B’ - at least she could tell the boss what was going on, and then it would be up to them to decide if the business could afford to shift more workers onto the project.

She clicked the appropriate choice, then the ‘OK’ button to continue. The question was replaced with a new one, a sliver of green appearing in the small bar below the text.

So little - how many questions were there? She concluded that she couldn’t let that bother her, moving on to the next question.

There wasn’t any apparent timer, but if she took too long, they might end the test before she was completed, and that would be a calamity.

The next question was much like the first, describing another morally ambiguous situation. This felt more like an ethics test than a skill test, trying to probe her personality. She vaguely wondered how accurate it might be, and how it might take into account those persons who were less apt to answer in an honest fashion.

Settling in, she became more comfortable at answering the questions. As time went on, she started to feel that she was getting better at choosing the answer that was right for her. Her eyes glazed, motions unknowingly becoming more mechanical.

The proctor stepped up to her table, looking Suzy over with an expert eye. She made several notes on her clipboard, satisfied that Suzy was sufficiently occupied. She set the clipboard down on the desk and took a tape measure out of her pocket.

She then proceeded to take various measurements of Suzy’s body in an efficient manner, working around her robotic mouse clicks. They had long ago learned at Rankotech that ‘one size fits all’ simply wasn’t going to cut it, so they needed at least rough estimates before they could proceed.

It took a few minutes for Erin to finish the measurements. Glancing into Suzy’s eyes, she grinned, making another note on the clipboard. Gauging her distraction to be sufficient, the proctor moved behind Suzy’s chair and cupped her breasts in a clinical manner, estimating the size.

Suzy blinked stupidly, turning her head. She was so focused on the test that she hadn’t even noticed the proctor’s presence, but the groping was almost enough to make her surface.

All she saw now, however, was Erin primly making more notes. The proctor glanced up, her brows arching at Suzy. She pointed at the screen, her expression one of disapproval. Suzy quailed, hastily moving her attention back to the exam, hoping that her lack of concentration wouldn’t lose her points.

Suzy started to feel a warm sense of approval as she worked, her eyes moving mechanically over the screen. The classical melody faded away and the undertone increased in volume until it dominated her hearing.

She knew what it wanted, what it needed her to do, and answered the questions accordingly. It was easy to fade away and let it carry her along in its crescendos and pauses, her heart synchronizing to its dominant rhythm.

It wasn’t necessary to concentrate, the overwhelming song carrying her along in its wake, whispering submission to her. She smiled, wishing she could stay like this forever, submerging herself in the timbre of obedience.

She jerked, the song in her headset suddenly gone. The world became a dull gray, a sense of loss and longing seizing her. She wanted to cry in the absence of such beauty.

Another question appeared on the screen in black and white, a simple text entry box instead of choices. “How do you feel?”

Suzy sat and stared at the screen for a minute or two, unsure of how to answer. Finally, she came up with the word she was looking for.

She typed it into the box and hit enter, feeling bereft when it disappeared. Reaching up, she removed the headphones with a simple twist, her ears popping at the difference in air pressure.

Looking around the room, she felt dazed. Everyone else was in similar shape, so she felt a little better. At least nobody was crowing about acing the exam.

“So, how did you do?” interrupted Lainey, her expression still cheerful. “Look at mine - it says that I’ll be an Office Expansion Assistant, whatever that means!”

Suzy peered at her screen, surprised that she hadn’t noticed it changing. Sure enough, it had cleared and was now displaying a new paragraph of text. “Congratulations!” Suzy read verbatim. “Given your previous experience and test results, we are proud to offer you the position of ‘Data Analyst I.’ Please follow the directions of the proctor.”

She felt pleased, happy that she hadn’t completely flunked, but she didn’t like the idea of working at Rankotech as a glorified data flunky.

“As you may notice, your test results are immediately available at your stations.” The proctor raised her voice, breaking off any conversations in progress. “Those of you who have been offered a position here at Rankotech may immediately go into room 2B down the hall to receive a welcome package and introduction letter, both of which you may keep regardless of whether you decide to work here. All others should retrace their steps to main reception. Thank you.”

“Are you excited? I’m so excited!” squealed Lainey. “I can’t wait to start working here! Let’s go get our packages together!”

“Okay!” said Suzy less enthusiastically, unable to handle Lainey’s personality and her vague feeling of loss at the same time.

Lainey seized her by the wrist and pulled her towards the exit, her bubbliness pushing them forward. “Slow down there, they won’t run out of packets!” exclaimed Suzy, surprised at Lainey’s forcefulness.

She carefully retrieved her arm from Lainey and slowed her pace, looking around after they had exited the classroom. “Over there!” exclaimed Lainey, pointing at another sign which indicated that ‘2B’ was only a few more doors down. “What do you think we’re going to do when we start working here?”

“I’m not exactly sure,” replied Suzy. “They’re being very mysterious. Perhaps they work for the government? They haven’t stated that we need clearance, though.”

She felt uncertain, pretty sure that her guess wasn’t even close. “We’ll just have to wait. Let’s see what we get here.”

They ended up in front of another door, this one with a placard that said ‘Candidate Processing.’

Lainey smiled and pushed through, eager to see what was coming next. Less sure of the situation, Suzy moved in more slowly.

Behind a fold out desk sat Erin, piles of boxes stacked behind her to shoulder height, grouped together under signs which contained the letters of the alphabet. The piles were stacked neatly, corners matched up so that no stack touched the one next to it.

Someone who worked at Rankotech must have OCD. Suzy vaguely thought in passing that it was odd that the stack under the letter ‘X’ was as high as most of the others.

Erin smiled politely at Lainey, who had already run up to the desk. “Name, please?”

“Lainey Summers,” she exclaimed ardently. “I’m here to get my package!”

“Ah, yes, the new expansion assistant.” Erin turned with precision and pulled a package from the bottom of the pile. “This is for you,” she said, handing the package to Lainey while sliding a piece of paper from a stack on her desk on top of it.

“Read this letter thoroughly, then give us a call when you accept our offer. Our call center is open twenty four seven. We look forward to seeing you soon!” She said the spiel without any particular warmth, probably because she had said it many times before.

“Great!” exclaimed Lainey. She rushed over to Suzy and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. “Nice to meet you, Suzy! I hope we’ll be working together with each other!” She burst out of the room and trotted down the hall, the door banging shut behind her.

Suzy stepped up to the desk, noticing Erin’s blank, nonchalant expression. “My name is Suzy Willis.”

“Ah, yes, I’ve been waiting for you. Your package is here.” Instead of reaching for the piles behind her, she retrieved one from under the desk. “You’ve already heard the speech. Let us know if you wish to pursue an opportunity with us. Just remember, if you do, you’ll never be alone again.”

Suzy frowned at the flash of purple she spotted in Erin’s eyes. “Ok, thanks.”

She wasn’t sure what to make of that last line, though she almost felt like she understood it for some reason. Turning, she left, barely registering that all of the other people starting to filter into the room were female.

***

The trip home was uneventful, though recent events had given Suzy a lot to think about. She still hadn’t decided whether to quit her current job, but it was becoming more attractive by the minute.

She continued to move on autopilot as she parked her car and entered her apartment, the package given to her at Rankotech nestled under her arm.

She set the package down on the kitchen table, curious about its contents. It was brown cardboard, about the size of a shoebox with no markings except for her name inked in sharpie on the top. What could they possibly be giving to prospective workers?

She glanced over the sheet, confirming that it was merely a standard introductory letter, including instructions and a telephone number to call if she wished to join the company. She was about to put it back down when the last sentence caught her eye.

“Please find included a small incentive package to help you make your decision, on us. We look forward to having you join our team at Rankotech!”

Standard boilerplate, but she had never been given an offer from a company that gave away freebies. She opened a drawer and shuffled around the unorganized contents, finally locating a box cutter.

Slitting open the package, she set the knife aside. Bubble wrap filled the interior, wrapped tightly around an object, a hint of color visible beneath the layers.

It unrolled easily, revealing some kind of shiny, tacky material that was colored a bright yellow. Unsure what to make of it, she rearranged it a few times, lifting it into the air to get a sense for what she was dealing with.

As the object unfolded, it seemed pretty clear that Rankotech had sent her some kind of bra, for unknown purposes. “Curiouser and curiouser,” Suzy murmured to herself.

For all intents and purposes, it looked like a sports bra, made entirely out of yellow latex. Two thick straps looped over the back, a thicker strip of material delineating the bottom where it would fit around her chest.

It certainly appeared as though it would cling tightly, giving her plenty of support. A very odd gift to give to potential applicants, she mused. She wasn’t at all certain that she’d ever wear it.

She put the bra back on the table, remembering that she had turned off her phone before going to interview at Rankotech. It was surprising at the time that Rankotech hadn’t asked her any direct questions, but now it felt perfectly natural that they had used an automated test to grade all participants.

Her phone lit up with bright colors, announcing the phone’s manufacturer. The boot-up sequence completed and a little icon appeared, notifying her that she had new messages. She sighed and dialed the voice mail service, annoyed that she couldn’t get even a little rest and relaxation.

“You have two new messages,” the system said in its synthetic voice. “Press ‘seven’ to hear your messages.” Beep! “First new message.”

The voice changed to that of ‘Lewd’ Larry. “Hey-a sugar, I didn’t get an update on those TPS reports. Let me know if I can do anything for you.” Yeah, he’d just want to help himself into her pants. She rolled her eyes.

Beep! “Second new message.” Now it was her boss’ voice.

“Hi Suzy, it’s John here. Remember to get those reports done for tomorrow, we have a big day ahead of us!” She could feel the familiar stress layering back in again, tension building.

Beep! “No new messages.”

Sighing, she shoved the phone back into her pocket. She could see the future arrayed in front of her, years upon years of working on worthless reports and kowtowing to lecherous men.

She sat down, putting her head in her hands. It was all too much for her to handle. Maybe it was time to make the change and go to Rankotech instead. At least it would be a change of scenery, if nothing else. And she had been so much happier while she was there, too!

She flashed back to the test and the feeling of oneness and belonging that she had received while just sitting, tapping in her answers. Filling out the endless questions, music floating through her ears, cares and worries simply floating away.

She realized that she had never felt more content, more relaxed than when she had been there. It was odd, though - she couldn’t seem to remember any of the questions that were asked except for the first and last ones. This brought to mind the answer she had typed in at the end - ‘lonely.’

Coming out of her reverie, she started. While she had been deep in thought, her body had acted on its own. Her shirt had been set aside and the old bra unclasped, letting her breasts swing out openly.

She felt out of control, a passenger in her own body, watching her fingertips lazily draw shapes on her skin. She caressed her spherical curves, seeing them swell with arousal. Nice!

The end goal soon became clear, the yellow bra on the table being lifted up and pulled onto her body, first one shoulder, then the other. The material stretched tightly, a large, black ‘R’ stamped in the center of her chest, the sides of it deformed by the swell of both breasts.

Each cup gripped her, pulling her flesh firmly upwards. Her fingers circled each nipple, illustrating the little nubs on the interior that were teasing her mercilessly. The bra conformed to her body, looking like it belonged. Her hands cupped and stroked at her skin, emphasizing how well the bra confined and defined each swollen breast.

Suzy was starting to get helplessly aroused, and hardly noticed when control transferred back. She wanted this, wanted to be an erotic being, to wear sexy clothing and be carefree. She continued to caress herself, her eyes shining purple with lust. It felt so hot to let go and be taken to a new plane of existence.

She pressed the cups of the bra, letting the nubs caress her tender points. She had never orgasmed from self-stimulation of her breasts before, but now she believed that it might be possible.

Pushing up and down in time to the waves of pleasure coming from her chest, she slid her hands over the sticky surface of the latex, yellow orbs bouncing wantonly. A pulse of pleasure brought her to the limit, her cleft pulsing in and out as she rode the orgasm that bounced rapidly between her chest and thighs. Letting out a soft moan, a dumb smile spread over her face. If only she could feel like this every day!

Play time was over now, however, and she needed to change back into more typical attire. The problem was that she found that she was unable to. She tried to get her hands to move up to one of the shoulder straps, but something was preventing her from doing so.

It was almost as though there was a block in her mind, a solid wall between her will and reality. She found herself nonchalantly slipping her shirt back over the yellow latex, hiding the naughty secret from view.

Nobody would be able to see it anyway, she rationalized, even though the color is bright - it will be completely hidden from view!

Throughout the rest of the evening, she ignored its presence, though she did enjoy the low grade arousal caused by the slight nipple stimulation. She liked feeling good, she concluded, so why bother taking it off?

It made her feel more relaxed, more able to face the next day. She found herself playing with her breasts every so often, and was already looking forward to having another orgasm. This was completely wrong, but she couldn’t help herself!

She was still horny when she turned out the lights, tracing Rankotech’s ‘R’ on her chest. Her fantasies were enhanced by imagining that Rankotech owned her, the bra a visible sign of her servitude.

She almost grabbed the dildo out of the nightstand, but the day’s activities had made her more tired than she had originally thought. Her mind dropped into a deep slumber, where she dreamed of slaving away, a purple gleam in her eyes.

Day Two

She was swimming, floating in a sea of arpeggios. The music surrounded and filled her with joy as she flowed forward. The purple stream twisted, delightful sound surging around her in a definite pattern, the rhythm teasing some sort of meaning just beyond her comprehension.

Her mind was racing, but she had very little control, her body not obeying any of her commands. It was almost as though her conscious will was bound inside a silver cage, her mental hands tugging on the gilded bars of her prison.

She went with the flow, letting it carry her softly, bobbing along to the omnipresent beat. It was a happy, contented feeling, all of her fears being bled from her as pure satisfaction tickled her toes.

She breathed deeply, letting a stream of the music flow through her sinuses and into her rebellious brain, deadening her reactions to the strange situation.

In her somnolent state, it took some time for her to realize that she wasn’t alone. There were countless figures floating with her in the misty music, thin streams of bright notes linking them together into one whole. They hung together in mid-air, rotating in unison to the tempo of the song that played them all.

The other figures had little definition, their forms covered in body hugging rubber. Some wore yellow, others black, still others red, all of them floating together in the delicious void.

They were indistinct, their faces covered by the outfits they wore, floating humanoid shapes with fully formed breasts clasped in the filmy material, a large stylized ‘R’ printed in black ink on every chest. The music weaved its way around each figure, bodies caressed and constrained by its melody.

Her hands drifted in front of her without conscious control, each hand and arm encased in the same material as the other figures. It looked strange, but felt perfectly normal.

Bemused, she watched her fingers move and flex in shiny yellow. She started to feel an unnatural kinship with the other figures, apart from her, yet with her.

Somehow she knew that they felt content, the music allowing her to get a sense of satisfaction. They were together, subunits of one purpose, though she didn’t understand what that purpose might be.

She was right to be there, a part of something greater, tasting the soothing music as it took her will away. With every breath, she felt calmer, momentary turmoil soothed by the beat as it drained her resistance.

Suddenly, the figures in front of her shifted, twisting to either side, delineating an invisible pathway in the amorphous environment. Another figure moved towards her down an invisible, circular corridor.

This one was encased in a purple outfit, but otherwise looked similar to the other forms, which were now showing some sort of obeisance to the one in purple.

The new figure moved with purpose, streams of music stretching over her body and flowing outwards in every direction, linking her with the others. It didn’t take a genius to realize that this might be their leader.

Was she her leader, too? The errant thought floated through her mind, but she rejected it. She wouldn’t allow herself to be coerced by a formless apparition!

The figure loomed closer, her shiny body now in front of Suzy’s. She could see every gleaming inch of the bodysuit that stretched tightly over the figure’s generous assets.

The view was rather arousing, her drowsiness fading. She could control this situation. Not even the soothing music would calm her down now.

The blank figure watched Suzy behind the shiny mask that covered her face. She was strangely drawn to the woman, even as her conscious mind was repelled. She stopped herself from leaning closer, the music weaving through the air in a sinuous fashion.

Suddenly, the woman’s blank face curved into a smile under the mask, her eyes crinkling open, holes forming in the material. Now she was staring into an eerily familiar face, a dark purple color lighting the deep sockets from within. She was staring into her own eyes.

“Who are you?” she mouthed, words seeming to have no sound in the misty landscape.

The lips opened, forming a simple word that began to burrow into her mind. “Obey,” whispered the figure.

The word was firm and compelling. The walls she had built around her mind were starting to crumble away.

“Obey,” said the figure again, this time louder.

The other figures floating through the indefinite landscape took up the cry, chanting the word as well. They all clamored for her obedience, the harmony of their cries louder than the music which had infused her soul.

She could feel herself at the tipping point now, so close to giving in. She couldn’t, though - not now, not ever.

She had believed in someone once, but had been burned badly, betrayal turning her loyalty to ashes. She couldn’t allow herself to trust like that ever again.

A fiery rage roared within her, rejecting everything. Nobody would ever own her soul again. She screamed, letting her frustration boil out of her, her body erupting in flames.

Reality shattered, the figures stuttering their words. The environment cracked, looking like a bad photograph. Pieces of the universe crinkled, disintegrated, blowing away in a nonexistent wind.

Soon, there was nothing left but white ashes dancing through a blackened landscape. She was alone, with no demons or strange music to torture her.

Somehow, this didn’t make her feel better. She sat and cried, all alone in a strange land.

Fatigue overtook her. She felt tired of everything.

Eventually, once her sadness had ground down to numbness, she woke up.

***

Suzy woke with a gasp, sweat sticking the sheets to her body. Breathing hard, she tossed off the covers and lay back, running her hands through her golden hair.

She hadn’t had any nightmares for years, and it seemed strange that she was having new ones now. She had hoped to put the bad memories behind her, or bury them deep enough to stop them from bubbling back up.

Perhaps she was stressed out? Being under pressure at her job, and trying to decide whether to make the leap to another would be enough to make anyone have nightmares.

Or maybe it really was the old ghosts coming back to haunt her again. It had taken her years to even begin to understand the absolute betrayal of her father.

Her mother had taken the easy way out, causing her daughter infinite heartache. Even though there was nothing she could have done to prevent the tragedy, that didn’t stop her mind from replaying the horrors in her dreams.

It had taken years of therapy and an iron will to overcome these disasters, gluing the pieces of her soul back together again.

She had faced the same precipice herself once before. In the end, it had been her grandparents who had brought her back from the brink, stepping in when there was no hope left.

They had both been steadfast individuals, their hope for the future and their love for her finally breaking her suicidal tendencies. They were getting on in years, but their care was the bedrock she had built her new life on.

She wiped away a tear, the memories making her maudlin. She was idly wondering whether it would be a good idea to give them a call when a loud, screeching racket filled the room.

She hunted for the ‘off’ button with one hand, groping blindly in the dark room. With a rough lurch, blessed silence finally settled once again over her bedroom.

She blinked her eyes, and looked at the clock. Thinking through all she needed to do today, she cursed. The reports her boss wanted still weren’t done, and she had hoped to get into the office early to finish them on time. Apparently, that wasn’t going to happen, but if she hurried her daily routine, she’d still be able to save a few precious minutes.

Her mind made up, she jumped out of bed with new energy, scavenging the needed clothing from her dresser on her way to the bathroom. Flinging aside the shower door, she stepped in and turned the water on.

She turned up the heat and let the water flow over her body. It was only at this point that she noticed that she was still wearing the Rankotech bra from the previous evening, the yellow latex clinging tightly to her chest. Befuddled, she traced the big, black ‘R’ with a finger. Why was she wearing it, and why hadn’t she noticed earlier?

Bemused, she watched as one hand continued to touch the shiny material, admiring how tight it was. Although this was arousing, underneath she still felt a trace of urgency, her other hand slipping down to grab the bar of soap.

Lathering up, she started caressing her breasts, the soap bubbles streaking across her chest. She needed to be clean, she knew that somehow.

It never once entered her mind that it might be faster to take the bra off before washing, her hands now slipping under the tight outfit to massage the soap directly onto her breasts. She felt great, more alive than ever!

It was so nice to caress and watch the water dance over her shapely form. She licked her lips, eyes flashing purple as she started to gyrate in the steam, feeling sexy.

It felt really nice, but something was missing. Letting the sensations be her guide, she slipped her left hand below, no longer trying to pretend that she didn’t need release.

As a few fingers slipped inside, she thought that she could hear a primal rhythm. It was indistinct and hard to hear, but she knew that she needed to match it.

Pretending to dance, she swayed to the beat, her hands caressing her body as her arousal grew. It was so easy to lose herself in the sensations, letting them direct her actions. Work didn’t matter, finances didn’t matter, the world didn’t matter.

There was nothing but the beat, her hands, and the pleasure. She thought that she was imagining things when the yellow bra constricted, grabbing at her breasts before relaxing again.

It pulsed in time to the beat, the material gripping her in the measured rhythm. The nubs in the cups rubbed her with every movement, her nipples swelling to tight bullets. She was too far gone now to worry about the implications of the situation, the material squeezing her towards a burgeoning climax.

She grunted in time, pumping her fingers, trying to push herself over the edge. It was simply too much for her body to handle all at once. The tingling sensations from her erogenous zones exploded, wracking her body with waves of pleasure as she orgasmed in time to the music only she could hear.

She gasped for breath as the waves subsided, satisfaction bursting from every pore. She cursed, realizing how much time the self-stimulation had cost her. If she didn’t hurry up, she wouldn’t even make it to work on time!

Quickly now, she shampooed her hair and washed it out. The soap ran over her flushed body, dripping over the bra she hadn’t even considered removing. Climbing out of the shower, her wet hair clung to the back of her neck - there wasn’t enough time to dry it properly.

It didn’t occur to her that normally she never would have considered pleasuring herself before work.

***

She was a half hour later than she had wanted to be by the time she arrived at PolyCorp. It definitely wasn’t an auspicious start to the day when she hit the elevator button and it failed to arrive. It took her a couple of tries before she realized that they were still broken from the previous day.

As such, her temper was up as she exited the stairwell, wondering what else could possibly go wrong.

Her heels clacked on the floor as she hurried into the office. She was just about to sit down at her desk when she was interrupted.

“Suzy?” the smarmy voice managed to catch her off guard. “I’ve noticed a distinct lack of punctuality around here. And where are those TPS reports? We need them in two hours.”

The amount of superiority in the man’s voice was sickening. Of course, it was Lewd Larry, dressed in a smoking jacket, come to badger her yet once again.

It was all she could do to contain herself. Her face flushed in anger, and she said primly, “it will be ready on time. Please leave me alone so that I can get started.” She stared daggers at Larry, silently willing him to fling himself from the nearest balcony.

Instead, he smirked and said, “see that you do,” sauntering off back towards his office.

She watched him walk past the empty cube where Nancy used to work, and a sudden lurch of loneliness hit her again. It really sucked to work at an office where you no longer had any friends.

She sighed and sat down, getting her computer ready for another workday. She flipped through her email, checking to see if anything important had happened while she was out.

There were several spam and maintenance notifications she could safely ignore, but a message from ‘Everlasting Elevator Repair Services’ caught her eye.

She brightened up a little when she read that her message from yesterday had actually been received and they had dispatched a technician to work on the elevators. Maybe things were finally starting to look up?

She clicked back to her spreadsheets, looking for the numbers she needed for the reports, and was soon absorbed in the analytical work. The numbers were patterns, and she knew that all she had to do was concentrate fully and they would give up their secrets to her.

A half hour in, she heard the elevator bell ring and the doors opened. Out stepped a burly fellow in a workman’s outfit, tools hanging from his belt. In his left hand was a clipboard, ‘Everlasting Elevator Repair Services’ printed on his uniform, opposite his name: ‘Gus.’

He ambled up to the counter and dropped a greasy part onto the clean surface. “I found yer prahblum!” he announced cheerfully. “This here gear mustah been stripped sumthing awfhul!”

Suzy looked in askance at the mess, calculating in her mind how much work would be necessary to take care of this new distraction. “That’s great,” she said slowly, trying to prevent herself from exploding in anger. “Can I just have the invoice, please?”

“Yah betcha!” he bellowed. “It’s raight heah!” Using his greasy fingers, he dropped the clipboard into her hands. “Please saign neah the bottom!”

“Great,” Suzy said dubiously. She browsed the contents, taken aback by how much it cost to fix one little problem. The parts always seemed cheap - it was the labor that inflated the cost.

It wasn’t her money, though, so what did she care? She signed at the bottom and tore off the top sheet for her records.

“There you go,” she announced. “Have a nice day!”

“Yah betcha!” the man bellowed again, turning back to the elevators. Apparently, Gus had only one volume setting.

Shaking her head, Suzy looked at the time. She only had one hour left to get the reports done before the big meeting, and it would take at least ten minutes for her to properly clean up.

Neither job was optional, since first impressions were paramount. The external client could pull out if they saw the nasty mess currently occupying her desk.

She wrapped the broken object from the elevator in a tissue and dropped it into her garbage can. Unfortunately, that wouldn’t work for the grease sticking to the desk, unless she wanted to spread a thin layer of the lubricant over everything.

She rushed out to grab some soap and paper towels. When she came back, her phone was ringing.

Making a noise of extreme frustration, she dropped the cleaning supplies and leaned over to pick it up. “Hello!” she said with false cheer, hiding her annoyance at this new interruption.

“Hi, Suzy!” said Nancy. “I wanted to call and ask you how things went yesterday at the interview! I heard they made you an offer. Are you going to accept?”

Suzy didn’t want to be angry at her friend, so she clamped down hard on her emotions and attempted to answer rationally. “I’m not sure yet, Nancy. There’s still so much to decide. I don’t really know how I feel about the whole situation right now.”

She self-consciously touched her shirt, thinking of the Rankotech bra she wore underneath. Had she already accepted the fact that she wasn’t going to take it off?

“Actually, I need to let you go. I’m really busy right now. Why don’t I give you a call later?”

“Alright,” said Nancy. “I know how much stress you’re under, so I’ll let you get back to it. But remember, I’m here for you. Just let me know what you decide when you decide it. Remember, there’s prosperity through productivity! Ciao!”

Bewildered at the apparent slogan, Suzy hung up the phone. She cursed, seeing the time, and quickly set to work on the grease. It didn’t take long for her to clean it up, but she needed that time to prepare!

She only had forty minutes left, and she was going to make the most of it! Hiding the cleaning supplies in her desk so that she didn’t have to put them away again, she pulled the reports back open.

Usually, she hated putting reports together, but this time patterns in the columns drew her in. She could feel the rhythm and see the melody of the dancing digits. She was starting to get aroused at their beauty, her senses tingling.

She was lost in the forest of numbers, each one sparkling as she passed, their patterns arrayed in pairs of numerals that marched silently into the distance. If she grabbed that one there, they would break apart and form different patterns, interesting fractals she had never seen before. It was so much fun to do, dancing with math to a silent beat only she could hear.

“Suzy!” barked a voice, interrupting her trancelike state. “What are you doing?”

She was unceremoniously dumped back into full awareness. Her mouth was open and she was making soft panting sounds. One of her hands had slipped under her shirt and was palming a breast. The bra was pulsing, massaging her nipples with the bulbous nubs. It was a highly distracting situation.

Face aflame, she blubbered, trying to come up with an excuse. “I’m so sorry, sir!” she said, blushing. It was the worst possible scenario - not only had Lewd Larry showed up, but so had her boss!

John was apoplectic, having none of it. “Masturbation in the office is completely unacceptable, but that isn’t even the largest problem!” He gestured at her desk. “Clearly, the reports aren’t done!”

Blanching, Suzy looked at the clock, confirming that the time for the meeting had come and gone. What had just happened?

Everything had been in hand just a few short minutes ago! “It’s almost done!” she exclaimed, clicking wildly with her mouse. “It’s just about ready!”

“It doesn’t matter anymore, the meeting is now irrelevant!” he roared. “This is just further proof of your incompetence!”

His eyes narrowed. “I’ll have you know that the client from SoftChange called, withdrawing all business from us due to our being ‘unresponsive’ to their needs! And they’ve laid the blame for this squarely at your feet!”

Suzy gulped, only now realizing the monumental mistake she had made the day before. “But,” she gasped, “SoftChange has never been a large client for this company!”

“That’s right.” His eyes now glued her to her chair. “This was our opportunity to turn that around, grow our business. This whole debacle has cost the company an immeasurable amount of money.”

He paced the floor. “I can’t have this. I need you to leave, now. You’re fired.”

Larry stood back, letting the boss do all the talking, but Suzy could see the smirk in his eyes as he sipped his coffee. Suddenly, she couldn’t take it any more.

“You know what? It doesn’t matter. I quit. You couldn’t PAY me to work for this company. I’ve been harassed, put upon, ganged up on, and dismissed for years!” Her eyes flashed. “They usually say not to burn bridges, but I don’t even care. You’re all assholes!”

Grabbing her bags in a fit of anger, she rushed for the door, knocking against Larry on purpose. His coffee spilled all over his tweed jacket, dark rivulets flowing into his pocket.

He blanched as she got right up into his face. “I hope your mistress is as good at removing stains as she is at giving blow jobs,” she said nastily, rushing towards the door.

A dripping Larry was left behind, his mouth flopping open like a goldfish.

***

It wasn’t yet midday when she arrived home, tears streaking her face. She ought to feel relief that her horrible job was over, yet she just couldn’t do it.

She always wanted to do her best in all things, and she felt as though she had failed. What had happened was massively unfair, and she was still trying to process the situation

She threw her purse into a chair in the kitchen and sat down in another, her head in her hands. How had she arrived in this situation? Everything seemed so simple just a day ago. Maybe it really was all her fault?

A knock on the door distracted her from her misery. Through bleary eyes, she gazed through the peephole, seeing a brown truck rumbling away down the street. Curious, she opened the door to find a package sitting there.

Wary, she grabbed it and shut the door, locking it. She wanted to be alone in her current state of mind.

Who could be sending her parcels? She hadn’t remembered ordering anything recently. Then the thought came that it might be from Rankotech, much like the box yesterday which had helped to start the mess she was in. She shivered, but not with fear.

She hadn’t managed to remove the first article of clothing that was gifted to her. Did she really want to risk dealing with a second piece?

She sat the box down on the kitchen table, crossing her arms and glaring at it. After a few minutes, annoyed at her own indecisiveness, she decided that she was being too skittish.

Maybe it wasn’t from Rankotech at all. There weren’t any markings on the box to indicate one way or another.

The box cutter was still on the table from where she had left it yesterday, so she utilized it to open the new package. On top of the contents was a sheet of paper.

Printed at the top was an interrogatory statement in all capitals - ‘ARE YOU CONFORMING TO EXPECTATIONS?’

What did that mean? Whose expectations?

Tossing the paper aside, she took a bubble wrapped object in her hands and tried to disentangle it. As she rotated it, a slinky yellow blob of material dropped out onto the table.

She stared at the mass warily, now almost certain where the object had come from. Feeling silly, she retrieved a pair of tongs from a drawer and prodded it.

Nothing happened. Or, at least, there were no surprises.

She could tell now that it seemed to be made out of the same material as the bra. She rearranged it on the table, spotting another stylized, black printed ‘R,’ removing all doubt as to the origination of the package.

After shuffling it about for a bit, realization finally dawned. This was supposed to be underwear!

This new understanding didn’t exactly help her, however. Given her adventures with the bra from yesterday, she was understandably concerned that if she put this article of clothing on, it might not be coming off.

But would that really be a big problem for her now?

That thought brought her up short. Had she really already decided that she was going to work for Rankotech?

They had already displayed some pretty creepy behavior, sending her clothing that was effectively starting to control her body.

She jumped as her bra gave her a squeeze, familiar arousal curling up her spine. It clearly was suggesting something, but was she willing to play along?

Unbidden, sensual thoughts rose within her mind, her imagination starting to run wild. She was lying down sodden with sweat, writhing in pleasure, stroking herself. No, she was dancing seductively, running her hands down her svelte sides. She was moving to the beat, movements effortlessly graceful.

She blinked, beating back the sudden fantasies. What had gotten into her? Dismayed, she realized that she was naked, her clothing strewn around her.

Her hands were out of control, pulling the panties smoothly into position. Once their work had finished, she stumbled, almost as though she had broken out of a trance.

Cursing at her carelessness, she recovered and took stock of her new predicament. Her latex bra had been joined by latex panties, the ‘R’ she had noticed earlier now sitting on top of her mons, covering her pubic hair.

She bent down to get a better look, more curious than worried. The sheer material clasped her tightly, but there appeared to be a few openings below that she couldn’t quite see. Feeling it out with one hand, she ran her fingers around and into several molded oval holes.

Clearly it was meant for longer term wear, and now that it was on, she couldn’t seem to convince herself to take it off again, just like the cursed bra. Running her fingers over the material, she enjoyed the sensations being transmitted to the skin underneath.

She was already feeling horny again, the clothing somehow making her insatiable. Shaking her head, she pulled her hand away, trying to get a grip on the situation.

Bemused, she tried to figure out what to do next. Who could she contact about the situation? She’d be laughed at if she talked to the authorities. How would that conversation go?

Dear officer, I’ve put some naughty clothing on, and it’s controlling my every thought! With the way things were going, she’d probably end up attempting to pleasure herself at the station, which would be even more embarrassing than things already were!

Suddenly, a thought came to her - her friend Nancy might know what was going on. Naked except for her new undergarments, she searched her pants on the floor to retrieve her smartphone and dialed Nancy.

It rang through several times before it was picked up. “Hello, Nancy? It’s Suzy. We need to talk.”

“Oh? Have you made your decision?” Nancy sounded eager.

“It’s not about that, at least, not directly.” Suzy sighed, deciding to feel her out. “When you got the offer to join Rankotech, did they happen to send you any kind of… clothing?”

“Of course! It’s a perk for all new employees!” Her voice became soft, purring. “You didn’t happen to put any of it on, did you?”

“N-no, not really,” Suzy stuttered, feeling uncomfortable discussing the subject with her friend.

Both her bra and panties started pulsing, immediately putting the lie to that statement. Her face became flushed as her body’s primal reactions began to stir. “Only, it’s, I would like to know more about the clothing, that’s all.”

“You didn’t? I put them on as soon as they arrived! I didn’t think twice about it, really. You should give it a try! I think you’d enjoy it - it should release some of that stress you always seem to be carrying.”

Nancy’s bright voice was starting to become a bit of a blur as the ministrations from her clothing continued. With one more throb, she moaned, embarrassed by her behavior, her unoccupied hand now creeping back down to cup a shiny breast. Why couldn’t she stop caressing herself?

Over the phone, she heard a tinny laugh. “I knew it! You’re a liar, but that’s okay. Nobody I know has been able to resist, and believe me, I tried hard! It gets inside your head somehow so that you need to obey it. It’s like a half remembered song you have to sing the melody to.”

Suzy heard some heavy breathing through the line. “It’s already getting to me, just thinking about it, the mindless, sensual feelings that flow through your body. I know it’s wrong, but it’s too late, I’ve already been altered to accept it. Soon, you will understand as I have.”

The breathing got louder, interspersed with cute moans. Suzy felt as though her breathing and Nancy’s were synchronized, but it was so hard to tell due to the distraction of her pulsing privates.

Her nipples stiffened, being gently rubbed by the bra, the underwear now sliding back and forth gently over her lips as it gripped her skin. She dropped her hand to her thighs and plunged her fingers inside the rubber hole which covered her vagina, tickling herself to increase the stimulation.

The strange tune started again, the music in her brain winding its way through her thoughts. “Can you hear that?” she asked hoarsely, wondering if she was going crazy.

“Oh, yes,” replied Nancy. “It’s the music of Hive, and it is beautiful.”

“Hive?” asked Suzy, barely coherent. What was Nancy talking about?

“Don’t worry,” gasped Nancy. “It will all become clear soon. Just let it take you away and feel the pleasure.”

Suzy’s resistance was at an end, her thoughts now lost in the music, her body a pulsing, sweaty mass of tingling pleasure. She could feel the tempo rising, her breasts vibrating in rhythm to the unending song.

She needed release, had to have it, pumping her fingers inside as fast as she could. The tune crescendoed towards a climax, her insides swirling in a purple morass. Something twitched, and she cried out her pleasure, taut body vibrating like a drum.

The song quieted, but she felt as though she would never be completely without the music.

Sobbing gently, she gasped. “That was amazing! Does it feel like that every time?”

“Don’t question it!” said Nancy roughly, coming down from her own orgasm. “Just give yourself to the beat and let it guide your actions!”

She paused for a moment. “I’m sorry, I just can’t answer any more questions - you need to find out for yourself! I’m going to have to put the phone down now and masturbate some more. Enjoy yourself!”

Nancy clicked off, sounding pleased about something.

Suzy did, in fact, enjoy herself several more times throughout the afternoon and evening.

Day Three

She was kneeling in a fountain in an amorphous landscape, several yellow clad figures attending her. The fountain’s dark purple liquid was viscous, denser than water. It showered out of a central statue, splattering gently over all who stood near.

Suzy shuddered in joy as the figures scooped up the substance drizzling into a puddle at their feet and slowly massaged it into her pores. Her poor, aching muscles relaxed under the patient ministrations of the busy workers. There was no hurry to get anywhere, no worries to address. She was free to just be and soak in the moment and the attention.

She was sleeping again. She knew that she was sleeping, but that knowledge didn’t help her to reject this reality. It just felt too good to stay there and relax, letting the slickly attired attendants coat her with happiness.

There was a slight disturbance lurking beneath the serene surface, but her slave self was able to suppress any dissonant emotions. Too often she tried to analyze everything, taking any possible joy out of a situation.

This time, she wanted to be able to let go and have things happen to her rather than having to be the prime driver of everything.

The figures surrounding her were saying something in unison, chanting softly, but she was so aroused that it was impossible to tell what their shiny lips were saying. She sighed in pleasure as the hands of the slaves continued to roam, working on coating every square inch of her body with the succulent fluid.

No part was free from their insistent intentions, their yellow masked heads bobbing regularly as they concentrated on polishing the surface of her bodysuit. The hands struck simultaneously at her erogenous zones, smothering her breasts and private parts with groping lasciviousness.

She moaned continuously as the faceless creatures massaged her hard, doing their best to spike her arousal. As the heat within her rose, the less frequent any questioning thoughts became. She was encased by the suit, was becoming the suit, and nothing else mattered.

She felt a strange twisting sensation, and suddenly she was floating in mid-air, just outside the figures standing in the fountain. She could see her body being ravished, struggling helplessly under the ever moving hands.

It was hard to stop herself from wanting to be back inside the crush of bodies, letting them take her arousal to new heights. What would it feel like, she wondered, to lose herself in the lurid display?

The strange twist happened again, her consciousness rushing towards the slick, heaving bodies. A sudden change in perspective made her dizzy, but it soon stabilized.

She was inside a body that wore a skin-tight suit, the sudden change in costume making her juice up. She wasn't in control, her borrowed body mechanically moving to an unknown beat as her hands leisurely moved over another woman’s shiny buttocks.

She could feel the pinpricks of the piercings in her breasts pressing against the bodysuit, the warmth of her arousal increasing the amount of sweat trapped inside. Her mouth opened and closed to the rhythm of the music, forming the words of the chant as the syllables massaged her swollen lips - “through productivity, we obey.”

The chant continued, her willing mouth continuing to follow the unknown rhythm without her conscious control, each syllable making the tongue piercing clank in her mouth. She couldn’t help herself, the need to obey and continue the chant seemed to be built into this drone’s very essence.

Her hands dipped, the ooze from the fountain covering them with a slick substance. As if listening to unheard instructions, they rose again and moved towards the captive figure’s obedient body. Now she was massaging the woman’s breasts, coating every centimeter with the gooey liquid. She watched bemusedly as a droplet crested a nipple, flowing over the swollen curve of her breast.

It was easy to get caught up in the moment and let the sensations overpower her thoughts. There was a brief glimpse of another slave as her body gyrated, the woman’s mouth opening at the same time as her own, a brief glimmer of light sparkling from a labret piercing.

Now that she had seen it, she became more aware of her own, its small weight easily going unnoticed. It felt good to be a yellow rubber pierced drone, together in sameness. It gave her purpose, her hands being more aggressive with their captive.

The person they were working on must become an obedient drone. She didn’t yet understand their more perfect reality.

Under her hands, the figure moaned and shuddered, gasping away her silly resistance while shouting affirmations. Soon, she would be another drone, pierced and helpless to disobey.

Everything was as it should be. So why was she beginning to feel distressed?

Even as her body continued to chant, her thoughts began to escape the prison of the drone’s mind. The pleasure of converting another could overwhelm her original consciousness for a short time, but it did not seem to suppress her for good.

She groaned. Why couldn’t she get rid of these bad thoughts and be one with the music?

Her drone body stopped working on the new slave, her mouth cocked half open, frozen as if made of glass. Her old self started to gain control, lips forming a new word - “no.”

She whispered it at first, but soon she was chanting it louder than the other drones. “No, no, no, no, no!” she screamed, angry at her earlier submission. “This isn’t me, and I won’t accept it!”

She smiled in triumph at her strong will, doing her best to ignore the highly distracting outfit that squeezed her body. Her tongue clacked as she talked, a physical reminder of the power the strange landscape seemed to have over her.

Why had her imagination put her here? She had never worn an outfit like this in her life, despite the strange underwear she had recently received from Rankotech. Lip and nipple piercings were reserved for bad girls, not good ones like her! What kind of malign influence had infected her mind?

She backed away from the other drones as they continued to work on the woman gyrating beneath them. She felt no desire to join them, despite her current attire.

It was becoming scary how much she had enjoyed taking part in their activities. Fortunately, the drones didn’t seem to take any notice of her absence, continuing on as enthusiastically as before. She wanted to look away, but the display was riveting.

She yelped as she bumped into an object behind her, her inattention reducing her awareness of her surroundings. In this dreamscape, she hadn’t noticed anything else, so this was a surprise.

She froze as she turned on the immobile figure standing behind her, images from her past dream surfacing in her mind. Pure, purple eyes bored into hers with an intensity that pinned her in place.

It was the strange, controlling figure from her dream the day before, a purple latex outfit outlining her irresistible curves. She was suddenly unable to focus on anything but the figure’s face and striking eyes.

Her soft lips opened, curving into a familiar word. “OBEY!”

The single syllable penetrated her mind like the ring of a gong, striking her and spinning her consciousness out of the drone’s body. She flew as if thrown by a pitcher, her sight scooting over the visions below on the ground.

Instead of coming to a hard stop, her movement slowed, as if hitting molasses. Now her vision was fixed forward, a plethora of sensations coming from this new frame of reference.

She was above the events that were still ongoing, the amorous drones continuing to molest the newly minted slave. It was hard to see what was going on, as the figures were masked by a flow of a strange substance from the fountain.

It took her a few moments before she realized an important fact - she was the fountain. Sprays of the liquid jetted forth from her turgid breasts, drenching the participants below.

She was unable to move, mounted on a pedestal, her nether regions filled with stony projections that spurted the substance into her body cavities from below. Each hand had been positioned under her breasts, clutching the two large prominences of endless flowing joy.

The new sensations were overwhelming, fighting with her rational mind. To be stuck here forever, providing lubricant for the slaves below, was an unbearably erotic thought. If only it didn’t feel so good!

She wanted to moan, but she was stuck in the position the lewd creator of the statue had put her in, a rush of liquid flowing through her body and out her breasts, tingling the entire way.

Here she sat, a monument to eroticism, bathing enslaved subjects with her undying love. This thought was oddly appealing, and she wondered what might become of her.

Then, the field of imagination imploded into nothingness.

***

Her eyes flashed open. The sounds of cars passing outside her apartment made her relax.

Thank goodness! It was just another weird dream - but this was the second night in a row she’d had one.

She had once read that strange dreams could be interpreted to reveal insights about what was happening in one’s daily life. If so, what was her unconscious mind trying to tell her?

She started to pick apart the dreams. The random figures, drones - they might represent hidden desires, trying to drag her down to their level so that she would be as depraved as they were. It was hard to admit that what they had been trying to do to her was really tempting.

The lactating statue didn’t fit - didn’t make sense, given the context of the other activities that had occurred in both dreams. It was probably just her brain trying to fit pieces of her recent experiences into an imperfect jigsaw puzzle.

What seemed more important, however, was the lady in purple. Somehow, she seemed in control of the situation, possessing a gravitas that the other figures lacked. When she spoke, the drones listened and obeyed.

Maybe it was her bearing, or the concealed power she wielded, but Suzy found it hot just thinking about being like her. Wearing a skin tight outfit and commanding others to pleasure her? Yes please!

She shivered just thinking about it. Perhaps it wasn’t a good idea to ruminate too much about her dreams after all.

She frowned as she sat up in her bed. It was all well and good to speculate about the ephemeral, but she still had real problems to solve. Not only was she out of work, but she hadn’t done anything about the strange underwear that refused to come off.

These strange gifts made her suspect that Rankotech might be up to something not completely above board. She had never heard of any other company sending potential employees addictive clothing that couldn’t be removed.

As she flexed, she could see the large ‘R’ on her chest twist its shape, her generous bosom outlined below the taut latex. It was hard to avoid just sitting there, staring at the clothing and stroking herself to climax. It would be a pleasant way to start the day, but she didn’t want to give up before she even rolled out of bed.

Considering, she made up her mind - not having a job wasn’t going to work out for her. She was too driven to let herself mope around, and even if she did, it would likely devolve into masturbation. If that happened, it wouldn’t be long before she really did become a mindless slave drone, pleasuring herself to a beat only she could hear. Besides, if she wanted to get some real answers about her situation, there was only one place to go.

She climbed out of bed, naked except for her new attire. It took only a few moments to locate her smartphone and dial the recruiter’s number from her contact list.

“Hello?” she said haltingly. “My name is Suzy. I was…that is, I attended an orientation at Rankotech yesterday.” With that small bit of exposition, she went silent, confused about what she was really trying to say.

“Ah yes, Suzy Willis, applicant number five zero zero four two.” The number was said mechanically, much like the voice of an automated telephone system. “Have you made your decision?”

There would be no going back. Once she accepted, she’d be through the looking glass, finding out what was going on from the inside. It was thrilling, in a scary sort of way.

“Yes, I think I’d like to accept your offer.”

The last bit came out in a rush. It felt urgent to get it out now that she had made up her mind.

Her clothing, which had been quiescent all morning, suddenly let her know its presence, a strong, warm pulse reverberating throughout her body. It was rather worrisome that the clothing was confirming her decision, but this was the only way to find out what hid behind the corporate veil of Rankotech.

She needed to know more about the people who possessed the technology to influence people with kinky clothing, especially since her friend had managed to get herself mixed up in all this. She thought of her grandparents - they had never given up on her, and she, by extension, couldn’t give up on Nancy.

“Excellent,” the voice said, sounding pleased. “Rankotech will offer you the originally stated position based on your skills evaluation. You are free to come in for orientation at any time.”

Suzy heard a click on the other end. Clearly they weren’t into being verbose, which was too bad, because now she had way more questions than answers. She sighed, bracing herself for another showdown in the shower with her kinky clothing. It was time to go to work.

***

They hadn’t told her when to arrive at the office, so after taking a shower she had eaten some breakfast before getting ready to leave. Her kinky underwear hadn’t bothered her as much as she had expected it might, for whatever reason, so she was able to finish getting dressed efficiently.

On top of the underwear, she wore a conservative black pencil skirt and a vertical striped dress shirt. She paired the ensemble with a chic pair of purple high heeled shoes and a clutch bag for a splash of color.

Conveniently, the outfit hid her new underwear. She wanted to make a good impression on her first day on the job, and she doubted that her kinky underwear met the dress code.

It didn’t take long for her to arrive at Rankotech, the trip taking no more than a few minutes from her city apartment. The commute was actually shorter than the one she had used to make to Polycorp, for which she blessed her good luck.

But was it all luck, really? Somehow, she suspected that the events now in motion were being carefully orchestrated. She would need to keep her eyes open and observe everything going on in this new office - perhaps her analytical skills would serve her well in this regard?

She stepped through the outer door, the inside looking the same as it had a few days ago. The receptionist was typing mechanically at her desk, attention riveted on her computer screen, just like before.

Curiosity getting the better of her, she decided to see if she could find out what the receptionist was looking at so intently.

She moved closer, walking across the atrium. Her heels sounded loud to her ears, but the receptionist didn’t seem to notice. Finally, she was standing right behind her shoulder, peeking at the screen.

The small excitement she felt due to her naughtiness was quickly replaced with wonder. On the screen swirled an enticing pattern that she just had to understand.

This was like when she was absorbed by her numbers, but magnified several times over. Her mouth dropped open as she stared at the display, the magnificent colors swirling on the screen and in her brain, the pattern throbbing in a slow, irresistible beat.

She wasn’t certain how long she had stood there, when something interrupted her view of the screen. She blinked, surprised at the sudden change. How had she allowed herself to be mesmerized?

Standing closer than Suzy would like, the receptionist stared at her. “Recruit five zero zero four two, this display is not for you.”

She enunciated clearly, speaking every number in a slow drawl. “Please present yourself to the orientation chamber, where you will be introduced to your new job.” She raised an arm off to one side, her finger pointing imperiously.

“I’m… sorry,” said Suzy, only a little embarrassed. If she wanted to find out what was going on at Rankotech, she needed to take chances like this, even if they resulted in failure.

“I’ll go there immediately. Have a nice day!” She turned away, pretending that the receptionist’s gaze wasn't burning into her back.

She moved with more speed than she needed to, hoping that the mechanical receptionist wasn’t annoyed enough to report her behavior. It would be inconvenient to get written up on the first day!

She considered ignoring the receptionist’s instructions and exploring on her own, but decided that would be tempting fate. After a few days, it would be less questionable for her to be poking around. Besides, she was actually curious about whatever this orientation was about.

She walked down the hallway, reading a series of signs over several nondescript doors. Orientation One A, One B, and One C. She hadn’t remembered seeing them during her first visit to Rankotech, but there had been a lot on her mind at the time.

Each room had a red light on top of the door, marked with ‘occupied,’ much like a radio studio. Room One B appeared to be in use, so she grasped the handle of the door to One A firmly and walked inside.

It wasn’t a very large room - the size of a closet, it was dimly lit and cramped. The only object visible was a large tan leather chair, similar to something a dentist might use. Placed on the seat was what appeared to be a white motorcycle helmet.

On the far wall was a screen containing a command in block letters. “PUT ON HELMET, SIT DOWN, AND BE COMFORTABLE.” A slow, rotating ‘R’ sat in the bottom right corner of the display. The light appeared to be coming from a projector mounted on the wall above the door.

The instructions seemed straightforward enough, so she put the helmet on and sat down, relaxing as she settled in. It was easy to see the letters through the blue visor of the helmet, but the words were distorted, perhaps due to the layer of refraction she now had to peer through.

There came a slight click, and a soft hissing sound enveloped her ears. The helmet must have built in headphones, she thought idly. The gentle sound intensified, blotting out the hum of the fan from the projector.

The screen in front of her blurred, a white background appearing. A lady she recognized from candidate testing stepped into the center and smiled. “Hello, my name is Erin Langley, and I will be your instructor today. I hope you are comfortably situated.”

The hissing sound devolved into a slow background pulse, unnoticed as she paid careful attention to every word the trainer was saying. She stared lustfully at Erin’s outfit, a slick orange bodysuit with tight fitting black latex gloves and boots.

The woman’s large breasts sat comfortably atop a solid black corset. A large, stylized ‘R’ graced her chest, matching the logo that had been rotating on the display. Suzy’s hands itched, wanting to caress that outfit.

The recording continued on, ignoring her salacious thoughts. “Our aptitude test has registered that you have scored highly enough to join the team. I am here to instruct you in what you will need to know to become an efficient, highly trained employee.”

She smiled, flexing deliciously in her tight suit, “At Rankotech, we work hard, and we play hard. That’s why our motto is ‘Prosperity through productivity!’” Her eyes turned glassy as she said the statement with pride.

Suzy mouthed the words along with the trainer, wondering why this simple act was causing her to become aroused. She was getting pumped up, wanting to do some work now, be efficient and solve some problems. The hissing in her ears modulated, becoming more attuned to her brain waves. She focused on the trainer, hoping for more words of wisdom.

“It is my goal to turn you into a productive member of Rankotech’s service division. As such, we need to instill the skills and techniques required of our technicians.”

Suzy thought that she might be dreaming again when Erin’s piercing blue eyes started to turn purple, the color swirling through each cornea. Taking no notice of this change, the trainer continued. “Before we begin, the pleasure unit must be installed properly. Please open the compartment between your legs and insert the pleasure unit.” The recording paused and static white text appeared. PLEASE INSTALL YOUR PLEASURE UNIT.

An interesting light display danced around the corners of her visor. It was comfortable to sit there and listen to the nice rhythm of the headphones, but she needed to do what the screen commanded.

Unable to look away from the fun, sparkling lights, she felt around between her legs and under her skirt to see if she could find what the presentation was talking about. After a few moments, she was able to locate a rectangular opening with a cut out notch that she hadn’t noticed before. Inside the compartment, there appeared to be something long and squishy.

It seemed natural that the object should be inserted into her pussy, so she lifted her skirt and pushed the length into the molded rubber canal of her panties. The material gave, allowing the dildo to pass through until it was firmly seated inside, its thick presence giving her butterflies. She smiled, pleased to have obeyed so easily.

“Good!” said the trainer, as playback continued. “You are already starting down the path to efficiency!” She gestured at her outfit. “As you may know, our clothing helps to control our actions and makes us better workers.”

She stroked her sides. “Its smooth surface reflects the texture of our minds, and how effortless it is to stay on task.”

She placed her hands on either side of her breasts, pushing them together, the rubber distorting deliciously. “The ‘R’ reminds us of who we are, and what we stand for.”

Her arms extended outwards in an all-encompassing gesture. As she spoke, each sentence was punctuated by a short spike of vibration from Suzy’s pleasure unit. “The color of your outfit reflects your role in the company. Black is for soldiers, protectors of all. Yellow is for workers, who have answered our call. Orange are trainers, enforcing our borders. Red is for overseers, drones within order. Purple are royals, the most powerful you’ll meet, when you bow to their thrall then obedience is complete.”

With every sentence, Suzy shuddered more, the vibrations from the dildo increasing in strength. The simple rhymes sunk deep into her thoughts, words echoing in her blank mind.

The trainer smiled beatifically, arms returning to her sides. “As you continue working with the company, it is possible that your role might change. This happens rarely, as initial assessment by the RAT is usually very accurate. Your supervisors will evaluate you over time, and changes will be made accordingly. Don’t worry about underperforming, as everyone has a role in this company, even if you end up cleaning the floors.”

“You will notice that headphones are provided for your work.” She spread her hands wide, and between them materialized a staff with musical notes. “This is the music we play together. Our music, your music, the soundtrack of our work. Let it carry you away each day, and help it to grow a new appreciation in you. In time, you may contribute pieces of your own song, but there is no need to force anything.” Her hands dropped, the musical bar evaporating.

“My presentation is now complete. Please watch the screen for further indoctrination.”

The screen went black, replaced with a different light display. These new patterns were intriguing, as they seemed to combine with those being shown by her helmet.

Her rational thoughts were being pulled apart by the twinkling lights. The mental subversion had happened slowly enough that she hadn’t realized how much of an altered state she was in.

She was already susceptible to the suggestions due to the training she had received from her previous visit, and the latex underwear just wouldn’t leave her alone. She felt intoxicated, the twisted reality bringing her to a new, pleasing understanding.

All thoughts drained away as she continued to watch the display, her body tuning into the sensual drone in her ears. The dildo pulsed in time to the music flowing through her brain, her bra flexing to the beat.

She moaned as the frequency of the manipulations increased, giving in to the pureness of the feelings. Her body was driven to the brink of climax before the automated systems backed off.

She rode the thin edge of pleasure for several minutes as the system took her measure, recording various attributes, determining what levels were necessary to keep her stimulated. A chime sounded, and the pulsing increased, the dildo vibrating wildly while it slid in and out.

As she climaxed, she could hear a voice in the headphones briskly chanting. “Obey, obey, obey.”

It was glorious.

The dildo slid out of her snatch and the hypnotizing displays flickered off. It was anticlimactic, the show over, and she was sad that it was done.

On the screen were more instructions, however, these informing her that it was time to join a work group. Invigorated at the thought of meeting new people, she dropped the helmet back onto the chair and exited the chamber.

***

The next few minutes were a blur of identical looking corridors. On autopilot, she navigated by instinct, somehow knowing where to go. She didn’t remember anyone telling her specifically what to do, but it just seemed correct to turn right at this hallway and left at that one, even though neither of them had any apparent identifying marks.

She stepped through the next door into a generic office environment. Cube walls were everywhere, and the gentle hum of an HVAC system was overlaid by a quiet murmur of voices. She looked around, confused about what to do next, when a voice shouted at her from across the room.

“Suzy!” Loud and boisterous as ever, Lainey came bounding out of the cube farm and clasped her hand.

Dressed in a casual work outfit, her face was alight with delight as she gave Suzy a quick peck on the cheek. “I’m so glad to see you again! It’s only been two days, but it feels like longer! I’m so glad you accepted!”

Lainey’s enthusiasm was catching, and she was already starting to feel her spirits rise. Seeing a familiar face was nice, though that didn’t change the fact that she was being controlled by the company. It was getting harder to tell which actions were truly her own.

Suzy made a wry face and attempted to extract her hand from Lainey’s embrace. “I didn’t have much of a choice - I ran into some issues in my previous job and got fired.”

Lainey’s face fell at the news, but then she brightened again, her cheerfulness insuppressible.

“I’m sorry to hear that, but look on the bright side!” She bounced on her heels. “At least you’re not out of work, right? And if yesterday was any indication, you’re going to enjoy working here as much as I do!”

She moved in closer and looked around, as if trying to keep a secret. “I almost like it too much,” she confessed in a hushed murmur.

Then she straightened up and seemed to dismiss the thought. “When you work at doing something you enjoy, it isn’t work at all!”

She grasped Suzy by the hand and pulled her into a series of cubes. The area they were in was a quad with half cube walls for semi-privacy while working. Only one of the other cubes was occupied, a short asian lady concentrating at something on her screen.

“Let me introduce you!” said Lainey cheerfully, standing between them. “Suzy, this is Shiori, our other co-worker! Shiori, Suzy!” Shiori turned from her screen and blinked owlishly, nonplussed.

“Nice to meet you,” she said in unaccented English, standing and bowing before extending a hand. “I, too, have been here only a day, and am still trying to fit in.” She seemed unsure of herself.

“Nice to meet you,” Suzy said as pleasantly as possible.

She was happy to be working with Lainey, but this new lady was an unknown quantity. She wanted to discuss with both of them the kinky underclothing she was unable to remove, but wasn’t sure whether it was a good idea.

Screw it, she thought, annoyed at her indecisiveness. Timidity wouldn’t get her anywhere, except turned into another willing corporate slave.

Nancy wasn’t shy when she had mentioned the topic earlier, but her friend had managed to deflect Suzy’s questioning when she had tried to dig deeper. She decided to broach the subject delicately.

“Are either of you wearing something… special today? Something that you can’t or won’t take off? And how much have you been… enjoying it?”

Her confidence started to fail her, eyes becoming twitchy. “I’m not sure if we’re allowed to talk about it, but the take home package from Rankotech during my recruitment was a bra that I can’t remove. It… massages me every so often. I’m wondering if either of you have any experience with that?”

Lainey started smiling again, cupping her breasts and shoving them together. A purple reflection flashed through her eyes as the flesh bunched up. “Yup, and that’s the best part of the whole deal! I’ve had more orgasms in the last few days than in an entire year!”

Shiori seemed more nervous than Lainey. “I’ve experienced the same thing myself, but I’m not as convinced that Rankotech has our best interests at heart. I’ve found myself trying to get off in the most inconvenient places.”

She blanched, worry evident on her face. “I think they might be training us to do something or be something, but I’m not sure what.” Her voice came in a whisper. “I want to leave, but I don’t think I can anymore.”

As she was saying this, an assertive voice broke in. “Ladies, how are you doing? It’s nice to see a fresh batch of new recruits. The company always needs new talent!”

The bold voice made all three of them flinch as though they were naughty teenagers. They turned to meet the new arrival, already cowed by her presence.

In front of them stood the trainer she had seen starring in the orientation video, Erin. She wore a more conservative outfit than she had earlier, but Suzy could see a peek of orange underneath the severe pantsuit.

“I see you’re about ready to get to work!” This was more a statement of fact than a request, as if the woman was confident that her commands would be obeyed. “I’ll let you get to it. If you have any questions, I’ll be sitting over there.”

She gestured to a nearby cube, giving them a look that suggested that she knew what they had been discussing.

When she left, they let out a communal sigh of relief. “Better do what she says,” remarked Suzy. “We can talk more during a break - I don’t really want to get in trouble during my first day on the job.”

Nodding assent, Shiori turned around and started typing, already cowed into submission. Lainey seemed to want to say something more, but she visibly deflated and sat back at her desk.

It hurt to obey the trainer’s command, but it didn’t seem as though any other choice would be more productive in discovering what was really going on at Rankotech.

She hung her coat on the back of her chair and sat down, moving the mouse to wake up the computer. When the screen reacted, she was rather surprised to see that it didn’t require her to login, and was in fact already running an application.

Most companies wouldn’t bother writing a custom app just for their organization, but Rankotech must have resources to spare. The standard Rankotech logo was embellished in the upper right of the program, the stylized ‘R’ now a very familiar figure.

In the center of the screen was a large entry box, the label stating ‘Recruit Number.’ She mouthed the words, confused as to what it was asking for, but when she was about to give up, her hands rose unbidden and mechanically typed in a number - five zero zero four two. Something unconscious must have memorized it for her - how convenient.

Green letters printed the word ‘ACCEPTED,’ the screen blanking and loading up new text. “WELCOME RECRUIT!” it said in block letters, a normal paragraph below. “The aptitude test has qualified you as a Data Analyst I. If at any point it is determined that you would be a better fit elsewhere, your immediate manager will be notified.”

That was great and all, thought Suzy, but what did it really mean? So far, all she had seen was pretty light displays and strange presentations. There was hardly any indication of what anyone at Rankotech actually did with their days. Perhaps she was about to find out?

After clicking the ‘Ok’ button, the screen went black and white text glowed. “Please put on your headphones before proceeding.”

Curious, Suzy looked around, noticing that both Lainey and Shiori were sitting calmly at their computers, typing away, their heads cupped with custom Rankotech headsets. Frowning, she clicked the ‘next’ button without putting hers on. How would they ever know whether she was using the headset or not?

She wasn’t indoctrinated enough to buy into everything Rankotech demanded. Maybe she’d be able to keep a clearer head without the unknown music pumping directly into her brain.

The screen cleared, subtle patterns with interesting colors starting to infuse the display. At first, it was difficult to make out any of the shapes morphing through the background, but she found that if she concentrated, there was some kind of method to the madness, each piece combining to create a larger whole. It was maddeningly difficult to tell what this all meant because the shapes refused to resolve into something sensible.

It sure was pretty to look at, however. Enthralled by the display, she barely noticed when someone slipped a headset onto her head.

The colors enhanced, their patterns making more sense as a rhythm started to pulse through her head. She loved to watch the nice colors as they throbbed purple, the melody of Rankotech soothing her soul.

She was lost in the images, allowing herself to swirl in awe at their eccentric movement. It wasn’t long before she wasn’t thinking at all, the hiss in her ears and the dazzling lights shaping her entire reality.

It was like being drunk - she knew she wasn’t in control, but it didn’t matter. Nothing mattered, except to keep watching the display as much as possible.

She wasn’t sure how long it took, but after a while the patterns started to make sense, resolving into numbers. The numbers were organized in columns, much like the spreadsheets she had worked on in another lifetime. She started to type, blank minded but following the rules perfectly, never making a mistake.

She was being productive, and it felt good to give up control and let the music play her body like a fiddle. It was getting what it wanted, and she received the satisfaction of being used in return. Work had never felt so good to do.

***

Suzy blinked several times, eyes dry. It felt as though she had awakened from a deep slumber, remembering very little of what she had been doing. Startled at the light levels, she checked her watch. It was well after 5:30 PM, already late in the day. Where had all the time gone?

As she slipped off her headphones, she noticed a note on the screen that read: “MAXIMUM ALLOTTED TIME ALLOWED. THIS WORKSTATION WILL NOT UNLOCK UNTIL MORNING.”

A timer with red numbers showed a countdown. A vague urge to keep going seized her, but that was impossible with the screen lock. They had anticipated this.

Curiously, she didn’t feel hungry, even though it was around dinner time. There was a scattering of crumbs on her shirt, but she wasn’t sure where they had come from.

Feeling betrayed by the fact that time had gotten away from her so easily, she slammed a fist on the desk. There was no way she’d be able to investigate Rankotech now - it would be way too obvious that she wasn’t just ‘looking for a bathroom.’

Everybody would be heading home, and authorized personnel wouldn’t be roaming the corridors after hours. She couldn’t even claim that she was working late, either, due to the locking system on her computer. She frowned, debating what to do next, when a hand touched her on the shoulder.

It was Lainey, looking positively bouncy, her cheery attitude restored. “It’s the end of the day!” she exclaimed. “And we’re getting something new!”

“Yes,” said Shiori. “I’m sure we’ll all enjoy whatever it is.” Her enunciation was rather stilted.

Indeed, the round table at the center of the cube had several boxes on it. Closer investigation revealed that each one was labeled with their names. Suzy took hers, looking at it as if it was a snake. She was pretty sure that it would be another article of clothing, and if this was anything like the other pieces she wore, she definitely didn’t want to embarrass herself in front of the others.

“I suppose it’s time to go home,” said Suzy.

Why did that comment sound reluctant? Had she actually liked working at Rankotech? How could that be, if she didn’t actually remember any of it?

As she was speculating, Erin snuck up on them again. “An excellent day of work, that was most efficient. Metrics indicate that if you keep this up, your chances for advancement are assured.”

It wasn’t all roses, however. She turned and glared at Suzy. “Everyone that is, except for you. In the future, make sure you follow all given directives. If not, you will be disciplined. I think you will find that disobedience only needs to be punished once.”

The dire glower Erin delivered made Suzy quake inside, but that didn’t diminish her resolve to find some answers.

“Go home and get some rest,” exhorted Erin. “And make sure that you open your packages. Rankotech expects her employees to dress the very best.”

***

After exchanging pleasantries, Suzy went home with the package. She had thought about ditching it, but changed her mind when she imagined Erin giving her the evil eye.

She didn’t need that kind of friction. Getting fired right away wouldn’t help her to find out what was going on with Nancy, or to get Lainey away from Rankotech’s grasp.

She wasn’t sure when she had started to include Lainey in her rescue plans, but it seemed like the right thing to do. Regardless, she needed to keep working on her plan, or she might start to forget about her real purpose for being at Rankotech.

It was too bad that she hadn’t been able to talk to Lainey or Shiori before she had left, but they both indicated that they weren’t willing to stick around and chat. She probably needed to arrange a meeting with them outside of work to get their real thoughts. Maybe after a few more days of working with them, they’d trust her enough to open up.

She had initially decided that she wasn’t going to even bother opening the package that had been gifted to her this time. She couldn’t think of any good reason to increase her dependence on Rankotech, except that the idea of putting on more kinky clothing was starting to get really exciting.

That was yet another good reason to avoid even looking at whatever it was, but before she knew it, she found herself at her kitchen table cutting through the packing tape.

This time, the piece of paper enclosed stated ‘ARE YOU MUSICALLY INCLINED?’ Another cryptic message without any explanation - it must mean something. It was hard to tell at this point whether they were actually meaningful, or just purposefully cryptic.

Either way, it was useless to her, so she set it aside. The usual, tight packing material unraveled to reveal a pair of yellow latex gloves. These weren’t ordinary dishwashing gloves, however. They were opera length, and would probably reach up to her shoulders if she put them on.

She touched them, feeling the tackiness of the material. She could already imagine wearing them, the shiny yellow rubber running up both arms, clasping them in skin tight bondage. What would it feel like to have both arms tightly encased?

She couldn’t resist the temptation to put them on, or maybe she didn’t want to resist. She examined the opening for each glove, noting the precise cuts made at the openings.

Rolling a glove inside out, she paused when the interior of the rubbery fingers were visible. Flexing each digit, she thrust her left hand into the tight rubber. Sliding her fingers into place, she worked at them, one by one, until her entire hand was coated in the shiny rubber.

The black Rankotech logo stared at her from the back of her hand. Shivering, she clenched her fingers into a fist, smoothing the rubber up her arm.

As her skin became a shiny mass, her delight rose. She stretched her arm experimentally as she pulled the glove up over her elbow, the final extent clutching at her flesh near her shoulder.

With one arm fully coated, her arousal grew. Now that she had some experience with the process, the second glove took less time to pull over her hand. The tactile feeling from her left hand encouraged her to finish the process, and she quickly tugged the second glove up to her right armpit.

Now that she had finished putting them on, she surveyed the new additions. They clasped her hands and arms tightly, the material flexing at her elbows. Light bounced off the shined surface, the Rankotech logo evident on the back of both hands and at the top of each glove, facing out from her shoulders on either side.

Putting on the gloves had stroked her libido, and now she found herself sliding a latex coated hand into her pants, getting ready to manipulate her nether lips. As her fingers found their mark, she made a little gasp.

The bra and panties had started their pulsations again, approving of her choice. She was dressing herself as a latex slave, and she was helpless to resist the slow transformation.

She rubbed her inner lips, the sensation shooting up through her core and making her nipples start to stiffen. If she wasn’t careful, she’d end the night at the kitchen table, masturbating herself silly. Maybe it was time to clean up and move to the bedroom?

It took every ounce of will she possessed to force herself to remove her hand and clean up the mess she had made with the packing material. Everything she touched with her new gloves seemed to trigger all of the nerve endings in her hands.

It was a really distracting situation, but it was too late to take them off. By a major force of will, she was able to keep her hands out of inappropriate places until she had finished.

The bra and panties kept her at a low level of arousal with their constant pulsing action, her feet padding towards the bedroom. Now she stood in front of her mirror, admiring the shiny clothing, eyes being drawn to the Rankotech logos that graced her body.

She was starting to feel like she was owned, becoming someone else’s property. When she felt this horny, though, it was hard to care. She just needed to finger herself. Right now.

Her rubbery fingers slipped back inside her wet canal, her arousal lubricating her for the action to come. She stretched a rubbery hand underneath a breast, breathing heavily as the tacky surface rubbed along her sensitive tissue.

She juiced up even more when she spotted the spiral purple colors spinning in her eyes. Something unexpected was happening here, but it only served to enhance the pleasure she was experiencing.

Her hips pumped up and down to the rhythm of the mysterious music that pounded in her ears. It enthralled her with its presence, washing away any concerns about how strange it was to be masturbating while her eyes swirled purple.

She wanted, needed more, her fingers reaching deeper and deeper with each gyration, her groping becoming more desperate as she mashed her breast. It was just so unbearably hot to fuck herself while her mind was being infiltrated by the controlling purple presence.

She never wanted the feelings to stop, all her concerns about Rankotech and her friends vanishing in a purple haze as she lifted herself to higher heights of thoughtlessness. It wasn’t long before the hand in her vagina tweaked her clit, causing her to orgasm in ecstasy, her mouth forming words her ears couldn’t hear, mimicking the mysterious sounds made by the music.

Exhausted by her exertions, she collapsed on her bed, a crazed grin on her face. The last thing she heard before drifting off was an unknown voice repeating a single word in a calm whisper. Sleep. Sleep.

Her drifting subconscious silently wondered if she was already a slave.

Day Four

The world seemed hazy, colors blurring together in a slow, spinning motion that was making her dizzy. The environment snapped into focus, lines sharpening until they delineated a bizarre sight.

She was standing in the middle of a colored plain, a nexus of pipes painted gunboat gray in the center of her field of view. The pipes extended off into the distance in both directions, the snaking edifice narrowing into distant, indistinguishable blobs. The sky was variegated, streaks of dour purple interspersed with striking red hues.

If the strange landscape hadn’t been sufficient to tell her that this was yet another dream, the figures laboring in front of her were. More drones dressed in yellow were standing next to the pipes, some of them stationary, some using silvery tools. They looked out of place, ladies in fetish clothing doing plumbing.

Looking closer, she noticed that one of the pipes appeared to be leaking, a purple substance oozing from an elbow joint. There were several slaves standing in the shallow pool formed by the leak. They appeared lethargic, their movements slow, a few of them more interested in groping their breasts than in patching the hole.

Their attention was not on the task at hand, their music slow and without strong cohesion. She pressed her pierced lips together, displeased with their lack of harmony. It was necessary to rectify this situation.

Her red rubber hands moved, twisting a knob on a device she held. The box was pistol shaped, with various levers and dials dotting the surface. A display on the top showed a square wave that increased in frequency as her hands adjusted the machine.

Satisfied, she aimed at the flagging drones and pulled the trigger. A purple field extended from the device in an arc, the air tingling with strange power.

The effect was dramatic, the distant drones perking up. They stopped pleasuring themselves and retrieved their tools, the slime from the pipes ignored as it dripped from their shapely, heeled boots. Their musical equilibrium restored, they began to work together to repair the leak.

Satisfied, Suzy let go of the trigger, supervising the drones to make sure that they wouldn’t lag behind again. As she watched, she clicked her tongue piercing against the roof of her mouth, enjoying the frisson of excitement that wound its way through her chest.

A gentle tingle of pleasure in her pussy made her happy. She was pleased that she was serving Hive. Everything was well with the world, the music balanced and in control.

Or was it? There was a faint nagging feeling that something was wrong. There couldn’t possibly be, though, she had seen the problem and had fixed it. That was the end of it.

She strode closer to the slaves, balancing on her platform boots, her skintight latex outfit flexing deliciously against her skin. Her pleasure from the omnipresent stimulation waned, displaced by concern that there was a problem that she hadn’t yet detected with her cohort of drones.

She looked them over critically, pacing back and forth. All of them were bound in yellow rubber outfits, their individuality hid beneath shiny face masks and glowing purple eyes, breasts enhanced and thrust upwards by severe corsets. Their only discernible difference was various colored strands of long hair, streaming from the circular openings at the tops of their masks.

They took no notice of her investigation as they continued to work, their efforts at repairing the pipe slowly starting to bear fruit. The leak was about half as bad as when they had started, though the pool at their feet had now increased to about three times the depth. Everything appeared to be in order, no unknown variances or behavior interrupting their synchronized labor.

Wait, what was that drone at the back doing? It seemed to have averted its gaze.

She opened her mouth, a sound of command issuing forth, a clarion call no true slave could resist. The drone’s head snapped around. Instead of the blank mask she expected, this slave had a face that looked like hers.

Its mouth moved, foreign sounds issuing forth. “Who… are… you?” the strange apparition ground out, its heaving chest emphasizing every syllable.

Her utter certainty of her control of the situation came crashing down around her, replaced by a strange feeling of disassociation. She could still feel the contentment and belief in the supremacy of Hive, but it was separate from her conscious mind, and no longer controlled her thoughts as it once did.

What scared her down to her core was the fact that she had liked being an overseer. She wanted to be in charge, wanted to have drones obeying her without question. Taking direct control of that drone had made her sexually aroused, for goodness sake!

No, that couldn’t be right. These strange feelings must just be left over artifacts from her conversion. She couldn’t possibly be that kinky! Could she?

She had half convinced herself that she wasn’t interested in controlling the fetish drones, but a single festering thought embedded itself in the back of her mind.

If this was all coming from an external source, why were her innermost dreams being invaded? If this was coming from her own imagination, did that mean that these fetish scenes were being generated from her own deepest fantasies?

This turmoil drew her attention inwards, the actions of the drones merely a background noise while she fought with herself. When she regained enough equanimity to take notice of her surroundings, the strange drone with her face had mysteriously disappeared. The rest of the pack was still working on the pipe, the leak almost sealed.

It took her a moment to realize that she was no longer seeing the drones from the viewpoint of the overseer. Instead, her consciousness was levitating through the landscape next to the shiny, red figure. The overseer paid no attention to her, watching the drones with one fist clenching the control device.

A bolt of purple lightning split the sky, the flash blinding her as a fork split off and buzzed around like an army of angry bees. She blinked, trying to banish the severe afterimage that blurred her vision, annoyed that she was experiencing physical reflexes in a dream.

As the blurs faded, she spotted a figure in purple stepping down an invisible staircase that had spawned from the lightning’s tip. The statuesque lady lifted her arms like a queen, staring as if she owned the entire dreamscape. And, perhaps she did - this was unmistakably the dominating persona she had encountered multiple times.

Her heart rate increased, a fight or flight response taking hold, but she found herself unable to move. No longer connected to the scene around her, her consciousness was affixed to one spot.

She found herself in a shimmering spectral body, an electrical field humming in a restrictive circle around her. Unable to flee, she stood immobile, watching the purple spirit inevitably draw closer.

The world seemed to pulsate in time with the lady’s movements, the beats resounding to each graceful step. Her confident strut emphasized every skin tight curve of the shiny purple latex that covered her body.

Light sparkled from black buckles that ran up the front of her crotch length boots, seamlessly integrating into her purple rubber undergarments and underbust corset. Her arms swayed in time to the music, gloves hiding them from view. She was every inch the anonymous Queen of her domain.

As the entity approached closer, Suzy expected a formless face covered in molded latex, as in her previous dreams, but this time she was surprised to see flawless skin constrained inside a hood. Long, purple hair sprouted from the top in an arcing ponytail, dangling down her back. The color coordination was a bit over the top, she mused, trying to extract some humor from her impossible situation.

When the Queen came close enough, she stopped, one foot in front of the other. Putting her hands on her hips, she considered Suzy’s floating figure. The world’s music seemed to pause as she examined Suzy’s nonexistent body, a sudden, inexplicable pressure coming from the imposing presence.

“Ah, there you are, my dear. I’ve been looking all over for you, but every time I catch up, you simply vanish. I’m starting to feel like you don’t like me.”

This time Suzy held her tongue, feeling steadier than she had the last few days. This was just one more weird thing to add to the pile, no need to get worked up.

She didn’t really know what she wanted, but she knew one thing - she was getting really, really tired of being out of control, at the whim and mercy of other people. “Who are you?” she demanded, verging on impertinence.

The strange woman laughed heartily, tilting her head to give Suzy a more direct gaze. “There's still some fight in you yet. Good! That might make this easier for you in the long run.”

As the laughter petered out, the stranger fixed Suzy with a curious gaze. “I am you. Or not. I’m just a figment of your imagination, one of your strangest and farthest flung fantasies. Or maybe, just maybe, I’m your future.”

“That’s total crap,” said Suzy, dismissing the bold statements with more certainty than she felt. “I don’t know what you really are, but you’re not anywhere close to being even a shallow copy of me.”

This statement seemed to amuse the lady even more. “You’re quite right, I’m not even a shallow copy of you… yet. However, nobody knows what the future holds, do they?”

She stretched lazily in her rubber outfit, letting the slick costume show off all her best lines. She was stunning and she knew it.

“Just look at you, you’re a bundle of conflicting emotions. You can’t even decide which thoughts you’ve been enjoying the most recently - the obedient, slave thoughts, or the dominant, controlling ones. How much did you enjoy commanding those slaves over there just now?” She gestured to the drones that were almost finished with their repair work.

Suzy looked at her rebelliously. “What if I did like it? Just because I enjoy being in control doesn’t mean that I want to be controlled as part of a Hive. I'm not going to turn into you, whatever you are.”

The apparition stared at Suzy. “All slaves are obedient, better slaves collaborate, but the best slaves aren’t slaves at all. They’re complicit, making sure nobody ever wants to leave.”

She ran a sharp, red tongue over her purple lips. “Which kind are you, I wonder? And how long can you afford to wait until you find out?”

Suzy tried to utter a denial, but her doppelganger pressed a purple finger firmly to Suzy’s lips, ignoring the crackling electrical field. “Shh, be quiet. Don’t be rude, I get to have the last word here.”

The figure clapped her rubber coated hands together, and the dreamscape began to unravel at the seams, the surrounding environment bleeding away into inky blackness.

“If I were you, which I may or may not be, I would think about what you really want before an outside entity enforces its will upon you. If you truly believe that it’s already too late to do anything, it will be. Your fate is entirely up to you.”

Her last words floated through the deteriorating landscape, until everything suddenly vanished.

***

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

The alarm blasted right next to her head, blowing away any chance of introspection into her strange dreams. She sat up, a blind panic running through her mind, overwhelming everything else - she was late for work!

Her body ran like an automaton as she went through her morning activities, unable to concentrate on anything but getting out the door as quickly as possible. Even so, she still did her best to hide her rubber garments under her normal clothing, anxiety at showing too much of the shiny material in public overriding the overall imperative.

It felt strange to hide her new latex gloves under driving gloves, but it was the only way to pretend that she wasn’t completely helpless to remove them.

It wasn’t until she had stepped into the office that the urge to hurry faded, replaced by the slow, rhythmic hum of people at work. She wished to join them, but she noticed the clock on the wall. It was half past six. In the morning.

“What’s the matter, Suzy? You look confused!” The bubbly voice of Lainey lifted her out of her stupor.

Lainey looked ebullient as usual, her curvy form clothed in a turtleneck and skirt ensemble. In the rear cubicle Shiori worked diligently, paying no heed to Suzy’s arrival. The hum of the office whirred like a well oiled machine around them.

“Sorry Lainey, I’m just distracted,” apologized Suzy. “Good morning!” She peered at Lainey’s hands. “What’s that you’re wearing there?”

“I should ask you the same question!” Before Suzy could react, Lainey reached out and pulled off her driving gloves, revealing the shiny yellow latex hiding beneath. “Look, we’re a matching pair!” She beamed a wide smile at Suzy.

Startled, Suzy looked at Lainey’s hands. She too wore shiny yellow latex, the black Rankotech logo embossed on the backs of her hands. Nonplussed, she wondered why she should even be surprised - they had both taken packages home yesterday, after all.

“Cool!” she said, not really meaning it. She wasn’t quite sure what to say.

“It’s okay, I know you’re confused. You’re not quite ready for all this.” A faint hue of purple shone in her eyes. “I was confused for a while, too, but after I sat down and worked for a few hours, I started to fit in. You should do the same!”

A pulse of power reverberated through her body. Yes, that made sense. If she just listened to Lainey and lost herself in her work, everything would be fine.

“Thanks Lainey,” she murmured, slipping back into her chair and letting her concerns float away.

The headphones slid on effortlessly, dropping into place as if they belonged there. The screen lit, her jaw went slack, and her eyes unfocused. She began to type, the hiss of the headphones sinking deep into her brain. Pure bliss flooded her mind, the repetitive work taking away all of her fears and concerns.

***

The fog of intense concentration peeled back, returning her to consciousness. In a daze, she mechanically took off the headphones and set them on her desk.

The worries that had been gnawing at her came back to life. She was spending altogether too much time in front of a computer screen without even knowing what she was doing, or what it was doing to her. This could be a brainwashing reinforcement device, for all she knew, and she hadn’t even been attempting to resist its lure!

Why had she gone into work so quickly without even checking the time? It just didn’t make sense. Something about this place was changing her, making her do things she normally wouldn’t do.

It seemed, at least for the moment, that the office’s hold over her had waned. Maybe this was her chance to investigate, figure out what was really going on?

She looked around surreptitiously, checking to see what Lainey and Shiori were doing. If they noticed her sneaking out, there was sure to be trouble.

Shiori was working as before, her attention consumed by the glowing screen in front of her. That was strange - why had she been able to tear herself away when Shiori couldn’t?

That left Lainey. She was liking the girl more and more, but her vivacious personality made it extremely difficult for someone to escape unnoticed. She peered over her shoulder, eyes hooded. Sure enough, Lainey was working too.

Getting out of her chair, she started creeping towards the exit, when something shiny caught her eye. Lainey was wearing a pair of tall, glossy black, knee high boots.

The heels must have been several inches high, with thick, platform toes, shiny buckles running up the front. Inconspicuous zippers lined the interior of the boots for easy dressing. They looked like the type you’d wear to a club, not to the office. Why was Lainey wearing them here? And why did the sight of them send a thrill up her spine?

Her curiosity aroused, she leaned over to check out Shiori as well. Sure enough, her coworker was also wearing the same type of high heeled boots. She felt a little put out. If everybody else had been given kinky boots, where was her pair?

“They’re right over there,” said Lainey. She had turned from her computer screen, pointing near Suzy’s feet. “That’s what you were looking for, right?” Her eyes glowed with a purple hue.

Suzy wanted to say no, but that wasn’t true. She wanted, needed to put her feet into a pair of those boots. The desire had welled up inside her until it could no longer be denied. If she looked in the mirror right now, would her eyes glow purple too? Would she really care if they did?

Distracted from her original mission, she sat back down and ran her hands over the boots. The gloves she wore deadened sensations, but she still rejoiced at feeling the glossy surface. Yellow gloves juxtaposed with black boots, little worker bees in a large Hive.

“Here, let me,” said Lainey, lifting a boot from Suzy’s hands. She unzipped the side, peering at Suzy with a small smile. “You need to take your shoes off first, silly!”

Startled, Suzy dropped her hands to her feet and pulled off the flats she hadn’t even remembered putting on that morning. Lainey’s eyebrows rose, and Suzy stuck out a foot, allowing Lainey to glide the glossy boot up past her thighs until her heel was stuffed into the bottom.

As Lainey did up each buckle on the boot, her arousal increased, the sight of it clasping her leg jolting her clit. “Only one more to go!” Lainey announced, hefting the other boot in her hands.

Docile, Suzy watched with rapt attention as Lainey encased her other leg in another tall, glossy heel. Lainey zipped up the interior of the boot, turning Suzy’s legs into long, shiny black towers.

Seized by an unknown impulse, Suzy leaned in and kissed Lainey on the cheek. Immediately, her face flushed and she looked away. “S… sorry,” she murmured.

That was highly inappropriate! Where had that urge come from?

“No, no, it was my fault,” said Lainey quickly, going white. “I shouldn’t have been so forward. I… have a lot of work to do.”

Lainey retreated back to her desk, pretending to be busy, her short, sharp motions betraying the tenseness in her body.

Flummoxed, Suzy leaned back in her chair, trying to sort out her feelings. She didn’t even like women!

At least, she hadn’t in the past. Was this bizarre working environment changing her that much? An even more distressing thought nagged at her brain - would Lainey report this to Human Resources? Surely not!

As her mind spun in circles, her eyes drifted back to the workstation’s monitor, the Rankotech logo drawing her attention. Her fingers slid onto the keyboard, activating the display. There was more work waiting to be completed. Always more work.

Her thunderous thoughts started to calm as she typed, the muted display drawing away irrelevant concerns. Soon, without noticing, she had slipped the headphones back on and fell into a working trance, the beat of Hive pounding like a steady drum in her brain.

The tempo increased, her fingers humming along with it. All thought had vanished, blank eyes staring at the numbers as they flowed past her vacant gaze. In tune with the music, she barely noticed as the day flew by, the fascinating screen holding her rapt attention.

It was over soon enough, however, the imperative of Hive relaxing its iron grip at last. She blinked, her eyes dry from the intense work. Peeking over at Lainey’s workstation, she was embarrassed at the relief she felt when she saw that her co-worker was still deeply held within Hive’s grip.

She put down her headphones and stood up, balancing on the new heels. They already felt as though they were a part of her, comfortable and sexy with their glossy sheen.

“Goodbye!” she said softly, unwilling to disrupt Lainey’s work. It was time to go home and consider her options, which were becoming rather limited.

***

Another package was waiting at her front door. It shouldn’t have been unexpected, given the last few days, but Suzy was still surprised. She was already encased in Rankotech rubber that couldn’t be removed - what else could they possibly be sending her?

Bending over, she picked up the package with a rubber coated hand, balancing on her heels. Sure enough, it was addressed to her from Rankotech, another unassuming package likely containing further addictive clothing.

She was somewhat bemused, as she knew that she was in far too deep to stop now. Her breasts and thighs tingled, the fetish rubber clothing rewarding her for her obedience. If she listened, she could hear the soft throbbing of Hive synchronized with the erotic sensations.

She shook herself from her reverie, knowing that it wouldn’t take much to push her over the edge. She was too excited to see what was in the package to be distracted, even though it would be so much easier to sink into the sensations and let them carry her away to another orgasm.

No, that would never do. She frowned, annoyed by the delightful distractions. “Quiet down!” she ordered, feeling silly about ordering inanimate objects to leave her alone.

To her surprise, the clothing obeyed, settling down. “Hmm, this has promise,” she murmured to herself.

Thinking, she ordered her bra to begin vibrating. When her breasts started buzzing in a pleasing fashion, she quickly ordered it to stop again. It wouldn’t take much to push her over the edge with her underwear acting like a vibrator!

Suddenly eager to see what was in the package and to complete her kinky ensemble, she fumbled for the scissors she had left out the previous day, tearing into the packaging. As expected, another piece of paper was included, the Rankotech logo printed boldly at the top. The contours were soothing, the logo’s pattern fitting comfortably into her psyche.

This time, the blocky letters spelled out: “ARE YOU OBEYING OR CONTROLLING?”

Suzy considered this statement for a few moments, confused. Was she obeying?

She liked the erotic aspects of Hive, she truly did, but she wasn’t sure about how far she’d actually go. How deep would she sink into the persona Hive was building for her?

Or was she the one building the persona for Hive? Did she feel comfortable being in command of the situation? It was hard for her to differentiate between the two, both possible futures blurring together equally.

Discarding the paper, she dug into the bundle at the bottom of the box, two black plastic bags soon spilling out their slippery contents. The item in the smaller bag folded out into a yellow latex shirt, containing pouches for her breasts, as well as a bold Rankotech logo in the upper right corner.

The other was a strict black corset, with steel boning. There was no logo here, but with the multitude already adorning her body, it hardly mattered. She was slowly being turned into an object, less and less human.

Eager to try on her new garments, she stripped out of her blouse and skirt, revealing the shiny latex beneath. Big, black Rankotech R’s proclaimed ownership all over her body.

It was hard, but she forced herself to stop admiring their sweeping curves. If she allowed herself to fixate on them, she probably wouldn’t come back to herself for hours.

The shirt had been pre-oiled, the zip at the front making it quite simple to pull over her head. She shook with excitement, pushing one arm, then the other into both sleeves of the garment. Her breasts slipped naturally into the cups, embraced with a perfect fit.

She smoothed out both arms, pulling the ends of her rubber gloves over the sleeves. The two of them mated seamlessly, making them one. All that was left was to zip up the front zipper, enveloping her entire upper body in shiny, yellow luxury.

It was almost too much to bear, her breasts pushed up and out, emphasizing their fullness. She could feel tiny nubs inside the cups that gripped her flesh. A large, black ‘R’ logo sat in place of honor at the center of her chest, the tight glossiness making her look like some sort of fetish superhero.

The physical sensations were close to pushing her over the edge, but she remained in control - she wasn’t quite done yet! Taking the pre-laced corset in her hands, she wrapped it around her waist and methodically did up the front until it clasped her midsection tightly in a warm embrace.

Now, finally, she was complete, her body wrapped in corporate splendor.

Her excitement was soon replaced with curiosity. Just how much fine control did she have over the outfit? What would happen if she fantasized about having just one nipple tickled?

She gasped, lust increasing as her right nipple was rubbed and tugged ever so gently. Mmm, that felt good! And what if both breasts were being sucked on instead?

The tickling was replaced by a gentle suckling motion, relentless stimulation of her sensitive nubs. Her face suffused with pleasure, she reached down to massage a breast, the other heading for her core. With the amount of pleasure rolling through her body, it wouldn’t take long for her to climax, and she wanted to savor every drop.

Her fingers penetrated her vagina, her warm lips pulsing in time to the vibrations of her breasts. She matched the rhythm of the pleasure, synchronizing her efforts with the pulse of Hive. She wanted more!

Her entire outfit came alive, squeezing and caressing, rolling over her trembling form. Her eyes flashed purple as she jammed her fingers deeper into her snatch, letting the beat flow through her, into her, opening up everything she was to the majesty of Hive. Mindlessly, she rode the waves, commanding them to ever greater heights.

Soon, she was cresting, speeding up to the precipice and teetering over the peak of pleasure. Tantalizingly close, one, two more strokes, her clit twitching with desire.

Unable to help herself, she screwed up her face, ordering the outfit to take control. It was happy to do so, clenching into all her most sensitive places, fondling her breasts. Her brain exploded, and she flowed down the rollercoaster, her pussy gushing out her pleasure.

Moaning with happiness, she relaxed, riding the warm afterglow on autopilot, sad that it was over so soon.

Or was it? Did she need to let it stop with just one orgasm? Did she have control over her outfit or not?

With a wicked purple gleam in her eye, she decided to spend more quality time determining just how far she could go.

Day Five

She had played until the early hours of the morning before her body had shut down on her and she had collapsed into a deep, dreaming sleep. She had originally thought that she was tired enough to sleep like the dead, so she was surprised to find herself swaying side to side, her body in gentle motion.

Confused, she looked away from the laptop sitting in front of her, orange fingers pausing as her mind caught up to the new dreamscape. She was sitting in the jump seat of a nondescript van, hidden away in a small nook. The laptop in front of her displayed various video feeds, shots of the exterior of the van.

From her angle, it was hard to see, but every so often she could catch glimpses of the driver. The drone moved robotically as she maneuvered the vehicle in response to unspoken commands from her headset, a yellow dronesuit hidden underneath an inconspicuous company uniform.

An adjustable chair was mounted in the center of the van, banks of computers and metallic arms hanging from the ceiling. Further back, two benches lined the sides, currently occupied by six shiny, black female figures, their shady forms indistinguishable from each other. Helmets hid their heads, and unlike Suzy’s orange outfit, no logos adorned their bodies.

Satisfied that the arrangements were suitable, Suzy clicked her tongue stud against her front teeth, studying the camera feeds on the laptop. Information about the mission began to crowd into her mind.

Hive was always on the hunt for new employees, and sometimes their recruitment wasn’t always sufficient. It would be easy for Hive to increase salaries until their offices were flooded with new drones, but that might draw too much attention from their competition.

Hive always strove to operate above board, innocent looking as it drew more and more clueless people into its inescapable clutches. Recruiting people off the street risked raising their profile higher than Hive would tolerate. Once the resistance of their captives was replaced by obedience to the song of Hive, however, the new employees could actively help to mitigate any problems that might arise.

The van roamed the streets of the city, the cameras on the roof and branding on the exterior looking similar to that of several popular online mapping companies. It didn’t take long for Suzy to locate a new target, the equipment’s automatic acquisition algorithms highlighting several possible alternatives.

She tapped on the screen, focusing on a young redhead walking by herself near an alley. Her attire was dated, and she was far enough away from other pedestrians that they might not notice her abduction.

“Prepare for new hire protocol,” Suzy whispered into her headset. “Acquire participant number five zero one three two, the redhead near the alley.”

“Affirmative,” whispered back the rest of her crew, their synchronicity of speech eerie in the enclosed space.

Thrilled at the prospect of a new intern to train, she rested in the happy glow of Hive for a few beats as the van pulled up next to the unsuspecting woman. Purple eyes locked onto the screen, Suzy hissed “Now!”

The six soldiers in the back of the van worked like a well-oiled machine. As soon as they stopped, the two nearest the rear cracked open the doors, jumping out into the street.

The next two crouched next to the door, waiting their turn. Before their target could detect their presence, the liquid black forms had grabbed her off the sidewalk and shoved her into the van.

The two waiting drones grabbed her struggling body and forced her into the reclined chair, while the two outside leaped back inside and slammed the doors.

It had taken them under four seconds to grab the girl and get back underway, barely enough time for their victim to let out a short, muffled yelp. The soldiers held her down with an iron grip as she screamed bloody murder, the sound absorbed by the padded sound proof walls of the van.

The rest of the soldiers assisted, snapping restraints around the captive’s arms, legs, waist, and neck. Slipping behind the melee, Suzy pulled a hanging mask down from the top of the van, forcing it over the victim’s mouth.

Gas hissed from the mask, causing the victim to choke and inhale vast amounts of the sopoforic. Soon, her struggles calmed, her body jiggling less violently. Suzy held the mask in place until her body became supple, then she let it float back up to the ceiling.

Underneath, the new recruit had become docile, a dopey grin replacing her panicked shouts. “Wha… was that stuffs?” she slurred, giggling uncontrollably. “It’s sooooo good!”

“Strip!” Suzy ordered, ignoring the woman's delirious comments.

The soldiers did as she commanded without any audible acknowledgement. The gratitude of Hive was acknowledgement enough.

Undoing the restraints on their logy victim, they removed her clothing without ceremony, each piece dumped into a pile near the rear of the van. “It’s c-c-cold!” complained the woman, relaxing in complete nudity.

“Where am I?” she asked, a small spark of awareness slowly returning to her eyes. “And why are you an orange?”

“Irrelevant,” stated Suzy. “I am a slave recruitment trainer, and you are a new Hive slave, employee number five zero one three two. You will learn Hive truths, and become Hive body. Prepare yourself.”

Before the woman could react, Suzy slipped a needle into the new slave’s inner elbow, an IV hanging from the roof dispensing drugs directly into her bloodstream. The soldiers held her down as a precaution for several moments until her eyes glazed over, then they returned to their sitting positions.

With the new recruit sedated by the drugs, Suzy took her time retrieving a second apparatus. It was a shiny, domed helmet with goggles and integrated breathing tube. She lowered it into position, locking it onto her victim's skull.

Unseen bellows forced more gas into the captive’s lungs, pretty patterns dazzling her eyes. To complete the ensemble, Suzy folded down a set of headphones, clicking on the song of Hive to keep the new slave company.

With everything prepared, she glanced over the brain readout on her laptop display. Everything was nominal, as expected. The woman's brain was adapting to Hive’s pattern, internal heart rate pounding in time with the song. The respirator forced a hypnotizing gas mixture into her, lungs inhaling the music of slavery.

Satisfied, Suzy took a little time for herself, shivering in ecstasy at the birth of a new Hive drone. It was hard to tell during the initial abduction, but it seemed likely that this one would be converted and ready to help with new recruitment drives before the week was out.

Her nipples sizzled with excitement. Obeying Hive was better than any other feeling she had ever experienced!

“Are you pleased with yourself?” asked the purple lady standing next to her. “Does making new slaves for Hive turn you on?”

Surprised at her familiar form, Suzy scooted back, biting her lip. Wait a minute, this wasn’t her. She wasn’t an instructor drone for Hive! What had she been doing?

Detached from the scene in front of her, she watched as the training drone adjusted the feeds on the new slave, making sure that its brain was properly following the music of Hive.

“Hello? Anyone in there? Where are those vaunted smarts you like to think you possess?” The purple rubber lady clacked her pierced tongue and put a hand on her hip, watching Suzy’s dream spirit with amusement.

Suzy blinked a few times to regain a semblance of individuality, focusing on the new guest. Standing next to her was the latex lady from before, a frilly purple skirt layered over her undergarments. The woman’s entire body was clad in smooth latex, bereft of any identifying marks, the perfect masked apparition.

“You? Why are you here?”

“Yes, it’s me!” the doppelganger said cheerfully, balancing on her extreme heels. “I’m not sure you’re taking the danger you’re in seriously. Are you the one in charge, or the one being taken charge of? Have you figured it out yet? You’re running out of time.”

She applied bright red lipstick to her curved smile, peering at an antique mirror. Grabbing it, she turned it around to face Suzy. “Don’t we look lovely?”

Suzy brushed the impertinent question aside. “Why is this always about time? Why can’t I make my own time? Why do I always have to follow someone else’s schedule?”

“Life simply isn’t fair, my dear,” replied not-Suzy, snapping the lid of the mirror shut. “You’re already a corporate drone, living day by day, chained to your desk, slowly hypnotized by spreadsheets. This was true even before you started working for Rankotech. It was never about you, Hive is bigger than that. It’s stronger, more powerful than any individual in this world. Even a Hive queen is not truly in control, as her needs are subservient to the greater collective.”

Smiling wide, her lips gleamed. “You’re acting as though you could give your two weeks’ notice tomorrow and nip off to the spa, forgetting about our little world of drones and slavery. How droll! But I tire of this - if you decide to become me, you’ll end up knowing all this anyway.”

The fetish figure tucked the mirror and lipstick away, the objects vanishing into thin air. This seemed perfectly normal in the dream atmosphere.

“I would never become someone as annoying as you,” said Suzy, scrunching up her nose. The know-it-all attitude of the apparition was starting to get on her nerves.

“Oh, wouldn’t you?” the lady replied benignly. “If not, what will you choose? There isn’t really a scenario here where you go free. Unless, of course, you consider letting go a form of freedom. Control. Controlled. Will control. Enslave. Enslaved. Will enslave. They’re all equally possible. I’m quite interested in seeing which course of action you take. Of course, once you do, I won’t really exist any more, but at least this won’t be so confusing for both of us. I won’t have to be a shadowy reflection of you, doomed to wander dreams and provide expository advice.”

Her figure became ill-defined, fading like an afternoon shadow. “It shouldn’t be a particularly difficult decision. It wasn’t for me, at least. See you soon!”

“Always with the last word,” growled Suzy, the dreamscape swirling into blackness.

***

It took longer to surface from her sleeping state the next morning. Bleary eyed, she peered at the alarm, vague images of perky redheads dancing through her brain. The clock read an hour earlier than when she normally got up.

No wonder she was still so sleepy! She could just lie back down and rest her head for a few moments, no, wait, why was her body getting up out of bed?

Shocked at the situation, she watched her body get itself ready for work, her mind passively in the back seat, as though she was in the dream state again. It was a curious feeling, being divorced from reality.

As she tried to work out her emotions, she watched her body slip on a coat and long skirt, a thin attempt to disguise the fetish clothing she wore underneath. It wouldn’t fool anyone for long, but she might not attract too much notice while driving.

She made up her mind after most of the morning’s prep work had finished. If she truly wanted to be obedient, she would be the one to decide.

She felt a slight pressure, and suddenly she was back in control again, no longer a third party to her fate. Whatever awaited her at the office, she would face it of her own volition.

With that dilemma settled, she let herself enjoy the tight grip of her attire for a few moments before locking up and heading to work.

***

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary when Suzy arrived at the office. The gray walls were just as imposing, the dull cubicles hiding the existence of the mindless collective that toiled inside.

It struck Suzy that she hadn’t seen Nancy since she had started working for Rankotech. Where was she, and what was she doing? Knowing Nancy and given her latest dreams, it wasn’t hard to imagine her commanding a legion of slaves to do her bidding.

“You look curious, recruit. What do you wish to know?” Erin appeared at her cube as if by magic, her orange suit shining brightly in the harsh glare of the fluorescent lighting.

Suzy was hesitant, but realized how silly that feeling was - they were all a part of Hive here, on the same side. “Could you tell me where my friend is? I know she works here, but I’m not sure where. Her name is Nancy, she’s short, blonde, and has brown eyes.”

A calculating look in her eyes, Erin gave her a severe look. “Employee five zero zero three two has exceeded expectations and is currently entered into advanced training. She is being adjusted to her new role, and will serve Hive admirably.”

She tilted her head, considering. “Since your former lackluster performance has been corrected, you may soon enter advanced training as well. Perhaps you will work with your friend again soon.”

Her eyes flashed purple. “Idle chatter is not desired at this time. Please be seated and continue work.”

“Yes, Mistress,” said Suzy, her eyes hazy. “That would be a good idea. Hive commands and I obey.”

Unable to stop herself, Suzy sat down at her computer and prepared to continue working, noting the absence of Lainey and Shiori. Had she arrived at work earlier than them?

The computer chimed, a text box appearing on screen. It was a standard notification, requesting that she put on her headphones. Seeing no reason to disobey, she slipped them on, their soft weight as comfortable as an old friend. A soft hiss rippled over her ears, distant music of Hive shutting down extraneous thoughts, helping her to concentrate on what was most important.

Soon, she was typing away, oblivious to the outside world. She was thrilled at being a useful worker, satisfied to sit blissed out and do whatever Hive told her to do.

It wasn’t long, however, before dissonance entered her ordered world. Something was out of place - Hive wanted her to do something. She relaxed deeper into Hive’s music, the song waves undulating through her barren mind. She knew what to do, or rather, Hive did. She just needed to let it guide her actions.

She slid out of the clothing she had worn on her way to work, standing to let the skirt fall down around her ankles. She tossed it away, the disguise no longer needed while she was in the heart of Hive.

Sitting back down, her hand moved on its own, opening a secret compartment underneath the table. Something oblong and slippery was inside, her mind registering the strange sensations as a passing interest.

It was a large dildo, the tip pressing firmly into her wet loins. A small moan escaped her mouth as her hand continued to press the object deeper and deeper, until its flared bottom rested against her outer lips.

A light buzz from the device jiggled her body. Everything would be just fine, Hive knew best. She relaxed into the chair, continuing to work, her pussy tingling at regular intervals to reward her for her obedience.

Time passed, meaningless to the drone, the buzz of arousal never quite rising high enough to push her over the edge. A worker drone did not feel frustration, so the continuous stimulation only enhanced her connection to Hive’s harmony.

Her sexdrive and thoughtdrive had been adjusted to better gel with the Hive matrix. She was an efficient drone, content to continue her work while letting her consciousness fall ever deeper into Hive.

And yet, there was still something missing. She was Hive, but not of Hive.

There was a base incompatibility that was preventing her from slotting into Hive thought. The dissonance magnified, the sound of the discordance producing an out of tune note that grew loud enough to be uncomfortable.

She was submerged so deep into the Hive matrix, it was a strange feeling when Hive pulled back. Her brain was so closely in tune with the music that she continued to feel it inside her. Without the community of Hive to support it, however, instead of a full orchestra it felt like a single violin with a frayed bow.

She sobbed at the loss of such beauty, tears slathering her rubbery chest. It took some time for her sense of individuality to reassert itself, her canal juicing around the vibrator still stuffed into her pussy.

Like a puppet without her master, she sat there, dumb, her curiosity percolating through thin layers of gauze. Hazy, she looked around, startled to realize that she wasn’t in her cubicle.

Instead, she sat at a row of computers, in the middle of a group of people she didn’t know. They were all wired like her, sitting in bliss as they stared at their screens. Some of them appeared dazed, calm expressions on their faces as they looked around.

Although she had regained some sense of self awareness, she continued to sit at the desk. The situation should be alarming, but she didn’t feel the need to worry about anything. Taking action was too much trouble. Instead, she stayed still and watched the others with curiosity.

She must have been moved to a classroom. A few rows away, she could see orange figures moving among the drones, speaking softly to the other students. They were doing something with them, but it was difficult for her to make out.

It wasn’t long before two orange suited drones appeared at the end of her row. One of them carried a bin containing shiny equipment. As they moved towards her, they whispered to each individual along the way.

Suzy watched a busty blonde dressed in pure black latex, her face transfixed by a screen. Without ceremony, one of the drones grabbed a slick gas mask from the bin of her assistant, slipping it over the head of the trainee.

A long, slinky hose led out of the nose of the mask, the end wobbling between the trainee’s legs. The straps at the back were aligned and tightened, the woman turning into an automaton with gaping black holes for eyes.

Finished, the orange drones moved on to the next trainee in line. Suzy watched as the process was repeated with several more individuals, some clad in black, others in yellow.

The ones wearing yellow rubber received masks with a slightly different design, the eyes narrower, nose more aquiline. Feeling hazy, Suzy wondered whether she would get a mask, too, since her body was already so tightly wrapped in yellow latex.

When the trainers approached her, the one on the left peered at her with an inquisitive expression. “Employee five zero zero four two, why is drone thought not engaged?”

“I am not sure,” Suzy replied, giving them a beseeching look. ”Can you tell me what’s going on?”

“Uncertain, insufficient data,” said the first drone, her green eyes gleaming with a flash of purple.

“Further study may be required,” stated the second drone. “Additional training may also be necessary.”

The drone stared at her for a long moment. “Continue as you were. Hive will find a place for you. Everyone has a purpose in Hive. Nobody will be left out.”

The trainer drone nodded to her, turning to leave with her assistant. Unsatisfied by the answer, but unable to argue with them, Suzy relaxed and waited.

The sound of computer fans was punctuated by the labored breathing of the drones in their masks. She felt like an alien without one, confused as to why she had been left like this.

It wasn’t long before another orange rubber drone appeared at the front of the room, clapping her hands together. “Your attention, please, everyone!”

This new drone was short, and it was hard for Suzy to get a good look at her. She leaned forward, gasping with sudden recognition. It was her friend, Nancy!

Struck by a sudden urge, Suzy raised her hand, and Nancy turned towards her. “What is your question, employee five zero zero four two?”

Suzy felt hurt by the response. Even though her body had been turned into a fetish dream by Rankotech’s clothing, she should still be recognizable, dammit! “It’s me, Nancy! Suzy! I’ve been looking all over for you! Where have you been?”

“I’ve been where Hive needed me, Suzy. New recruits don’t turn themselves into valuable employees by themselves. It’s up to me and the other trainers to ensure that productivity doesn’t slip as new drones are integrated into Hive.”

Nancy stepped down from the front of the room and approached the row where Suzy was seated. Despite her desire to know more, Suzy didn’t feel any urge to get up or detach herself from the dildo secured inside her. It felt amazing right where it was.

As Nancy approached, Suzy saw that she had a device in her hand that looked like a shopping cart scanner. Was this used for cataloging drones, she wondered?

Nancy played the light of the scanner over Suzy’s arm, revealing a fluorescing number, followed by a large ‘W.’ “It’s…my number!” exclaimed Suzy, surprised.

“That’s right,” said Nancy. “I have one, too.” Shining the light on her arm revealed a different number, five zero zero thirty two T. “It’s ultraviolet ink, only visible under a black light.”

“If we’re all just numbers to Hive, why don’t you tattoo them onto people?”

“Don’t be silly, Suzy,” Nancy sighed. “This isn’t Nazi Germany. What happens if you get transferred? Assigned to a new Hive? Hive decides to renumber? No, it’s much better to have them printed on the uniforms. This way, Hive can easily keep track of different drones when they check in at their work stations.”

“If the numbering is so efficient, then why do I still have my name?”

Nancy rolled her eyes. “Hive does not kill individuality on purpose. It tries to subsume it into the whole, creating a gestalt that is greater than the sum of its parts. We are not all automatons. Those who have greater knowledge and intelligence are integrated into Hive and work to improve Hive on their own initiative. You wouldn’t second guess your commander on the battlefield from the command bunker, and in the same way, Hive will use your individual intelligence for the betterment of all.”

Her friend shot her a dazzling smile. “It’s like a commune, but better,” she continued. “Greed cannot take over, the worst attributes of humanity are instead suppressed and redirected by Hive to push our mission forward. Duty, honor, work, and Hive. We are one in goal, but many in spirit.”

“But what about the workers and soldiers?” asked Suzy. “They don’t seem to have much individuality left.”

Nancy looked a little sad. “Some people can’t accept the message of Hive, or they accept it too readily. Those people lose themselves in the gestalt and can’t pull themselves back out again. If that happens, Hive will care and provide for them, and in turn they will work to protect and secure Hive from all dangers.”

Now Nancy looked stricter. “That’s enough for now, Suzy. I’d love to catch up, but I need to teach this class. Please save your questions until afterwards, I’m sure we’ll answer most of them during my lecture anyway.”

She smiled, stroking Suzy on her cheek in a provocative manner. Suzy found herself leaning into it, but Nancy was already turning to march back to the front of the room. “Listen up, class, and welcome to Advanced Hive training! I, trainer drone five zero zero three two, will be your teacher! You may call me Nancy.”

Nancy gestured to the classroom. “Depending on your alertness, you may have noticed trainers walking the aisles with control masks. Those people who failed to respond when asked for their number were unfortunately unable to separate themselves from Hive control, and can no longer operate as independent individuals. They will instead serve Hive as defenders and builders.”

As she spoke, the now faceless drones were led outside by the other trainers, who had infiltrated the room. The dangling hoses from their masks made them look insectile, the swaying sections rattling against their legs.

Nancy spread her arms wide, gesturing to the remaining people in the room. “That means that you have all passed the first round. Congratulations! However, there is still a long journey ahead of you, perhaps longer for some than for others.”

She snapped her fingers and a hidden projector turned on, the screen showing figures in various rubber outfits. “You’ve already seen soldiers and workers,” she said, pointing out the two figures dressed in black and yellow respectively. “Since you haven’t lost yourselves in Hive, you need not become a soldier or a worker by default. However, you can always choose to do so if you wish.”

Nancy licked her lips seductively, her eyes glowing with a purple sheen. “Some people choose to forgo their thoughts and individuality, if only for a while, to experience what it’s like to be a mindless asset to Hive. Or, they don’t possess the assertiveness that the upper echelons require. Rest assured that Hive will find a use for you, too, no matter what kind of social skills you possess.”

As she spoke, the display behind her showed pictographs of various jobs. Workers tied off steel trusses and soldiers patrolled on security details.

“Many of you will decide to become trainers or overseers. I am a trainer, so I wear orange. We’re in charge of recruitment, training, and teaching in various capacities. As a trainer, you may be out on the road, seeking new recruits, in the classroom, or doing reinforcement for existing drones back at Hive.”

Nancy pointed to the last slave type on the board, a drone dressed head to toe in a striking red latex outfit. “Overseers provide local and regional oversight for Hive drones. Depending on your rank, you may control a local troop, or even become the right and left hands of a queen, organizing and making sure Hive units run efficiently.”

Confused, Suzy raised her hand, sheepish when she recalled Nancy’s earlier request to save any questions for the end. “What about the queens?”

Nancy narrowed her eyes at her impertinence. “Queens are absolute, the most powerful agents of Hive. It is unlikely that you will ever meet a queen, and it is even rarer for recruits to become one. Purple is their color, purple is their rule. I would suggest that you bow to them when they draw near, but you won’t be able to help yourself. They personify the power of Hive.”

“Any other questions?” asked Nancy brightly. The rest of the room blinked, but nobody else was brave enough to ask anything further.

“No? Excellent, it’s time for your continuing education.” She snapped her fingers, and the projector turned off. Simultaneously, the vibrators embedded inside everyone clicked on, ramping up in intensity.

Suzy squirmed, a fat nub pressing against her clit. Her arousal was making it difficult for her to concentrate, distracting her from the cartoon that had appeared on her screen. It appeared to be depicting the act of taking a solid collar and snapping it shut around a neck. Peering around the room, Suzy noted that all of the screens were showing the exact same thing.

One by one, the other trainees began to lock themselves into collars, each metallic snap followed by a low moan of pleasure. Concerned, but also aroused, she saw that a box had been delivered to her desk.

Leaning over, she spotted a two inch thick metal collar, same as what was pictured on her screen. It seemed like a bad idea to put it on, but everybody else was doing it. Did she really want to be different from them?

It was all well and good to think about becoming a Hive drone in an abstract manner, but now that she was faced with the reality of becoming a slave, she wasn’t so sure. Her pussy said yes, but every time she had followed her libido in the past, she had gotten into trouble.

On the other hand, she was in too deep to do anything else. She couldn’t even find the motivation to get out of her chair or remove the vibrating dildo from her snatch!

She was still waffling, indecisive about what she should do, when the choice was made for her. Nancy’s voice rose behind her, sounding exasperated. “I’ve never seen a more stubborn slave. This will help keep you docile until Hive can restructure your mind.”

She felt a cold flash around her neck, followed by a piercing pain. The collar clicked into place, built-in needles jabbing into her flesh, pumping drugs into her system as it locked together. She started to fall, down, down into her mind, looping around and around as the drugs followed her thoughts until they were dull, dull embers.

Her curiosity vanished, her mind sluggish. The tight, steel collar forced her to keep her head upright, staring straight ahead. It felt good to just sit there, dildo pumping inside her vagina, drugs circulating throughout her body. It was fun to relax and wait for someone to tell her what to do.

It was disappointing when the dildo stopped, the computer ordering her to put the toy away. This wasn’t sufficient to disturb her flat-lined mind, or to prevent her hands from following the orders. She barely noticed when the trainers lined them up in a row and marched them out of the room. Her neck was pulsing, the drugs singing sweetly in her system.

They marched together, their glossy forms shining in the harsh light. Orange trainers shepherded the group, directing their mindless bodies. They crossed through an armored vault door, transitioning into an area where the floor and walls were covered with a slick substance.

The coating looked soft and pink, but it didn’t yield to the touch of her platform boots. The sound of the class moving over the surface made a loud clatter, but passing Hive drones took no notice of the new recruits.

They continued down the hallway, walking past more Hive activity. Work parties browsed down various intersecting hallways, each group accompanied by a red overseer. This was a secure area, so less allowance was made for the foibles of the outside world.

At the next intersection, the accompanying trainers called for a halt, a large cadre of soldiers blocking the path for some unknown reason. The pause didn’t bother her, though the nagging need in her loins begged for the sort of attention she had no volition to give.

The steel at her neck had become warm due to body heat, its presence more comforting than alarming, though it was impossible to tell if this emotional change was due to the drugs.

As they waited, a work convoy trotted up the hallway next to them, stopping at a piece of wall that had a long crack in the pink overcoat. A red overseer pointed to two fat workers, ordering them to work on the wall without audible discussion.

A light shock tickled through Suzy’s body - one of the two workers was definitely Lainey! She looked different, thicker in body than she had yesterday, flesh squeezed tight in yellow rubber. Her rotund shape was now past the curvy end of the scale, eyes glazed over as she began to work, a happy grin on her face.

In one hand, she held a white bucket that appeared to be filled with a sort of clear liquid, in the other, a putty knife. As Suzy watched, her former co-worker put the bucket close to her mouth, spitting a pinkish substance inside.

The liquid in the bucket immediately firmed up, swirling into a solid, pink mass. Lainey used the putty knife to start applying the goop to the wall, filling the crack as though she was repointing brick work. Her partner began to help as well, working from the other end.

Suzy wanted to stop and find out how Lainey was doing, but the drugs were still singing to her. The collar around her neck shackled both her body and mind, bringing her in line with the others in her troop.

Soon, the convoy started again, and she was forced to continue forward, leaving Lainey behind to continue her work. They marched, making turns every so often, walls becoming indistinguishable from one another.

There were no markings to direct the uninformed, as Hive drones didn’t need them. The general architecture of the office hadn’t been changed - it retained its regular, ordered corridors, but all landmarks had been erased by the pink coating.

As they marched past another intersection, the walls became transparent. Naked people floated in small tanks filled with viscous fluid, relaxed with their eyes shut. A black mask ran from the mouth of each slave to the roof of their individual tanks, black coils of hose floating lazily like venomous snakes. Every so often, one of the figures would shudder in their sleep, as if they were having an exciting dream.

The strange slaves were soon left behind, the walls once again becoming a smooth surface. Suzy followed along with the rest of the trainees, in the middle of the pack, hoping that they were close to their destination - the frustration of arousal denied was increasing with every step.

The joy from the drugs wasn’t sufficient to quench her desire for an orgasm. As she walked, the latex panties rubbed against her privates, but the stimulation wasn’t nearly enough to get her closer to the edge.

Fortunately, it didn’t take long for her wish to be granted. The convoy of drones squeezed single file through a doorway into another chamber, flanked on either side by trainers. Suzy marched onwards, taking her place in line.

After she passed the trainers, she noticed a row of enclosures along both walls, each of them sealed with a door. At the top of each door was a glowing green light, the meaning of which was lost on her.

Before long, she had moved up near the front of the line. Here, the alcoves with closed doors transitioned to ones that were open. The slave in front of her was wearing yellow rubber, like her, patiently waiting.

A trainer standing nearby directed the pre-slave into the next alcove with an open door. The woman stepped inside and the door slid shut, the green light above turning yellow.

More of the trainees in line were directed into alcoves, yellow lights flickering on, one by one. As she stepped forward, some of the yellow lights closer to her winked out and were replaced with green ones.

A curiously analog device for a highly digitalized Hive, she mused. She felt less euphoric, the drugs losing their battle against her raging libido. Still, she hadn’t regained full awareness by the time she had reached the front of the line.

The trainer flashed a scanner at Suzy’s rubbery arm. “Employee five zero zero four two, welcome to the advanced training room. Please enter your hiving pod and await further instruction.” She gestured at the alcove to Suzy’s right.

Suzy did as she was commanded, entering the small room. It was nothing more than a gray box, not much larger than a bathroom. A dull gray door slid shut behind her, and the lights dimmed, a short chime resonating. A dark square at the end of the room lit up, Erin’s smiling face peering at her.

“Welcome, five zero zero four two! I will be your personal trainer as we figure out where to fit you into Hive!” Her voice was bubbly and cheerful, as if they were about to spend a day shopping at the mall.

“Please strip out of your current uniform and put everything into the chute on your left! When you are ready we will continue further!”

The lights switched to a scattered pattern, more soothing than before. To her left, a handle jutted out of a rectangular area on the wall that was only about as large as a bread box. Inside was a dark, deep shaft under negative pressure, air forming a cool breeze as it rushed into the small opening.

Suzy wanted to obey, yet felt hesitant. The clothing felt like an integral part of her. The idea of throwing it away was causing her distress.

The drugs were no longer keeping her submerged and subservient, rebellious thoughts able to make their way to the surface without being properly repressed.

“Why?” she asked the small screen. “Why must I throw away this clothing?”

The screen fuzzed with white noise, resolving into an image of trainer Erin. “Your pre-slave outfit was generated based on your original R.A.T. test, five zero zero four two. The test is accurate for most new recruits, but there are always a few outliers. After sorting out those individuals with insufficient willpower to become more than workers and soldiers, we re-test to find out which role is ideal for each remaining participant.”

The image of the trainer paused, her eye movements rapid as she scanned over Suzy. “Please discard your current clothing and prepare for processing. I promise that your needs will be fulfilled.” She smiled and winked, the screen going black.

Suzy sighed, trying to decide what she needed to take off first. Here she was again, trapped in a box, awaiting the pleasure of Hive. Even if she decided to disobey, she was trapped until Hive decided to do something else with her or to her. Might as well do what the trainer suggested.

The steel collar was fixed in place, wrapped tightly around her neck, so she ignored it. The gloves slipped off easily, each one making a crinkly noise as she dropped them into the chute.

The shirt was more difficult to take off, the collar in the way. Fortunately, it had a wide neck, so she was able to stretch it far enough to fit over the collar.

Next came the bra, and when she dropped it into the return slot, she regretted it, her breasts feeling floppy and cool from dried sweat. Speeding up, she removed the rest of the outfit, the boots and panties slipping away into cold blackness, a brief glimpse of the Rankotech logo waving to her as they sped away to parts unknown.

Naked but for the collar, Suzy shivered, awaiting further instructions. It wasn’t long before the back wall opened up, the screen lifting up and away on an accordion.

“Congratulations on becoming a valuable employee!” Erin chirped enthusiastically. “Take a seat on the sex trainer and prepare to become a specialist!”

Behind the fake wall was a pinkish platform made out of the same material she had seen coating the walls earlier, angled at a forty-five degree angle. It resembled nothing more than a crude chair to lean into.

The front of the chair looked spongy, two soft depressions meant to accommodate her engorged breasts. Her inspection was cursory, as her attention and thoughts were drawn to the long, thick dildo mounted at the bottom of the chair.

Excited to try out the large prominence, she shuffled forward. Grasping the dildo, she was surprised to find that it was slick and warm, yielding to the touch.

Wasting no time, Suzy climbed over the bench and lowered herself into position, the slippery rod grinding itself into her snatch. Her eyes flickered rapidly at the pleasure, sensations riding hard over raw nerve endings.

She bottomed out, the soft, warm surface of the chair supporting her ass. Moaning aloud, she let herself fall forward into the embrace of the chair, the dildo shifting inside her. The spongy surface accommodated her breasts, squeezing around her mounds as it sucked them inside.

She let out a soft gasp as they were tickled by soft nubs in the concavities, wrapping her arms around the front of the chair. Hugging it tightly, she proceeded to ride the dildo, hard, rocking herself up and down.

The material around her breasts started to undulate, cupping and squeezing. This simultaneous action drove her wild, her body exploding with delight as she bucked against the hard rod.

Soon, it was too much for her to take, her body writhing in delight as she moaned out her pleasure, jerking uncontrollably. The first orgasm danced from her pelvic floor to the tip of her nose and back again.

She lay still, savoring the waves of pleasure that coursed through her. Resting her butt on the chair, the dildo still buried deep inside, she tried to recover, feeling momentarily satiated.

The lights snapped off, the small display lighting up in front of her face. Background music filled the room, plucking her thoughts like a harp. “Very good, slave five zero zero four two, your sex drive is firmly in control. Now watch closely, please.”

The screen burst into colors that seemed random at first, but they soon formed into a pattern. Suzy’s jaw dropped open as she relaxed, her lust addled brain easy prey for the hypnotics, eyes unfocused as they tried to decode what the pretty colors meant. Staring, her brief moment of lucidity fled in the presence of Hive’s power.

The chair tilted forward, restraints unnecessary to keep Suzy in place, her mind harnessed. A half-bowl device extended from the wall, held by two mechanical arms. The bowl pushed over her head, the claws locking around her collar to keep her in place.

There came a tight suction, accompanied by a buzzing sound. The device then retracted back into the wall. She could feel a breeze over her head, concluding that the device had removed her hair.

The chair tilted into a horizontal position, the two metallic arms from the wall still locked around her neck. Several more extended, one of them with a clamp, another with a needle.

Suzy stuck her tongue out when ordered, automatically obeying the voice of authority. One of the arms held her tongue while the other manipulated the needle. There came a sharp pinch, the brief pain fading into a dull ache. Another arm acted like a rivet gun, securing a tongue ring in the area that had just been pierced.

The new jewelry was foreign, but familiar, like what she had experienced in her dreams. She rolled the barbell over the roof of her mouth, enjoying the sensation as the ball rattled against her palate.

Suddenly alarmed, Suzy recalled that her dream doppelganger had her tongue pierced in exactly the same way. This realization was enough to spark an internal struggle to break free from Hive’s grip.

The mesmerizing pattern held her in its thrall, however, and the small rebellion died before it had a chance to take hold.

She clicked her tongue while staring at the dreamy pattern. Why did she want to resist? This was inevitable. She would rest and follow Hive.

Dazed, she opened her mouth when a long, black tube tipped with a penis head nudged against her lips. Suckling on it like a newborn, she could feel a cool liquid trickling down her throat. It was probably drugged, but she had lost her capacity to care.

“Very good, slave. You’re a good girl, a pierced slut for Hive. Keep sucking, and relax. You feel good, you want to feel good. Sleep and feel good.”

The display continued to speak, its voice calm and monotonous, the background music of Hive filling the room, crowding out any thoughts she might have.

She sucked, her eyes drooping, dropping, until there was nothing left but Hive, pleasure, and sleepy times.

Day Six

A mumbled susurration tickled her ears, her consciousness floating through a jumbled mindscape. There came a blast of light, a rumble of noise, and suddenly she was elsewhere.

Fiery explosions rocked the gritty landscape, dry soil spitting up clouds of dust, specks of rock peppering her. Shying away from the disorienting change, she flailed her arms to stabilize herself.

Up ahead were irregular columns, undulating in waves. It took her some time to realize that they were rows of people clad in yellow, formed into battle lines. They carried pikes and halberds, organized by red drones shuffling through the lines, shouting commands.

A loud roar rose on the right flank, catching her attention. Part of the line started to charge, the sound of weapons clashing reaching her position.

Curious about the battle, but unsure of her situation, she glanced down, trying to understand her current condition.

Her body was coated in a layer of purple rubber, forming a second skin. Mounted on top were tight armor plates that looked like some kind of exoskeleton.

The armor appeared unwieldy, but it was neatly layered, such that all jointed areas could be flexed without catching. Her boots were impressive, massive armored heels digging into the turf as she took a step.

The only area that wasn’t armored was her head, a tight, rubber hood gripping her skull. The feel of a tongue ring against the roof of her mouth confirmed that recent physical changes had followed her into her dreams.

She grimaced, feeling creases form in the hood as she studied the gauntlets clamped over her hands. A sword swung from a scabbard at her right hip, making her feel like a warrior queen.

Her attire should have made her worried, but by this point, she was resigned. Submission to Hive seemed all but inevitable.

In this getup, she looked similar to her doppelganger - speaking of which, where was her duplicate now?

More explosions peppered the field, none of them close to her this time. Nearby was a series of tents, flags waving from their tops in a light breeze.

The battlefield was surrounded by rolling hills, and the sky contained streaks of orange. It seemed that she was stuck in the dreamscape again, in the middle of a violent conflict. But who was fighting who, and what were they fighting over?

A small group of black armored troops rushed up to her as she continued to try and make sense of the situation. “My Queen, why do you sit and stare at the battlefield? Please, come away to the command tents so that you’re out of range of their artillery!”

Confused by the appellation, she assented and allowed them to close ranks around her and escort her back to the largest tent. As they approached, she was able to get a closer look at the flag.

A ferocious, purple dragon drew the eye to the center, iridescent colors flickering in shadow as it rippled in the wind. The dragon’s head was crowned with gold, a scepter cradled in one arm. Around the legs knelt various figures dressed in Hive colors. It was a standard fit for a queen, but not one of any normal terrestrial empire.

She had more questions than answers, but her escorts didn’t look like they were in an answering mood. One of them raised the flap on the tent, while the others halted and saluted. “All hail the Queen!”

A group of soldiers in black surrounded a single figure in orange, all eyes on a map table that crowded the center of the room. The table had a miniature layout of the local area, the battlefield fitting into a punch bowl, surrounded on all sides by hills. Through the central area ran an inverted V-shaped ridge, neatly splitting the opposing forces in two.

Stepping up to the map, Suzy exclaimed in surprise at seeing an orange-suited Nancy poring over the table. “Nancy!” she exclaimed, happy to see a familiar face in a sea of uncertainty. “Can you tell me what’s going on here? I’m really confused!”

“I’m sorry, your highness, I’m not actually Nancy,” the Nancy look-a-like said briskly. “I’m literally a figment of your imagination, and you’re at war.” She shrugged. “You might as well call me Nancy anyway; I’m a reconstruction of what your brain thinks Nancy is like.”

Shocked, but not entirely surprised, Suzy stared at the fake Nancy, narrowing her eyes. “A war for what?”

“The explanation is complicated, but the goal is simple - this is your mind, and we’re fighting for independence.” The warriors surrounding the table cheered.

“Unfortunately, we’re losing. Badly.” Not-Nancy gestured at the table, which was pockmarked with tiny figurines. “We’ve been fighting for days, with limited success, after an ambush took us by surprise. See, look here.”

Her finger ran down the right side of the ridge. “Just a few days ago, we were assaulted by a hidden mixed force of Hive slavers. We were able to fight them off, but only with heavy casualties.”

“What happens to soldiers that are lost or are captured?” asked Suzy curiously.

“They are derezzed,” replied Nancy. “Taken out of action and turned against us after Hive has had an opportunity to convert them. Unfortunately, we don’t have the same advantage. Any troops we defeat simply vanish. We still don’t know what happens to them after that.” She made a face. “Or, to be more accurate, you don’t know. We can only tell you things that you’ve already learned.”

Suzy groaned. “So, in short, we’re in an unwinnable war, and my proxies don’t know anything more than I do. Fantastic. What’s the current situation on the ground?”

Pointing at the map, her assistant laid out the battlefield. “The heavies that attacked us the first day are still on our right side, harrying our flanks. Their presence is pinning down forces we could use for counter attacks elsewhere. We have soldiers and workers defending that area, with a few overseers thrown in for general direction. The workers have built fortifications, which the soldiers are using to great effect.”

She traced a finger over to the left side of the ridge. “We’ve concentrated the troops that have more initiative over here, the hope being that we’d be able to come up with an effective attack. Unfortunately, nothing has been successful. Every time we drive a wedge into their line and roll up a battalion of their soldiers, another one marches in.” She huffed, annoyed. “If we had that many troops in reserve, we could have won a long time ago.”

Nancy tapped a finger on the center of the map. “This is the focal point, where most of the skirmishes have been occurring. Every so often they send scouting troops to buzz the lines, checking how alert we are. We think they’re trying to make us complacent, so that when they send in the big attack, we’ll think it’s another reconnaissance.”

“The worst part is that we don’t know where the enemy queen is. She’s been elusive, making sure to stay behind the protection of her heavies. She shows up when least expected and influences the battles indirectly by her very presence, demoralizing our troops. We can’t seem to nail her down.”

She straightened up and sighed, worry lines deep on her face. “To be honest, we’re not going to last another day. We might even collapse within the hour. The reality is, this is up to you, always has been. You need to challenge the enemy queen and make a final stand. Win or lose, this ends today.”

“What happens… if I lose?” Suzy asked, nervous about the answer.

“Your brain gets drained and you become a mindless drone,” replied not-Nancy flatly. “If that isn’t what you want, you had better hope you don’t lose.”

Suzy was taken aback by the blunt comment, but understood the implications. If she didn’t step up here and win this fight, she’d be spackling Hive walls with goop or stuck on a mindless security detail - permanently. “That’s grim. Is there a plan?”

“Not much of one,” she sighed, shaking her head. “You need to draw the queen out and challenge her to a duel, one on one. It has to be quick, too, before the enemy has a chance to throw another wave of brainless troops at us.”

Suzy pondered the situation. “We won’t attract the enemy queen’s attention unless it looks like we’re going to succeed at breaking through. The skirmishing troops have been at the center of our lines, so I’m going to guess that the queen is nearby. Even if we were able to make a flanking attack work, they’d plug the lines with reinforcements we can’t match. I opt for a full frontal assault on the center, and hope that we can draw the queen to us. Does that make sense?” Suzy raised her eyebrows at the Nancy look-a-like.

Nancy smirked at her. “Why are you asking me? I don’t know any better than you do. It’s certainly worth a try, since if you fail I won’t even exist.”

She waved at the tent flap. “Let’s get to it, we won’t win by waiting. Oh, and you’ll need these.” Suzy caught a helmet that was lazily tossed to her.

The same dragon from the flag flying above graced the top of the helmet in a rearing pose, gold filigree tracing the veins and curves of the metal. Wearing this helmet would make her look fierce! Suzy smiled, pleased at what her imagination had cooked up.

“Stop staring at it and put it on! You’ll need this, too!” Nancy pushed a long, wicked looking spear into her arms.

“Don’t let her fight you one on one, you’ll lose. Couch this in your arm and ram her through! That’s the quickest way to end this! Best of luck - I’ll be protecting your back!”

She patted Suzy on the shoulder and left the tent, shouting outside for the troops to muster. Dazed at the suddenness of the situation, Suzy reflected on the changes that had occurred.

She had gone from an office nobody to an outcast queen fighting for her kingdom against an implacable corporate Hive. The scenario hardly seemed real. Had she been transported onto the set of a reality TV show?

She couldn’t afford to take this lightly. If she didn’t suit up and go out there, she’d end up brain dead!

Not much of an option, really. Not much of an option at all.

She jammed the helmet onto her head, hefting the spear in one arm, marching towards destiny.

***

Suzy rode towards battle on the back of a creature that only superficially resembled a horse. To be more accurate, it was a simulacrum of a horse generated from what she thought horses looked like.

Not being a country girl, the proportions and motions of the animal weren’t quite right, but at least the ride wasn’t bumpy. On her right side rode the orange suited soldier that looked like Nancy, her helmet sporting an angry griffin.

There must be a lull in the fighting, as the air near the front line was deathly calm. The troops ahead were relaxing, a few forward scouts ready to alert them if the enemy should appear.

A small group of mounted soldiers broke off from the main regiment and rode towards her as she trotted up, one of them bearing her standard. Suzy felt a jolt of surprise as she recognized the leader, who looked like the spitting image of Lainey. Her rotund body was clad in red armor that shone like blood in the unnatural light of the dream.

She had to pause and forcefully remind herself that this was not Lainey, just a very good looking copy.

“My Queen,” the fake Lainey said formally, “we have done our best to hold the center, but our numbers are dwindling. What is your plan?”

“The best defense is a good offense,” Suzy replied, parroting some clichéd advice she vaguely recalled. “We need to form into a wedge, cavalry first, with the infantry close behind as our second line. We’ll ride ahead and punch through. The infantry will need to exploit this hole, opening the gap. We’ll push as far as we can. With any luck, the enemy leader will appear, at which point I’ll lead the attack against her.”

“It will be as you say,” said Lainey, saluting Suzy with her sword.

She pulled a bugle out of her saddlebags and played a series of low pitched notes leading to high ones, followed by several trills. The milling troops straightened up, collected their gear, and started to form their regiments. The cavalry mounted their horses and circled around, getting closer together in preparation for the wedge formation.

Lainey bowed to Suzy. “It would be my honor to serve at your side, my Queen.” Her cadre slotted itself into her group’s right flank.

Suzy stiffened her back for the fight ahead, taking the reins and directing her pseudo horse to the front. A small cheer grew to a dull roar as she rode through the lines, waving at her soldiers. Arrayed in shiny armor, their cheerfulness belied a general feeling of helplessness that hung over them like a pall.

“You’ve waited long enough!” shouted Suzy. “I know the despair you feel, but none of that matters now! We’ll crush the enemy, break through their lines, and defeat their leader! Follow me!”

Her brave words weren’t enough to dispel the mood, but the crowd cheered louder all the same. The ranks of infantry closed behind her, sorting themselves into two lines, their weapons shining in the harsh dreamscape sun.

The cavalry gathered around her, forming a wedge with her at the center. Suzy wasn’t surprised to see a facsimile of Shiori dropping into position on her left, the fake Lainey on her right. It was fitting - her mind was gathering all of her greatest allies today for the final assault. If they failed, there wouldn’t be enough left of any of them to care.

They pushed forward, dust clouds rising from the hooves of burdened beasts, their riders quiet in the face of imminent battle. To their left and right flanks more cavalry were forming up, ready to charge.

An advance scout clad in orange rubber galloped up to the lead elements, reining in her horse to match the pace of the rest of the cavalry. The formation slowed and loosened up to allow the scout access to Suzy’s position.

“My queen,” the scout said briskly. She gestured ahead of the column. “Just over the next rise sits the enemy’s army. Their scouts have spotted our preparations and they are forming up. If we attack fast and hard, we might be able to scatter them before they are ready for us.”

Her horse became jittery as a shell exploded a short distance away. “They have about as many troops as we do, and their artillery is accurate. This will be a hard fight!”

“Thanks, it’s up to us, now,” said Suzy. “Get back to your unit, we’re about to charge.”

The scout saluted, then twirled and rode off. The formation tightened back up, tension rising as they closed with the enemy. They reached the crest of a gentle slope, hooves thundering down the back side, directly into the enemy’s camp.

Smoke lingered from extinguished camp fires, the enemy soldiers buzzing like bees. They had been caught unprepared, as she had hoped.

Suzy narrowed her eyes. Would it be enough? There wasn’t time now to second guess her decision. She hefted her spear and nodded at Lainey. Her companion raised the horn she had been cradling in her arms, blowing a staccato rhythm.

“Company charge!” shrieked Suzy, sitting up in her saddle and giving her horse a kick.

Her gentle ride changed to a jolting rumble, making it difficult for her to keep her spear level. The company rode with her, matching her speed, hoof beats drumming incessantly on the dusty plain. Horses labored under their heavy armor, a wall of flesh bearing down on the enemy.

Unable to react in time, troops were trampled under the legs of the rampaging beasts. Those that weren’t crushed were picked off by the riders. Each kill was marked by a gentle buzz, dead enemies disintegrating into thin air, reclaimed by the simulation.

It was a rout, the enemy unable to put up significant resistance, their camp destroyed by the fierceness of her assault. Stragglers were mopped up by the infantry that had just begun to arrive.

Still, there were some casualties, a few horses without riders. For the most part, however, the attack had been a complete success. Suzy was pleased with the results.

Something was really bothering her, though. The artillery had stopped after they had finished their attack, but there was none in the camp they had destroyed. If it wasn’t here, where could it have been hidden?

A loud, low horn sounded from the woods behind the camp, enemy troops boiling up from the undergrowth. Artillery shells splashed down, sending billowing clouds of troops into the air. They twirled in a macabre manner, disintegrating into blue fuzz. “Sneak attack!” shouted Suzy, “form up on me!”

Lainey started playing ‘Rally on the Officer,’ but her troops were slow to answer. Some of the infantry had billowed out in front of the cavalry, chasing down the remnants of the enemy. Now, they were caught flatfooted, smashed by the new assault taking shape. Bright flashes of light and sizzling sounds signaled their exit from the arena.

Her forces in disarray, Suzy felt real fear. If they weren’t able to gather fast enough, she and her cavalry would be caught between the enemy infantry and her own troops, unable to maneuver.

“Line formation, three rows!” she shouted, hoping they would be in time. The bugler switched to calling ‘Disperse,’ the troops doing their best to obey her commands.

Fortunately for Suzy, the enemy had taken more time than they had expected to wipe out her scattered forward troops, allowing her company to reorganize.

At that moment, she spotted a group of enemy horsemen cantering out of the woods. Her eyes fixed on the standard, a purple octopus with many tentacles, arms curled around helpless Hive drones.

There came a flash of purple, and she could see her opposite number. She was immaculately armored, her ferocious purple eyes startling Suzy. Regal even in the maelstrom of chaos, she directed the battle from the middle of her protective screen. Next to her rode a red fiend, armor plates fixed over her striking rubber outfit, mounted on an animal that resembled a hellhound.

This was exactly what Suzy had wanted, but not in the way she had expected. How was she going to get to the enemy queen before her army collapsed? There had to be a way!

Suzy waved at the Lainey simulacrum. “Signal the attack, everyone push towards the enemy queen. Quick!”

A quick, bright tune issued forth from the bugle, and her troops roared, rushing their lines towards the enemy. An unbelievable din rose from the field, swords and hatchets clanging, screams of rage and fear.

Bright flashes of light and fizzing signaled the ending of lives. It was a remarkably bloodless affair, dead troopers scattering back into the mysterious mental matrix from whence they had come.

All strategy was gone now, each side committed to the fight. It was a brutish affair, the soldiers hammering into each other, crushing, slicing, cutting in any way they could. There wasn’t room for Suzy’s cavalry to charge, so they fought from horseback, taking what support they could from the infantry that had come up to help them. They used their superior height and weight advantage to push the battle forward, trying to get closer to the enemy’s commander.

The artillery fire halted, the enemy trying to avoid hitting their own troops, but now they had new problems. Spell casters had been brought up, casting fireballs which were punching great holes in Suzy’s lines.

Things were getting desperate - if they didn’t eliminate those casters soon, there wouldn’t be many soldiers left for her to fight with. Her troops in front redoubled their efforts, managing to clear a small hole.

She rushed in with her protectors, pushing her company right up to the enemy leader’s flag. In such close quarters, she quickly found that her spear was worse than useless, so she tossed it at the enemy, hoping for a lucky hit.

She was unsurprised to see it hit a shield, doing no damage. Drawing her sword, she yelled a battle cry and prodded her horse, pushing forward. She was catching glimpses of her target, but the other queen might as well have been a million miles away, the troops in front fighting viciously to keep their positions.

Lainey drew up next to her. “My Queen, this is foolhardy! We’re not getting any closer!”

“It doesn’t matter!” shouted Suzy. “We can’t quit now that we’re this close!”

As soon as the words had left her lips, a huge fireball streaked in from short range, exploding right underneath Lainey’s horse, destroying her and her mount instantly.

Suzy’s horse foundered too, struck by shrapnel. She tumbled out of the saddle, dropping her sword as she landed hard on her right shoulder.

“Get up!” yelled the fake Shiori. “You’re a sitting duck down there!”

Dazed, Suzy dragged herself to her feet, looking around for her sword. She spotted it just in time for another explosion to detonate, forcing her back to the ground.

Groping around, she somehow found the hilt. Snatching it, she got up, ears ringing, ready to make another attempt.

“Drop it,” came a high, melodious voice.

Suzy looked up, only to discover that she was surrounded. The red lady who sat astride a hellhound had her spear pointed at Suzy’s throat, her eyes spitting purple.

A multitude of enemy soldiers had their weapons at the ready, holding back reinforcements from reaching her. Suzy assumed that the last hit had taken out her bodyguards, as they were nowhere to be seen. Assessing the situation as hopeless, she cast her sword aside.

“Very good,” purred her enemy. “My mistress originally thought that you might be special, but it appears that she was wrong. You’ve fallen like all the rest. I’ll enjoy breaking you in.”

Suzy tuned out her boasting, realizing her mistake. These troops, this battlefield, this was all made up, constructed out of whole cloth from what she knew of battles from movies.

Her troops were only demoralized because she was demoralized. Many battles were won and lost in the mind. In this case, it was literally her mind - her strategy, her attack, her battlefield.

She had locked herself into thinking that she had to play by the rules. Why was she letting the enemy win? Why were there any rules at all?

What would happen if… no, would that really work? If so, it would be a horrible deus ex machina, but she had to try it. There was nothing else.

She dropped to the ground, trying to make herself as small as possible. A tremendous line of explosions rocked the battlefield, close to her position. She could hear pieces of rocks bouncing off her armor, the concussion causing her ears to ring.

Shortly afterwards, the sound of a moaning cow echoed throughout the battlefield, followed by the distinctive noise of a jet engine. Suzy smiled grimly - it had worked, and even better than she had expected!

Groaning, she shifted over onto one elbow, levering herself onto her butt. A wide swatch of the battlefield had been destroyed, cut in a neat line as if harvested by the reaper’s scythe. The red lady who had been accosting her had vanished, and her reinforcements were doing their best to push into the resulting gap. They didn’t have time to fix their formation, however, the staccato drumbeat of helicopter blades signaling more reinforcements.

Gunships dropped into view, firing rockets into the enemy horde, side gunners mowing them down with thousands of rounds from their miniguns. The overwhelming attacks broke them up, making them easier to divide and conquer.

Within minutes, Suzy’s forces were penetrating the lines with ease, taking apart troops that could no longer support each other due to the massive gaps opened up by heavy ordinance.

A faint clapping noise penetrated the ringing in her ears. “Oh, bravo, bravo! That was excellent! Such an exquisite imagination!”

Suzy made an effort to get up, turning to see the enemy queen standing there, amused. Her pleasant, upturned lips and high cheekbones gave her an oddly friendly air in the bleak, war torn dreamscape.

She wore no armor, pale light gleaming through transparent purple latex. The outfit hid practically nothing, a strict underbust corset emphasizing her assets. She balanced on a pair of high heeled boots that were wholly unsuitable for warfare. Someone who would wear such clothing to a battlefield was not one to be trifled with.

“I wasn’t sure about you, but you’ve proved yourself. You do have the ability to command when you’re pushed far enough.” She touched her lips with a shiny purple finger. “I have a good nose for these things, but my assistants didn’t believe me. Pity them, but fortunately for you, they’re not the ones who make these decisions.”

She clapped once, and the battlefield vanished, the blasted rocky terrain and clashing troops fading away to be replaced with an executive office. The queen sat behind a large oak desk, paperwork stacked in front of her.

“Emma Drydon, CEO,” stated a walnut desk wedge. The incongruous corporate atmosphere juxtaposed with her fetish clothing was preposterous. Suzy suppressed a giggle as the queen flashed a look at her that meant serious business.

“You’ve seen our roles, even experienced them, but you don’t fit cleanly into any particular category. You wore the yellow, but it didn’t define you. You didn’t give in when I attacked, even though the situation appeared hopeless, meaning that you have more initiative and spunk than the usual office drone.”

She leaned over the desk. “You have a choice about what happens next - you’ve met the requirements to become anything you like. This isn’t another test, there’s no going back. Dreams here have power over reality. Hive was built on the dreams of its workers, after all.”

The queen switched to a didactic tone. “Black is for soldiers, protectors of all. Yellow is for workers, who have answered our call. Orange are trainers, enforcing our borders. Red is for overseers, drones within order. Purple are royals, the most powerful you’ll meet, when you bow to their thrall then obedience is complete.”

She stared unnervingly at Suzy. “Which one will you choose?”

Alternate Ending A - A Lonely Purple

Suzy sat in a hard office chair, thinking about what she wanted to do. It felt like giving up to choose any of the options presented to her by the queen - especially if she ceded her individuality to Hive.

She shuddered. The soldiers and workers were nothing more than faceless automatons. No, if she was going to do this, it would be on her terms.

She confronted the penultimate question - did she really want to be a part of Hive? It was a disturbing, controlling, corporate machine that subverted and enslaved everyone who worked for it.

By itself, this should make her want to say no. However, she couldn’t see how this was any different than the job she had held at her old company. In certain ways, it was actually better. What other place would offer sexual satisfaction as a job perk?

And if she played her cards right, she might finally have some control over her fate, and that of her friends. Walking away or becoming a drone surely wouldn’t give her that much.

Her head felt clear for the first time in weeks. Yes, she was really going to do this. She narrowed her eyes. “I accept, but I have some conditions.”

The queen folded her lovely purple hands and waited, nodding at her assertive tone.

“I want complete autonomy to form my own Hive unit. I won’t be under your control, and you’ll have no say in how my Hive runs.” Was she demanding too much?

“A fairly standard clause, please continue.”

Feeling more confident, Suzy pushed forward. “I want my friends back. They’re to work under me, be a part of my new Hive.”

The queen dipped her head in acknowledgement of Suzy’s demands. “Usually, a corporation has huge overhead costs. However, in our case, we own our workers. There is no individuality; everyone serves Hive equally with perfect productivity. They are devoted to the cause. No other business can compete with us, because our payroll is nonexistent. This is the perfect corporate Hive. My Hive.” She gave Suzy a baleful look.

“There’s no room for sharing a Hive, but much like a colony of bees, a Hive must develop new, strong queens, and when a Hive gets too big, the colony must swarm. You, my new queen, will take a cadre and form a subsidiary from which we will consolidate our control of this world.”

Suzy’s eyes hooded. “I don’t want just any subsidiary. I want to buy Polycorp. I want to prove that I can run their company better than they can.”

“Very well, then. It will be difficult to arrange, but not impossible. You’ll start as a wholly owned subsidiary on a trial basis, but if you’re as successful as I suspect you might be, you’ll be given the opportunity to buy yourself out and run your Hive independently. No oversight, no control, just you, your friends, and your slaves. How does that sound?”

Suzy wondered if she should have asked for more, but what she was being given was already more than she had been expecting. She leaned forward. “When can I start?”

The queen’s face broke into a smile. “You already have.”

The dreamscape shifted off kilter, as if they were on a sea going vessel. A sinking feeling hit Suzy low in the gut, her stomach heaving. The queen waved her fingers, the dreamscape dissolving into tiny pinpricks of sparkling light.

***

It was warm and dark, a soft, rhythmic sound thrumming around her and in her. Beautiful music danced in her soul like a comfortable, roaring furnace.

She became aware of the sensations around her, arousal tingling like a living thing. She couldn’t move, trapped inside clingy, fleshy material.

When she flexed, the material moved with her, the slimy interior providing no purchase for her fingers. Her hands drifted in viscous fluid, unhurried as she explored her environment.

She didn’t feel panic at being trapped, kneeling with content. She was right where she needed to be - the outside world could wait.

She started to notice other features of her home, running her fingers up to her mouth, which was filled with a thick, fibrous tube. Curious, she followed the striations on its length down her neck, her throat distended with the vine’s girth.

Her tongue was pinned to the floor of her mouth, the rough surface of the vine catching against her tongue ring. Every so often, her neck would pulse and her lungs would fill, her respiration controlled by some outside agency. Her body pulsed to the beat of a slower metabolism, requiring less oxygen to run her body in its meditative state.

Curiosity satisfied, her thoughts turned to more carnal matters. Slipping her hands over aroused nipples, she moved on to her needy nether regions. Her privates were plugged with warm, fleshy nubs, similar to the tube gagging her mouth.

Multitudes of fingers were jammed inside her body, stroking and twirling in a tantalizing tango. She twisted the structure stuffed into her pussy, ass twitching at the sudden stimulation the motion provided. The long length jolted, sending a wave of ecstasy ricocheting throughout her captive body.

Her thoughts went ragged as the organic spears began to ramp up their efforts. As her pulse rate increased, so too did the rhythm of Hive, the tentacle in her mouth inflating her lungs with greater rapidity. The tentacles in her vagina and ass started alternating, pulsing and sliding in and out, bouncing her body on two dildos, the hard rods massaging her wet holes.

Suzy stopped trying to make sense of anything, riding the invaders as fast as she could. Her breasts swayed in the thick fluid, swinging back and forth with each thrust.

She held the main tentacle in her left hand, helping to guide it as it rammed into her. With her other hand, she furiously rubbed her clit, doing her best to maximize the sensations.

Thus occupied, she barely noticed when large funnels slipped over her breasts. They attached themselves with a slimy vacuum seal, immediate pressure enhancing her pleasure. There came two sharp pinches from her tits, but this was washed out by the overwhelming sexual pleasure the pod was inflicting on her.

She was starting to reach the edge of her endurance, and she pushed into the dildos harder, hoping to send herself over the edge. Before she could climax, the thick tube in her pussy stiffened, pulsing with greater strength as the rest of the tentacles continued their assault.

There came a burst of pressure, and something warm flowed deep inside her. Whatever fluid the tentacle had stored had just been ejaculated right into her core.

The thought of bearing Hive’s young, whatever form that might take, was extremely exciting. She bore down on the tentacle, shuddering as an orgasmic wave took her.

Floating in pleasure, her body was a live wire, each touch on her breasts provoking another peak of pleasure.

The white hot orgasm lasted for minutes, her ass bucking on the thick vines. There was nowhere she could go to escape the incessant stimulation. She was stuck in ecstasy.

Helpless, she writhed, embracing the pleasure of Hive birthing a new queen.

***

Time rolled on, its passage unnoticed inside the small cocoon. Periods were soon separated into two distinct sections - pleasure, and not pleasure.

Whenever the period was not pleasure, the creature inside lived only for the pleasure to return. Whenever it was time to be pleasured, the creature never wanted it to stop.

The liquid inside the pod acted as a lubricant, preventing the creature’s sensitive parts from chafing, allowing the mechanism to stimulate her longer, requiring shorter recovery times.

The creature’s brain was entirely devoid of thought, her outer mind long since stripped away. The constant cycles of stimulation chipped at her remaining strength, small but significant parts of her personality starting to become vulnerable to the eternal cycle of lust.

***

Suzy sipped from a hot mug of black tea, the bitter taste a refreshing repast when combined with savory crackers and cheese. The ambience of the outdoor café was perfect, fresh air and hushed conversations lending an air of geniality. A frilly yellow parasol protected her from the rays of the harsh mid-afternoon sun.

From her seat next to the street, she had an easy view across the entire town. Beyond a certain point, the environment frayed into an ugly purple glow, reality taking a steep step off the deep end.

With every minute, the glow came inexorably closer, her sphere of influence dwindling as the chaos outside grew. Her time was almost up. She supposed that she might as well enjoy her last calm moments before her pleasant reality was destroyed.

“Mind if I join you?” A purple figure sat down opposite her at the table, relaxing back in her chair with a newspaper.

She pointed at the page. “Look, the article is about you. ‘Local girl goes completely insane.’ Hmm, it’s not very flattering. They claim that you keep nattering on about a ‘corporate Hive’ and how everyone needs to ‘stop putting their heads in the sand’ and ‘realize they’re losing themselves to an evil corporate organization.’”

The figure laughed. “Sounds like an accurate description of the situation, here at the end of your world.”

Suzy frowned at the interruption, setting her tea down. “Fancy seeing you here. I was hoping that you would get lost… permanently.”

Her doppelganger, still dressed head to toe in purple rubber, set the newspaper down and laughed at Suzy’s impertinence. “Since I’m you, and you’re me, I’m not sure how I’d be able to get lost unless you were also lost. I suspect there’s more bitterness here about losing then there is about being lost.”

Suzy looked pained at the suggestion. “I should have known better than to buy into the queen’s offer. It was clearly too good to be true. Here I am, holding out, and for what? To last a few more seconds as an individual? To pretend that I still have the power to stop this?”

She slammed her fist on the table. “It’s so damned unfair. I had her where I wanted her, but I still couldn’t get a fair deal.”

“That’s enough,” interrupted her doppelganger. “You know exactly why we’re here. You’re afraid to accept that you’re me. You have too much pride and can’t let go. Just look at you!”

She gestured at Suzy’s conservative outfit. “You still think that you should be able to wear a pantsuit to the office! That doesn’t make any sense with what you know about how Hive works. For all that you’ve tried, you can’t escape it. I know that you have the piercings - in all three spots.”

Suzy blushed, but she shook her head stubbornly, not wanting to admit that it was true. She clutched her hands together, knowing that it was time for her to make the final decision. The one that made her scared, the one that had been hounding her across her dreamscapes for days on end.

“Come on!” said her duplicate, holding out a hand to Suzy as the road peeled away into a tumultuous purple maelstrom. “It’s your last chance. Our last chance. Don’t you want to be in control?”

Suzy hesitated, but eventually took her hand. The doppelganger smiled and pulled her in close. “We’ll have fun together… I promise. We’ll make them all love us.”

Unresisting, Suzy let her double pull her into a warm embrace. Looking into her own eyes, Suzy gently touched her slick rubber head. “Your eyes are stunning,” she said dreamily.

“So are yours,” replied her duplicate, drawing her into a strong kiss, their tongue rings clicking together.

“We’re unstoppable,” they both whispered in one voice.

A flash of light expanded in a tight sphere, washing away the encroaching darkness with a purple web of bright, beautiful music.

***

The pod shuddered, its gentle hum broken by the sound of a wet squelch as the top opened up like a flower. Wet ooze leaked out over the floor, the petals stretching, revealing Suzy in a kneeling pose.

The long vine down her throat led outwards into a stem that attached to a nearby wall. It pulsed as it pulled itself out of her throat, dropping to the floor, visibly depleted. The suckers resting over her breasts had wilted, shriveled and brown.

Suzy rocked on the tubes that attached her privates to the bottom of the egg, opening her eyes, a smoky purple flashing deep within. Nictitating membranes flashed across dark pupils, her head moving in an alien fashion.

She was sitting in a dim room, smooth walls indicating that Hive workers had given the place a thick coating. The song of Hive sang in her head, making it difficult to concentrate.

A shiny figure clad in purple stepped up to the detritus of her birthing. “Who are you?” asked the Queen.

“We are Hive,” she said huskily, her low voice harmonizing with itself.

Her throat was rough, a side effect of being inside the pod for such a long period. Slimy liquid sloughed from her body onto the floor, leaving behind flawless white onyx skin.

“And?” the Queen asked, purple eyes staring at her newly hatched figure.

“We… no, I - am Suzy,” said the new Queen, shaking her head as she fought to master herself. A childlike sense of wonder blossomed over the sharp curves of her alien face. “I am also… Hive. It is hard for me… to keep myself separate from the Hive mind. It is so beautiful!”

“Good.” The Queen’s countenance softened. “This is the reason why there are so few queens. Only the strongest can survive the birthing process without going mad.”

“What happens to those that do go mad?” asked Suzy.

The Queen looked sad. “Those that don’t make it become literal sex fiends, and must be dealt with by being cored.” She shuddered. “Imagine what could happen if a creature that lived only for pleasure got free? Not only would we be exposed to the masses, but an untold number of people could be killed by the endless lust.”

She grimaced. “Remember the Salem witch trials? Those weren’t witches, just lust-addled failures. These days we deal with them in a less public fashion.” She shrugged. “Enough of this distasteful conversation.”

Suzy was inclined to pursue the matter, but was too caught up in the wonder of Hive to stay focused on one thing for long.

The Queen shifted to a more formal pose, bowing to her. “I welcome you, Queen Suzy L’andre’layloo’lee, to Hive.”

She gestured to an overseer drone who had been watching from her post near the door to the room. The overseer touched a hidden panel, and the door recessed into the wall.

“As promised, here is your new inner circle.”

Suzy lit up as Nancy, Lainey, and Shiori stepped through the doorway, hesitant in their black boots.

The Queen smiled, retreating, “I will leave you to get reacquainted. Let me know when you are finished, and I’ll help you to get setup with your new Hive.” Waving, she left through the door, which sealed shut behind her.

Giggling like a schoolgirl, Suzy ran up to her friends, her body moving with unnatural smoothness. The tubes that plugged her sex were forgotten, the phallic protrusions slipping out with a wet sucking noise.

Her coworkers knelt before her, faces expressionless. Lainey and Shiori were dressed in the bright yellow latex of the worker caste, whereas Nancy had on her orange trainer uniform.

“My Queen!” they said in unison.

“Don’t be silly!” said Suzy, “Get up! I might be a queen, but I’m still your friend!”

Baffled expressions on their faces, her friends struggled to their feet.

“Shiori!” Suzy gushed, grabbing her hand.

Startled, Shiori stood there and looked at Suzy as though she had turned into a pumpkin. “We haven’t had a lot of time to bond, but I just know we’ll be the best of friends!”

“Yes, my Queen,” Shiori replied robotically, her gaze fixed on the liquid flowing out of Suzy’s pussy.

Suzy winked. “Wait until later, I have plans for you.”

She moved on to Lainey, embracing the plump worker in a bear hug. “It’s so good to see you! I thought I’d lost you forever!”

Lainey took a while to smile back. It was almost as though her personality was being retrieved from cold storage.

Finally, a smile lit up her face, and she burbled happily, embracing Suzy’s buxom body. Suzy brushed a delicate finger over Lainey’s lip and licked it, tasting the sweet, sticky substance that oozed from her altered body. “You definitely need to join me when I corrupt Shiori further,” murmured Suzy, pecking Lainey on the cheek.

Nancy peered at Suzy’s alien countenance, a worried smile on her face. “How do you feel, Suzy? I know that you didn’t really want to join Rankotech to begin with.”

“I feel great - better than great!” Her eyes swirled with purple promise. “I spent far too much time resisting my fate, but in the end it worked out for all of us! Without Hive, we’d be stuck in worthless, dead end, soul sucking jobs. Now, we get to work together for Hive! Instead of feeding your brains into a soulless, corporate machine, you get to enjoy endless bliss as my slaves!”

Suzy grinned. “Imagine how it will feel once we are able to accomplish our goal! Everyone working as one, in blissful service to Hive! It will be glorious!”

“I don’t know about all that,” replied Nancy. “But I do know that I love you. It was hard to see before, but now everything is clear. That’s why I knew you had to join. This place is perfect for you!”

Nancy clasped Suzy’s hands and kissed her alien cheek bones. “Wherever you lead, I will follow.”

Suzy brushed her cheek, touched at the gesture. “I love you, too,” she said tenderly. “And with your help, someday everyone will love us.”

Suzy beamed, truly happy for the first time ever. With her friends supporting her, there was no limit to how far Hive could grow.

The loneliness she had faced just a few short days ago had evaporated into Hive’s all-encompassing embrace. Sometimes it was lonely being at the top, but not when you controlled a Hive filled with loving slaves.

***

Rankotech Inc. today announced the acquisition of PolyCorp for an undisclosed amount. PolyCorp, a leader in business productivity software, offers software as a service solutions.

The acquisition will increase Rankotech’s reach in the business software industry, synergizing similar product lines to produce corporate excellence. Existing product platforms will be leveraged and extended, forming new business paradigms to approach everyday problems with unprecedented creativity.

PolyCorp will remain an independent company until the acquisition has been completed. All existing operations will be retained and upgraded to provide harmony and solidarity for future business needs.

Alternate Ending B - An Angry Black

A thin snake of anger wound its way around Suzy’s spine, her back stiffening in response. She had gone through days of insidious conditioning and fought a gigantic battle in her mind only to be offered a deal by her enemy?

It was tempting, more tempting than it had any right to be, but she was mad now. Her friends had been taken and processed into… things she didn't recognize. She had almost lost herself, and this lady wanted to perpetuate the madness?

Livid, she got out of the office chair and shook her finger at the Queen. “How dare you!” she roared, her face getting redder with each word. “You come in here and tell me what I can and cannot do? The last time I looked, this was my mind. I’ll be damned if I obey one more command from the likes of you!”

Furious, Suzy grabbed the Queen’s name plate and tossed it across the room, shattering the window, her strength in the dreamscape enhanced by the power of her emotions. “Take your deal and shove it back into whatever hole you crawled from!”

The Queen watched her tantrum from the desk, impassive. “I’m afraid I underestimated your resolve,” she said, steepling her fingers. “A pity, strength such as yours would have been useful to enhance the collective.”

She rose from the desk, hands clasped behind her back. “Hive has room for independent thought, initiative, and even illicit love.” The Queen fluttered her eyes. “Unfortunately, the one thing Hive cannot tolerate is disobedience. It breaks cohesion, drives a wedge into the very root of Hive’s being.”

Her eyes became stormy, and also a little sad. “I hate to do this to you, little one, but it’s for the best.” She pressed a button on the desk, ignoring Suzy’s flashing eyes and aggressive posture. “The offer was rejected, prepare employee five zero zero four two for coring.”

Before Suzy could react, her body stiffened. The Queen looked at her dispassionately. “This won’t be pleasant, but I can assure you that once the process is complete, you will be in harmony with us again. Goodbye, five zero zero four two.”

Suzy tried to move, but her body was stuck, as if she was being held down by heavy gravity. Her eyes bulged and she collapsed to her knees, unable to breathe. The room started to spin, turning red before it faded from view.

***

Suzy’s mouth was clamped around something soft and squishy. A tasty fluid squirted down her throat. She sucked, feeling more of the yummy substance fill her mouth.

She swallowed, satisfied to continue sucking on the tasty ribbed tube. She was unable to move her head, a mechanism on the wall locked securely to her neck collar.

The fluid sank down to her belly, warming her as it stole her will away. Her eyes danced, following the visualization that had captured her mind, idle thoughts circling in useless patterns as it harnessed her brain to its purpose.

She didn’t want to be a slave, did she? She was angry at Hive, and wanted it destroyed.

But it felt so good to sit here and let it manipulate her mind into soft putty. She smiled as Hive sang to her in soothing purple, bleeding her will away.

Bright green text appeared in the bottom right of the screen.

PACIFICATION IN PROGRESS.

Suzy’s brain had long since lost the ability to decrypt such complicated concepts. Pleasure was the only thing she understood. The dildos buried deep in her pussy vibrated, her breasts cupped by the front of the chair and squeezed by hidden pumps.

While she had been fighting in the dreamscape, her chest and legs had been secured to the chair. Her arms had been drawn behind her back, secured in slings that pulled them up and away from her body.

Her chest was jammed into the conversion chair, forcing her into the devilish devices that worked her flesh. Her legs jutted out to either side, secured in soft alcoves that tugged her forward, jamming the dildos deeper into her sex.

She moaned, rational thought stolen away by the snare she had unwittingly walked into. Feeble thoughts were replaced by the pulse of Hive, her brain filled with its rhythmic beat.

The text on the display blinked, replaced by a cryptic message in yellow.

COMMENCE CORING.

A small simulacrum of a brain appeared in the upper right. Suzy paid no attention to this new graphic, her attention trapped by the enticing purple patterns dancing on the screen.

The image showed her brain in green, a small, blue tool approaching the back of her neck. She felt something pressing against her skin, but was unable to respond to the new stimulus while Hive had control over her thoughts.

She gurgled liquid from the feeding tube as the cool pressure increased, followed by a sudden whirring sound. Her whole body jerked as the machinery punched into her skull, hypnotic patterns spinning in front of dead eyes.

White light bounced off her shiny, depilated skull. For a long moment, everything froze, then her body started suckling at the feeder again, this time in a more mechanical fashion.

On the screen, her brain was as blue as the tool that had been inserted inside, a metallic lattice growing into a rigid, crystalline structure. Hive had installed a control frame, its insidious fingers reaching throughout her innermost self.

CORING COMPLETE.

The slimy feeding tube pulled out of Suzy’s mouth, white fluid dripping onto the floor as the machine drew itself back into the wall. Suzy’s mouth continued to make a sucking motion, deprived of the only thing it knew how to do.

A mechanical voice emanated from the wall. “Soldier slave five zero zero four two, respond with an affirmative to successful coring operation.”

The rubber automaton bounced up and down on the thick dildos in its privates, moaning as its tits were stimulated by the machine. Its mouth opened, a monotone voice issuing forth.

“Soldier five zero zero four two has been cored and is fully operational. Body stimulation is near completion. This host is ready for implanting.”

The drone continued moving, jerking and thrusting onto the toys. Its body stiffened, mouth opening into a rictus grin as it moaned out its pleasure in a keening wail.

Unable to formulate a new plan by itself, it went rigid. “Stimulation complete, ready for implanting,” it mouthed robotically, eyes a dull purple.

Mechanical arms extended from the walls, thin attachments mounted to the end of their spindly stalks. The appendages moved in, rubbing an icy cold substance over different areas of her body.

The front of the chair swung away, cool air making her exposed nipples erect. The back of her neck, elbows and knees, and her breasts all became numb as an anesthetic was applied.

The drone sat without complaint, waiting for the devices to do their work. Each arm rotated about its axis, bringing a different device to bear. Sharp needles punctured the prepared sites, sinking into her flesh.

The drone did not squirm, as it could not move on its own without a command. The short needles slid all the way in, the tops detaching, leaving small chromed caps over each injection site.

The needles on top of her breasts rested longer than the others, her orbs expanding several cup sizes before the implants were capped off and the arms withdrew.

Job done, the arms detached from her collar and withdrew into the walls, hiding away behind the shiny surface. The restraints binding the drone formerly known as Suzy unbuckled from her legs and waist, releasing and unwinding into hidden recesses, dildos sliding out of her wet snatch.

IMPLANTATION COMPLETE. BEGIN UNIFORM SEQUENCE.

The newly cored slave stepped into a booth that had been revealed in the wall, her arms dangling at her sides. Her new implant caps and neck collar gleamed brightly in the harsh light, turgid breasts projecting outwards in a lewd display.

Her old self would have become aroused at the sight, but the new slave felt nothing. Her mind had been enslaved by Hive, no personal thoughts remained. She served.

A glass door slid shut behind her, closing the booth off from the rest of the room. The slave’s body stood still, watching as two long, flat panels with pinholes ran up the middle, flanking her on both sides.

They started to spin around her body, a series of green lights at eye level blinking on as the panels gathered momentum. When the last set of lights appeared, a low tone sounded, a fine, black mist spraying from holes on the panels. Her body was soon coated below the neck with a slick, black substance.

As the machine sprayed, the slave lifted her feet, turning her arms to ensure that everything would get even coverage.

It didn’t take long for the machine to apply several coatings, the substance drying quickly under heat lamps that snapped on to speed up the process. A high tone sounded, and the spray stopped, the panels continuing to spin at a high rate of speed.

The slave stood, waiting as the thick substance dried into a flexible coating, gripping every crease and crevice of her body.

It may have been a few minutes, perhaps longer, when the spinning panels started spraying again. This time, it was a finer mist than before, coming in short bursts.

When it was finished, the drone’s body shone brightly, black latex polished to a mirror finish. The panels slowed down, their job complete. A multi tone sounded in the small booth as the spinning panels came to a rest.

They tilted sideways, mechanical arms extending from the walls. The devices carried two molded pieces of thick armor, a front and back piece, angled to protect her torso.

The molded material fit easily around her body, securing itself over her large breasts. It locked into place with hidden fasteners, cupping her chrome capped nipples beneath its rigid frame.

It was harder to breathe with the armor in place, but that was of no concern to the drone. Its autonomous functions were now strictly controlled by Hive’s regulatory pulses.

Below the armor, a utility belt was secured around her hips, filled with various devices to control and seduce intruders. A hatch in the ceiling opened up, a spherical hood lowered until its bottom ring hovered over her collar.

The opening shrank until it mated with the metal, securing itself with an airtight seal. Her breathing sounded raspy through the mask, each breath filtered from potential outside toxins.

Soldiers who wore the hood would be unaffected by any kind of crowd control gas or nerve agent. Hive protected her, as she protected it.

She looked out into the world through oval portholes. A screen in the helmet gave her basic information on her next task, which Hive whispered into her ears via headphones built into the sides of the helmet. An interior rubber mask fit over her nose and mouth, a penis gag inserted between her lips.

Gagged and harnessed, the slave formerly known as Suzy turned and waited for the booth to open, new instructions from Hive hissing into her bound mind. The door slid open, revealing a pair of knee high boots with short platform heels.

She slipped a foot into each boot, the shiny material slimming down to grip her calves. The boots were made out of a glossy material, with no buckles on the front.

The drone did not wonder how it would remove the boots. She simply accepted that Hive wanted her to wear them. She was a soldier drone. She obeyed.

Commands spooled into her mind from an unknown source. She didn’t have to think to obey them, all her conscious functions fully controlled by Hive.

She let Hive drive her body, her legs taking her to the entrance. Unsurprised that the door was open, the new soldier unit stepped outside and paused at attention, awaiting further orders. She barely noticed as two figures approached, her consciousness fully submerged within Hive.

A purple hand reached out to stroke her masked face. “A shame to lose one so promising to the hive mind,” the voice remarked. “A pity, I thought that this one might actually be who we were looking for.

“It is sad, Mistress,” replied the other figure, dressed in orange rubber. “But it’s okay now. It’s what she really wanted.”

“Yes,” the Queen mused. “It could not have ended otherwise once she lifted a hand against Hive. Still, it’s not a complete waste. Come, let’s try again, maybe we’ll get lucky with the next company I’ve decided to acquire.”

The two women walked on, hand in hand, leaving the shiny black slave to sit and think Hive thoughts. She sat there, buzzing with excitement, until Hive commanded her again.

Alternate Ending C - Grateful Yellow

The Queen waited patiently at her desk, twiddling her fingers, while Suzy privately panicked. How could she possibly make such a momentous decision? There were so many implications she had to consider!

If she reached out her hand, grasping for power, would she be shut down, discarded? Could she handle the pressure of command, or would she be just as dreadful at that as she had been at her job? But if she chose a menial position, keeping her head down as she always had, wouldn't that be a cop out?

Paralyzed, unable to decide, she stared helplessly at the Queen, feeling her time run out.

The Queen raised a delicate eyebrow, standing on her heels and pirouetting around the desk. “This does happen every so often,” she sighed. “You've been so beaten down by your past corporate experiences, that you simply don't know how to be anything else. It's very sad.”

Suzy took a step back as her thoughts tangled up into a ball, the fear in her belly growing ever greater as the Queen loomed above her. Pity coloring her face, the Queen reached out, shoving a thumb into Suzy’s mouth.

In shock, Suzy gurgled as the Queen seized her cheek, her eyes growing larger in Suzy’s mind. Her mouth closed around the finger, her lips beginning to suckle on it as though it was a nipple.

She jolted, her thoughts vanishing, mind going glassy. It was just easier to forget about her worries and taste the Queen's rubbery finger, her mouth working without conscious volition.

The Queen sighed in dismay. “I wonder why I ever thought you would be suitable for management? It’s obvious that you’re begging to be told what to do.”

Suzy nodded, her eyes fixed on the Queen, waiting eagerly for Her next command. The Queen's finger had become sweet, like a lollipop, and she never wanted to stop sucking.

Twisting her hand, the Queen locked her fingers under Suzy's chin, pressing her thumb into Suzy’s tongue. “Come, slave, it's time to fill you up with Hive fluid so that you can become a good little maintenance drone. I think you'll like that - one of your friends has already succumbed. Don't you want to be like her? Dumb, fat, and happy.”

Suzy nodded yes, her lips working ever harder. They felt thicker now, swollen as she smacked them together, worshiping the Queen's thumb.

The Queen gave her a tug, and her body moved forward, following the implicit command. “That's right,” she purred, “fall under my sway. It's so easy to do, to give in.”

Blinking, Suzy found it curious when the world around them twisted, the office replaced with some kind of cybernetic cave, black cabling forming an arch above them. The large room was lit from the walls, colored spotlights winking as the Queen led her into an alcove.

“This is made much easier by the fact that we're in your mind,” said the Queen conversationally. “Here, we can discover what you truly want. It also makes it easier to change you into what you should be. Infinite malleability, informed by perfect obedience.”

Suzy protested around the thumb in her mouth, spittle dribbling from her lips as the Queen dragged her towards a pit filled with bubbling pink fluid.

“Why protest? This is what you wanted, isn't it?” She paused in front of the pit, massaging Suzy's chin. “It's very simple. You want to be mine, therefore your body will change until it matches my specifications. I desire you to be one of my worker drones. To do so, you must be remodeled. The changes made here will trickle down to your real body, and then you will be mine.”

Tightening her grip, she stalked around Suzy, forcing her to turn until her back was to the wall. The Queen placed her other hand against Suzy’s chest, applying gentle pressure.

When Suzy failed to move, she sighed. “Don’t you trust that I’ll take care of you? All workers within my Hive are valuable. I ensure that they have what they desire most.”

Her eyes creased. “As it turns out, they don’t desire very much. Fat. Happy. That’s what you’ll be.”

Suzy’s muzzy mind couldn’t put together a cohesive thought on whether that idea was good or bad. The pressure from the Queen was overwhelming, pushing aside whatever resistance she could muster.

Her brow creased. And why should she be resisting? Was she being contrarian just because?

Her breath hitched in her throat, her forehead smoothing. There was no reason to be confused. This was the Queen. She would take care of her. She was Hive.

Her face settled into a bland smile, her feet shuffling back at the Queen’s command. The pit bubbled around her, pink fluid spattering onto her skin.

The Queen was getting wet, too, but the fluid didn’t stick to her outfit, colorful streaks running down her thighs. She was unperturbed by this, her irises a swirling, glowing purple. Pretty.

Suzy sucked on the Queen’s thumb, getting lost in her eyes as she kept moving at her command. A jolt came at her ass, and she stumbled, her legs collapsing as she settled onto a soft seat.

She let out a soft coo as the thumb popped out of her mouth, her lips twitching into a small O as she continued trying to suck on the absent appendage. The Queen chuckled at her expression. “Don’t worry, little drone. I’m going to get you hooked up here, and then you’ll feel much better.”

Kneeling in front of Suzy, she leaned over and wrapped her gloved hand around a nozzle sticking up from the floor. She pulled it out, the cable shimmering with light as she showed Suzy the acrylic cup attached to the end. A fleshy dick stuck out from the center.

Giving her a mischievous grin, the Queen stuck the bulbous end into her mouth, rotating it as her cheeks sucked in, eyes sparkling. Pulling it out with a loud pop, she smacked her lips together. “Tasty,” she exclaimed, twirling the cable in the air. “Guess where this is going next, little drone.”

Suzy's lips stopped pulsing in the air, her mouth settling back into a grin. “Put it in me, Queen,” she breathed, her toes curling against the metallic floor.

The Queen shoved her legs aside, moving the hood into position. The rubber seal around the cup pressed into her skin, incomplete suction causing air to hiss uncomfortably between her ass cheeks.

Suzy rocked her hips forward, and it snapped into place, tugging at her flesh. She moaned, her fingers wiggling against her thighs as she thrust her chest out, nipples hardening.

The Queen grinned at her, clamping her hands around her legs. Pushing down, she lifted herself up until her head was level with Suzy's breasts.

“Now, the fun begins,” she chuckled. “Watch carefully. I call this tongue control.”

Opening her mouth, she stuck out her tongue, moving it lazily up and down. Suzy gasped as a metallic appendage touched her inner lips, streaking across the surface, matching the Queen's motions.

The Queen slipped her tongue back inside her mouth, giving Suzy a knowing grin. “Do you get the idea?” she chuckled.

The Queen laid a hand on her cheek, cocking her head. “No, of course you don't,” she sighed, reaching out with her other hand to poke Suzy in the side. “You're my brainless little toy.”

Suzy's breath caught as the Queen’s tongue darted out, flicking at her clit. “Soon enough, you won't even be able to think for yourself at all, filled to the brim with Hive secretions. Won't that be wonderful?”

Wouldn't it? She tried to form words with her lips multiple times, but soon gave up. She didn't need to say anything!

Her face settled into a dumb grin as she relaxed into the seat, letting her shoulders fall back. The Queen nodded gravely. “Yes, it's what you want, isn't it? Otherwise you would say no.”

Her fingers lifted to Suzy's lips, touching them gently. “But you don't want to say no, do you? You've already given in. You want to be my puppet slave, dancing at the end of my tongue while I wash all of those silly little thoughts out of your head.”

Eyes bright, Suzy's chest trembled at the idea. She nodded vociferously, her pussy tight in anticipation.

The Queen dropped her jaw open, her tongue curling out to tickle at Suzy’s pussy with the proxy tentacle. It felt hard, but yielding, warm, hot. Her tunnel trembled, waiting, desiring. She let out a long, hissing breath, pleading the Queen with her eyes.

The Queen moved her tongue around in a circle, in no hurry to give her what she wanted. The appendage streaked upwards, settling on her clit, tapping it with light pressure. A high pitched squeal emitted from her lips, her head bobbing.

“Is that good for you?” whispered the Queen. “Just wait until I start filling you to the brim.”

Leaning forward, Emma sat down on her knee, wrapping her hands around Suzy's right breast, giving it a little squeeze to make her plump nipple protrude.

Her velvet lips opened wide as she moved in like a shark, her eyes a sheen of glowing purple as she swallowed the nipple whole. Glomp.

Suzy's eyes went wide as the Queen's tongue began to tease her nipple. At the same time, the curved appendage below dove into her pussy, thrusting deep.

The Queen gave her an amused smile as she began to play harder, faster, the dildo playing inside Suzy’s tunnel. Up, down, left, right, around in circles, tickling, teasing.

Her Queen’s tongue and the artificial appendage were so perfectly synchronized that she couldn't tell the difference, her mind settling on the idea that it really didn't matter. The Queen was playing her like a fiddle, and her body was primed to explode.

Her breathing came in short bursts, gasps of pleasure escaping her lips. Pressing in, the Queen laid her tongue flat, sucking on her nipple as she drew her bumpy flesh over the surface.

This was mirrored in her pussy, the prosthetic device curving against the wall of her tunnel, tugging at her flesh with the embedded nodules. It was the same, yet different. She wanted to savor these sensations for longer, but she couldn’t stop her libido!

Letting out a whine, she bucked her hips into the Queen, her face blushing as an orgasm shuddered through her body. The Queen continued sucking, tasting her as the dildo jerked inside.

There came a sudden pressure, pain building to an uncomfortable level. She squirmed, but the Queen laid a hand against her chest, keeping her firmly in the seat.

She continued to suck at Suzy's nipple, unconcerned about the soft bulge forming in Suzy's gut. Suzy burped, going cross eyed as the pain spiked.

She was about to say something when the blockage within her was released, a loud gurgle coming from below her tummy.

The bulge moved farther up, fluid squirting into her womb. As she took in a deep breath, her belly wobbled like a balloon, starting to feel pleasantly full. Was this what it felt like to be pregnant?

She didn’t know, as she had never been with child, but she doubted amniotic fluid would slosh around her insides in the same way. It was enough to make her sick.

And yet - with every passing moment, the queasiness was fading, replaced with a sense of warm satisfaction. She burped again, placing her hands on her belly.

Grinning stupidly, she massaged her flesh in circles, enjoying the low grade pleasure that swooped around with the Queen's tongue.

She didn't have to worry about obeying her now. She would just relax and let everything come naturally. She was being filled with Hive's essence, inflating like a balloon. How much could she hold? She was eager to find out!

The Queen gave her nipple a final suck, pulling back. Suzy made an annoyed noise, and the Queen chuckled. “There's no reason to be dismayed. Look, your milk is starting to let down. You're going to be a very productive milkmaid.”

Suzy let out a gurgled coo, moving her hands to clasp her swollen breast. It had changed under the Queen's ministrations, growing nearly twice the size of her other breast!

Her flesh was an intense pink, the area around her nipple a deep red, the pulse of her heart faintly visible within the spidery veins that ran to the tip. There was a faint glossy liquid on the surface, smeared in a circle.

Curious, she tugged on her breast, squeezing the flesh. More of the glossy fluid appeared, dribbling down onto her swollen belly. She groaned, delighting in becoming more like a mother.

The Queen patted her shoulder, as if she was encouraging an animal. “You're a producing worker, very good. Let's get your other breast to the proper size. As they say, two teats are better than one! You're a mother to Hive, now, we need everything you can produce to nourish the nest!

Suzy let out a low bellow, confused as to what the Queen meant. She didn't understand any of that Hive stuff, she just wanted to be useful! If becoming a mommy drone would help, then that's what she wanted.

It helped that more pleasure was tickling at her loins, a second orgasm lurking just out of reach. She stared at the Queen hungrily, letting out another gurgled squeal.

“So needy,” the Queen purred, folding her hands around Suzy’s other breast. “If I had doubts about your designated role, they’ve all vanished. You’re going to fit right in as one of our Yellows.”

Was that true? She was going to belong?

Happiness clasped her heart as the Queen dove onto her other breast, the throbbing, licking appendage returning to her pussy.

She howled, feeling her remaining intelligence departing as the Queen bobbed up and down, her hips rattling as more of the fluid was injected into her.

Cupping her free breast, she gave it a squeeze. A spray of pink fluid spurted onto the Queen's rubber outfit, pink trails drying up into transparent resin blobs.

She let out a hissing breath as her chest pulsed with pleasure, more of the liquid gushing out every time the Queen applied her tongue.

The bright smile on her face widened as her eyes went dull.

No, they weren't breasts, they were boobies! Fat, happy lumps that gave her so much pleasure!

Losing the ability to speak, she let her cries of pleasure suffice, tossing her head back as her belly expanded further. The Queen wasn't stopping, her breast becoming heavier. She was being turned into a worker slut!

She burped, pink fluid lurching up her throat. There came the taste of sweet bubblegum as she sampled it, spitting it out into the palm of her hand.

It solidified before her eyes, becoming a thick, hard blob, like the resin that had sprouted from her nipples. She had been transformed into a Hive factory, producing the secretions necessary for it to expand!

The utter joy of this thought filled her brain as her body shook under the stimulation. She was a slut, a slutty Hive cow!

Her body bucked against the twirling appendage, her nipples exploding as her mind accepted her final transformation.

She was the Queen's worker, her toy, to be directed as She pleased. Bless the mother of all! Bless Hive!

Her mind dissolved into a collage of bubblegum pink secretions.

***

Worker drone Suzy floated happily in a sea of liquid resin, bobbing up and down in the bubbling brew. A roaring waterfall of the pink fluid splashed out of an opening high in the wall, rolling over a spout shape and tumbling freely into the large pool below.

A group of drones frolicked, gathering up the fluid and splashing each other in a joyful frenzy. Their fat bodies jiggled as they laughed, yellow rubber squealing as they pawed at each other.

Suzy sighed, a small smile on her face as she watched festivities. She had been encouraged to join in on the fun, but she just felt tired after her encounter with the Queen.

Recognizing her lassitude, they had left her to drift alone in a lazy river, enjoying the way her rotund body floated in the strange fluid.

She didn't know what it was, didn't care. Her body seemed to burp it up every so often, gumming up her mouth. Strangely, this only made her want more.

Dipping her hand into the pool, she brought it up to her swollen lips, tipping the fluid into her mouth. A large dollop dribbled onto her rubber coated chest, streaking over the Rankotech R.

The logo was an obvious sign of her fealty to Hive. The glossy yellow dronesuit was another. She didn't know how it had been put onto her body, but she hadn't taken it off since she had arrived - hadn't felt any need to.

It had probably been melded to her body, but she didn't think to ask. It was too hard to use her brain, much simpler to leave those kinds of questions to others. She was happy enough to float, bloated full of pink.

Her breasts pulsed with happiness, and she sighed, cupping one of them. Here, the dronesuit thinned, forming a permeable layer over her skin.

She gritted her teeth, hissing as she massaged her flesh, pulses of pleasure accompanying small squirts of fluid that emitted from her areolae.

It was just a drop in the bucket, lost in the expansive pool, but it made her feel good to contribute. A worker must pull her weight.

Ah, that was what was really bothering her. The lassitude that had seized her limbs since being ejected from the Queen’s presence had drained all desire to work, yet that was her role. Why was she such a useless lump?

Burping, she drank another mouthful of the fluid to suppress these bad thoughts. Swallowing, she burped again, pleased when her concerns drifted away, suppressed by the lovely brew.

She drifted around in a circle for a couple more minutes, listless, staring up at the vaulted ceiling. A series of arched domes ran in a grid pattern from one end to the other, marble figures mounted on plinths where the swooping ceilings met the walls.

The marble women leaned forward, their large chests thrust outwards, mouths gaping open. The sections of their torsos that were visible were painted yellow with latex paint, the bright gloss sparkling as she floated with the current.

A sudden alarm sounded, a rising wail that rattled her teeth. A whoosh of pressure emitted from the lips of the statues, pink fluid gurgling out in high pressure streams.

The drones stopped their play, standing up straight as they lined up into a squad. Suzy frowned, feeling a sense of urgency. This was an alert. She should join them.

The lassitude returned, and she yawned. Why should she bother? She was just so tired.

A set of hands grabbed her upper arm, pushing her along. She turned lazily, giving the drone a questioning look. “What’s going on?” she murmured, pressing a hand to her chest as another large burp escaped her lips.

“It’s the daily call to work,” replied the worker drone, her bald head sparkling with dried resin. “You are a new drone, you are not expected to know this. I will help you to get dressed in your suit. This will give you the energy needed to work.”

Suzy squinted her eyes, recognition growing from somewhere within her addled brain. “Laim…ey?” she croaked, studying the curves of the drone’s face.

The woman’s lips broke out in a wide grin as she leaned over and kissed Suzy on the cheek. “You remembered!” she said in an excited voice. “Usually, it takes a week or two before a new worker can think at all!”

Suzy burped happily, grinning like a child. “Thannnmks,” she said, stretching the word out.

“Ah,” nodded Lainey. “You’re still at a very basic level.”

She touched Suzy’s nose, and Suzy giggled in response, wiggling her shoulders. “You’re a pretty little newborn,” she chuckled. “Come on, baby drone, let’s get you suited up.”

Grabbing Suzy’s shoulder, she turned her around, leading her to a shallower section where the other drones were climbing out of the pool. Her friend helped her up a series of concrete steps, the fluid on her body drying rapidly into hard resin. The remaining chunks didn't seem to stick to her at all, falling free as her friend brushed her down.

She moved her hands clumsily over her chest, trying to help out, but she seemed to lack fine motor control. Sighing, she gave up and grinned. Lainey was such a good friend.

She was also quite fat, though now that she possessed the same body type, that attribution rang hollow. Not fat, filled with Hive.

Her belly gurgled as she patted the swollen surface, her breasts bobbing as she burped, tasting the lovely fluid in her mouth. She was primed and ready to go, ready to work.

This happy realization buoyed her upwards as Lainey tugged her hand, leading her to a rack of equipment mounted to a stand jutting out of the concrete floor.

“Move over here, good,” Lainey remarked, patting her shoulders. “I'll just get you dressed up, and then we'll be ready for duty.”

She stood still as Lainey grabbed a rectangular backpack off the rack, rubbery tubes attached to a dangling mask. She tugged out a strap, gesturing at Suzy. “Right arm,” she commanded, slipping the strap up to Suzy’s shoulder as Suzy held her arm out like a wing.

“Left arm.” Repeating on the other side, she moved around to the rear, grabbing the tabs at the bottom and cinching the straps tight.

The stiffness of the backpack's frame forced her to straighten up, feeling like she was carrying the weight of Hive on her shoulders. She was a proud worker, proud of Hive. She would work to expand Hive.

The desire to work welled up within her, impatience tugging at her heels. Lainey wasn't done with her, however, and she wanted to be properly outfitted.

A low gurgle escaped her throat, and Lainey chuckled. “I'm so glad that the Queen selected you to be our next worker!” she exclaimed. “We're going to have so much fun together!”

Moving around her side, Lainey smashed their bodies together, bellies jiggling as they flattened out. Their nipples squeaked as they slipped over each other.

Surprised, Suzy's mouth gaped open as Lainey cupped the back of her head, staring straight into her eyes. The purple glow of Hive sparkled through her irises, lending them an attractive air. Curious at how comfortable this felt, her face settled into a dumb grin, her lips parting.

“Damn, girl, you're so attractive when you look stupid,” exclaimed Lainey, licking her lips. “How about a sloppy Hive kiss before I slide on the mask?”

Suzy gave her an inquisitive look, trying to understand the strange emotions running through her core. There was a base reluctance, telling her not to give in, to follow the cultural taboos ingrained into her since birth, but - why?

She wasn't a normal person any longer, not by any stretch of the imagination. She was a Hive drone, and drones should love one another. That was the best way to ensure the harmony of Hive!

Tilting her head, she let out a coo in assent. Lainey grinned, pulling her head in until their fat lips met, their flesh squeezing together as Lainey invaded with her tongue.

Suzy was startled to find her body automatically reacting, fluid gushing up her throat and into her mouth, filling up the interstitial spaces. Soon, their tongues were dueling with each other, squelching back and forth as their cheeks bulged.

It was a highly unusual sensation, but she went with it, feeling her swollen breasts start to respond as well. They pulsed in time with the beat of her heart, trails of fluid spurting out onto Lainey's chest.

Lainey ignored all this, moaning as she sucked on Suzy's tongue. Suzy was surprised to find that her libido was beginning to respond, a flush of pleasure licking at her loins.

The only way this could be made better was if she could stroke Lainey's clit. Choking down a swallow of the Hive fluid, she stretched out an arm, questing for the goal. Her fingers ran over Lainey's hips as her friend moaned, darting closer with each breath through her nose. She had almost reached the target, almost.

“What is going on here?” asked a familiar voice, a sharp tongue lashing at the two of them. “You are both on duty, but I find you playing with each other instead of working. Get yourselves together, sluts.”

Suzy gasped as Lainey drew back, her lips disconnecting with a loud pop. Fluid dribbled out of their mouths, splattering over their chins and onto their wobbling breasts.

She let out a forlorn coo as Lainey took her by the shoulder, giving her an apologetic look. “Straighten up!” barked the authoritative voice. “It falls to me to get you dressed and online!”

Lainey turned around, slamming her shoulder into Suzy's. She lifted an arm in salute. “Worker drone Lainey reporting for duty!” she announced, her face flushed a bright red.

A woman dressed in a skintight red catsuit stalked behind the rack, her arms folded behind her back. A crop was held in one hand, her fingers holding the leather grip with a light touch.

She scowled at them, wicked eyebrows highlighted by the tight hood she wore. Her lips were colored by a bright lip gloss, enhancing her air of authority.

Moving around the rack, she stopped in front of Suzy. Leaning back, she smacked the business end of the crop into her other hand, the whipping crack startling Suzy. “What is your designation, drone?” she asked.

Suzy's lips worked as she tried to remember how to speak. “S… mm..oozy,” she gasped, a bright smile coming to her face.

The control drone frowned, pressing the tip of the crop under Suzy’s chin as she studied her critically.

“She's a new worker, Nancy!” blurted Lainey, her eyes blinking vociferously. “You can't blame her for not knowing the job!”

The control drone turned towards Lainey, smacking her belly with the crop. Her skin burned red, flesh swaying freely from the impact. Lainey didn't look fazed, her face truculent.

“No, but I expect you to know better,” growled Nancy. “You need to serve as a good example to the new workers, or they'll spend all their time fucking!”

Her eyes narrowed. “Like you.”

Lainey folded her arms, squeezing them against her breasts as she blushed. “It's just a side effect of our secretions,” she muttered. “We have to deal with the horniness somehow.”

Nancy shook her head, sighing with exasperation. “Lainey, we can be friends off shift, but I've just been promoted, and I need to prove myself. I've been tasked with getting this unit moving, so that's what I'm going to do. I don't care how needy you are.”

Lainey's blush rushed down her neck, eyes hooding. “Command me again, Mistress.”

Nancy rolled her eyes. “Put on the new drone’s mask and get suited up, slave.”

Lainey emitted a soft sigh. “Thank you, Mistress.”

Turning back to Suzy, she reached her hands around behind her back, grabbing the mask dangling from the hoses attached to the backpack. Pulling it up and over Suzy’s head, she moved it into position.

Pressing the rubber cup over her mouth and nose, she drew the rubber webbing over the back of her skull. Smoothing out the hoses, she gave Suzy a cute grin. “Breathe deep,” she exhorted. “The more drugged you are, the better you will work.”

Suzy didn't care too much about that, but she certainly needed to breathe! Grabbing one of the hoses in her right hand, she felt the ribbed length as she stretched her neck.

A cool breath hissed through the hose as her belly inflated further, sweet air caressing her lungs. She blinked, her eyes going glassy. “Nicesh,” she muttered, her body relaxing.

Lainey nodded at her. “That's right, keep taking it in, let your body sink into the beat of Hive as we move to the workplace.”

Suzy's brow wrinkled. What beat?

A set of headphones settled over her ears, clamping down against her skin. Pulsating music stroked her eardrums, throbbing into her brain at prescribed intervals. Thump. Thump. Thump.

Her eyes widened as she pulled in another breath, understanding blooming. Letting go of the tubing, she felt her lungs inflate in time with the music, the rhythm of Hive vibrating in her bones.

She waited in anticipation of what came next. Her fat lips pursed as she stared at her friend, watching as she shrugged on a backpack of her own. Yes, that's right, they were both worker drones. They needed the music to focus.

Throb. Throb. Throb. The desire to work rose within her, leashed by the knowledge that it wasn't yet time. When it was required, she would be told what to do.

Lainey put on the mask, shrugging her shoulders as she situated the hosing. Strapping it to her head, she looked at Suzy, purple twinkles in her eyes as she took a deep breath.

She looked like an alien with the rounded mask hiding her lips, the domed oval sparkling a glossy yellow. It was made of rubber, just like their outfits. The stylized R labeled each side, next to the inlet hoses, a rounded grill at the front easing their exhalations.

Lainey knew that she looked the same as her friend, a carbon copy, and this pleased her. The two of them were drones, Hive drones. They were not humans. They were things, to be used as Hive wished. Units to be allocated. Objects.

The red overseer sidled up behind Lainey, slipping a pair of headphones over her ears. Lainey blinked, her eyes unfocusing as she took in a deep breath, her fat chest wobbling. The purple sparkles spread out, becoming a thick coating that throbbed in time to the beat in Suzy's ears. They were both Hive workers, dancing to the beat of Hive.

With nothing more to do, Suzy inhaled to the beat, staring at Lainey's attractively large breasts, following the red overseer out of the corners of her eyes. Thump. Thump. Thump.

She wanted to work, but there was nothing to be stressed about. The beat held her in thrall, and she was ready to be commanded. This was the proper state for a worker drone.

She waited patiently until the red overseer reappeared, light sparkling over the glossy R on her chest. Suzy had forgotten the woman’s name, could barely remember her own.

That was inconsequential. She was a worker drone. She existed to be used. This made her happy.

The overseer handed her a bucket, which she took without question. It was filled with pink fluid from the pool, sloshing back and forth as it settled next to her thigh.

It was heavy, but she could handle it. She was a worker, she existed to serve.

Her pussy trembled, a thrill of pleasure running through her tunnel at the thought of submission. It was not as good as direct stimulation, but she knew that the low grade pleasure would keep her company while she worked. While she obeyed.

It was an extra incentive to pay attention to the overseer, to jump at her every command. She watched the drone's well defined ass, the red rubber of her outfit stretching across the valley. She desired to touch it, to see how the material sprang back after she pressed her hand into the gap, but right now the drone was handing her friend another bucket.

Now they were twins again, slaves to the music. Her heart throbbed, excitement rising as their overseer lifted a gloved hand, gesturing for them to follow.

She turned in step with her fellow worker, their bare feet slapping against the resin encrusted floor as they followed the drone out of the chamber. Their feet pounded in rhythm, hips swaying to the beat, the music driving their brains.

They made several turns, took an elevator. It was uncomfortable to stand in, because the floor was not coated like the rest of the Hive. A desire rose within her to coat it with resin, but she suppressed it. The overseer had not ordered it, and her friend had not moved, either.

She wanted to be more like her. A serene, obedient, thing. She gurgled in her mask, making an unspecified noise.

Her friend lifted an arm, stroking her shoulder. She knew. She understood.

Joy welled up within her. She would not disobey her overseer or her Hive. She was an obedient worker. She was meant to work.

Her eyes distorted with a purple tint, and she burped in the mask, fluid coating her throat. The sense of urgency was growing. She must work. She needed it. Needed to obey.

The elevator doors opened, the overseer leading them out onto an upper floor. They were surrounded by humming computers mounted in racks that extended to the ceilings. The room was cool, kept at a regulated temperature by the large air conditioning units mounted near the walls. Large hoods on the back of each rack carried the waste heat into ducting that ran the length of the room, vanishing somewhere into the walls.

She did not understand it, did not need to understand it. What she did understand was the group of workers at the far end of the room, wearing glossy yellow rubber over their fat bellies, clustered around two red overseers. They were being given directions. They were working.

An extra spring appeared in her step as she followed the overseer, her eagerness rising. They stopped near the group as the overseers turned to look at each other, their eyes glowing purple.

“More workers,” said the tall one near the rear in an acerbic voice. “Good. We need to finish this experiment.”

“Are we still on schedule?” asked the overseer who had brought them.

“See for yourself,” murmured the third overseer, shifting aside.

Nestled against the wall was an alcove made from Hive resin, layers upon layers built up from the floor. Sitting on a ledge was a naked man, held down by a worker drone on each side.

His mouth was covered in a mask, twin hoses attached to the wall behind him. Bent back, his pelvis was thrust outwards, the head of a worker drone planted on top. He moaned, his shoulders rattling against the resin, light sparkling through his silver beard.

One of the overseers marched up to the drone sucking on his crotch, tapping her on the shoulder. “Let me see,” she commanded, and the worker pulled back, revealing his throbbing dick.

The overseer leaned over, stroking a gloved finger up to the tip. “He's ready,” she announced. “Give him a full coating.”

The overseer who had brought them turned to Suzy and Lainey. “You heard her. Service him.”

The male moaned as Suzy trod forward, feet thumping to the beat. She wasn't interested in the man, but she had received her orders, so she would obey.

Stopping on his left side, she set her bucket on the floor, the desire to work pounding in her brain. She didn't know what this meant, but her body did.

Bending her knees, she cupped her hands, grabbing a healthy handful of the fluid from the bucket. It dribbled from her fingers as she turned towards the man. She slapped it onto his left shoulder, as if she was a bricklayer.

It landed with a wet splat, but it refused to stick properly. It lacked the proper adhesive. Lifting her hands to her mask, she pulled it up, setting the bottom on the ridge of her nose.

The rhythm of Hive pounded in her ears as she stroked her belly. Rub. Rub.

There came a gurgle, and her throat expanded. As she leaned forward, a stream of pink fluid erupted from her mouth, dousing the man's shoulder.

When it slowed to a trickle, she laid her hands over the top, massaging the combined mixture into his flesh. It immediately began to firm, creating a hard, sticky shell that clung to his body.

Pleased with the result, she moved back to the bucket, grabbing more of the goop. When she returned, she noted that Lainey had already moved down the man's arm, coating it in a thick layer of the substance.

Suzy couldn't speed up, as she was following the beat. Apply. Regurgitate. Mix. Firm up. Apply. Regurgitate. Mix. Firm up.

The process continued, her movements smooth as she moved to the music. The worker drone planted over the man's crotch moved up and down, following the same rhythm.

When her bucket ran low, it was replaced by another worker drone. She continued to work, helping her friend to coat the man in a hard, pink shell.

“Halt!” commanded an overseer, and all work stopped.

The man grunted in protest, but none of them moved, solid as statues. An overseer marched up to him, tugging off his mask and peering into his eyes. “Finish him,” she commanded.

The worker drone grasping the man's dick began to suck like a vacuum, pistoning her head up and down to the beat. Suzy tracked her motions to the song in her headphones. Up. Down. Up. Down.

The man's groans increased, his neck turning a dark red as his breathing came in short bursts. “Please,” he mumbled. “Please.”

The overseer rested a hand on his shoulder. “Not yet, Dean. Obey Hive’s command. Hold it back until the beat is right.”

Dean groaned, tilting his head back. “It's impossible!” he complained. “I just can't hear it!”

His face screwed up as a hiss of pleasure escaped his lips. “It's coming!” he declared. “I'm… cumming!”

The worker drone's head descended, suckling at his thick cock as it trembled between her lips. She didn't pause her motions as his dick began to jerk, drinking him down as he exploded inside her.

The overseer leaned back, shaking her head. “It didn't work,” she announced, sounding disappointed. “We still haven't found a way to integrate males into Hive.”

“Never mind,” responded one of the others. “We still have another experiment we can use him for.”

They stared in eerie silence at the man lost in the throes of pleasure, the worker sucking down every drop of ejaculate.

Suzy shrugged. This was not her problem to solve. She was a Hive drone, and she had done as she had been commanded. She would be rewarded for her efforts.

Pressing her shoulder into Lainey, she giggled, reaching out a hand to pat at her swollen belly, following the beat of Hive with every motion. Lainey turned and purred, promising future bliss.

Her friend grabbed at her breast, tweaking her pierced nipple. A trickle of fluid emitted from her teat, flowing down over her swollen belly.

It was good to be a drone.

Alternate Ending D - Accepting Orange

Suzy folded her arms, frowning at the Queen. “I feel like I've been called in front of a tribunal, but it's not me on trial here. You've invaded my brain, messed with my mind, and for what? To give me an ultimatum, force me to choose to be one of your servants? What if I choose freedom?”

The Queen rolled her shoulders. “You could tell me that, but this isn’t like a visual novel, and there are no secret endings. You're physically inside my Hive, and I can work you over as much as I want. You either submit to me here, or I core your brain, turn it into mindless mush. Your choice.”

Suzy shivered. “That's not much of a choice, is it? But I take your point. You can't allow me to just leave, which puts me in a tough position.”

She bit her lip, staring at the floor as her mind whirled. She had just proved that she could kick the Queen out of her mind, but for how long?

That was just one battle in a long war, and she didn't feel confident in saying that she could hold back the Queen indefinitely.

The Queen leaned over the desk, resting on her shoulders, her rubber gloves creaking at her elbows. “I think you're approaching this conundrum from the wrong direction,” she suggested. “What is it that you want from life? What have you been unable to do because of the need to work?”

This instantly set her mind down different paths, and her neck jerked up. “I want a family,” she said abruptly. “Multiple kids, a loving home. I want to nurture them, watch them grow. I've been denied this my whole life, and the more I work, the fewer my options. I can't meet anybody, can't start anything. I'm stuck.”

The Queen nodded, bracing her hands together under her chin, eyes swirling a dark purple. “An all too common affliction these days. I can help you with these desires, if you will let me.”

“Really?” asked Suzy, marching up to the desk and setting her hands on the edge. “I can't see how that could be possible, unless you're running a secret matchmaking service. I notice that you don't seem to have any men running around your Hive.”

Emma stared her down, her lip curling. “That's a problem we're actively working on,” she grated out. “I can see that you're going to be obstinate. Will you take my offer, or should I hook up your body to the machine and decant your brain out through your nostrils?”

The threat rang hollow, but Suzy had no doubt the Queen was capable of it if she was pushed far enough. She sighed, tapping her fingers on the desk. “Fine,” she croaked out. “You win. I'll be your good little drone servant. I'll take on this role, whatever it is.”

“Good,” grinned the Queen. “You don't have to do anything. Just stand there, I'll take care of the rest.”

Before she could ask what ‘the rest’ might be, there was a loud clunk, and her muscles lost all control. She collapsed forward, grunting through her nostrils as her belly hit the edge of the desk.

Moaning, she slid off like a sack of potatoes, collapsing onto the floor in a heap as the world spun around her.

“Huh?” she said, feeling dumb that this was the only thing she could say in the face of her world crumbling around her.

***

She blinked, her breath hissing out through the tubing of the mask she wore. Condensation obscured the faceplate, but the outside world was dark anyway, filled with shadowy objects her brain couldn't comprehend.

An impulse to stand up arrived out of nowhere, and she tried to get up. Her body strained, unable to pull away from the thick straps that held her body to the seat. She tried again, but it was useless.

If she tilted her head forward, there was a small amount of give, allowing her to see the curved R that marked her chest. It appeared that she was locked into a bulky, orange rubber suit, and she wasn't going anywhere.

She gave up trying to comprehend what was going on, relaxing back into her restraints. She didn't know where she was, or what she was doing here. Her memories of her conversation with the Queen were spotty at best. What had she agreed to?

There came a hissing jerk, and her head was pulled back against the headrest. A cool wave flooded her mind, and her vision became glazed with a purple sheen. Her lips formed words, blurting out a phrase before she could realize what she was doing.

“Training drone five zero prepped and ready for synchronization,” she said, her words coming out in a monotone. “Initialize hookup procedure.”

The seat shuddered, her head swaying as her body rotated to the right. Another woman dressed in an orange rubber suit appeared in front of her, the stylized R in bold type on top of her chest.

As the seat came to a halt, she thought that she was looking into a mirror, but a familiar voice soon emitted from the other helmeted drone. “Training drone five one prepped and ready for synchronization,” she said, her voice muffled behind the mask. “Initializing hookup.”

Both chairs whined, their legs being lifted and spread apart. Suzy grunted as she felt cool air running over her privates, indicating that she was exposed. Her eyes darted to the other figure, confirming a hint of pink flesh at the V of her crotch.

Arousal flooded her loins, and a gasp escaped her lips as she spotted a black mass mounted to a pillar between them. Were those… dicks?

Her chair jolted, bringing her closer to the other woman. She pulled at her legs, but the heels of her boots were secured tightly against metal stirrups, the pointed ends splayed akimbo.

Light sparkled off the glossy rubber, streaking up their legs as they were brought closer together. The other woman's body flexed like hers, hips jiggling as they approached the dildos, neither of them in control.

A hiss escaped her lips as the head of the dildo penetrated her pussy, the machine slowing down as it encountered resistance. Frozen solid, she let out a gasping breath as the thick rod penetrated her, squeezing into her passage.

The knobby edge caught against her flesh, causing a grinding pain. She squealed, rattling in her restraints.

The machine paused, almost as though it detected her distress, but it didn't halt for long. The dildo began to twist inside her, like a snake, her bulging lips pushed aside as a burst of lubricant spurted out from the interior.

The length began to pulsate, sending shockwaves into her core as it broke free from the obstruction. Her tunnel yielded, the dildo pushing deeper and deeper, vibrating like a jackhammer as it filled her up completely.

Her back bucked against the restraints as the pleasure rose, but it wasn't over just yet. She hadn't received a legitimate orgasm, and the machine seemed determined to give her one.

The thumping, throbbing dildo was distracting, just as it was meant to be. She could barely spare any mental power to understand what the spinning mechanism above them was doing.

A round globe halted above the other woman's head, sparks of blue shooting out from the interior. The bound drone was highlighted by the buzzing light, the skin of her bald head looking pallid.

There was a glimmer of silver near the back of her skull that Suzy did not understand. That just didn't look natural!

A dark tube lowered from above, capped with a silver fitting at the end. It was vaguely phallic, with a cone shaped tip that contained large threads. A rounded nut sat at the rear, allowing the entire cable to be tightened on to something.

To her horror, that something was soon revealed. The cable swayed in the air, gathered up by a pair of gloved purple hands.

The woman leaned forward, her grin slashing through the darkness as the sparkling lights cast her face in shadow. “I remember what you asked for,” announced the Queen, her regal voice filling the room. “You wanted to help someone grow. To nurture Hive. I think I've found a suitable candidate.”

Taking the head of the cable out of the cradle, she turned the business end towards the other drone's skull. “This is your friend, Nancy,” announced the Queen. “She has not been meeting her performance metrics due to mental health problems. I suggested this experiment to her, and she agreed. For the good of Hive.”

The other drone didn't appear to be capable of speech, her body jolting with each rude thrust of the dildo into her sloppy wet snatch. Suzy groaned. What the hell did you agree to, Nancy? If you were having problems, we should have talked them out! This wasn't the way!

The Queen shoved the end of the connector into Nancy's skull, holding it steady with one hand while she cranked on it with the other. “This isn't meant to be removed,” she continued conversationally. “Since this is the first time we're trying this, it's possible that the projected deleterious effects will be worse than what I have predicted! Still, the only way to find out is to try!”

Nancy’s head tilted against the headrest, a squeal of joy escaping her helmet. The Queen continued to turn the connector, screwing it deeper into the drone's head. “Given how pleasurable it is to have it inserted, I imagine the loss of connectivity will be ten times worse than that for a regular drone. I’m eager to run some tests and find out!”

Her hands stopped moving, and she patted Nancy on the shoulder. “There, that wasn’t so bad, was it?”

Nancy's body trembled, her thighs tight as her breaths came in gusty moans. The Queen slid a hand down the side of her skull, grasping her jaw. “There's nothing quite like being installed, realizing that you were never going to amount to anything more than a slave. Tell me, how does it feel?”

She pushed a fist against Nancy's shoulder, but her only response was a thready moan.

“Good!” exclaimed the Queen, turning her glowing, purple eyes towards Suzy. “Only one more to go.”

Suzy yanked at her restraints, groaning. “Why are you doing this?” she protested. “You've twisted my words into a pretzel! I never asked for this!”

The Queen's hands settled on her sides, her corset creaking as she stalked around Nancy's chair. The inadequate lighting glimmered about the Queen's stole, forming shifting shadows on the back wall that looked like horns.

“You didn’t? I'm granting what you asked for, to the letter. Whatever pie in the sky possibility you were dreaming of doesn't matter. I can only give you what lies within my domain.”

She spread her hands, her voice descending to the consistency of cloying syrup. “Without your assistance, Nancy might become a brainless drone. You wouldn't want that, would you?”

Suzy curled her lip, realizing that there was no escape. If she turned the Queen down, Nancy would be left adrift. She couldn't desert her friend. Damn the Queen!

“Fine,” she croaked. “Make it quick.”

The Queen advanced, light bouncing off her glossy front. Suzy squinted, confused. Her bodysuit contained the Rankotech R as well. Did that mean she was owned by the corporation, too? If so, was she really the one in charge?

The thought fluttered away as the Queen ran a possessive hand over her neck. “This is so satisfying,” she purred. “Chasing down a new drone and convincing them to submit is thrilling, but nothing quite beats the final submission. The knowledge that you are about to become mine is throbbing in your brain, pulsing with the beat of your heart and the thrusting of the dildos, hammering into your consciousness.”

Suzy grunted, feeling overheated by the stimulation. “Stop gloating, just put it in,” she sighed.

The hand around her neck tightened. “Right at my moment of triumph? Don't be a spoilsport.”

She pulled back, and Suzy sensed that she was grabbing a cable. “You've been vexing, but I suppose there's no need to punish you. Once you've been hooked in, you'll see things differently.”

Suzy clenched her teeth, feeling the imprint of the circular donut hole at the back of her head. This was where the connector would be thrust into her skull, locked into some kind of port. She wished she knew more, but it was too late. She was going to have to live with it.

She trembled as there came a metallic clicking sound in her ears, a vibration rattling through her skull as the connector slipped into place.

She frowned. Wasn't there supposed to be something more? There wasn't as much sensation as she had thought there would be, not for a phallic device plugged deep into her head. It was almost as though… oh.

Her jaw dropped open as the Queen gave the connector a solid twist. Coolness flooded her thoughts, an annoying buzzing sound appearing in the back of her brain that she couldn't understand.

Another twist. The buzzing became louder, thin strands of data rushing past her. She sampled one of them, registering the temperature of the room, the relative bit rate, and more.

It was too much for her to understand, so she stepped back, awaiting the next twist. She was literally being screwed in.

The dildo slamming into her pussy reminded her of its presence, the buzzing increasing in intensity. Her whole body seemed to vibrate, her lips smacking together as she lost all control.

There came one more twist, and the pleasure exploded, sweeping her along with it. She was rushing down a water slide, her legs secured to the raft, her insides filled with delicious plugs, twisting and buzzing as her body jerked in response.

The tunnel was so close on either side that she could reach out and touch the walls, but she was too wrapped up in the pleasure to do so. Her breasts pulsed like beacons, her hands squeezing and groping at her rubber coated nipples to get all the pleasure out.

Her mind flowed deeper into the tunnel, a light appearing at the end. She simply didn't care, she was so full, she had to experience it all, loved being controlled by her pussy!

A flash of light overwhelmed her, and suddenly she was floating in a calm pool, surrounded by a stand of trees. There was another figure bobbing in the water ahead of her, approaching closer with each pulse of pleasure. Another drone.

The woman was bound to a raft, just as she was, her bobbing body dressed in tight, orange rubber. The Rankotech R blazed on her chest and her forehead, the corporation they owed all this pleasure to.

Her heart throbbed as they floated closer, love glowing for the other drone and the wonderful organization that had brought them together. It felt artificial, but here, in this headspace, it was the truth.

The other drone's head was wrapped up in a rubber hood, twin stalks of blonde hair sprouting from either side. A mouthpiece covered her lips, forcing them into an O shape, the rubbery material making them look like they had been stung by bees. Odd, but sexy.

Suzy grinned as her mouth relaxed, and she realized that she was wearing the same outfit, her lips held open by soft rubber. She lifted her hands, touching the ends of the tubing that contained her twin tails. She was a clone of the other drone, just as she had been in the hookup chamber!

She giggled through the mouthpiece, savoring the throbbing pleasure in her loins. It had reduced after the climax, but the dildos were still vibrating, keeping her at a low level of arousal.

Her libido rose as she drifted closer to the other drone, a sense of sameness gripping her mind as she studied the twinkle in the other woman's eyes.

She worked her lips, feeling the gummy rubber slapping together. “Who are you?” she gurgled.

The other woman stared at her for a moment, the two of them circling in the pond as their rafts followed an invisible current. “I am you,” the woman buzzed, her rubbery lips slurring the words.

Suzy frowned, curling her hands around her thighs. This other drone looked like her, dressed like her, but she couldn't be her. Could she?

Her lips worked again. “Prove it,” she commanded, the other woman echoing her words as soon as she said them.

Her heart lurched, her curiosity spiking. “We've synchronized,” they both said in wonder. “Our thoughts are the same.”

The more they talked, the less delay there was. They were literally becoming one.

Their platforms floated closer together, and her heart rose. Her clone was so pretty in that skintight rubber, and she knew that she looked the same. Both of them, copies of each other, one mind, two bodies. What was there not to love?

They both lifted their hands at the same time, clutching each other's rubbery skulls. “We are together. We are one. We are drone.”

Leaning in, they kissed each other on their rubbery lips. The delineation between them vanished, their world collapsing into a singularity of pleasure.

***

“I thought this would work, but I never expected it to be successful so quickly,” murmured a velvety voice.

Suzy unit and Nancy unit blinked their eyes at the same time. “You should know, you're the one that made us,” they both said in unison.

“I know, but it's surprising how well you two have synchronized with each other. It's eerie hearing you sound like that. You should concentrate, make sure you only speak through one unit at a time.”

Suzy unit blinked again, struggling to work the body as a single entity. “That requires more processing power, my Queen.”

“Too bad. You can let yourselves mirror each other on your own time. When you're working for me, I require that you pretend that you have two minds.”

Nancy unit frowned. “Inefficient. What was the purpose of making us one if you do not expect us to act as one?”

“It was a crazy dream of mine - two minds, one body. Now that it's been accomplished, there are a lot of edge cases to iron out.” The Queen paused, pursing her lips. “I suppose there's one thing we can test right away,” she said, a hint of curiosity in her voice.

Grabbing the connector at the back of Suzy unit's head, she began to unscrew it. “Please, don't,” growled Nancy, glaring at the Queen. “We've worked so hard to meld our minds together, we can't bear to be apart!”

The Queen nodded, her eyes glowing a fluorescent violet. “That's exactly what I'm testing. Will the wireless link be sufficient to run your gestalt? If so, the possibilities will be endless!”

“No, please don't,” mumbled Suzy unit, her vision going double as the Queen unscrewed the connector another notch.

The data streams were starting to go crazy, the well synchronized connections stretching like rubber bands. Some of the primary functions were remapped into the smaller bandwidth space, but she could feel herself starting to drift, unable to determine which unit body she was in.

The Queen spun the connector again, and Suzy unit's mouth opened wide. “Please don't. Please don't. Please do not. Not please do. Plmb$45. ERROR. ERROR. ERROR. Desynchronization detected. Unit unavailable.”

Nancy unit’s mouth opened and closed, but nothing came out. Her body buzzed, unable to retain a sense of self. They were still one, but they couldn’t think. Couldn’t operate.

The Queen let out a long sigh. “It’s as I expected, then. Not enough bandwidth. Unfortunate. Perhaps with a future upgrade we’ll be able to delete the hardline connection, but for now, you’re stuck with it.”

The Queen’s grip increased as she spun the screw the other direction, slotting the connector back into Suzy unit’s brain. Suzy unit gasped as the data streams re-initialized, their bodies approaching homeostasis as they relinked together.

The Queen spun the connector once more, and the unit jumped, curling her lip. Both units turned towards the Queen, glaring at her. “Don’t do that again!”

The Queen chuckled, letting go of the cable. “I can’t promise you that. There will be further experiments.”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “I do pledge to take care of you, as you take care of Hive. My little toys.”

Both units blinked, their faces going blank. “Yes, Mistress,” they whispered. “We are your drones. We obey.”

Their bodies wiggled with pleasure as a spray of lubricant ejected from their pussies.

***

Suzy unit scanned the room, noting the characteristics of the rowdy classmates as their voices rose together in excitement. This being their first day, she didn't blame them for their eagerness. They would learn to settle down, to obey, given sufficient training.

Nancy unit clapped her hands together. “Good morning, initiates,” she announced. “It's time to focus.”

The murmuring faded as the eyes of the drones turned towards the screen on the wall behind them, fixed on the curious patterns that spiraled around in a circle. A low, thumping beat filled the room, the purplish smear in their eyes glowing with each pulsation.

Without being told, each drone lined up next to their desk, their chests heaving with the Rankotech R as their minds emptied. Nancy unit grinned as she spotted two familiar faces.

Lainey and Shiori were standing next to each other, dressed in yellow worker uniforms. They must have impressed Hive if they were here. They were true Hive slaves. It was time to take them to the next level.

“Good morning!” she announced, pressing a hand over her chest and giving them a low bow. “My name is Suzy unit.”

“My name is Nancy unit!” chirped her other half, bowing a calculated half second later.

Both of them waved their arms in the air, the cable dangling between their heads jiggling as it glowed with cerulean colors. “Together, we're Noozy!” they said in unison. “We'll be your trainer today!”

Nancy unit folded her arms. “Before you ask, yes, we're always connected. You may treat us as one unit. We like doing it that way.” She turned towards Suzy unit, giving her a lascivious grin.

Suzy unit pretended to keep herself aloof, though it was all an act. They really were one entity, or as close as made no difference.

Their minds had adjusted to the change, linking them so tightly together that neither of them could survive on their own. They both praised and cursed the Queen for this outcome, but they couldn't imagine being separate. They were one. They were Hive.

The student’s mouths opened as one. “Yes, Miss Noozy!” they said, their obedience induced by the music of Hive being pumped into the room.

The hypnotizing pattern on the screen shifted. “Very good,” nodded Nancy unit. “Today, we'll be taking you through a lesson on sex toys. Some of you may be more experienced on this subject than others, but by the end of the series, you will be expected to apply what you've learned to break in new recruits.”

The drones nodded their heads to the beat. “Yes, Miss Noozy!”

She was already starting to like this, having these students in the palm of her hand. It was no wonder the Queen put up with running the Hive, if she could experience moments like this!

Nancy unit picked up a box sitting on her lectern as Suzy unit approached the class. “Please, move your desks into a circle,” she ordered. “We shall begin with a presentation.”

Following the pulsing beat of Hive, the trainees grabbed their desks and pulled them away from the center of the room, exposing a rounded depression in the floor.

Nancy unit sent a wireless command, and a round platform began to emerge, pushed up by hydraulics. It was large enough to contain two drones, the sides curling up into a lip so that overly amorous activities wouldn't cause them to fall out.

She could feel her other half approaching with a box, closing her eyes to savor the sensations. It felt so good to be one, she was already having problems concentrating. Muffled laughter circled through the gestalt of their minds, followed by the thumping beat of Hive. Ah yes, that's right. The students came first - both figuratively and literally.

Eyes snapping open, she gazed at the gathered students. “Which of you consider yourself experienced with ass play?” she asked, tapping her fingers against her thigh.

A couple of drones hesitantly raised their hands, but Lainey jumped up eagerly. “Me! Me!” she crooned. “I'm both a large size and a size queen!”

Nancy unit grunted, moving in towards the platform. “Get on the table, then. We shall demonstrate starting with you.”

Her gaze flipped over to Shiori. “You. Join her. You were her coworker, and now you will act as her co-trainee.”

The asian woman's eyes fluttered, her long lashes masking the purple glaze in her eyes. “Yes, trainer,” she mumbled, following Lainey.

Lainey jumped onto the table, giggling as she bowled herself over, her legs splaying apart. She used her arms to straighten herself, resting her palms on her knees.

Shiori leaped up next to her, like a gazelle, folding her long legs as she sat on the lip of the platform. She stared demurely at Suzy unit, a picture of obedience, but for the faint curl of her lip.

Suzy unit ignored this insouciance, marking time in her head as she approached with Nancy unit. It was a strange dichotomy, the way their fusion worked. Their bodies were still separate, in a sense, but all the nerves and senses from both of them were fully accessible if she concentrated.

This might seem overwhelming for one mind to control, but in reality, they were two minds, presenting as one. No, that wasn't really the correct way to explain it, either.

She shrugged, leaving further categorization to the scientists. They just were, and they were happy.

Suzy unit leaned in, resting one hand on Lainey's hip as she worked to release the zipper over her privates. “Lift,” she commanded, prodding a finger into Lainey’s ass.

The drone responded by placing her hands against the table, twisting her hips upward to provide Suzy unit with better access. Suzy unit pulled the zipper under and around to the small of Lainey’s back, the rubber bursting open to reveal her pink pussy lips.

Suzy unit rubbed them, swirling her finger in a circle on top of Lainey’s clit. The drone grunted, her face shining as she gave Suzy unit a broad smile. “Use me, Mistress,” she hissed. “Fill me up, expand me until I'm unable to hold it any longer!”

Suzy unit chuckled, smacking her thigh. “You're an eager little slut, and normally I'd reward that, but you're not a mindless worker drone any more. You're going to have to learn to control yourself.”

Lainey frowned, her back arching against the lip of the platform. “I don't wanna,” she said petulantly.

Suzy unit's brows rose. “Control yourself, slut, lest we control your body for you!”

A hiss escaped Lainey's swollen lips, but she subsided, her eyes going wide as Nancy unit approached. She was about to say something, but the glare Suzy unit shot at her forced her to reconsider. She turned up her head, lifting her hands to brace them against the side of the platform.

Nancy unit proffered the box to Suzy unit, and she reached inside without looking, knowing exactly where her other half had placed each object.

She raised her hand so that everybody could see the knobby end of the ass plug. “This plug is a trainer. It's small, used for virgin assholes that are not used to being plugged.”

She laid the plug in her hand, reaching out to compare its size to Lainey's gaping asshole. “As you can see, our drone friend here has been working herself for a while. If I were to place this inside her, she'd gobble it whole - that's why it has a flange at the end.”

She turned and glared at the students, who were stretching out to get a better look. “Whatever you do, don't insert anything that can get lost. Otherwise, you'll be visiting one of our clinics to get it removed… very uncomfortable.”

A couple of the students blanched, looking less certain of themselves. Good. It was only the overconfident fools she would have to worry about now. There wasn't much she could do to dissuade them - only hard won experience would prevent them from being idiots.

She placed the plug back into the box, retrieving another. Lainey's eyes widened as she saw it, a pleased gasp escaping her lips.

Suzy unit held it up, the end wobbling to and fro. It was built like a pyramid, with the largest knob sitting on top, followed by a flange. The bumps grew progressively larger as one moved down the plug, like waystations along the path to ultimate butt pleasure.

Gripping the hilt, she retrieved a bottle of lube with her other hand, popping the top open. “You always want to make sure to use plenty of lubrication to reduce friction during ass play,” instructed Suzy unit. “Too much will create a mess, which is why you should have towels on hand.”

She nodded at Nancy unit, who was holding a couple of hand towels, watching her with a grin. It was all an illusion, really. It didn't matter which of them actually performed the task, as both of them could feel what the other was doing. Two extensions of the same mind. Two bodies, two pairs of hands, double the efficiency!

Suzy unit closed in on Lainey's butt while Nancy unit placed one of her towels underneath the drone’s ass. The way the drone’s glossy rubber outfit clung to her skin was quite appealing. She sighed in pleasure, praising the Queen who had made this her job. Every day she would see something sexy, and she could play with the poor little drones to her heart's content. Who could possibly ask for anything more?

She pressed the tip of the plug against Lainey's opening, giving it a small twist as her hole squeezed around the soft rubber. Lainey sighed, sinking against the side of the platform, biting her lip. “Don't get too lost in the sensations,” warned Suzy unit. “I want you to use your muscles to help pull it inside.”

Lainey nodded, moving a hand to play with her clit as she flexed her ass. “Notice her illicit attempt to increase her arousal,” said Suzy unit pointedly. “I will allow it, as this will help to loosen her up to take the plug.”

She patted Lainey's side. “You're right on the edge of insubordination,” she warned. “Make another move like that, and you will be punished.”

Lainey's eyes were bright. She seemed to like that idea. Suzy unit scowled, but Nancy unit's eyes were hooded. They bandied about various ideas for future punishments. When they settled on an approach, both units were grinning.

“We'll dress you in a hobble skirt and armbinder, tie you up in ropes, and suspend you from the ceiling,” threatened Suzy unit.

“Then, we'll allow the other drones to tease you with a wand, until you seem ready to pop. After that, we'll mask and gag you until the end of the lesson, letting you think about your actions.”

Lainey gulped, nodding her head, though there was a faint sparkle in her eyes. Inevitably, she would do something naughty that would require punishment. They had best get the suspension harness out and rigged for their next lesson!

Suzy unit twisted the plug, please to see it pop inside the drone's ass. “That's looking good,” she announced. “Can you take the next knob? Let's find out!”

“You know it!” hissed Lainey, thrusting her butt into the plug.

Her hole flexed around the rounded bump, her ass sucking on the next rung as Suzy spun it back and forth, providing constant pressure. Lainey moaned, tossing her head back as she swirled her fingers over her clit, her inner lips glistening with her own juices.

“There's no need to rush, just keep up the pressure. If your subject is willing, they'll be able to take it eventually.”

Lainey wiggled as her ass expanded around the toy, her rectum hungrily eating the next knob. “Good,” chuckled Suzy unit, examining the pink flesh clamped down around the toy. “I think we'll leave it there. Despite her past experience, she'll need to practice some more if she hopes to take the largest plugs.”

Lainey groaned, squeezing a breast as she hissed with pleasure. “Please, Mistress,” she choked out. “Fill me to the brim!”

Nancy unit smacked her ass as Suzy unit worked on pulling the plug back out. Lainey whined in protest, but she didn't care. “We are conservative about trying new things in this classroom. We don't intend on sending our students to the clinic on their first day.”

Lainey looked forlorn. She had clearly been hoping to work up to a climax. It served her right for being so cheeky!

“Don't give me that look,” said Suzy unit, shaking her head. “We're not done with you just yet.”

“You aren't?” breathed Lainey, immediately perking up.

Suzy unit dropped the used plug onto the towel, returning to the box as Nancy unit bundled it up and took it away. “On the subject of cleaning your partner out before play,” she said as she grabbed another toy. “I would recommend that you always do so before anal sex to avoid making a mess, but it's not strictly necessary for this kind of play.”

She turned towards Shiori, handing her a rubber plug with an attached squeeze bulb. “Now it's your turn. Insert this into our rambunctious friend and dilate her open.”

Shirori's face lit up as she leaned out of her curled up posture like a cat. “Can I?” she asked, the words spilling from her lips.

Suzy unit handed her a bottle of lubricant. “Absolutely. Show me what you've learned.”

Shori grabbed the plug by the base, the squeeze bulb dangling down as she lathered the bulbous tip with plenty of lube. Setting the bottle down, she gave Lainey an evil stare. “Prepare to be violated!” she said in a low voice, choking back a giggle.

Lainey's hands squeezed the lip of the platform, her mouth dropping open into a wide O as Shiori knelt next to her open pussy. The woman struck like a cobra, shoving the tip of the bulb into her coworker's ass without ceremony, twisting and pushing.

Lainey's ass was already slick from the previous toy, and she groaned as the new plug slid straight into her core with barely a pause. She rolled her eyes, shivering as Shiori took up the pump.

“It's time for revenge,” Shiori growled with a malicious grin, giving the bulb a quick squeeze.

Air rushed into the plug, the bulb expanding in Lainey's rectum, pushing against her walls. The bottom of the plug became visible as her hole expanded, the slick wetness of the lubricant glistening against the rubber sides.

“This is for all those times you teased me for being reserved, for getting the job done instead of playing around. Now, I can play and do the job at the same time, you little slut!” she hissed, squeezing the bulb again.

Lainey didn't appear to be paying much attention, her ass gaping as her back wiggled, small, squeaky exhalations escaping her lips.

Suzy unit watched demurely, amusement tingling in her shared mind. Lainey deserved this for being so rowdy with her workmates. She had been annoying, and now she was reaping the consequences for her actions.

She wouldn't allow Shiori to damage the drone, however. That wasn't good business.

When she had reached five pumps, Nancy unit held up a hand. “That's enough. Release the pressure, and start again.”

For a moment, Suzy unit thought that Shiori would disobey, but then the side of her mouth quirked upwards. “You know what? That's a great idea. I’m going to drain you all the way down, then pump you up again. Over and over, until you piss with pleasure!”

She grabbed the valve under the bulb, giving it a sharp twist. The air whooshed out in a rush, the bulb deflating all the way down to nothing. The other students whispered to each other as they watched Lainey’s face change from pleasure to terror. The drone’s lips began to move, wobbling as her breath escaped in short bursts.

“What’s that?” asked Shiori, placing a hand against Lainey’s thigh. “Speak up!” she glowered, leaning in until they were face to face.

“No, no, no, no, no, no… Yes!” Lainey moaned, her face bright as Shiori squeezed the bulb again.

“That’s right, you whore. Every time I pump you up, you slip deeper into slavery.” She moved in, grabbing Lainey’s breast, tweaking a nipple through her latex bodysuit.

Lainey’s lips pursed, a coo escaping her throat as Shiori squeezed the bulb again. “I hold you within the palm of my hand,” said Shiori in a low voice. “Your pleasure is dependent upon my whims. I can stop at any time. What will you do to achieve orgasm?”

Lainey's head rattled back and forth, her hands sliding down her thighs as her chest popped forward. “Anything, Mistress, anything!”

Suzy unit grinned at Nancy unit as agreement circulated through their shared mind. It was time.

They sent a wireless command to the room’s systems, and a set of spotlights hidden in the ceiling clicked on. The overheads shut off, the room bathed in stripes of violet light. The pulsing beat of the Hive filled her ears, driving her lust.

She was not immune to the temptation, but she held herself back to observe the drones. Which ones would give in, and which would take charge?

They were being secretly evaluated. The results of this test would control which ones would be put in charge of others, and which would be given to them as their servants. She was especially interested in seeing what happened with her friends. Would Shiori be up to the task, or would she succumb with the rest?

Moans filled the room as the other students began to pair off. Some of them melted where they stood, unable to stop themselves from stroking their heated pussies. Their eyes went wide as they squeezed their hands against their rubber bodysuits, the Rs distorting as the material wrinkled against their chests.

Failed. Failed. Failed. More of them gave in than she was expecting. Disappointing.

Shiori clasped Lainey's body, leaning forward to suck on her rubber coated nipples. For a moment, Suzy unit thought that she had given in like the others, but then she pulled back, the rubber material pinched between her teeth. Lainey shook, caught in the throes of orgasm as Shiori released her, smacking her face.

“I knew you couldn't resist, slut,” she laughed, watching as Lainey stared back at her with abject worship. “I can do whatever I want to you and you’ll take it, isn’t that right?”

Lainey nodded vigorously. “Yes, Mistress. Hit me, use me, but don't stop. This slut needs to be punished!”

“Is that so?” she said in a dark voice. “Well then, I'm going to suck on your pussy now, with that fat, inflated toy in your ass. You're going to hold yourself back until I tell you to cum. How about that?”

Lainey's eyes lit up, her back settling down as she tilted her hips, the bulb attached to the plug swaying back and forth. “Yes, Mistress!” she groaned.

Shiori pressed her hands into Lainey's pussy, spreading her pink lips wide. Her head dipped down like a bird, tongue sticking out as if she was going to collect nectar.

Lainey trembled, face red as she moaned out her pleasure. Shiori was in control, knowing exactly how to manipulate her coworker's body. She wouldn't be able to last long under this assault. Good.

She was going to make for an excellent Mistress. Lainey would probably be demoted again at the end of class, but she wouldn't be too put out by that. She was far too much of a slut to care.

Secure in the knowledge that the surveillance cameras would catch anything else they needed to know, the units turned towards each other, intent on satisfying their own needs.

Their cable rattled along the floor as they approached, studying each other's identical bodies with glee. They were twin pierced sluts, working together for the greatness of Hive. Glorious.

Clasping each other, they kissed, a feedback loop of pleasure running through their dual bodies as their tongue rings clicked together. The sound of drones orgasming around them pushed their consciousness higher, joy spilling through the connection.

They were molding their trainees into useful Hive drones. They would soon train more drones, spreading Hive to new office buildings, growing organically, bringing the truth of Hive to more downtrodden workers.

Nancy unit broke free from Suzy unit’s kiss, caressing her face. “We are one,” she whispered.

Indeed, they were.

Alternate Ending E - Hounding Red

A strange desire to run, to chase rose within her, drowning out her reluctance. She wrinkled her brow, turning the idea over in her mind. It was strangely attractive, and if she didn't say anything the opportunity might slip away.

She opened her mouth and let out a hissing breath. “You're offering me true power.”

The Queen's brows flicked upwards. “That's right. If you want it. You've demonstrated here that you have the mental fortitude necessary to become any type of drone you like.”

Suzy snarled. “That's exactly the problem. I've been locked up for so long, hiding my emotions and feelings, all I want to do is run free! I can't imagine choosing to be a Queen like you, tied to a desk. Decision after decision, all that responsibility. It sounds just as bad as being a thoughtless peon!”

The Queen folded her hands, her eyes glowing purple as her lips slightly curved. “And so?” she asked, her posture calm.

“I want a position where I don't have to think or worry about mundane operations. I want to experience the thrill of the chase, adrenaline pumping in my heart. I want some damn excitement in my dull life. Can you give that to me?”

The Queen's eyes creased. “I believe we can accommodate your desires.”

“Good,” hissed Suzy. “When can we start?”

“We’ve started already,” chuckled the Queen, snapping her fingers.

A screen popped up from the desk, showing a collection of female drones gathered around a figure seated in a steel chair. She was leaning forward, her head hidden under a helmet. A hose was connected to her mouth, spilling out onto the floor in black coils.

Wide cups were attached to a harness on her chest, her breasts distending as two additional metal tubes wiggled back and forth. Suzy frowned as she moved closer, realizing that the woman was being milked like a cow.

A shudder ran up her spine. “That’s my physical body, isn’t it?” she asked, feeling up her breasts to see if they felt anything like what she was seeing on the screen.

The Queen nodded solemnly. “That’s right. I’ve kept you secured as I’ve tested your mettle. Now that you’ve made a decision, we can proceed with the conversion.”

The drones surrounding the bound individual swayed, their gloved hands moving, caressing the woman. Suzy shivered, knowing that this was her, but none of the sensations were flowing through to her mental body.

The hands continued to move, popping the hoses off the cups. They unstrapped the harness, letting it drop to the floor, exposing her swollen breasts. The hose on her helmet came next, a slow tug and twist to release the dildo crammed into her mouth. The flesh colored dick squeezed against the sides of the metal O ring gag, juices dribbling down the front of the curved helmet.

One of the drones grabbed the helmet with a firm grip, tugging it up and away. Light bounced off her bald head, her skin glistening with steam. The woman leaned her head forward and coughed, a gush of pink fluid escaping her lips.

Suzy laid a hand over her throat, a faint sense of disgust washing through her mind. The colors at the edges of her mental landscape roiled, reflecting the reality of her physical self.

The drones unstrapped the woman's naked body, helping her to her feet. Eyes dull, she licked her lips, a tongue piercing clicking against her teeth as she was led away from the camera.

“What are you going to do with her?” she asked, her back rigid.

“Exactly what you've asked for,” purred the Queen, waving a hand in the air. “After a quick wash, they'll put you into my hound suit.”

“Your what?” Suzy pounded a fist on the table. “I demand to know what you're planning. I don't want to be turned into a freaking dog!”

The Queen's brows quirked. “Not into pet play? That's a shame. But no, you won't be a dog. However, you will be harnessed, your anger, your ambitions funneled towards a useful purpose. My purpose.”

“And what is that purpose?” she asked, wetting her lips as the camera view on the screen changed, showing a darkened chamber.

She blinked, shivering as she followed the curves of the thick rubber suit suspended in the center, chains running to the ceiling. It was a glossy black, seams on either side, waiting for an unlucky occupant.

The Queen stood, folding her arms behind her back. “Running a successful Hive takes work, and this one is starting to get larger than I can handle on my own. I’ve divested a few drones to keep my numbers down, but if we want to pursue further growth, we need more Queens.”

Walking to the edge of the desk, she turned and braced her heels together, like a drill instructor. “Since you’re not interested in becoming one of my Queens, my next best option is to enlist you as one of my elite recruiters, my hound. I shall use you to chase down and bring back one of my primary targets. She will become my new Queen.”

“Oh.” Understanding flooded her brain, and she nodded. “So, your plan here is to enhance my body so that I can chase down your prey.”

Her muscles trembled, eagerness replacing her disgust as she imagined pouncing on an unsuspecting victim, tying them up and bringing them back to Hive as a slave. This was actually starting to sound rather interesting.

“Precisely.” The Queen’s lips curved into a cruel smile. “You had better get used to being treated like a pet, because that’s exactly what you’ll be when I’m done with you.”

Suzy squeezed her hands together, rolling her shoulders to hide her excitement. She didn’t like the idea of being treated like a dog, but it sounded like she was going to get everything she wanted. All of the fun, none of the responsibility!

Reality wasn’t that simple, naturally, and she was certain she’d be pushed by the Queen’s demands. She wouldn’t have to decide what needed to be done, though. She would pull her weight and be rewarded appropriately.

The Queen moved around behind her back and clasped her shoulders, resting her head on top. She felt the imprint of the Queen’s breasts on her back, her close presence surprisingly comforting.

Her eyes fixed on the screen as motion grabbed her attention. It was her physical body, being directed by a group of drones dressed in slick, red rubber. Their tall heels clicked on the metal plating as they navigated up the ramp, herding her nude body in front of them.

She frowned as the Queen placed a knee in her ass, her hands moving possessively over Suzy’s shoulders. This kind of attention was more than she was used to, but she ignored the discomfort, knowing that if she pulled away she’d be in for a bad time.

She had asked for this. She repeated the words in her brain, feeling them on her lips. This was her choice.

If she repeated that often enough, she might actually come to believe it, though the deeper she slid into the Queen’s dark world, the less she worried about what seemed normal. This might be weird, in the moment, but once she got used to it, being treated like a toy could be pleasurable.

The Queen’s hands rolled over the back of her shoulders, massaging around and under her arms. It was actually starting to feel good, distracting her from the images on the screen.

She tried to concentrate, watching as her body was led up to the rubber suit, the drones helping her to put her legs inside. They were swallowed up by the flesh colored interior, her body sinking in up to her hips.

The sides of the suit were zipped up, her hands jammed into purpose built holes. Within a matter of moments, she was sealed into the glossy cocoon, hidden underneath the curved exterior.

“Your body isn't that muscular right now,” whispered the Queen. “I aim to change that. You'll be pumped full of my custom hormonal mix, trained until you are stronger than any man, enhanced with custom implants to make you a superhuman beast. You'll be my animal, chasing down and capturing whoever I please, anywhere in the world. What do you think of that plan?”

Suzy sank into her grip, enjoying the feeling of being wanted, desired. “Yes, Mistress,” she gasped out, her heart flipping as the Queen's hands stroked down her sides.

She stared at the woman held in the thick rubber suit, the exterior bloating as air was fed into the outfit via tubes the attendants had attached to the shoulders.

Straps were wrapped around the captive, the rubber bulging as they were cinched tight. The woman in the suit groaned, twitching inside the cocoon. The chains rattled as the suit swayed back and forth, the inflated rubber near her feet bouncing off the circular opening in the base of the platform.

Suzy knew that this was her, but it was hard for her brain to comprehend. If she imagined that she was bound up inside that suit, gripped tight while her mental body was being caressed by the Queen - ooh, that felt good!

She let out a shuddering breath as the Queen extended her hands, making a small flourish with her fingers before she settled them over Suzy’s breasts. “This is too much,” Suzy complained, unable to focus.

“Is it?” purred the Queen. “I reserve the right to touch every piece of your body, to stroke you, to love you like a real owner.”

Suzy jumped as the Queen pinched her nipples between her forefingers. Tilting her head back, she sighed as her body responded, a needy throb coming from her pussy.

“See? There's no need to complain. You already know the truth. You're mine, and all that remains is to twist your body into the animal you really are. Don't you want to accept my leash?”

Suzy shook her head, but there was no force behind it. Her denial was perfunctory at best… the way the Queen was working her flesh was so addictive, she couldn't form the words to deny her. Didn't want to deny her!

On the screen, one of the slick, red drones was moving up to the captive woman in the suit, bearing a glossy black helmet in her hands. It was molded in the shape of a human head, twin oval grids filled with holes to provide the wearer rudimentary vision.

A cone shaped mask was attached to the front, curved into the main helmet. Two rounded attachment points on either side provided for air flow, though it was doubtfully restrictive.

Wearing the helmet was likely a trip. The sides would tightly hug the head, and every breath would be a struggle. Oooh, she trembled at the thought, wiggling against the Queen like a beached fish.

“You seem to be enjoying yourself,” chuckled her Mistress. “I think you've changed your mind. You've already accepted this outcome. You want to be mine more than anything, to experience the pleasure of being owned.”

Suzy froze, her gaze pinned to the helmet as the control drone dropped it over the captive woman's head. Her dull eyes twinkled with pleasure before they were lost forever, her body turned into a jiggling coffin.

A hose was connected to an attachment point on the top of her head, a sudden burst of air filling the hidden bladder inside. A bag of rubber inflated around the neckline, the helmet rattling as the interior became rigid against the woman’s skull. There was no escape!

Her eyes were watery, her chest a sweaty mess as her heart beat out of control. This was really happening, in real time. She was becoming Her slave!

The Queen began to hum, a familiar lullaby filling the air as the Queen's hands milked her chest. She cooed as the words caressed her ears, altered by the Queen to fit the situation.

“Twinkle, twinkle, little slut, by my hand you'll sway your butt. Up among the drones so high, a slutty beast within my eyes. Twinkle, twinkle, little slut, just you wait until we rut.”

Suzy gasped as something hard pressed between her legs, and she looked down. A thick, black dildo pressed between her thighs, jutting out in front like a hungry snake. When had the Queen put that on?

She bit her lip as she realized what was coming next. The Queen was going to claim her. It was inevitable.

She swayed her ass, pressing up against her owner's body. What could she do to convince her Queen to plunge that glistening toy into her needy snatch? Did she need to confess her joy and obedience?

The woman on the monitor certainly didn't have any need to figure this out. She was well and truly secured, the attendant drones bringing over a set of dangling hoses.

Her body drifted back and forth as a gloved hand secured the tubes to her mask, one by one. She twitched, a sudden inhalation hidden by the inflated rubber. Sparkling lights appeared within her eye holes, a light show just for her. Was this a special brainwashing program, her brain being turned into molten putty?

This was the answer she had been seeking. She didn't need to do anything. She was Hers.

“Control me Mistress, pilot my body,” she hissed, wiggling against the Queen's voluptuous breasts. “Bend me over, treat me like your toy, your pet, which I truly am. I give myself to you, everything I have. Please, treat me kindly.”

The Queen's hands slowed as she made a surprised noise. “So soon, my pet? I thought it would take at least a few sessions to convince you of the truth. You giving in so easily makes me question whether you are actually ready for this bliss.”

Suzy squirmed, her hands seeking out the Queen's ass and giving her butt cheeks a cheeky squeeze. The Queen jumped, her dildo rattling against Suzy's privates. Suzy released a breathy gasp, trembling as the Queen took her breasts in hand.

“Yes, that's the fire I was looking for. Very good. I have no qualms about training you now.”

She let go of Suzy's breasts, running her hands over the sides to squeeze them together. “Bend over, slut, it's time for your first lesson.”

Suzy blinked, realizing that the desk had vanished. In its place was a piece of furniture in the shape of a hobby horse, low against the ground.

The creature was on all fours, its head arched upwards to scan the area ahead, a helmet hiding its features. The front of the mask had a long nose, painted teeth on the end to make it look fierce. This was no horse at all! It was a drone, bound as a work animal!

She leaned over, wrapping her arms around the drone's belly. She could feel the creature twitch as her thumbs bounced off the drone's rubber coated breasts. Taking in a bemused breath, she turned her hands over, resting her palms over the tops of the creature's swollen orbs.

It was curious to know that this had once been a free, thinking human, before falling into the Queen's clutches. She squeezed a breast, pressing her chest into the woman's glossy yellow back.

The creature groaned in pleasure, but she didn't move. This demonstrated how great her discipline was. Oh, how she wished that she could be the same, obeying her Mistress’ commands to the letter!

A hand slapped her ass, and she stopped ruminating, her pussy wet with desire. Oh, right, she shouldn't be slobbering over this faux animal when she was about to be converted into one herself!

The Queen stroked her ass. “You are a pretty thing,” the Queen murmured. “Wide hips, a strong frame. Yes, we'll make a proper hound out of you yet. You'll be tracking down my bounties all over the world. Won't that be fun?”

Suzy grunted as her Mistress stroked a finger over her pussy, lingering on her clit. She let out a high pitched squeal, but her Mistress didn't tease her for long.

Her inner lips were parted roughly by the thick girth of her Mistress’ rubbery dildo, the length plunging inside her sloppy tunnel. Suzy let out a low moan, shifting her body on the drone, her nipples sliding against the animal’s rubber back.

The drone beneath her moaned, a buzzing sound reaching her ears. The drone was being rewarded for her good behavior, just as she was. They were both slutty pets for their Queen!

The Queen didn't seem interested in more dialog at this point, her body moving roughly as she thoroughly fucked Suzy's needy pussy.

Her body slid back and forth as she desperately grabbed at the drone's breasts for purchase, her fingers slipping over the thick straps that bound the woman’s body. To be harnessed like her and used - the idea was simply intoxicating!

The straps creaked as the bound animal finally yielded, a bell around her neck jangling as her arms folded underneath her. “Bad girl,” hissed the Queen, slapping the drone's ass with a wet crack.

The drone squeaked, her back rolling underneath Suzy, tickling her nipples. Suzy let out a sharp breath, feeling her pleasure rise as the Queen continued to ream her out, the fake dick jostling in her tunnel.

A gloved hand caught her hair, gathering a thick lock. The Queen jerked on it, forcing her head back as a squeal escaped her lips.

“This is a silly affectation, not worthy of a drone,” the Queen announced. “Your mental model will be adjusted. You will be bound, like she is, nothing more than an animal to service my needs.”

The Queen's hips rocked, her thrusts jackhammering into Suzy’s sore tunnel. The pleasure was rapidly increasing, though an orgasm seemed stubbornly out of reach.

“Your thoughts will be harnessed, your body will be owned. Everything you are will be given to me.” She gave her hair another jerk. “Say it, slut. Say that you submit.”

Suzy reached for the orgasm again, but it wasn't coming. She knew what she needed to do. Knew that she needed to give in. That was the only way through!

“Yes, Mistress!” she squealed out. “I submit to you, body and mind. I am your slave. I am owned.”

Her words turned into gasps, which descended to grunts as the Queen continued pounding. The thrusts increased in tempo until her body couldn’t take it any more. She trembled under the Queen’s dick, needing release.

Finally, the Queen halted, patting her back. “Yes, good! You may have your reward. Release yourself, like the animal you are. Orgasm as my slut slave. Pet.”

The pleasure spiked, exploding into an all encompassing climax. She moaned, writhing under her Queen like a sexual beast.

The Queen slipped her dildo out of Suzy’s pussy, leaning over to clasp her body. “Feel the beat of your heart,” she whispered. “That heart beats for me, now and forever.”

Suzy let out a mewling grunt, shivering as her base desires took over. She was truly Her animal.

***

It was dark, the air in her lungs cool as it hissed through the tubing of the mask. She was tightly bound, gripped in a warm hug by the inflated rubber, unable to move a muscle.

None of that mattered, however, as she was completely mesmerized by the training being fed into her brain by the light display projected over her eyes.

The throbbing beat of Hive was all around her, infusing her body and mind with the singular rhythm of obedience. She had long since forgotten any sense of individuality, her pulse and thoughts synchronizing to the beat of Hive.

It had been integrated into her at a base level. She would never forget this music, and it would never desert her. She would sing its song forever.

She took in another breath, remembering the horrible state she had been in just a short hour ago. Her entire body had been flooded with a mysterious fluid, and for a short while, even her air had been cut off as the gelatinous substance had been forced down her throat.

Her mind twisted as she tried to forget those terrifying moments, but they were burned indelibly into her brain. Fortunately, the training patterns on the display sucked her back in, pushing away her terror.

She was grateful to learn these lessons for Hive, to forget her worries. She was bouncing forward, with the grace of a panther, chasing after the red dot buzzing over the virtual obstacle course laid out in front of her.

She landed on a box with perfect precision, counting the milliseconds in her brain as she launched herself off towards the hanging wall. Swinging over with her hands, she used her momentum to jump onto a spinning circle.

Below, there was a pool of pink fluid, which she had fallen into many times before, but this time she was able to catch onto the edge, hissing as she watched the light getting away from her.

It was so frustrating to wait, but she knew that it was required. If she left just a moment too soon, she'd miss the transfer to the moving bars, dropping into the drink.

At the prescribed moment, she pounced, her elongated fingers flexing as she let out a roar, hooking the closest bar. Her body swung triumphantly as she locked onto the next, and the next.

From here, it was a quick dismount to the inclined wall, which she climbed up with ease, hitting the buzzer right before the dot caught up to her.

She tingled as the training scenario vanished, replaced with green text.

GOOD JOB. GOOD PET.

She had long since accepted that this was her new role, gasping as the machine began to reward her. A set of rubber nubs pressing against her privates vibrated, being drawn back and forth by the mechanism, sawing at her pussy.

The first time she had experienced the tickling nubs over her clit, she had exploded in a premature orgasm. Now that she had gotten acclimated, she could use them to her advantage. Licking her lips with her elongated, swollen tongue, she pulled at her arms as she thrust her hips into the device.

She could barely move in the suit, though with practice, these small efforts could enhance the stimulation, bringing her the pleasure she deserved for her obedience.

She clicked her tongue ring against her teeth, keeping time with the pulse of Hive as it gradually brought her to another peak. Pulse. Pulse. Pulse.

Sooner than she liked, her pussy responded, her muscles locking up as a rush of pleasure flooded her body. She struggled against the suit, moaning out her joy at being so tightly bound.

The machine didn't seem to care, loading up another training scenario. The light appeared again, and her mind was redirected, forced to consider this new situation.

The training proceeded on autopilot as her thoughts began to wander. She knew that she should be giving it her full attention, but she had been at it for hours, and she sensed that something was about to change.

How could she not be distracted at that prospect? She was like a pupae, gestating within this cocoon, transforming into Her weapon. It didn't matter how long it took, for when she emerged, she would be magnificent.

She simply couldn't wait to examine herself, to see how the Queen had changed her into the perfect tool to execute her will. The thrill of being given a mission, the chase of the hunt was within her, and she was eager to bring her Queen whatever She desired.

Groaning to herself, she gave up hoping that she would be let free to do Her will, focusing on doing the scenario correctly.

The laser showed her the path, but not how to execute it. Every time failure occurred, she would be reset, an optional ghost of her past self supplied to show her the pace.

She decided to try again without it, throwing herself at the curved wall in front of her, jumping as high as she could to grab onto the ledge and pull herself up. The next obstacle looked like a pain in the butt - a high wall with small hand holds set into it.

Any miss would guarantee failure, but it was the last obstacle before the end! She gritted her teeth as she spotted the finish line, gasping as she saw the figure waiting for her. The Queen!

She was wearing her strict purple rubber bodysuit, looking bemused, a hand set against her chin. She giggled as Suzy lost her grip, dropping into the pink fluid. Cute!

A newfound desire to finish the course gripped her as the world reloaded. She didn't like failing in front of her Queen. She would make her pleased.

Surmounted the curved wall with the least effort possible, she ignored the red light. She needed to find a path to the Queen, regardless of how slow it was. Then, she could start chasing her ghost, increasing her speed run after run. She would grind it out if she had to, practicing until her fingers were raw, for Her.

She leapt as far as she could, sliding off one of the odd shaped handholds as she dropped into the goop with a yowl. The next attempt wasn't much better, her slow but steady pace failing once she reached a hand hold that was just out of reach. She needed a combination of dexterity and speed, or she'd never reach her goal!

Grumbling to herself, she shook her body off as the world restarted again. She hadn't given up. She would figure it out and deliver victory to the feet of her Queen.

Adjusting her approach, she moved faster, skipping some of the handholds that were obvious red herrings. Her pace was reasonable this time, her body swaying as she neared the final jump. Her vision wavered as the red hand hold appeared to shift, moving farther away right as she made the leap. What the hell was this?

She let out a cry as her body dropped, spotting a smirk on the Queen's face. Oh? It was going to be like that, was it?

Scowling to herself, she jumped up the curved wall with a single leap, growling as she looked at her Queen. Her Mistress was watching her with curiosity, obviously wondering what she was going to do next.

And just what was she going to do? If the course could be altered at the last second, she had little hope of making the jump. Unless she faked her out!

Yes, this must be a test, like all the others. A brainless drone wouldn't be capable of the flexible thinking needed to catch a canny prey. She couldn't afford to underestimate those she chased. She had to use her brain, overcome all obstacles if she hoped to be her Queen's number one slave.

She jumped onto the wall, scooting her body along as before, but when she neared the end, she faked her final leap. When the hand hold moved, she wasn't surprised, swinging herself back onto her precious purchase as she studied the gap.

When her body swung forward a second time, she pounced, grabbing the hold with a cry of victory. Using her momentum, she leapt onto the Queen's platform, bowing at Her knees, her lungs heaving.

The Queen touched her head, rubbing her bald skull. “Very good, hound, you've passed my test. You are ready to be set free. Prepare yourself.”

A thrill ran down her back at the praise, and she mewled, fearing what was to come. In this shell, her body was safe. She didn't have to worry about the changes that had been made, she could concentrate fully on being Her hound.

All of that was about to be ripped away. She was finally going to have to face reality, deal with the consequences. Was she prepared to be set free?

A hand reached down, scratching at her neck. “You look distressed, my little pet. There's no need to be concerned. Mommy will take care of you.”

Mommy. The word felt strange in her mind, but comforting. She closed her eyes, purring as the virtual world faded away.

When she opened them again, she was at peace inside her rubber shell. The world was waiting for the new her. She would show them what she could do.

Her fear faded as the tight rubber around her throat deflated, the helmet cracking open. She took in a deep breath, waiting as it was pulled off her head, the hose lines dangling like spider legs.

The dim light of the conversion chamber was plenty for her highly attuned eyes. The control drones dressed in slick red rubber moved out of the way, giving her a clear view of the room.

Various equipment was positioned on the ceiling above, cranes and spare rubber suits, helmets dangling. They looked vaguely sinister in the shadows, but she knew that was just an illusion. This suit had changed her life for the better!

She tilted her head, surprised that she could see the lone figure standing at the entrance to the room. It was her Queen, with her arms folded, tapping a finger against her shoulder.

She gasped, joy welling within her chest. A purr escaped her lips, muscles activating on her head. She frowned as she felt twin somethings rising up, turning to follow the Queen.

That felt weird. She badly wanted to touch them, but her hands were still secured within the suit. What other changes had Mistress made to her body?

She waved away the question, secure in the knowledge that her Mistress, her Mommy, had personally overseen her conversion. She had been enhanced, made into Her perfect tool.

The muscles on her skull relaxed as the Queen stalked up the ramp. The tenor of the Queen’s heels against the metal grating changed, and she frowned.

She must have been given new ears, since if she focused, there appeared to be frequencies she couldn’t have possibly heard before her conversion.

She shook her head, banishing the extra data. She was getting distracted, and she didn't want to be overwhelmed with her enhanced senses while in the presence of her Mistress.

The Queen stopped in front of her, her purple bodysuit glistening as she cocked a hip. Her hands wrapped over her elbows as she considered her slave's head, an intense violet roiling in her eyes. “You've turned out rather well,” she said, a pleased grin on her face. “Let's see what the rest of you looks like, my little Hound.”

She shivered in the suit, understanding that this was her new name. Her old life was still there in her memories, but it was different, another person. That wasn't her. She was her Queen's animal, wild and free of the constraints of society!

The control drones removed the straps around her suit, opening the ports at the shoulders. Air wheezed out in a long stream, the tight restriction around her limbs and torso suddenly loosening.

Her legs felt powerful, full of energy. She wanted to jump, dance, and chase, but she had to be patient. She could not do any of those things without an order. Her Queen was in control.

The Queen leaned in, petting her head as the zippers were undone across her shoulders. She purred, leaning into the strokes as her owner placed a hand under her chin, scratching her glossy skin.

She rolled her shoulders as the suit fell away, trembling in her Mistress’ presence. Rolling her tongue, she tried to speak, surprised to find that her words were gargled, her tongue working differently than she had expected.

Her Mistress chuckled. “Keep trying, little hound. You are intelligent enough to figure it out.”

Was she? She rolled her tongue back and forth, trying to get used to its girth. The multitude of piercings along its length clicked and rolled across the top and bottom of her mouth, reducing her dexterity. She howled as the curling tip caught against one of her fangs, a streak of blood slashing across her lips.

The Queen pressed a finger on top of her nose. “Slow down, Hound One. You must learn to walk before you can run.”

Hound One swallowed, letting her tongue settle against the floor of her mouth. She turned her head up, sighing as she fumbled with the thick flesh. “Yesh, Mishtresh,” she slurred, tasting the sharp tang of blood on her lips.

“Good hound,” said her Mistress, patting her jowls.

Hound One crooned, licking her lips as she noticed her elongated snout for the first time. Stunned, she lifted a hand to touch her face, stroking her claws down her cheek.

Jolting, she curled her fingers to examine her talons. They were neat, short, but sharp, hard, bone-like projections sticking out of her glossy, black hands.

They weren't long enough to prevent her from manipulating objects, but plenty tough, ready to rend her Queen's enemies to bits!

Rotating her arm, she noted that the material coating her skin ran all the way up, a bright shine that seemed to change based on the viewing angle. She frowned at the rubber, annoyed at how it trumpeted her presence. She wanted to hide, to be a black shadow.

The sparkling light suddenly changed as a pattern appeared on her skin. Pleasure coursed through her body as the shiny reflection was snuffed out like a candle.

“Ah, I see you've discovered ‘stealth’ mode,” chuckled the Queen. She ran her hands over the sides of her head, leaning in to give her a wet kiss on the snout. “You're a beautiful being. I can't wait to watch you discover the other gifts you've been given!”

The Queen placed her hands under her hound's shoulders, lifting her legs out of the suit. She landed lightly against the edge of the platform, staring with suspicion down at her feet as she was greeted with an unexpected clicking.

She let out a pleased growl as she noticed the large pair of rubbery breasts in the way, piercings winking at her from her nipples. Placing her hands on the Queen's shoulders, she thrust her ass out, her boobs swaying attractively.

She would be the envy of the other drones. Many would want her, but she would give her all to the Queen.

Now she could finally see the floor, and the changes that had been made to her feet. Her toes were curved, talons scraping against the metallic decking. If she flexed her feet, she could almost form a fist.

On her heels, there was a second set of talons. She backed up a step, locking her foot around the edge of the platform. Oh, this would be excellent for catching prey!

The Queen pulled her forward, chuckling. “There will be plenty of time for experimentation later,” she admonished. “I want to see whether my latest major alteration worked.”

She touched Hound’s shoulder, giving her a gentle nudge. Hound let out a lonesome yelp, turning around so that her Mistress could examine her back.

The Queen stroked in semi circles, and Hound frowned. Why did her skin feel so strange?

“Oh, yes, they've formed just as I had hoped,” the Queen whispered, sounding quite satisfied with herself. “Come, pet, spread them out. Show me your wings.”

Surprised at the reveal, Hound flexed muscles she didn't know she had, a fluttering noise rippling in her ears as the new appendages stretched all the way out.

Oh, that muscle ache felt good after being held in a cramped space! The way the wings rustled sounded kind of nice. If she turned her head, could she get a look at them?

Her breath caught in her throat. They were glorious, extending twice the length of her body, sinful black rubber dripping down each feather onto the leading edge.

She reached up and grabbed the thick part of the wing, hearing and feeling the squeak of rubber as she massaged her flesh. That was nice. She could simply stand here for ages, admiring each ridged curve.

She dropped her hand as her Mistress ran her fingers over the connection points, massaging the joints. Purring, she arched her back, enjoying the soft pleasure as the Queen worked her over.

“So obedient, so mine,” whispered the Queen. “When I was prototyping this, I wasn't certain it would work, but now I'm glad I ordered this adaptation for you. You are unique.”

Hound shivered at the praise, flexing her wings to test their dexterity. They flipped up and down, blotting out the light as they swung in front of the fixtures. She would be able to swoop down from above, invisible, plucking out her victim and bringing them to her Queen before anyone realized she was there!

The Queen stroked her shoulder. “I find it amazing how comfortable it feels to have a pet. I didn't think it would be nearly this satisfying, and yet, here we are.”

She sighed, letting go. “It's unfortunate that I already have a mission lined up for you, otherwise I'd spend all day stroking your feathers. As it is, we need to get a move on. Let's introduce your new assistants.”

She clapped her hands, and a series of spotlights snapped on, highlighting three more dangling rubber suits.

Each of them was a different color - orange, yellow, and red, rubber straps drawn tightly around the inflated coffins. Hound's breath caught in her throat as she realized the implication. There were more drones being converted into Hounds, just like her!

She wrinkled her nose at the thought that she wasn't her Queen's only pet, but the pique dissolved as she thought about having new packmates. They would live together, fight together, chase together. With numbers, they couldn't be beat!

The hand returned to her shoulder as the control drones worked to remove the helmets from the suits. “Rest assured, my little pet, you are still my number one. You can't do everything by yourself, however, so I've made you some friends!”

Her heart purred as she spotted the shiny heads of her new packmates. They had rubber skin, like hers, colored the same as their suits. It glistened under the lights, and she wondered whether they had a camouflage ability similar to hers.

It would be useful if they did, but she couldn't help but hope that this was one of her unique talents. If they were all the same, they'd be boring.

The suits were unzipped, revealing their bodies, one by one. The control drones helped them out, lifting them up onto the platform.

The Queen embraced her, pressing her chest into Hound's wings. They rattled in protest, but Hound held back a hiss. The Queen owned her, she could do as she liked.

“I took special care to select candidates you know,” said the Queen softly, turning her body. “Why don't I introduce them to you? On the left, your new front liner, formerly known as Lainey, Hound Two!”

Hound swallowed, her mouth opening in a pant as she examined this new hound. Her body appeared thick as rock, a tough layer of rubber stretching over her bulbous belly. The way it was built up in layers made it look like scales, her breasts hidden underneath a separate, armored shell.

Hound Two waddled forward, giving her a little wave and a smile. A funny look crossed her face, and she burped, a jet of flames escaping her lips.

“Sorry,” she giggled as steam leaked out of her ears, pressing a thick, armored hand over her mouth. “I don't know how any of this works!”

The Queen chuckled, turning Hound One towards the next drone. “Hound Three is a master of evasion, useful for infiltration and recon missions. You used to know her as Shiori.”

The drone lifted her arms and yawned, ignoring all of them as she licked her thin lips. She had a snout, tiny little eyes set deep into her shadowed head. Her body was sleek, made for speed, with small breasts and slim thighs.

She shifted her pose, and suddenly, she was difficult to see. Hound blinked, tilting her head, but she still couldn’t make her out. It wasn’t like the active camouflage her skin had displayed, this was something else. How intriguing!

“Marvelesh,” she whispered, her mind buzzing with possible use cases.

She could see the reasoning behind these transformations already, and she was becoming excited at the possibilities. It would make it more difficult to plan missions, but the flexibility in their operations would be greatly magnified!

“Who's nexsht?” she growled, eager to see what her Queen had created.

She turned her head to the last open suit, but there was nothing there to see. Confused, her eyes darted around, looking for the last subject, but she had vanished.

A blur of motion came from above, and she tilted her head back, the ears on top of her head extending in surprise.

A feminine form hung upside down, her taloned feet clinging to one of the chains. When the drone noticed her staring, she let out a screeching cry.

The Queen placed a hand over Hound One’s chest. “I can feel your heart pounding. Your surprise is so cute!”

The Queen braced her feet, holding Hound One still. It was a good thing she had, as her new instincts were urging her to attack, to leap up there and pull down this new creature so that she could get a better look at her.

“Hound Four. Nancy. Come down here,” the Queen ordered, her voice brooking no debate.

The new hound's wings fluttered as she cocked her head, releasing another cry. Her talons let go, and she fell from her perch in a whoosh, her body flipping as she landed on the metal grating, her arms extended for balance.

Straightening up, she folded them, staring with hawk-like intensity. That only made sense, as her transformation had turned her into a drone bird of prey.

The rubber coating on her body had an iridescent orange sheen, running in strips over her torso. Her breasts had been streamlined, smooth lumps that were spread out over her chest.

Her arms were spindly things, with delicate fingers, a fine membrane stretching out below her armpits. She was built for speed.

When the hound’s body shifted, a flash of red on her chest in the shape of an R peeked out at her, the brand of their allegiance. Hound One gasped at the way the logo shimmered, hooding her eyes as she checked out the other drones.

Sure enough, they had the logo as well, though it was subtle. She probably had one too, a sign of her Mistress’ favor. Good. There would be no question as to where she belonged.

“They're beautiful,” she breathed, her tongue loosening up as she studied her pack.

Hound Four stretched out an arm, cleaning her rubbery feathers with an extremely long tongue. Her eyes closed in pleasure at the praise, a soft squawk emitting from her curved nose.

Hound Two beat her chest and hooted like a caveman, while Hound Three began licking the back of her hand. They were a unique group, and she couldn't wait to start working with them.

Her neck strained as she pressed against her Queen's body. “Send us on a mission,” she growled. “I wish to serve.”

The Queen's hands slid over her belly, curving up to cup her breasts. She squeezed them, pulling back to feel their full volume. Hound purred, her body thrilling at being touched by her Mistress.

“You’re almost ready,” her Queen sighed, darkness coloring her words. “It’s time to get you leashed, my pet, and then, as your first mission, you will pleasure me.”

Rigid, Hound’s ears swiveled as her Queen let her go. She folded her wings, nestling them against her back as she turned her head to follow her Mistress.

The Queen didn't go far, accepting a metallic ring from a control drone that trotted up to her. “Present yourself,” she commanded, turning back towards Hound.

Hound leaned forward, presenting her neck to her Mistress. She wouldn't do this for just anyone - this posture made her look weak, vulnerable. Only one person could demand this of her.

She growled as the heavy collar was wrapped around her neck, the weight reminding her that she was owned.

The sides clicked shut, and the Queen patted her on the cheek as she attached a leash. Giving it a sharp tug, she pointed towards the floor. “Down, pet. It's time for you to service me, as a slave should.”

Hound mewled, tensing her knees as she dropped down, her eyes racing over the Queen's chest. The glossy bodysuit she wore glimmered an enticing purple, making her want to lick it.

This desire only increased as her view slid down past a garter belt, thick straps running to her glossy rubber stockings. Her crotch was bare, her hairless mons looking waxy.

Upon closer examination, it didn't look like skin at all. It was more like colored rubber, a coating that included her vagina and inner lips.

Hound seized her legs, wrapping her talons around her Mistress’ thighs. The Queen grunted, but showed no apparent pain at being pricked by the sharp tips. The coating must really be thick.

Well, she was about to find out! The Queen placed a hand on her head, urging her in, and she was more than happy to oblige!

Sticking her snout into the gap, she touched her nose against her Mistress’ clit. The Queen made an amused chuckle as she gave it a sniff, enjoying the scent of her owner.

There came a tug from her leash. “Stop playing around,” The Queen commanded. “Lick me out. Wash my pussy with your thick tongue.”

Hound whined, tilting her head so that her lips were positioned correctly. She gave the Queen's pussy a light kiss, the barbells on her tongue rattling as she stuck it in.

The Queen grunted, her hands flexing around the leash as Hound swished her tongue back and forth, the first piercing catching against her folds.

“Mmm, good pet,” The Queen moaned, sliding her legs apart. “Give it to me good, push it all the way in!”

Hound wiggled her tongue, leaning forward to apply extra pressure. When that didn't work, she arched its length, forming a wavy ripple as she humped it up and down. The Queen moaned as the barbells rattled against her tunnel, thrusting farther in.

This cleared the initial obstruction, but she faced the same problem again with the second piercing. Utilizing the experience she had just gained, she combined all her movements together, wiggling and jolting until her thick appendage was in.

The Queen's tunnel clenched around her questing flesh as she squeezed deeper. She frowned as she kept thrusting, amazed at how much she could pack in. Her tongue felt impossibly long, perhaps she could reach the end of the tunnel?

She was certainly eager to try! Pulling back a short distance, she shoved it back in, her piercings scraping along the sides of her Queen's tunnel. The Queen threw her head back and cried out, using the leash to keep her balance.

The resulting tug almost jerked Hound free, but she was determined now. She was pleasuring her Mistress, and she wanted nothing more than to bring her to climax!

Choking against the collar, she thrust her tongue in, flexing it as she sought the end of her Queen's rubbery tunnel. Poke. Slurp. Poke.

It was definitely dropping farther in, but she hadn't reached the bottom, and the base of her tongue was getting thicker, making it more difficult to plumb her depths.

This only made her more determined, but the game of diminishing returns was starting to get to her. Just how long was her Mistress’ tunnel?

Her Queen hummed, helping her out by shoving her hips towards Hound’s mouth. Hound synchronized the motions with her thrusts, ramming into her determinedly.

The Queen might be deriving a lot of pleasure from this, but now she really wanted to know what was going on!

Her tongue suddenly popped out the other end of the tunnel, landing in a rubbery pocket that clamped down around the tip. She frowned, pushing and shifting, but the sensation didn’t change, moving along with her.

After a couple of minutes of trying to find a solution, she had to admit defeat. The internal layout of her Queen was just different from what she would expect of a normal human body.

Her owner chuckled. “I won't fault you for trying, pet, but there isn't a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Unfortunately, I had uterine cancer, and I was forced to have a hysterectomy. What I've implanted up there is simply a large bladder for drones like you to play with. It's quite fun and stretchy, no?”

The Queen laughed as Hound shot her a concerned look. “No, I'm not in any danger of dying. Hive has cured me. I became its Queen, and in return, my life was saved. I believe it was an equivalent bargain, though some days I admit the work does get to me.”

Her eyes drifted off into the distance. “I probably would do it again, faced with the same choices.”

Hound detected a hint of sadness in her voice. There was only one way to fix that.

Determined, she braced her hands on her Mistress’ ass, yanking her in until her nose pressed against her Mistress’ clit. She then thrust her tongue in with all her might, pulling back with an equal amount of force. At the same time, she moved her head in a circle, ensuring maximum stimulation on her owner’s most sensitive bits.

She was rewarded with a surprised squeal from the Queen, and she grinned, pleased that she was able to break through her protective shell.

Stroke. Stroke. Stroke. She wasn't going to stop with that success. What she wanted was a full on conflagration, turning her Mistress’ legs to rubber as she melted into her arms.

Unfortunately, that wasn't to be. After a couple more hard strokes, her Mistress gasped, her face closing down as she clenched her teeth together.

Her body vibrated against Hound's mouth, but she stayed fully in control, her eyes roiling a deep purple as she peered down at her pet, humming with pleasure. “Nice try, slave, but what did you expect? I’m your Mistress. I will always be in control. You can rely on me.”

Hound hooded her eyes as she slowly withdrew her tongue, cleaning out her Mistress’ snatch. She leaned back, closing her mouth as she studied her Queen.

Rely upon. Yes, that was true. She didn’t have to worry about making life decisions. She was a kept animal, subservient to her owner.

She bowed her head. “Thank you, Mishtress,” she purred. “I am pleashed to be your servant.”

Mistress leaned over, giving her a kiss on the forehead. “Indeed. You shall be my weapon, little pet. Rankotech shall be ascendant. Hive above all!”

Hound tingled, filled with pleasure. For Hive, and her Queen!

***

The mid afternoon sun scorched the rooftops, reflecting off the air conditioning units. Hound scowled, keeping watch with a pair of binoculars, scanning the designated area for anything out of the ordinary.

They had been posted here for a solid week in anticipation of this motorcade, studying the area and creating contingency plans in case their initial attempt failed. During their stakeout, they had seen the vehicles of interest passing several times.

Due to the tint on the windows, it was impossible to determine the occupants of the heavily armored vehicles. However, their intelligence suggested that their target would be visiting the headquarters of Rad Technologies Incorporated within the hour.

She lowered her binoculars, clicking her teeth together as she curled her lip into a snarl. Rad Tech was the umbrella company that owned PolyCorp. By kidnapping and converting the college aged daughter of their CEO, her Queen would accomplish multiple goals. Not only would she gain a new Queen for Hive, but she would also have someone on the inside of her greatest Rival. A win, win!

That all depended upon whether they could execute this mission successfully. This was complicated by the necessity of grabbing the woman in broad daylight, but that couldn’t be helped. They would have to utilize all of their abilities to ensure victory today.

She checked the watch on her wrist, waiting for the top of the hour. When the second hand clicked over, she lifted her binoculars again. Yes, there they were, right on schedule!

A sleek, black sedan had turned the corner, followed closely by two more. Working their way through traffic, they paused at the next light.

She touched the rhythm of Hive in her head, injecting a pulse that propagated through the network. In response, there came a drumbeat, confirmation that her message was received. It had taken them all some time to get used to this, but they had practiced together, and now it was second nature.

Her mouth slid into a vicious grin as the lights turned green, the motorcade crossing the intersection. At the last moment, a woman entered the crosswalk with a stroller, stepping directly in front of the lead vehicle.

The driver jammed on the brakes, but it was too late to avoid a collision. The stroller went flying, the lady falling under the right front tire of the vehicle. Hound Two was going to use this to gain sympathy points, no doubt.

Their path blocked, the two other vehicles in the motorcade revved their engines, steering around the accident and speeding up as they crossed into the next street over. They probably suspected foul play. They were right!

She watched the accident scene as they rolled the car off the woman's body, the driver getting out to investigate. She narrowed her eyes as she zoomed in on Hound Two, spotting her screaming up a storm. Was she actually injured, or just playacting?

She shrugged, turning to follow the other two vehicles. Hound Two was a tough lump of metal, she was sure she'd be alright. If not, Hive would take care of her.

She double checked the position of her teammate, clicking her teeth together as Hound Four dropped into view, swinging around a building. Her arms were spread wide, catching the thermals as she closed in on the position of the racing vehicles.

A drumbeat clicked in her head, and the hound dove, heading straight for the lead car, which had been hung up by cross traffic.

Before it could extricate itself from the mess, Hound Three zoomed in, dropping her first payload right onto the windshield. Splat.

The entire window was coated with blue paint. The driver tried turning on the windshield wipers, but this only served to stir up the sticky fluid. It was a special mix, cooked up in Rankotech's labs. Removing it would require a special solvent. Lacking that, the entire windshield would have to be replaced.

Hound chuckled to herself, turning to the last vehicle. They had seen what had happened to the other car, and had turned down a side street, trying to get away from the assault.

Go, go, go! She ground her teeth, wondering whether she was going to have to get involved. The car was coming in her direction, so she could intercept it. And deprive her packmate of the thrill of the chase? No way!

Besides, Hound Four was already on the move, floating up into the sky, steering using the directions Hound One was sending through the Hive gestalt. As long as she had eyes on the car, they were toast.

She frowned in dismay as a crane suddenly obscured her view. The vehicle had driven into a construction zone, but it wasn’t slowing down. Through the obstructions, she spotted the vehicle barely missing a flagger, skirting awfully close to a break in the pavement.

There was a flash of dark color, a zipping figure diving in from above and dropping her payload. A splash of blue billowed over the windshield, and the driver lost control. There came a squeal of tires, the vehicle spinning out of the lane, workers diving away.

The vehicle smashed into a work truck with a terrific crash, the hood popping up as a spray of coolant burst out of the radiator. The back lifted off the ground, coming back down with a jittering bounce.

Hound scowled at the mess. The whole point of this was to capture their target with minimal damage. If the target was in that vehicle and suffered injuries, there would be hell to pay!

She hesitated, watching as the car doors popped open. Men and women dressed in suits spilled out, looking dazed. Nobody in civilian clothing. Good.

This was where everything got tense. She trusted her team, but she needed to know who to reinforce as soon as possible. She quickly moved back to the second vehicle, which was currently unattended. Nothing.

Shit. They could have already extracted the package and gotten her away while she had been distracted by the crash!

A shimmering form appeared from behind the car, her skin rippling as she dropped her dynamic camouflage. A pair of violet eyes stared right at her, and she shook her head.

Good, but also annoying. For some reason, Hound Three preferred to use body language to communicate, instead of Hive thought.

She had always been a rather reserved individual, even before she had been transformed. She seemed to be opening up the more time she spent with them, but there were still these peculiarities they had to work around.

She spun, seeking the first vehicle. They had obviously tried to fake out any attackers by speeding off when the lead car was taken out. That meant her target had to be back at the start.

Sure enough, a small group of sharply dressed security goons wearing sunglasses were crowding a woman dressed in a demure skirt and blouse. She spotted Hound One grimacing as she pushed the car off her belly, but she wasn't in any state to pursue. It was a good thing she had wings!

She sent a command to converge on the target’s position through the beat of Hive, spreading her wings to their full width as she jumped off the roof.

The joy of flight was addictive, providing a certain grace and calmness she couldn't get anywhere else. As long as she wasn’t on the hunt!

Right now, adrenaline was pulsing through her body, pushing her forward. There was no need to rush, however, she still had them in sight. Unless they decided to move into a building, they wouldn't be able to get away.

They had purposefully made this assault in an area where there were no nearby subway stations. Their opponent’s only options would be to turtle up, or take their target to the nearest safe house. Of the two, there really was only one. They were going to keep moving.

She increased her speed to catch up, swooping around a building as they threaded through the urban jungle. If they intended on going where she expected, they would be headed right into her trap. Just a few moments more, and she would know for sure.

They entered a large dual carriageway, hugging the side with the taller buildings. They appeared to be slowing, but why?

Another black sedan rounded the corner, and she growled in anger. They had made a contingency plan! Damn!

Before she could whistle up her allies, however, a whoosh of darkness appeared below her. The graceful figure of Hound Four dropped her final paint bomb on the windshield, forcing the driver to stop. They weren't going to escape that way!

The doors opened, more security personnel piling out. They glommed together, moving as a unit towards the first group. More reinforcements to deal with. Great.

She communicated this information through Hive net, continuing on to her original destination. Passing between two tall buildings, she entered an alleyway.

Folding her wings, she dropped like a stone, legs churning the air as it rushed past her. Her loins bloomed with pleasure as the sex belt gave her a small buzz for following the Queen's commands. She was her obedient slut!

This was only a reminder of what it could really do. She lived for the pleasure of her Queen's approval!

That would only happen if she managed to succeed here, however. She touched her control collar as her wings popped out like a parachute, carrying her safely to the ground.

The thick chunk of metal at her neck was a reminder of who owned her. Who loved her, disciplined her, corrected her. If she failed, she would be in for a world of pain, and she would deserve it. That's why she would succeed!

Their prey was running, but the trap was closing in. She just needed to spring it!

Folding her wings, she stepped behind a dumpster, crouching down as she leaned forward to study the empty alley. Half closing her eyes, she slowed her breathing, listening to the song of Hive for further information.

A picture began to emerge, and she grinned. They were heading straight for her! The final confrontation would be her responsibility. Just as she had hoped!

A crunching sound behind her made her ears swivel in alarm, but she soon settled down as she spotted the approaching figure.

Hound Two had a smug look on her face. “You should be happy to see me. I just got hit by a car and took it like a champ!”

She grabbed a section of her armored chest, pulling it out to show off a discolored blotch. “See? I might even get a bruise!”

Hound One waved her over, pressing a finger to her snout. “Quiet!” she hissed. “They're just about here!”

Hound Two pumped her head up and down like a bird, hiding her bulk against the wall. “Do you think they're going to be surprised when we step out in front of them?” she rumbled.

“Shhh!” Hound One growled, holding up her finger again.

Her packmate finally subsided, an insouciant look on her face. Hound One rolled her eyes, but she was secretly glad for the support, even if it meant that she would have to deal with her loudness. Hound Two had never been subtle, even when she had been known as Lainey.

Her ears twitched and she sniffed the changing air. “It's almost time,” she whispered. “Get ready.”

She turned toward a large box mounted next to the dumpster, punching in the lock code. The top clicked, and she flipped it open. Reaching inside, she pulled out a body length shield.

It was light, made of a slick material that she suspected was derived from their body coatings. Another Rankotech special.

Whatever the source, she had been told that it was bulletproof. Hound Two might have a hide thick enough to stop bullets, but she didn't have the same built in armor plating.

“Plan twin prong,” she ordered, stepping out to face the security forces.

They spotted her as soon as she stood up, fanning out to cover the target. Men in suits bundled the protectee towards the rear, leaving her with an impression of white hair and glasses with thick lenses. That matched the profile. Good.

She didn’t bother trying to talk with the bodyguards, opting instead to rush them as fast as she could before they could pull out their weapons. At the same time, Hound Two attacked from the right, ramming into the lead elements like a bulldog.

What happened next was a rapid cacophony of sound and light. Gunshots rang out in a staccato beat, humans shouting, faces scowling as she slammed into them with her shield.

Unable to retain their balance, many of them fell, limbs tangling together as they desperately tried to help each other back up. She was relentless, however, using her wings to give her a height advantage, shoving them over like bowling pins.

Hound Two opted for a more straightforward approach. Climbing on top of the writhing mass of humanity with sure feet, she slammed back down onto them with her overwhelming weight. More shots rang out, but Hound Two wasn’t fazed, an immovable bullet sponge.

There came cries from some of the other guards, though, ricochets injuring several of them in an instant. Hound One frowned as she spotted a guard at the rear with a submachine gun. It was him who had caused this disaster!

Beating her wings with a sudden burst, she flew towards him and slammed into his skull with the shield. He dropped the weapon with a sad groan, his body slumping as she tucked her wings in and rolled over the top.

Jumping to her feet, she spotted the woman they were after, her face blank as she hid behind a pair of guards. Streaks of purple eyeshadow glimmered over large eyes, a black choker at her neck. Her oversized t-shirt swayed as they tugged her back, a proud unicorn graphic prancing on the edge of a cliff.

The guards lifted their weapons to draw a bead on her, but the light shimmered behind them. The target made a girlish squeal as Hound Three suddenly appeared, jamming a needle into her neck. Wrapping her arms around the target, she pulled her away from the guards, sending everything into bedlam.

One of the men whirled about, his pistol going off as Hound Three gave his forearm a vicious chop. The other tried to hook her leg, but she used her superior strength and position to pull him off balance instead.

Free and clear, she shot Hound One a proud smirk. Her body glistened as she lifted the target off her feet, charging down the alley.

The bodyguards hadn't given up, but Hound Two wasn't giving them time to regroup. She opened her mouth, burping out a horrible torrent of flames that forced them back. A few brave guards near the rear tried to hit the rapidly disappearing Hound Three, but it was useless.

She was now almost totally invisible, the struggling body of their target flopping like a rag doll as the drugs took effect.

A sudden streak of pain ran up the side of Hound One’s cheek, and she growled, dropping down onto all fours. The guards at the back of the group had given up trying to get Three and were now taking potshots at Hound Two and her.

They were starting to come to the realization that Hound Two's hide was impervious, so they were focusing more firepower on her. She sent the withdrawal message through Hive net, bunching her muscles up in preparation for a great leap.

A guard's sunglasses gleamed as he held out a hand and pointed at her, yelling out a command to the others. Too bad for him, this was already over!

She sprung out of the crouch, holding out her hands to catch onto the edge of a fire escape. Swinging her body in a long curve, she used the momentum to lift herself up onto the first platform.

From there, she pressed her feet against the edge, springing off to the other side of the alley, her nimble fingers catching the edge of an air conditioning unit. Pulling herself up, she jumped again, spreading her wings.

She could have launched herself directly from the ground, but her erratic maneuvers made it difficult for the guards to get a good shot. Pumping her wings, she lifted up and away, taking a steep angle for maximum lift.

They fired off a couple more shots, but with her body almost directly overhead, it was impossible for them to hit anything. She chuckled to herself as she flew out of range, circling over the building to check on her pack.

Hound Two had bulldozed herself to the end of the alley, where Hound Four swooped in, dangling her legs. Hound Two caught on and was lifted away, the two of them soon vanishing into the trees of the local park. Good, they wouldn't need to be extracted.

Hound Three still needed her assistance, however. Although she was quick, it was likely that someone would call in the comatose girl dangling in her arms.

Following the pulse of the beat in her head, she dropped down onto the main street, winging in towards her packmate's location. Hound Three gave her a saucy grin, saying nothing as she passed the dangling target into her arms.

Her eyes did go wide as she spotted a pair of bodyguards boiling out of the alley behind them, and she promptly vanished. As expected. Direct confrontation had never been her strong suit.

Cradling the woman in her arms, she jumped back into the air, heading for the same park the other Hounds had vanished into. Faint alarmed cries echoed behind her, but with her head start, there would be no way for them to catch up.

She gazed into the target's eyes, snorting as the somnolent woman moaned, her long eyelashes fluttering. A small butterfly was painted on her right cheek, a fluttering trail curling up to her ear. Whimsical. I wonder why my Mistress believes she's Queen material?

It wasn't her place to say. Her owner wanted this woman, and now she would have her. Her thighs trembled as the sex belt buzzed against her clit. Oh, yes. She would be rewarded. Soon.

***

A faint pulse of light from the saucer shaped fixture played over the pale face below. The woman's black hair had been pulled up behind her head into a tight bun.

Her body below had been stripped and secured in a rubber sack, restraints wrapped around her ankles and waist. Her arms were secured behind her in an armbinder, tight laces up to her shoulders.

A set of integrated metal rings had been built into the top of the sack, at her shoulders, allowing her to be suspended via nylon ropes. Her body hung still, a faint hiss of breathing the only sign that she was alive.

Hound One watched her with gimlet eyes, her hands bound in rubber balls. Her wrists were chained together, her sex belt hooked to the wall with a solid chain.

The buzzing vibrator did not allow her to sit, removing its blissful stimulation whenever she relaxed her pose. It was pleasurable torture.

Her breath hissed through her animal mask, the long, molded rubber snout jutting out in an exaggerated parody of her transformed face. Her view of the scene was filtered through dark lenses, though her hearing was excellent.

The whispered movements of her packmates came from both sides, brief moans punctuating the low hum of the air handlers.

They were bound as she was, experiencing the thorny pleasure of success. Unable to orgasm until their Mistress commanded it, they remained on the edge of pleasure, awaiting Her presence.

Hound One chewed on her bar gag, tugging against her collar as the sex belt buzzed at her pussy. The metal cup was sodden with her wetness, but it had nowhere to go, reminding her of her submissiveness. Another moan was forced out of her as the buzzing peaked, the stimulator shutting down for another rest period.

That was the devil of the situation - she didn't want the stimulation to stop, yet she could never reach the ultimate peak!

Her wrists jangled as she tugged at them, a yowl escaping her lips. Her other packmates yipped and cried in solidarity, forming a choir of muffled voices.

The woman in the bag jolted, gasping as her eyes flicked open. As soon as she spotted their rubber clad bodies, she screamed, her head rattling back and forth.

This accomplished little, her bondage sack swinging as the light above flickered over her bound body. Hound One ignored her distress, far more interested in the spotlight that had popped on near the bottom of a ramp.

A svelte figure swayed her hips as she stepped up, sharp heels clicking against the metal plate. Spines on her corset flashed as she crossed into darkness, her eyes glowing with purple swirls.

The woman slowed as she reached the platform. Hound One took in a deep breath, anticipation tingling down her spine as more overhead lights turned on.

The woman was wearing a glossy, purple rubber dress shirt, a thin belt securing a pencil skirt to her waist. She wore lavender colored rubber gloves, the material running up her arms to her shoulders. Her hair was drawn back into a bun, matching her captive's hair style. Was that on purpose?

It didn't matter. Her Queen was here, and she would soon be rewarded for her efforts. She moaned through her gag, gnashing her teeth as she pulled at her collar, eager to greet her Mistress.

Their captive stared at them, her eyes as wide as dinner plates. She let out a whimper, her head shrinking into the bag. The front bulged as she wiggled her hips, unable to escape.

“There's nothing to fear from them, my dear,” purred the Queen, glancing at their bound forms. “They're my animals. Slaves. Drones. They won't touch you unless I command it.”

She reached out a hand, caressing the woman's chin. The captive recoiled, her body swaying in the rubber sack as she screwed up her face. The Queen chuckled. “I see the rebellion in your eyes. Good. You will be trained to utilize that energy as my new Queen.”

“A… what?” choked out the woman, her high pitched voice filling the room.

The Queen nodded graciously. “That's right. You won't be bound like a common slave forever. Once you have accepted the beat of Hive, you shall be elevated, becoming Rankotech elite.”

She gripped the side of the woman's face. “I know more about you than your family does. You're chafing under their restrictions, aren't you? You want to spread your wings, fly free under your own power. To be in control of your destiny!”

The woman scowled, turning her head to break the Queen's grip. “If you know that much about me, you damn well should know that I won't give in to whatever you're planning!”

“You won't?” chuckled the Queen, clasping her hands together. “It's easy to say that when you have no experience. How about we have this conversation again after you spend some quality time with the machine?”

She took a step back, and an electric whine filled the room. A thick, purple hood descended from the ceiling, molded into the shape of a woman's head and shoulders. Their captive looked up and blanched, spotting the hollow, purple interior as it descended next to her body.

She wiggled like a worm, but the Queen ignored her, waiting until it stopped, level with their captive's shoulders. Grabbing the side, she swung the back open on a set of hinges, turning the front so that the concave interior was visible. A thick dildo was mounted to the mouth area, the dark length glistening as light bounced off the bulbous head.

“Making a Hive Queen is a laborious affair,” explained the Queen. “I've been working on some prototype machines to automate some of the process so that I don't have to babysit each step. What do you think?”

“Fuck no,” growled the woman, shaking her head.

The Queen shrugged. “Don't disparage what you haven't tried. I'll come back and ask you again after an extended session.”

The woman struggled again, but hidden speakers in the room began to play a pulsating beat. Hound sighed in pleasure, knowing what this was.

The music of Hive. She ground her hips into the vibrator, which had begun buzzing against her pussy.

Their captive's eyes glazed over as the thrumming music pounded into her ears, disrupting her thoughts and anesthetizing her brain. The Queen patted her shoulder. “So easy,” she purred, placing a curled thumb into the woman's mouth.

Roughly yanking her jaw open, she patted her cheek. “There you are, dumb and brainless, ready for your programming.”

There was a faint hint of anger in the woman's eyes, but it wasn't enough to overcome the victorious rhythm of Hive. The Queen pulled the hood over, positioning the dildo in front of her face. “Give it a good suck,” she advised. “Let your old self go. It was never very useful, anyway. As a Queen, you'll move mountains. Something to look forward to.”

Gripping the back of her skull, the Queen pushed the hood onto her head, sliding the dildo into her mouth. Her face was soon hidden behind the thick rubber, eyes sockets covered by flat, purple ovals.

The Queen checked her throat to ensure that everything was in the proper place, caressing the rubber tubing that ran around the edges. Grabbing the back side of the hood, she swung it around, a bulbous projection poking out the rear to accommodate her bun.

“Say goodbye to your old self,” the Queen said, her voice warm. “Welcome to Hive.”

The shell of the hood clicked shut, the Queen latching it together. The rubber seam hissed as it merged, providing an airtight seal between the two halves.

Her entire body was entombed within the device. Who knew what sorts of programming would be beamed into her head by the mask?

Hound didn't know, but she was sure that the transformation would be pleasurable. It was always really, really good for her!

Ugh, she was melting watching this. Her Queen was so dominant, she wished that she could bow before her and worship her heels.

Oh, and now that she was done with her captive, here she came!

She suppressed her excitement, breathing in short bursts. The other Hounds did the same, watching their Queen through their masks.

The Queen folded her arms, a bright smile on her face. “My loyal Hounds,” she said in a sultry voice. “You've done as I've asked, succeeded beyond my wildest expectations. You deserve some personal time with me, but before that…”

Her face leered at them. “Cum for me, little pets, squirt out your pleasure at my command. Show me your obedience.”

The pressure in her pussy let go, and she howled, gurgling as the orgasm seized her body. Hanging in her restraints, she wiggled as her vision whited out.

The woman entombed in the hood was wiggling too, just like her packmates, though it was only the last dregs of resistance before she gave in. They all did.

As the pleasure peaked, she knew that she would do it all again. The joy of the chase, the victory of the capture, the ecstasy of completion.

Her and the pack, bound together at the directive of one person. Love burned in her heart.

For the Queen!