With each passing hour, Hayley became more and more convinced that she was not going to get out of this- that the Federation ambassador wasn’t going to storm in with a squad of Fleet Marines and demand her release. Her feelings of hopelessness and isolation only grew in intensity. Roughly twelve hours after being deposited in the medical bay’s holding room, the guards returned. Attempting some passive resistance, Hayley refused to cooperate with their orders and remained seated in the corner of the room. It was the last time she’d attempt to defy her captors. While one of the guards forced her onto her feet, the other raised his repulsor rifle, and on the lowest setting fired a shot of concussive energy directly into her body. The feeling was like getting kicked in the stomach by a professional punter. Air rushed out of her lungs, and pain ripped through her, causing her to keel forward. She wretched, unloading the contents of her stomach all over the highly polished floor.
"Get up," one of the DIS agents barked. "Or the next one’s going into your head."
She complied...at least she attempted to. Struggling to get to her feet while gasping for air, she slipped on the puddle of her own stomach fluids and crashed into the floor. Growing impatient the guards hauled her up onto her feet and basically dragged her back into the medical bay. They passed through a series of rooms before winding up in a large chamber that appeared more like a computer room than a medical station. A number of computer consoles with holographic displays were set up along the room, each apparently hooked to other devices. The other devices consisted of two large disc-shaped pads, one on the floor and one hanging from the ceilings and two long curved panels that stretched from the upper pad to the lower one. Along the lower was a deep circular groove about two inches wide. The floor on the inner part of the circle was jet black while the rest of the pad was that typical pasty white seen everywhere else throughout the medical bay.
Hayley was placed on an examination table within the chamber and once more restrained. Doctor Savan appeared a few moments later pushing her instrument trey with her.
"Ah, good morning. It’s a big day today, Ms. Komit how are you feeling today?"
"Fuck you!" She spat her words like acid at the doctor. The raven-haired woman smiled, picked up her DPAD from the trey. She pressed something on the screen, causing a strange high pitched whine to fill Hayley’s head, as if the sound was originating from somewhere within her. It lasted but a second, and wasn’t painful or uncomfortable in the least, it was just strange.
"Now, I’ll ask you again...how are you feeling today?"
"Go fuck yourself!"
"Warden HK14. Punishment protocol, level 4."
Hayley’s body suddenly became very stiff as every muscle in her body contracted tightly, as if an electrical shock was running through her. Her lips curled back and her teeth clenched tightly. Her hands balled into tight fists and her toes curled as she let out a painful grunt. The sensation ceased after a good ten seconds, but what felt to Hayley like an eternity. She let out a deep heaving sigh as her muscles relaxed, the pain totally dissipating. Aside from a little bit of stiffness and being out of breath, there seemed to be no residual pain left over from the attack, whatever it had been.
"That’s better. Now Ms. Komit, how are you feeling today?"
"Like shit, okay!? What the hell was that!?" She gasped for air, her face wracked with a look of fear.
"That was the Warden system in effect. The implant that was placed inside of you is a neural receiver. It can transmit and receive information to and from the Warden central computer. Think of it like a wireless router connected to your brain and to the Warden computer. Warden sends commands directly to your brain through the implant and can trick your central nervous system into believing you’re experiencing a number of different kinds of stimuli. There are ten levels of pain threshold. What you experienced was level 4, which is roughly the equivalent of a tazer. It causes all the muscles in your body to contract as if you’re being electrocuted."
Hayley swallowed hard. Given how intense the pain of level 4 had been, she couldn’t even imagine what the higher levels felt like.
"Now, lets get your plumbing hooked up."
Savan disappeared for a moment, returning a few seconds later with a nurse and a strange object in her hand. The object, or rather objects as there were two of them, were approximately 20 centimeters long and shaped like phalli. They were connected to a long thin pad-like strip, and separated by about three inches. Hayley stared through terror filled eyes as she quickly realized exactly where they was going.
"Resist and you’ll be punished," said Savan, as her nurse reconfigured the position of the examination table so Hayley’s legs were in the air. The nurse undid several of Hayley’s restraints, forcing her legs apart while holding them up. Savan slowly moved the lubricant dripping device down to the young woman’s clitoris and anus and gently shoved the two ends in.
She let out a painful and deeply humiliated cry. Her body writhed in both discomfort and to her shame, arousal as the two rubbery phalli penetrated deeply into her body. She moaned, tears streaming down her face as Savan sealed her clitoris and anal with the device’s padded end, leaving a smooth, black rounded surface between her legs. The nurse released Hayley’s leg, repositioning her into a flat laying position. Letting her writhe and squirm with the two devices buried deeply within her.
"Wh...why?" She could only mutter, looking at Savan through tear soaked eyes.
"Waste reclamation units. They interact with the Exile maintenance stations. Don’t worry, you’ll get an orientation before we send you out," Savan crossed the lab, entering a nearby cabinet. "Now then, Ms. Komit, lets get your new eyes put in."
Hayley breathed a shallow gasp. What could she mean her new eyes? Did they intend to remove her eyes and put new ones in? Everything she’d read about the SCIE project, there had been no mention of major invasive surgery. But then there was plenty about the project she didn’t know, and most of what she read was conjecture anyway. She began to panic, but the drugs and restraints kept her from doing anything but squirming. As Savan returned, she noticed the girl’s frantic behavior.
"It’s not what you think," she said with a pleasant smile as she held up a small box in front of Hayley. Inside were two small convex lenses. Like contact lenses, only their surfaces were totally opaque. "Optic sensor receivers. They will enable to see once your helmet is on by linking your visual receptors the helmet’s exterior sensor network. Now just relax."
Easier said than done, Hayley thought bitterly to herself. She was breathing heavily for all she’d endured so far the last hour alone, sweat was dripping down her body. The nurse held her eyes open as Savan dropped the contacts in one at a time. They stung furiously for several seconds, causing Hayley’s blood to burn. She moaned loudly as she thrashed against her restraints.
"Warden HK14. Engage optic sensor and compensate for contact stimulation."
The stinging sensation in Hayley’s eyes abruptly came to a stop. As she opened her eyes, she found herself in a gray, under-saturated world where colors seemed muted, shaded areas were black and devoid of detail, and well lit areas were almost too bright to look at. Grunting, she squeezed her eyes shut, turning her head away from Savan who was looking down at her.
"Very good so far," said the doctor as she undid her patient’s restraints. "Now, please stand up and come with me, Ms. Komit."
Hayley was hesitant, but then remembered they could induce pain whenever they wanted. She didn’t want to experience level 5 or above. She didn’t even want to experience level 4 again. With some discomfort, she crawled off of the examination bed, opened her eyes a crack and hobbled after Savan over to one of the four circular platforms within the room. Savan guided her to the center of the platform within the black circle on the lower pad. "Good, now just stand there. Warden HK14, ensure compliance."
Hayley felt her body stiffen. Though there was no pain, she couldn’t move in inch, not even wiggle a finger or toe. The loss of bodily control was a horrible feeling. Already she was feeling like a prisoner in her own body, yet she knew this was only the beginning. Savan moved over behind the computer with the holographic display and began manipulating the projection with her hands. The two panels on either side of the platform running from the overhead pad to the underfoot one suddenly came to life, crackling with electricity. Hayley could feel the static discharge on her body, feeling what was left of the hair on her head stand up. From the groove cut into the lower pad a ring, about a meter wide in diameter, began lifting into the air, drawing a thick clear liquid-like plastic film over Hayley’s body. Looking down, she watched in muted shock as the film sheathed her body, the static field causing it to congeal smoothly and tightly over her skin. Hayley squeezed her eyes shut and pursed her lips as the ring lifted the film over her head, forming a seamless seal at the top of her skull. The sensation of the laminate tightening around her body filled Hayley with mix of dread and panic. Her eyes opened widely as did her mouth. As she inhaled sharply, her mouth and nostrils filled with the plastic film, the material stretching deeply into her open mouth, clinging to her lips tightly and forming a mold around her teeth and tongue. Unable to move, she could only stand as she was suffocated.
Savan stepped out from behind her console and took a step onto the raised platform. "Warden HK14, adjust membrane and conform to subject body. Ms. Komit, take a deep breath and move your arms. Then take one step forward."
Hayley felt the seal in her throat open, gasping deeply for air as she began pulling her arms off her sides. As the membrane stretched, it filled in and sealed the tears left along the sides of her body, seamlessly rejoining together. She did the same with her legs taking a step and creating a gap between them. Again the membrane resealed, tightly forming to the curves and contours of her body.
"How do you feel?" Savan asked, her voice coming through slightly muffled thorough the clear plastic-like substance covering the girl’s ears.
"Weiod..." Hayley muttered in reply, her inability to move her tongue beneath the plastic sheath making her ‘R’s’ sound like ‘aw’s’. "What is it?"
A small, pleased smile appeared on Dr. Savan’s lips. "Plasmic membrane. Made of a cocktail that includes semi organic material and the latest in nano-technology. It prevents sweating, saliva production and will maintain your body temperature. Further, it dulls sensation by inhibiting your tactile sensors. Please return to the examination bed."
Hayley took a single step. The sensation of moving within the clear plastic sheath was a bizarre one to say the least. The membrane stretched with her body like a second skin and didn’t bunch up anywhere as she swung her arms and legs. Though her toes were conjoined, her fingers were all individually sealed. She brought a hand to her face as she stepped down from the platform, and slid her fingers down her tightly sealed face, letting out a small whimper at the lack of sensation in either her fingers or her cheek. There was no friction as she traced her hand down her cheek and down her chest, over her breasts and to her stomach. It was like being covered in a thick layer of baby oil, but with no residue.
Stepping back onto the padded table, she laid herself down, only to be sat up as the doctor adjusted its position. The nurse appeared, carrying with her a pair of smooth insole-looking objects, both covered in some kind of gummy pink looking substance on their topside. The nurse placed both of the padded soles on Hayley’s feet, pressing them firmly against her base of her membrane-covered feet. The soles made a rather unpleasant squishing noise as the nurse worked them in, ensuring they were perfectly conformed to the young woman’s feet.
Once the nurse had finished, Savan reappeared from a side room carrying with her two long ovular sections that resembled two perfectly halved eggshells. The outwardly rounded portions of the two halves contained a number of small round dots, each the approximate diameter of a ten-cent piece. "Now just relax," said Savan as she slowly drew the two halves of the helmet on either side of Hayley’s head. "Warden HK14. Ensure compliance and prep for helmet application."
The membrane coating the inside of Hayley’s nose suddenly sealed as Savan pushed the two halves of the helmet together. The young singer felt her head sink into the semi-fluidic insulation that filled the interior of the two halves. The excess squished out of the narrowing gap between the two halves like a jelly filled donut being crushed. The pressure buildup around Hayley’s head was becoming quite intense, like a pair of large jaws enclosing around her skull. A considerable amount of the paste-like insulation filled her mouth, forcing Hayley to swallow it. Though she couldn’t taste it, the paste did have a gritty quality about it that made swallowing it unpleasant. When at last enough of the excess filling had been displaced the two sides of the helmet joined together with an audible click that Hayley felt down her spine. The feeling of her head being locked into its own personal casket was a horrible one. Hayley couldn’t move her jaw and could just barely move her lips. She was blind, deaf and the pressure around her head was causing intense feelings of claustrophobia. She began to panic. Fortunately she didn’t seem to have a problem breathing. It was a small blessing however, as her body began to quake from the terrible feeling of entrapment she was experiencing.
"Warden HK14, reset optics. Set to receive from sensory network 12632."
Hayley suddenly found herself able to see through the helmet. Moving her eyes around, she found she had an almost completely unobstructed 180-degree view. She did notice an unusual interpolation effect as she moved her eyes from side to side and up and down, causing objects to blur slightly. It was caused by a delay between the time images were received by the sensors on the helmets, converted into data, received by the optical lenses and translated back into images. Everything still had a very muted, unsaturated look about it though which depressed Hayley considerably. At least being able to see again helped to calm her.
"Warden HK14, initialize auditory sensor. Ms. Komit? Can you hear me?"
Hayley turned her head toward the doctor, finding she could hear her rather clearly now through the helmet though it was more like the woman’s voice was speaking directly into her head as opposed to through her ears. Savan took the gesture as an acknowledgement that she could hear her voice. "Good. You’ve done well so far. There’s just one more step. Please stand up and follow me."
"Fucking bitch..." Hayley muttered through her clenched teeth, hopeful that her words couldn’t be heard through the helmet. The fact that the woman made no indication that she’d heard the insult seemed to confirm as much. The young singer climbed off of the examination bed once more and followed the doctor out of the chamber. Passing through a connecting corridor, the two entered into a small room, containing a raised circular platform not unlike the ones in the previous room though smaller and lacking the side panels. Upon entering the new area, Hayley saw she wasn’t the only one in there. Three others were standing inside, lined up along the wall next to the platform device. All of them, like Hayley were covered in clear, glossy membranes and their heads were concealed beneath the spotted metallic eggshell-like helmets. Of the three, two were male and one female. Based on body shape, one of the men appeared to be middle aged, the other perhaps in his late teens. The girl was definitely a teenager. It quickly occurred to Hayley who these people were. Lucas, Laryssa, the girl from the cafeteria and her father or possibly Lucas’s father. "Oh no...no...god no!!" Hayley moaned.
One by one the three stepped up onto the platform. A ring-like apparatus appeared from the base of the platform around the person standing within and lifted up, dragging a sheet of black, liquid latex-like material up over the body and sealing seamlessly over the helmet, forming a perfect second skin. When the latex was fully sealed, the incarcerated individual spread their arms upon command, wiggles their fingers and stepped off the platform, causing the latex to reform wherever it had bifurcated and separated.
"The final layer serves three main functions," Savan said to Hayley as she watched in silent horror as the young girl ahead of her was tightly wrapped in a latex sheath. "It adds to your isolation by further inhibiting your tactile sensors. Provides protection from the elements. And lastly it serves as a psychological buffer for other citizens, helps them to disregard you and not be able to identify you individually." Soon it was Hayley’s turn on the platform. Standing in the center of the platform she closed her eyes, her body quivering from fear as she silently prayed for a miracle to get her out of this. Her prayers went unanswered. Like a partially liquefied sheet, the latex-like material was drawn over her body, encasing her already encased form in a layer of glossy, solid black material. This time she could barely feel the application, except for the slight pressure caused by the material as it tightened around her body.
"Now take a step, move your arms, wiggle your fingers," Savan commanded.
She couldn’t take it anymore. Her desperation and anger had reached a boiling point and began overriding her fear. She thrashed wildly, kicking her legs and throwing her arms in a fit. Beneath her helmet she screamed and cursed. Digging her smooth, rounded fingertips into her body, she desperately tried to claw the skin-tight material off.
"Warden HK14. Punishment level 1."
A surge of pain ripped through the young girl’s body. It lasted only a second, but it was an intense second, like she’d just gotten a thousand consecutive bee stings throughout her body. She cried out in pain and stumbled, falling from the platform and collapsing on the floor.
"On your feet, Ms. Komit."
Slowly Hayley climbed back to her feet. She looked down at her hands and her body, seeing only a body made of black latex where hers used to be. She began shaking as she stood up straight, fear, sadness and anger filling her. She could hardly fathom having to spend the next year and a half like this...a prisoner in her own body. Unable to feel. Unable to communicate. Isolated. Alone...It was almost too much for her to be able to withstand. She felt like collapsing...her knees quivered and her body and hands shook. She wanted to cry out. She wanted to lash out. She wanted to rip this junk off her head and off her body and run into Max’s arms. She wanted to get off this horrid planet and go back home. She wanted to crawl into her bed and sleep forever.
She wanted to die.