Author's Note: The start of a long trail. I know where it's going, will write more as I feel motivated.


Chapter I - The Prep

The offer really was too good to refuse. Lin's student debt had been getting out of control and her efforts to find sources of income had all ended in blind alleys. She was a good student with some good ideas, but not so obviously brilliant that anyone had wanted to make a special accommodation for her when times were so tight. She was about to be forced to give up her ambition to get a PhD, or even an MS, and settle for very reduced career prospects.

But the department had embarked on a major, well-funded research project and had invited her to participate - as a subject. In return, much of her debt would be cancelled and she would get a clear path to her PhD under Prof. Hermann. His reputation would ensure that with his endorsement she could expect to get a top-grade post-doc and a good shot at a tenure-track position at a good school. It was the solution to all her problems, the road to where she so wanted to go.

There was just one bump. The details of the project were murky, but its overall objective was clear - it was intended to explore aspects of human response to severe, long-term stress. Meaning, that as a subject she was going to be subjected to severe stress over a long period of time.

She wanted the prize, she wanted it very badly, but could she do what it was going to take to get it - whatever that really was going to be? It was a question that filled her with anxiety.

She had just gotten the disclosure packet that morning and had studied it carefully. It had been difficult because her anxiety kept getting in the way, but she felt she had gotten all of the information it contained. Not that it was all that much. The experiment depended on her not knowing too many details in advance. The full protocol had been reviewed and approved by the ethics committee - after a lengthy delay. She had to depend on their word that it was all OK and there weren't any undisclosed risks.

The disclosed ones were scary enough.

The duration was indeterminate. There would be a "normalization period," and then after that a randomized mechanism would determine each day whether the experiment was to be terminated. The expected duration was 120 days, but it could be shorter or significantly longer. During the experiment she would be held in restraints and kept socially isolated. Her bodily functions would be altered to fit the experimental situation, using very low risk, fully reversible, minimally invasive surgical procedures. She would be required to perform extra-coital sexual activity with strangers, male and female.

The sex part bothered her, but not as much as the long period in "restraints" - whatever that meant - and isolation. And the surgical part terrified her.

She turned off her phone, got undressed, assumed a lotus position on a pad on a sunlit portion of the floor of her apartment, and meditated. Or tried to meditate. Her mind would not stay clear for more than a moment at a time. Fantastic images and ideas crowded in on her.

Finally, after a long time, after the sun had moved on leaving her in shadow, a measure of calm came.

It was not a prize she could turn away from. It meant fulfillment of deep desires, a chance at a life she had longed for. She was young and strong and resilient. The department could not afford to let anything terrible happen to her.

She would do it.

"You'll be wearing a variety of equipment during the course of the experiment. It'll take about two weeks to get it all ready and fitted, and today is the start of the process."

His nametag said, "I. Schubert, MD, Asst. Prof." and he had introduced himself as the project's medical director. He was in his mid-30s, good-looking, with a pleasantly brisk, confident manner. His examination had been very thorough, concentrating on her mouth and throat, abdomen, anus, and vagina.

"You'll be getting three quite minor surgical procedures to adapt you to the experimental setup. Has anyone discussed these with you?"

"No, I knew something was planned but not what." Her voice sounded bowstring tight in her ears.

"All right. Well, first you'll get a tracheostomy. Have you ever had one before?"

"No, nothing like that." Her heart was in overdrive.

"We just make an incision in the base of your throat, right here." He pointed. "We create a stoma or opening that connects to your trachea to establish a positive airway for the breathing apparatus. For the first few days we cover the incision with some gauze and then insert a cannula that keeps the stoma open and connects to the apparatus. It sounds a bit scary, I know, but it's very simple and is done all the time when people have difficulty in breathing or need breathing assistance. After a few days you won't notice it at all.

"Next we'll do a gastrostomy, creating a stoma through your belly to your stomach. There are several possible techniques and we'll make the choice after examination. In any case, it's a simple and routine procedure that's done all the time.

"Finally, you'll have a colostomy, meaning that your colon will be cut in two and the severed ends will be sutured to your abdominal wall to create stomas. Your fecal waste will exit through the proximal stoma, rather than your anus. You won't need to wear a waste bag as we'll irrigate your bowel periodically to flush out the wastes. The distal stoma will play a role in the experiment.

"We'll do them all at one time, under light general anesthetic. You won't feel a thing and post-op pain should be very minimal. When your participation is finished we'll reverse all of the stomas and you'll return to normal functioning. There will be scars but they'll be quite small and should fade nearly completely.

"After we do these procedures, you'll spend the next two weeks getting fitted for the apparatus. Target date for your experimental entry is the fifth. Any questions?"

"Wh - when will the surgery be done?" she asked, hoping it would be as far in the future as possible.

"We'll do it today, right after we're finished talking. It will be better on an empty stomach. You'll be getting IV fluids and glucose."

She could feel the blood drain from her head.

"Are you OK?" the doctor asked. "Feeling faint? Let's take your blood pressure."

"I'm fine," she said, but her voice lacked conviction, even to herself.

He had her lie on the examining table and covered her with an examining sheet.

After a few minutes of willing herself to relax she said she was OK and wanted to go ahead. He took her blood pressure again and then called for a wheelchair to take her to the prep room. She got in it, wearing only the examining gown and he spread the sheet over her knees.

In the prep room he introduced her to the surgeon and anesthesiologist, both in surgical scrubs. She lay on the table, the anesthesiologist inserted an IV set in her leg, and asked her to count back from 100. She didn't reach 90.

She drifted slowly back to awareness.

She saw a nurse and asked if it was all over. Tried to ask, because her lips wouldn't open and no sound came out.

"Sorry, sweety," the nurse said. "The surgeon taped your lips to make sure nothing gets into the trachea. You can't talk with the trach, in any event, of course. You'll need to carry a pad to communicate. I understand that they'll be suturing your lips to some apparatus for the experiment."

Panic rose in Lin's throat. Somehow it hadn't occurred to her that she was not going to be able to talk, especially that she was not going to be silenced so soon. She would be unable to speak a word for the duration of the experiment. The idea that her lips were going to be sutured to something seemed terrifying.

And she couldn't talk to anyone about it.

The nurse walked her through the procedures for caring for the wounds and her dressings, and for feeding herself through the tube in her stomach, which she called a "PEG tube." She was glad at least that she wouldn't have to deal with a colostomy bag - it sounded disgusting.

"If you want to get a little last-minute loving, now's the time," the nurse said brightly. "I understand that they have a device that will go into your vagina next week. Something in your anus, too. You'll be staying in the clinic tonight, but tomorrow's the day."

"Devices" in her vagina and anus? She shuddered. She was being invaded and deprived of any agency, and she couldn't even say anything about it.

The following morning her hair was clipped short, and then waxed, leaving her completely bald. Her pubic area got the same treatment. It was very unpleasant, and they gave her nothing to ease the discomfort.

When she saw herself in a mirror she would have screamed if she could have. The flesh-colored tape over her mouth made it look as if she had no mouth at all and together with her bald head gave her a sinister, science-fiction alien look. It was accentuated by her strong epicanthic folds and generally slit-eyed flat facial structure. She couldn't connect at all with what she saw, a monster that bore no relation to her.

She was lost in inner turmoil as measurements and casts were taken of her vagina, anus, and mouth and throat. Each opening was dilated as far as possible with a speculum, a creepy and uncomfortable procedure. It was followed by making a cast of her entire head. Finally casts were made of her breasts, neck, hands, and feet. No explanations were given but the obvious implication was that it all had to do with the apparatus she would be wearing.

She was noticing that her jaw was feeling very strange, with heat and soreness in her jaw muscles. Her jaw would not move at all and she wondered if it had been wired shut. But there was no way for her to ask about it.

After demonstrating that she could feed herself though the PEG tube and that she understood the hygiene procedures, and after having her bowels flushed out, she was told to go home and come back in two days.

People stared at her in the street. She could scarcely blame them, but she felt horribly vulnerable and exposed. She almost wished she had whatever kind of hood they were going to have her wear.

She got to her apartment and collapsed amid the boxes. She just wanted to hide, she couldn't face seeing even her best friends.

But she had to be out of the place on Saturday, and was planning to spend the remaining ten days to the start of the experiment staying with Janet.

She mustered her energy for an hour before she felt able to text Janet. After explaining, she sent a photo.

OMG I C WHT U MEAN, Janet texted back. They agreed she would come over, alone.

She brought a black ski mask, and a pad and pencil. Lin insisted in putting the ski mask on right away, with the mouth slit closed. It wasn't very comfortable on her hairless head in the warm room, but it made her feel much more secure.

After she had explained what had happened and what was yet to come, they went to a nearby drug store where Janet asked for some pain-numbing salve. Back at the apartment they applied it to Lin's pubic area and the relief was worth the embarrassment. Then she took the ski mask off so Janet could do the same for her head.

Janet wanted to go out to a club and dance, something they both liked. Lin was very aware that she was not going to be doing any dancing or any socializing of any kind for a long time, but she couldn't face going out and being unable to speak, eat, drink, or show her face. Janet went alone and Lin curled up until sleep came.

She spent Wednesday completing her packing and carrying boxes. Even though she was alone she wore the ski mask the whole time.

Lin returned to the clinic early Thursday morning, as directed. This time she wore the ski mask, as well as a cap. But some people still stared, and it didn't stop her from feeling exposed.

She had found a pad and pencil with a lanyard she could hang around her neck, and brought along a note asking for explanations about the apparatus she would be wearing. The doctor scarcely glanced at it.

"It's going to be easier to show you. Let's get started."

It was always hard for her to argue with doctors, and being speechless made it impossible.

"The first thing is the girdle," Dr. Schubert announced. "It'll fit around your midsection and hips and connect to your PEG and colostomy tubes, and also hold your vaginal apparatus, and the stimulators. The vaginal apparatus will come later, but Paul will install the girdle today."

Paul was a good-looking black man. Lin was very aware of how exposed she was, without even any pubic hair and without her willing it her tits and clit popped. But for Paul, today she was an object he was working on.

The girdle was bulky, made of semi-rigid black plastic and extended from her pubic bone to just below her breasts, pushing them up to give her a much more prominent bust line than normal. What kind of clothes could she wear over it?

Paul had her stand and grab a bar overhead. He wrapped tape around her hands, holding her in place. Then he began the process of fitting the girdle, wrapping it around her, checking the fit, trimming some. After several tries he got it to his satisfaction. He ran a gun of some sort slowly over the seams. She could feel a little heat and presumed that they were being sealed. She grew tired of standing in one place, but could neither move nor complain.

Hanging down from the sides of the girdle were flat stainless steel chains that connected to two black bands, which in turn were connected to another chain. Paul fitted the bands carefully around her thighs, just above the knees, and sealed them. He removed the tape from her hands and had her sit on the edge of an exam table while he worked a control that shortened and extended the chain between her thighs. At its shortest her knees were practically pinned together. At its longest, she could spread her knees reasonably widely. He left it at an intermediate length, hobbling her slightly.

Obviously this was part of the restraints that had been promised, but she had no idea what it really was for. He attached a leash to a D-ring at the front of the girdle and led her with it through several halls, totally naked except for the girdle. At the next stop her colon was irrigated, flushing out greenish-brown fecal material. It was disgusting, but a little fascinating. Then she got a feeding through the PEG tube. Afterward she was left in the room for quite a while. Finally, Dr. Schubert appeared. He put an examining gown on her before leading her through the halls to another equipment room.

A middle aged black woman asked her to put her hands behind her back, and then quickly taped her wrists together. Lin pulled reflexively against the tape, but it was firm.

"Sylvia will be installing these devices in your anus and throat," the doctor said.

Lin's heart raced. The idea of having devices of some sort in her anus and throat was terrifying, revolting. She squirmed, but neither Schubert nor Sylvia paid any attention.

"These are just temporary," he went on. "They'll come out before experimental entry. In the meantime they will very gently and gradually stretch out your throat and anus to accommodate larger penetrators. Did you ever read 'The Story of O'?"

Lin nodded.

"You remember how O's anus was stretched out with successively larger plugs? This accomplishes the same thing, but more gently."

Sylvia pushed her over on her knees, her chest resting on a bolster, and spread her legs as far as the chain allowed. Lin bore down as ordered and the device was pushed into her anus and attached to the girdle.

She loathed the feeling of it, an unnatural intruder. She hated the thought of wearing it for the next ten days.

She jumped as it came alive. It felt as if something was being shoved up her ass. It relaxed, but then soon there was another wave of pressure.

"You may be able to feel the slight pulsations of the probe," Schubert said. "That will continue for the next few days with gradually increasing amplitude to stretch you out. The device extends well beyond the anus so you won't be able to sit normally. You'll need to squat or kneel instead. Let's have you keel on this pad while Sylvia inserts the throat device."

The pad was next to a frame with an open collar. This was raised to fit around her neck and jaw, and then closed with Velcro at the back, effectively immobilizing her head. The doctor removed the tape that closed her lips. Then he reached in and removed some sort of clips that had been holding her teeth together.

Lin's jaw dropped open. She tried to close it, but couldn't.

"I'm not sure you know that we injected your jaw muscles with neurotoxin," the doctor told her. "It will take a few days to take full effect, but they'll be completely paralyzed. It's needed for the experiment, and it will be helpful today."

She felt another wave of anxiety about what the experiment was going to involve. But there was nothing she could do about it, not even close her jaw.

Out of the corner of her eye she could see the doctor pick up a very long hypodermic needle. He sprayed something very bitter-tasting into her throat and then began to stick her in her throat. She could feel it going numb.

After a few moments, Sylvia thrust the black device down her throat. It fit easily, but felt terrible. She felt an overwhelming urge to somehow expel it.

The device had clips to hold her teeth tightly to it, and others to seal her lips against it. When she was released from the collar and helped to her feet, her head would not go all the way forward. It started its own pulsations, echoing those in her anus, and Lin shook her head violently, futilely trying to rid herself of it.

"Now back to Paul," Schubert said, "And then you'll be done for today. You've been doing great."

The gown was again put on her, with her hands remaining bound. She caught a glimpse of herself in a mirror as she was led out, seeing a bizarre and menacing monster with a sinister black device sticking out of her mouth.

Paul had another set of black bands, linked by a chain with some sort of device in the middle. The device attached to the girdle at the back while the bands were sealed around her arms, above the elbows. Again, the chains could be lengthened or shortened. At the extreme, the two bands could be clipped directly together, holding her elbows together. They were left in an intermediate position that gave her slack to reach her body and crotch but not her face. She couldn't act on her urge to tear at the throat or anus devices.

She couldn't wear her tee or shorts. They wrapped her in an oversized exam gown and put the ski mask and cap back on - she couldn't reach to do it herself.

Lin texted Janet, but she was working late and would not be able to meet her until 8PM. So Lin stepped out into the afternoon streets and began her walk home. Her bodily sensations were so overwhelming that she was scarcely aware of people staring. She twitched and writhed in response to the pulsations in her throat and anus, and wished that she could somehow scream. Walking was torment, standing still was torment. Her senses were totally overloaded.

Lin sprawled on her couch, waiting for Janet. She could not reach her head to take off the ski mask, but she had been able to squirm out of the gown, leaving her naked from neck down - except for the girdle.

She had found some wine that had not been packed and had poured three glasses carefully through the PEG tube into her stomach. She wasn't sure whether it was approved, but she felt a strong need of something and the wine helped a lot.

Every few minutes the gag reflex came again, and she fought it off again. She had not felt it when the thing was pushed down her throat, probably because of the anesthesia, but since coming home it had been tormenting her. Why hadn't the clinic given her an emergency number to call? Not that she could have called if she had one, but she could have gotten Janet to speak for her.

She couldn't sit at the computer desk because of the anal device, and she was too uncomfortable to read. She tried to distract herself by masturbating, but it didn't work. She was certainly not frigid and had done a lot of experimentation, but she was definitely not a high-response girl.

Lin was glad when Janet finally arrived. Janet was shocked at the restraints her friend was forced to wear, especially when she removed the ski mask and saw the grotesque mouth-throat device, and learned about the anal one.

After they had some wine together, and Janet made herself some supper while Lin fed herself with one of the prepared liquid meal packets, Janet again suggested that they go to the club and dance. It was a ridiculous idea, but they both had drunk enough that ridiculous appealed to them. It seemed better to Lin than obsessing about what was in store for her, and she recognized that it might be a long time before she had more opportunity for dancing.

Janet again wrapped the exam gown around Lin, pinning her arms, and put the ski mask on her head before they walked to her apartment. There Janet found a very short skirt large enough to go over the bulk of the girdle, and a halter top that Lin could get into with her arms bound. Then they went to the club.

It was pretty lively for a Thursday night, and quite hot. They found a table and Janet sat down while Lin knelt beside it. Without asking, Janet removed Lin's mask and halter. Many girls danced topless, and some went completely nude. People stared like she was a space alien, but Lin was too drunk to care.

She danced alone, with Janet, and with several guys. Some people avoided her, but others seemed fascinated. Tony especially. They had had gotten together very briefly months earlier, but had quickly drifted apart. Now he couldn't keep his eyes off her - nor, increasingly, his hands. Mindful of the nurse's warning about a long time to the next time, she didn't resist.

Janet had taken off all her clothes and was dancing wildly in the nude. Tony had a huge bulge in his jeans and he reached down and lifted Lin's skirt. He ground his crotch into hers. She hated it that she couldn't kiss him.

Finally things started to slow down and they went back to their table. Their clothes were gone - someone had taken them. No one would admit to having done it, nor to knowing who had. Lin was still wearing the skirt and her sandals, but Janet had nothing. Finally Lin, Tony, and Zack helped her tape a paper tablecloth around her waist to serve as a skirt. They decided that it wouldn't hurt to go topless - the anti-nudity ordnances weren't enforced and the night was still warm. They all piled into Tony's car for the ride to Janet's.

In the living room Lin unbuttoned Tony's jeans. She couldn't give him a blow job for a warmup, but she lifted the skirt and he needed no more encouragement. He wasn't too drunk to remember a condom, for which she was grateful. Missionary was about all she could manage with the apparatus. As fucks went it was pretty good - she'd had better but she'd also had a lot worse. A fuck was all it was - purely physical. But that was fine.

Her sleep had been brief and restless, haunted by strange and troubling dreams brought on by the wine and the sensations of gagging and intrusion. She felt tired and hung-over, but she had gotten back to the clinic on time. At the front a nurse took her into a small room where she removed the examining gown and used a controller to draw her elbows tight against her sides, severely limiting her arm motion. Then she put another gown on her and led her to a room with a fairly elaborate table and some equipment Lin didn't recognize.

"Hi, I'm Joan." She was a slightly dumpy bleached blonde, in early middle age. "Let's get you on the table. I'll help."

It was hard to maneuver without being able to use her hands and she needed Joan's help. Once she was lying on her back Joan quickly pulled her legs out, spreading them as widely as the thigh chain allowed, and strapped her knees down. Then she strapped Lin's wrists to the table at her sides. Finally, a strap under her chin held her head firmly against a small pillow, completely immobilizing her.

"I'm going to do your piercings and install your stimulators. They're different from the kinds of piercings you've had before. Instead of a needle I'll be using a laser and the hole will be very small. And instead of a gold or stainless barbell you'll be getting an extremely fine carbon nanotube through each piercing hole."

What piercings? For what? And what were stimulators? It all sounded mysterious and a little alarming, but of course she couldn't ask.

With a surgical-gloved hand Joan began massaging Lin's clitoris. Lin didn't respond very strongly at first because of her tension and anxiety. Joan pulled a hose out from one of the pieces of equipment and placed its end over the clit. She switched the machine on and Lin felt a pulsating suction.

Obviously, Joan was planning to pierce her clit! It was an alarming idea and she tensed, seeking to prevent herself from responding.

After a minute or two Joan turned off the suction and put an IV set in Lin's arm. Lin could see her mount a container of saline solution on the IV stand, together with a small vial of something else. As the medication flowed into her vein, she could feel the tension flow out.

When it was completely gone Joan applied the suction again, with immediate strong response. Lin luxuriated in the stimulation, feeling no anxiety.

Joan opened Lin's labial lips and held them in place with small surgical retractors. Then she pulled out a handpiece attached to a hose from another machine and carefully positioned the it against the clit. There was a high-pitched stuttering sound that lasted for about 15 seconds. Lin scarcely felt anything.

"That's all there is to the piercing," Joan said. "Now to install the stimulator. This will take a little while but you won't feel much."

Joan worked for about half an hour. The drug wore off some and Lin felt more tense, but not overwhelmingly so.

"See, here it is, all in place." Joan held a mirror so Lin could see. There was nothing much too it, just a small black mound covering her clit. Joan plugged a lead from it into the girdle.

"Now to check it out." Joan held up a small controller and pressed a button.

Lin gasped through her tracheostomy and jumped. It felt as if someone had snapped her clit with a rubber band.

"That's what we call a clit-slap," Joan said. "It gets your attention, doesn't it? I know, I tried it out myself. It doesn't hurt - it's just to get your attention. Now let's do your nipples. There are going to be lots of ways to get your attention."

The process was easier and quicker with her tits. When it was finished she had what looked like tit shields with leads plugging into the girdle. Joan demonstrated tit-slaps. She was right that they didn't really hurt - they left no sense of pain. They really just startled her.

"The stimulators can also be used for pleasurable stimulation," Joan said. "It's little trickier, but I think I can demonstrate."

She played with the controls, watching Lin. After a little while, Lin began to feel a subtle but distinct wave of pleasure radiating from her tits and clit. She wanted it to continue, but it quickly faded.

"Hopefully you'll be getting a lot of pleasurings and not so many slaps," Joan said, as she unstrapped Lin and helped her down from the table.

Her next stop turned out to be Paul again. He held up a black plastic piece. "This goes in your vagina and stays there. During the experiment it will be connected to a system that will irrigate your vagina and cervix to flush out discharges. Once it's in your days of vaginal sex are over for however many months the experiment lasts."

He let that sink in for a few moments before continuing. "You want to have one last one before I put it in? Strictly your choice? I'm not trying to force you at all."

She thought it over and then nodded.

He helped her up on the table, on her back, before using the controller Joan had left to pleasure her clit and tits, at the same time gently stroking her thighs, breasts, and flanks. It didn't take long before she felt an overwhelming desire for him. He put on a condom and fucked her very fully. With the aid of the stimulators she came repeatedly.

He kissed her breasts. "Good for you?" he asked.

She nodded vigorously.

"I'm really glad" he said. "Me too. Now back to work."

The piece went in smoothly, with the aid of a lot of lube. It filled her very fully and felt very strange, not at all pleasant. He sealed it in place against the girdle. She'd had her last fuck for a long time to come.