A week later, in a nondescript government building, Emilia leaned over a technician’s shoulder and took a deep breath.
“All right,” she said. “Let’s unzip her and boot her up.”
“Yes, Dr. Vargas,” the technician replied as he began typing.
$ mv /opt/storage/alpha-001.tar.gz /var/data/
$ cd /var/data/
$ tar xzf alpha-001.tar.gz
$ systemctl start alpha-001Emilia smiled as thousands of lines of console output scrolled by on the man’s terminal screen.
“Welcome back, Alanna.”
Alanna closed her eyes and luxuriated in the warm water cascading down her body. The sensation was exquisite—even hypersensory! She wasn’t sure if ‘hypersensory’ was a real thing, but she honestly didn’t give a damn at this moment. It just felt amazing!
I’m not sure how I got here, but I’m pretty sure I don’t care.
After another ten languid minutes in the shower, Alanna reluctantly shut off the water and stepped onto the ivory tile floor. No towels were hanging anywhere, so she padded naked toward the bedroom.
Something caught Alanna’s eye before she exited the steamy bathroom. She stopped, turned to the left, and gazed at her reflection in a full-length mirror. Water clung to every surface of her nude body like a second skin. Though that was an extraordinary sight in and of itself, Alanna was more entranced by her physique.
She worked out, at least semi-regularly, though not with much intensity. Alanna had always been in reasonable shape. Sure, she had patches of cellulite here and there, maybe the start of some pudge on her belly, and her breasts hung a little lower than she preferred—and ever-so-slightly lopsided. All in all, though, she was fine with her body.
The reflection in the mirror, however, was like another person. Alanna had the same fiery red hair and familiar face, but the similarities ended there. Her breasts were noticeably larger, appeared to defy gravity, and were topped by two rock-hard nipples.
“Damn, I bet I could cut glass with those bad boys.”
Alanna’s eyes wandered lower to the visible abs under her flat stomach and her uncharacteristically hairless crotch. She slid a tentative hand down to investigate. It was perfectly smooth, as though no pubes had ever grown there. Of course, Alanna knew that was far from the truth. Her bush usually had a mind of its own, requiring constant pruning lest it grow out of control. And now it was… gone.
Alanna turned slowly, looking over her shoulder at her butt in the mirror. Her jaw dropped. As if her perfect breasts and smooth crotch weren’t shocking enough, Alanna’s ass was exquisite! Gone were the dimpled patches of cellulite and sagging skin, replaced by perfectly firm, prominent glutes.
“The bubble butt of my dreams!” Alanna remarked as she slapped her bare ass. It hardly jiggled.
She could have admired her naked body all day, but she had more exploring to do. Alanna exited the bathroom and looked at the king-size bed as the water evaporated from her bare skin. Several outfits lay before her, each inviting her to a different adventure.
The first ensemble consisted of a black sports bra and navy blue yoga pants. Next was a knee-length emerald cocktail dress, a diamond necklace, and black stiletto heels. Next were a pair of denim jeans and a frumpy gray hoodie, just begging her to curl up with a novel and a steaming cup of tea.
Alanna chuckled. “Somebody here knows me well.”
She shifted her gaze to the last ensemble and raised an eyebrow. It was a red string bikini smaller than any swimsuit Alanna had ever seen. The two triangular bits of fabric in the top were just large enough to conceal her prominent nipples. The bottom seemed even smaller, with one tiny scrap of cloth to cover her crotch and what appeared to be red dental floss in the back.
Alanna furrowed her brow but then remembered the bangin’ bod she had just admired in the bathroom mirror.
“Hmm, I might actually be able to pull this off.”
She reached for the micro bikini and hesitated, her eyes drifting to the emerald garment instead. Alanna seldom went out and didn’t own anything as elegant as that cocktail dress. It was so not her, but it was calling to her nonetheless.
“All right,” she said after a few moments, “but I’ll be back to rock that bikini.”
After donning the classy ensemble, Alanna took a few tentative steps in the stilettos and found she could walk perfectly well. Although she didn’t own a pair of heels and had no experience wearing them, this world didn’t seem to obey standard rules, so she just accepted it and kept walking.
When she reached the door, the entire room shimmered out of existence, leaving Alanna on a featureless black expanse stretching into the distance in every direction.
“What in the—”
She stopped abruptly when the shimmer reversed and dropped her in the fanciest restaurant she’d ever seen. Well-dressed people lounged at round tables with crisp white tablecloths, laughing and chatting without a care in the world. Servers wove among the tables, refilling wine glasses and delivering all manner of exquisite foods.
“Ah, Ms. Sullivan,” said a male voice next to her. “So lovely to see you again. Right this way, mademoiselle.”
Alanna nodded absently and followed the man to a secluded table near the bustling kitchen. She sat down and smiled.
“I’ll have a bottle of your finest Pinot Noir and a plate of baked oysters.”
Alanna had no idea if those would go together well, but she had a feeling it wouldn’t matter in this strange world.
The man nodded. “Excellent choice, Ms. Sullivan.”
He walked away, returning a moment later with the items Alanna had ordered. She took a sip of the wine—it was exquisite! She slid an oyster between her lips—delectable! Within a minute, the plate was empty, and the waiter reappeared.
“And for your main course, mademoiselle?”
Alanna didn’t hesitate.
“Filet mignon, salmon, diced red potatoes, and asparagus, please.”
“Certainly.”
Again, he walked away and returned a few seconds later with her entire meal. Everything was more mouthwatering than her wildest food dreams. Alanna luxuriated in the gastronomic experience and basked in the restaurant’s ambiance. Soon, her plate was empty, and the waiter seemed to materialize beside her.
“Dessert, Ms. Sullivan?” he asked.
“Oh, yes! Whatever you recommend.”
“Certainly.”
He returned two seconds later, sliding a plate before her.
“Dark chocolate truffle tart, mademoiselle.”
Alanna took a bite and nearly lost consciousness. It was unearthly in its decadence.
After finishing everything, including the bottle of wine, Alanna stood up to leave. Once again, the restaurant shimmered away as her hotel room returned. The other clothing sets were gone, replaced by a small printed note. Alanna walked over, picked it up, and read.
I trust you’ve enjoyed your first day. Rest up, buttercup. Training begins at 0500 tomorrow.
Alanna furrowed her brow.
“Training? For what?” She shrugged. “Well, that’s future Alanna’s problem. Right now, I need some sleep.”
She flicked the note across the room, kicked off her heels, and carefully removed the diamond necklace, setting it on the bedside table. Then she unzipped the back of her cocktail dress and let it fall to the floor. Once again nude, Alanna crawled into bed and fell asleep within moments.
She awoke to find herself standing in a line of women on the featureless black expanse from the night before. Alanna and the others were naked aside from green and black camouflage bodypaint. A large man in a black suit stood before them with a malicious grin.
“Welcome to the Crucible, ladies. It’s time to see what you civilians are made of. I certainly hope we got our money’s worth in this deal.”
Alanna’s eyes opened wide.
Crucible? Deal? What deal? Shit. This can’t be good. Maybe I should have gone with the bikini…
Copyright 2024 Olivia Zoe Quinn
Image by Victoria from Pixabay
Story notes
After nearly a year, Alanna is finally back for part two! I’m excited to return to this series and hope you’ll come along for the ride. I’m sure you have questions. I have answers… which we’ll get to eventually. For now, grab some baked oysters and settle in for a wild adventure.
Article Tags: Digitized · Female · Nudity · Sci-Fi · Volunteer
