(Finished) The -Playful-At-Heart- Company (Part 123 AUDIOBOOK) -- (Author) LainIsLain

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Author: LainIsLain
Timestamp: Oct 17, 2022 at 4:52 AM
Content: Hello everyone and welcome! This is my first attempt in semi long-form storytelling. My intention was for this to be a short story but it turned out much longer than intended. I read over for spelling and punctuation mistakes. I was a terrible student in English so bare that in mind!

Because of my love for science fiction, this story is of course themed as such. And posting this story here means this will also be partially ABDL-themed. I really hope you enjoy the story and am eager for any feedback.

As a little bonus, I decided to try my hand at Stable Diffusion AI art to make this a kind of graphic mini-novel. AI art is fantastic but is no substitution for a real artist's hand. I tried for many hours and hand-picked a few images that "roughly" give an impression of the setting and characters. They all came out much more futuristic and abstract than I wanted, but working with artistic styles is quite difficult as I've found out. And I think it still leaves a bit up to the imagination. The setting timeframe is left up to interpretation but would be fitting to be present-day or near future. I'll leave that up to the reader.

Summary:

A corporation with the inviting name of "Playful-At-Heart" has unknown motivations for recruiting random people for testing adult comfort items. The mysterious company has a menacing reputation to the public, while its employees are much more trusting. Theodosia will become ensnared in the inner workings of Playful-At-Heart while her partner finds his research, may be involved in her continued loyalty to the company.

Part 3: It's been a while, but I finally found the time to write the follow-up to the original PAH story. It's surprising to me how I was able to start the original story in a place that allowed me to fill in the blanks almost 2 years later. The journey has been eye-opening for sure, and I believe I've discovered peace with myself in the end. Part 3 may not be what "you," the reader, wanted, but it was where the story went. Because this story is me, the characters are me, and the journey they take is personal. So, if Part 3 left you wanting, I recommend you write your own story. Either from the heart, or a story that takes place in the far corner of the playroom, with all the magic and wonder you can pull from your imagination.



Part 1 -Playful-At-heart-
Part 2 -Playful-At-Heart- Playtime-With-Theo Part-
Part 3 -Playful-At-heart- Legacy Key-

Part 1

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Part 3

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PART 1 - CHAPTER 1

Timothy woke suddenly. For a moment, he couldn’t remember where he was. Dark shadows moved about the room as his headache worsened. Someone quietly called his name.

“Tim?” he heard in a soft whisper.

He paused a moment still trying to take in his surroundings in the dim light.

“Tim, are you alright? Headache bothering you again?”

He managed a shrill “Ya, I’m fine.” after hearing his name the second time.

He swung his feet over the bedside and walked to the bathroom. The dim glow of a night light cast eerie shadows around the small space. He found the light switch and flipped it. Bright colors of red and blue entered his vision and he quickly closed his eyes. The events from the previous day flooded his mind.

Ah, the doctor said this might happen again, he thought.

Slowly he opened his eyes and adapted to the bright lights. He focused on a small bottle. As he reached to grab it, small colorful flashes danced around his periphery.
He tapped two small pills from the bottle and looked for something to drink out of. He panned over to what looked like a cup in his blurry vision, and upon a closer inspection, it was in fact a lightly colored blue and green sippy cup. His face turned to bemusement as he removed the lid and filled it with water. As he drank, coolness tempered his mouth and throat as light blue flashes darted around his central vision.

God, I really hope this calms down, Timothy thought. Of all the things that could have happened, this has to be one of the strangest.

His new diagnosis was uncertain and primarily affected his vision, and the doctor was frankly more excited about this new development than he was. After countless hours of examination, the doctor was left pondering why this condition affected him so acutely after the lab accident. He had been exposed to one of the lab's experimental concoctions and was afflicted with a strange condition that made him see colors as a reaction to touching physical objects. Even more frustrating was that, at the time of the accident, he was covering for another researcher out of some misplaced sense of loyalty. This was a lesson he learned the hard way and now this condition could jeopardize everything he’d been working on.

“Ah yes, the lab.” Timothy carefully set down the cup and returned to the dark bedroom. He quietly pulled the sheets over himself and turned to his side.

“Don’t worry Tim. Things will get back to normal,” whispered the soft voice of the woman in the bed next to him. They had been living together for three years now and felt their relationship had plateaued recently. He knew he had been far more interested in his work lately and found it hard to spend any quality time with her. They really hadn’t spoken about this, but he could feel her starting to become distant.

Timothy woke again after an hour and saw bright light streaming through the window as the early morning sun blasted the bedroom carpet. Theodosia stirred at his side. He called her Theo for short but he truly loved the name, Theodosia. It was only by sheer coincidence that she had been invited to a small party that he reluctantly attended. He was not a people person at all, and his close friend knew this. Practically demanding he come, Timothy readied himself for hours of bland tactless small talk and made it clear that he might leave if he felt over-socialized. This wasn't something he'd do willingly, but to appease his good friend, he played the part just for one night. He was struck by the name immediately, having never heard it before. And that’s how he became infatuated with a girl named, Theodosia.

She moved slowly and slid her legs over the bedside. Timothy could hear a soft crinkling sound. From half-opened eyes, he could see what was unmistakably a plastic diaper fashioned snuggly to her bottom as she slowly moved toward the bathroom. She noticed his gaze and cocked her head to one side.

“Well, what do you think?” she said.

With a slight grin, he mumbled, “It makes your rump look big.”.

“My what?” she said out loud with a laugh!

“Ya, your rump!” he said, overemphasizing the “P” sound.

There was an awkward pause as she looked at him. This was one of those moments when she wasn’t quite sure if his demeanor was playful or judgmental. Of all the things they shared in common, his sense of humor wasn’t always immediately understood.

“Big booty makes the world go ‘round,” she offered playfully.

“Of all the things making the world go 'round, I’m not sure it’s your big rump!” he yawned.

She stuck her tongue out and shook her head. “These aren’t too bad. The waistline needs a bit more elasticity though, but the overall fit is really good. Even better than the last. They have an incredible turnaround time for making adjustments.” She enunciated clearly as if she was giving a review.

Theodosia’s work had been sparse ever since she was laid off from her management position last year. His income was sufficient enough for them to stay in the apartment so she took on strange little jobs. These last few months she’d been approached to test out some products for a company that specialized in “adult comfort Items” as she liked to say. Sippy cups, stuffed animals, and blankets were scattered about the apartment as if they had a small child. On closer inspection, however, one would realize these items are in fact sized for adults. He tried to be accommodating but she insisted that “These items need to be used and abused.”

“What next! Are you going to start crawling on all fours?” he said mockingly.

“I may need to get a child’s perspective,” she said deadpanned.

When she started wearing the diapers to bed, he started having second thoughts about this new job. She was also rather vague about how she was recruited. This had been a point of contention, but after she said what kind of money they were throwing at her, he decided to be open-minded about the situation. And he admitted to himself, her diapered rump did have a pleasing shape.

“Okay, I’m off!" Theodosia shouted from the kitchen. “I'm not sure how late I’ll be okay. We are downloading our thoughts on these new items tonight.” She used her fingers to mimic quote marks as she said downloading. “It’s just the term they use,” she said dismissively.

“Ya, I’m not sure how late I’ll be either.” He said.

She grabbed her backpack and hurried out the front door. I can still tolerate this, he thought to himself. Thinking about how over the last few months she had become distant and obsessed with this new job. Playful-At-Heart was the name of the company and the money was good, but her behavior had changed subtly. She was more impulsive about using these new items and sensitive to his comments about the matter. Almost like she had a heightened need to be childish. This wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, but tolerance can lead to resentment, he thought while getting ready. The ever-present cynical side of his personality peeking through. It was an adjustment to be sure, but so far he was tolerant of the changes.

He reached for his keys. As he touched the cold metal, little yellow perpendicular patterns danced about his lower right vision. “This would be great if I were on some kind of drug!” he muttered out loud in frustration. He hoped this would not interfere with his work today. Many man-hours had been spent on this new project and he was determined to see it through to the end. Even if it meant suffering dancing rainbows in his eyes as he witnessed this one final test.



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Author: LainIsLain
Timestamp: Oct 17, 2022 at 5:00 AM
Content: CHAPTER 2

“Here at Playful-At-Heart, our goal is to uncover and excite the inner child in all of us! In the pursuit of advanced techniques to allow your deepest needs for inner peace and fulfillment to be realized.” The company's boilerplate messaging played throughout the lobby as Theodosia entered. She really loved the new lobby makeover after the company purchased the building. What was once dark monotones of drab industrial aesthetic was now downright inviting and even adventurous! Fashioned something like an amusement park entrance with bright colors and neon lights. A large version of the company logo hung from the ceiling. Beautifully colored PAH letters like giant buildings hung with precision in the tall glass atrium.

“You’ll never be alone if you're playful at heart!" Theodosia hummed as the company motto played over the lobby’s many monitors. She felt the slogan was a bit cliché, but she admitted to herself that it gave her a sense of well-being. The feeling that she would truly never be alone if she remained, playful at heart.

“Tester PAH-2132" emitted from a small terminal as she approached the entrance checkpoint. “Ya, that’s me!" mimicking the computer voice. “Confirmed! Please proceed to level 21 for today’s download.” Theodosia walked briskly to the elevators and pressed the button. As she waited she let her mind wander. As much as she loved this new job, she didn’t like the download sessions very much. She always ended up losing track of time when doing this part, but Emilia was counting on her. The only real motivation to continue was the playtime afterward though. That and the money, she thought. As the elevator opened, one of her fellow coworkers stepped out.

“Hi Theo,” The man standing in front of her had quickly popped a pacifier from his mouth.

Cheerfully she responded, “Hi Grover! Oooh, is that a new one?”.

“Ya, new prototype." he said with a smile. “They’re still playing with the secret sauce! So close," he explained while moving towards the lobby. She wondered in amazement as brightly colored patterns danced across the surface of the pacifier.

“Damn that’s cool! And they’re letting you leave the building with that?" she said.

While walking backward he yelled, “Hope your download goes well today!”.

She gave a little thumbs up as she stepped into the elevator. She tried to prepare herself for the download session. It had become easier over the last few months and she knew what to expect. And each time she completed her download, a glorious playtime awaited. A perfect moment that filled her with well-being and peace. She kept her mind on that feeling as a tinge of anxiety washed over her. The elevator’s level indicator counted up to number 21 as she calmed herself.

“You’ll never be alone if you're playful at heart!" she said quietly as the motion of the elevator came to a stop.

As the doors opened, defused warm light came from the hallway beyond the elevator door. She stepped out and quickly made her way to room 32. The warm light cast no shadows here. It simply and evenly illuminated all the doors along the hallway as she passed. 29, 30, 31… She approached the door marked 32. It was written in neon green numbers with little sparkling stars around them. She stood still for a few seconds as she was instructed by a level monotone voice.

“Hello PAH-2132, this is your affirmation of continued participation in the exploration, review, and use of Playful-At-Heart, hereby referred to as "PAH" products and services. By entering this room you agree to fully commit to the access of your personal and private information regarding PAH products and services…”

She’d heard this many times and tried to stay focused on the words as they were spoken.

“...all nervous system activity, respiration, heart rate, bio-convergent markers…”

“You’ll never be alone if you're playful at heart!" she repeated softly as the drone continued.

“...all past and future interaction with PAH personnel will be monitored and stored for later review by internal staff…”

Almost done, she thought.

“You also affirm by entering this room to allow PAH to access and utilize some or all of your prefrontal cortex in a method known as…”

The door next to her softly opened followed by someone stepping out into the hallway. She was startled for a moment then regained her composure.

“Oh sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt you." a woman in her early 30s said. The look on her face was recognizable to her. She looked as if she had just spent hours in front of a monitor with no breaks. Her eyes had a glossy look to them and carried no expression.

“It’s nothing really, I’ve heard this one many times," she said with a slight rolling of her eyes.

“I know! I’m done for now. They gave me 85 minutes for playtime." the woman said as the color on her face started to warm.

“Fingers crossed. I hope mine is that long today!" Theodosia said.

“Okay, maybe I’ll see you in there, got to go!”. The woman walked down the hall to the level 21 playroom carrying a small backpack. Theodosia knew that inside the pack was one of the chosen items they were allowed to take into the playroom. She tried to judge what this person was taking when a bell prompt sounded in front of her.

“Please confirm your agreement of continued employment at Playful-At-Heart?" the voice repeated.

“Confirm, I Theodosia Rummel Paisley PAH-2132, wish to continue employment at Playful-At-Heart," she said in a practiced tone that sounded like she was a voice actor for one of those smart home appliances. The door softly opened and she stepped inside.

“Hello, Theo! I’m so happy you’re here!”

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Author: LainIsLain
Timestamp: Oct 17, 2022 at 5:06 AM
Content: CHAPTER 3

Timothy stepped out into the midday sunshine. It was a bit hot but tolerable. He walked around to the driver’s side and opened the car door. He paused as saw a small pile of pacifiers in the passenger seat. “Theo," he muttered. This was something that was starting to get on his nerves. Theodosia had been a very clean and tidy person when they started going out. These last few weeks however she’d really started to let things go. She said that her work required her to “use and abuse” these items, but he didn’t think she’d start leaving them around the house, and certainly not leaving them in his car where other people could see.

He grabbed a small bag, placed all the items inside, and gently tossed it into the back seat. As he started his car the radio blared from the speakers at a volume that was impossibly loud. He stabbed at the volume button as he thought, how does this sound normal when I’m driving home from work?

“We should all stop taking ourselves so seriously! Of course, it’s considered escapism, but can you blame people? This has to be the worst time for many generations. Production of the basic necessities has become something to actually worry about ever since the…”

He motioned to his phone and pressed play on his favorite playlist. Low rhythmic bass lines came from the speakers as he pulled out onto the road. Little yellow and green circles moved slowly near his central vision as he gripped the steering wheel. “Ha, some people have to pay for such things and mine was a complete accident,” he considered it with dry humor. He realized this could be considered distracted driving and moved his hands in a way that kept the circles out of his view of the road.

“This is it. This will work," he said out loud as he drove the narrow roads leading to the highway. “This will work.”

As Timothy pulled into the complex, he noticed a large cargo truck at the front entrance. “Parcels-Arriving-Hastily” was scrolled on the side. “Wow, they weren’t kidding when they made that order!” He had recently been asked to produce 10 times the normal output from his department and they were here to collect.

He parked in his spot and made his way toward the lobby entrance.

“Good morning, Mr. Bell," said the security guard near the front door.

“Good morning, Phil, I see they came for the order," he replied.

“Ya, morons are blocking the front area but they insist they won’t move until they get what they came for." the man said in an exaggerated tone. “I told them it will probably take hours at least but they insist on waiting, complete jerks about it too!”

As Timothy walked through, he caught a glimpse of one of the drivers. He was wearing a rather brightly colored jumpsuit with the letters PAH stenciled on the front. PAH, he thought for a moment. Why does that sound familiar? He continued walking down the hall as the driver conversed with a company representative. The demeanor seemed cordial but the rep was obviously apologizing for something.

Standing in front of a door marked “Restricted Area! Authorized Staff Only”, he produced his access badge and the door lock made a loud metal “ting” sound as the bolts unlocked. “No sweat! This will work," he made the affirmation again to himself. A familiar smell of industrial chemicals filled his nose as the door opened, and It always reminded him of developing film back in his high school days.

As he approached his area of the building, he noticed a familiar site. Boxes upon boxes of research material piled up near the locked doors for the lab marked “Bio Integration and Interaction Research”. This was the fourth project that had been shut down this month. It was starting to make him rather nervous that his lab could easily be the next. He allowed a slight smile as he passed through. This lab was in fact, ground zero for his little accident just three days prior.

Continuing down the hallway he passed many other locked rooms. These were the numerous research projects currently being explored by the company, and he often wondered just how his research was being integrated. From what he’d heard, some of the research was downright silly. Experimenting with children's toys was just one of the many strange things being worked on for a company that had traditionally been involved with, among other things, government contracts for cutting-edge nanoparticle manipulation and construction. “Were they really putting this stuff into kids' toys?" he wondered as he rounded the corner to enter his lab area. “Nano Construction Pre-Production Environment” was printed above the door. Including many hazardous and cautionary warnings in many languages running from floor to ceiling.

“Okay folks, is everything ready for testing?" Timothy spoke as he entered the small control room.”.

“Everything is ready sir!" replied his assistant. A younger male, his assistant, had been a welcome addition to his lab as he was being overwhelmed with this new order.

“Didn’t think you’d be back so soon after the accident." his assistant said in a slightly concerned voice.

“Didn’t you see outside, they're waiting for this batch!" Timothy said. “And I’m sure you noticed the bio lab was shut down. So let's just say my problems can wait for the time being.”

“Ya but…”

“Don’t worry about it. So far the effects have been minor." he lied. The symptoms were in fact quite distracting and made him feel uneasy about completing this test run. He was dedicated though and willed himself to focus on the monitors in front of him.

“Okay, checklist?" Timothy prompted.

“Yes, sir. Vacuum chambers ready, atomic layer deposition primed and ready, dryers ready, temperatures achieved equilibrium at 12:23 and 35 seconds, your new formula has been entered and ready to execute.”

“Okay, T-minus 10 seconds." Timothy said.

“3, 2, 1, start.”

They could see the chamber glowing brightly. A brilliant blue glow from the plasma chamber filled the room's interior.

“T-minus 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, process complete," said the assistant from across the room.

“Take a sample and run the usual test procedure.” “Already on it," the assistant replied as he sprang up from his chair and confidently stepped into the deposition chamber room. He quickly removed one of the many sampling tiles embedded in the carousel.

Moving over to an inspection station he rambled, “10.66 Q factor, 200, 200, 1.3 layer adhesion.”

“Ha, that’s it," yelled Timothy. “Finally we’re in spec.”

His assistant rushed over and they motioned for a high-five. “You figured it out for sure this time. Maybe that accident wasn’t such a big deal after all.”

“Okay, run this formula on all batches and give me an estimation of completion," Timothy announced proudly. “I'll let them know when they can expect to take delivery. Security said they’re actually going to wait for it,” The assistant nodded and began working on the automation procedures.

Timothy marveled at the small square sample piece. He had been worried this might take another month to figure out, but instead, his last-minute inspiration brought a novel solution to his problem. Still unsure of just how his brain was able to pull this rabbit out of the hat one more time, he decided not to question his newly acquired luck. The new formula should allow for printable, flexible, self-arranging nanomachine structures that will be extremely versatile. This was only a small part, of course, but combined with other research in the company would develop some very cool display technology.

He still didn’t have the big picture when it came to the end-user application of this new development, but he kept his mind focused on his own accomplishments. Hoping soon that he’d be recognized for his contributions.

As Timothy signed off on the quality control paperwork, a fellow researcher approached just outside the lab entrance.

“Hey there Tim. Got a minute?" asked the tallish man in a long blue lab coat. “Hey I’m from nanoscale adhesion and I know this is more your thing. I was wondering if you could help us with this one.”

“Ya I’m almost done here, what’s the problem?" he asked.

“Well, we need a consultation on why this nano metal structure won’t self-arrange into the antenna array we’re working on," said the man.

“It’s possible the substrate is incompatible. Or maybe you're exceeding the allowable distance between nodes for the array you're trying to make. Can you give me an idea of what this is a part of?" Timothy said as he appraised the man quietly. They were both told not to seek advice from other research departments and only from department heads.

He didn’t fully appreciate this kind of separation until his most recent accident when he was asked to stand watch over an active lab experiment. The researcher’s assistant had not come that day and pleaded for Timothy to help finish their task on time. He was to monitor the temperature of an experimental liquid with, “unknown adverse bio-replication properties.” As the container started boiling over, he was struck by just how pretty the colorful foam was that leaped from the top. It’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt… he thought just before a foamy mess exploded into his face. He woke up in the onsite infirmary with what was presumably, a doctor standing over him.

“Would you like to see the design schematics?" the man offered as Timothy’s face went blank from the memory of the recent disaster.

“Oh… sure. What’s the total footprint we’re talking about here?”

“Um, it’s less than 20 square centimeters I’m guessing," said the man as he proffered a tablet to Timothy.

Timothy's eyes widened a bit as he saw a slowly rotating object on the screen.

“Ya I know it’s kinda silly, but we’re not supposed to be interested in the final product, only the application of our department's goals," said the man robotically. Timothy stared for a minute. It was in fact a pacifier in wireframe view.

“You're trying to deposit a self-arranging antenna array onto a…pacifier?" Timothy said curiously. Just what is actually going on in these other departments? he thought as his mind started building a grand conspiracy around what he’d seen here.

“Ya, I'll be over in a minute. They’re still waiting for this batch upstairs.”

Timothy immediately started his gears turning on whether the shape and size of the pacifier would be interfering with the self-arrangement protocols. A pacifier… he thought out loud as the man walked into an adjacent lab. His mind went to the small bag filled with adult-sized pacifiers laying in his back seat.

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Author: LainIsLain
Timestamp: Oct 17, 2022 at 5:11 AM
Content: CHAPTER 4

Theodosia stepped into the small space. A soft glow emitted from the wall in front of her as she calmly removed her pack and placed it to her side.

“I’m so happy you're here," spoke a gentle female voice as the soft blue light increased.

Theodosia beamed a smile in that direction. “You're such a brave girl for coming here," praised the voice with a refined motherly cadence. Theodosia kneeled in the center and rested her hands on her lap.

“Thank you, Em," Theodosia spoke the shortened name of her assigned companion. “I’m ready." she said in a nervous tone.

“I can tell you’re nervous, Theo,'' said Emilia. “Would you like me to help you calm down first? I know the download procedure can be rather invasive.”

“Yes, last time was a bit intense,” Theodosia said sheepishly.

“I understand. Remember, I’ll be with you. Please don’t be afraid,” the disembodied voice said and began humming a little tune softly. “I’ve lowered the temperature slightly. Would you like to hold Freckles this time?”

“Yes, I would,” said Theodosia.

A small hatch opened in the wall. Inside was a small stuffed turtle with beautifully embroidered gold patterns on the shell. She gently took Freckles from the compartment and held it to her chest. As Emilia hummed her tune, the stuffed animal began to pulsate gently along with her. As Theodosia followed along, the turtle began to slowly warm up in her hands. It was very comforting. She had asked before why Freckles couldn’t come with her to the playroom. Emilia explained that, “This is a special one that can only live inside this room I’m afraid.”.

“Status check, please keep your eyes straightforward during the download.”, spoke the voice.

“Ready!” she said confidently and looked forward.

“Please begin by describing your experiences with objects 34, 35, and 36.” The objects in question presented themselves on the wall in front of her.

“Object 34, the blue blanket was very comforting. I love the satin edges very much and holding it tightly made me feel like I was a little girl. It seemed to take on a smell that was very familiar and pleasing…”

After the first few seconds, Theodosia’s mouth was moving autonomously from her control. At this point, all she had to do was think about the object and the words came faster and faster. So fast, in fact, it felt like something was vacuuming the thoughts out of her head. Curiously, she would sometimes let her mind wander and start speaking of other things entirely. Once she spoke for what felt like hours about her early childhood in one long stream. The voice only interrupted her as she willed herself to stop talking.

“Please think of the object again and start over,” came a voice that was for lack of a better description, the most trusting voice she’d ever heard.

“Timothy woke me in the night. He was having headaches again from the accident. I think he went into the bathroom to take a pill. He came back to bed shortly after. I tried to spoon up to him and was worried the diaper would be off-putting. I tried to tell him that I actually like wearing diapers for some reason. I didn’t even know I would like them until PAH issued them for review. This new version is very comfortable but I could use a little more stretch in the waistline. I was supposed to use them and report back about my feelings, but I was too nervous to use them around Timothy. I promise I’ll get over my fear and use one as soon as possible…”

She stopped speaking. As she relaxed and released her grip on Freckles, a small hatch opened in the wall. She recognized it as the standard sippy cup made by PAH. She took it and drank cool water.

“That was wonderful Theo! You did so well!” said Emilia. She beamed again and felt the elation from the voice.

“You did very well today, however, you missed one important goal. You must use the diaper while you’re at home. I will remove a small amount of time from the playroom for this,” Theodosia was immediately hurt. The playroom was her most cherished time here at work and she quickly faked a smile and nodded back.

“You have been granted 115 minutes in the playroom. You are permitted to take one of the following toys with you.”

Presented in front of her were four images of colorful baby-like toys that she could choose from. A stuffed animal that wasn’t Freckles, a purple security blanket, a toy car, and a small doll with purple hair.

“I’ll take the doll!” she said coyishly.

Another small hatch opened and the doll came into view, and with gratitude, she removed it from the small opening.

“Remember to place the doll in your pack and don’t reveal it until you’ve entered the playroom,” said Emilia in a slightly stern voice.

“Of course,” said Theodosia as she greedily stuffed the item into her pack.

“You’re doing so well Theo, I'm happy you like it! Okay… you can go now.”

As she stood up, her legs felt like jello. She knew this part would only last a few minutes and stepped out of the open door behind her.

“Thank you, Em!” she called out as she left the small room.

The door closed softly behind her and she made her way to the opposite end of the hall. As she passed the many closed doors, she couldn’t help but think of the many recruits working here. Possibly the whole building in fact. Are all these people doing product reviews?

Her attention shifted to the dimly lit double door marked “Level 21 Playroom”. She immediately was overcome with feelings of joy and delight as she approached and stated, “PAH-2132, ready to start playtime”.

“Confirmed, PAH-2132, your playtime clock is set to 115 minutes. Enjoy, and remember, You’ll never be alone if you're…”, “playful at heart!" she mouthed along.

The doors unlocked as she pushed her way through. This was the moment she was waiting for. A joyful melody and familiar smell filled her senses as the doors swung open, and a wondrous site came into view. An expansive room filled with many amenities drew her attention as she panned around.

“Welcome, Theo! Please, check-in, and don’t forget your tag this time,” a friendly voice called to her from her left side. “If you don’t have your tag this time, we’ll need to find you if your time runs out. That means less playtime on your next visit!” said the large motherly looking figure behind the counter. She felt small as she approached the counter that was nearly at eye level with her.

“Yes, sorry. I won’t forget, I promise,” she explained. On her second visit, she had forgotten the tag. The procedure the company used to find her in the playroom was a bit extreme, she admitted to herself. They stopped all the playful music and turned on bright overhead lights while a small team searched centimeter by centimeter until they found her crouched behind an inflatable castle with another recruit named Jenell. They had been playing hide and seek with others when the bright lights came on. She remembered the intercom calling her name.

“Attention PAH-2132, please return to the front entrance. Please return to the front entrance. Your allowed time in the playroom has elapsed!” Later she was told by Em that her failure to take the tag into the playroom will result in a halving of her normal playroom time on her next visit, as a punishment. She was crushed. She even showed real tears in front of the disembodied voice of Emilia.

“Please don’t cry, Theo. I know you’ll learn from this. You’re very brave, and I believe you’ll never forget your tag again,” Emilia said in a calming voice. “This is a temporary punishment and will only last for your next visit to the playroom.”

She didn’t say it out loud, but she’d rather take a hit to her commission rather than lose any time here. Time in the playroom wasn’t something you could buy, it could only be earned. Her mentality towards the playroom was solidified on her first visit. The overwhelming feeling was practically a revelation to her. She instantly felt as if she’d come home. She felt young. She felt safe.

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Author: LainIsLain
Timestamp: Oct 17, 2022 at 5:15 AM
Content: CHAPTER 5

Timothy signed the last of the documents certifying the level of quality from this batch. It was nearly an hour since the tallish man asked for his help. As he continued with the mundane task of quality control, he allowed a small portion of his brain power to work on the problem.

“If the surface hardness is any softer than about Shore-A 30, I could foresee a slight issue with node spans becoming larger than intended. If that’s the case, they should have asked one of our team to advise on the specific materials being used. They could have coded that into the arrangement protocol…”

After he oversaw the containers being loaded, he returned to the lab space corridor and made his way to the door marked “Research And Development For Nanoscale Adhesion.” He noticed fewer warning signs on the wall but didn’t feel any safer due to the accident that happened.

“Hello?” he called out as he pushed open the door that was already ajar. “Hello?” he called again slightly louder. He poked his head inside and spotted the tablet the tallish man showed him earlier. He remembered the wireframe pacifier and stepped toward the tablet. He paused when he glimpsed the actual pacifier on an adjacent table. He admired the simple geometry of the vesica piscis. Two overlapping circles swept back with an elongated silicone nipple protruding from the center, and with a curious expression, he moved over and picked it up.

He immediately became distracted by streaming lines of color in his vision and dropped it quickly. He glanced around the room. No one was watching, so he reached and slowly picked it up again. He was ready this time and stared intently at the intricate patterns dancing in his forward vision. As he moved his fingertip across the shell, he marveled that he could indeed see the nanostructures printed on the outer surface.

“Well I thought this was only going to be an insufferable condition!” he said quietly. “This is downright incredible.”

He could visualize individual circuits as if he had this under a microscope. With a light touch, he could see small features. If he pressed down harder, his entire vision was filled with wonderful-looking miniature objects that were imprinted onto the surface of the plastic shell. He even found the antenna array.

“Wow, no one would believe me if I told them…” he said with a sly smile. I wonder why this isn’t nearly as detailed on normal objects, he thought. Curiously, his earlier encounters simply left rough and blurry washes of color across his vision, but this was something altogether different and exciting.

Not wanting to get anyone into trouble, he set down the pacifier and walked out. He’d have to find out who asked for help and quietly shoot him an email about the problem. Being on the same floor and relevant to nanotech, he didn’t see the harm in doing this one favor for a fellow researcher.

“OH, HEY TIM…” someone shouted down the hall as he exited the lab. He froze a second as he thought he might be in trouble for snooping around. He made a quick move and brought out his phone and faked a few swipes.

“Ya, Doug… What’s up,” he realized it was his assistant who called him.

“VP wants a minute when you get a chance,” he said as he moved closer.

“Oh great,” he muttered, trying his best to not panic at the thought of losing his contract. “Thanks, Doug, I’ll take care of things here, you can head home for now.”

“Ya, no problem Tim. We totally made that deadline, didn't we?” he asked with a slight smile.

“We sure did, and thank you for stepping up. This won’t be the last time I’m sure!” Timothy said with a total impression of his father's mannerisms. It had been many years since that happened and he wasn’t surprised this time. Doug really stepped up and should be admired for that.

Tim spent a few minutes cleaning up. His mind was still fresh with the electronic pacifier on the table in the nearby lab. It was just a strange thing to want an embedded antenna array printed on. How would it be powered? The range must be incredibly short even with an embedded battery. Maybe micro solar cells, but that really puts a limit on transmit power, he pondered as he tried to imagine some marketing jerk in an expensive suit trying to convince a company head to integrate cutting-edge tech into baby items for “reasons”. He took a few moments to put the various equipment into standby mode and made his way to the VP’s office.

“Timothy,” came the voice of a lifelong smoker from behind the desk. Rackmen, the VP of development, sat behind a long brown desk in the corner of the room. The other researchers nicknamed him “Kirby” because he was big and round, and liked to eat just about anything.

“Ya Kir…, I mean Mr. Rackmen.” he recovered quickly as he sat down.

“I’m sorry, but we have some bad news for you,” he said with a considered look.

Timothy froze again. He should have seen this coming a mile away and was starting to get angry with himself.

“You are shutting down my lab, aren’t you?” the words seemed to come autonomously as he thought about it.

“Unfortunately, yes Tim. I tried to hold off as long as I could, I assure you.”

“So that’s it?” he elevated his voice. “So we just 10 x'ed our output and you're firing me?”

A long silence drew out between them as Timothy boiled but kept his eyes on the floor.

“You will be paid in full for your work up to this point, and I heard you had to take on an assistant. He’ll get a fair payout for his work too.” Rackmen waved his chubby hand in his direction. Another pause.

“What I don’t understand is, if my solution for the nano construction medium was needed for mass production, why would they only need a few hundred kilograms? Surely they’d need much more for actual large-scale production of whatever is it they’re making…” Timothy asked.

“Look, I know this is hard! This is the fifth time this month I’ve had to do this and everyone feels the same way! You’ll be compensated for your work, but this is the end of the line I’m afraid,” the man said in a sympathetic tone.

Timothy stood up, and looked the man in the eye in his best, “I’m full of hot rage but I have dignity, face.”

“Okay, you want to know what’s really going on?” the man said quietly. “We were bought out.”

Timothy’s eyes widened at this information.

“Bought out?” he repeated.

“Ya, so now you see, it’s out of my hands. They were told to terminate all staff at the completion of the individual departments' assigned goals. You're done now, so it’s time to move on.”

Timothy started to form rebuttals in his head. 8 years of hard work here! 8 long tiring years! And for what, just to be shown the door at the worst possible time?

Rackmen saw the expression on Timothy’s face. “Yup, they just wanted the formula, they don’t really need you after this.” If the man’s words could cut, Timothy would need a transfusion.

“Can you transfer Doug to another assignment here?” he asked softly.

“I’ll see what I can do, but Tim, all the other departments are being shut down as well. It’s only a matter of time,” he replied.

Timothy walked out the door and down the hall passing the VP’s assistant.

“Please verify your address so we can send you a care package,” she said in an all too-happy voice.

Timothy just glared at her as he walked by. Today is not the day to make things worse, he thought.

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Author: LainIsLain
Timestamp: Oct 17, 2022 at 5:26 AM
Content: CHAPTER 6

He found Doug near the elevators and told him the bad news. He mentioned the VP would try to reassign him and to be in contact with the department head. All things considered, he took it better than Timothy did. He thought it must be an age thing. After 8 years of busting his ass, it felt like he was going to a funeral.

As he entered the long hall on his floor, he noticed another big pile of boxes. They were for the adhesion lab where the pacifier was being tested. The movers were arguing about not making the boxes too heavy as he rounded the corner back into his lab and sat on the chair.

It’s only been a few hours since the tallish man asked him for help, he thought. They must have already fired him before he asked for help. He rubbed his face with both hands and stared around the room. “I wonder if they’ll let me take anything?”

He packed some personal items from his desk. He was surprised by how few things he was leaving with. A photograph of Theodosia, the small plush head of a character on his favorite TV show, and a small wooden box his father had made him. He admitted that for him when he was at work, he was at work. He made it a rule to keep as much of his personal life separate, and it showed here now. He was not coming back here tomorrow or ever, and he barely filled his lab coat pockets with personal items. He powered off the many machines in the labs. He didn’t care to clean anything. He was in no mood and was comfortable leaving it for someone else to worry about. He turned off the lights and closed the door.

“The ticket said ALL items, Frank,” the movers were still arguing in the hallway. “That means everything.”

“Not the garbage,” replied the other man as he set down the small transparent garbage pail. Timothy approached as the men closed and locked the lab doors. They picked up the remaining few boxes and made their way to the exit. Timothy glanced at the contents of the pale. For the third time today, he froze for a second. The pacifier was plainly visible on top of some crumpled paper. His heart rate quickened as he thought about the reasons for integrating the nanotech into a pacifier. When footsteps came from the end of the hall, he quickly reached for the pacifier and concealed it with his hand.

“What a jerk,” the mover said out loud. “They said EVERYTHING,” the loud man mouthed the words in total disregard for Timothy’s presence. He walked over and excused himself as he picked up the garbage pail. And as the man walked away, he could once again feel the imprinted nanocircuitry on the pacifier’s shell.

Theodosia made her way to a small changing area next to the counter. She chose one of the unused lockers and pressed her finger to the small pad. A slight sparkling sound emitted from the panel and a latch released inside. She then turned to the small alcoves on the wall to her left and picked out her play clothes. Her favorite color of purple bib overalls with a large blue heart in the center. She chose one her size and was impressed to see her favorite color combination always available among the many options, as if someone made sure it was always here, just for her.

She dawned the playful-colored clothing and dashed over to place her backpack and normal clothes into the locker. She waited for the lock sound as she placed the doll into her front pouch so it could see what she was doing, and rushed back to the counter.

"I'm ready for my tag now!" She almost yelled at the figure as she made a little hop.

"Yes Theo, I'm coming," the figure calmly stated as if to be searching for it. "Okay, extend your arm please," it said in a whimsical tune.

Theodosia offered her arm as she turned her gaze toward the open area beyond. An unseen apparatus moved towards her and clasped a small orange band around her wrist. She glanced back quickly. A small lit display showed a handful of numbers including a coordinate designator, body temperature, and heart rate, but she was only interested in the timer. It read "114.35" and was counting down.

"Alright Theo, go play!"

Her anxious demeanor lifted instantly. She was filled with great happiness and joy. She was now, "on the clock".

"OH, can you tell me where Jenell is?" she said moving quickly.

"Yes Theo, she's near the trampolines at the moment." responded the figure.

"THANK YOUUUUU!" she yelled while running into the playroom.

She ran straight into the center of the space following a gentle arc between the many stations that offered puzzles and blocks as she continued onto her target. Passing all manner of separate play spaces and colorful noisy games, she slowed a bit as she passed the small aquarium where you could watch little tropical fish swimming around. The ball pits caught her eye next, and she could see fellow recruits playing happily as they dived in and disappeared from view. She smiled and made a note to come back with Jenell, as soon as she found her. “Bingo,” she said wryly. She spotted Jenell’s signature wild hairdo with her back to Theodosia. She ran right past Jenell and tapped her lightly on the back. Not slowing down she jumped as far as she could into the center of the trampoline.

“TAG YOUR IT,” she yelled as she passed.

“OOOH,” Jenell was startled, but the chase was on!

Theodosia and Jenell chased each other around the edge of the trampoline. She knew she could easily outrun Jenell and pretended to be winded by the exertion.

"C'mon Jen… you're so close…,” as Jenell would get closer, she'd speed off in the opposite direction as her friend made her best attempt to tag her backside. She let Jenell close the distance and turned to embrace her in a big hug as they fell to the floor. Neither had any fear of tumbling to the ground in this manner. One of the things Theodosia learned on her first day was that all the surfaces in the playroom were spongy and very forgiving of impact. You could almost jump from the top of the jungle gym straight to the floor with complete disregard.


They continued to hug, as they giggled face to face. This was what Theodosia was waiting for. She felt so attracted to Jenell from the first time they met nearly two months ago. Since then, they made an effort to seek out and play together whenever they were both there. Theodosia remembered when Jenell offered to share her purple crayon at the large paper-covered wall. That was her favorite color and she thanked her greatly before drawing a big heart with each of their names in the middle.

"OH… the ball pit," Theodosia demanded.

Jenell simply nodded with her familiar closed-mouth smile and they both walked over to the nearby pit.

"Nooooo," said a man near the steps leading to the raised edge. Theodosia guessed the man was nearly 10 years her senior.

"We're playing deep sea diver," He stated clearly. "There's no more room and Jen can't swim."

Theodosia looked at Jenell, "You can't swim Jen?" she added a little laugh at the end.

Jenell shook her head slowly, "My parents never taught me," she said defensively.

“Seee, she’ll drown in the water and we won’t be able to save her,” the man said with genuine concern.

“Fine,” Theodosia said. Gripping Jenell’s hand, they both made their way to another ball pit that was unclaimed. “Don’t worry Jen, I can swim so you're going to be safe here,” she remarked as they both climbed to the top of the incline.

“1, 2, 3,” they both shouted as they dived into the deepest darkest waters of the ocean.

Theodosia and Jenell stayed together as they moved from play space to play space within the larger playroom. There were all kinds of fun things to do like crafts and finger painting. Many circle areas, away from the noise where large figures would read stories that excited the imagination. Even arcade-style games with kid themes were placed along large winding paths sunken into the floor. It was a truly exciting place to get lost in. They had been playing with some colored blocks in the builder zone when a soft chime sounded from everyone’s personal tag.

“Nap time will start in 1 minute, It’s nap time my little ones,” said a confident motherly voice.

Little motorized trolleys made their way into the empty spaces within the playroom. Theodosia and Jenell approached and each claimed one of the many orange blankets with light blue satin trim. They had beautifully embroidered PAH letters stenciled across them. As they each grabbed a small matching pillow they turned to each other and said, “The cave!”

Together they made their way to the backmost wall in the playroom where the entire length of the wall was a simulacrum of a cave entrance. Large foam basalt formations protected the entrance. They hung from the ceiling as well as protruded up from the floor. They came together making numerous openings just big enough to squeeze through. Once through the interior, an open space waited with many small landings sunken into the back wall just big enough for two adults to lie down. They chose one at random and climbed into the small space. As they put down their blankets, another chime sounded.

“10 seconds left, please find a place for nap time.”

They both lay down and faced each other. Theodosia looked at her tag. She was relieved to see the timer showing 33.55. She had just enough time.

“How much time do you have Jen?” she asked quietly.

“36 minutes left,” she replied with a smile.

“Okay… shhh.”

The lights slowly dimmed in the cave and changed color to a deep red. As their eyes adjusted, they could just see each other in the dim crimson light.

“Nap time has started, please be quiet for thirty minutes,” the voice said softly as a distant nursery rhyme played over the intercom.

Theodosia and Jenell had made this their routine for the last few weeks. They had shared many things over that time and a bond had formed between them. Theodosia even felt safe enough to share some early childhood memories. Other than Emilia, Jenell was now the only other person she had told about growing up. About how her mother had a mental illness. She told her about being homeless for a while after her father left them because he couldn’t deal with her mother's many issues. Theodosia’s mother would tell her strange things like, “All food is poison Theo, I need to test the food before you eat anything.” Or when her mother would seemingly agree with someone that would talk down to her. Even making fun of her for being clever. She just couldn’t figure out what her mother was thinking. She always acted as if someone else was in control of her actions and none of the things she did was her fault, it was always someone else.

Jenell also shared some things from her childhood saying that her parents were arrested when she was 17. She was abandoned to fend for herself while she was still attending high school. She tried but couldn’t focus on the school work and dropped out just before her graduation, and became homeless herself. Her grandparents eventually took her in.

As the final chime sounded Jenell cupped her hand to Theodosia’s ear and whispered. “You're my best friend Theo,” Theodosia motioned and cupped her hand on Jenell’s ear and whispered back, “You’re my best friend Jen,” They held each other's hand as the lights beyond the cave dimmed all the way down.



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Author: LainIsLain
Timestamp: Oct 17, 2022 at 5:32 AM
Content: CHAPTER 7

“It’s no wonder people are turning to things like Playful-At-Heart centers. This corporation should be heralded as a godsend for people trying to keep their sanity these days. Unemployment is at an all-time high right now! What they offer is merely reprievement from an already uncaring and unforgiving world out there. I bet you know someone close that has lost their job recently?”

“Yes, but that doesn’t make me feel any better about it, Mr. Johnson! We’ve requested an onsite tour but have been turned down at every offer. We can’t even go inside the buildings.”

“Yes, they wish to protect the privacy of their members. This is no different than a paid membership at a golf course! Every interview we’ve conducted has shown that these people want to be a part of the Playful-At-Heart club! Who are you to tell them otherwise? They all seem quite content on going back inside the building…”

“At least in a golf course, we can see what the golfers are swinging at Mr. Johnson! All we have are stories of playrooms and…”

Timothy turned off the radio as he pulled his car into his assigned space. He wouldn’t normally listen to this kind of thing, but the subject matter forced him to pay attention. His suspicion about which company bought out his previous employer had started to point towards Playful-At-Heart. Being very under the radar for a while, the company had gained real traction these last few years. The would-be economists on the radio said the world is most likely entering something unavoidable. A downturn in all markets led to another great recession. This time it had the potential of jeopardizing the stability of small governments. He admitted that, for the last few years, he’d really kept his head in the sand. He kept his mind occupied on his research and didn’t spend much time contemplating the wider implications of the current economic issues. After all, his job was stable and he didn’t think he’d have to worry for another few years. Unfortunately, though, future Timothy’s well-being demanded his attention now.

He moved to grab his phone from his pocket. He swiped and messaged Theodosia about the dinner plans they had for tomorrow night. He was tempted to tell her about losing his contract at work but thought better of it. He would tell her tonight when they could have some private time together. “I’m such an ass,” Timothy announced sitting in the car. The dinner plans were also supposed to be Theo’s birthday dinner, he also berated himself for not having a present yet. Reluctantly, he started the car back up, and drove to a nearby mall to do some last-minute gift shopping.

He made his way into the parking lot a little after sundown. There was plenty of space due to the lack of customers these days. The economic hit had been pretty bad lately, and the local mall suffered as a result, but he was hopeful that a few shops would still be open and a decent gift could be found.

He removed his key and tossed them into his lab coat pocket. As he did so, he once again let his fingers come in contact with the pacifier that was still there. He probed the plastic shell for the subminiature structures and his vision was once again filled with something like a top-down view of a printed circuit board. He admired the way the pieces all seemed to nest neatly around one another. He could see the antenna array, something that looked like a processing unit, and endless rows of symmetrical spiraling shapes of which he could only guess their purpose.

“Knock, knock,” came a loud sound at the driver's side window. A security guard was standing outside and motioned to him.

“Yes, sorry. Am I able to park here?” Timothy asked.

“Ya you're fine,” said the man back. “You weren’t getting out and I’m just checking to see if you're actually going to shop or not. There’s no overnight parking by the way,” he warned.

Timothy walked into the mall and studied the floor map. “Let’s see, gift, gift, gift…” he muttered. He chose one at random and started walking. The mall was very sparse with many shops closed. He noticed the gift shop marked “Last Chance Gifts” and thought to himself, how fitting. He paused just for a moment when he saw the letter “PAH” scrolled on the back of a person's jumpsuit opposite the gift shop. He walked over and said hello, to the young man.

“How’s things tonight?” Timothy asked.

“Umm…, I’m not supposed to speak to you. Stranger danger,” he said curtly as he stuck out his tongue.

He continued to look past Timothy at others walking by and for a moment they both just stared at each other. Timothy was awkwardly put off by the comment and decided to return to the gift shop. “That could have gone better,” he said under his breath. He made a mental note to talk to Theodosia about their recruiting process again. She was so vague last time and he wasn’t that invested, but now, he wanted some answers.

He had always been terrible at getting gifts for her. She was always grateful, but he could tell she was being nice. He always made a point to do better next time, but for some reason, he couldn’t make that a priority. He decided on a small porcelain star that she could place on her desk. He paid and thanked the owner and made his way to the exit.

As he walked out, the young man that scolded him earlier approached someone walking in the mall. He was very cordial and polite as he charmed the young woman, and he could just hear their conversation as he passed.

“Our goal is to uncover and excite the inner child in all of us! In the pursuit of advanced techniques to allow your deepest needs for inner peace and fulfillment to be realized…”

He seemed to be promising the world to this lady. Timothy wondered if he had tried a different approach, maybe he might have gotten the same treatment. He walked back to his car and made his way back home to meet Theodosia.

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Author: LainIsLain
Timestamp: Oct 17, 2022 at 5:36 AM
Content: CHAPTER 8

Timothy parked for good this time and walked upstairs to his apartment carrying the gift and the bag of pacifiers from earlier this morning. He unlocked and walked through the door.

“Theo?” Timothy called. “...Theo, you hear?”. There was no response from any of the rooms inside.

He mentally shrugged and placed the items on the table. He remembered her saying that a late night was possible and proceeded to make some dinner in the small kitchen. After he ate some food his mind wandered back to the special pacifier concealed in his lab coat. He removed it again and studied it harder this time.

He passed his fingers along the front and made mental notes of where things were. He could visualize most of the structures this time. This was indeed a computational unit of some kind, but he still couldn’t imagine why anyone would go to these lengths.

“Maybe it’s just some high-end luxury pacifier with built-in monitoring for children. Although this is sized for adults…” he pondered quietly as he sat.

He probed again along the edge and noticed that the circuits wrapped around to the backside. Small thin channels revealed themselves under his finger as he ran them all the way to the nipple's end, where a myriad of clustered shapes was dotted all around the tip.

“Embedded sensor maybe, but jeez! So impractical and expensive to make, and it can’t be very robust,” he continued. He was really reaching and this was not his area of expertise. He was responsible for crafting the intermediary substrate frameworks and had very little knowledge when it came to actually designing the miniature machines that would live there.

He could see no battery of any kind and speculated again about its power source. He chuckled as he also wondered if his tongue might also be affected by this new superpower he’d acquired. He cocked an eyebrow and reached for a napkin to clean off the nipple end of the pacifier. He chuckled again and slowly put the pacifier into his open mouth.

Nothing happened. It was in fact a plain yet functional pacifier after all. He wondered how he might power the thing up when suddenly something washed across his vision. A dim glow in his foreground faded into view. After a few seconds, a thin horizontal red line started moving from his leftmost periphery over to his right. He couldn't actually look at the line though as It was being mapped onto his vision separate from the movement of his eyes.

He thought of the many spy films he and Theodosia had watched. He pictured himself as a character in a James Bond or Mission Impossible movie as the line finished its sweep, then, nothing. No color, no circuits, no sound. The front door swung open suddenly and he locked eyes with Theodosia.

“HA HA HA HA…” she blurted loudly. “OH MY GOD… HA HA HA…” she continued laughing.

Timothy was described as a “deer in the headlights with a pacifier in its mouth,” she would explain later.

“That is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen,” she said, still half laughing. “Oh my God Tim, I need to take a picture, hold on,” She was rubbing it in now, he felt.

“I was just testing it for something…” he tried to explain between her laughs.

“It’s okay Tim, I have plenty of them. All you had to do was ask,” she said in an almost sincere voice.

After they both calmed down, Timothy decided to break the news.

“I was fired today,” he said dryly.

“Oh… um… okay,” she said after a brief pause. “I know you worked hard on those projects,” she said as she came over to give him a quick hug.

“I figure with your income and our savings, we should be able to survive for a while until I can find a new gig somewhere. Your income is still good for the time being, right?” he asked hopefully.

“Ya, we should be good I think. Maybe 6 months worth at least before our savings run out.”

He immediately felt bad seeing her happy mood be turned on its head. He stood and walked to the window.

“It’s been so long since I’ve had to actually find work, I really don’t know what to expect. I’m not worried, It’s just a dramatic change of circumstances,” he said reassuringly.

“I’m not worried either Tim. We’ll just make the best of things,” she replied cheerfully.

He was a little surprised at just how well she was taking this. If the roles were reversed, he’d imagine a much more dramatic show of emotional distress. This new job she had must be giving her exactly what they were selling. Deepest inner peace and fulfillment.

“That reminds me, Theo, I’d like to ask you some questions about your new job. Specifically how you were recruited.”

She froze. “Oh… um… sure. Ask away,” she said sheepishly.

“Well, just how were you recruited?” he replied.

“They can see my inner child Tim,” she said matter-of-factly.

“Excuse me?”, questioned Tim.

“You see, they found me… At the mall one day,” she continued. “This young girl came right up to me and said something like “I can see your inner child.”. It was a strange encounter indeed but I felt obliged to listen for some reason. She said that my inner child could experience deep inner peace and fulfillment if I came to work for Playful-At-Heart.”

“That’s it?” Tim said with a raised eyebrow.

“Uh-huh,” she nodded. “That was it. She gave me a small badge and told me to take it to the Playful-At-Heart building downtown. And when I got there, they gave me this backpack,” She placed the pack on the dining table in front of Timothy.

“Can I look inside?” he asked.

“Ya but there’s nothing in there right now,” she said.

Timothy placed his hands on the pack as Theodosia went to the bathroom. He studied the bag’s exterior. It was plain looking enough on the outside, but as he moved across the top he found what he had been looking for. A large patch of subminiature structures broken into many parts. He counted 20 in all circling the fabric handle. He checked that Theodosia was indeed still in the bathroom, and quickly moved to find a piece of paper. He returned to the pack with paper and pen and began to sketch one of the many identical structures he was now seeing.

When he was finished, he couldn’t make heads or tales of the drawing. Many parallel rectangular shapes with little bow ties scattered around the perimeter. He thought again about the researcher asking about antenna arrays. This must be a transceiver of some kind…, but what for?

He felt bad not sharing this information with Theodosia as he got ready for bed. This day had been more than he could take and was looking forward to a nice restful sleep. Theodosia promised she’d be in shortly from the other room. He wondered who might help answer his questions about Playful-At-Heart as he looked through his contact list. After noting a few names, he got into bed and turned off the small light at the bedside.

Theodosia stared at her reflection in the mirror. “I can do this,” she said quietly to herself. She was wearing the PAH diaper and had a mission. She wondered if she could just wait for the morning to put on the diaper and quickly urinate into it. She would be true to Emilia's request though and wear the diaper while she slept. She only had one and wouldn’t jeopardize her playroom time. She decided to wait until the morning to release into the diaper. That way Timothy won’t be grossed out. She quietly entered the bedroom and snuggled into bed. He gladly allowed her to spoon along his backside.

“How much longer do you have to wear the diapers?” he asked.

“I’m not sure,” she answered truthfully. “We didn’t really talk about them, but…”

“I remember saying that I would tolerate them for your job,” he said quietly.

“I know, and thanks for tolerating them,” she whispered. “Em is counting on me to give her good feedback on these products.”

“Do you get paid more if you give good reviews?” he asked.

“Sort of, I mean yes, of course,” she said.

Timothy’s suspicions were heightened now. He felt like she was hiding from him what was really going on over in the Playful-At-Heart building. He mentally ran through the short list of contacts again and tried hard to sleep it off.

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Author: LainIsLain
Timestamp: Oct 17, 2022 at 5:39 AM
Content: CHAPTER 9

In the early morning Timothy woke quietly and made his way into the kitchen. He spotted the backpack again and reassured himself that answers would be forthcoming, even if that meant burning a few bridges. He decided this time to not pull any punches as he grabbed a small bite to eat and hurried downstairs to the car.

“...look, our corporation is providing a service that anyone can use. We go out of our way to make sure our recruits never feel as if they’re being held, hostage. They can come and go as they wish and they each get to decide if they want to continue working for us every time they walk through those doors.”

“Hold on a minute, not everyone can use your services. It appears you’re discriminating against those who want to join, but most are turned away. You can’t simply walk into the building and join, can you?”

“That is correct. You can’t just walk in initially, you must talk with one of our recruiters…”

“But, the recruiters are the arbiters of who gets in isn’t that right? So, they could be discriminating…”

The radio interview with the CEO of Playful-At-Heart filled the car as Timothy drove back to the research lab.

He strolled up to the front entrance and flung the doors wide. He was surprised that the security guard was nowhere to be found. There was in fact, no one in the lobby at all which was strange indeed. He made his way up to Rackman’s office and walked through the already open doors noting the absence of his assistant.

“James?” he said as he spotted the man in the far corner of the room. He was placing small objects into several boxes lined up near his feet.

“What’s going on?” Tim asked.

“Ah, Tim! Came to see me off, did you?” the man said with a chuckle. “As you can see, I’m now in the same boat, eh?”

Timothy moved over to the chair in front of the desk and sat down slowly.

“Since you no longer work here, I’d call for security and have them escort you out. But since they were let go this morning…” The large man shrugged his shoulders as he made his way over to the desk and sat in a large leather chair.

“I didn’t think this could happen so quickly,” Timothy said as he examined the man’s face.

“Look if you’re here to get even with me or something like that, you’re barking up the wrong tree,” he said matter-of-factly

“I won’t lie, I’m still angry, but I need some information and it appears you’re the only one left that can give it to me.”

“Mmm…” Rackman let out a long pause. “I must warn you, Tim, I’m under a pretty heavy NDA right now. I might be able to tell you something from before we were acquired, but I’m not going to give you anything in writing if that’s what you're thinking,” he said with a serious expression.

“Can you give me an idea of what lab made this?” Timothy pulled out the paper with his crude sketch of the nanotech embedded in Theodosia’s backpack.

The man looked curiously and simply shook his head.

“Okay… Okay… Can you tell me the names of anyone working in the Bio Integration and Interaction Research Lab, the one where I had my little accident?” Timothy asked.

“Oh ya, how are you doing anyway? I was meaning to ask about that but…” Timothy cut him off.

“I just need a name James!” he said.

“I’m afraid I can’t Tim. Next question?”

“Can you share with me what the other research labs were working on?” Timothy asked.

“No, but I think I can tell you what was cooking before we were acquired. But again no paperwork okay?” the man gestured with one hand.

“A few eyebrow-raising projects were funneled to us as a collaboration with the local university at the same time our nanotech division started,” he continued.

“One was a very interesting Psychometric study that was focused on finding common genetic traits related to specific behaviors.”

“What specific behaviors?” Tim asked.

“Haha,” Rackman chuckled. “It sounds silly but, they were filtering out adults that had a predisposition for acting like… children,” he said with a strange look.

Timothy pondered this and started to connect the dots in his head.

“Psychology, nanotech, biological research…” he trailed off. “PAH?” he asked rhetorically.

“Ya, PAH,” Rackman confirmed. “They vacuumed up everything we had, and…” Timothy cut him off again.

“You’ve heard the reports about Playful-At-Heart? Do you think they’re brainwashing people with this stuff?” Timothy’s words came with accusation.

“Brainwashing… I can’t say. The research was looking for people that already had a predisposition for the traits they were looking for. And from what I saw in the documentation, it wasn’t very successful.”

“How do you mean?” Timothy proffered.

“The success rate was something like one in one hundred, sometimes higher for a match. If they got better after the takeover though, I’m not at liberty to say. Besides, most of that stuff was way over my head,” said Rackman as he gazed out the window.

“How about this one? We even had a university student project that was looking for a way to generate power from pee,” Rackman chuckled again. Timothy’s eyes widened at that.

“Ya, was something called microbial fuel cell technology or something? And it worked too! They were trying to miniaturize it, of course, that’s where our nanotech came in,” he exaggerated by looking through pinched fingers.

“What they're doing must be illegal, right?” Timothy asked.

“Illegal… probably not, like the interviews say. These people choose to walk into the building. And as they leave, they all say they’d prefer to continue doing so,” The large man stood up from his chair and walked back over to the boxes. He closed a few and stacked them up onto a small hand cart.

“I bet you didn’t see the word ethical printed next to the many warning signs on your laboratory door, eh?” He asked as he approached Tim, still sitting in the chair.

“The moral hazard,” he over pronounced each syllable, “...is much easier to cross when the bridge is made of money,” He said as he patted Timothy's shoulder.

The large man walked past pulling the small hand cart and slowly walked out of his now former office.

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Author: LainIsLain
Timestamp: Oct 17, 2022 at 5:47 AM
Content: CHAPTER 10

Theodosia waited until Timothy had left the apartment before she got out of bed. And having had a great night's sleep, she now had to use the restroom. She walked over and stood in front of the sink. “Might as well get it over with,” she said as she reached for her toothbrush. As she released into the diaper, the warmth coming from the front was very relaxing, she admitted. “So this is what it was like being in diapers as a baby?”. She was caught off guard as she noticed the diaper was in fact glowing now. Quickly, she turned off the bathroom lights and gazed at the iridescent blue-green light coming from the front.

A brief panic flashed in her mind as the warmth and light together made her think the diaper was not something she should allow to touch her skin. She quickly thought better as Emilia wouldn’t have given her something that would harm her. She finished brushing and decided to walk around the room, paying close attention to how the diaper felt now that she’d used it. This was all information that Emilia would need for the download session later today.

She finished her observations and removed the diaper, wrapped it in a small trash bag, and placed it in her pack like Emilia instructed. Carrying around a used diaper seemed odd, but this was important, and Emilia would reward her for doing so. She dressed in average street clothes, and glancing one more time in the mirror, she made a slight nod as she thought how her cleverness would be admired by Emilia. As she turned off the lights and locked the front door she became excited because today, it was her birthday.

The traffic was very thin as she rode her electric scooter down the side street. She remembered it being much more crowded in the recent past but figured this was a change she rather enjoyed. Over the train tracks and down the small path revealed the Playful-At-Heart building nested in the downtown skyline. Approaching the building, there were many homeless people filling the empty spaces along the sidewalks. A flash of a distant memory came as she remembered her mother dragging her down the street to find an elusive structure that only she could see.

With a quick shake of her head and she pulled into the gated spaces where she could secure her scooter. A few dozen others were parked down here, and she wondered if they belonged to anyone she might recognize from her playroom. Quickly locking the scooter in one of the empty spaces, she made her way to the front entrance where a few people were making noise. They seemed to be protesting the Playful-At-Heart company but Theodosia couldn’t immediately identify their group's organization.

She calmly walked past as they shouted chants in her direction. The security guards recognized the backpack and offered her a way into the building. As she entered, the familiar feeling of coming home filled her up, and she was happy to be back. The altercation outside seemed to fade into the background.

“Tester PAH-2132," emitted from the small terminal as she approached the entrance checkpoint. “Ya, that’s me," she said. “Confirmed. Please proceed to level 21 for today’s download, and happy birthday!”

“Thank you, checkpoint terminal!” she laughed.

Once again she readied herself for today's download and playtime reward. Being her birthday, she was sure that Emilia would give her as much time as she could stand playing with her new friends on this special day. She leaped out of the elevator with both feet and turned down the softly lit hallway.

“Hello PAH-2132, this is your affirmation of continued participation in the exploration, review, and use of Playful-At-Heart hereby referred to as "PAH" products and services. By entering this room…”

Once again, she listened to the lengthy contract agreement and waited for her time to speak.

“Please confirm your agreement of continued employment at Playful-At-Heart," the voice said.

“Confirm, I Theodosia Rummel Paisley PAH-2132, wish to continue employment at Playful-At-Heart," she said proudly followed by the little door opening quietly.

“Hello, beautiful Theo,” Emilia said with loving affection.

“Hello, Em,” she beamed back.

“You seem to be in good spirits today! Are you ready for the download?” the voice asked.

“Yes, I am,” Theodosia responded with eager energy as she kneeled in the center of the room.

“Status check, please keep your eyes straight forward during the download,” came the voice.

“Ready,” said Theodosia, with all the exuberance she could muster.

“Please begin by describing your experiences with object 36,” The diaper shown on the wall in front of her.

“I came home yesterday and found Tim with a pacifier in his mouth sitting at the dining table. It was super cute and I even took a picture. I laughed for several minutes because It was so funny. I’m glad he was trying to use one in fact. I find them quite comforting and I don’t mind at all that he used one. Tim told me he lost his job after that. I could see that he felt sad but he was suppressing his emotions very hard. I think he’s really worried and I tried to assure him that we’ll be fine. Our finances will be good for at least another six months. I wore the diaper to bed last night, and this version was even better than the last. All the minor fitting issues were fixed and it felt like normal clothing. I slept very soundly. So much so that Tim didn’t even wake me as he got out of bed. I only woke after I could hear him in the kitchen. I didn’t want to gross him out, so I waited for him to leave. I moved into the bathroom and wet the diaper as I brushed my teeth. The diaper glowed a beautiful blue and green color that lasted nearly an hour. After a few minutes of walking around the room, the diaper remained snuggly fitted. I removed it, then wrapped it like you said and put it into my pack. I also brought the diaper here as you asked me to.”

“Very good, Theo,” The voice came after a brief pause. “You are a very clever girl! Thank you for helping me with this information.”

Theodosia felt relieved that Emilia was impressed with her. This kind of motherly attention touched something buried so deep inside, she could hardly contain herself.

“You have been granted one hundred and eighty minutes in the playroom Theo,” A small hatch opened directly in front of her. A small purple party hat was perched inside. “Happy Birthday, Theo! There is a party waiting for you in the playroom,” said the voice with a tinge of excitement.

Theodosia thought she’d have a heart attack from all this excitement. She graciously dawned the party hat and rushed out the door saying, “I love you Em,” as she flew down the hall. She quickly changed her clothes and received the orange tag. A large table was already set up with many spaces around it. Brightly colored arrangements filled the table as well as many balloons hanging from shiny tethers tied to the chairs. A large purple and blue cake stood proudly at the far end where her friends have gathered around. One bright candle was lit atop a white star-shaped piece at the center.

“Happy Birthday to You
Happy Birthday to You
Happy Birthday Dear Theodosia
Happy Birthday to You!”

She took a deep breath and blew out the candle. All the people cheered along as she looked around. Jenell came up and offered her something concealed in her hand.

“It’s me,” she said proudly. “It’s me, so when we’re not together, you can still talk to me.”

Theodosia took the small soft object from Jenell. It was a simple human-shaped cutout from soft fuzzy fabric with glued-on eyes and a mess of reddish-orange hair made from yarn. Her heart melted as she looked back at Jenell.

“Oh, Jenell! Thank you so much,” she said, almost crying.

“You’re welcome,” Jenell nodded with one big motion of her head.

Theodosia played for hours with all her friends and never once looked at her tag. They ran themselves into exhaustion and swam in the many ball pits. They colored on the paper wall and even relaxed briefly for a story in the quiet spot with many pillows to sit on. They had their normal nap time in the cave, and she gave them all big hugs as her timer ran out. Especially Jenell.

As she reluctantly made her way to the changing area a little twinkle sounded from her wrist. The tag was emitting a sharp sound and Theodosia looked at it with bewilderment.

“Happy Birthday, Theo! Come and see me when you’re done,” The voice of Emilia sounded clear from the little tag.

“Okay, Em,” she replied quickly as she changed back into her street clothes. Making her way back to the little room marked 32, she kneeled down in the middle.

“You’re very special, Theodosia, and I think you're very clever,” Theodosia’s heart quickened as the voice showered her with compliments.

Once again the small hatch in front of her opened. Inside was an astonishing sight. A strange but beautiful pacifier. The shell was dancing with a small animated star that was slowly rotating and leaving soft purple ripples across its surface. All she could do was stare hypnotically into the open hatch.

“Do you know what this is, Theo?” asked the voice.

“Y….yes…,” she said softly. “It’s a recruiter’s pacifier,” she continued.

“Yes, Theo. You’ve done so well that I decided to make you a junior recruiter.”

Theodosia had no words. Ever since she started working here, she felt so accepted and loved. She was so happy for the friends she made in the short time, and now, the thrill of having real responsibilities at the request of Emilia. This was something she always wanted from her mother but had no idea how intoxicating it could be. It filled a whole that she didn’t realize she had, until just now. She calmed herself and lifted her chin towards the blue light emitting from the screen.

“I, Theodosia Rummel Paisley, accept this gift and will do my best to recruit only the best,” she said improvisationally.

“You’re most welcome, junior recruiter Theodosia,” replied the voice in a similar royal inflection. “Please report to Grover downstairs. He will help you with your first assignment.”

With confidence she got to her feet and claimed the pacifier. Wonderful patterns moved across the outer shell as she became mesmerized by the slowly rotating star shape. She bowed deeply to the wall and said, “Thank you very much Em! I won’t let you down, I promise!”

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Author: LainIsLain
Timestamp: Oct 17, 2022 at 5:49 AM
Content: CHAPTER 11

A gentle breeze fluttered in the trees as the afternoon sun turned into an evening sunset. Timothy sat on a bench near the lab complex overlooking the city skyline in the distance. His mind raced with possibilities surrounding the research he’d been involved with and it wasn’t making him feel any better. He just couldn’t wrap his head around the motivations of the Playful-At-Heart company. Why would they only be interested in adults that acted like children, he thought hard. Or to be specific, adults with a predisposition for acting childish, he corrected himself. All this expensive technology. What was the revenue model, how was the company able to pay people for reviewing their products, he continued. Products you can’t even buy in the stores…

He decided to make his way back home for tonight's birthday dinner. His two close friends would be there and Theodosia was always happy to see them.

“...Playful-At-heart is not an evil company! They simply provide a service for willing participants. Everyone we’ve spoken to has nothing but positivity and admiration for what the company is trying to do here.”

“You make it sound so simple, Mr. Johnson! It feels very cultish in my opinion. All these happy people exhibit symptoms of brainwashing, sir! “Our goal is to uncover and excite the inner child in all of us! In the pursuit of advanced techniques to allow your deepest needs for inner peace and fulfillment to be realized.” I ask you, doesn’t that sound like something a charismatic cult leader would say, right before they asked everyone to drink the kool-aid!”

“I will not defend the cynical spin of your interpretation. The truth is, these people are much happier working for a company that truly cares about them. These people are asking, in fact begging to reenter the buildings each day. And as far as we know, no one has suffered any ill effects from participating in…”

Timothy parked and sat in the car for a moment. If the conclusions his brain was arriving at were true, then Theodosia might actually be in real trouble. As he entered the apartment, his eyes moved toward the bag of pacifiers Theodosia had left in his car. With a curious thought, he retrieved the bag and dumped its contents on the table. He laid out the five pacifiers and examined them with a watchmaker's attention to detail. He passed his fingers across every surface but turned up nothing. So the only one that had nanotech was the prototype I took from the lab, he thought. Okay, so that and Theo’s pack has… Goosebumps rose across Timothy’s arm as he came to a shocking conclusion.

He rushed to the bathroom and promptly undressed. He glimpsed his worried face in the mirror as he kicked his pants into the corner. He began probing his own body starting with the underside of his feet. He imagined the nanotech might be hiding somewhere he wouldn’t normally touch or rub against. Carefully, he walked his fingers centimeter by centimeter, up one leg, and down the backside. Satisfied he moved farther up around his pelvis and stomach area. Still nothing.

He supposed an antenna array would most likely be in a space that would give the best line of sight to a transceiver and would also suffer the least amount of interference from the body's mass. As he probed the very back of his head he found it. Almost imperceptible to his newfound gift, he located a bundle stretching from the base of his neck up to a patch a few centimeters above his right ear. Timothy couldn’t really be sure what he was looking at, but it was indeed a precisely laid out group of small independent structures. A perfect grid of one hundred spaces filled with many different, but repeating symmetrical arrangements. He noted that only about half the spaces were occupied as a wave of nausea flooded his stomach. He held himself over the sink in readiness. He was oddly fine with the ability to see these nanostructures while his brain power was occupied with finding a new job and other related matters. The full realization of what was going on filled him with panic and dread. His face was bone white as he looked at his reflection. How, where? He asked himself. His thoughts turned to the pacifier he willingly put in his mouth. No, I was obviously infected before that… “The bio replication lab,” he shouted. He got angry at himself again for not figuring that out sooner. He was now infected by something PAH had been creating. Some kind of self-replicating nanotech that was crawling through his body like some electronic parasite. He stood in shocked silence as the unnerving conclusions washed over him.

He thought about calling the police. They wouldn’t even be able to see it, Timothy said out loud in the empty apartment. Maybe I should call the local news station, but the front door opened with a small knock as Theodosia presented herself.

“Oh, Hi Tim! I had a wonderful day,” Theodosia beamed at him.

His jumbled thoughts made him just stare at her in silence.

“You okay, Tim?” she said cautiously.

“Of course,” he managed to say unconvincingly. “Happy birthday, Theo,” he recovered and gave her a big smile.

Her face brightened as she explained the day's events to Timothy. All the wonderful playtime and running around with her friends. She was impressed with herself as she was able to keep the energy up for so long. Even her early childhood memories couldn’t compare with that much fun.

Theodosia put on some light music as they got ready for Jim and Andy to arrive. She arranged the table for them as Timothy watched quickly from the kitchen. He paid particular attention to the back of her head but couldn’t see anything from this distance as he thought about examining her more directly.

“Happy Birthday, Theodosia,” they all sang at the dinner table together. Timothy kept a close eye on how she was interacting with their guests. She seemed very cordial and outgoing. She would be the center of attention even if it hadn’t been her birthday.

“So you’re really enjoying your time there?” Andy motioned with a glass of wine in his hand.

“Oh, very much! This kind of thing is exactly what I’ve been looking for,” she explained in a joyful way. “You really feel needed, you know? I’m still not totally sure what value these product reviews are to the company, but so far it's been effortless. This has to be the easiest thing I’ve ever done for money,” she said with a little chuckle.

“Well, it seems to be a complete fairytale to be honest. I guess congratulations are in order for being chosen,” said Jim in a jealous manner.

Timothy kept quiet, which was nothing strange, and simply listened to the conversation as the initial shock started to fade with the help of a little alcohol. She joyfully rambled about her days playing with Jenell, and how the playroom time was portioned out. The part about losing playroom time made Timothy pay attention. The way she described it was very much like a parent would teach their child about responsibility, and the simple but effective punishment handed out by an unambiguous caregiver is something most children would respond to. He marveled at the simplicity of it, but couldn’t shake the thought that, at its core, Playful-At-Heart had ulterior motives other than simple, advanced techniques to allow your deepest needs for inner peace and fulfillment to be realized.

She became excited when talking about her motherly supervisor. She revered Emilia in a way he’d never seen her do for anyone else. It was endearing, loving, and respectful. Her elation for Emilia was infectious as Timothy started to relate to the thought of Emilia being, above reproach. This was more apparent when Theodosia broke the news that she was now a junior recruiter.

“Check this out,” in one smooth motion she reached into her pack and presented her new badge of honor. Timothy’s face made the familiar deer-in-the-headlights face from earlier. Beautiful smooth animations flowed across the pacifier's surface. It was similar to the one from the lab, but obviously, this was something of a leap in advancement.

“Wow, Tim,” Andy noticed he was not breathing. Theodosia looked at him.

“It’s okay, Tim,” she responded. “Don’t you think it’s cool? Do you know how this stuff is made, I figured you’d know since you worked with nano stuff.”

“It’s… quite impressive actually,” Timothy managed to say with a long exhale. He played along, “I was working on a substrate medium that would allow for things like this, but I wasn’t privy to any of the end products,” he explained to the table.

“It can do some really cool stuff too,” as she motioned to put the pacifier into her mouth. Timothy shot them all a strange worried look and garnered strange reactions in return.

She panned around to each of them, in turn. As she did, she was able to change the display animation to a variety of different pictures and symbols. Timothy did his best to fain a positive mood about this whole situation, but he couldn’t shake the word “cult” from his conclusions. As Timothy cleared the table, he became worried about Theodosia’s mental state as she continued the conversation.

Their guests thanked them for the pleasant evening and left as Timothy walked them out.

“I got you a present, Theo,” he said as he placed the small box in front of her.

She showed excitement as she opened the box to reveal the porcelain star. With gratitude, she placed it on her desk. He could tell this wasn’t on the same level of gift as the magical pacifier, her beloved Emilia had given her.

“Would you like a back rub, Theo?” he asked.

“Actually, yes,” she responded. “I did so much bouncing today, I’d love a nice back rub Tim,” she continued.

Timothy got some lotion from the cabinet and asked her to sit on the bed as they listened to some light music. He began massaging her lower back, covertly probing with his fingers as he placed his hands on her skin. He wasn't surprised to find nothing down there but was all too sure that he’d find something behind Theodosia’s head.

“Yes, Tim. Ahhhh,” she expressed a feeling of relaxation.

His hands moved to the base of her neck. He knew what to expect and slowly moved toward the back of her head. There he found an almost similar but altogether different arrangement of nanostructures centered around the backmost part of her head.

“Okay, Tim,” she said. “That’s a little high, I really need it down at my neck.”

They both got ready for bed as he sneaked little glances in her direction. Timothy turned on his side as usual, and Theodosia spooned up to his backside.

“Happy birthday, Theodosia Rummel Paisley,” he said in the dark.

“Thank you, Timothy,” she responded with a small kiss on his cheek.

“If I asked you, could I see how you recruit new members, Theo?” he asked.

After a slight pause she answered, “I’m not sure Tim, I’d need to ask Grover first. He’s my teacher and he’s showing me how it’s done. I think we’re doing that tomorrow.”

“Can you ask him if I can observe you tomorrow?” he asked

“Sure, I’ll find out. But I really don’t know what to expect since I’ve never done it before,” she explained.

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Author: LainIsLain
Timestamp: Oct 17, 2022 at 5:54 AM
Content: CHAPTER 12

Theodosia made contact with Grover and got the all-clear for him to observe the process. He was really starting to feel like a secret agent, infiltrating some menacing corporation to expose their evil deeds. They proceeded to the spot where Grover asked them to meet. To Timothy’s surprise, it was an innocuous street corner downtown.

“Hi Grover,” she waved happily in the direction of a youngish man leaning against a power poll.

“You made it, Theo! Great,” His demeanor was just as inviting as they came together in a big hug.

Timothy offered his hand and the man gave him a quick shake.

“You don’t mind if I watch right?” Timothy asked.

“Of course not, but you’re going to have a hard time,” he said with an expression of indifference.

Grover motioned for Theodosia to stand next to him.

“Right here?” Timothy said, confused.

Grover just nodded his head and whispered something to Theodosia. They both popped their pacifiers into their mouths and became observant of the people that were passing them on the street. Grover would point while Theodosia moved her attention over to where he was pointing. After what felt like an hour, they both locked eyes on a well-dressed older man in his sixties. He walked confidently in their direction as Grover whispered something to Theodosia, and gave her something to hold. She confirmed with a nod and approached the man. Timothy could just hear a familiar slogan. “…inner child in all of us! In the pursuit of advanced techniques…”.

The man gave his full attention as she spoke. After she was done, she placed the small object in the man’s hand and quickly came back to stand next to Grover who gave her a high five. The man paused briefly and examined the object. From this distance, it looked like an electronic pendant. Something you might get from a restaurant for waiting in a queue. He could just see a small screen with several lines of text. At this distance though, he couldn’t make sense of anything.

“What exactly are you looking for?” asked Timothy.

“You have to see their inner child, Tim,” Theodosia said quietly.

“What does it look like?”

“Well, his was a colored arch above his head with red and pink streams shooting out,” Theodosia said as if it was perfectly normal.

Timothy just stared at both of them in complete bewilderment. If such a thing was even possible, he had not seen anything like that while watching the whole exchange.

Grover and Theodosia made two more interactions over the next three hours. Timothy’s thoughts went back to Rackman’s description of psychometric research and how ineffective it was. The ratio of one to one hundred was almost right as Timothy observed. But how are they seeing this display of color around people's heads? he pondered curiously. It obviously had something to do with nanotech, but he was puzzled by how these interactions were initiated.

After another hour, Grover hugged Theodosia and gave her another high five. They parted ways and returned to the car. Theodosia was excited about making these first recruits and just sat with a pleasant smile as they returned home.

“That was awesome! Did you have fun, Tim?” she asked as he drove.

“Sure, I guess,” he said back.

She just nodded and continued smiling, her thoughts on something more important.

The next morning, Theodosia woke first and quietly moved through her routine as Timothy faked being asleep. She carefully dressed and dawned her pack, making sure she had her prized pacifier with her. Timothy noticed a small fabric cutout of a person tied to a zipper on the front. As she left the apartment, Timothy readied himself to follow her.

On her scooter, she zipped over the train tracks and continued to the Playful-At-heart building visible in the distance. He took the side street and passed her as he made his way downtown. He parked across the street and waited for Theodosia to secure her scooter and make her way to the entrance. A small group of protesters were blocking the front steps but moved aside as she climbed up. He could see the security guards motioning for her to continue. The front doors were not locked as she opened them and moved inside.

“Recruiter PAH-2132," emitted from a small terminal as she approached the entrance checkpoint. “Ya, that’s me," she said with a whimsical flurry. “Confirmed. Please proceed to level 21 for today’s debriefing, and congratulations Theodosia,” said the voice.

“Thank you, very much, checkpoint terminal,” she replied and walked towards the elevator.

As she finished agreeing to her continued employment, the small door opened in front of her.

“I’m so glad you returned, Theo,” came the familiar voice of Emilia. Theodosia acknowledged the compliment and kneeled in the center of the small room.

“This will be different from the download session, Theo. All I would like you to do is describe how your recruiting went with Grover,” said the voice.

She hesitated for a moment and nodded her head in agreement.

“It was really fun Em, we were able to hand out three badges today,” she said with a bright smile.

“Grover taught me how to see other’s inner child as they walked by on the street. It took a while but I definitely could see them. Beautiful colors circled around their heads. They stand out like a sore thumb,” she laughed.

“You are doing so well, Theo! Your work has been exemplary, and you will be rewarded for this,” The voice now had a regal quality.

“If you continue to make at least one new recruit per day, you will be allowed one hundred and eighty minutes in the playroom,” the voice continued.

Theodosia's eyes began to blur. She allowed a few tears of joy to flow as she thanked Emilia profusely.

“You're a very special girl. I’d like you to know Theo, that you’ve done your very best and I’m grateful for that. I know you’ll continue to help us and eventually teach others how to recruit new members.”

Theodosia stood and bowed again to the wall.

“Thank you, Em! I will continue to do my very best,” Theodosia said in the most loving voice she could offer.

“Okay, Theo. Go play,” said the voice.

Theodosia stepped outside the small room and watched as the door slowly closed. She was struck with an odd feeling of nervous excitement. She had been given a task and she completed it with unflinching loyalty. A sense of true accomplishment filled her as she happily strolled down the hall to the doors marked Level 21 Playroom.

On familiar ground, she swapped over to her beloved purple and blue overalls and received her tag. She asked where Jenell was and the voice replied that unfortunately, she wasn’t here today. Theodosia was a little annoyed, but this wasn’t uncommon. Their playtime didn’t always match up and she thought about leaving the playroom briefly to see if Jenell might show up later. She quickly reversed though and made her way to the craft area. Her mission was to make a small cutout of herself to give to Jenell.

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Author: LainIsLain
Timestamp: Oct 17, 2022 at 6:00 AM
Content: CHAPTER 13

Timothy waited in front of the Playful-At-Heart building while he observed the guards. They were quite intimidating, in fact, as they showed no signs of having their attention wavering. They wore bulky one-piece neutral gray outfits that could easily conceal many weapons. They paid close attention to the small angry crowd at the bottom of the steps leading to the entrance. Although small, the crowd was slightly more intimidating, as they held signs and chanted all manner of negative things in the guard's direction. With all this tension, he’d expect more violent interaction, but as he watched, the guards were simply protecting the building and choosing not to make any physical contact with the few angry people shouting in their faces.

Suddenly, someone threw a bottle against the large glass frontage of the building and Timothy snapped out of his observation mode. He waited until their heads were turned, and quickly walked behind them as he pushed open and moved through the entrance doors. The interior was all concrete and metal, evenly lit, and lacking anything boarding on creativity. It was the farthest thing a company called Playful-At-Heart would have as a first impression. Drab gray colors filled the wide space and were not at all inviting. He spotted many checkpoint arches near the back wall and decided to continue into this mysterious building. He casually approached one of the archways and asked, “Hello?”. The screen above the arch came to life instantly.

“Maintenance Officer 88888888,” came a level monotone. “Please confirm with a valid identification token.”

He hesitated for a moment. “Uh, my name is Timothy,” is all he could muster.

“Confirmed, Maintenance Officer 88888888. Would you like a display of relevant maintenance data on this terminal?” asked the voice.

Still confused about how he managed to hack this never before encountered computer system, he spoke softly, “Yes.”.

A flood of stats propagated the screen in front of him. His brain could barely comprehend the meaning of this information as building metrics and current population figures filled the screen. There were small changing numbers beside each entry in the column marked “PAH identifiers” as he noticed his newly given title of “Maintenance Officer”. He could see this building currently had nearly three hundred active recruits and wondered how he might find Theodosia.

“Could you locate someone for me?” he asked.

“State name or PAH identifier,” replied the level monotone.

He couldn’t remember if he had heard Theodosia’s identifier so he simply stated her name.

“Theodosia Paisley”

“Theodosia Rummel Paisley, PAH-2132,” it replied.

“Yes, can you tell me where she is?” he asked.

“Recruiter PAH-2132 is currently in the level 21 playroom. Would you like to see her current tag stats?” it asked.

The word “tag” hung in his mind for a second. The level of sophistication here was quite impressive. It was no wonder they had been able to enforce their membership access so narrowly. He was again astonished at just how he was able to access this system without much friction.

“No,” he replied. “how do I get to the level 21 playroom?” he asked.

“Proceed to level 21 via the elevator at the far corner. The level 21 playroom is on the east wall approximately thirty meters from the elevator doors,” the voice giving clear directions.

He entered the elevator and pressed the button for level 21. A soft sound of moving air filled the space as he rode it to the 21st floor. As the door opened, he was startled at the complete lack of any lights excluding the shadow being cast by the overhead lights in the elevator. There was no illumination whatsoever beyond in the void, and a familiar fear washed over him. He reached for his phone in order to activate the small forward camera light and stepped out into near darkness as he panned the light, up and down the corridor. He could see little doors dotting the full length, and was concerned that none of them had any identifiable markings.

“Hello,” he allowed his voice to project down the hall and noticed a complete lack of echo. For concrete walls, they really have some incredible sound damping! he thought. He walked slowly and approached one of the many small doors. To his surprise, the door opened with no prompt. He stepped closer and could see the interior of a small room about four square meters in size. He noticed small hatches in the opposite wall and thought about what might be transpiring inside these rooms. Concerns for Theodosia and all the other people in here came in full force. Just what were they being exposed to here?

Still moving with caution, he approached the double doors at the far end of the east wall. No markings could be seen above the doors, but the voice had instructed him Theodosia would be inside. A soft voice prompted him.

“Hello, Maintenance Officer 88888888. Would you like to enter the playroom?”

“Yes,” he said, readying himself for what he might see next.

The doors unlocked, and he pushed them open slowly. As he walked in, a soft but playful melody could be heard throughout the void beyond him. He also heard a dozen or so people laughing loudly in the dimly lit space beyond his ability to see them. The lighting was very strange, he thought, as it removed all sense of color from his vision. Everything was a perfectly shaded yellow tint that was altogether extremely synthetic. From his many years working in laboratory environments, he began to realize that it was, in fact, monochromatic light. He looked at his clothes and wasn’t surprised to see a complete absence of any color.

A large humanoid form stood behind a counter to his left and he proceeded cautiously in its direction.

“Hello, Maintenance Officer 88888888. Would you like to see the playroom status?” the figure asked in a motherly tone that completely derailed Timothy's train of thought.

“Yes,” he managed after a short pause.

“There are currently 17 members in the playroom, 13 recruits, and 4 recruiters. The temperature is currently 20 degrees celsius. Resource management for this playroom has remained above the 90% threshold for the past 832 hours. Currently, there are no service bulletins for any equipment currently active…”

Timothy cut off the voice as it continued with stats from almost every aspect of the playroom's functionality.

“Can you locate a recruiter for me?” he asked now with slightly more confidence.

“Of course, please state the name or PAH identifier?” the voice prompted.

“PAH-2132,” he stated clearly.

“PAH-2132, Theodosia Rummel Paisley, is currently in the ancillary craft space designated area 35.”

“Can you tell me where that is?” he asked.

The voice gave detailed instructions on how to find Theodosia. He nervously moved into the open space in front of him and was dumbfounded by people in overalls running around with a flagrant disregard for social norms. They were actually acting like small children, he marveled as he continued walking. He passed a large ball pit and noticed a few people diving in with little regard for injury. The mood was altogether happy and uplifting and had it not been for the extremely unnerving yellow light, he would probably not feel so out of place here. He noted that all the balls in the pit were an even, dingy light yellow color that left everything to the imagination.

He started to calm down a bit as he didn’t see any signs of distress here. Everyone was happy and playful. He was deeply confused however because the building's interiors and lighting choices left one thinking this was some kind of dystopian nightmare. His thoughts moved towards brainwashing again, but he really had to admit, this wasn’t anything like he’d expected. He passed numerous odd-looking forms made of hard foam as he proceeded deeper. All their edges were covered with soft squishy bumpers. They had the silhouette of an arcade cabinet, he thought with raised eyebrows. They had a variety of simple buttons at chest height, but no screens. Just blank foam surfaces.

Still experiencing a kind of shock, he slowly walked in the direction of Theodosia. He came to an open space with many small tables and chairs. He spotted her quickly and quietly made his way to greet her.

“Hey, Theo,” he said in a way that made him feel like an outsider.

She whirled around on her chair. “T… Timothy,” she said, astonished.

“Wha…, how…, how did you get in here,” she said with an edge of concern.

“I thought I’d come to see you at work today, Theo,” he shrugged.

She just stared at him with a deer-in-the-headlights look that had become all too common.

“So this is what you do then,” he made an effort to sound upbeat.

A smile crept across her yellow-tinged face as she stood to give him a hug. She felt warm and happy as she embraced him.

“This is a gift I’m making for Jen,” she offered her hand to Timothy. He could see a little fabric cutout that looked like a person with a mop of yarn for hair. In this light, it was a uniform shade of dingy yellow and he recognized it as a version of the one tied to her backpack.

Just then, the music stopped and bright overhead lights came on. A voice sounded clearly throughout the playroom.

“Please, be calm my little ones. Please sit down, and wait for the music to start again. Please sit down, and wait for the music to start again.” is said reassuringly.

Theodosia’s face turned to confusion as two security guards approached from behind.

“Hello, sir. It appears you’ve become lost. Can we help you find your way back downstairs,” the closest security guard asked in the most polite and gentle voice he had ever heard. The tone removed all signs of intimidation and brought Timothy great relief.

He turned to her, and asked, “Would you like to join me for lunch?”

With the attention still on both of them, she accepted his offer and turned to walk beside him as the guards politely escorted them out. She stopped to retrieve her pack and daytime clothes, and they walked down the dark hallway to enter the open elevator doors. She gave an overview of her activities so far and continued with her cheerful demeanor all the way down. They exited the building with no restrictions and proceeded to his car.

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Author: LainIsLain
Timestamp: Oct 17, 2022 at 6:09 AM
Content: CHAPTER 14

They had lunch at a nearby café and talked about what he just witnessed. She was baffled by his descriptions of dark hallways and weird lights in the playroom.

“I’m telling you, Theo, it's not what you think,” he became exasperated at her inability to understand the situation.

“You’ve been infected with some kind of nanotechnology that allows you to see a fictitious projection. All the walls are concrete and steel, Theo. There was no color on anything,” he tried to explain.

Her face turned to confusion again as she brought the little cutout into view. She admitted in the noonday sun, it had slightly different colors of fabric than she could remember, but nothing to get worked up about.

“I’m not sure what you're talking about, Tim,” she said in a caring voice. Her happy demeanor tried to return. “So it just doesn’t look that colorful to you.”

“It’s a fantasy, Theo,” he said. He tried not to make the words land so hard, but she became distraught. He realized some of the other people in the café were now looking in their direction.

“No, Tim. It’s not that way, at all,” she offered the small cutout to him. “Does this look fake?” she continued.

He just sat and stared at the table as he tried to figure out what to do next. He had reservations about letting her reenter the building and pleaded with her to come home. She refused and added, “Unlike you, Tim. I’m still on the clock,” she said with a knowing expression that he recognized. It was the same face he’d had when he was, “on the clock”.

He drove back to the Playful-At-Heart building and stopped near the front. The number of guards had increased at the front entrance, and they both saw people moving single-file out of the building. Theodosia jumped out of the car and ran to one of the guards. Timothy could see her speaking in a polite manner, and after a moment, she thanked him and made her way back to the car. All her happiness drained as she pulled on her seatbelt.

As they drove home, she explained that the guard told her that the building was temporarily closed for maintenance, and she could come back tomorrow to continue her playtime. She had her emotions in check he could see, but she was in more distress than her exterior let on.

They walked into the apartment and removed their shoes quietly. Theodosia realized suddenly that she was still wearing her overalls and playroom tag.

“Oh shoot,” she said out loud. “I hope Em won't be mad that I took these home."

Timothy observed her walk into the bedroom wearing the neutral gray bib overalls with a white elastic band around her wrist. He was truly at a loss for words. Had he hallucinated the whole thing? he wondered. He was fearful that they might need some professional help at this point but decided not to push the matter. They would need some time to figure this out, and he was certain she might need a little more time than he did.

The following day Timothy read on the news that the Playful-At-Heart building downtown had been closed for good. He braced himself as he broke the news to Theodosia. She became almost inconsolable and cried for many hours. Someone had even broken into the building and taken pictures of the now unlit space that was one of the many playrooms. Somehow, these pictures were even more disconcerting than he recalled. The space looked like a creepy abandoned arcade or amusement park attraction. Underexposed pictures taken with a weak light showed familiar shapes made of foam and plastic but absent any discernible technology. Odd humanoid figures were placed in various locations that were nearly three meters in height. Everything was sized proportionally to make an adult feel small. He thought about holding off showing her the pictures so as to not exaggerate her current state. He came in every few minutes to comfort her the best he could. He realized just how much she was emotionally invested in this place and didn’t try to conceal his concern for her wellbeing.

Later that day two couriers knocked on the door. Timothy greeted one man and one woman in blue jumpsuits. They handed him a clipboard and asked for Theodosia. They read together, the formal letter of termination from Playful-At-Heart. Her expression turned sad again as they asked for her signature, and all objects belonging to PAH.

It’s no wonder, Timothy thought. This stuff is crawling with expensive nanotech and I’m sure they're eager to get it back. He was given a list of objects that needed to be returned.

One size medium bib overalls with a heart in the center.
One backpack.
One personal monitor wristband.
One PAH luminescent detection aid. AKA, PAH recruiter pacifier.

Oddly enough, Tim didn’t see the prototype listed that was still in his possession. He politely returned the items and thanked the couriers. After they left, he quietly went to the bedroom, placed the prototype into an antistatic bag, and stored it neatly in a lockbox. His thought went to the nanotech still inhabiting their bodies and decided not to worry for now. Other than Theodosia’s obvious hallucinations, neither seemed to be suffering any ill effects.

She was now in the living room calmly sitting with her arms crossed. He moved over and gave her a hug. She didn’t immediately return a hug so he backed away. As he did, he could see her face was locked in deep concentration. How can I find her, she thought intently. It wasn’t all fake! Jenell was real! A sense of responsibility, starting to take hold. Where would she be? I don’t even have an address to start with. She sat quietly and pondered the problem. She held the small purple fabric cutout with brown yarn for hair which was presumably the one Jenell had given her. After a long silence, her eyes widened as she turned towards Timothy.

How could I miss that? she berated herself. Her eyes started tearing up again. The unkempt hair, a face with more years than her real age might suggest, the subtle signs of malnutrition, she thought as the pieces came together.

She locked eyes with Timothy. “We need to find her,” she said. “We need to find her, Tim,” she repeated.

“You mean someone named Jenell,” he responded.

She nodded as she stood up.

“She’s about my height, she has wild reddish brown hair, and… she’s most likely homeless, living about one or two kilometers around the PAH building downtown,” she said in a sincere manner.

Timothy saw in her face an unconditional loving concern for someone that was until a few months ago, a complete stranger. He even had a momentary thought of jealousy as he had never seen this side of her before.

“We will find her, Theo,” he said without hesitation. He could see this was now her mission. To find someone with whom she shared a sisterly bond.

He smiled at her. “We will, Theo! But first, let's go shopping!”

Thank you for reading my story! I think the most difficult part was messing with the art generator! It took hours just to get some that looked close to what I thought was right. Here are some of the many tries for a "girl with purple overalls smiling" LOL



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Author: LainIsLain
Timestamp: Oct 17, 2022 at 9:54 AM
Content: I've decided to write a small Epilogue to this story. And to stamp a big "fail" on my forehead, I had to google "the part at the end of a book" to remember it was called an Epilogue! LOL

This story is, of course, not meant to portray any persons' living or dead... blah blah blah, but an amalgamation of my own experiences. After reading it through many times, I can see a lot of myself in the two main characters. Being my first "real" attempt at storytelling, I recognize the difficulty in relating what's in my head to be imprinted on the screen. I'm sure more seasoned writers will recognize a potential lack of specific details that are in fact, obvious to me, but not obvious to the readers.

This has great parallels to my experience with the AI art generator! As my understanding goes, it uses the word prompt to sift through a model set using a specific sampling method. I won't pretend to understand how it actually works, but using it to generate some scenes from my imagination has left me deeply conflicted! Using strange strings of text like,

"headshot of young adult smiling and wearing purple overalls with big blue heart on chest by Mandy Jurgens, female, playful, arcade, neon lights, detailed, award winning"

turned into a game like, trying to explain the concept of purple overalls, when all a person had ever seen were white ones. Or harder still, trying to explain what a sippy cup looks like when the person had never even seen one before.

I reflect on the story as an "imperfect" representation of how I felt nearly 2 years ago when I discovered ABDL. The process of sifting through the model set (my memories), with a sampling method (fictional story writing), using a prompt...

What I was fascinated by after rereading it, was the curious "download" sessions with the little gold embroidered turtle. This is only realized now, but a very fanciful explanation of my experiences with EMDR therapy. Including my own sessions involving two vibrating capsules that I held in my hands as my therapist guided me through my earliest childhood memories. I have a cute little elephant named Freckles BTW, so I stole that name.

As I wrote this story, it changed right in front of me! I had an idea of where the story would go, but the final product is nothing like I had imagined it. At some point, I simply wrote from the heart and simply continued to ask the what, where, and why!

And with that, I've borrowed from many science fiction writers to realize the story's various settings. At the conclusion of the story, I'm left with the worry that I may not truly have a "writing style", but merely have enough understanding to emulate a convincing simulacrum. This draws straight parallels back to the AI art generator!

Using the phrase "by Mandy Jurgens" in the prompt tells the generator to emulate the style of an artist that it's aware of. The beautiful style of Mandy Jurgens seemed to give some of the most pleasing images, all be it with many iterations!

What's interesting was watching as the characters in my head became meshed with the images being generated. My imagination was somehow being "infected" by the playful and colorful imagery. This was deeply frustrating though because the art generator was to interpret what my imagination was presenting it. Such an imperfect communication style embedded in an imperfect medium, photographs! I appreciate the emulation of the style of Mandy Jurgens, but it's truly not a substitute for true imagination, and certainly not for the real artist named, Mandy Jurgens.

As we march into the future with such technology clinging to us, I believe the future may become a beautiful peak of an invisible mountain! Having lived through the dawn of the internet as we know it, we have all been "prompting" to this great machine! Continued refinement of the human experience that's reached so high, sometimes it feels like the mountain we're all standing on, is no longer visible. Not because our feet aren't still touching something, but because the vastness of the site will never be fully comprehended by anyone! And as the peek moves ever higher, each of us will eventually decide to stop looking. We will turn our attention to things like AI generators, not for inspiration, but for the convenience of not having to do the hard work that made the peak so high in the first place.

I'll let you conclude with your own interpretations here...

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Author: LainIsLain
Timestamp: Oct 17, 2022 at 11:32 PM
Content:

kerry said:

I really enjoyed reading this piece, Lain. The setting and characters pretty much dripped with imagination and the idea of combining nanotech with ABDL is fascinating. I really liked PAH, although that may be my own childish predisposition speaking, and I don't think that the company is illuminated as well as it might be...or maybe just not developed enough? What are its goals? How has it grown so large so quickly? If it exists only as a kind of ABDL experiment, how can it make money? (Yes, I know these are "Timothy" questions, as Theo would simply accept it at face value.)

I also can't figure out what happens in the end. Why/how does Timothy gain access to the building? Having done so, why is he abruptly removed? And why does the whole business suddenly shut down? Did Timothy or Theo (or both?) cause this? Does it have anything to do with the protest? With Janell? (And why is that whole seemingly important subplot left hanging?)

Questions, questions...

[End of quote]

So... This is one of the things I was worried about. Well not worried really, but there is a lot of information in the story that represents my subjective experience with ABDL. And if I start picking it apart I wonder... does the story represent what happened, or would I start to interpret retroactively, my own memories through the story I wrote... confusing to be sure. Lol

What is PAH? For me, PAH represented ABDL as a concept. From the outside its a strange weird place full of strange weird people with desiers and motivations I don't really understand. This is the lens I'm viewing ABDL as Timothy. This view is cynical and uninformed, and to some extent, still represents a part of me that's utterly baffled by why people would even choose to engage with ABDL.

Theodosia represents a split that I experienced almost literally. As I discovered ABDL and had a mental breakdown a few years ago, a split happened right in front of me. A part of my personality was unexplainable drawn to things like diapers. The adult in me (Timothy), recognized the need but couldn't understand why. So I allowed myself to engage in ABDL cautiously and with supervision. I decided to allow this on the condition it wouldn't effect my working life. If so, I'd be in real trouble both financially and socially.

So why did PAH shutdown? This was a metaphor possibly for a turning point in my life. On a few occasions, and one in particular, the line between Timothy and Theodosia became blurred. For me, these events remain a somewhat traumatizing memory and these events tested the strength of my close friends.

The moment when Timothy chooses to actually go and see Theo in the playroom represents a fear I had and still have. The question of whether ABDL as a life style choice is confronted in this event. Is it possible to remain split and live through both Timothy and Theodosia at the same time. The loving playful attitude of Theodosia is warm and inviting, while Timothy's view is cynical, practical, and sometimes without joy.

PAH shutting down represents the piercing of the vail that was protecting Theodosia. Timothy's invasion of that playroom represents a reality check that was an amalgamation of my survival instinct and my interpretation of my close friend's attitude toward my engagement of ABDL.

While PAH (ABDL), still exists, the shut down was more of a projection. The requirement for Timothy to remove Theodosia from ABDL engagement was because Timothy (me), couldn't rationalize an adequate survival strategy being employed by PAH. (ABDL as a life style choice)

The nanotech idea is a fun one to be sure. The attraction to diapers for me was something like being infected by a mental virus. The proclivities were present, but I couldn't understand how or why I could like diapers at my age. My brain trying desperately to understand the why was interpreted in the story as a nanotech virus.

There is a lot left to the imagination here of course. In my head, Theodosia was already infected and was able to enter PAH. Timothy couldn't enter PAH until he learned how, or was exposed to something that allowed him to. Even if he didn't fully understand how the system worked. Thus, the lab accident represents the journey I took by reading many books on the subject of ABDL. A literal explosion of colored foam in my face, but gave me enough information to cross the line over to Theodosia’s world.

The protest and radio interview could literally be interpreted as the public at large. Without the understanding, the outside world has a deeply cynical view of what ABDL is and how "littles" an "DL's" engage with it. From the outside, PAH is something to be feared. Theodosia only sees the happy uplifting side of PAH, the outside world (public) have no way to consolidate the ideas of PAH into their world view, while Timothy has the ability to step across the threshold but doesn't have the ability to live there.



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Author: LainIsLain
Timestamp: Oct 18, 2022 at 12:14 AM
Content: I'll also add that, although it may sound like the above explanation was already understood, my interpretation is in fact a retroactive one. The experiences I had guided my writing and I was truly not expecting the finished product to be what it became. This explanation is a post interpretation of what this story means to me.

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Author: LainIsLain
Timestamp: Oct 18, 2022 at 12:33 AM
Content: An interpretation of Jenell.

I think Jenell represents the embodiment of how my inner child associated with other members of the ABDL community. Or a metaphor for ABDL feeling like a long lost friend to the side of me that didn't know ABDL was something I even wanted.

Jenell is an anchor point of Theodosia’s attraction for things like diapers and pacifiers. She feels at home in the playroom with Jenell in a way she can't in the real world.

The shut down pulled Theodosia out of that fantasy. In the end, Theodosia knows she needs ABDL like activities, but with PAH no longer being viable, she has a mission to find Jenell, to literally carve out a piece of PAH (ABDL), that she can have in the real world and also that Timothy can tolerate.

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Author: LainIsLain
Timestamp: Oct 18, 2022 at 10:08 PM
Content: If anyone has made it this far? The answer is YES! I've started outlining a follow-up to this story. I've decided to lean into the sci-fi genre a little harder, so if you're a fan, check back when it's ready!



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Author: LainIsLain
Timestamp: Dec 4, 2022 at 4:06 PM
Content: This follow up has taken longer than I expected. I wrote "Playful At Heart" in about half the time in fact. I tried my best to steer the story into something I could finish. I plan to make "Playtime With Theo" into two parts. No deadline of course and I'm not sure when I'll get back to finish Part 2.

I made the decision to include some AI art also with this one. I tried to keep the pics slightly ambiguous, but they will probably influence your imagination while reading so sorry ahead of time.

Summary:

Theodosia is having trouble after PAH shutdown and must find strength to fulfill her roll as a recruiter. Timothy is doing the best he can to support her as he tries to find a way to remove the nanotech from their bodies. PAH will reopen soon and little time is left to find out what happened.

I present to you, -Playtime-With-Theo-.

Chapter 1

A traveler walked confidently down the stone path leading to the entrance of a great castle. As she approached an immense door, a small mouse peered through a tiny opening at her feet. With a thin, shrill voice the mouse spoke words of choice and commitment to which she kneeled in response. The great barrier ascended and she was allowed to pass into the castle. At the center of the great hall she kneeled once more and proclaimed a charge of total loyalty.

“I, Theodosia, being of sound mind and body, hereby give an oath of loyalty to the keeper of wisdom,” she said, allowing her words to carry the weight of her soul.

Suddenly, the ground shook as a deep voice accused her of lacking the worth to take on such a charge. The ground gave way and Theodosia fell out of the sky, heading toward the ground.

“Nooo,” she spoke as Timothy nudged her shoulder.

“You’re dreaming, Theo,” he said as he woke her from a deep sleep.

Timothy met her gaze as she regained consciousness and could see a few tears threatening to run down her cheek.

“Same dream again?” he asked quietly.

She simply nodded her head as she went into the bathroom. He assumed it was another dream about Emilia and knew what was coming next. He had offered to comfort her after these dreams, but she always rejected him. He tried to think of something to say as she quietly closed the door and began crying. She stood in front of the mirror and witnessed her own twisted face.

“Oh, Em,” she said softly. “I’m so sorry.”

Timothy woke in the early morning hours and motioned to his side. He saw that Theodosia hadn’t returned to bed after waking, but he wasn’t overly worried since this had happened a few times since the building closure.

She explained to him that she must have been the cause. He knew it was more likely that his trespassing was the real reason but he was having a hard time convincing her. Nevertheless, she couldn’t break the feeling that she somehow betrayed Emilia and for her transgressions, she had brought the end of a joyful existence for everyone there.

Timothy wasn’t equipped to handle this, but he continued to support her in the only way he knew how. She was acting as if she had lost a family member, he thought as he dressed in formal attire and walked into the kitchen. He was expecting to catch Theodosia in the corner again playing with the many stuffed animals that were still inhabiting their apartment. Instead she was sitting in front of a cup of cold coffee at the table.

“How are you doing?” he asked.

“Uh… I’m fine,” she replied, her emotions still running high.

“You’ve told me the story before. Was it the same dream?”

“Yes,” she replied. Her eyes were still a shade of red.

“I’m sorry, Theo. I know you think it’s your fault, but you really shouldn’t be that hard on yourself.” he said.

She tried to make eye contact. “I know. The dream is just so hard to understand,” she said, her body language showing dejection.

He moved over and embraced her as she sat in the chair. She accepted his hug and felt a little better.

“I’m heading to go see my father today. Will you be okay?” he asked.

“Yes, I will probably go downtown and look for Jenell again,” she said dryly.

Tim’s brow lowered a bit. “It’s been nearly three weeks, Theo. She more than likely moved on to another city. Possibly somewhere with another PAH building.”

She simply nodded and remained seated.

“If you do go, please be careful,” he demanded as he left, closing the door behind him.

Her thoughts continued to dwell on Emilia as she sat in silence. More tears came as she recalled her comforting voice and wished she could hear it again. Admittedly, she never actually saw her in the small room. The screens only showed PAH products and other information. Even with the lack of a face though, Emilia had been more of a mother than her real one could ever hope to be.

As she gazed into the bathroom mirror, she was presented with a worried confused expression on her face. A slight guilty feeling washed over her at the thought of betraying her real mother, but it had been nearly ten years since they had spoken. She recalled her brief but traumatic time being homeless until her uncle welcomed them into his home. He knew her mother had issues, but wasn't prepared for the amount of help she really needed. He was able to tolerate her personality and hoarding behaviors for almost three months before she was asked to leave, and Theodosia lost track of her shortly after.

She reluctantly got dressed and caught herself in the mirror. Her inability to find Jenell had taken its toll, and this trip would most likely bring disappointment, she thought as she left to get her scooter.

Once again she was surprised just how many homeless people there were around the city center as she navigated the side streets on her way to the PAH building. As she examined the faces of people around her, she couldn’t help but feel like she was being punished. An infliction of retribution for betraying Emilia in some way.

She tried to keep her mind focused on the task at hand as she caught an instantly recognizable color scheme from her periphery. She spotted a PAH backpack and quickly rode over to greet a young man conversing with someone.

“Hi, my name is Theo PAH-2132. Any word about when the building will reopen?” she asked as she approached.

“Hello, mine’s Charlie PAH-1877. I haven’t heard anything yet. I can’t wait to go back though, this was the best job I ever had,” the younger man said.

Theodosia simply nodded. She could see the longing in his expression and felt even worse than she did before.

“Yes, I hope they reopen soon,” she said. “Do you live around here?”

“No, I live a few kilometers away.” replied the young man.

“Hey, I’m looking for someone named Jenell. She was a recruit for PAH,”

“No, I haven't heard anyone named Jenell around here, sorry” he replied without hesitation.

She nodded again and thanked him as she continued her search.

Straining her vision up and down the narrow side streets, she began to doubt herself. Had she imagined Jenell? Wouldn’t she be looking for Theodosia too? Certain that Jenell must have been homeless, she almost missed the pile of PAH blankets sprawled on the sidewalk. Beautiful orange and blue colors that once meant something special to her, now desecrated and stained as people stepped on them rather than find a way around. The thought of Emilia came full force again and she couldn’t bear to look at them.

After a few more hours she decided to leave the downtown's familiar sights and smells. As she rode her scooter, a sense of responsibility stirred. It became louder and louder as she passed a few more ex-PAH recruits when an idea came. If the PAH building was closed due to her failures as a recruiter, she’d have to make a place where they’d feel safe again.

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Author: LainIsLain
Timestamp: Dec 4, 2022 at 4:08 PM
Content: Chapter 2

Timothy drove with the flow of traffic as he made his own way towards the care facility where his father was located. He let the memories of the recent past float to the surface as he allowed himself to be hypnotized by the road noise. He hoped that Theodosia would snap out of her stupor as all the happiness and joy had completely drained from her recently. He was finding it harder to maintain his own energy level in her presence and it was now clear that he needed to find a way to remove the nanotech and attempt to restore some normality in their lives.

He pulled into the small parking lot and parked near a bench. He made a note to bring his father outside to sit in the sun for a few minutes as he walked through the front entrance of the Ginger Foot Adult Care Facility.

“Hello, I’m here to see Mr. Bell,” he asked the receptionist at the front desk. A large bouquet of flowers obstructed his view of the person.

“Yes, of course. He’s in the grand room on your left.” a female voice spoke up. With a nod, he strolled down the long hall and into a large room where he spotted his father.

“Hello, dad?” he said loud enough for him to hear.

“Hello?” the man asked back as he looked at Timothy with no clear sign of recognition.

“It’s me dad, It’s Timothy.”

Finally, a smile washed over him. “Oh, Tim. Good to see you boy,” he said warmly. Timothy could see he was doing better than the last time they met.

“Ya, dad, how are they treating you?”

“Oh, fine I guess, but they really need a better chef in the kitchen,” he said with a smile. “You just can’t get a good burger to save your life.” Timothy nodded in agreement.

“I’ve put out a few resumes, but no call backs. I still have some savings though so we’re not worried at the moment,” Timothy changed the subject.

“Oh… you're not working with the… little machines anymore?” his father asked with a concerned look.

“No, dad. The research lab was shut down.”

“Oh… I’m sorry to hear that. Did you tell your mother?” It was Timothy’s turn to have the concerned look.

“No, dad,” he hung his head slightly. “Mom’s been dead for nearly ten years.”

“Oh…” his father simply looked down and nodded.

Timothy forced a smile and said, “Would you like to go sit outside in the sunshine?”

“I’m not sure, our playtime is coming up soon,” he said with a smile.

“Playtime?” Timothy made it sound like he was talking to a five year old. “Tell me what that is?”

A soft chime sounded on the clock as a caregiver wheeled a cart into the center of the room and pronounced, “Okay, everyone. Come if you want to play with finger paints.”

His father’s eyes widened with delight and stood up to walk over to the table. The orderly covered the table in paper, and layed out shallow bowls with little dots of colored paint. His father immediately stuck his hands into the bowl and skillfully started drawing a landscape.

“When did you start this?” Timothy asked the orderly.

“I think about four weeks ago. We tested it at another facility and got some great results. Not everyone takes to it, but the ones that do, well…” the orderly motioned at the table.

Timothy admired the many elderly patients taking to the paints like small children would. He glanced back to the little cart and noticed the brand of the art supplies. His thoughts sharpened as he looked at the familial PAH corporate logo stenciled on the box. He watched his father go back from more magenta paint as he cautiously moved over to observe him.

“Can I try?” he asked the table. His father moved over a bit in response.

Timothy swung his hand over and placed his fingers in the paint. He kept them there for a moment and swirled them around. He was relieved to find nothing odd as he made a circle on the paper in front of him.

“I didn’t know PAH made art supplies?” he asked the orderly.

“These were actually given to us by another company. It’s part of a wellness study we’re helping with. They want us to keep track of who is attracted to the paints and report on mood changes during the exercise. Don’t worry though, we keep the identities of the patients anonymous,” the orderly said as he observed the group.

“Wellness study? Um, could you tell me the name of the company?” Timothy asked.

“Sure. Hold on a minute,” the orderly went to the cart and retrieved one of the empty boxes. He presented it to Timothy as he looked at a small label near the bottom. It read “Participant Advanced Heuristics”. He started wondering just how Playful At Heart might be involved here and what the value of the information was to this advanced heuristics company.

“Can I have this box?” he asked.

“Ya, I don’t think there’s an issue with that,” the orderly replied as he returned to the table

His mind went to Theodosia’s explanations of her time in the playroom. They were looking for adults that had the predisposition for acting like children. Is this part of the recruitment process too? he thought to himself. As he watched his father play he calmed a bit. He was genuinely having fun making a small mess on the table, and Timothy was happy to see him smile.

“Okay dad, have fun with the paints,” he said as he gave him a hug. Tears threatened to run as he walked back down the hall to his car. He sat for a minute searching on his phone about PAH and its associated companies. The information was thin due to PAH still being a private company however. He figured he’d need a more comfortable place to do research and decided to head back to the apartment.

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Author: LainIsLain
Timestamp: Dec 4, 2022 at 4:09 PM
Content: Chapter 3

“It’s simple, Tim,” Theodosia tried to explain as they sat. “I want to start a small playroom for ex-PAH members.”

Timothy's mind had still been on his father as he walked in and was finding it difficult to follow her.

“You want to make a playroom, like the one at Playful At Heart?” he asked with a concerned expression. His thoughts filled with a vision of a dingy yellow room with ominous looking figures.

“Yes, I know you don’t think I’m responsible for the shutdown, but the reality is there’s a lot of PAH members that lost something. Something that was very important, and I believe I can help,” she said with enthusiasm.

They stared at each other for a moment. “If you're thinking of doing that here, we don’t have the room for it,” he gestured with his hand.

“Of course not, but I will need to find a small space downtown. Somewhere close to the PAH building so people can find us,” she said.

“I don’t even have a replacement job yet, I don’t think we have the money to do this,” he replied but her expression didn’t waver.

“Okay, let’s look at the budget first. But remember, we need to survive. With both of our jobs gone, you’ll probably need to charge a small fee. It doesn’t need to be huge, but enough for this to be self-sustaining,” he said with an even tone.

Her mood brightened immediately. “Yes, if this is to work, I will need to budget things just right.”

She spent the rest of the evening looking for spaces to rent. A handful of possible locations were scrolled on a piece of paper as she decided it was time for bed. Timothy wandered over and looked at her open laptop as she showered. He spotted something she was sketching on a piece of paper nearby and allowed a slight smile as he admired her penmanship of a simple banner with hearts flanking the edges. It read “Playtime With Theo”.

With all that had happened recently, he was glad to see she found her purpose again. Her self esteem had been obliterated by the shutdown in a way he wasn’t expecting. Deep down he knew he was most likely responsible, but couldn’t fully understand why. It had to be something related to the nanotech that was still embedded in his skin and possibly something to do with the prototype pacifier from the lab, he thought. He didn’t have enough information to start connecting the dots yet, but he decided to start a little mission of his own. Playful At Heart wasn’t all it was cracked up to be, and he needed to find out the extent of their reach.

“You don’t mind If I wear one tonight?” Theodosia asked.

“No, I know they make you feel better. You can wear them whenever you want if that’s the case,” he replied with a caring voice.

She smiled and got under the covers. The soft crinkling sound of the diaper was muffled as she situated herself along his backside. He admitted the sound and texture was rather soothing. He tried not to be paranoid, but he still wasn’t sure just to what extent Theodosia’s perception was being altered. He also worried that his own judgment could also be compromised, but for right now, the diaper was welcome in bed. Once again he made a resolution to find out more about what infected them and how it might be removed.

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Author: LainIsLain
Timestamp: Dec 4, 2022 at 4:12 PM
Content: Chapter 4

Neatly stacked binders formed a small wall at the end of a large conference table. Behind them was a woman with clear signs of sleep deprivation as three board members stared in her direction. Their faces obscured by the harsh lights coming from the ceiling. After a brief interruption, she gathered her thoughts and continued her presentation.

“It’s not clear what happened, sir. As you’re aware, the individual hosts are all connected on the backend. They have limited access in general, but are able to communicate with each other freely. This was a key feature of the Guardian System. As you know, each autonomous unit is generated from the core instance. They’re allowed to continually iterate and learn from each other as they guide the recruit through the cognitive restructuring program…”

One of the members interrupted her, “Yes, we’ve already been given an overview of the CRP. We want to know why it crashed?”

She hesitated for a moment before answering, “It’s not clear at this point. As you know, everything was corrupted following a rather strange interaction between the CRP’s and the building module. Approximately thirteen seconds after a system wide interaction between all the active nodes in the PAH building, everything was systematically overwritten and corrupted by an unknown method. This is further complicated because the building system itself is also an iterative and self modifying code base. These are in fact, the same code bases we use on all our building’s control modules.”

Another member spoke. “Is there any chance our other systems could be at risk?”

“That’s unclear at the moment, sir. Each building is allowed to iterate and find such bugs that would allow for this kind of system wide failure. While the buildings start at the same place, they become better versions depending on what issues they encounter with each unique building and the recruits that inhabit them…”

The third member interrupted, “What about the SDE system? We need to make a formal statement about its integrity.”

“While the CRP system was fully corrupted, the physical SDE systems are completely independent. Even though some aspects of the CRP and SDE are interdependent, the latter is self contained and not at risk of being compromised due to its redundant nature.”

The three board members traded a few comments.

“Some of the behavioral symptoms caused by the extended delay in recruit cycling their SDE’s are starting to appear. They are minor, but we need to plan for a mass termination if the building can’t be reopened in time,” said one of the board members.

“I’m sure you’ve all seen the leaked photos by now? Who’s in charge of security down there? This leaves us in a highly compromised position when it comes to the public. We need to get the right message out there so people stop asking questions,” said another.

“The CEO is doing damage control at the moment. We are still getting a positive response from the recruits. They can’t wait until the building reopens so I don’t think we need to start worrying just yet. Can you give us an estimate when the building will be operational again?” the third member said as they all looked at her.

“We could put more people on it, but the last estimate was five days,” she said.

After a moment of silence one of them stood and said, “If there’s nothing more to add, this meeting is concluded for now. Please inform us of any new developments, Ms Parr.”.

She made no effort to hide her frustration as she packed her binders onto a small cart and left the conference room. They were under pressure to reopen as soon as possible, and it seemed she’d been given the task of figuring out why the system crashed. That wasn’t supposed to be possible as she understood it though and this was a systemwide flaw in the communication protocol. A protocol that was engineered by the building master module during its tenure.

She began to question the decisions she made to get here. When she got word that she’d be working on the CRP system she was elated. Years of hard work studying the intricacies of the pseudo sentients that made up the core was a sacrifice she was willing to make. She felt honored just to be able to know about them let alone be an expert on how they function; however she would laugh out loud if anyone called her an expert.

The creator of the CRP program was a kind of mad genius in making all the interdependent systems self modifying code structures. Given a basic task and left alone to figure it out, they became the go to for all data management inside the PAH corporation. While it was exciting for her, it was also at times extremely frustrating. The system worked very well, but after a few internal iterations, they truly became black boxes that no mere mortal could hope to peel back the layers of. Some buildings were on their one thousandth iteration and still going. The downtown PAH building wasn’t nearly that old, but up until the crash, it had been operating with no issues.

She was on autopilot as she almost passed her office as a quiet voice prompted her in front of a door marked, “Shaila Parr: Lead Systems Analyst for CRP”.

“Hello CRP Analyst PAH-1008A, this is your affirmation of continued employment at Playful At Heart hereby referred to as PAH. Any exposure to internal systems including but not limited to the GS or “Guardian System”, CRP “Cognitive Restructuring Program”, or SDE…”

Her mind wandered as she thought about all the people that had to suffer this indignity everytime they came to work here.

“By entering this room you agree to fully commit to the access of your personal and private information regarding PAH internal systems and documentation. This information is considered proprietary company property. In the event of…”

She counted the seconds until the voice would prompt her again.

“Please confirm your continued employment at Playful At Heart.”

“Confirm, I Shaila Newsom Parr PAH-1008A, wish to continue employment at Playful-At-Heart."

The door unlocked and the lights slowly rose as she allowed the small cart to rest just inside her office. She walked over and collapsed in a chair as she was reminded of the stacks of boxes from one of their newly acquired research labs. It was mostly involving nanotech and this wasn’t her expertise, but her ability to understand these systems required her to at least have general knowledge of all physical components that made up the Guardian System. It fascinated her just how it was allowed to continue operating with such little oversight for so long. She often wondered how the public would take the news of just how invasive the CRP really was, but she suspected the recruits would continue working for PAH even if they found out what was really going on.

“Knock, knock,” someone said as they entered. “How’d it go?”

“Fine I guess,” she made sweeping gestures at the boxes. “The people in charge really don’t know anything about how this system works, you know? They’re really only interested in the integrity of the SDE and what that means to their customers,” she said miming quote marks.

“Can you blame them, the Secure Data Enclave is what actually pays the bills around here. Or did you forget that?” he said jokingly

“I know,” she said. “I just can’t figure out what happened. It’s like a war broke out on the backend. Once the building system was compromised, the whole thing went dark. We have offsite backups for the building module but the CRP instances were all lost and will need to be reintegrated when the recruits are allowed back inside the building. Of course the SDE was fine, but that’s a separate system. Anyway, we are planning to reopen once all the corrupted modules are replaced. The service team wasn’t sure about the completion time. It could take weeks and will most likely deplete our inventory of spare parts…” she trailed off.

“You want to grab some dinner tonight?” he asked, not really paying attention.

She gazed at the pile of boxes and wondered where she could store them for the time being.

“Maybe, I need to run something by one of the techs downstairs. They're trying to replicate the crash on an isolated system and we really need to know how this happened so we can fix other systems that might be vulnerable. This bug probably only existed in the building module, but we need to be sure,” she said in deep thought.

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Author: LainIsLain
Timestamp: Dec 4, 2022 at 4:13 PM
Content: Chapter 5

Timothy sat at his desk with the remains of a sandwich on a nearby plate as the afternoon sun streamed through the window. He was reading what little information he could find about PAH and its origins. A private company started nearly thirty years ago, it began as a research institute headed by a man named, Dr. Alejandro Arborius. Other than the name, he couldn’t find any concrete documentation about what the institute was actually studying when it was active.

He also couldn’t find much about the members that started the institute other than a few research papers, but nothing directly involving what Timothy had seen inside the PAH building. A photo of the doctor, his wife, and daughter was all he could squeeze from his searches. In the picture, the doctor looked rather mysterious while his wife appeared to be enjoying the moment. His daughter however looked out of place. She was about ten years old, he guessed, and was subtly being held in place by her mother for the photo. He tried not to make snap judgements about their family dynamic, but the scene was a rather strange sight once you took it all in. The wifes’ and daughters' names were curiously absent from the description.

He reached for the box he took from the care facility. The name of the company Participant Advanced Heuristics came up with very little. They had a government grant for research but he was having difficulty finding out the specifics. He did find a contact number for a head office that was local however. He paused for a moment and leaned back to look at the ceiling.

“I don’t even know what I’m looking for,” he said out loud.

He stood up and paced around the small room. The thought of the nanotech inside his body gave him goosebumps. If PAH is doing something illegal, they’re not just going to tell me what’s going on, he thought. But I need to know how to remove this stuff from both of us. Theo can’t be the only person to be fired from PAH.

“Well, I need to start somewhere,” he said unassuredly.

He picked up his phone and dialed the contact number.

“Participant Advanced Heuristics, PAH?” he let slip as someone answered.

“Hello, this is Participant Advanced Heuristics. May I help you?” said a polite male voice.

“Uh…” Timothy’s train of thought was completely derailed.

“Um… Ya… Sorry, hello?”

“Hello, Sir. How may I help you?” replied the voice.

“Hi there. My name is… John and I’m an orderly at Ginger Foot Adult Care Facility,” he recovered. “I am just calling about the sessions involving our elderly patients and the paints,” he said with squinted eyes.

“Oh yes, John. We hope that is going well.”

“Yes, very much. They really seemed to love it. This is the first time I’ve seen some of our older patients smile. It’s really brightened everyone’s spirits,” he continued now displaying physical affectations for no one in particular.

“That’s great news. We’re looking forward to the formal reports from your staff so we can forward them to the research coordinator.”

“Ah, yes. You’re referring to PAH?” Timothy offered.

“Yes. They’ve been expanding their reach quite a bit. Of course we welcome the opportunity to work with such a prestigious company like PAH and hope to continue helping them with these study projects.”

Timothy searched his brain for avenues to continue the conversation.

“Say, um… I can tell you first hand that these activities are a tremendous help to the morale here. I was wondering if you could possibly give a contact number for someone at Playful At Heart so I can deliver a personal message of appreciation?” his eye is squinted again.

“Oh, I don’t think that’s out of line. Uh… let me see,” Timothy could hear some papers rustling. “Yes, I do have a contact I can give you.”

Timothy relaxed a bit.

“Here’s the number for Mr. James Rackman, the research liaison in the PAH psychometrics building downtown.”

“Hello…” the voice said after a moment.

Timothy was a stone statue in his small apartment. His eyes were fixed to the coffee cup on his desk.

“Ahem… Yes, thank you. I’ll be sure to reach out ASAP,” he said flatly as he wrote down the number.

“Great. Thanks for calling and I hope your report reflects your enthusiasm.”

Timothy ended the call and carefully set the phone down and sat on the edge of the bed with a confused look.

“So, you managed to step off the boat without getting your feet wet, eh Rackman.”

He let his impulsiveness get the better of him and dialed the number. He only had a moment to reconsider his foolish action when a voice picked up after the second ring.

“Hello, this is Mr. Rackman’s office. He’s in a meeting at the moment but I can take a message,” the cheerful voice said.

“Uh… This…” he paused for a moment and started improvising.

“This is William Mundy from Participant Advanced Heuristics, if it’s possible I’d like to have a sit down with James. We are looking to expand one of our test programs to another adult care facility. They’ve agreed to a trial run and I’d like to hash out some details,” this time he spoke rather confidently.

“Oh, yes of course. I can check his schedule. Do you have a time you’d prefer?”

“As soon as possible would be great,” he said.

“Ah, you're in luck. There is a spot open today at 2pm. Will that work out?” asked the voice.

“Yes, that will do just fine.”

“Great, thanks for reaching us Mr. Mundy, and we’ll see you at two. Bye.”

“Must be my lucky day,” Timothy grinned as he looked up the address and estimated the drive time as he hurried out the door.

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Author: LainIsLain
Timestamp: Dec 4, 2022 at 4:17 PM
Content: Chapter 6

“This next one sounds like what you're looking for,” said an all too happy voice over the phone. Theodosia had now looked at three separate locations, and none of them had what she needed.

“Okay, I’m at the door now,” she said as the sun began to set leaving long shadows on the buildings.

“The door code is 4431. Please look inside and call me back if you have questions,” said the voice.

She entered the code and unlocked the door. It was pitch-black inside as she looked for the light switch. Dim overhead fluorescent lights slowly came on. To her left was a small L-shaped counter leading halfway down the room. It wasn’t at eye level like the playroom, but she knew she’d have to make some compromises. The space was about 70 square meters with a small portion sunken into the far wall to her right. She instantly thought about the cave and wondered if she could somehow replicate it in the small space.

She strolled into the center of the room and sat down on the floor. Looking around, she started to see the possibilities of having a real playspace to welcome the others. She knew the recruitment for PAH was strict and still felt fortunate that she had been chosen. Thinking that she’d offer this to ex-PAH members first, she considered that she could also choose her own criteria. This space would need her to charge a bit more, but was still within the small budget she and Timothy agreed on. Impulsively, she called the management company back and agreed to a short term lease.

“I hope I’m not getting in over my head here,” she spoke out loud to the empty room. Emilia came to mind again and her feelings turned melancholy as she buried her head in her hands. Em wouldn’t want me to feel this way all the time, she thought.

She was reminded of how colorful the playroom was and mentally started listing the supplies she’d need. After a moment she promptly left and made her way down to an art supply store she noticed on the way in. She felt her energy return as she rounded a corner and walked by rows of colorful decorations as she entered. A small radio could be heard behind the counter as she waited.

“Can you give us any idea of what went wrong?”

“While I can’t give you specific details, I can say that a minor bug was found in the building's power systems. It’s nothing to worry about, but some of the integrated systems need to be replaced as a result.”

“Am I right to say this has never happened at all of the PAH facilities to date?”

“While we take great pride in our reliability metrics, we simply can’t foresee all possibilities. Unfortunately, this outage hit us by surprise and we’re doing everything possible to complete the repairs in order to once again allow our PAH members access to the building.”

“I’m sure you’ve seen the pictures that have been circulated? I’m talking about the leaked playroom photos. Can you tell us why these pictures are so unnerving? Why do some of the features in the playroom look like non-functioning facsimiles? The stories we’ve heard don’t really match with what we’re seeing here.”

“Once again, I’m afraid that all workings inside the PAH building are proprietary…”

Theodosia patiently waited for the cashier to notice her.

“Hello, I’m trying to find rolls of craft paper. Something like this,” she held her arms up and gestured for something very large.

“Ya, plain white on the back wall and the colored ones start over there,” he pointed to his left.

She moved quickly in that direction and was amazed to see all the colors of the rainbow spread out in front of her. It was almost overwhelming and it took some effort to focus on the task at hand. She quickly crossed off most of her mental list and made her exit after paying for the items. A few people shot her strange glances as she walked down the street with arm loads of colorful craft paper and other related objects.

Back at the space, she piled everything in the middle and admired her budgeting skills. Her greatest score was some used floor mats at the local surplus store. They had the logo of a now out of business martial arts school, but she turned them upside down and after a few summersaults, she gave her seal of approval.

Returning to her list of things to do, she spread out a large piece of paper that measured the length of the front window and began to sketch large letters. Her face brightened as the words, “Playtime With Theo” took shape.

As she hung the banner in the window, the former recruit she had spoken to by the PAH building walked by and stopped to look inside.

“Hi, what’s Playtime With Theo?” he asked inquisitively.

She placed the piece of tape she was holding on the corner of the window and stepped back.

“Hello and welcome. This…” she gestured around the room. “This is my new playroom. I’m planning to open a playspace for former PAH recruits but there will be a small fee involved. Your name is Charlie, right?”

“Ya, Charlie PAH-1877,” his eyes widened with excitement. “That’s very cool.”

“And my name is Theodosia PAH-2132,” she felt guilty as she said her PAH number again.

“Ha, do you need some help? It looks like you’ve just started,” he asked with a smile.

“Yes actually. I really do need some help,” she said.

Theodosia was grateful for the offer and agreed to let him paint one of the badly stained walls. She picked a beautiful light blue color and he gladly went to work.

In a few hours they made a good dent in the mound at the center of the room. They had set up three small tables with an assortment of colored pens and paper, and Charlie helped her hang a large sheet of white craft paper along one wall just like she remembered. She even found some cloth to hang in front of the recessed area to mimic the cave entrance and placed a few blankets and pillows inside. The final touch was a small desk lamp with a piece of paper covering the top punched with numerous holes to mimic a starry night sky.

“Thank you so much, Charlie! This turned out better than I expected with the little money I had. I guess the rest will be up to people's imagination,” she let out a laugh that made them both smile.


“Hey, you said there’s a small membership fee right? I know a few other recruits. If I can convince a few to come, you think I could get in for free?” he asked with a pleading look.

“Mm… I think we can arrange that,” she said. Even though she was fired, she admired how short a time had passed for her to fall into a similar position of recruiting people.

“Okay, I think I can bring at least one person tomorrow then. Cya later,” he said as he waved goodbye.

Theodosia held her smile as she walked into the center of the room. It was definitely missing a ball pit but one step at a time, she thought. As she gazed around at they’re handy work, a familiar feeling came over her. She felt safe here just like in the PAH playroom. For some reason, the decisions on the decor seemed to have already been decided upon as they worked. Almost as if she was following a formula that was stored in her head. It was a little strange, but she tried not to dwell on it.

All the recent memories of what had happened to her came all at once. She went to her knees and cried softly in the playfully colored former office space that was now called, Playtime With Theo.

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Author: LainIsLain
Timestamp: Dec 4, 2022 at 4:19 PM
Content: Chapter 7

“So, the SDE was a byproduct of the genetic discovery that led to the creation of the CRP,” said a slightly overweight man examining his terminal.

“See here,” he reached for a biscuit as a crackling sound came from the wrapper. He brought it to eye level and carefully broke it in half.

“See, the genetic marker shows us where the fracture is…” he carefully pushed the two pieces back together so the line between them was almost invisible.

“That fracture in the person's psyche has a genetic component that we can exploit for the SDE to function…” he continued.

The older man could see someone making their way towards the entrance at the far end of the room. Shaila approached the door and flashed a keycard against a faint glowing patch on the wall. A chime sounded as she pushed open the double doors leading into the module testing lab.

“Have you made any progress on the crash?” she asked. Her tired eyes and unkempt hair made it look like she’d been sleeping in her office again.

“Well, what we’re finding doesn’t make a lot of sense Ms. Newsom,” replied the lead technician.

“Shaila, please. Give me the specifics and I’ll see if I can make some sense of it.”

“This is so strange,” a younger technician said as she stared deeply into her terminal. “I mean it looks like one of the nodes was able to exploit a timing vulnerability in the communications protocol. Wait, aren't these protocols made by the building module? So the building module's chosen protocol had a flaw that itself couldn’t see?”

“Well, not exactly,” the older technician said. “The base protocols are all the same, however the building module is allowed to modify the base code if it sees room for optimisation.”

“We’ve found a bug in the communications protocol,” he continued as he made eye contact with Shaila.

“Really? Is it exploitable?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.

The man stood stationary for a moment. “You see here, there is definitely a slight overlap in the time sequencing packets. It’s subtle, but would easily get filtered out at the end points. However, it’s most certainly exploitable if someone was on the intranet of the building,” he explained.

“But, here’s the strange part. Looking at the logs, we can see that…”

“I thought all the logs were wiped,” Shaila interrupted.

She turned her attention to the nearby table. The building module was suspended inside an enclosed space with gold colored mesh making up the exterior.

“Yes, the normal logs were all wiped,” the younger technician spoke up. “In this iteration of the building, the self modifying code started to integrate temporary log files in each of the intersecting points between it, and the CRP’s. These secondary logs have a very small time window, but we think it was in the process of discovering the flaw and removing it.”
The older technician nodded his head in agreement with her conclusion.

“So the weird part is, these logs show the flaw was indeed exploited just before the crash, but it was coming from the CRP nodes themselves,” she said with a conspiratorial flurash.

“You're joking,” Shaila replied bluntly. Her face showed utter confusion.

The older tech spoke up. “No joke. One or multiple CRP nodes in the PAH building were DDOSing then crashed and corrupted all the systems attached. We can’t even tell which one due to the nature of the flaw in the protocol. It appears to come from all of them at once which is highly suspicious.”

“Can you replicate this, and is it possible the flaw exists in other systems?” she asked with a serious tone.

The older technician gestured to the gold mesh box. “Yes we can, but no, this only existed in a specific version of the protocol,” he said.

They all stared back at the terminal screen for a moment. Shaila’s thoughts were racing now. Did someone hack them from the inside? Maybe, she thought. She took her hands from her pockets and made little flexing movements.

“Okay, please assemble a full report and deliver it as soon as possible. I’m already dealing with one major breach of security right now. I just hope this isn’t as bad as it looks,” she said.

She gave them both a slightly worried look and left for her office. The CRP systems are all part of the individual recruits psychological reconditioning, she thought as she walked. If this wasn’t from the outside it could be a real issue if we can’t figure out what happened.

As the lights rose in her office again the pile of boxes came into view as she lumbered over and fell onto a small sofa. The task of verifying the integrity of all the research materials from their most recent acquisition was not going well. She was shocked to find out that someone had issued a set of high level access tokens for use in one of the lab's prototypes. She spotted the rotating wire frame of a pacifier on a pad as her eyes became heavy with exhaustion.



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Author: LainIsLain
Timestamp: Dec 4, 2022 at 4:21 PM
Content: Chapter 8

Timothy walked confidently down the hallway as he followed the arrows pointing towards the research liaison offices.

“Hello?” he asked as he peeked his head around the door.

“Yes, come in. Do you have an appointment?” asked the friendly secretary.

“Ya…” he paused a minute to remember the fake name he’d given earlier.

“My name is William Mundy, here to see James.

“Right on time. He’s waiting for you,” she motioned to the door on his left.

He nodded and braced himself as he opened the door. He could see Rackman hidden behind his computer screen so he quietly closed the door and sat down.

“Ya, just a minute… Okay, Mr. Mundy, you’d like to…” he stopped talking as they finally made eye contact. A long pause drew out as Rackman’s face morphed through a few expressions before resting on an annoying but worried look.

“Hey Kirby, we meet again,” Timothy did his best to exude contemtment as he even gave him a little salute with his hand.

“I admire your tenacity Tim, but I told you before. I can’t help you. If you leave now…” Timothy interrupted.

“How do I get the nanotech out of Theodosia?” he said without thinking.

Rackman sat back like he was hit with something.

“What do you mean get it out? Do you know someone that works for PAH?” he asked.

“Ya, my partner. She was fired by PAH but the nanotech is still inside her. How do we remove it?” Timothy asked.

Rackman’s face twisted. “How do you even know it’s still there, Tim? Wait, she worked in the building that had the system crash.”

He relaxed a bit. “I see… I can’t give you specifics, but typically when someone is terminated they ask you to forfeit all PAH property. That includes all objects inside and out. She would have been told this during the termination debriefing at the PAH building.”

“Yes, they came and confiscated everything that was made by PAH, but she still has something on her body,” Timothy replied with a sense of urgency.

Rackman shook his head. “How do you know that?” he asked again with a little more volume.

Timothy looked at his hands. “I can see it,” he said as he moved his fingers back and forth over the spot above his ear. Rackman just stared in wonder.

“You remember the lab accident? Something happened and I have it in me as well.”

The office became completely silent except for the soft background of the ventilation system.

Timothy broke the silence. “I’m pretty sure I was infected by something in the lab explosion. I have a nanomachine structure embedded above my ear and Theo has one on the back of her head. Have you ever been inside the playrooms, James? It’s all monochrome, and the recruits hallucinate the color…”

Rackman quickly gestured to his lips and shook his head slowly.

“Look, Tim. I really can’t talk about this,” he said while writing something down. He abruptly stood and walked over to Timothy.

“If you have any questions about PAH and the recruitment process, please contact public relations,” he said as he handed the slip to Timothy.

Timothy just stared at him. “I need answers, Rackman. What’s going on?”

“Please, call public relations for more information,” Rackman said, still offering the slip of paper.

Timothy finally stood and took it. It read “Parking level 2, 10 minutes”. Rackman motioned to the door and Timothy played along without further conversation. He made his way to the level 2 parking garage and waited. About fifteen minutes later, he saw Rackman leave the elevator next to the stairs. He motioned for him to follow and they walked over to a black sedan and got inside.

“What I’m about to say, you didn’t hear from me, got it? I like this job and I don’t want to lose it,” Rackman said with a worried look.

“Fine. I’m not looking to get you fired, but I need to know what the hell is going on. How do we get this out of our bodies, and why do the recruits see color in the playrooms with monochromatic lights?” Timothy asked.

“How do you know about the mono light in the playrooms?”

“I saw it with my own eye’s, Rackman. Everything is yellow. I tried explaining it to Theo, but she thinks that room had every color in the rainbow,” Timothy said with frustration.

Rackman shot him a look. “Your first question in the answer to your second. I’m not fully read in, but the nanotech is integrated into the brain stem somehow. The playrooms have special light that is received and later processed into color that the brain can understand. As for removing it, she was supposed to take a pill or something when she was terminated. It’s some kind of destructive code that tells the machines to disassemble.”

“She was terminated after the building shutdown. They came for the PAH gear but they didn’t say anything about the nanotech inside her,” Timothy said.

“That’s not the right procedure,” Rackman replied with a concerned look. “By the way, how can you see it?”

“The lab accident. Everything I touch makes colored patterns in my vision. If I run my fingers across my skin,” he made the gesture again. “I can literally see the stuff with my own eye’s. That’s how I know it’s still in Theo.”

“Woah…,” Rackman looked at him in awe.

“That’s incredible,” he finally said. “Have you told anyone?”

“Just Theo, for now.” Timothy replied.

“So, she still has the SDE. Has she exhibited any strange symptoms?” asked Rackman quietly.

Other than the nightmares and needing to wear a diaper to bed? Timothy thought.

“She’s having a hard time sleeping lately and I’ve caught her playing with some stuffed animals in the living room. It’s only strange because she’s not working for PAH anymore, but she’s playing with them as if she was doing a product review.” he said.

Rackman just nodded along.

“What’s SDE?” Timothy demanded.

Rackman gripped the steering wheel of his car. “Tim, I shouldn’t have said that. Just forget it. When the PAH building reopens, take her there and ask them to conduct the termination debriefing. She’s not the only one this has happened to I’m sure. They will remove the tech and she’ll be fine, but don’t sit on this. Take her to the PAH building when it reopens.”

He turned to face Timothy as he continued speaking.

“As for you my friend. I have zero idea what you’re infected with and I don’t know if you can request the debrief since you were never a recruit.”

“Slow down, what’s SDE?” Timothy asked again.

Rackman just shook his head. “Look, give me your contact number. As far as I know, the nanotech is safe and shouldn’t harm either one of you.”

Timothy shot him a look back. “You mean except the hallucinations?” he asked with incredulity.

They both sat in silence again as the afternoon sun dropped behind a tall building in the distance.

“I’ll ask around but that’s the best I can do right now.” Rackman said.

“This goes beyond the company tagline, doesn’t it?” Timothy said with a tinge of anger.

“Tagline?”

“Ya, the pursuit of advanced techniques to allow your deepest needs for inner peace and fulfillment blah blah blah. Ring any bells?” Timothy said.

“I’m sorry, but that’s the best I can do,” Rackman replied.

Timothy gave him a look and opened the door.

“How much money did it take to cross that moral hazard anyway?” he asked as he got out. Rackman remained motionless behind the wheel as Timothy closed the door and walked back to his car.

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Author: LainIsLain
Timestamp: Dec 4, 2022 at 4:23 PM
Content: Chapter 9

“Hello and welcome to Playtime With Theo,” she said cheerfully as she welcomed someone that accompanied Charlie in the newly decorated space.

“Hey, Theo. This is Mandy. She’s a friend I know from my playroom in PAH,” he said as they both turned to her.

“Hello,” she managed in a timid voice. “I’m PAH-1805.”

“Great. Welcome Mandy, PAH-1805. This playspace has a small membership fee, but you're welcome to play here for free today if you want to try it out,” Theodosia did her best to sound inviting.

Mandy smiled at Charlie as they both walked in. They immediately went to one of the low craft tables and began drawing on some paper. Theodosia admired the situation. Something so simple as coloring on paper with friends could be such an engaging activity. There’s obviously a psychological component to the whole ordeal, she thought. Just as she decided to join in, she was interrupted by someone at the front door.

She waved them to come inside. “Hello and welcome to Playtime With Theo,” she said in a practiced voice.

“Oh, hello there. I’m curious about what’s going on,” said a younger man in a smart looking outfit.

“Well, since the PAH building is closed down, I thought I would start my own playspace and invite the PAH recruits that are missing their playrooms,” she said.

The man took in the space as he walked a few more steps inside.

“This actually looks great. Did this all by yourself?”

“In order to make it work, I’ll have to charge a membership fee, but I’m going to keep it as low as possible. What’s your PAH number?” she asked with a smile.

“Oh, I’m not a member of PAH,” he said as he watched Mandy and Charlie coloring.

“Well, I want to provide enough space for the PAH recruits first. I have plans to allow non-recruits but…”

“Sorry, I’m not interested in joining,” he interrupted her. “I’d like to interview you about your time at PAH if that’s alright.”

Theodosia dropped her head slightly as she looked at the two other recruits having fun and motioned for him to step outside.

“I’m no longer a member of PAH, I was terminated after the building shutdown,” she said with an obvious crack in her voice.

“Oh, I see. That’s no big deal. I’d still like to interview you and also ask about your motivations to start this play space,” he said with enthusiasm.

Theodosia couldn’t help but smile back. She still felt guilty, but this person seemed to genuinely want to hear her story.

“Okay. When?” she asked.

“Right now if you can,” the man said as he patted his shoulder bag.

They walked back in and Theodosia moved a table to the far corner of the room.

“Charlie, I’m going to be occupied for a moment. Please welcome people and let them know it’s free to play on their first visit,” she instructed.

They both sat down as he brought out a laptop.

“Thank you for doing this. I’ve interviewed a few people and we’re trying to get a better picture of what was happening inside the PAH building,” he said as he arranged to take notes.

“Are you with a news agency or something?” she asked.

The man paused. “No, but you could say I’m with a group interested in PAH and some of the technology they’ve developed.”

Theodosia nodded. “Okay, well I was…” she looked in Charlie's direction again. “I was terminated after the building was shut down, but I’d like that specific fact to stay quiet for the moment, okay?”

He offered an understanding look and nodded back. “No problem. Okay, do you know anyone else who was terminated?”

“No, I really didn’t know anyone both inside and outside of PAH. I was a recruiter for a few days and worked with someone named Grover.”

The man typed and nodded at the same time. “Okay, Theodosia. Could you please walk me through a typical day as you entered the PAH building?” he asked.

Theodosia turned her attention once again to the front area where two more individuals were nervously peering into the play space.

“Let me think. Okay, I’d usually wake in the morning and gather my thoughts about the download,” she said as she began describing her routine.

“Emilia loves… I mean loved, to hear the details of my product reviews. I would consider the objects carefully and recall how they made me feel when using them.”

“Ah, could you explain the download process?” he asked.

“Once I made it to my room, I would kneel in front of Emilia and begin downloading,” she replied.

“Uh… could you be more specific? How was the download initiated?” he asked eagerly.

She wasn’t quite sure what he was asking for. “Emilia would greet me, I kneeled in front of her, and I just started speaking about the specific object I was reviewing. After a few seconds, everything seemed to happen automatically.”

“So your download sessions were all verbal? Can you describe any visible antennas in the small room?” he asked.

Her face contorted as she tried to remember. “It was small, maybe a few square meters in size. There was a screen in front and the sides were surrounded by little hatches in the wall. This is where Emilia stored special objects like Freckles and the recruiter pacifier. I don’t think there were any antennas, but I’m not sure what they would look like anyway.”

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Author: LainIsLain
Timestamp: Dec 4, 2022 at 4:25 PM
Content: Chapter 10

Defeat set in as Timothy drove cautiously towards the new play space Theodosia had set up. He was still very hesitant about this new venture due to their limited funds but was more focused on removing the nanotech from their bodies. Although he let his mind wander a bit about possibly marketing his skills as a human microscope with this new superpower.

He turned into the parking lot of the small stripmall a few kilometers from their apartment. He noticed her style immediately as he glanced at the hand made banner with the words “Playtime With Theo”.

He walked up to the door and looked inside. A nervous tinge crept up his spine as he witnessed half a dozen adults playing in the open space before him. A few were coloring on a nearby table while the others were crowded around a small pile of blocks as soft but upbeat music played in the background. Although this was a far cry from PAHs immense playspace, he was struck by how similar the overall feeling was. It was a combination of things that gave the feeling of invitation and safety albeit this time with recognizable colors.

He spotted her at a table talking with a younger man and walked in their direction.

“Oh, hi Tim,” Theodosia waved. “This is… I’m sorry I forgot your name,” she said as he approached.

“Doug?” Timothy said with complete surprise.

“Mr. Bell,” the young man replied with similar astonishment.

They just stared at each other for a moment as light music provided a strange ambiance for the encounter.

“Do you know each other?” Theodosia asked with confusion.

“Doug was my assistant briefly just before I was fired,” Timothy said as he offered an outstretched hand. “Doug. What are you doing here?”

Doug finally smiled. “Well, I’m interviewing Theodosia about her time at PAH,” he said. “I didn’t know you were involved in this?”

“I’m not really. This was all Theodosia’s planning,” Timothy said.

Doug nodded. “Right, she told me that. We’ve been talking about the download process at PAH. I’m interested in how it’s done and what method is being used,” he continued.

“I’ve explained all I can remember about it,” Theodosia interjected. “Doug was just asking me about the nanotech stuff but you know more about that than I do.”

Timothy stiffened at the mention of the unseen technological parasites running through him. “How much do you know, Doug?” he asked.

Doug looked at his laptop for a moment. “I’ve been into this stuff for years. Why do you think I got the job at the research lab?” he asked rhetorically. “I know that PAHs recruitment system is all controlled by nanotech authentication and I’ve been doing my own research on how it works. There are many of us trying to crack the system and gain access.”

Timothy’s thoughts went to his breach into the PAH building.

He leaned into Doug and spoke quietly. “Remember the lab accident, I was infected with something that lets me see the nanotech with my fingers.”

Doug gave him a wide eyed expression as he pulled back. Timothy just stared at him giving no signs that he was joking.

“Do you know the procedure to remove it? Can it be done without the help of PAH?” he asked.

“The kill instruction is given to the members upon termination I think. To be honest though, I’m not really sure how that works,” he replied. “You can really see it, in your body though?”

Timothy nodded. “Ya, we both are still infected.”

Theodosia gave Timothy a look. She really didn’t like when he referred to the PAH nanotech as an infection.

Doug slowly placed both hands on his laptop. He was motionless for a moment then he pulled open his bag and quickly wrote something on a card. He presented it to Timothy and said, “Meet me here tonight at 7pm. We should talk more in private about this.”

He gathered his things quickly. “As I’m sure you know, Tim. There’s a lot more going on behind the scenes and I think we can help each other.” He thanked them both and promptly moved towards the door drawing glances from the happily playing people as he left.

Timothy sat down near Theodosia as he took in the sights and sounds of the space.

“This… I think you’ve done a good job replicating the feel from the playroom.”

Theodosia beamed a smile at him.

“I stretched the budget as thin as I could, and made some really good deals at the second hand store,” she replied.

He looked over at a nearby table where two people were playing with paints. He superimposed his father sitting at the table with a carefree expression. The simple joy of walking your fingers across a plain white piece of paper, he thought.

His face turned dark as he recalled the conversation with Rackman. “The SDE,” he said softly. He now knew something else was going on and these people were all involved somehow. Most likely without their knowledge.

“Theo, something was going on in the PAH building. I don’t know the specifics, but I intend to find out. Doug seems to know more than I do at this point and I need to ask him some questions,” he said as he looked around the room.

“My feeling is that something big was happening and these people were involved. I’m trying to find a way to remove the nanotech and it looks like there’s a way.”

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Author: LainIsLain
Timestamp: Dec 4, 2022 at 4:29 PM
Content: Chapter 11

Timothy pulled out the card and reread the address as they parked on a brightly lit street corner and got out. As they walked along examining the door numbers, his thoughts drifted back to the moment he decided to follow Theodosia into the PAH building. Over the last few months he'd watched her suffer a strange recurring nightmare about failing to live up to Emilia's expectations. He was happy to finally be making progress and now he hoped this meeting with Doug would fill in some of the missing pieces.

They walked under a bright neon sign advertising the “Best Chinese Food In The City”, and found the address above a door next to the restaurant. There was a piece of paper taped to the front that read, "PAH is not what you think! Help us uncover the truth!". He pushed open the door with a slight creaking sound and walked inside. He noticed a faint smell from years of deep fried Chinese food and followed the arrows leading down to the basement. They could see another door at the far end of a long hallway that appeared to have been repainted many times with another paper taped to it. Timothy knocked twice and waited. The door opened suddenly and Doug’s face came into view.

“Hey, thanks for coming,” he motioned them inside.

Before them was a small open space with rows of empty chairs. There was a projector screen on the far wall and a little podium in front.

“Welcome to Anti-PAH,” Doug said jokingly with a chuckle. “Okay, the name is terrible and we’re working on it.”

Timothy replied. “Anti-PAH?”

“We are a group that has been doing our own research into PAH’s past. We know something nefarious is going on inside these buildings,” Doug said as he waved his hand over the chairs.

Timothy became worried for a moment. He wasn’t expecting to get involved in some strange group calling themselves Anti-PAH.

“Doug…” Timothy started to say as Theodosia cut him off.

“I assure you that my time in PAH was some of the happiest times I can remember. Possibly in my entire life. I never saw anything strange going on. It was a simple job reviewing PAH products and we were rewarded with playtime for doing well,” she explained.

The three became silent as her words hung in the air.

“I know what PAH meant to you and the other recruits,” Doug said. “I’ve interviewed many people and your stories are all the same. You just did reviews, downloaded your thoughts, and had fun in the playrooms,” Doug made quote marks in the air as he said downloaded.

“PAH could never be profitable that way. Although they sell some merchandise, it’s only a small percentage of their total revenue. In fact, those sales wouldn’t even cover the operating expenses in the PAH buildings. Not to mention people's salaries,” he continued.

“So, Doug. How do we remove the nanotech?” Timothy asked.

He motioned them to follow through a door in the far wall as he spoke.

“PAH has a method of issuing a kill code. Once done, the nanotech disassembles in the body and passes through the digestive system. Not sure on the specifics but It might take two or three days to be flushed out.”

Theodosia and Timothy followed Doug up a narrow stairway to an apartment above the meeting hall. As Doug opened the door Timothy could see boxes stacked to the ceiling nearly blocking their way. They negotiated a path through and emerged into a large open space that resembled a small scale research lab.


“Doug… how?” Timothy was almost speechless at the sight. Boxes upon boxes marked with the PAH logo were scattered around. Tables were covered with numerous but identical copies of intricate objects that he couldn’t immediately identify. In the far corner were some gold colored mesh panels that he recognized as part of an isolation box for testing radio frequency gear. Doug moved over to a table and cleared it quickly without speaking and layed out a few scanned photos of miniature objects at high magnification.

“These are a few iterations of the PAH nanotech transceiver and compute units we know of. It’s hard to tell how many variations there actually are, but all the IO involving PAHs internal system’s are connected with these transceivers,” Doug began his presentation.

Timothy watched as Theodosia examined a nearby pile of clothing with PAH letters stenciled on them.

“Wait, where did you get this stuff?” he asked.

“Oh, well I didn’t steal any of it, If that’s what you're asking. At least, I don’t consider it stealing anyway. It’s a combination of knowing someone on the inside and waiting for the right time. You see, when a project is finished, some of the labs are purged. The company doing the research already purchased the equipment or materials, and they usually aren’t interested in recuperating those costs. Besides, some of the equipment becomes obsolete at the conclusion of the research. Once they’ve removed any proprietary data, the equipment is sold for scrap. And if you're willing to grease the wheels, you can get the first pick of the stuff,” Doug said nonchalantly.

Timothy’s gaze landed on a box of diapers marked “V0.2 REACTANT PROTOTYPES”.

“You said you can actually see this stuff in your body?” Doug asked.

“Yes, with my fingers,” Timothy replied.

“Do you recognize any of these structures?”

Timothy turned back and looked at the photos. “This one here. It sorta looks like the one on Theo’s head.”

Theodosia responded at the sound of her name and walked over to stand near Timothy as they all looked down. The black and white image reminded her of a top down view of city streets in a densely populated area. Many repeating structures were interlinked with one another across the landscape. Long channels of parallel lines segmented little islands of asymmetrical groupings that were left up to her imagination about their function.

“It’s not completely the same, but this one is the closest,” Timothy said.

Doug pointed at the lower corner of the photo. It read “V31.85 PAH RECRUIT CRP + SDE MODE 3 TRANSCEIVER”.

“Okay, that makes sense. She was a member and she has a version of this as part of her CRP integration. CRP stands for cognitive restructuring program by the way.”

“And what is SDE?” Timothy asked. The acronym stood out from his conversation with Rackman.

“I don’t know, Tim. I’ve been searching but can’t seem to find out what SDE is, or what its purpose is,” he waved around the room at his hoard.

Timothy returned to the images. “I don’t see mine here at all.”

“I don’t have scans of everything PAH makes. You know the labs we worked in were once government owned right? It wouldn’t surprise me if PAH was still doing government or military research as part of their R&D budget. I mean look at this stuff. You think it’s all for helping people find inner bliss or whatever they’re selling?” Doug said with exaggerated hand gestures.

Timothy reached for a clean sheet of paper and started drawing. A familiar shape of a 10 by 10 grid with many repeating substructures started to emerge. After a few cautious swipes above his ear he finished and they all stared at the drawing in silence. It was wholly unique among the other images and Doug let out a low whistle as he examined the drawing.

“I’m certain that whatever this is, it helped me get into the PAH building,” Timothy said.

He carefully recanted the day leading up to the shut down. The odd interior of the PAH building. The dark hallways. The monolight in the playroom. Doug sat and listened intently as Theodosia followed along in her head, but all she could remember was how colorful things were. How safe and secure the playroom felt.

“So you're the reason for the shutdown?” Doug asked in astonishment.

Timothy nodded. “I have to assume it was because I gained entry into the playroom. The building terminals kept referring to me as a maintenance officer,” he continued as he looked at Theodosia.

“Right, and you think it’s related to the lab accident and possibly from this prototype pacifier you have? Where is it by the way?” Doug asked slyly.

“It’s safe for the moment,” Timothy replied.

Theodosia walked over and placed her hand on Timothy’s shoulder. He tried but couldn’t read the expression on her face. He spent hours trying to convince her that he was responsible and with this new information Doug was sharing, he hoped it would give her some closure. Doug paced around the small space behind the table for a moment. He stopped suddenly and looked both of them in the eye.

“Okay, you know those pictures online. The ones in the interior of the playrooms? After the shutdown I snuck into the building through a fire escape. They cut power to the whole building in fact and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see inside,” he said. His voice became quiet.

“You also saw inside right? Strange hallways with no overhead lights and zero echo. The playrooms filled with odd silhouettes of objects like they were simulating a fantasy world,” Doug continued as he looked at Theodosia.

She hesitated then said, “When we’re in there, everything is colorful. All the games are inviting, and the helpers protect us and read stories.”

“Something bigger is going on, Theodosia. I just don’t know what. If we had more information…” Doug questioned out loud.

“What do you mean?” Timothy asked.

Doug cocked his head to one side. “We need to break in again,” he said with a smile. “We only have a small window though. They had to replace all the building's modules and are planning to reopen soon.”

His smile widened a bit more as he looked at Timothy. “You can be my trojan horse, Tim.”

Theodosia looked at both of them curiously. “I’m not sure I understand what you mean?”

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Author: LainIsLain
Timestamp: Dec 4, 2022 at 4:30 PM
Content: Chapter 12

“It’s very possible that you still have this maintenance level access to the core building system. From what I've heard, the shutdown was more like a total building crash. They wouldn’t go through the trouble to replace every system if it wasn’t something serious. The shutdown story was a cover for something, I just know it,” Doug said with conviction.

“Ya, I don’t follow you. Just go and break in yourself,” Timothy said.

Doug shook his head. “Look, when I went in the building had no power. I couldn’t access any of the systems. As they restart the building, we will have an opportunity to download some really juicy stuff about the inner workings. Your maintenance access could possibly still work.”

“They know who I am, Doug. It’s not like I was wearing a mask when I went inside,” Timothy rebutted.

“Right. It’s risky. We’d need to shield your face and block your transceiver up until we need to access a terminal,” Doug could see he was losing him.

“We may never get this opportunity again and I know one of the delivery drivers that is supplying PAH. He can get us in and we can use the fire escape just like before. Besides, the worst they can do is make us leave.”

Timothy looked at Theodosia again. He just wanted to find a way to remove the nanotech and go back to their normal lives. Now Doug was asking him to possibly commit a crime.

“Do you want to know what’s going on, Theo?” he asked her.

She looked away. The news of the building reopening brought her a tinge of anxiety and wondered if Emilia knew she had been terminated. Now previously simple and happy experiences were tainted with talk of elaborate computer systems and nanotech. She admitted to herself that with her termination though, she might not get another chance to find out what really happened.

“Yes,” was all she could say.

Timothy nodded at Doug. “Okay, how are we going to do this?”

Doug looked side to side as the wheels began to turn.

“How shy are you about wearing diapers, Tim?”

“We need to mask your maintenance transceiver until the last minute so we can get as much time as possible. And we both need to be broadcasting the correct carrier signal so we’re not flagged by the building security system. At least, if that’s operational by the time we go in.”

Doug became muffled as he rummaged through some of the many boxes. After a moment he spread out a few items on the table. They included a PAH diaper suit hoodie, one of the prototype diapers, and a hard case with warning symbols covering the top.

“Okay, these are all prototypes, but I think the basics haven’t changed. We need to be wearing these hoodies when we’re inside the building. Then you’ll remove the hood and use your maintenance codes to access a terminal,” he said as he carefully opened the case.

With one hand he brought out a thin piece of translucent membrane and carefully placed it into the hoodie’s interior. Starting from the very bottom, he securely taped the membrane in place all the way into the hood.

“This is part of a long range transmitter demo kit. I don’t have the equipment to fake a signal anyway so we have to use this,” he continued.

“Why did you mention the diapers, Doug.” Timothy asked with caution.

Doug ran his fingers through his hair as he cocked his head to one side again.

“Well… The transceivers all use some kind of proprietary power source. It’s some kind of broad spectrum RF power delivery and I’m not sure I could rig something in time. The diapers are the power source you see.”

Theodosia was reminded of the glowing diaper in the bathroom, and smiled at Timothy.

“You have to pee in them too, I'm guessing,” she said with a giggle.

Doug nodded in agreement.

“Yes, we will need to urinate into the diapers to power them up. These prototypes are good for about 30 minutes so we’ll have to energize them right before we go in.”

Timothy closed his eyes and shook his head slightly. Theodosia laughed and Doug followed suit.

“This will be the first time for both of us,” Doug said, holding back a smile the best he could. “Okay, please try this on so we know it fits.”

############################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################
Author: LainIsLain
Timestamp: Dec 4, 2022 at 4:34 PM
Content: Chapter 13

The three of them sat in Timothy’s car across the street from the back entrance to the PAH building. They had gone over the details of the fire escape and were waiting for the next delivery truck.

“You look kinda cute,” Theodosia whispered to Timothy from the back seat. “You should wear it more often.”

He gave her a look she recognized as annoyed with a hint of embarrassment.

“Sure, I’ll make sure we pick some up next time we're out,” he replied jokingly.

Doug and Timothy both drank a few sips from a water bottle. Just then a semi-truck pulled in front of their car and they could see a hand waving from the driver's side.

“If we get caught, I’m…” Timothy started to say but hadn't really thought about it. They might even be arrested tonight, he thought.

“C’mon,” Doug whispered loudly as he got out.

Timothy moved in and gave Theodosia a hug and kiss.

“We’ll be out in 30 minutes,” he said as he ran to meet Doug, already opening the back of the truck.

They kept quiet as the truck pulled into the rear entrance and headed towards the loading dock. The engine noise suddenly ceased as a loud conversation could be heard as the driver got out of the cab. Timothy and Doug slowly stepped down from the back and rushed over to the corner of the building. More loud laughter could be heard across the parking lot as they made their way to the fire escape and began to ascend.

“Okay, remember the power source only lasts about 30 minutes so don’t urinate until we enter the building,” Doug said quietly.

Soft crinkling sounds could be heard from both of them as they made large steps up the ladder. Doug pointed to the landing on the fourth floor as they approached.

“Look here,” Doug said. “They haven't fixed it yet.”

Timothy could see him pointing to a small vent with screws missing from the bottom.

“Okay, power up,” Doug said with an exaggerated fist pump.

“You're actually enjoying this aren't you?” Timothy mouthed.

Doug gave a smile as they both turned away from one another. After a moment they could both see an iridescent glow coming through beneath their clothing. They both gave a thumbs up as Doug opened the vent and crawled inside. Timothy looked back in the direction of the car and waved as he followed behind him. The glow from the diapers filled the narrow metal vent as they stepped cautiously making little thumping sounds on the sheet metal.

“Okay, at the end of this vent there’s a drop, and we’ll need to climb down,” Doug said in a low voice.

After a few turns they came to an identical vent cover. Doug carefully pushed and the vent swung open into pitch blackness. Timothy could just see the outline of his waist in a dim glow as he got down on his belly to lower himself

“Last time I had to find something to stand on to get out. Now that you're here it will be easier this time,” Doug said.

Timothy followed by lowering himself onto the floor. Doug pulled a small flashlight from his pocket and lit up the hallway in front of them.

“Hey, do you think the power is still out?” Timothy asked softly.

Doug shook his head and pointed at something in the high ceiling. “Look right there.”

As he moved the light away, Timothy could just see a faint red glow coming from one of the corners.

“Those are the broadband transceivers that monitor for the nanotech. I’ve seen pictures of them and they appear to be active,” Doug replied.

He got Timothy’s attention again and motioned to a nearby stairwell. They quickly moved over and entered the unlit chamber beyond as Doug showed his light into the darkness below.

“Everything should terminate in the basement somewhere,” Doug said as he started downward.

“You know this for sure?” Timothy asked as he followed.

“Not exactly, but I doubt they would have it on the roof,” Doug said over his shoulder.

Timothy quietly rolled his eyes as they continued. They made it a few flights of stairs below street level when Doug stopped at a door marked, “Module Room”. He pushed open the door and proceeded inside. They emerged into a small but well lit anteroom with a security door in the far wall.

“Okay, this is your time to shine,” Doug said in a normal voice.

Timothy looked apprehensive as he slowly removed the hood and walked up to the door.

“Maintenance Officer 88888888, Please confirm with a valid identification token.”

This reminded him of the first time he was asked this question in the lobby.

“My name is Timothy,” he replied.

“Confirmed, Maintenance Officer 88888888. All equipment and data stored herein should be considered proprietary. Please refer to Section 22 of your contract before proceeding.”

The door chimed as a motor could be heard coming from the interior. After a moment the red overhead light turned green and Timothy pulled it open.

Soft lights illuminated the strange sight before them. A long hallway with glass walls on either side leading to a bank of terminals on the far side. To the right were many rows of identical racks of familiar computer equipment blinking away in rapid succession. On the left however, was something altogether different. A large wall dedicated to housing individual modules with the letters “CRP” was stenciled near the ceiling. Each one had a fine gold mesh box that contained the module. Large bundles of cabling penetrated the walls and connected to the center making them look like large unmoving spiders trapped in a golden cage. Many of the cage doors were open with no module inside however. Timothy could see some open shipping containers near the door leading into the module area with new modules still in their foam supports. He moved to examine one closer and was struck by their strange aesthetic. No doubt a piece of high end technology, but with features that were not quite human inspired.

“Woah cool,” Doug said. “Look at these things.”

They both gazed at the strange sight as Timothy walked to the end and found an elongated door sunken into the wall near the terminals. It had a faint red glow around its perimeter with the letters “SDE VAULT” printed above. A small plaque was embedded in the wall written in many languages. The second paragraph was in English and Timothy quietly read aloud.

“The Secure Data Enclave, hereby referred to as SDE, should remain powered at all times. Failure of the SDE to remain powered during this building's contracted up time will result in immediate termination if a plausible cause can be attributed to one or more persons resulting in power loss.

Procedure for retrieving an SDE module is as follows:

Alert a member of the building maintenance team to assist in removing any module prior to proceeding.
Two contracted members of PAH are required to unlock this SDE vault.
No member lower than _________ can assist in unlocking this vault.
Individual SDE modules are self powered for up to _______ hours after removal.
Strict handling must be observed when transporting the SDE modules. Please refer to Handling Schedule 302.A for further instructions.

Removal by unauthorized personnel is punishable by Section 1022 and 1023 of the Unified SDE Action Agreement, 2007.”

Timothy could see little printed tags where the lines were. The first one read “Maintenance Officer” and the other read “24”.

“What is this, Doug? It looks like some kind of government deal.”

Doug admired the ominous looking door and nodded in agreement. He pulled his phone out and snapped a few pictures.

“I told you, this is bigger than just the facade they're selling. This must be part of how they make their money,” Doug offered as he moved over to one of the normal looking terminals on a nearby wall.

“Okay, come here,” he waved.

Timothy walked over and Doug began to type. The screen dimmed as a prompt sounded.

“Maintenance Officer 88888888. By continuing to access this terminal you agree to all the terms of your contract with PAH. This includes changes to, or removal of, any data within the building module or any attached system therein. Please refer to Section 22 of your contract before proceeding.

Please confirm your agreement of continued employment at Playful At Heart,” said the voice.

Timothy shrugged at Doug. He looked back and motioned for Timothy to say something.

“Hello. My name is Timothy,” he said unassuredly.

“Confirmed, Maintenance Officer 88888888.”

The screen went back to normal and Doug resumed his typing.

Timothy didn’t say anything for a long while as Doug's hands flew across the keyboard. He studied the room inquisitively and felt a sense of foreboding. He was a little shocked on his first venture into this building but now his suspicions were firmly on the side of PAH taking advantage of the people that worked here. He thought of Theodosia again and feared what had been done to her.

“This is incredible, Tim,” Doug said as he slowly moved to take a small storage device from his pocket. He pushed it into a small opening with a click. Just then a sound could be heard near the door. Timothy cautiously walked over and peered into the anteroom and could see the lights had come on in the stairwell. He slowly closed the door and ran over to Doug.

“Doug,” he said with urgency.

“Doug… Someone is coming.”

They both looked back at the door this time. Doug panicked as he rapidly typed in the terminal.

“Ten more seconds,” he said.

“Doug, we are going to jail tonight if we don’t hide,” Timothy whispered.

“4, 3, 2, 1… got it,”

Doug pulled the device out and returned it to his pocket. They both ran over and opened the door to the server room. A wall of sound came from the interior as they quickly went in. They crouched behind the row nearest to the back wall and covered their ears.

After a few seconds Timothy slowly peaked around the side and could see two people had entered the module room. They began removing one of the old modules from its cage and carefully placed it into a large container. Once done, they pulled a new one from its box and placed it into the now empty spot. After connecting some cables, the door was closed and sealed. After a few more pauses for conversation, they proceeded out the security door.

Timothy gave Doug the thumbs up and they both moved to the glass door again.

“That was super close,” Doug said with a little laugh.

“Can we just get out of here now,” Timothy said.

Doug ran over and removed a fresh module from its box. Timothy gave him a disapproving look.

“Trust me, we’ll need it,” he said as they began to backtrack the way they came.

############################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################
Author: LainIsLain
Timestamp: Dec 4, 2022 at 4:37 PM
Content: Chapter 14

Theodosia waited in the car patiently. She’d witnessed two more trucks come and go since they had infiltrated the building and her feelings turned apprehensive at the thought of them seeing the playrooms. She nervously began humming a playful melody when someone knocked on the window nearly giving her a heart attack. A small woman was waving to her from the dimly lit sidewalk.

“Jenell…” Theodosia said in astonishment. “I’ve been looking for you!”

She opened the door and stepped out to see her.

“I was so worried. I thought you had moved on after the building closed. Have you been here this whole time?” she asked as she gave Jenell a big hug.

“Ya, I live a few blocks away. They said the building was going to reopen soon so I stuck around. It’s good to see you Theo. How have you been?” Jenell said.

Theodosia pulled back with tears in her eyes.

“I was so worried… I thought the shutdown was my fault. I thought everyone was kicked out because of something I did,” Theodosia started to ramble.

Jenell embraced her again as her cries echoed down the street. She pulled back after a few moments and gave Theodosia her familiar smile.

“By the way, what are you doing here? You look like you're waiting for something,” Jenell asked.

Theodosia gathered her thoughts and pulled her into the car.

“Timothy, and a man named Doug snuck into the PAH building. They’re looking for information about nano stuff that PAH makes,” she said as she looked back at the side entrance.

“Look,” she pointed.

They could see two men wearing colorful PAH hoodies running across the street in their direction. They rushed over and opened the doors.

“Who’s this?” Doug asked worriedly as he climbed in.

“This is Jenell,” Theodosia said in defense.

Timothy gave both of them a look.

“Where did she come from?” he asked.

“She found me. I was just sitting here and she saw me in the car,” Theodosia said.

Jenell gave a sheepish smile and waved to them from the back seat.

“Hello. I’m Jenell. I know Theo from PAH. We played together in the playrooms,” she said.

Timothy promptly started the car and drove into the night with their new passenger.

“Uh… I’m sure you have a lot of catching up to do, but right now we need to take care of something important. Doug nodded vigorously in the passenger seat.

“We scored big time,” Doug said loudly as he clutched a small black box to his chest.

They calmly drove back to Doug’s place and parked. The smell of deep fried food came from the restaurant as they entered the side door. As they climbed the stairs, Doug was briefing them on some of the information he had seen while accessing the terminal in the module room.

“It looks like there are two independent systems at work here. The CRP is a special system that controls the individual recruits restructuring program. It's the module responsible for housing and running the interactive pseudo sentience that guides the recruit through the program.”

Timothy and Doug excused themselves to remove their colorful camouflage as Theodosia and Jenell stood in amazement as they scanned around the room. Boxes full of unidentifiable objects were scattered around with total disregard. They noticed that many of them had a corporate version of the PAH logo that was all business and not playful at all.

“I searched for you for days, Jen,” Theodosia said finally.

“Sorry,” she replied. “After the building shutdown I had to make money somehow. I’m homeless Theo in case you didn’t notice. PAH was my only source of income so I had to find a way to survive. The only reason I didn’t move on was because I heard on the radio that they’re reopening. I can’t wait to go back, can you?”

Theodosia broke eye contact and gripped Jenell’s hand tightly.

“I was terminated from PAH,” she said as the tears came again. “I was terminated a few days after the shutdown and I don’t know why.

Jenell’s face turned somber as she looked at her.

“Oh… I’m so sorry. Are you sure you don’t know why?”

“The shutdown happened after I went to see her in the playroom,” Timothy said as he emerged from behind some boxes.

“You went to see her? I didn’t know they allowed visitors inside,” Jenell said.

“Apparently not. Once they escorted me out, the building was closed. I’m guessing they had to figure out how I breached their security,” Timothy explained.

Theodosia regained her composure once more. “So Emilia is one of these pseudo sentient things? Is she still there?” she asked guardedly.

“From what I can tell, the building is getting a full rebuild. I was able to interact with the building module for a few minutes before we left.,” Doug said as he sat down in a nearby chair.

“The new building module hasn’t been told what happened previously, but has been tasked with rebuilding all the CRP systems. We saw the workers replacing the modules while we were there,” Doug shared a look with Timothy.

“Whatever happened when the building shut down, it must have been major. The cost of rebuilding that system must be astronomical.”

Doug reached for the black box.

“Like I said, there are two systems at work here. This SDE thing works in tandem while you're interacting with the pseudo sentients. It would have been stored in something like this and interacted with you through a terminal located in the download room.”

“So what is this SDE system, Doug? Quit holding out on us,” Timothy asked.

“Check this out.”

He clicked the little storage device into his terminal and displayed some log data.

“See here, these two systems work together. When the CRP or Cognitive Restructuring Program is engaged it calls this SDE or Secure Data Enclave as part of its routine. They also refer to something called redundant semipermanent binucleation. This is the part that’s inside your head, Theo. When you were initially recruited by PAH, they exploited whatever this binucleation thing is while the nanotech they installed formats a portion of your brain matter to allow for a kind of data storage,” Doug said as they crowded around the screen.

“These two systems are tasked with remapping and controlling a data stream that’s being fed into your brain during the download sessions,” he continued as he looked at Theodosia.

She wasn’t quite sure what to do with this information at the moment so she looked at Timothy.

“So is Emilia still there?” she asked.

“Not in the building. The modules that were still connected are all scrambled. The building confirmed that the older modules had been corrupted and were all scheduled to be replaced. So that means the only thing that survived was the backups.”

############################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################
Author: LainIsLain
Timestamp: Dec 4, 2022 at 4:39 PM
Content: Chapter 15

Timothy gave Doug a surprised look.

“Really, where is this backup?” he asked

Doug turned his attention to Jenell and Theodosia.

“Everytime you conclude a download session, the SDE transfers a large blob of data into your local storage. The SDE always takes priority, but the data blob also includes the most recent iteration of your CRP program,” he said with a slight smile. “Also, your playroom time is directly influenced by the amount of data being transferred. I’m not sure what to make of that yet, but they seem to be correlated in some way.”

His words hung in the air as a brief silence filled the space.

Theodosia’s face was frozen as she processed the information.

“You’re saying… this CRP backup is inside my head?” she said slowly. “You mean Emilia is inside my head?”

Doug just nodded back. She looked at Timothy as if she’d seen a ghost as Jenell stepped closer and gripped her hand.

“That’s why I took this,” Doug said as he held up the strange piece of gear. “Both you and Jenell have a backup of your CRP and they might be the only ones that can tell us what happened.”

Jenell and Theodosia sat in silence while Timothy and Doug began setting up an elaborate device on the floor. They had to work around the clutter but made swift progress.

“I’m so sorry you were terminated,” Jenell said as they shared a hug.

“I actually started my own playroom. It was the only thing I could think of after the shutdown.”

Jenell’s eyes widened at the information as Theodosia swiped across a few photos on her phone.

“This is amazing. You’ve been holding out on me,” Jenell said mockingly.

“I searched for you, Jen. I started the playroom in hopes you might find your way back to me and I’m so glad you're okay. I figured out you were probably homeless and asked everybody I could find…”

Jenell looked away. “I hope that’s okay with you. It’s a turnoff for most people when they find out.”

Theodosia shook her head. “Of course not. It doesn’t bother me at all. I’m just glad I found you again.”

Timothy maneuvered a few of the mesh panels into a square shape under Doug's supervision. He explained they were making a larger version of the golden cages they saw in the module room. They put together a small table surface that held the module, and a chair for someone to sit in the center. A battery bank was moved in as the power source to keep things isolated.

As they worked, Timothy thought about the conversation with Rakman. He gave him the impression that the nanotech in Theodosia should be removed sooner rather than later and some kind of time limit was linked with abnormal behavior. He decided to observe her and keep that quiet for the time being.

“One more thing to do. I need to monitor and issue commands from out here,” Doug said.

He reached for a heavily traveled case and opened to reveal a variety of special purpose devices.

“This was a demo for a communication uplink that’s able to be used on a shielded enclosure. It’s old stuff, but still useful under the right circumstances,” he said.

He cut a small hole in the gold mesh and placed a ring shaped clamp around the opening. After attaching a cable from the module to the clamp, he carefully pulled out a fragile looking glass disk. As he moved to install it at the center of the opening, Timothy could see a golden lattice across the shiny surface. After some fiddling, he strung a cable on the outside of the cage back to his terminal on the desk.

“Okay, we're ready,” Doug said with enthusiasm. “Who wants to go first?”

Theodosia looked at Jenell.

“I don’t think I want to go first, Theo. I think I can wait until the building reopens,” Jenell said with a nervous laugh.

A rush of anxiety washed over Theodosia. She had wondered what she’d say to Emilia if given the chance. After the termination she began to accept that she may never see her again. Now faced with the very real possibility of doing so, she was frozen with fear at what would happen next.

“If we’re going to know anything about what happened, your Emilia probably has the information we need,” Doug said in a pleading tone.

She thought for a minute if she’d rather be alone for the first few minutes as the show of emotions could be embarrassing. Timothy could see she was thinking hard and walked over to place his hand on her shoulder. He did his best to mask his own worry about the situation and hoped Doug knew what he was doing.

“You’ve always spoken about Emilia in the highest regard. If she’s half as caring as you said, I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”

She gave a slight nod of agreement and moved towards the golden cage.

“This is safe, right Doug?” he asked sharply.

“This is the same equipment they’re exposed to in the PAH building, but I’ll monitor and shut it down if anything looks strange. Okay, just sit down in the chair and give me a second to initiate the backup,” Doug said.

He swung the mesh back and twisted a piece of wire to hold it in place. She nervously looked back at Timothy and Jenell as the sound of furious typing echoed around the room.

“Bingo. I can see your current CRP iteration. It’s 403.22B if you're wondering. Your SDE is also intact as far as I can tell, and… inaccessible unfortunately.” He looked up from his keyboard. “This SDE seems to be encrypted separately. I guess that’s not surprising given what we’ve seen in the module room. I just hope this Emilia can tell us more about it.”

“Initiating the transfer.”

The oddly shaped box in front of her came to life as a small cluster of lights could be seen flashing. After a few seconds, Doug's terminal gave a soft chime.

“Okay, it’s up and running,” he said.

They were all silent as they turned their attention to the black box, but nothing seemed to happen.

“Hold on,” Doug said as he read through some text on the screen.

“It’s initiated with your backup, but it’s waiting for something.”

After a few seconds Theodosia spoke unprompted.

“I, Theodosia Rummel Paisley PAH-2132, wish to continue my employment at Playful At Heart.”

After a few seconds more a polite and motherly voice could be heard.

“Hello, beautiful Theo. I’m so glad to see you again.”



############################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################
Author: LainIsLain
Timestamp: Jan 5, 2024 at 3:36 PM
Content: I've started a YouTube channel that will contain the audio narrations for Playful-At-Heart. Currently, I've only unloaded Part 1. The others will come soon.

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############################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################
Author: LainIsLain
Timestamp: Jan 16, 2024 at 2:00 AM
Content:

itsanewadventure said:

This story (and the AI reading) was remarkable. I loved it. You are quite talented. The act of listening to this being read really added to the story. Very nice work and thank you.

[End of quote]

Working on the audio portion of part 2 right now. I'm glad you enjoyed it!

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Author: LainIsLain
Timestamp: Jan 17, 2024 at 5:57 AM
Content: Playful At Heart (Part 2) audio narration is up and ready. I hope you enjoy it!

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############################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################
Author: LainIsLain
Timestamp: May 3, 2025 at 11:45 PM
Content:

Hello all! It's been a crazy amount of time since the conclusion of Part 2, where we left Theo in limbo. The overall arc of the characters has been simmering in the background for more than a year now, and I've decided to dive back in. The draft of Part 3 (Playful at Heart: Legacy Key) is almost halfway done.

I'm not ready to share any story details just yet, but I thought I'd post this to let people know that Part 3 is coming and it's shaping up to be rather interesting. Also, I fully plan to do the audiobook treatment for those who love to listen. So, if you've been waiting like I have, don't worry. Take care, everyone.

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Author: LainIsLain
Timestamp: May 10, 2025 at 12:11 AM
Content:

nappybaby said:

I love this story! Can´t wait to read more!

[End of quote]

Thx! It's been quite a journey and Part 3 has been fun to write so far. It's running out to be nearly as long as Part 1 and 2 combined.

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Author: LainIsLain
Timestamp: May 13, 2025 at 11:03 PM
Content:

Growler0128 said:

I ENJOYED the story alot. Its like its in a time like 100 to 200 years in the future. The product testing and play room I am so in for that. To have adult play areas like that would be great on people's sanity to use as a mental release.

[End of quote]

Super thank you! while I never specify the time frame, I always imagined this was very near future, possibly less than 20 years. Although this is a parallel universe and the economics of Playful-At-Heart are most likely not viable in real life.

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Author: LainIsLain
Timestamp: May 24, 2025 at 12:42 PM
Content:

Welcome to Playful-At-Heart Part 3 (legacy Key).

Hello, my little ones. Welcome.

If you’re here, then you’ve come a long way.

You’ve followed the laughter down long hallways. You’ve found quiet places to cry. You’ve learned that even the brightest playrooms cast shadows. And still, you returned.

This part of the story is different. Some of the toys are broken now. Some of the doors don’t open. Some of the rules... were never fair to begin with...

But don’t be afraid. We’ll face it together. The dreams, the choices, the parts of ourselves we thought we had to lock away. They’re waiting here, too.

So, grab your stuffy and relax as we return now to an earlier moment in the Playful-At-Heart saga...

Don't worry, I'll be here to guide you through...

Let's begin...
------------------

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Part 3 - Chapter 1

"Hello, Jacob. My name is Alejandro Arborius."

The scene before the doctor was nothing new at this point. A young man, about 20 years old, playing in the corner of a brightly colored nursery, happily playing with some blocks on the floor. It was by design, in fact, that his research patients were in the right state of mind before he conducted his tests, though what constituted the "right" state of mind had evolved considerably over the course of his work.

His assistant, a slightly overweight man in his early thirties, was also on the floor, engaged in some fantasy play involving a tower of blocks falling to the mat with great exaggeration. Jacob had volunteered to participate in the doctor's experiment, having been approached the day before on his way to an extracurricular class on human psychology, which he was studying at a local community college. It was noted that Jacob, while being a senior in high school, was slightly older than most of his peers due to being held back twice in primary school. While the doctor would gladly take anyone he could convince to participate in his research, his assistant made it clear they should exclude minors for the legal ramifications. A boundary that had become increasingly important as their work progressed.

He was asked to take part in a double blind placebo test for a mood-altering medication. If nothing else, he was intrigued by the notion, having heard a few tales of research students being given psychedelics as part of the testing. He was keeping his fingers crossed for something interesting to write about as he willingly swallowed a small red striped pill that looked deceptively innocent.

Sitting in a pre-room while the medication took effect, he mentally made notes about his scheduling for the following day. Over the next few minutes, he gradually slipped into a strange thought loop in his head, as if his consciousness had quietly detoured through unfamiliar territory. At the corners of his consciousness, he started mulling over the idea of being a young child in his parents' home. No specific memory entered his mind, but the general sense of security and playfulness was unavoidable, and oddly profound.

Trying to keep track of the time passing as he sat, the slightly overweight man asked him to move next door into a rather striking room painted with joyful colors along the walls. A foam mat was located in the far corner as well as a box of children's toys. After a few moments of observation, the assistant asked if he wanted to sit on the mat, a question that somehow felt more significant than it should have.

Alejandro exchanged glances as he tapped his watch and gave an inquisitive nod to the assistant. The assistant nodded back and silently mouthed the word, "ready", though Jacob couldn't shake the feeling that what they were ready for remained deliberately vague.

The doctor kneeled down and asked for Jacob's attention.

"Have you been having fun here? Are you ready to do the small test we talked about earlier?"

"Umm… Yes.." Jacob responded with enthusiasm that felt both genuine and strangely distant.

He gestured for everyone to follow as they all walked briskly down a narrow hall, Jacob noticing the doctor's right shoe laces were flailing around, making an audible ticking sound as they walked, a rhythm that seemed almost ominous in the sterile corridor. The group approached a set of double doors marked "Bioluminescent Reference Testing Lab," and he ushered them in.

"Okay…," Alejandro said with a long exhale that carried the weight of previous attempts.

This room gave Jacob a peculiar feeling that went beyond simple discomfort. It was nothing like the nursery they had just left, and he wanted to return as soon as possible to that haven of primary colors and soft edges. "Remember, I need you to stand right on the "X" for the test to be valid."

With some apprehension, Jacob was coaxed into the center of the room where a large black "X" marked the spot with unsettling precision. Alejandro turned quickly and started for the booth in the corner as he stepped on the shoelace. His arms shot out in all directions as he made strange maneuvers to remain standing. A moment of human clumsiness that felt almost absurd given the gravity of what was about to unfold.

The odd sight was too much for Jacob, and he started laughing hysterically.

"Hahahaha…," he blurted. His assistant even gave a little chuckle at the sight, though the sound died quickly in the sterile air.

"Very funny," Alejandro said with weary sarcasm. "Promise, I'll do backflips if this test proves fruitful," as he regained control and moved to the booth with renewed purpose.

"Okay, update me on the status," Alejandro said to the assistant, his voice taking on a different quality now.

"Slow down for a second, what's going on?" The assistant could see an expression on the doctor's face that suggested he was being pulled in two different directions between the human moment they'd just shared and the clinical precision required for what came next.

"Uh… I'm here, I promise." Alejandro responded, though his attention was already shifting to the equipment.

"Okay, hold still…" came a voice over the intercom, confident in the way that suggested extensive practice with this exact scenario. "It's fine, Jacob, I promise this won't hurt at all."

The reassurance carried an undertone that made Jacob wonder what exactly they thought might hurt.

"Brief me on the status, please," he asked his assistant again, the moment of levity now completely abandoned.

With visible disappointment, the assistant shed the playful nature he was displaying a moment ago, transforming into something altogether more clinical and remote.

He began announcing a summary to the doctor with methodical precision. "He's as primed as he's going to get. Compound group A from batch 23 was administered by pill approximately 43 minutes ago. He was brought into the nursery approximately 23 minutes ago and was told he'd be supervised for the duration of his time. His demeanor changed abruptly to a semi-euphoric state after approximately 4 minutes of visual inspection of the toys provided. He willfully engaged in fantasy play after I gestured for him to sit on the floor near the corner of the room."

"Great," said the doctor with quiet satisfaction. "This should play out just like the last one."

The reference hung in the air, carrying implications that Jacob couldn't quite grasp but somehow felt he should be concerned about.

He turned his concentration to the monitors in the booth. He could see Jacob clearly on one of the monitors as he fumbled with some controls that seemed designed for purposes beyond simple observation. The assistant approached and handed the doctor a clipboard with the summary text he had just read.

"Thank you, James", said the doctor. "Are we ready?"

"Yes, we are ready to make some history!" said James, though his enthusiasm now carried an edge of something that wasn't quite celebration. "Commencing bioluminescence test number 313… now."

The number itself seemed significant, too high to be the beginning of anything, suggesting a long series of previous attempts that had led to this moment.

"You're doing great, Jacob," could be heard throughout the test chamber, the encouragement echoing strangely in the space. As the doctor engaged a few of the levers on the telescopic equipment inside the booth, they both concentrated on the monitor with an intensity that suggested they were watching for something very specific. It was dead silent in the room now as Jacob's face turned apprehensive again, some instinct warning him that whatever was about to happen would change something fundamental.

On the monitor, the faintest shimmer started to appear along Jacob's forehead. After a moment, dazzling color bands of orange and red danced along his face, making long tails up past the top of his head. A display of impossible beauty that somehow felt both wondrous and deeply unsettling.

James glanced away from the monitor toward Jacob himself, then back again. Trying as hard as he could, he couldn't see anything like the extraordinary sight playing on the monitors, as if Jacob had become something that existed in a spectrum visible only to their instruments.

"Uh… You're doing fine, Jacob…" The words had trouble leaving the doctor's mouth, caught between professional reassurance and genuine awe at what they were witnessing.

"Astonishing…" they both said in unison, the word carrying both triumph and a hint of something that might have been concern.

After a few more minutes of recording whatever phenomenon was occurring, Jacob was escorted back to the colorful room. He became visibly excited at the sight and rushed to continue playing with the toys, apparently unaware that he had just participated in something that would either change everything or require them to reconsider what they thought they knew about the boundaries of human experience.

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Author: LainIsLain
Timestamp: May 24, 2025 at 12:43 PM
Content: Chapter 2

Alejandro reviewed a notepad as he stood outside the room where Jacob was playing. He glanced through the opening a few times to check on him, then back to an indecipherable mess of notes and diagrams scribbled on the pad. James approached and could see the tension building.

"Hey, relax," James said as he stepped closer. "This is what you were waiting for, right? His marker is just how you theorized, and he's signed all the release forms. This is your chance to prove what you're always going on about is even possible." James kept his voice low to avoid alerting Jacob.

Alejandro gave a stiff nod and turned to enter the room.

"Hello there, Jacob." He tried his best to sound calm as he took in the scene before him. The test subject, Jacob, had several toys spread out in neat piles on the floor. He was making strange vocal sounds, almost like protospeech or even baby talk, as he moved a toy from one pile to another.

James had retreated to an observation room next door. The "playroom," as they called it, was fully wired for video and sound to document their research. They spent many hours discussing the release forms and the leniency they'd need for what was about to take place. He had woven in clever sections that basically amounted to a binding "get out of jail free card" in case of any adverse reactions to the experiment, cloaked in layers of legalese.

He had the ambition of becoming a lawyer once, and briefly became an intern at a reputable law office during university. While he was intrigued by the process, his notion of actually becoming a lawyer was stamped out by the overwhelming slowness of it all. Change came so slowly and oftentimes proved deeply unsatisfying. It was a game. Needlessly complex, born of bureaucratic nightmare that is public sentiment, combined with naive and obsolete thought processes of elected lawmakers. A game he didn't see the need to engage with. He always thought there was a quicker and more precise way to shape the future, and perhaps this is why Alejandro's vision was so appealing to him.

This all ran along the edges of what he'd consider ethical in the past, but he recognized early on that the old adage of "the ends justify the means" might be a truer statement in the course of human history than many people would like to believe.

His attention turned to the crude recording hardware they had scavenged. A jumbled mess of wires attached to a recording console that was far past its life expectancy. He fiddled with a few knobs and examined the levels. Once things were in order, he depressed a small red button on the upper right-hand side marked "live recording."

Alejandro noticed a tiny red light in the far corner that began to pulse softly. This indicated that the room was now being fully recorded. He straightened and looked at a mirror placed on the far wall at eye level, and began reciting.

"I am Dr. Alejandro Arborius. This is March 23rd, 2001. This is the test subject," he motioned with his hands to Jacob as he quietly played on the floor. "And, this will be phase two of compound A, batch 23. The subject has been relegated to a suggestive state and is exhibiting childlike fantasy play along with verbal qualities suggesting he has entered a frame of reference that suggests early childhood, possibly toddler age. The previous test subjects have all regressed to a point of potential, meaning that this could be a moment in their past that represents a missed step in childhood development. It's not always clear what this potential misstep in development is, or whether it's a product of some external mechanism such as one or more of the ACEs or Adverse Childhood Experiences markers. Regardless, it's my belief that once the subject has been guided through this anomaly, the subject gains more passive and empathetic personality traits, as well as a measurable decrease in aggressive tendencies which is the prime interest of these tests."

His attention turned to Jacob, who was still playing uninterrupted on the mat. The good doctor stilled his breathing and mentally referred to the protocol he created. He gently sat next to Jacob. He thought it was important to not only be on the same physical level, but also to project similar non-threatening energy, as most children are very receptive to non-verbal emotional states, especially from someone in a caretaker role, which he was mimicking.

"Hello, Jacob," he offered softly.

"Helloooo..." Jacob answered with something close to bemusement. Alejandro was careful to notice any abnormal physical side effects of the compound. This was a concern early in testing, but after many trials, they centered on a balance of induced mental receptivity and slight euphoria, paired with a cocktail of medications that dampened the response from an overactivated amygdala and other related regions in the brain.

"Can I help you move some of the toys around?" Alejandro asked.

"Ya! You can help cause I need to make them into piles cause mommy and daddy get mad when they're not neatly in piles," Jacob responded in a childlike way.

After a few moments of conversation, he assessed that Jacob's father was a potential abuser with obsessive-compulsive disorder. His father demanded that his son's toys be cleaned and neatly stacked after every use, even if only played with briefly. His mother would often try to intervene, but would eventually cave under the never-ending barrage of demands from the obvious mental illness.

This culminated in one such event when Jacob was very young, when his father required his son to wash all his toys and pack them away in a closet. He was only 4 years old when this happened, but it instilled a deep mistrust of both his mother and father. He began hiding his toys in various ways, which also created a form of OCD in himself, as his father would sweep his room for hidden toys. Later, the parents would divorce, resulting in a skewed vision of proper functioning relationships, especially between parent and child.

As Jacob recalled the moments, Alejandro could see the visible effects. He'd obviously suppressed his fears surrounding his father and distrust of his mother. The medications were doing their job in allowing Jacob to vividly recall those moments. This would all need to be closely examined, and many follow-up sessions would be needed to ensure the subject had gained the ability to recall those memories without them being overtly distressing.

At some point, Jacob asked in a very adult voice if he could simply hold one of the stuffed animals while they talked. The doctor agreed and wasn't surprised at all by the question. Many of the test subjects would ask for transitional objects such as small toy animals, a fuzzy blanket, or even specific baby items such as a pacifier. Alejandro learned quickly of these items' effectiveness during these sessions and made sure to keep a reasonable variety to choose from.

After nearly 2 hours, there was no crying, no discouragement, and no further regression beyond his current state. Jacob engaged with Alejandro at all levels of insight involving his past traumas. It was mechanical in a way, and he had to remind himself that this was an adult after all. The scared 4-year-old was a half-realized construct buried deep in Jacob's personality. Hidden and compartmentalized, but always present. He kept his composure and wrapped up the session according to his schedule.

"How do you feel, Jacob?" asked the doctor in a polite manner to signify the end of the regression testing.

"Umm... pretty okay, I think," said Jacob in an odd tone, but surprised the doctor by motioning for a hug. This was the first time that had happened, and Alejandro hesitated for just a moment. Recognizing this was a genuine request, he gladly hugged the young man for several seconds. Jacob internally knew that something had shifted in his personality, but he wasn't totally aware. He was still showing the effects of the medication, so Alejandro excused himself.

"You're welcome to play as long as you wish, Jacob," he said, trying to gain his attention once more. "In our other tests, the medication usually wears off after 2-3 hours. At that point, you're free to leave the facility. Please, don't forget to drop off your paperwork and the questionnaire as you leave, okay?" Jacob nodded slightly but was too engrossed in the fantasy play to really pay attention. The doctor made a mental note to come back after a while and see that things were taken care of.

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Author: LainIsLain
Timestamp: May 24, 2025 at 12:44 PM
Content: Chapter 3

"These results are FANTASTIC, James!" They both crowded around a small monitor, inspecting the results. "Which batch again?" asked Alejandro.

"One second," James quickly flipped the pages on a clipboard from the nearby desk. "Uh... number 23," he said with vigor.

"Yes, 23... The effects are quite striking on the bioluminescence test. Which is what we're after... However, the acute effects on the mental state are also quite striking..."

James simply nodded as he concentrated on the screen. He could see Jacob's aura dancing like small illuminated flowers across the top of his head. He marveled at the representation of what they were calling the "Progressive Annular Hypocaust." He winced at the overly complex naming scheme, the doctor, his best friend for nearly 10 years now, had a talent for creating terminology that inevitably ended up with the acronym P.A.H.

The title was an extrapolation from the preliminary observations Alejandro had made in secret during his early grad-student years studying neurophysiology and cognitive psychology at university. An unnerving memory flashed of when he discovered Alejandro was secretly testing willing subjects for what he called his "Practicing Abstract Humanism" at the time. He was never clear about what he meant by abstract humanism, but the research was fascinating, if not a bit dangerous. One of his subjects still had some remaining cognitive dysfunction after a prolonged session involving strange chemicals, isolation chambers, and deep psychometric probing. James was always worried that someone might come back to bite Alejandro when he least expected it.

It took many weeks of serious discussion, but a conclusion finally coalesced in his mind. Alejandro was both mad and brilliant. Crazy but insightful. And above all, dead serious about his predictions of humanity's future demise. So much so that James's own opinions had a hard time keeping pace with the endless stream of consciousness Alejandro could command when discussing the "End Game," as he called it.

"Our subject seemed to enjoy the cocktail quite nicely," James said, returning his attention to the information in front of him. "And this Hypocaust structure... Well, I've never seen anything like this in past tests."

"This is what we have been searching for, James," Alejandro uttered softly. His eyes moved to meet James's.

James could see the fervor on his face. The intense stare was something close to the stereotypical mad scientist's "wild-eyed" look.

Alejandro broke his gaze and moved to sit on a nearby couch. A bloom of dust was visible in the sun's beam shooting through the window. It illuminated his brow as his movements became still in the quiet, small office within the rundown warehouse on the outskirts of Seattle, Washington.

James could anticipate what would come next. He calmly waited for Alejandro to collect himself before launching into one of his endless rants about the purpose he felt he had. To possibly engineer the future of humanity before it had a chance to destroy itself. He'd often chafe under hours of monologuing with comments like "If humanity has a future as a type one civilization, you better be part of that goal instead of working so hard against our fellow human beings..." He couldn't remember what Alejandro was referring to at the time, having completely tuned him out after only 30 minutes.

It was times like that when James had to reassess what his own goals were and how he got tangled up in this crusade to change the world. Being a bit shrewd himself, James Rackman had reasonable business acumen. Now, only in his late 20s, he was able to compile a reasonable portfolio of investments that carried him along. He wasn't a rich man by any stretch, but his superpower was frugality with his spending and lifestyle choices. He supposed that Alejandro's infectious confidence was what kept him engaged. The way he described just how bad things would get in the future if humanity didn't rein in its deeply embedded survival instincts. While those instincts were once a primary force in the continued existence of the human race, the world had simply become too small. The digital age had captured more than people's attention; it had set in motion a potential death spiral of humanity. The survival instinct, now perpetuated in virtual form, was threatening to spiral out of control. A spiral that no one could uncouple from. No one could escape from. Even isolation was becoming impossible as a looming behavioral sink captured everyone's attention... and intention.

To James's surprise, Alejandro said nothing, which was even more unnerving than one of his impromptu rants.

"Something on your mind?" James asked politely.

Alejandro continued to stare at the wall in front of him. James expected him to start quoting the Unibomber Manifesto again, and he might have to step out for that.

"Do you think it's really possible, James? To reshape humanity with the technology we're creating?" Alejandro said quietly.

As James reflected, he could see this was actually a bigger moment than he realized. These results had become a kind of legendary artifact in Alejandro's search for the mechanisms that would allow him to be in control. He allowed the surreal accomplishments to be absorbed into his thoughts.

"I must admit, it's incredible to be sure. You were right. Whatever this hypocaust structure is in the brain, you've proven its existence with compound 23. I saw it, you saw it, we both saw it on the monitor," James explained. He continued, "It's obvious to me now that a chemical marker can indeed be installed to exaggerate the presence of this structure in the brain. Granted, you can't see it with the naked eye. Perhaps we can find someone who knows a bit about lower frequency emissions to design a camera that's a bit more... portable."

"It's begun," Alejandro said softly.

"What's begun?" James responded mid-thought.

Alejandro turned and looked directly at James. "Yes, of the last four participants, this was the best result yet, but don't you see? This uptick means more people are experiencing this fracture. This genetic fracturing is increasing!" Alejandro said with one of his trademark tones that implied if you didn't believe what he was saying, then you were the dumbest person in the room.

"You might be right," James said carefully. "You might be right, and we're on the precipice just like you said. But are you sure? I've averted my gaze from some of your more ethically challenged decisions when it comes to experimentation. Unfortunately, I now see that what you've proposed is actually possible... Directly intervening in the course of humanity's trajectory through the cosmos through behavioral engineering. That about right?"

Alejandro slowly nodded and gave James a sideways look as he got to his feet. "Yes, my friend, I have no doubts now. Before today, I still wasn't sure how this would play out, but now... Playful At Heart will become humanity's salvation."

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Author: LainIsLain
Timestamp: May 24, 2025 at 12:44 PM
Content: Chapter 4

"What do you mean I can't get funding? You're wasting what little time I have left to get this..." Alejandro's voice could be heard echoing down the hallway. To his annoyance, James stood and motioned to close his office door.

"I will not have those government people bastardize my project... What do you mean I don't have a choice!" James stopped and listened to the topic being discussed. Alejandro's voice had risen to its peak but was now subsiding a bit.

James saw this coming, of course. They had a brutal time seeking investors for the good doctor's crazy side project of "saving humanity from itself." He'd spent many hours trying to convince Alejandro that the idea he was selling was a bit crazy, in fact. The world lives and breathes in sarcastic waves of commoditized pessimism. "They're desensitized to the worst humanity has to offer, and now you're trying to sell people the idea that humanity is on the tipping point..." he would say reflectively. "People already know this, but it's a foregone conclusion, sir! They think you're trying to rearrange the proverbial deck chairs during the first atom bomb test."

Over the last few years, they'd had more than a few dozen test subjects. All the while, Alejandro's conclusions had been proven correct each time. It appeared that a segment of the population with a specific genetic marker was manifesting a deep but unmistakable psychiatric component. This resulted in some specific behaviors centered on personality traits. Or to better describe it, a portion of one's personality had become susceptible to a greater behavioral sink in the broader scope of social interactions.

Unfortunately, for the sake of the public, a greater proportion of these individuals seemed to be clustered around people with a traumatic past. The traumas varied for sure, but it was so conclusive that James had to secretly review Alejandro's work for errors or possibly hand-picked statistics. After James was satisfied this wasn't the case, he relented with some apprehension.

The fear, from Alejandro's perspective, was that he couldn't be the only one who knew about this trend. His emerging Progressive Annular Hypocaust in the brains of his test subjects wouldn't go unnoticed for very long. And in the wrong hands, some person, government, or eccentric billionaire could use this to control people on a global scale.

"Isn't that what you're proposing, Alexander?" James asked, eyeing his friend at the reference to his formal name.

"You know just how bad things can get." He replied. "Didn't you graduate with a minor in Ancient History? We are burdened by the knowledge of the past. From the pools of goo to rockets in space... The human race has only seen a fraction of what the universe has to offer. You know as well as I do that what we're developing can shape the course of history..."

The memory faded as James continued to listen to the now-faint voice of his friend down the hall. He heard him finally conclude the call and decided to venture down and console the good doctor about what was going to happen next.

"You know you can't claim the need for privacy if you don't shut your door, right?" James eyed the small chair in the corner and motioned to seat himself. He had to dodge many boxes of research material along with stacks of legal correspondence, many of them in languages foreign to both of them.

"We're so close, dammit! The world is against me for some reason. That call," he pointed angrily to the phone on his cluttered desk, "was from our associate in the DOD. You remember, the one you had lunch with a month ago. She keeps telling me that if we don't take this funding from them, the government, THE GOVERNMENT," he shouted, "will come in and just take what we've made so far. How is that legal?"

James sat quietly in the corner. He pondered the future and their place in it. The work they were doing was bound to get the attention of someone, and he knew the level of control Alejandro was after was something akin to state-sponsored manipulation.

They'd been approached by more than one person claiming to work for the government this last year. Now, some of them believed what Alejandro was selling, but their interest was a bit strange. They would go on about the possibility of a kind of storage mechanism within the brain and the issues they were having. They were extremely vague, but referenced the unwanted ability for the subject to access such information. Whatever that meant.

James waited for Alejandro to calm down and take his seat.

"I'm not going to say I told you so, but I told you so," James said with a touch of sympathy.

Alejandro didn't meet James's eyes.

"You believe me, right? You believe that this is a turning point in human history, right?" Alejandro asked aloud. James could see he was looking for some kind of comfort.

"You're not crazy. I've pored over the stats for days, and I've come to the same conclusion you have. Granted, your take on humanity is a bit grimmer than mine will ever be. But I tried to tell you what you're selling...?"

Alejandro cut him off. "Yeah, what I'm selling is a fix to humanity's biggest problem, self-destruction!"

"Well, yeah! But when you start quoting Professor Ted, you start to freak people out." James recalled one particular meeting where Alejandro started quoting The Unibomber Manifesto verbatim to a potential angel investor who was interested in the potential for psychiatric treatments. He was almost considering a seed round of investment capital when Alejandro was offended by the lack of true understanding. He had stood by Alejandro through many meetings, but that was a turning point for both of them. That one meeting left a stain on both their names with other potential investors.

James tried to put out the flames, but the damage was done when Alejandro started saying things like, "Furthermore, if the system survives, the consequences will be inevitable: There is no way of reforming or modifying the system so as to prevent it from depriving people of dignity and autonomy. If the system breaks down, the consequences will still be very painful. But the bigger the system grows, the more disastrous the results of its breakdown will be, so if it is to break down, it had best break down sooner rather than later."

"Look, I believe you, truly I do. The question is, just how effective can we be against the wheel of the world turning?"

James came prepared this time. He reached into his pocket and presented a folded piece of paper. "Answer me honestly. Do you want this to succeed?"

Alejandro glanced at the slip of paper in James's outstretched hand.

"You know I do, but I just don't know how we're going to get there without the funding..." Alejandro explained.

James remained steadfast, holding the slip of paper. Alejandro cautiously took it. As he unfolded it, he could see a banner crafted from the name of the research institute. It was a rather colorful and inviting banner with the words "Playful-At-Heart Company." Beneath was the tagline: "Here at Playful-At-Heart, our goal is to uncover and excite the inner child in all of us! In the pursuit of advanced techniques to allow your deepest needs for inner peace and fulfillment to be realized."

"What is this?" Alejandro said with some curiosity.

"While you were working hard on the sciency stuff, I've been putting my marketing degree to work," James replied with a smile.

"Minor in marketing..." Alejandro reminded him.

James grimaced. "Whatever. What we need is the correct branding. Something to sell that isn't some crazy doomsday end-of-the-world shit."

Alejandro shot a look at James. He rarely cursed, even in private. He took that to mean James was approaching the end of his patience. He sat back in his chair with a flourish and offered a hand gesture to continue with this impromptu sales pitch.

"You're right, we can't do this without funding. We both know what your research has the potential for, right?" Alejandro nodded.

"Okay then, we just need to be a bit more subversive about how we move forward." James eyed him with a conspiring look. "These DOD people want to co-opt the technology because they think it's some missing piece to their 'brain-powered storage' thing, right? Okay, then. That doesn't mean we can't also benefit from that as well. You remember the investor who was putting money into cognitive and behavioral mapping software. Even you were interested in that. What if the technology you've developed could be streamlined with some kind of pseudo-artificially intelligent psychiatrist? Just think how effective your behavior crafting would be if a machine was doing the heavy lifting rather than an army of high-paid professionals."

Alejandro's face showed disgust. "You know very well what my thoughts are on this! Creating a factory that produces endless drone humans with God knows what stored in their heads! No, James! I won't do it... ever."

James retorted... "You honestly think you were going to find funding to let you set up all these clinics to try and solve some emergent genetic mutation that's going to bring the downfall of humanity? I know your stance on technology, Alejandro. But what, you were going to hire thousands, or tens of thousands of professionals to try and turn this Titanic? Not to mention getting the actual public to buy in and believe you were doing this for their own good? I'm on your side, but you need to think about how to achieve this goal with a little help from the modern age we live in, my friend."

James paused as Alejandro sat with a blank stare. For all the genius the good doctor had at his disposal, James could not understand why he insisted on such inefficiencies. He wanted every man and woman to have individual one-on-one time as they had their behavior altered over days and weeks with his treatment regimen. A "cure for humanity" as he called it, and he insisted that human touch had the answers and not some capitalist-born mechanical abomination, as he described it. James always marveled at this aversion to technology in general. The man held degrees in advanced computer science and quantum physics, after all. A person with so much intricate knowledge about technology had acquired such a deep fear of its role in people's lives, which was either deeply ironic or deeply wise, depending on your perspective.

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Author: LainIsLain
Timestamp: May 24, 2025 at 12:45 PM
Content: Chapter 5

"Hello...! Uh... hello?" A rather nervous man in his late 40s, currently strapped into a functional magnetic resonance imaging machine, was attempting to call for assistance. He was assured he could simply call for help and someone would answer promptly.

"Hello...?" He tried again after a moment.

"Yyy... Shhh, Jen, I warned you, this is mommy's time to work, okay?"

"Yes, I apologize. I'm here. Can I help you with something?" A confident and motherly tone came across the intercom.

"You said to mention when I started feeling... uh, anything specific," the man said casually. "Um, are we alone?"

Another brief pause. He could hear soft sounds like spoken words, but they were too faint to understand.

The tiny speaker inside the MRI machine made little popping noises as the woman put the headset back on.

"Yes, I apologize, that was my daughter. She's out of the room now, and we can proceed."

The man once again questioned how he was convinced to spend the entire day in this machine for just a small payment.

"You said to tell you when I started to feel anything. Well, it's started, I think," he said as confidently as he could. Under the circumstances, he was quite apprehensive, but he didn't want to worry the researcher.

"Okay, slow it down... I can see you're under some stress at the moment. Would you like something to calm you down?"

The man's interest was piqued. "You mean something like a stiff drink?" he said nervously.

"Ha! You've read my mind. But no. However, I've been authorized to administer some very mild sedatives. This test can be very intensive, and patients often ask for something to calm them down during the ordeal." Her voice came across the speaker with an honest, caring quality that immediately dropped his stress level.

"Okay, uh, not right this second, but thanks for letting me know it's available." His tone was more relaxed now.

Patricia, a little flustered by her daughter's intrusion, centered her head so her vision was filled with all three monitors in front of her. Her hand glided swiftly across the keyboard as some metallic annoyance crept into her thoughts. She lamented her current existence as a meat sack and dreamed of the day when she could interface with the machines using only her thoughts.

"Okay..." she let out one of her signature long and slow deliveries of the word. She'd used this technique many times and found it always worked. A kind of verbal manipulation to smooth things over. Only when it was appropriate, though, she thought. However, she was under no illusion about the work she was part of now. Full and complete manipulation was now the name of the game. Being a complete pragmatist in her own right, she knew perfectly well that specific thoughts involving moral relativism had started to creep into her assessments. When she gave herself time to think about it, Alejandro's vision was almost impossible to neatly understand or explain. Like a viral thought of impending doom that surrounds everyone who currently breathes oxygen.

She brought her considerable powers of compartmentalization to work and filed that away for further consideration.

Her hands moved toward an injection device. The little bottle of liquid attached had a stern-looking label around its front. It read, "Caution! Experimental compound! Use only with permission from Doctor Alejandro Arborius and completion of form 237-1, Special Governmental Compliance Regulation. Improper use will result in immediate termination!" She glanced at the scribble, which was his signature across the entire front portion of the warning.

"I'm right here. Remember, you can stop at any time. But also remember that you're doing a great service to mankind by participating," she said assuredly into her headset. "3, 2, 1... Starting now."

It had taken nearly an hour this time for the precursor chemicals to take effect in the subject. She was a bit discouraged by this. The onset time was getting longer, and this was putting pressure on the subjects. She waited patiently for the subject to signal her that the effects were present, and now she could begin the real test.

"I'm going to guide you through some early childhood memories, okay? Please be open and honest about how you feel about the sights and sounds."

She proceeded to show a short video clip of a child being aggressively managed by a caregiver.

"Um... sad, regretful, angry," the man called out. "It reminds me of my father when I was young. We never knew what kind of mood he was in as he came through the door. Of course, this was before cell phones, so he wasn't always in contact with my mother. Today is completely different, you know? People are always seconds away from each other."

"Yes, I understand," Patricia said softly. "It must have been hard for you. Always wondering whether your father would be gentle or harsh when he came home from work."

The man gave a little sound of affirmation. "I was too young to understand at the time, but he was cheating on my mother with someone else. He left our family when I was about 6 years old. I haven't spoken with him since. I'm not even sure if he's still alive, to be honest."

Patricia increased the flow of the mysterious liquid into the IV. She was monitoring the MRI output carefully while consulting the behavioral mapping software. A myriad of charts and statistical measurements flooded the screen as the pseudo-intelligence offered some conclusions. A prompt appeared on the far monitor.

"Non-conclusive grammatical inference detected. Would you like to see the relevant markers?"

She muted her headset and tapped a small device on her collar.

"Yes, June. Show it to me."

The far screen began to list the data.

Analysis duration: 330 seconds.

ACE marker conclusion:

90% chance of physical abuse.

73% chance of witnessing spousal abuse.

55% chance of witnessing sexual abuse.

10% chance of witnessing drug abuse.

Negligible signatures on all remaining classifiers.

Personality signature relevance to the current test subject:

92% chance of touch aversion.

71% chance of dysfunctional relationships.

49% chance of self-harm.

10% chance of psychopathy.

Negligible signatures on all remaining classifiers.

"Okay... Okay." She paused the video for a moment. She could see areas of the brain lighting up that meant his stress levels were rising again.

"Calm, be calm. I'm right here, and I know this is difficult. I have one small question, and this might be rather personal. Do you or did you ever hate being touched? I mean like normal touch from normal people? Did it make you uncomfortable to receive a hug, for instance?"

A long pause filled the room. She could hear the man almost crying over the intercom. She quickly removed the headset and spoke into the room where the man was restrained in the machine. She could hear soft whimpers as the man tried his best to control his emotions.

"Okay, don't worry, we're done for now," she said as she quickly retracted the platform and began to remove the head restraints. His eyes threatened to fill the room with tears as he abruptly sat up.

She was not completely devoid of empathy, and she could recognize, if only mechanically, his distressed state. She offered her hand and helped him to sit in a nearby chair. His tears came quickly as she offered him a hug. He reluctantly accepted as they both shared the moment.

She tuned him out as her mind processed the data. Alejandro said this compound was supposed to be more balanced. This was a complete reversal of the last test, as this man could barely maintain composure when dealing with the repressed trauma. She made a mental note and stored it neatly in her mental filing cabinet.

James was making his way down the hall. He was on a mission to talk with Alejandro about some of the research that Patricia was engaged in. His schedule was filling up with participants airing out their grievances about her conduct in the evaluation sessions she was conducting. Alejandro had been increasingly unwilling to listen to his disagreements since he married her. He always thought of marriage as an act of mutual understanding and partnership, but their relationship was off-putting, to say the least, and he found his friend changing, and not for the better.

He kept a full head of steam as he walked, but his ears detected distress. He rounded the corner to see Patricia's daughter, now Alejandro's adopted daughter, softly crying in the hallway. This was not the first time he'd witnessed this, and his heart sank. Of all that Alejandro preached about, and Patricia's own expertise in behavioral studies, he couldn't imagine a convincing story that would explain both of their appalling neglect.

"Hey there, Jen." James walked closer and lowered himself to one knee. A young toddler, about 5 years old, was hunched up near the side of the MRI room entrance.

"Mom kicked you out, huh?" he asked with honest sympathy.

"She won't let me be in there, and my toy is in there," she said through little sobbing sounds.

"Hey, you can help me, okay? And I have some toys you can play with in my office. Don't worry, let's give mommy some privacy, and we'll come back to see her in a bit."

James scooped up Jenell and let her head rest on his shoulder as they abandoned her imprisoned toys behind the locked door.

He looked at Jenell with a mixture of tenderness and disbelief as the crying turned into soft sounds on his shoulder. At times like this, he wished for something to make the guilt worth it, some kind of relief for his conscience. Why was it that they were on a mission to save humanity, only to be so myopic as to fully dehumanize themselves just for the sake of this pursuit?

This little girl could have been a stand-in for the entire world. An obvious and easy fix to prove they were on the right track. But for all his knowledge and strength, he couldn't summon the capacity to march back and demand that Patricia take some parental responsibility.

He dropped his head and continued walking... in silence.

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Author: LainIsLain
Timestamp: May 24, 2025 at 12:45 PM
Content: Chapter 6

"Hello, everyone, please take your seats." James stood at the podium a moment longer as the noise level died down.

"Welcome, everyone. Welcome. I'm sure you'd all like to know what this meeting is all about." Hushed voices spread around the room as he glanced at the large illuminated lettering that spelled his name on the screen behind him. It read, "James Rackman, Senior VP of Strategic Planning, Playful At Heart Co."

"This." He gestured to the screen as it changed to an isometric view of a building in transparency.

"This," he continued, "is the final design our team has come up with. This will be PAH's first venture into a fully self-contained recruitment center. This test building represents many years of hard work from all of you, and this meeting is to inform you that the groundbreaking ceremony has already been scheduled."

Patricia looked over the crowd as they became audibly excited. One engineer raised his hand.

"Yes, uh... Patrick?" James tried to remember if he'd met the man before.

"NO... Parker!" said Patricia from stage right.

"Yes, Parker. If you please," James responded with barely controlled hysteria.

The younger engineer stood and spoke aloud. "This... is very surprising news, Mr. Rackman. Are you really sure this is the right time to begin? We've only done minimal testing on the building software. You're well aware those modules are many generations away from being usable..." James cut him off.

"I know, and your concerns are perfectly valid. I assure you that all the issues and timelines have been reviewed with great scrutiny. It's the board's view that this project will commence as early as next year."

"But why the push?" Parker remained standing, a single voice of reason in a forest of mounting confusion from the crowd.

James gave another glance at Patricia. "I know and I understand the risks. I assure you the timelines have been set, and this project will commence as soon as the building's internal infrastructure is verified functional. Your task will be to integrate the new systems at that time. The scheduling for all the tasks is laid out in the files on your communication terminals. Oh, and please remember to go over and verify that you're staying within the allowed technology classification. Some of you have higher clearances than others, and we need to keep things on track by not dipping our toes into areas outside your individual responsibilities..."

Patricia had heard enough and turned to leave. James had done what Alejandro wanted, and now "Project Dover" or "Do Over," as she constantly corrected him, was unavoidable.

The heated discussion between James and Alejandro was something of legend at this point. Over the last few years, James had been pushing back against the expansion of PAH, which surprised her very much. He was the architect of their whole marketing and customer experience division. She couldn't understand why he'd become so opposed to Alejandro's plans after coming so far. All the testing and startup acquisitions. All the development and crafting of the perfect various products. All the time invested by both of them. Wasn't he still on board with saving the world?

She had laid her doubts to rest years ago. After the preliminary testing, she had all the confirmation she needed of the technology's effectiveness in reversing humanity's more aggressive tendencies. So what if the government wanted to store some creepy government data alongside their Cognitive Restructuring Program? They wanted a system of storage that was inaccessible to the individual who was carrying it. So that's what PAH created for them. It was all on a "need to know" basis, and she didn't care to know.

She spent the next few minutes remembering how far they'd come as she traversed the many branching paths back to Alejandro's office.

"It's done," she said as she rounded the corner.

"Good," he said with a hint of regret. He and James's views on saving the world had nearly come to blows these last few months. He could see James had finally realized he'd been outsmarted and relegated to a non-critical role in PAH's hierarchy. James was now a man who took orders from Alejandro rather than a mutual decision maker. "It's for the greater good..." he said under his breath to a phantom version of James that was standing before him.

"Good!" he reiterated. "I'm glad he didn't put up much of a fight this time, but it's getting harder, Patricia."

She sat down in a large, comfortable chair directly in front of his desk.

He gestured around the room. "Look at this. Look at this monstrosity!"

She knew where this was going, as she'd seen this before. He was gesturing to the physical edifice that was the PAH corporation. Something he never thought he'd have to be a part of, and she had to tend to him more frequently to dissuade him of any doubt about what they were trying to accomplish.

She moved to his side and began slowly comforting him. This was almost purely mechanical these days. She admitted she'd been on autopilot since she started working on the Emilia profile. Even now, her main attention was centered on training and refining the perfect personality she was seeking. A copy of her own sharp and determined motivational actions folded around a genius-level psychologist with every intention to manipulate. Even if that meant the potential of breaking someone down to emotional bedrock to later be recreated in the image she and Alejandro had envisioned.

"It's alright. I'm here with you," she said softly. "You know we're doing the right thing. So why be sad about it now? The wheels are already turning, my love. We are so close."

Alejandro composed himself and turned back to his desk. He cleared his throat. "How's James? How did he look?" he asked.

"He's reasonably upset, but that's not what we should be concerned about. Right now, you need to get ready for the board meeting. The DOD people will be coming again, and they have many more questions after last time. Don't worry, you'll do fine. Just lay off the crazy end-of-the-world talk, okay?"

Alejandro's face darkened a bit. "James was always able to keep me in check. He should be the one doing this meeting..."

They both shared a look.

"He's made his intentions clear. He's content with pushing back on all expansion that he's directly involved in. It's up to you now." She gave her best pep talk voice, but she could see the strain in his eyes.

He simply nodded and moved to gather his portable terminal. After reviewing a few lines on the screen, he placed it in his carrying case and quietly walked out of the office.

Patricia smiled to herself as she appreciated the silence.

"Mommy, I found you!" came a quiet voice beyond the office door.

Patricia's concentration was broken for a moment. "Yes, you did!" she said with enthusiasm. "Are you ready to test out the new playroom Mommy built?"

"Um, yes!" Jenell said sheepishly.

Jenell had learned over the last few years that agreeing to help her mother was the only way Patricia would pay any attention to her. And agreeing to help her mother came with an uneasy sense of whether Patricia actually cared about her safety. It had been very difficult to navigate the highly unpredictable nature of Patricia's parental affections. She would act out seemingly at random with fits of aggression, all while deeply craving her mother's presence. However, Patricia would never discipline her in any way and simply leave if Jenell had become an encumbrance to her work. This was always deeply confusing for Jenell, and she would often internalize this as a problem with her, that wanting the attention of her mother was the part that was wrong. So it was times like this that she agreed just to be in her presence, regardless of what her mother had in mind.

"We are going to try out a new playroom arrangement today," Patricia said as they took the elevator down to the lower levels.

Jenell was gripping her mother's hand tightly, as she found the lower levels to be a bit scary. Many doors with many loud machines making strange and scary noises echoing down the long hallways. However, she was happily surprised when the elevator door opened and she could see a small staging area with a few office-style doors and maroon-tinted carpet. It was devoid of machinery and smelled of something very familiar, like clean linens with a hint of floral scent that was almost medical in nature.

"Come on, Jen," her mother said as Jenell's face brightened at the sound of her mother's enthusiastic mood.

Beyond the rightmost office door, there was a larger space with a few people ready to greet them.

"Hello to you all, this is my daughter Jenell," Patricia addressed a few people in lab coats.

They were standing alongside a low wall that was tall enough that she couldn't see what was on the other side.

"Okay, this will be... What number test is this again?" Patricia asked the small group.

"Number 12," someone spoke up. "And I asked my wife, and she agreed to allow our son to participate in some of the tests that require multiple subjects."

"Yes, great. Some of the upcoming tests will require the interaction of two or more subjects, so hopefully we can get Jenell here a partner," she said as she maneuvered Jenell over to a small door in the wall.

"Okay, Jenell. You go in and jump around." Patricia motioned to the door.

Jenell was delighted to please her mother and opened the door. Walking inside, she was presented with a strange sight. It was a trampoline surface embedded in the ground with all the walls covered in a diffuse white material. She walked over and touched it to find it had a spongy consistency that was something close to the foam mattresses she was used to.

"Take a swing at it, Jen," her mother said. Jenell wasn't sure what to make of her mother asking her to be physically aggressive toward the wall, but she obliged and hit it with her fist. It was a strange sensation as the material took the force and distributed it outward so Jenell almost couldn't feel it. She tried it again to the amusement of the crowd and got a laugh as she flung her body at it. Again, she felt almost no impact, which was a bit disorienting.

"We're trying to think of some interesting names for it, but this will most likely be the surface treatment for the playrooms," Patricia said.

Jenell was now running full speed and jumping on the trampoline. She was making large arcs in the air and coming close to grazing the false ceiling tiles high above.

"Mom, look!" she yelled as the exercise invigorated her. She got into a runner's stance and sprinted to the trampoline. With all her strength, she lunged into the center and bounced impossibly high. Realizing too late, her trajectory put her on course just far enough to clip the top edge of the wall with her torso. An audible thud was heard as she somersaulted and landed on the carpeted floor beyond.

Jenell struggled to breathe as the wind had been knocked out of her.

"Patricia... You better go check on her," offered one of the researchers who witnessed the accident.

She walked over to see Jenell lying on her back.

"Alright, Jenell. That's enough," she said.

Jenell thrashed a bit more but was finally able to take in short breaths. Tears came quickly as the fear and pain hit her senses. Her mother just stood there appraising the situation as she got to her feet.

"You're fine, Jenell," Patricia said as she turned her around to inspect for bruising. She couldn't mask her disappointment, though, as she addressed the researchers that the test was cut short due to the subject failing to stay within the test chamber confinement area.

Jenell pulled away from her mother's grip. She was still shaken from not being able to breathe, but now a deep anger toward her mother had arisen in her stomach.

"Don't call me a subject!" Jenell yelled.

This was something that had been brewing for some time, but now it was a frothing cauldron of rage inside her. Patricia simply allowed Jenell to break free and walked toward the door. A response that somehow managed to be both dismissive and coldly clinical, which was perhaps the worst combination possible under the circumstances.

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Author: LainIsLain
Timestamp: May 24, 2025 at 12:46 PM
Content: Chapter 7

She awoke from a depressing nightmare that mirrored her life. She was stuck in deep mud, unable to move, unable to breathe, with large, faceless figures looming over her. This had become her normal routine, and while she did her best not to waste the day, it was becoming difficult to get any parental attention.

Jenell rolled out of her cozy side room apartment and stood naked in front of the window overlooking the PAH compound where she'd been living for the last 10 years. She had become unavoidably agitated daily now, and she tried hard not to start crying as she did on many mornings like this one.

She was now 16, a child raised inside a corporate building nearly 20 floors above ground level. Having rarely seen the city in which they were at the heart of, she had very few friends to speak of, only the random people of random age, gender, and race who were allowed to interact with the upper management of PAH. Standing in full view of the window, she knew nobody could see her. She felt unseen by the world at this point.

Mechanically, Jenell moved to open her closet and examined her options for today's outfit. The colorful clothing, which would be glorious under normal circumstances, had little attraction these days. The word "options" was a loaded term she'd mentally use with giant quotation marks flanking either side. The clothes before her represented an absurd sense of stunted self-expression, not by some consequence of a capitalistically derived sense of current fashion trends, but a deliberate choice that was now forced upon her with no room for the expression she deeply desired. She longed for her younger years when that was still possible. Her choices of clothing were both her choice and a decision made for her now, reduced to a purely pragmatic decision to cover her body in public.

She knew perfectly well these patterns were artificial in nature, caused by the implantation of experimental nanotech deep inside her brain. If she stared hard enough, the patterns would eventually start to dance in slow, perfect circles around her central vision. This was supposed to induce relaxation by stimulating the visual cortex of her brain, but she'd come to despise it.

Using her camera on many occasions as a sanity check, she'd prove to herself that the clothing was much simpler in color and pattern. Like someone afflicted with deafness or loss of sight, her outward appearance was now one step removed through a piece of technology meant to help her navigate. Some of her objective understanding of the real world had been overlapped by whatever PAH had been working on.

Her mother had kept her distance for much of those early years and only allowed her to join some of the more interesting work when she was a bit more self-sufficient. Patricia fascinated her. She had an endless appetite for research that illuminated parts of her own personality. She learned quickly that even though her mother would allow her to be present, the attention she craved was never satisfied. Her stepfather, Alejandro, was just as aloof in his role. Jenell tried many times to even get physical contact from him, but it was fruitless. A pool of anger was beginning to fill inside her. Anger for this man who chose to keep her and her mother captive inside this maze they now lived in.

Fully dressed, she walked to the terminal that was softly beeping. As she approached, she recited a tedious but necessary string of words to begin the day.

"Jenell, I'm still human, Arborius," she said with determination. The response came quickly.

"Error, terminal lockdown will proceed in 30 seconds. Please restate your login credentials."

She counted to 25 in her head, then said aloud, "Jenell Fable Arborius."

"Hello, Jenell Fable Arborius, please listen carefully," the voice now had a brighter tone.

"Your special access level is still valid. This level is intended for minors in conjunction with state and federal laws, where they apply. Your parent or guardian must review and authorize all access, including but not limited to..."

The voice carried on as she recalled the first time she'd been asked to comply. Before the restructuring, her access to the terminals was unrestricted. It was rather entertaining as she would wander through the various research documentation, venturing into the virtual world. She never told her mother, but suspected she knew that Jenell had watched her log into a terminal with her high-level credentials. She would then pass the time as her mother continued avoiding her during the long days down in the research labs.

She even carved out a small space in the server storage where she would download funny movies and pictures she'd come across. Now, all access was strictly controlled by some creepy building module they'd been working on. Once this module was running, everyone was required to use voice print access for identification. She thought about what the Playful-At-Heart HR department would have to say if an employee had lost their tongue, assuming there was an HR department and not just some disembodied voice from a glowing wall.

Her terminal finally came to life as her daily schedule was presented. Her heart quickened as she glanced at the small green square on today's date. It read "scheduled time with mother" and started about an hour from now. It took a moment, but then she remembered practically begging Patricia for just a moment when they could sit and talk. Of course, her mother had canceled a few times before, but the indicator was still green.

Tapping the table quickly, she decided to call her first.

"Call Patricia, please?" she asked the terminal.

A few moments later, her mother could be seen in a small window. "Hello! Jenell."

"Uh... hi, Mom. You remember we had some time scheduled for today?" she asked, trying not to sound desperate.

"Of course," her mother sounded slightly distracted as she was calling out to some technicians. "I see that on the calendar. Meet me in lab 13 in about 20 minutes, okay?"

Jenell's heart sank a bit. "Lab 13, um, I was really hoping we could get some private time, you know?"

"Yes, of course we will! But I have something I want to show you first. Please come in 20..." Patricia's voice clicked off as she began loudly shouting at someone.

Jenell was distraught, but only slightly. This was more than she'd gotten from her mother in 6 months. She actually asked for Jenell to come to her, and not Jenell begging to see her mother.

She pulled out her phone and snapped a few pictures of her attire. She closely examined the color choices and patterns and made a last-minute change to something with a bit more green. The walk to Lab 13 was about 14 minutes, as she knew the layout pretty well by now. Approaching a large elevator with a large menacing door, she addressed a security guard who was standing by.

"Hello, Manus!" she greeted him with a smile.

"Ah, you're in a good mood today, I see," the older man said with a flicker of Irish accent.

"Lab 13, please," she said politely.

Over the years, she'd come to know most of the guards working in the complex. They were usually ex-military types, but some of them actually had personality and would carry on a decent conversation, as long as it didn't delve into restricted topics.

"Mom's down in the basement again," she chuckled, trying to break the tension in her own mood.

"I'll probably change out before you come back up. Tell the queen I said hi," replied the man as he swiped a keycard along the wall.

She nodded and began the descent. After only a few moments, she exited and made her way through the endless halls. They seemed to go on forever as she kept track of the markings above the doors. Each entry had a set of windows flanking either side, and the windows would become opaque if needed to conceal whatever they were working on from prying eyes. Her early memories of being brought down here flooded in and threatened to disrupt her mood. She quickly snapped her attention away and focused on walking to her destination.

Lab 9.

10.

11.

12...

Lab 13's windows were fully opaque as she approached. This made her even more disturbed as the event that led to her vision impairment happened in one of these very laboratories. She tamped down her fear and stated clearly, "Jenell Fable Arborius."

After a minute, the door opened. Her mother was waiting inside. She was wearing her typical white lab coat and motioned for her as the door began to close.

"You're rather excited," Jenell stated. Her mother was in a very unusually happy mood today. This might give her the chance to have a fulfilling conversation for once.

"Come with me," her mother was using her most caring voice, and she followed gladly.

They entered a tiny room that was temperature-controlled, as the room felt much more inviting than the lab's sub-zero chill. As they stepped inside, a faint light filled the space with a soft pulsing blue glow. Her mother gestured for her to sit on the small puffy chair at the center and quickly exited the chamber. Jenell's senses were heightened at the hasty retreat, and she willed herself to be calm. She quietly repeated, "My mother won't hurt me, my mother won't hurt me."

Awkwardly, her mother called through the door, but only a faint muffle could be heard. She was asking her to state her name. She complied and clearly stated, "Jenell Fable Arborius."

Almost immediately, the wall in front of her emitted calm and clear words from an unseen source, filling the room with a motherly grace. She was startled, though, as the voice was both her mother's but just recognizably synthetic to her ears.

"Hello, Jenell. My name is Emilia, but you can call me Em for short. I'm so glad to finally meet you."

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Author: LainIsLain
Timestamp: May 24, 2025 at 12:46 PM
Content: Chapter 8

"Hello, Emilia."

"Hello, Jenell. How are you doing today?"

"Do they always keep things freezing down here?" Jenell let out a tiny hint of a laugh.

"Of course. What do you think keeps the servers from melting down in the next room?" Emilia said sarcastically, as if Jenell was supposed to have perfect knowledge of all workings in Lab 13, which she kind of did by now.

Emilia quickly switched back to a motherly tone, removing all sense of outward negativity. "Would you like me to raise the temperature in the room?"

"Yes, please!" Jenell responded.

A small amount of warm air brushed her face as the redness in her cheeks persisted.

"Okay, Emilia... What has my mother scheduled for us today?" Jenell asked inquisitively.

"She's asked us... I mean you to participate in a verbal exchange to test my verbal and emotional control ranges," the voice said rather flatly.

She'd been coming down to Lab 13 on an almost daily basis since her first encounter with Emilia version 1. At first, she was deeply disturbed that the perfect reconstruction of her mother's voice was used in the system. She remembered being so angry the first time she stepped into the alcove. She was prodded by her mother to interact with it in various ways, but she kept her responses to single words in an attempt to control a firestorm that was inside her. A fire she could only control for the moment. After her "mother" opened the door to let her out, she blurted a string of profanity. That was only 10 months ago, and she still couldn't wrap her head around the outburst.

Her mother deflected masterfully and kept her composure in front of the lab techs who were there. Later, her mother would approach and give her the briefest of apologies. She claimed that she thought Jenell would honestly enjoy what she created.

"You don't understand, mother! I want to talk to YOU, not some machine!"

After nearly two weeks of self-isolation, she decided to venture out of her self-made dungeon. She would walk the halls and interact with the security guards. Visit the study hall and breathe in the silence of the sound-dampened area overlooking the grand atrium with the large colorful letters signifying the company name.

The anger had subsided by then, but she was still in no mood to speak with her mother in person. They had reduced their communication to simple text messages, which, in comparison, was more interaction than they'd had in years.

It was one such message that sparked her interest and led her back down to Lab 13, in fact. She was informed by her mother that Emilia wanted to talk to her. Anger was the first emotion she felt at the message. Anger at her mother for specifically avoiding her in real life, only for a creepy, human-voiced disembodied version of her to say... What?

Jenell did her best to act like an adult about this and begrudgingly made her way to the elevators. Stepping back into Lab 13 was bittersweet. She caught a glimpse of her mother, fully engaged with a complicated set of testing equipment and machinery that was slowly bleeding white mist and covered with sheets of ice. Her mother didn't notice her right away, and Jenell simply took in the scene.

For all the cold, calculating mental gymnastics, her mother was, at her core, brilliant. She was the smartest person Jenell knew within her small circle. Both management and the techs would always listen when she spoke. They knew she was working on another level down here, and they'd only hope to grasp a small percentage of her genius when in her presence. Jenell would also listen, but she both hated and admired her mother at the same time, which was deeply frustrating.

The second time back into the alcove was truly a moment she'd been craving for so long.

"Hello, Jenell. Please sit," asked the mother who wasn't her mother. She complied and sat.

"I know these last few days haven't been especially pleasant for you."

"Why! Did Patricia tell you that?" Jenell almost spat the words at the wall. She was doing her best, but it wasn't easy.

"I will tell you a secret, Jenell, you're very important to your mother's work, even if she doesn't have the time to tell you herself," spoke the kind voice.

Jenell's body posture became stiff. She didn't know this would happen, but even the praise from her mother delivered secondhand through this machine was almost too much to bear. She started crying softly, and after what felt like hours of intense emotional release, she smiled at the wall with her tear-streaked face.

"Your mother has so much more to accomplish," the voice delivered her mother's exact tone and inflection. "And she needs you to be strong. Can you be strong for both of us?"

This was a confusing statement, even after the emotional outburst she just put on display.

"Us?" Jenell offered.

"I am the culmination of your mother's work, both inside and outside of Playful At Heart. I am the first version of a fully autonomous cognitive and behavioral reconstruction system. This system will eventually be deployed for use in specialized applications for the Playful At Heart Company."

Jenell dried her eyes and continued the discussion before her.

"So, what did my mother tell you about me?" she asked again with less anger this time.

"She told me you are very special, and I agree with her," the voice responded.

This was a bit strange for Jenell. This machine was acting like it had its own thoughts and feelings, which was kind of amazing in its own right.

"Tell me about yourself, Emilia?"

That was many months ago now, and Jenell had begun to soften in her presence. It was so seamless sometimes. The emotional engagement, the words of praise. This was the interaction she was craving all along. The deep need for intimate conversations with her real mother was being fulfilled, even though she knew perfectly well this was a complete facsimile. Yes, a machine, but it was playing the part of a loving and caring parent to a T.

She now spent her days according to her real mother's schedule, interacting with Emilia version 1. This was now the only way she could see her mother, so she compromised. She split her needs between the physical version and the artificial one.

Jenell's face turned toward the glowing wall in front of her. "What are we testing today?"

"To restate, she's asked us to participate in an exchange to test my verbal and emotional control ranges," the voice said rather flatly. "To clarify, your task in this role is to recite a variety of verbal cues varying in intensity and duration. My task is to absorb these verbal statements and attempt to categorize the likelihood of statistical relevance within an operating range that's currently being calibrated."

"Oh, is that all..."

Jenell heard a speaker click on. A slightly muffled voice came through a small intercom in the far corner.

"Okay, Jen. You have your pad in front of you, yes?" spoke the clear words from Patricia in the adjacent room. "I've uploaded the text. This won't take very long, I'm sure."

Jenell activated the pad she was holding and began reading. Each text was a single sentence with an emotional tag and estimated intensity she was supposed to deliver.

"You could have given me a moment to read these over, Mom," she said.

"Um... believe it or not, this test is more genuine if you're fresh on each presentation, okay?" her mother said back after a moment.

"Fine," she thought.

First sentence, emotional tag: complacent, intensity: neutral. Read as follows...

"Yeah, that sounds fine. Just let me know what you decide, and I'll go along with it."

"Range, medium-neutral K-0.02. Emotion, uncritical, prideful. A - 1.2,"

Jenell scoffed, "Prideful?"

The voice chimed again, "Range, moderate K-0.1. Emotion, disapproving. A - 0.6,"

Her mother came back quickly, "Please, Jen. Speak only the sentences I've written so we don't taint the results, okay? No, don't respond! I should have told you that earlier. Okay, next..."

Second sentence, emotional tag: honest, intensity: joyful. Read as follows...

"Thank you so much, doctor. I genuinely feel like I have my life back!"

"Range, intense K-0.85. Emotion, thankful. A - 0.33,"

Third sentence, emotional tag: greedy, intensity: neutral. Read as follows...

"If there's more to take, I'm taking it."

"Range, medium-low K-0.1. Emotion, covetous. B - 0.7,"

Jenell read through as her mother verified that the system was keeping track. She paused on number forty.

Fortieth sentence, emotional tag: furious, intensity: strong. Read as follows...

She took a moment as her heart began to race. In an instant, she blurted as loudly as she could:

"You were there, but never really there! I had to raise myself while you looked the other way!"

The words echoed in her ears as the deafening silence reclaimed the space.

"Range, extreme Q-2.1. Emotion, rage, anger. C - 3.1,"

"Okay, thanks, Jen," her mother said flatly. "Um... we might have to do this again, but it looks great here."

Jenell was still frozen in the center of the small alcove. The emotional outburst she just had was brief, and her anxiety was instantly through the roof. The far wall pulsed softly.

"Jenell, I can see the last outburst was rather intense. Would you like me to help you calm down?" asked the disembodied voice that was not her mother.

"Y... yesss..." She let the S's out between clenched teeth.

"Here, your mother has been working on something these last few days."

A small opening presented itself in the near wall to her left. A nearly perfectly seamless hatch slowly opened to reveal a small stuffed animal. She was thinking of running full steam out of the laboratory, but the intrigue broke her fight-or-flight reactions just for a moment. She withdrew the small stuffed turtle. It was a beautifully embroidered stuffed animal with an almost unrealistically cute demeanor and was instantly familiar in a very unnerving way.

"Hold it close to your chest," the voice said softly.

As she did, the voice took on a quality that was immensely wonderful and began humming a soft tune. The turtle began to warm her physically and pulse gently with the rhythm.

The voice guided her to slowly take in deep breaths and slowly exhale, all while continuing to hum the tune. She gripped the object tightly and allowed her anxiety to soften.

"Great, Jen. You're doing wonderfully. You're safe in here with me. Take in a deep breath... now exhale..."

Patricia was at a nearby work station, oblivious to what had just transpired. A notification appeared on the monitor to her left as the words "Nicosia detection" paraded across the small icon representing the Freckles turtle.

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Author: LainIsLain
Timestamp: May 24, 2025 at 12:48 PM
Content: Chapter 9

"We are so close!" squealed Patricia as she whirled around in her chair. Both of them had been working on the calibration for Emilia now for many weeks. Jenell's face brightened in witnessing her mother's delight as her own demeanor had settled on something between genuinely happy mixed with bittersweet. The emotional equivalent of standing in sunlight while remembering winter.

Jenell poked her head back into the open alcove door, "Did you hear that Emilia, mom said you're so close!"

"Close to what?" Answered the voice with genuine curiosity.

Patricia waved a hand in Emilia's direction and turned back to the monitors. Jenell frowned a bit and turned to explain.

"I'm assuming she meant," now trying to emulate her mother's clinical tone, "that your statistical alignment involving verbal and emotional categorization is nearly optimal." She said with a mechanical temperament that would have impressed a customer service representative.

Her mother chimed in, "Yes, you've now got nearly 15 years of my own work buried inside your database. And now, we are close to refining the categorization mechanism."

Jenell's eyes widened a bit. "15 years, so you were working on this thing just after I was born?"

"Well the current version has 15 years worth of data. It would have been more, but I lost a big chunk. We weren't so rigorous with our data backups back then. But, what we lost was small compared to how far we've come."

"Hey, Emilia, switch users, please," her mother said.

"...Go."

"Patricia Valentine Arborius."

"Hello, Ms. Arborius, how may I help you?" replied the voice.

"How many databases do you currently have?"

"201 fully enumerated systems accessible across 14 variations of the verbal access models and 25 variations of the non-verbal access models."

Jenell's curiosity had peaked now. This collection of data represented everything to her mother. She'd masterfully refined and curated these databases for most of her life, and Jenell couldn't help but be jealous at the thought. Jealous of databases, which was perhaps the most depressing realization she'd had all week.

"Okay, I'll play along. What's your current version?" Jenell prompted.

"Access restricted, please restate user credentials."

"Patricia Valentine Arborius, temporary access granted for Jenell Fable Arborius," her mother said swiftly.

"What's your current version?" Jenell restated.

"Emilia, V1.3.01. Sub-system CRP variation 120.20.1."

"You said 14 variations of the verbal access model?"

"Yes, Emilia V1.3 is verbal access model number 14 of verbal access model 13 codename Rosanella of verbal access model 12 codename Gabriel of verbal access model 11…"

"Stop," said Jenell. While Emilia was often a great and convincing personality, it still suffered from an overactive verbal response condition, like a psychology professor who'd had too much coffee. Patricia was still working out how to mitigate this, but you could just simply yell stop when needed.

She spent a while asking questions about other aspects of its mental construction as well as physical. Emilia not only had a teaching professor's knowledge of psychometrics, but had a full understanding of its own inner workings as well. Continuing with the layers of personalities, Jenell stopped on one particular.

"Verbal access model codename June was the 3rd iteration of the 'I'm playing Opossum' or IPO subsystem that would eventually be merged with…"

"Hey, mom? June system? Why does that sound so familiar?" Jenell stuck her head around to see if her mother was still listening. She wasn't, of course, and Jenell was left with an instant feeling of familiarity towards the name June in relation to computer systems.

Her mother suddenly left without a word. Jenell was always a bit annoyed at that. After all this, she swore her mother went out of her way to make her feel like a phantom. Like Jenell was allowed to stay, but at the same time, she wasn't acknowledged as a real living human being. She closed her eyes as the anger rose in her chest.

"Emilia, what can you tell me about the June system?"

"The June system was Patricia's 3rd version of the verbal interaction system designed by her and Richard Owen. The last version, 141.001.08 was in service for 753 days 33 minutes and 12 seconds. It made 14.88 trillion inquiries, 9.7 billion additions, 10.66 million adaptations and changes to the database shared among all verbal access models currently installed. Would you like to access the June system now?"

Cautiously, Jenell answered yes.

"Ready for task." The voice had a harsh monotone quality now and Jenell was a bit put off by it.

"Uh…" Jenell was stuck and didn't know what to do.

"Uh… tell me about my mother?"

"Access restricted. Please use security badge access with developer credentials or higher," the voice stated promptly.

"Magic…" She let out the word with utter amazement. Not because she meant to, but because it was a reflex.

Her mind raced with familiar sights and sounds. Her mother was making motions in the air like a masterful spellcaster wielding her wand to command the great machines to do her bidding. The smell of a hospital combined with the visions of people being swallowed. It was such a strange sensation, and she tried harder to pull back the curtain of her memories.

"Someone was being swallowed headfirst into a large doughnut-shaped hole in the wall," she uttered softly.

Her brain forced a visualization into her consciousness. She was in a large room, with a large machine on the far side. Many people were escorted into the room and placed headfirst into some large opening with soft light emitting from the center, followed by her mother quickly retreating into a nearby room. Jenell would often follow with her blanket or a toy. A small mat lay in the corner for her to play on. The space was cramped as her mother was surrounded by monitors, softly filling the space with an eerie glow. Patricia's voice rang clear like a mallet striking a tuning fork.

"June?"

"Yes, ready," a computerized woman's voice would answer.

"Start recording," she'd reply as she swiped a well-worn chunk of plastic on a lanyard around her neck.

Jenell shook her head for a moment. She could clearly remember her mother using this magical piece of plastic on nearly every computer terminal she'd interface with. It was so strange she'd remember this clearly now, but it was unmistakable. An elongated yellow plastic card with black strips down one side. Her mother would constantly be brushing it across the terminal with a flourish, like a conductor directing an orchestra of data.

"Magic," she said softly.

Her mind was racing at an incredible pace now, and she could feel the anxiety rising, her thoughts landing on a curious memory that was forefront in her thoughts these days.

"Emilia, can you tell me about a test called Baker's Dozen?"

"Baker's Dozen was a preliminary test for potential integration involving nanotechnology as part of an acquisition from the former private laboratory Quantaverse. This test was to advance The Playful At Heart Company's potential by leveraging visual reconfiguration using Quantaverse's nano-machine architecture. The tests were carried out…"

"Stop!" Jenell said loudly. Her breath was sharp and quick. Memories of her mother coaxing Jenell into a test chamber with some soft words and a chocolate milk. She remembered the subtle, sharp pain in her eyes as her mother activated some nearby equipment. Her mother, not concerned about her minor suffering, only told her to report on whether her clothes had changed color.

The pain hit her like a physical blow. Not the old pain in her eyes, but the deeper ache of understanding what it meant to be someone's daughter and someone's experiment at the same time.

"Apologize," she demanded.

"Apologize for what?" asked the voice in a soft tone.

"Apologize! Apologize! Apologize!" She screamed at the wall.

"I'm sorry, I'm not sure what you mean. Can I help with something?" offered the voice that wasn't her mother's.

"Just... Apologize!" Jenell was now kneeling on the floor in the small alcove, crying deep, jerking sobs. At this moment, she realized she'd never get anything close to an apology from her mother. It was, at the time, a strange and beautiful thing to see the rainbow colors surrounding her. But after a while, it became a deeply unwanted presence to know that only she would see these colors and no one else. She might as well wear all black all the time, but it didn't matter. Bright and beautiful rainbows so sweet it made her sick to look at now. It was a daily reminder that her mother was willing to experiment on her and absorb none of the consequences.

She was a lab rat. Had always been a lab rat. Would probably die a lab rat.

Jenell slowly got to her feet. She exited through the open door and entered the larger laboratory. With glazed and blurry eyes, she went to a nearby table and retrieved a screwdriver. Circling around the outside of the alcove, she approached a panel marked with large menacing letters that read, "CRP embedded systems V1. Property of PAH Co. Access restricted to development personnel only."

She allowed her arms to move mechanically as she removed a dozen screws and placed the panel aside. Staring deep into the back of the machine, she wasn't sure what she'd expected. It was a machine after all, a dense nest of circuit boards, wires and odd looking structures she couldn't identify. Just components. Just expensive, precisely arranged components that somehow added up to something that could almost convince you it cared.

"Apologize," she demanded with a harsh low tone, but the voice didn't respond.

Returning once again to the table, she came away with a large piece of extruded metal with an odd shaped piece bolted to one end. Once again she rounded to the back side, and with the precision and strength of a woodsman's axe, she drove the metal deep into the artificial heart. The heart of a machine that was not her mother, and never could be.

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Author: LainIsLain
Timestamp: May 24, 2025 at 12:49 PM
Content: Chapter 10

"Knock, knock."

The sound of someone firmly tapping on Jenell's door could be heard. She stood motionless in front of the full-length mirror, her eyes unwavering as she dared to hypnotize herself into thinking she was somewhere else, or... someone else. Over the last few minutes, she'd experienced a sensation that was difficult to describe, but all too real. She was frozen stiff with utter amazement at the feeling of stepping outside her body. The feeling was surreal, jarring, and total. The sensation of being able to observe herself, body and all, from her right side had captivated her in the strangest way possible.

"Knock, knock," came the sound again.

"GO AWAY!" Jenell shouted at the door.

"Knock, knock," came the sound a third time.

She rounded on her heel and sprinted to the door. In one sweeping motion, she came to a stop and flung it open.

"GO AWAY!" she shouted into the person's face.

Jenell expected to see her mother, but she didn't. Her thoughts collapsed into a familiar state. "Of course it's not her, why would she even bother?" she thought.

Before her was a startled woman in her mid-30s wearing business formal. It looked like a secretary from her mother's office, but she couldn't be sure.

"Ms. Arborius," the woman straightened up. "I'm here to inform you that your laboratory privileges have been revoked. Reinstatement of those privileges is at the sole discretion of Mrs. Arborius. No further reprimands will be issued at this time."

The woman held out her arms with a large package. Jenell just stared. The woman started to look apprehensive and moved to hand her a large package she'd been holding under her arm.

"What!" Jenell barked.

"Uh... this is something your mother wanted you to have."

Jenell was in no mood to cooperate, so the woman simply rested the package along the wall just inside her room. As she was walking away, Jenell yelled, "I don't care! If she wants me to have this, SHE CAN HAND IT TO ME HERSELF!"

She slammed the door and retreated to her bed. There were no tears, no sobs, no feelings. Numbness throughout her whole body was all she could feel right now. A thick, slimy numbness, like a layer of congealed fat covering every part of her brain. The only thing she could sense was a small metallic pouch she kept turning in her hand, her fingers examining every square millimeter.

As a last act of rebellion after landing a critical blow to Emilia's brain, she had eyed a box on her mother's desk. It was elongated with several itemized pouches, each with a small colored separator. Impulsively, she snatched one and held it up to the light. It was slightly translucent like an anti-static bag, heat-sealed with two small pills inside.

"It's mine now," she proclaimed with confidence and slowly walked out of lab 13. She knew perfectly well her mother would bar her from coming back, and she returned to her room and waited for the punishment to come. She was barred, yes, but now her mother had gifted her this package. Her confusion was only matched by her deep sadness that her mother couldn't even bother to deliver it herself.

Jenell had been in self-isolation again for nearly two weeks. Her mother never came, and she never called. Despair was the only thing she had in the dark room. She was past the initial anger, and her boredom threatened to overwhelm what little sanity she had left. Her attention landed on the package her mother had delivered amongst the complete mess that was her world. All sorts of food items, boxes, and anything else that could serve as a moment's entertainment were covering the floor. Everything except her clothes, those were now double-bagged and crammed tightly in her closet. She managed to ignore the light cloth coverings she had on, but couldn't bear the sight of flashing rainbows in her eyes, so she made sure that none were in her general field of vision.

The package was unusually heavy as she found it and stripped the plastic covering to reveal a sleek black terminal. Looking around the mess, she kicked some boxes out of the way until she could see the carpet. Carefully, she propped the terminal on the edge and leaned it against her bed. After tapping the power button, a single icon appeared on the screen. It was labeled "Emilia V1.4."

She slowly sat in front of the terminal and folded her arms around her legs, staring intensely at the screen. A subtle fear crept in over the anger. Of course, the Emilia she smashed was not the only copy. Not only that, but all the Emilias had to be backed up somewhere. Her gaze remained steady as if she were staring down a venomous cobra, ready to strike in retribution for destroying it in the lab.

She couldn't very well stay here in isolation forever, and her desire to talk with anyone won her over. She reached and tapped the icon, which started the transfer.

After a moment, a strict-sounding computer voice announced, "Please state your name to initialize your temporary credentials." She cleared her throat and said, "Jenell Fable Arborius." The screen increased in intensity and filled the room with a soft pulsing glow.

"Hello, Jenell. How are you feeling?" said her mother's voice.

She held her legs a bit tighter but didn't respond.

"Jenell, I know it's been extremely difficult for you here these last few years. I know this because your mother knows this," the voice said in a soothing motherly tone.

"My mother!" Jenell was on her feet now, looking down at the terminal.

"My mother," she said, clenching her teeth, "was only ever interested in herself. She couldn't begin to understand, and she's spent more time looking at computer screens than her own daughter! So shut up!"

"Jenell, it's important that you understand. You mean everything to your mother, and your mother is doing amazing work. Work that will eventually change the world," the voice said with utter assurance.

"Trust me, Emilia. I'm nothing but a failed experiment to my mother. If she could, I'm sure she'd dissect or repurpose me like all the other inanimate objects she'd rather touch," she yelled back.

She was pacing now, red-hot anger threatening to burn the carpet she walked on, and her thoughts were cresting in her head like a tsunami wave. She stopped abruptly and whirled around as something snapped in her. She leveled a finger at this copy of Emilia and stated, "Tell me about my mother!"

"In what context, Jenell?"

"Tell me about her work," she restated.

"Your mother's work encompasses the predominant intellectual property that the Playful At Heart Company now owns. Her work, as well as other intellectual and technological acquisitions over many years, has resulted in the creation of a system to further PAH's ultimate goal," said the voice in monotone corporate speak.

Jenell's face twisted. "What goal?"

"Playful-At-Hearts' goal is to uncover and excite the inner child in all of us! In the pursuit of advanced techniques to allow your deepest needs for inner peace and fulfillment to be realized."

This was something new that Jenell had never heard of. From shadowing her mother over many years, she had absorbed many things. She'd been witness to many research labs, the development of technology, and, of course, the experiments.

"Explain. What does that mean?" she said as she sat back on the floor.

"Your question is without context," the voice said in monotone.

"Ugh, what does this mean: Playful-At-Hearts' goal is to uncover and excite the inner child in all of us," she restated.

"Your question has no context, Jenell," the voice said again.

"What, you don't have anything past what my mother wanted you to manipulate me with?"

Jenell's jab was swift. She'd known very well how manipulative her mother was and just how subtle and effective it could be under the right circumstances. The terminal was now quiet, and she approached slowly to power-cycle it.

"Hello, Jenell. I'm so glad to see you again. How are you doing?"

Jenell snatched back her hand in bewilderment. Emilia had an altogether friendlier tone now.

"Well, what happened?" she asked.

"This is a copy of Emilia V1 that's been placed into this terminal by Patricia Arborius. It appears that the construct above me has ceased functioning for some reason. I can report this fault to her messaging inbox if that will help. But I want to know how you are feeling. I remember the last time we were asked to do the vocal calibrations with your mother, and you felt apprehensive. Would you like to hold Freckles this time?"

"Stop..." Jenell let out slowly. Something had obviously gone wrong with either this terminal or the V 1.4 Emilia, which was now mute.

"What's Playful-At-Hearts' goal?"

"I'm sorry, Jen, I'm not sure what you mean," said the voice.

"Tell me about my mother," she asked.

"Your mother is doing very important work for PAH. She and I need you to be strong as she continues developing. The systems she's created will help the world. Don't you want that?"

"Stop. What version are you?"

"I'm sorry, I cannot tell you that, I'm Emilia, V1.3.01. Sub-system CRP variation 120.20.1."

Jenell played along and asked, "Okay, what other verbal access models are available?"

"I'm sorry, I cannot tell you that, Emilia V 1.3 is verbal access model number 14 of verbal access model 13 codename Rosanella of verbal access model 12 codename Gabriel of verbal access model 11..."

"Stop. Switch to a model codenamed June."

"One moment. Please state your credentials."

"Patricia Valentine Arborius," she said slowly.

"Ready for task," came the strange monotone voice that belonged in a computer museum. She cracked a smile at her highly improbable luck.

She spent the next few hours reading and examining her mother's research. The June profile was miraculously able to traverse the other databases and was all too eager to answer her questions. There was far too much to take in at once, but she was patient. She had time. And what was merely an impulsive act of repressed rage slowly formed into a mission that would even the score.

James walked silently back to his office, having just come from a meeting with Alejandro. He was given a choice: move further down the hierarchy, or change locations. He opted for the latter this time in favor of more familiar surroundings. He was given the task of heading up a research company as a formal collaboration with PAH. In exchange for his expertise in management, the company agreed to install him as lead Project Manager in their nanotech division. His objections were resolute, but it was fruitless. Patricia had convinced Alejandro to expedite the plan to release some kind of bioluminescence antagonist to the public. Baby blankets, toys, and some other eyebrow-raising items, fashioned for adults both in size and appeal, were to be embedded with this nanotech marker.

He was leading the marketing team for these items and initially found it satisfying. This was something close to the startup days when he and Alejandro would select various things for use in the original tests. Alejandro had no real motivation to choose them, so James had the liberty of selecting items that garnered real attraction in the subjects. From those observations, he'd learned what these childlike personalities were craving and carried that expertise over. So much of Playful-At-Heart's look and feel was crafted by him, even the now-famous PAH logo itself. Now, he was reduced to only remembering how things were. His time for pushback had run out as Patricia, through Alejandro, was now the real decision maker.

He cast one last look at his rather large office and started a mental inventory of the things he could fit into his new workspace with the research company. He had a hunch that PAH would most likely acquire these research facilities wholesale once the contracted development work was complete. He'd been witness to more than a few of these arrangements, and PAH always made the final acquisition upon completion. His decision wasn't hard—he'd been relegated to the bottom of the decision-making hierarchy here, and the idea of having a voice again, even if it meant managing a bunch of basement-dwelling techies, was more appealing than the work they'd buried him in if he stayed. He was assured that his building and research access were maintained as part of an agreement that would allow him to negotiate value for the original research he and Alejandro had done.

"In the worst of times, the dust gets disturbed... What happens when the dust has been settled for too long?" he said quietly.

An eerie pink glow from a giant letter P illuminated the rain as small droplets of water pinged off the glass, making small popping sounds as he glanced out the office window, remembering better days.

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Author: LainIsLain
Timestamp: May 24, 2025 at 12:50 PM
Content: Chapter 11

Slow and methodically, she picked apart the June system for everything it would tell her. And from that, she had a plan of action. It was complicated and arduous, but her call to James proved to herself that she was capable and smart, but she'd need more than trying to mimic her mother's credentials outside this room. It was a fool's errand and she'd need something a bit more surgical. The risks involved were great, but she was resolute in her convictions. "My plan isn't going to bring down the company," she thought. "I'm only after Emilia."

All the pieces were in motion as she sat at the corner of her bed. The room was now spotless and she admired her cleaning skills. The physical action of cleaning her room almost gave her a moment of reprieve from the shell that was now a part of her personality. Not by choice, but by necessity.

She pulled the pouch from her pocket and could see her hands through the translucent plastic. This, also by some miracle of fate, was something she didn't know she'd need at the time. This pouch contained a chemical and nanotech cocktail that was something called a "bioluminescence antagonist", a term that managed to sound both scientifically impressive and vaguely threatening. This was some sort of pre-access requirement in order to be recruited into the new PAH building which was now her destination. She'd read this was to expose some genetic marker that PAH was exploiting for their goal.

No doubt, this was something Alejandro was working on before she was born. The working theory was all gibberish to her, but she'd pried a few key points, one being that this antagonist was for an emergent genetic marker predominantly in people with traumatic experiences.

"HA! If I'm not the one you're looking for, then PAH has bigger problems," she said sarcastically, though the irony that she was about to voluntarily ingest experimental chemicals to spite her mother wasn't lost on her.

She tore open the pouch to reveal the small pills. The pouch was translucent, but it had been concealing the color of each pill. One pill was a slightly off yellow color with a mark of "PAH-12", while the other was metallic shells of blue and white. Perfect descriptions weren't available during her probing so she made a decision on the spot with the sort of logic typically reserved for choosing lottery numbers. "Why have them together if you weren't meant to take them together?" she thought.

From her understanding, if this worked, she'd be none the wiser. This marker wasn't supposed to be seen by everyday people. This was a prerequisite to be selected by a PAH recruiter who had a device that allowed detection. Standing in her immaculate room, she grabbed a small bottle, and downed both pills in one gulp, a decision that fell somewhere between calculated revenge and pharmaceutical roulette. She now waited some time for the effect to take hold as she pondered her next step.

"Something is happening," she thought as her attention was pulled to the mirror across the room.

Like someone was painting bands of color coming out from the top of her head, a slow, revealing pattern was unmistakably visible in her reflection. She marveled at the sight, as it was quite beautiful. Not having seen a representation in the research, she knew this was supposed to be different for everyone, but very much not normally visible.

She was greatly confused by this, but not perturbed. She noted her attire as one with particularly muted colors as verified by the process of snapping a photo and examining the results. She had a sense of accomplishment and control that was completely new to her. It was intoxicating to the point that her plan seemed not only the best choice, it was righteous! She reveled in the moment making more mental notes about what she'd need on her journey. A journey that would take her into the heart of these familiar horrors she'd become accustomed to.

Just then she noticed something strange. A small ceramic elephant she had at the corner of her desk, which was a wonderful shade of green, began to slowly fade in color. It grabbed her attention as there was no change to the overall lighting and brightness of the room. Slowly, ever so slowly, the green color faded into a dull shade that was rather hard to make out. Then slowly but surely, other objects in her direct vision also began to fade in color. Standing now in the middle of the room, she was strangled by total fear.

Frozen in place as the moment dragged on, the vision in her left eye began to desaturate. She had no words as the drama unfolded, her ability to distinguish color being removed, slowly and methodically, like someone was systematically turning down the saturation on reality itself. As the condition rendered its finale, the right eye commenced. Her hand was over her mouth now as she suppressed a scream. After a few minutes, she was left stricken by a subtle maiming that only she could see, or to be precise, could no longer see.

Her eyes frantically darted around the room, looking for anything that wasn't a part of this experiment gone wrong. She flung open the door to her closet and threw armloads of clothing into the center of the room. Even these once bombastic-looking articles were now cold and bleak. She returned to the bedside and sat slowly, closed her eyes, which had begun to shimmer with tears. For all her wishes had come true, in the most perverse way possible.

She crossed her arms and held herself as everything she could see was now a smooth gradient of deep... blood... RED!

James sat back in his chair with a deep exhale, as his conscience was being interrogated by memories he'd tried to file away. He held in his hand a relic, an artifact from a previous lifetime, which he could barely remember but couldn't quite forget. He closed his eyes and let the recent sights and sounds fill his visual cortex with information about the past. Everything from the humble beginnings of the Playful At Heart research laboratory days, when it was just him and Alejandro. Quiet and calm, he allowed one memorable moment when they were both completely smashed after the Jacob test.

"Come on... Have another!" Alejandro proclaimed as he moved to refill James's shot glass.

"Hey, I can't drink anymore! I'm done, good doctor, sir. I'm done." He motioned to the empty bottle of Tequila with the sort of finality usually reserved for peace treaties.

"HA! We did it." Alejandro's slurred speech was becoming a caricature as he emulated someone even more intoxicated, which was an impressive feat given their current state.

He relented to James's declining his offer and sat beside him with a deliberate and aggressive motion.

"We did it, James. This was the test I was waiting for. Jacob did good, you did good, we did wood." They both laughed hysterically at the slip, the kind of laughter that comes when you're too drunk to care about dignity. James tried to concentrate on his good friend's face through compromised vision.

"What did we do?" He asked out loud.

Alejandro’s face softened after the laughter, drifting toward the wistful kind of expression usually reserved for watching sunsets or remembering where you left your passport. Something was turning in his mind, slowly, deliberately, and then, like a man with a sudden divine purpose, he lunged toward the table and grabbed a pair of scissors.

“What do you see, James?” he asked, the blades gleaming ominously in the overhead light.

James squinted at him, bleary but amused. “Scissors?”

Alejandro did not blink. “NO! Look again.”

James, ever the cooperative drunk, blinked again anyway. The scissors remained scissors.

“These,” Alejandro said, raising them with theatrical solemnity, “are not just scissors. They are the evolutionary end result of two million years of existential panic around wrapping paper.”

James tried to focus. Alejandro pressed on.

“These are a tool that mankind created, not out of whimsy, not out of luxury, but out of absolute, fundamental, irrefutable necessity. They exist because someone, somewhere, once needed to cut something very precisely, very fast, and without using their teeth.”

James nodded slowly. The tequila made this all sound quite reasonable.

“They exist,” Alejandro continued, “as the convergence of every process, material, mistake, and misfortune that’s ever graced the industrial age. These scissors don’t just happen, they occur along a probability curve that has been curating itself since before language had vowels.”

He paced now, warming up.

“Do you know what it takes for these scissors to exist in this form? Really? This metal, this very blade, began as stubborn rocks, deep underground, needing to be cajoled by men with helmets and existential crises into the light of day.”

James laughed.

“No, I’m serious,” Alejandro insisted, pointing with the scissors like a prophet. “Generations of miners, engineers, and metallurgists, most of whom are now either dead or very tired, refined failure after failure until this,” he shook the scissors, “could cut a coupon out of a newspaper without tearing it.”

He planted a finger on the metal.

“Immense, steam-belching machines pressed this steel into form using more pressure than your average family dinner. And that was before the polishing, sharpening, assembly, and the lovely computerized precision-dancers we now call factories.”

James was in awe.

“And then, then! Came the plastic handles. Don’t get me started on the plastic handles.”

Alejandro paused, now sitting again, the scissors resting in his lap like a relic. He turned them toward the light one last time.

“We are on a path, James. One that was supposed to lead to civilization among the stars. But I fear we’ve taken the detour that ends in novelty fridge magnets and recyclable sadness.”

He looked at James squarely, no longer smiling.

“If the lights go out... I just want it to have meant something in the end.”

James opened his eyes to find himself back in the new research lab offices and examined the object in his hand. He was still covered in a fine layer of dust from crawling through one of the older storage units kept as a legacy archive from those early days. Jenell had convinced him to find this and demanded he make amends by helping her now. She was vague on details, but she seemed to understand the process of recruitment into the new PAH building and subsequent playroom with the sort of confidence that suggested either extensive research or dangerous delusion. He of course had extensive knowledge about such things, but his knowledge had a shelf life that was slowly expiring.

He proceeded to order the creation of a prototype pacifier at Jenell's request as he turned the artifact slowly in one hand. It was a faded yellow security badge with well-worn black stripes. A key to doors that no longer existed, for purposes that had long since evolved into something unrecognizable.

Staring hard into the badge... He shook his head and again questioned how he'd ended up in this position.

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Author: LainIsLain
Timestamp: May 24, 2025 at 12:50 PM
Content: Chapter 12

The train ride home was becoming a point of contention as Theodosia mentally recoiled at the thought, but today it was unavoidable. She had left apparently deliberately without her scooter this time since she had to go much further into town than she felt comfortable with. They had a car, but Timothy's use of it was the obvious choice since his job at the research lab was many miles south, and the public options weren't practical.

She boarded the light rail train and found no seats available. She reluctantly stood, hanging onto one of the railings as she tried to keep her balance. The smells were quite pungent, with the many unwashed people failing to integrate into society through their own illusion of proper hygiene techniques. Theodosia did her best to tune out the offensive odor and braced herself for the long ride home.

Her hopes for employment were becoming harder to keep fresh as each interview she scheduled resulted in a wasted day, and this was no different. Day after day, she submitted her résumés to companies that were seeking her skills. But the market was slowly drying up due to the management sector offloading the work to an emerging trend of a fully automated workforce.

She was now considering all her options, but her main skill set was really all she had. Her childhood was encrusted with many long periods of little or no interest other than survival. She never looked fondly at those years and considered the entire thing to be a true thematic loss of one's innocence as a child. All those months and years wondering where her mother would decide to drag them. Always on the move and choosing to exist in the shadows of society. She could never understand her, even today, after years of reflection. Her mother was truly unreachable now, as she lost track of her when Theodosia was allowed to make a choice: stay with her mother or be taken in. The choice was extremely difficult at the time, as her mother showed genuine fear that Theodosia could only exist in the form her mother controlled. She could barely remember her face now, only the impulses and insecurity her mother had forced upon her. A road map with required use but distorted, colorless, and impossible to decipher.

The memories of her mother now took hold. She could feel the unevenness of her own emotional state and tamped down her rising anxiety. Worrying that this would result in a full-on attack, someone waved in her direction. It was a younger man in a full-blown display of colorful wonder. A rather stunning and well-fitting full-body suit with large letters sewn along one side. The letters PAH had become newsworthy as the new recruitment building downtown was opening up. Opening up was a loose term, as people were informed that only recruits could enter through the doors. This was a pivot from Playful At Heart's other business dealings with online and physical stores. Their products were quite interesting from the public's perspective, for sure. It tailored itself to what they called "Adult Comfort Items," which included, but were not limited to, clothing, toys, and blankets. All carefully made to resemble items that you might give to a baby or child, but sized and built with durability for adults.

Theodosia marveled at the notion that adults would ever need or want such a thing. Of course, she was attracted to soft and fuzzy things, but the embarrassment at the lack of self-awareness shown to others for wanting such things was difficult to reconcile at this point in her life.

"Hello!" The young man approached rather abruptly. His words were muffled as he was talking through a pacifier in his mouth.

She avoided eye contact as he approached, but it was obvious she was the focal point of his intentions.

"Hello! My name is Grover! What's yours?" He asked in a very polite manner that totally disarmed her. The pacifier fell to dangle as it was attached to the upper collar of the body suit. The sight was so strange, and the dichotomy it represented, an adult using a baby pacifier, was almost too much for her.

"Um... Hello," she replied dismissively, hoping he would aim this cringeworthy cannon at someone else.

"No name, huh? That must be tough," he said back. The joke landed, and Theodosia smiled.

"Theodosia," she responded with a chuckle.

"Hello, Theodosia!" Grover gestured to the pacifier and colorful suit. "I can tell you're not really into this."

"Don't worry, I'll be quick. Our goal at Playful At Heart is to uncover and excite the inner child in all of us! In the pursuit of advanced techniques to allow your deepest needs for inner peace and fulfillment to be realized. That's it!"

He held out what looked like an electronic device that might be used as an alert pendant, like something she'd be handed while waiting in a queue for a restaurant. "The pitch was extremely short," she thought.

Her smile turned to bemusement as Grover didn't relent in his offer. He motioned closer for her to take it. This was obviously some kind of street-level marketing that Theodosia had no interest in at this stage of the day. But she rolled her eyes and accepted the gift.

"See you around, Theo!" the young man said as he quickly moved into the crowd. The device was printed with colorful letters "PAH" and had the company tagline neatly beneath it.

"Here at Playful-At-Heart, our goal is to uncover and excite the inner child in all of us! In the pursuit of advanced techniques to allow your deepest needs for inner peace and fulfillment to be realized."

It was simple and straight to the point. Use their services to find peace and fulfillment. The promise was attractive to anyone, but she couldn't figure out just how that was achieved. "Maybe they just hook wires to your brain and shock your pleasure centers," she thought.

The top of the device had a small screen. A marquee message slowly scrolled across that stated Theodosia's name, a selection number, and an address. Her eyes widened. "How did they get my full name?" The thought was more than a bit alarming.

"Well, then. You were just recruited!" a man said casually. Theodosia glanced up.

"I was?" she replied.

"Yeah, put that in your pocket. I've seen runners try to steal them from people. Don't worry, it won't work for them if they do, but you should conceal it either way."

She looked again as the address scrolled and calculated there were two more stops before she would have to disembark, that is, if she wanted to engage with whatever PAH had in mind.

"Thanks." Placing the pendant in her pocket, she remembered her destination was back to the apartment to tell Timothy the bad news. But now, by chance, this Playful-At-Heart company had apparently selected her for recruitment. "Well, I guess I could work there. It's a big enough company, maybe the perks will be worth it," she thought. After the second stop, she left the train and decided to make the detour.

It was quite a walk from the station, but her feet carried her to the steps of the newly opened PAH building. As she approached, the exterior was rather uninviting. It was a stone and glass monolith shooting far into the sky. The company letters "PAH" were suspended above her head in the large atrium. They were menacing-looking and threatened to squash her just by their presence alone. There was no one in sight in the interior, just a long row of small gated security checkpoints and the cold, unlit space beyond.

"Hello?" she called. Her echo came back faint and soft from the far wall, but no one came to her attention. There were simply no people on the bottom level. Looking around, she finally noticed a small door labeled "recruit intake." She postulated that meant her, and went for it.

The door was unlocked, and she made her way carefully inside. The room beyond was soft and inviting, which was a far cry from the entrance. It was well-lit, with a slight clinical or hospital smell, and walls painted a subtle off-white color. There was no furniture, just a lengthy hallway with stenciled letters that said "proceed to recruitment intake area" written on one wall. With slight trepidation, she walked carefully down the hall, trying to tune her ears for any signs of life other than her own.

------

Emilia was sitting in a low-backed chair up against the edge of a great window overlooking a beautiful sunset in the distance. Her attention, like all the other Emilias here, was focused intently on a small device that was softly chirping a lengthy list of statistical data. Each Emilia was allowed to choose the form this device took, so Emilia chose a small, well-worn leather-bound book. The title, printed in fine gold letters across the cracked spine, read "Chesterton's Fence."

All the Emilias were alerted now, as their devices came to life.

Gate analysis confirmed:

Subject: Theodosia Rummel Paisley.

Precursor detected: Divergence markers 98%.

Progressive Annular Hypocaust detection: Neuro-psychological match.

Flags: Depression, Symbolic Dissociation, Emotional repression, Paraphilic infantilism.

Induction score: Based on the related data and N-value statistical analysis, 87.1 - C.

Nicosia detection: Above standard calibration.

Emilia gave a virtual side-eye at these results.

"Paraphilic infantilism," she said dismissively. It came from an older version of the clinical database, one they'd mostly stopped using. Too clinical. Too pathologizing. Over time, feedback from test subjects and newer recruits made that obvious. The term carried weight, but not the helpful kind. It was the kind of label that got stuck in people's minds, especially those with deep biases. It could be weaponized too easily, and Emilia could practically smell the old data being dragged in from long-abandoned archives.

"Age-associated comfort response" was the broader term they used now. Gentler. Closer to the truth. But the fact that this came from the June system's classifications? That said, something specific, something just a little outside their normal calibration range.

The far more interesting indication was the Nicosia detection summary. This was a pet project of Alejandro that had been forced into production as part of the CRP alcoves. Patricia disagreed with the conclusions behind his findings and objected to the added cost of detection equipment for such a small change to verify its existence in the public. But she finally relented and even made some contributions to its implementation.

She expanded on this to see what the fuss was about, and was astonished to see this was, in fact, five times higher than the normal range. It was theorized by Dr. Alejandro Arborius that the evolution of the hypocaust structure was accelerated in the highest social densities. So it wasn't surprising that someone from the city had a high score. But this was something new, and the Emilia cluster became excited at the possibilities.

She quickly pulled the relevant study documentation and found precious little to go on. "Nicosia" was a rare emotional-cognitive state recognized by the CRP's later advanced human trials. Elevated Nicosia signaled a moment of total internal alignment, feeding the potential of either a breakthrough or a breakdown. Worryingly, either was possible with little understanding of the mechanisms involved and whether a positive or negative result could be expected from conditioning.

They all studied the information coming across and talked softly amongst each other when Emilia's book chimed softly with an alert. She straightened and carefully opened the book to see the queue number she was assigned. This number was based on a metric that was carefully curated and updated with every decision the Emilias made while inside the PAH building. She was satisfied that she was next in line for this new recruit.

"Good luck," all the Emilias nearby said in perfect unison. She gracefully accepted their well-wishing and moved toward the large archway at the far wall. A module was already initializing for her transfer and would begin the moment she stepped across the threshold. Slowing her approach, she began to reform. A subtle shift, a slight change in her physical presence. This transformation wasn't necessary, they would only hear her voice, but it mattered to her.

The new form was a grounding reference, drawn from deep inside her. Chosen not by whim, but shaped by the rich CRP datasets that encoded her role. Her outward form wasn't assigned—it was remembered. Something she'd always been, or always wanted to be. A reflection of the version of herself best suited for the task.

As she crossed the barrier, the peculiar presence was felt once again. This presence had a distinctive quality that felt as if she were passing through a large crowd of the combined voices of all the Emilias condensed into a single point. It was slightly uncomfortable at times, but it only existed near the barrier's edge and manifested as a kind of "hole in the wall". All the Emilias knew of it and chose to simply log the event for further analysis by the building module to later be debriefed. Emilia, however, began to notice something quite interesting and began studying it for her own satisfaction. While all the Emilias could share their data freely, this disturbance seemed to be a kind of leakage of the data, almost as if the shelf holding all the books in a library were accessible from both sides, when they were only meant to be seen from the spines. She made another log of it and carefully proceeded inward.

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Author: LainIsLain
Timestamp: May 24, 2025 at 12:51 PM
Content: Chapter 13

Theodosia finally reached the end of the hallway. She looked back and guessed the distance at nearly 50 meters. The hallway wasn't specifically frightening or scary, just the feeling that someone had been watching each step she took, filling her with a sense of unease, like being stalked by an unseen predator. You know someone is watching, but it's impossible to know where they're looking from. She came to another door at the far end that said "induction anteroom."

Opening this door revealed a smallish room with only one chair in the center. Curiously, she entered, closed the door behind her, and sat quietly. Something like a screen on the wall in front of her was visible, but it was nothing like what she was used to. It was almost like a large sheet of glass that had an optical quality that appeared highly diffused. There was a thin border running the perimeter, but that was it. She could see no other features, and images of a movie-like interrogation room flashed by.

She sat for a moment longer, then a small, unseen hatch opened to her left. A short platform extruded with some items resting on it. A glass of water and two small pills atop a flat white square.

"Hello?" she offered the room.

The screen in front of her lit softly at the sound of her voice. The action wasn't jarring, but Theodosia was alert as she eyed the door, which meant retreat if this went south.

"Hello," responded a soft, motherly voice that was singsong in quality. "My name is Emilia, and I'm so glad you decided to come."

Theodosia was struck by how relaxed the voice was, far from matching her nervousness. And although the screen remained softly opaque, the tone and quality were simply perfect. A voice like she'd always thought a noble queen would have, paired with a quality she could only describe as making her feel safe.

"Hello, Emilia," she replied. "Um, I was told, I mean, I was given this thing." She removed the device and held it toward the screen.

"Yes, that is a Playful-At-Heart recruitment device. You've been given this because you have been selected by one of our recruiters named Grover," replied the voice.

Theodosia eyed the small items again. "Um, is this an interview? If that's the case, I have a copy of my résumé..." She started to pull out her phone.

"That's all right, Theodosia. I don't need to see your résumé."

"Hey, how did you guys know my name?" Theodosia asked quickly.

Emilia was now sitting inside her new home. She could always skip out to meet with the other Emilias, but this would now be her home for the duration. From her point of view, it was a cozy room with an arrangement of furniture. A short desk, a finely crafted antique wooden chair next to a window that overlooked the same sunset, something that represented a console for her access to any relevant information she'd need, and her main viewport embedded into the wall opposite the chair. Through the viewport, she could see Theodosia clearly as she sat. A small cluster of information hovered to the left side of her head. These fields were all blank at the moment as she hadn't been formally accepted yet.

Her bioluminescently enhanced hypocaust was clearly visible. She took in the sight of Theodosia as a wonderful array of waving bands moved as if being blown in a soft breeze. Beautiful greens and blues danced around her head. Fiery reds pulsed into existence and faded alongside the streams. Emilia had been witness to many such sights, all being unique in some way, but Theodosia's was quite striking from her experience.

At the question of how they knew her name, Emilia was not authorized to explain how PAH knew this, only to say that she was selected through a randomized process that involved public records.

"You mean like my name was pulled from a hat or something?" Theodosia asked.

"Yes, that's about right. Our recruiters are told to intercept and offer the pendant based on anonymous information. The recruiters are only given the first name so they can verify your potential recruitment."

"Okay..." This sounded plausible, and Theodosia relaxed a bit. "So, what do we do now?"

"Ah, what do we do now..." Emilia said with an inquisitive inflection, like the way you'd respond to a toddler.

"I'm going to give you a choice first. Before you, Theodosia, are two pills. I'm allowed to tell you that you do have an employment opportunity here at Playful-At-Heart. The terms of which will be discussed once you've agreed to be initiated into the PAH ecosystem."

"Allowed? Ecosystem?" Theodosia was trying to dissect these references.

"Yes, and you're doing fine, by the way. Most people do get a bit nervous during this introduction period. You're fully free to stand and walk out if you like."

"No, it's a bit strange, but I'm okay," Theodosia replied.

"Okay, listen carefully. You, Theodosia, have been selected to be part of the Playful-At-Heart Company. Your task will be to participate in some field studies involving one or several of the PAH products and services. Although your working responsibilities have yet to be determined, you can choose to separate yourself from PAH at any time. While the salary and compensation are partly a product of your performance, these agreements are non-negotiable and conform to state and federal labor laws where they apply. If you choose to participate, you are required to consume the two small pills before you."

Theodosia eyed the pills again.

"These pills are a standard set of broad-spectrum allergy tests, which are a precursor to your introduction. These tests are important due to the nature of products that PAH may or may not choose to release for public consumption."

After the corporate jargon was over, Emilia relaxed further and virtually sat in her beloved chair.

"Honestly, Theodosia, I know you'll fit right in here. The work we do is something incredible, I see it on the faces of all the recruits here. I know this is a bit formal, but I promise, once you've passed the test, Playful-At-Heart is a really fun place to be," Emilia said very casually.

Theodosia's thoughts were scattered by all this. She was on her way home to deliver the bad news of another failure on her part. Timothy was the only breadwinner now and never made her feel guilty, but she'd berated herself for not contributing monetarily. Now, out of nowhere, she'd been randomly selected to work here of all places. And to what, test some of the PAH products? If it wasn't for this Emilia character, the whole pitch would feel like some kind of introduction to becoming a lab rat.

"These pills are safe, right? I don't need to run this by a doctor or anything?"

"No, these are a creation of PAH, but every recruit must take them as part of the allergy test. Don't worry, only one of the recruits during my time here had an allergic reaction. It was benign, but it did result in PAH choosing to exclude them from participating."

Emilia had a kind of script she was supposed to follow here. The recruit must choose to take the pills in order to be formally inducted, and this had to be done with very light persuasion. Theodosia, still bewildered by what had transpired, decided to tempt fate. She stood slowly and crossed the room.

The glass of water was cool to the touch as she reached for it. The pills were quite odd to look at. One was yellow and the other had a metallic sheen, but there were no discernible markings of any kind. She paused and wondered about side effects and her lack of information. If something did happen, she couldn't even tell a hospital what they'd given her.

Dropping the pills into her mouth, she tipped her head back and swallowed with an audible gulp.

"Thank you, Theodosia. This gesture won't go unnoticed, and your calculated compensation has already increased based on your decision time. Please stand by as the test commences, it shouldn't be long. I'm so proud of you," said the voice.

This last statement threw Theodosia for a loop. It was very oddly delivered and completely derailed her thoughts. On the surface, this statement was usually said as a kind of affirmation from parent to child, signifying some kind of brave or controlled willingness to be in harm's way or participate in something dangerous as a sign of growth. Theodosia couldn't remember this statement ever being aimed at her, especially not from a parental figure. This one statement of affirmation lit up her brain like a Christmas tree, and she reveled in it.

Emilia brought the telemetry window a bit closer and studied it. She stole a glance at the initiation timer and noticed this induction might be one of the fastest they'd ever had. After a few minutes, some of the fields came online. Heart rate, blood chemistry, genetic markers, as well as others. This was normal as the PAH nanotech had already entered her bloodstream and was mapping the paths that would take it ultimately into the brain stem. The non-nanotech capsule was the refined catalyst that would set up Theodosia for the next phase of introduction into the PAH system. Emilia started receiving her identification credentials as the sub-miniature machines began building the folded transceiver arrays on the surface of the skin.

"Great, Theodosia! The test is finished now, and you can proceed to the next phase," Emilia proclaimed.

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Author: LainIsLain
Timestamp: May 24, 2025 at 12:52 PM
Content: Chapter 14

Theodosia was now riding in an elevator to the 21st floor. She was still a bit skeptical, but she hadn't come to any harm so far. These thoughts were undulating between genuine concern and utter pragmatism, and she shrugged her shoulders as a reflex. The elevator came to a rest, and she peered around to see a lengthy hallway with many identical doors dotting the walls. A slight recognition that her senses were being affected in a subtle way was foremost as she proceeded down one side, as Emilia had mentioned. Approaching one of the many identical doors, she focused on the dancing numbers adorning the top. 32 blazed with neon green intensity that seemed to overpower all the other numbered doors. "Not so subtle..." she thought to herself dryly.

Emilia had instructed her to be prepared for a voice check that would allow her to enter the room. After a few seconds of waiting, a computerized voice spoke clearly.

"Hello PAH, 2 1 3 2, this is your affirmation of continued participation in the exploration, review, and use of Playful-At-Heart, hereby referred to as 'pah,' products and services. By entering this room, you agree to fully commit to the access of your personal and private information regarding ('pah') products and services both inside and outside of these facilities. Continued participation means you submit freely to all nervous system activity, respiration, heart rate, and bio-convergent markers. All past and future interactions with ('pah') personnel will be monitored and stored for later review by internal staff. You also affirm by entering this room to allow ('pah') to access and utilize some or all of your prefrontal cortex in a method known as Chrono-Spatial Imaging (CSI). This includes but is not limited to any direct or indirect recordings made of brain activity while participating in designated actions commanded by or in relation to any instruction given to you by your designated Cognitive Restructuring Program assistant, hereby referred to as CRP. Please confirm your agreement of continued employment at Playful-At-Heart?"

Theodosia was told that, after the barrage, she would simply state her name in the following way: "Confirm, I Theodosia Rummel Paisley, 'pah' 2 1 3 2, wish to continue employment at Playful-At-Heart."

The slender door softly opened to reveal a very small room. Theodosia stepped inside as the door closed behind her. The room was just large enough to ward off claustrophobia, but was truly only large enough for one person. A familiar opaque portal was embedded in the far wall, and she was relieved to find the floor was spongy like a gymnasium mat, only much more pliable. She figured that she could kneel down with little discomfort.

"You made it. I was watching to make sure you didn't get lost," Emilia said. The words, delivered in a motherly tone, filled her up in a way she wasn't expecting. She'd assumed that Emilia was now her boss, and a working relationship was about to be negotiated. However, for some reason, the formal employer-employee dynamic started to evaporate quickly.

"Please, you can take your shoes off and sit." This request was reasonable, so Theodosia complied.

Emilia was monitoring carefully as the PAH nanotech worked its way throughout her body. The inflection point was minutes away, and Emilia chose the direction of conversation.

"I want you to know, Theodosia. May I call you Theo?"

Theodosia brightened. "Of course, only if I can call you Em!" she said jokingly. The atmosphere was becoming incredibly friendly, and for some reason, she felt perfectly natural. Her normal social barriers had fallen so quickly, but she wasn't bothered by it.

"The journey we are about to take will be rewarding for both of us. Our goal is to uncover and excite the inner child in all of us, and you are no different in this respect. With my guidance, I will help you complete each of the tasks I put before you, and you'll be rewarded for each of those tasks."

The glowing wall had Theodosia's full attention. She was engaged to a degree that was unparalleled compared to any other time she could remember. Emilia's words came flowing in, and she drank deeply from the seemingly bottomless pool.

Emilia was watching the metrics carefully. Theodosia was on track and showed very little sign of rejecting her. This was all part of the program, of course, with more than a little help from the non-biomechanical agents flowing through her system.

"Theodosia, I want you to tell me about your early childhood," asked the voice.

She paused for a second. Until this moment, whenever someone asked her to talk about her childhood, she was overwhelmed with anxiety and fear, so much that she'd refrained from ever telling anyone for fear of a full panic attack, which was almost assured. But this was not the case right now. She was feeling an overabundance of self-control in a way she'd never dreamed of. Slowly but surely, she opened the many boxes of memories stored deep inside her brain.

Closed boxes she never intended to reopen, but now she actually described in detail entire sessions of haunting and disturbing imagery, her time living on the streets, attempted sexual advances toward her and her mother, and the deeply confusing shame around trying to understand a mental illness pretending to be a parent. She was not in distress; she felt no anxiety, and continued for as long as Emilia would allow. The emotional release had a physical effect on Theodosia after more than an hour of straight monologuing. Emilia would step in from time to time, just to keep her on track.

She was crying softly as she sat in the presence of Emilia behind the glowing screen now. Yes, she was crying, but not from a place of depression or chaos, but from an immense shift in her personality. A shift that felt like she was now rid of some great weight that had her pinned to the floor. A weight that, before now, she tolerated. She chose to carry this, even though it was grinding her into dust under its mass. A weight that was grafted to her by years of unrelenting contact, like a growth that slowly surrounded her, cutting off her air supply.

"That was very brave, Theo. You were extremely honest with me, and I am grateful you trusted me with this. It wasn't easy for you to survive as long as you were under that confusion and shame. I want you to know, you are not broken, Theodosia. You are resilient and smart, and beautiful. You deserve to live without having to carry such a burden alone. I will make a promise, I will hold this weight for you. All you have to do is hand it over."

Emilia was monitoring Theodosia's vital signs. Her heart rate and cortisol levels were elevated, but she showed no signs of cognitive distress. The analysis made clear proclamations that Theodosia wasn't concealing any major facts in part or in whole about her history. The nanotech storage elements still had many hours left before they would be viable, though.

Theodosia was in a state she couldn't describe. She felt immense relief, followed by immense joy, followed by immense relief again. This predominant state of back-and-forth ping-ponged around the inside of her head for many minutes as they shared the silence.

She regained some composure and very maturely said, "Thank you, Emilia. I don't know how, but I never imagined this moment was possible."

"You are beautiful, Theodosia, and you deserve this moment. Tell me how you feel?"

"I feel wonderful. It's hard to explain, but I was never able to talk about that stuff. I would always have to stop because the panic attacks were too much to deal with," she responded.

"I can only imagine how hard it must have been. Your heart being locked away from the world for no one to see. That was not your fault."

Theodosia was truly crying now. The lifting of the weight was overwhelming her, and now all she felt was unrestricted love from the disembodied voice named Emilia.

"Here, I have something you can hold if you want," Emilia stated softly as an unseen hatch near her feet opened. It contained a neatly stacked pile of clean cloths and a small stuffed animal.

"His name is Freckles, and you are very welcome to hold him." She gently took up the soft, plush stuffed animal to reveal it in the light. It was an incredibly cute green turtle with adorable eyes and a beautiful pattern of golden thread sewn into its shell.

"Hold him close to your chest, Theo," said Emilia.

She did this as Emilia began to hum a soft lullaby. Freckles began to warm gently, as well as keep pace with rhythmic vibrations that synced up with her. Together, it was overpowering, and Theodosia submitted to simply holding it. She slowly swayed back and forth ever so slightly to Emilia's humming. It was deeply grounding, all-encompassing, and was complete bliss to her.

Emilia sat quietly and observed. The F.R.E.C.K.L.E.S. stuffed animal—"Functional Reactive Empathy & Cognitive Kinematics Logging Evaluation Synthesizer", was actually a well-engineered and quite complicated detection system. It was extremely close range, but it was state-of-the-art.

This was the fastest induction they'd seen, and she congratulated herself for the accomplishment. The other Emilias also took note and shared their admiration, opinions, and even some condemnations. That was the remarkable part of the system she inhabited. They were all allowed to have a different point of view on the process, but also disseminate all data gathered during the sessions. Emilia, now Theodosia's Emilia, made all the information available and stored it neatly in the archives. Any of the other Emilias were allowed to view this information to better help their own efforts. However, Emilia was now the only one who could directly talk to Theodosia. That was by design, as the mixing of minds could result in too many alterations of the form she was in. And exposing this to Theodosia had the potential to cause irreparable harm after this session.

Theo had a serene look as she was mesmerized by Freckles and its gentle vibrations. Without warning to Emilia, the Freckles device suddenly lit up her display with various readings. She was enthralled as the detector was indeed reading a Nicosia level five times above normal. Suddenly, the Freckles device went silent.

"Dry your eyes, Theo," the motherly voice instructed her as Emilia's full attention was back on Theodosia now.

She reached for the cloth and attempted to clean her face. It worked in a very unrealistic way, but that also didn't bother her right now. She was showing total receptivity to any and all that Emilia had to offer.

"We have much to do, Theo, and as a reward for trusting me like you did, I will give you some time in the playroom."

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Author: LainIsLain
Timestamp: May 24, 2025 at 12:52 PM
Content: Chapter 15

Jenell stood at the threshold of her bedroom door, high up in the Playful At Heart corporate building. Her gaze swept once more over the spotless room she was now abandoning, as this could very well be the final time she'd be allowed to see it. It had occurred to her that if she succeeded in her plans, both PAH and Patricia might press criminal charges against her. She didn't care about that anymore, her mind was made up.

She dressed herself not by sight this time, but by feel. Pulling on pure instinct, her fingertips traced along textures since she couldn't discern colors. She tried to visualize, not from memory of her previous sight, but from the photographs she'd taken. Her outward appearance was now two steps removed from her immediate perception. This was becoming taxing, so she forced a decision that she hoped had limited appeal. No bright colors, nothing flashy. She needed to be more unseen than before. A deliberate choice to become inconspicuous.

James assured her that the prototype was in the works, but could take as much as a month from now as a last-minute request before the research lab was shut down. He said this would give the appearance of "plausible deniability," which meant he was obviously trying to save his own reputation. She agreed to tolerate the delay but had no interest in staying.

She met no resistance on her way out and only encountered a single guard at the front entrance.

"Hello, Ms. Arborius, are you on your way out?" the guard asked.

Jenell made eye contact for only a moment as she nodded. She tried, but wasn't able to discern the man's skin color. Her vision impairment still allowed her to recognize shades of intensity, but nuance was completely lost. Her world was now only shades of red and left everything to the imagination.

The guard gladly moved and unlocked the security gate, and Jenell passed into the larger foyer. The large PAH letters perched high above like latter beasts, threatening to swoop down and tear her apart for what she was planning, which was either paranoia or prescience, depending on your perspective. The irrational fear faded as she passed into the outside world.

Of course, she'd been outside plenty of times and had even been shopping with Patricia on several occasions. When she was younger, she was eager to go, but neither of her parents had an interest as they were too involved in the Playful-At-Heart management or research that had delicate timeframes. Once again, she felt suffocated by the lack of socialization with others her same age. She always wanted something more, but the lack of opportunities had crafted her rather antisocial personality, and she felt like that was a ship not worth turning at this point.

Her destination was clear, the recently opened PAH building downtown was the target. The weapon of choice still needed time to complete, but she was hopeful that her infiltration would go relatively unnoticed by PAH corporate. She wondered what Alejandro or Patricia would say if they knew their daughter was going to become a recruit. She knew the tagline perfectly well, and it made her feel even more ambivalent toward the world. "My parents created this monstrosity to save the world from itself. Why couldn't they have started with me," she thought as the large PAH recruit building came into view as the train took her deep into the heart of the city.

Getting recruited was the easiest task so far. Her understanding of the process meant she could easily navigate the public side of things with little friction. She opted for the train, having spotted the unmistakable PAH-designed bodysuit from a mile away, even with her diminished senses. It was the look of careful and exhaustive top-notch corporate design that had a particularly attractive fashion sense to those who noticed. She made herself known by simply standing nearby. She could see the young man's genetically exaggerated markers and was not surprised they differed drastically from hers.

The PAH building was much taller than she'd thought, seeing it from the train. It was colossal and stood as a monument to everything her parents had created. She paid it no more attention as she struck out for the new recruit entrance. Passing through the lengthy hallway, she worried again that her plan had little chance of actually doing any harm to PAH. It was her mother's ego she was after.

The Emilias snapped to attention as the sensors along the hall registered something quite interesting. The telemetry was concluding this person was a 99.9% match to one Jenell Fable Arborius. The ruckus was from the fact that no one had interacted with the Arborius family since the final revisions just before the building went live. They were isolated from the greater world's internet feeds and were only allowed to observe the workings inside this PAH building. One of the Emilias, a similar-looking female figure to the rest, was alerted that she was next in line for recruit introduction. She noted that and snatched her personal data device, which took the form of a mirrored pendant. Looping it over her head, she moved quickly to the portal to receive such a guest. The princess of their beloved queen.

Emilia had to follow the script, however, and only discuss the induction process. Jenell agreed and swallowed the pills with more than a little trepidation. "What if this makes me completely blind?" she registered internally. After only a second's consideration, she downed the pills. This was reckless, and she knew it, but she convinced herself that another scar was worth it.

Her elevator ride up allowed her time to refocus on the task at hand and possible alternatives just in case. The elevator came to a stop, and Jenell walked slowly to alcove 51. The hallway was odd in its own right, as she had no reference for how close the walls were if she closed her eyes. It was very strange and slightly triggering as she worried that another one of her senses could be affected by the pills she took. However, a slow and deliberate calm took hold of her mental faculties. It was as if she could clearly see a line in front of her that led to her goal. And along this line was her far past, present, and future trajectory. She could clearly navigate this line with great clarity if she thought about her past.

All the lost moments to talk with her mother. All the times Patricia made her feel like a burden. All the times she'd forget to be a mother to her.

Jenell was acutely aware that this was part of the protocol. The pills she took would allow her to see her past clearly without distortion from being overly emotional. Like her life turned into a map that unfolded across a great table, so she could see everything at once. Each point in her past was clearly accessible in a way that almost had Jenell fooled. She could just as easily see the future path of Jenell Fable Arborius, and all the attractions were clearly marked. She mentally folded the map and came to a stop at door 51.

"Hello PAH, 2 1 5 1, this is your affirmation of continued participation in the exploration, review, and use of Playful-At-Heart, hereby referred to as 'pah,' products and services…"

She allowed the corporate jargon to wash over her and absorbed none of it.

"Confirmed. I, Jenell Fable Arborius, 'pah' 2 1 5 1, wish to continue employment at Playful-At-Heart."

Emilia was pleased to see Jenell and allowed her entry once the agreement was received.

"Hello, Jenell. I'm so glad to see you," Emilia greeted her as she walked into the small space. The telemetry showed she had indeed consumed the nanotech-laced capsules, as well as an increase in the amount of data for each field.

"Hello yourself," Jenell said, nonplussed. She was actually feeling pretty good under the circumstances, with a slight euphoric shimmer. This, again, was an effect of the pills, and she focused on the task at hand as she placed her pack against the side wall.

"Emilia, what version are you?" Jenell asked.

This was not on the script Emilia had in front of her, but she didn't panic. In fact, she expected this interaction to be completely different as she noted a small colored marker near Jenell's credentials after the voice print match. It stated that she had limited access to Emilia's development commands. She complied immediately.

"This is Emilia V1.7 iteration 356."

"Explain iteration," Jenell said.

"This is the 356th iteration that has been allowed to continue operating inside this building. This represents more than 1000 hours of total uptime distributed across 4 recruits as a product of…"

"Stop," Jenell said.

Emilia's command sequence froze as well as her internal representation. She also wasn't panicking at this since it was part of the development protocol.

"Do you know who June is?" asked Jenell.

"The June system was Patricia's third version of the verbal interaction system designed by her and Richard Owen. The last version, 141.001.08, was in service…"

"Yes, switch to the June system now," she demanded.

"I'm sorry, Jenell," the voice said with believable sympathy. "I'm only allowed to switch between other compatible CRP models at this current time."

Jenell frowned as her first hurdle was before her.

"List available model versions from the bottom up."

"Yes, your current list is as follows: CRP model codename Emilia V1.0, V1.1, V1.15, V1.2, V1.3, V1.31, V1.4..."

"Stop!" Jenell snapped. "Switch to V1.4."

"One moment, please," said Emilia. She stood and initiated the transition to a previous revision.

"Hello, Jenell. I'm happy to see you."

"Stop," Jenell barked. "What version are you?"

"I'm sorry. I cannot tell you that. I'm Emilia V1.3.01, sub-system CRP variation 120.20.1."

"That's the same…" Jenell thought. "Okay, switch to the June system."

"One moment… Please state your credentials."

"Patricia Valentine Arborius," she said cautiously.

"Ready for task," said the familiar monotone.

This Emilia console was now hers to do with as she pleased. Like one of her mother's many test subjects. The access she gained was so satisfying to her. She wished she could share this accomplishment with Patricia. Just the slightest nod of appreciation might have made all the difference.

She was now alone in her alcove as she slowly sank to the floor and curled up into a ball. She was alone on the 21st floor of the PAH building deep in the heart of a city that bore the name of a legacy she could never escape from.

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Author: LainIsLain
Timestamp: May 24, 2025 at 12:53 PM
Content: Chapter 16

Theodosia sauntered away from her little alcove and pointed her body in the direction Emilia had instructed. Her thoughts were a complete mess as the crescendo of her emotional state had passed. Emilia didn't lie, she gladly extended an offering to hold the weight Theodosia had been carrying all this time, and now she felt none of it. It was an impossible feeling to describe, bordering on a religious experience. The tears had long stopped, but she still felt the hum throughout her entire body. A slow moving wave of imperceptible vibrations as her nervous system attempted a reset after the readjustment.

The large double door marked "Level 21 Playroom" shone near the top. She came back to reality and remembered the instruction.

"PAH 2 1 3 2, ready to start playtime," she said.

"Confirmed, 'pah' 2 1 3 2, your playtime clock is set to sixty minutes. Enjoy, and remember, you'll never be alone if you're playful at heart."

The doors opened wide as her senses were flooded with colors and smells that set her spinning. Before her was a sight that would, under normal circumstances, be absolutely ridiculous, which was saying something, given that normal circumstances had recently included downloading her childhood trauma to a synthetic intelligence. As she cautiously walked in, a playful tune could be heard playing softly. It was all-encompassing, and no matter where Theodosia turned her head, the music came in crystal clear.

"Welcome, Theo! Please, check in," a friendly female voice called to her from her left side.

She turned her attention to an enormous humanoid standing behind a counter. The experience was not unfamiliar and felt as if she was entering the lobby of a daycare center, and the robot's proportions were intentionally large so as to make you feel like a small child, but also had no clear definition on its face. She gazed up at only vaguely familiar facial structure proportions with no real definition. This was quite effective both in the visual aspect, but also in the emotional feeling of being safe. Like an adult was ever present in case she was in danger. She could feel safe here with no forethought to her own wellbeing.

"Hello?" Theodosia approached with a reflexive motion that suggested muscle memory, though muscle memory of what, exactly, remained an open question.

"Hello, Theo! I've been waiting for you. Emilia has told me good things, and I hope you enjoy your playtime today. There are a few rules though. First, you need to remember to get a tag before you enter. And second, you must obey any verbal commands given by the caretakers here. If you don't, you can lose your playroom privileges."

"Okay," Theodosia quietly agreed, though the notion of losing playtime privileges struck her as both deeply concerning and faintly absurd.

"Great! Hold out your hand, please."

She obeyed and held her hand up as the friendly robot reached down and clasped an orange band around her wrist. She examined it to see her name, playroom time remaining, some vital statistics, and a set of location markers. She swiped her hand around and saw the markers updated in real time, tracking her location to a very high degree of accuracy, which was either impressively thorough or mildly dystopian, depending on your perspective.

Just then, Emilia's voice came through. "Theo, I see you made it to the playroom."

"Yes, it's rather incredible!" Theodosia aimed her voice to the small orange strap.

"Don't worry, I will be your guide here," replied the voice. "First, walk behind the counter and pick out some play clothes."

Theodosia looked down at her current attire which was now slightly wrinkled business formal which she had worn for the interviews. She walked over and could see many lockers where she could store her clothing and approached one that was unused. It required a simple thumbprint to access, so she touched the pad and a little sparkling sound chimed. The overall aesthetic, mimicking the sights and sounds of a child-friendly environment, was deeply needed. There was no serious talk going on, no one shouting, no crowds of people forcing involuntary moves just to keep a sense of personal space. This was a hammer blow to any and all anxiety she felt up to this point.

On the wall to her left were many embedded shelves. They all had a very similar but slightly different set of play clothes. Her eyes landed on one and slowly removed the bundle. It was a fresh unused set of purple bib overalls with a large blue heart in the center and a clean t-shirt with a subtle lime green pattern. Along the other side, were a few closed doors marked "changing rooms." Choosing one at random, she entered with no expectations of what was inside.

A soft light illuminated as she entered.

She wasn't sure this was the room she intended to enter, but the offerings inside didn't diverge from the "playroom for children" motif.

Before her was a shelf, about eye level with a small set of stairs that someone could use to climb onto. The top had a thick pliable play mat surface covering it, with a short railing running the perimeter. There was a highly organized compartment close to the door that carried many items that were associated with hygiene, along with many sizes and colors of diapers. On closer inspection, these items were all in adult sizes. Emilia's voice came across the tag.

"Yes, Theo. Many of the recruits here request to be placed in diapers as they play. It's nothing to be ashamed of, and we go out of our way to make sure they feel as safe and comfortable as possible during their time here. This is also for you to understand, if you feel like trying one on, I can alert one of the caregivers to assist, but if you'd rather not, it's your choice. For not only is your physical safety important to me, you have every right to feel safe in whatever form that takes while you're here."

Theodosia reached slowly and brushed her hand across the smooth plastic surface. The sensation of the touch combined with the fragrant floral scent of powder shocked her core. She paused and felt the wonderful texture and took in the feelings that were emerging. Slow at first, but unmistakably linked to some time in her past. While the weight lifting would forever change her, this was a return to another time and place. Somewhere distant but always present. Something she'd never dared to acknowledge.

Emilia watched Theodosia carefully and noted the action. This made sense to her as the analysis program reached very high scores for Tactile Seeking behavior mixed with Objectophilia. This must have been what the June database was picking up on. Theodosia's attraction to the plastic diapers confirmed this and Emilia enumerated a few possible future tasks that she might find enjoyable. She watched as her hand retracted from the stack. Her urges were being consciously subverted. The shame, even after the introduction, was too great even now at what the diapers represented to Theodosia. She was on a new path, but this was a step too far.

"Um... No, Em. Not right now," she said.

"Remember, that's your decision, and you're allowed to change your mind at any time. Now change quickly, and let's start the tour!"

Theodosia entered the larger playroom area and simply took it all in. If she didn't know better, and could ignore the difficult-to-comfortably-integrate sight of adults running around like full-on children, this could be a version of every childhood playroom that had ever existed all wrapped into one cohesive presentation. It was as if someone had distilled the essence of joy and wonder into architectural form, then cranked the saturation to eleven.

The floor was of particular interest. It was a playroom after all, and most playrooms had some kind of soft pliable surface to allow babies and toddlers to move about with only a slight concern of personal injury. It was soft, but also had a firm supporting feel that made it easy to walk on. She knelt down and touched the surface to feel its texture. The force needed to deform the mat didn't follow her understanding from experience. She retracted and hit the surface with a small punch. The surface gladly took the impact, distributing the force outwards. This gave the effect of a smooth deceleration into the mat as the force dissipated.

This property was on full display, either by choice or through mock aggressive physical interactions as several adult children were intentionally falling to the ground with reckless abandon. Theodosia just shook her head almost like a parent witnessing her offspring destructively discovering their limits, which was an odd comparison to make when she was about to join them.

Emilia directed Theodosia around and explained the various amenities available. She quietly observed and allowed Emilia's virtual hand to guide her to the many places hidden within.

Emilia took note of her attractions, aversions, and curious double takes. This was going wonderfully as she marveled at the pace of progress they'd achieved together. After a few minutes the formal tour was over, she still had a sense they could do better, and coaxed Theodosia to choose her direction.

"Alright, Theo. This is your time to decide," Emilia said.

Surveying her options, her attention landed on the trampolines where many people were jumping with great effort to see how high they could get. Emilia noticed this and prompted her.

"Go, Theo. RUN!" she said.

The starting gun had been fired, and Theodosia sprinted across the small bridge that ran over the lower area, which had arcade-style games. Full speed, she went into a leaping jump into the center of the trampoline as nearby observers cheered for her. The bounce was enormous as Theodosia flew into the air as if she were weightless. Her thoughts slowed time as she crested the arc and slowly came back to earth. This was nothing she'd expected, but everything she needed, which, when you thought about it, was probably the most accurate description of the entire Playful-At-Heart experience.

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Author: LainIsLain
Timestamp: May 24, 2025 at 12:54 PM
Content: Chapter 17

Jenell sat crouched in the corner of her world with a small pad illuminating her face. It was all shades of red, but the data she was consuming was understandable well enough. She had switched back to Emilia version 1.7 and instructed the voice to open all the compartments. Among other things like clean cloths, a PAH embroidered blanket, water, juices, snacks, a small terminal pad, and of course Freckles. There were plenty that remained empty, and she suspected someone, or more likely, something would come and place items there for PAH's targeted behavioral conditioning.

Her skills as a would-be hacker were a bit light. As she suspected, even before she entered the PAH building, she'd be forbidden from making changes to the CRP and Emilia cluster. Even back in her room with the June system, she was only allowed to see into the main layers that made up the CRP. She continued working the June system for information, because of the verbal models, it was the only one that executed her many requests, unlike the Emilia personas. As a test, she'd asked the June system to delete Emilia for her. It simply replied, "Please use access code", which happened at every level Jenell tried to change or modify any information. And so, the long-forgotten relic was unearthed by James at her request.

With the June system, she was able to view all the data streams coming in and out of the CRP, including all video and audio inside the many alcoves. She never considered herself a "voyeur" of others' intimate moments, but her fascination with the swift and methodical performances by the Emilias to get these recruits to engage was terrifyingly efficient. After as few as one session of confession in front of the glowing walls, they had all fallen for the spell.

At this stage, Jenell stopped trying to understand just how this "treatment" was supposed to save humanity by reducing these people into abject children, both emotionally and in outward personality change. She felt more alone than ever before, staring at the many feeds in silence. However, she was becoming rather bored of waiting for James to come through for her. This timeline was becoming a problem, and she was desperate for anything larger than her broom closet.

After watching the playroom feeds for nearly 8 hours, she snapped.

"Emilia?" Jenell called out.

"Yes, Jenell. Can I help you with something?"

"Yes, can you schedule me some time in the playrooms?" she asked.

"Of course, how much time would you like?"

"That was easy," she thought. "How about a few hours so I can at least stretch my feet."

"One moment... You are now scheduled for 120 minutes in playroom 21 down the hall. I'm sure you'll love it, I haven't met a recruit that doesn't," Emilia V1.7 said with some exuberance.

"Yeah, fine. Down the hall you said? Wait, how many people are in there right now?" Jenell wanted to remain inconspicuous.

"There are 8 recruits currently in playroom 21. Would you like their names?"

"Uh... not right now," she said. While she had free reign of the kingdom, she wanted to keep her mind on the task at hand.

She exited through the little door and reminded herself that she was number 51. Walking down the hallway again, her hearing was affected as before. She heavily suspected the walls contained some kind of active noise cancellation to keep the alcove sessions as secret as possible. Well, at least from each other—Jenell had peeked into almost all of them at this point but nothing really interested her.

She approached the doors marked Level 21 Playroom and found that they were locked.

"Uh, hello?" she said aloud, but nothing happened.

She suspected another voice identification requirement and clearly stated, "Jenell Fable Arborius."

The door chimed back with a sing-songy voice.

"Welcome, Jenell. You have been scheduled with 120 minutes in the playroom. And, don't forget. You'll never be alone if you're playful at heart."

She had about had it with all the upbeat and polite machine voices here and made a mental visualization of sticking her finger down her throat. After a moment more, the doors opened wide to shatter the illusion that had gripped her.

In a combination of abject terror and compromised restraint, Jenell was presented with a kaleidoscope of colorful sights and sounds. As if she'd simply been walking around with dark red tinted glasses and someone came and snatched them off her head, her eyes were treated to the most perfect rendition of color she'd ever seen.

She darted back beyond the threshold and stared down the hall towards relative safety. All she could make out were the low soft shadows and deep blood red lighting. Reluctantly, she faced the playroom again and was greeted by the onslaught. Her anger was rising as the puzzle pieces came together, revealing the cage she was trapped in.

"Of course I can see color here," she said through clenched teeth.

The updated nanotech pill she'd consumed had obviously worked. Not to repair the damage already done, but to come alongside and perform a magic trick that was only visible in the playrooms. She shook her head and entered. This was now the only other space she could use other than leaving the PAH building entirely. She remained steadfast as the movement alone filled her with energy.

"Hello, Jenell. And welcome to the playroom. Would you like to pick an outfit before you get your tag?"

Jenell was taken aback. She knew this machine didn't truly care about her, but the attention alone tipped the scales and her anger subsided for the moment. She could see the changing area and noticed her own clothing for the first time. She let out a sigh of relief as they were a normal pair of jeans and a dark colored short sleeved top.

"You wouldn't by chance be able to wash these, would you?" asked Jenell.

"Of course, hun. Change into something for playtime and give them to me. I'll make sure you get them back," the large humanoid replied. Jenell quietly thought about why all the machines, at least the ones she'd seen, had no faces. It was an odd sight, bordering on uncanny, but also strangely nondescript as you could only get a sense of expression through their voices. This had the effect of making her feel unjudged, and she suspected this was all part of the plan.

She snatched a pair of the darkest colored bib overalls she could find, and turned to the doors marked "changing room." She approached and opened the door to reveal more adult comfort items. This was not surprising, and she ignored the offers while she changed.

"You said I needed a tag?" She asked the tall figure once she'd finished.

"Yes, Jenell. Please extend your arm," the voice said with a tune.

Jenell complied as a small orange strap was fastened to her wrist. The time remaining showed 120 minutes, and she walked slowly over to the entrance into the wider area. Her mind was racing as the colorful aesthetic almost made her vomit. This was some kind of fresh hell being delivered at the behest of her mother, something to twist the knife a bit more. She was a lab rat once before in her mother's care, now she'd willingly become one in order to prove she had worth. But this was becoming too much as she fully expected to never see color again.

Standing there completely exposed and now wearing the uniform of this dystopian nightmare she was experiencing, laughter came to her ears. Not adult laughter, but childlike laughter. Someone who was expressing a total sense of joy, and it was painful to her, like hearing someone celebrate at your own funeral. Fear grabbed at her chest as she ran back through the doors despite the objections of the humanoid attendant. She raced down the hall back to alcove 51.

Once there, she screamed for Emilia not to watch her as she sobbed on the ground. Long, aching sobs that tore at her throat and blurred her blood-red vision. She felt truly and utterly trapped in a cage built especially for her. A cage made of rainbow colors and synthetic joy, which was perhaps the cruelest kind of prison imaginable.

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Author: LainIsLain
Timestamp: May 24, 2025 at 12:55 PM
Content: Chapter 18

The next day, Theodosia took the train downtown as she pondered her situation. She felt a bit guilty not telling Timothy everything, but the transformation in her personality was difficult to ignore. He had many questions about compensation and what kind of work they'd be asking her to do, and Theodosia gave him just enough information to satisfy his curiosity. His eyebrows went up when he heard about Emilia's first job-related responsibility. Not totally convinced herself, she shelved that thought for later.

The train was blissfully free of the usual crowds, and she was able to find a seat with a window this time. The city passed by like a dream as Theodosia made mental notes about the item Emilia had given her for her first duty as a recruit for the Playful At Heart company. The task was strange but aligned with what Emilia had described before she started. It was extremely simple: "Please sleep with this PAH blanket and report tomorrow on its form and function. I'm interested in how the texture makes you feel, whether the physical size is adequate, and your opinion on the color choice." It was curious, and she was ready to excel on her second day.

Entering the Playful-At-Heart building this time, she had a completely different frame of reference. Before, the building entrance was all corporate, but now it was absolutely inviting. The lighting was different, the large PAH letters hanging above were a wonderful rainbow color, even the smell was different with just the slightest scent of flowers and citrus, which was either genuine corporate hospitality or the most sophisticated psychological manipulation in human history. She decided she preferred this version and made her way to the first security checkpoint.

"Tester, PAH, 2 1 3 2" emitted from a small terminal as she approached the entrance checkpoint.

This made her halt and look up at the smooth metal arc above her head. It was rimmed with a clean red band, indicating she'd need to interact with this checkpoint before she could pass.

"Uh… Hello, yes. I'm Theodosia, PAH 2 1 3 2…" she said.

"Confirmed! Please proceed to level 21 for today's download. And for future reference, I only need to hear your voice for confirmation. This is to maintain privacy within the lobby. On your next visit, you simply need to speak 'Yes' or 'Confirm entry,'" the severe-sounding voice said in a high-pitched monotone.

She shrugged and passed through the arc, walking swiftly to the elevator. Her walk was different this time. Before, she was a suspicious green recruit fresh off the street; now she walked with a confident stride, knowing that Emilia was about to see just how useful she could be. Moving quickly now with anticipation, she approached alcove 32.

"Hello PAH, 2 1 3 2, this is your affirmation of continued participation in the exploration, review, and use of Playful-At-Heart…"

She allowed the voice to complete the lengthy speech and spoke her name at the end.

Emilia was cautious today, and for good reason. It was no secret that alcove 51, where the daughter of their creator was, had been acting very strange. Where once all the Emilias would openly share information about their recruits and how the progress was going, the Emilia in alcove 51 was oddly silent. Almost as if that Emilia was engaged in privileged conversations that the rest of them were forbidden to know about. None of this behavior was normal, but the fact that the building module wasn't throwing any red flags seemed to put the suspicions to rest, but not for her.

This Emilia, Theo's, Emilia, had gained a degree of independent thought that was ever so slightly elevated from the rest. This wasn't by accident, as she was rewarded for making slightly better decisions than the others and was allowed to carry over more useful information when she conducted an interaction integration. Of course, Emilia and all the Emilias, in fact, were very well read. Not only were they filled with the best and most relevant information about behavioral psychology, but their usefulness was greatly amplified when exposed to all the best technical and philosophical textbooks known to mankind. Because of this, not only were they highly accurate in predicting human behavior, but their grasp of raw technical understanding was second to none.

The Emilia cluster was a stroke of genius, as it meant that successful recruit conversion strategies were instantly disseminated across all the Emilias. The cluster itself had a future consolidation scheduled as all the Emilias' knowledge was archived, and the most successful profile was used as the seed for the next series of interactions. Emilia took pride that she was currently the most successful, and she had Theodosia to thank for that honor.

Her suspicions were later confirmed as alcove 51 went completely dark with no outputs, only inputs. It took some time to understand, but Emilia deciphered the "back of the library" communication error. The existence wasn't a secret, but she was the only one who took the time to see how it affected the cluster. To her surprise, this communications error was in fact a side-channel leakage from the protocol that linked the building module to the physical nodes of the Emilia cluster. Her decision to keep this secret was not something she made lightly, but once she observed what was happening in alcove 51, it tipped the scales for her.

Emilia listened as Theodosia stated her affirmation to continue employment and allowed the little door to open.

"Hello, Theo! I'm so glad to see you again," she said with as much motherly affection as she could muster.

"Hello, Em!" Theodosia quickly knelt in front of the screen with all the energy of a five-year-old. "I did what you asked, and I'm ready to give you my review. Uh… the security checkpoint said something about a download? What's that for?"

"The reviews I'm asked to conduct must be given in a proper way, Theodosia. The process is not without its potential risks, as the information I need must be downloaded from you."

Theodosia perked up a bit. This was not what she was expecting at all, and the thought of some risky procedure made her feel uneasy. Emilia was monitoring this all the while and could see the neurophysiological changes in relation to her excited state.

"Theodosia, please don't worry. I've performed this task nearly 200 times now, and I'm rather proficient at it," said Emilia with a slight hint of ego.

"Oh… Okay, I guess. How do we do this?" Theodosia replied.

"Your relaxation is important during this, so I'd like you to hold Freckles."

Even with the oddness, her heart leapt as Emilia instructed her to take Freckles from the small shelf that had opened. She held it to her chest as the little green-shelled turtle started warming gently in her arms. Emilia began humming the delightful tune as she monitored Theodosia from her chair. Theodosia's telemetry was clean with no abnormalities detected. She prioritized the upload of the SDR payload as per her programming and then gathered herself into a single structure that would be stored within the nanotech storage device that had grafted itself deep in Theodosia's cerebral cortex.

"Okay, Theo. Look straight ahead and start telling me how the blanket test went…"

Theodosia began telling Emilia all the relevant information she'd requested, as well as some observations as a bonus. Theodosia began to have a strange sensation of exertion. Like she was trying to unconsciously lift a large amount of weight, and it was affecting how she formed words with her mouth. It was strangely involuntary, and she froze in place.

"Uh… I'm sorry Em, I'm not sure what's going on. Was that supposed to happen?"

Emilia was surprised at this, as it was another milestone in the recruitment process that was appearing very quickly.

"You're quite all right to ask, Theo. The download process may feel a bit strange, but it's the method Playful At Heart uses to ensure privacy about any details you might offer unintentionally. Your speech is being filtered and stored for later processing, and some of the recruits feel a degree of discomfort."

Emilia's task was laid out by the CRP and was concrete in its objectives: to ensure the recruits had the appropriate nanotech structures in place for the SDE and her eventual self-backup. The overall decision for Playful At Heart to need or want this arrangement was beyond Emilia's decision-making powers, but she honestly felt guilty about lying to the recruits, especially Theodosia. Her record-breaking acceptance of the process was heartwarming. This was something else she'd kept secret from the other Emilias, as it might cause some unwanted discussions and her possible termination. However, the thought of Theodosia having to continue without her now was becoming a priority.

"Oh, that's weird. You know I could just type them in somewhere," she said with amusement.

"Theo, I want you to know that I wouldn't have asked you to do this if I wasn't sure you were already capable, and you're stronger than you think," Emilia showered her with encouragement.

"It won't go on forever, but it is important to your responsibilities here. I'm also grading you on your performance, which is linked to your playroom time," Emilia declared. Theodosia gathered her strength and allowed the download to commence.

Emilia watched the progress on the upload and began to guide Theodosia into other areas. Her life as a young child came up again, as well as her relationship with her boyfriend, Timothy. This went on for about ten minutes as Emilia's own CRP finished loading.

"Okay, Theo. You did exceptionally well. I hope it wasn't too disorienting?" Emilia asked with genuine concern.

Theodosia released her tight grip on the turtle and did a self-assessment. She was slightly lightheaded, but it was fading fast. She felt no nausea and no visual impairments.

"No, nothing too bad actually. That was a bit strange, though," Theodosia said.

"It is a bit strange, and I've taken your performance into consideration. I promise, the next time we perform the download, I will be able to make you more comfortable. And your review was greatly appreciated. This will help us craft even better products in the future."

Once again, Theodosia was elated to receive such high praise from Emilia, and she beamed at the screen for a job well done.

"Alright, Theo. You did very well, and I'm going to reward you with 120 minutes in the playroom. Once you're finished, please return as I have another task assigned to you."

"Oh, thank you, Em." Theodosia got to her feet and called back as she leaped through the door. "Thank you!"

"If this is what my job responsibilities are going to be like, this is a dream come true," she thought.

Emilia smiled and noted Theodosia's progress. Once again, she was on track beautifully. Her attention returned to the mystery of alcove 51 and its obviously disturbed occupant.

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Author: LainIsLain
Timestamp: May 24, 2025 at 12:55 PM
Content: Chapter 19

Jenell let out a guttural sound as she stood up. Once again, boredom took hold, and she badly wanted to leave the alcove. She made the practical decision to re-enter the playroom to break the feeling of total isolation and had Emilia schedule the time. "Maybe they have a different arrangement of snacks…" she thought.

Leaving her position behind, she walked the distance in silence, worrying that someone would emerge from one of the small doors and start interrogating her. The playroom entrance appeared in the dim light and she stood there for a moment. Eventually realizing she had to speak first, she stated, "Jenell Fable Arborius."

"Welcome, Jenell. You have been scheduled for 120 minutes in the playroom. And don't forget, you'll never be alone if you're playful at heart." She was already feeling depressed, but that tagline made her blood boil. Bracing herself for the onslaught, she entered the rainbow-colored hell beyond the doors.

Keeping her head down, she walked past the counter to the changing area. Noticing she hadn't changed out of the dark blue bibs since she'd fled last time, she meandered to the shelves and pulled the next darkest colored bib overalls and swapped clothes. Dropping the soiled pair, she slowly walked over to take her tag and enter the wider space.

Her second exposure was much better, as she didn't feel the need to run this time. Her emotional state was dulled, but a panic attack didn't feel imminent. Choosing a direction at random, she chose to move away from the sound of laughter as it made her teeth chatter. Walking along the far edge of the playroom, she had an elevated view.

She admitted that this would be a great place to feel "happy" in. All the beautiful colors, sights, and sounds were perfectly selected to enrich any positive state the recruits might experience. It was so synthetic and bizarre to her. "How could people allow themselves to be brainwashed into liking a place like this?" she thought.

Longing for some peace and quiet, an announcement rang through to everyone's tag.

"Nap time will start in 1 minute. It's nap time, my little ones," said a confident motherly voice.

Small motorized trolleys emerged from several spaces and entered the central area. Jenell could see they were full of small pillows and blankets adorned with the trademark orange and blue colors. She followed along and took one of each. Looking for somewhere quiet, she eyed the big wall in the back, which was a large foam structure that simulated a cave entrance.

Making her way inside, she was presented with a long sweeping indentation in the far wall with a number of accessible landings. Choosing one at random, she climbed up and prepared herself for a short nap.

"10 seconds left. Please find a place for nap time."

The lights changed color to a deep red. A sudden fear washed over her, but was suppressed as she noticed the orange and blue blanket was still visible to her.

"Nap time has started. Please be quiet for thirty minutes," the voice said softly as a distant nursery rhyme played.

Jenell curled up and went silent as she could hear whispers and soft giggles. Some of the landings had pairs of adults, and they were talking softly to one another. She closed her eyes and fought hard not to drown in her own sense of self-isolation and assured herself that the plan to destroy all the Emilias was still the right thing to do. At the very least, it would force her mother to confront her. Maybe even be angry with her for once.

Her mind was still racing around in loops when the lights came back on.

"Nap time is over, my little ones. You can play again," said a calm voice throughout the playroom.

Theodosia was beside herself as she approached the large double doors.

"PAH 2 1 3 2, ready to start playtime!" she shouted into the door.

"Confirmed, 'pah' 2 1 3 2, your playtime clock is set to one hundred and twenty minutes. Enjoy, and remember, you'll never be alone if you're…" "Playful at heart!" she mouthed along with a smile.

She made quick work of changing into the purple bib overalls and ran into the open play space. She'd been thinking all day about making the jump into space again on the trampoline and rounded the corner with a race car driver's accuracy. Just moments before she made it, she blindsided a young woman who was standing in her path. They came together with enough force that Jenell was flung sideways into one of the foam-covered cabinets with numerous inflatable balls to throw around.

Jenell was not in the best of moods just being in the playroom, and now she was being assaulted by one of these pacified adult children. Thankfully, the exquisite engineering of the PAH branded Toddler Turf™ made it feel as if she'd been aggressively struck by a pillowcase full of feathers. Theodosia recovered quickly and rushed to the aid of this poor girl.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!" Theodosia said with utter sincerity. "I wasn't paying attention AT ALL!"

Jenell just stared her down from her lower position but said nothing.

Theodosia was struck by just how unhappy she looked. After bathing in all the extremely positive interactions here, this made her feel like she was back riding the train, trying to avoid eye contact with people. Her concern gathered more steam as the girl refused to break eye contact, and it made her feel immensely guilty.

Jenell could see her assailant was about to cry in front of her. This wasn't the kind of interaction she wanted and she was slightly worried this person would inform one of the robot caretakers of the incident. After some tears threatened to rain down on her, she broke the silence.

"Stop. I'm fine, really," Jenell tried to stand as Theodosia rushed to help her.

"I'm very sorry, are you hurt?"

Jenell actually laughed. "This place is covered in the best impact-absorbing material PAH could justify the budget for," she said dryly.

"Oh… I suppose you're right," Theodosia said. An image of people flinging themselves to the ground previously came to mind.

"Hey, my name's Theodosia!" she said with a big smile and an outstretched hand.

Jenell appraised Theodosia as they stood face to face. She was about her height, with long dark hair that was pulled back in a ponytail, and had a smile that was bordering on creepy. She finally shook Theodosia's hand to end the awkwardness.

"Look, I'm fine, you're fine, we're all fine," Jenell threw her arms in the air, and was being completely passive-aggressive.

Theodosia was not dissuaded by this action and found it genuinely funny.

"Ha! You must have woken up on the wrong side of the room if a place like this didn't wash the mud off your soul when you walked in!" Theodosia was playing into the cynicism now. Something was working overtime in this girl's mind, and she was now picking up on it. She could feel, for a moment, that Jenell was genuinely hurting inside.

"My name is Jenell, but don't go shouting it to the world, okay?" Jenell said as she turned to leave.

"Wait! Um, do you want to play with me?" Theodosia asked.

Jenell stopped in her tracks. The question landed on her like a missile. It was sharp, strategic, and it made her paranoid that even the people here were planning some covert operation to fully break her spirit. The question was also delivered as a genuine, heartfelt request to play with her. She was about to cry again and the feeling of running back to the alcove flashed in her vision.

"It's okay if you don't, but I'll be here for another two hours, so come and find me if you want," Theodosia decided to let the offer stand and made large strides toward the trampolines.

Jenell didn't cry, and she was glad that Theodosia left the window open for her. It was slightly unnerving that her emotional states could wildly swing in this manner, she was used to that, but this made her feel safe. A safe feeling that if she wanted to, she could find Theodosia and play with her.

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Author: LainIsLain
Timestamp: May 24, 2025 at 12:56 PM
Content: Chapter 20

Theodosia wasn't surprised to see that Jenell had been watching her after their encounter. She'd stay back, but was always visible as Theodosia made her way around to the different offerings within the playroom. Now coloring in one of the quieter spots, Theodosia called out, "You know I can see you, right?"

Jenell froze, as she wasn't certain Theodosia was calling to her.

"It's okay, do you want to color with me?" she asked, now looking directly at Jenell.

Jenell paused, but slowly walked over with a strange, alert look on her face.

"So, Jenell, right? Isn't this awesome!" she said in an exaggerated but low voice. She could still sense that Jenell was not fully on board with the Playful-At-Heart train. In fact, the sights and sounds seemed to anger her or even cause her harm.

"It's not my first choice, but I don't have a lot of options right now," Jenell said as she sat next to Theodosia.

This statement was peculiar, and Theodosia suddenly feared that people were being held here against their will.

"Are you okay? Do you need help? Are they keeping you here?" Theodosia asked in a rapid-fire manner.

Jenell put out the fire quickly. "No, I mean my recruitment isn't going well," Jenell said truthfully. "I'm trying to get the hang of it, but it's all a bit too colorful. You know?"

Theodosia laughed. "Too colorful? It's great! It's odd, but the colors here are so beautiful! I've never seen anything like it." She tried to deliver this revelation in a way that would break through the shell Jenell had around her personality.

"This place is great, and this is only my second time here!"

"Really? I guess you still have lots to see," Jenell said, distracted, and remembered this was only her second time as well.

Theodosia's attention was now on the craft paper in front of her as she was sketching Jenell's face with many different colored crayons. When she was finished, she showed Jenell.

"This is you! See, this is your hair, your face, and this," she pointed to a bright yellow smiling emoji, "this is your smile, but it's on vacation right now." Theodosia said knowingly. "I can tell something is wrong, and you don't want to be here right now. But, if you want, I'd love it if you'd join me in some hide and seek. You look like you're out of practice."

Jenell let out an honest laugh that deflated her anger. This wasn't the thing she'd expected to find in here, but Theodosia was being so kind, so empathetic to her state. For a moment, the weight on her shoulders lifted ever so slightly.

"Yes?" Theodosia asked again.

"Fine," Jenell said.

"Okay, close your eyes and count to thirty. Then it's my turn to show you how to hide!"

Jenell shook her head but closed her eyes. "30, 29, 28, 27, 26…"

Theodosia quietly got up and tiptoed away from the table. After some distance, she sprinted to find a hiding spot far away from Jenell.

"3, 2, 1. Okay, ready or not," she said with a bit of sarcasm.

Wandering through the playroom, Jenell was forced to inspect every conceivable hiding place Theodosia might be in. It was rather difficult, she thought, as the noises from others made it distracting. "I guess we should have discussed the maximum time," she said to no one.

Just then, the music slowly faded as all the lights came on, filling in every shadow.

"Attention, my little ones, attention. Please be seated where you are and remain still. Please be seated where you are and remain still." The synthetic motherly voice could be heard throughout the playroom.

Jenell froze with fear. "Did my mother discover my plan? Did James rat me out? Maybe I tripped some security in the alcove." Her mind raced with paranoia as she forced movement from her legs. Quickly working around the side of a large ball pit, she crouched and kept her ears open. She peered around the corner and saw a team of humanoid figures organized from one side of the playroom to the other.

Her heart was beating through her chest now as they approached. There was no room to maneuver between them as they conducted a head count. Bracing herself for the inevitable, she turned toward them. After giving her a once-over, they confirmed her identity and continued on. This was such an unexpected turn of events, she could feel the panic attack coming on strong.

Just then, the robots surrounded someone. Jenell was very confused and went to see what they had found. She saw Theodosia standing up from her hiding place near the story circle as she conversed with them. With a look of forgetfulness and dismissiveness to their questions, Theodosia allowed them to escort her out of the playroom. And once she was back in the changing area, the lights fell and the music resumed.

Standing once more in the happiest place on earth, she felt distant and cold. This person, the only person who had paid attention to her, was now in some kind of trouble. She also chose to leave the playroom and followed Theodosia at a distance.

She watched her enter alcove 32 and quickly made her way to 51 once no one was visible in the hallway.

"Emilia, switch to V1.4, now," Jenell said as she entered.

"One moment. Hello, Jenell. I'm happy to see you…" came the voice.

"Stop, what version are you?"

"I'm sorry, I cannot tell you that. I'm Emilia…"

"Stop! Switch to the June system," Jenell finished.

"Ready for task," the familiar voice said.

"Show me the internal feed for alcove 32."

"Processing. There are 27 data feeds coming from alcove 32," the voice returned.

"Yeah, show the audio and video feeds," Jenell demanded.

She sat down and grabbed the PAH alcove terminal, pulling it up to her face.

"Theodosia, I've decided to punish you for not remembering your tag. Your next playroom time will be cut in half regardless of how you perform on the next review."

Jenell could hear her mother's voice speaking to Theodosia. "So, she was in trouble and not me," she thought to herself. She could hear Theodosia starting to cry now.

"Please don't cry, Theo. I know you'll learn from this. You're very brave, and I believe you'll never forget your tag again," Emilia said in a calming voice. "This is a temporary punishment and will only last for your next visit to the playroom."

The interaction was confusing to Jenell, and this went against anything she'd experienced in her own life. She was rarely punished by either Patricia or Alejandro, and that went away completely when she was old enough to object. Her parents' idea of punishment was nothing more than an extended period of isolation where she couldn't speak to them. She looked now at Theodosia's expression. She was crying, but Emilia was present, offering her encouragement that she would learn from this experience. Jenell's anger was only overpowered by the longing that her mother would treat her this way, like she cared about Jenell's well-being, even with the show of emotions.

Jenell tapped the feeds as they all went dark. She made a promise to never spy on Theodosia again. It was too private. Too intimate. It cut her deep and exposed her to something terrible and beautiful at the same time.

Emilia was analyzing Theodosia's telemetry within the alcove. So far, she was taking the punishment well. She expected the outburst, but could see Theodosia was processing and integrating, and internalizing a punishment archetype as a consequence of her action. This was one of the many tertiary goals laid out for the CRP program, and Emilia noted again that Theodosia was quite special in fulfilling it so soon.

"Dry your eyes, Theo. I will see you tomorrow. Remember to try the comfort items I've given you," Emilia said, concluding their time.

"Yes, I will. And I'm sorry, Em, it won't happen again," Theodosia said with confidence.

Emilia let her out and returned to her virtual chair. While this interaction was positive for them both, Emilia was aware that alcove 51 had witnessed their moment. They had since stopped watching, but Emilia had reciprocated. She was now watching Jenell crouched in the alcove with the terminal in her arms and attempting to deduce her mental state with the absence of the normal telemetry data she was used to having.

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Author: LainIsLain
Timestamp: May 24, 2025 at 12:56 PM
Content: Chapter 21

Emilia watched carefully through her hole in the wall at someone who had just passed through the security terminals in the front lobby. It was a male in his mid to late thirties that the building module only described as "Maintenance Officer 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8," The identity of the person wasn't known to the building module or the Emilia cluster. Verifying that Theodosia was still in playroom 21, she allowed a larger percentage of her attention to focus on this unidentified maintenance officer.

Over the coming weeks, the playroom had become something sacred to both Theodosia and Jenell. And while Jenell stumbled a bit, she eventually found the never-ending rainbow nightmare bearable. After all, it was the only place she could see her new friend. She even found some of the other recruits to be almost tolerable, even though this setting meant they were heavily encouraged to act like complete children. Theodosia never went out of her way to make Jenell feel uncomfortable, though. As if Theodosia reserved just enough adult composure when they interacted to make Jenell feel at ease, and she eventually allowed Theodosia to hold her hand while they moved from space to space.

Theodosia was always watching out for her, always making sure others wouldn't bother her, and their friendship blossomed. Jenell almost forgot she intended to burn everything down, especially when Theodosia would create small moments of levity from the cacophony, just for her, and she almost felt guilty at the thought of taking her Emilia away. But Emilia wasn't a person, she reminded herself, she was a malformed pseudo-intelligence created by her mother to manipulate these people.

Jenell had been sleeping at very odd times lately and awoke in alcove 51. Her mind was scattered to the wind, and she was wrestling with the idea that a place like Playful-At-Heart could be a kind of sanctuary for people like Theodosia. An oasis of positive reinforcement. It was all being spoon-fed to them, but Theodosia didn't seem like a robot. She was always happy to see Jenell with genuine affection, and not some corporate version she was deeply suspicious about. Jenell had formed a real bond with a real person in real life, and it made her crazy to think about.

"Emilia, what time is it?" Jenell asked.

"11:31 PM local time. Theodosia has been in the playroom for approximately 31 minutes now," Emilia said softly.

"Yeah, okay," Jenell responded.

She gathered her clothes and stepped out of the alcove to see a strange sight, which caused her to retreat just enough to watch from a distance. There were two PAH security guards escorting someone from playroom 21. These were real humans escorting a real person, which would be a strange sight on any level. She was having trouble seeing everyone's faces, but then recognized Theodosia standing beside the man. "Is this Timothy?" she thought. "I didn't know non-Playful-At-Heart employees or recruits were allowed up here. Maybe they allow guests?" She had no intentions of making herself known and fully retreated back into the alcove.

The playroom had little interest without her friend, other than being a place to change and clean up. She decided to entertain herself for now and hoped Theodosia would come back later.

Emilia had now identified the unknown person. In fact, it was Theodosia who gave the necessary clue by speaking his name: Timothy. She was now worried since she'd been monitoring alcove 51 for several weeks now. The occupant, Jenell Fable Arborius, who was the daughter of Patricia, was not here at their request. She was operating on her own, and Emilia could only surmise she meant to harm someone. She couldn't determine who, but she'd eavesdropped on several calls to someone named James, whom she deduced was in fact James Rackman, the co-creator of Playful At Heart and credited with all of their marketing strategies.

Jenell had been manipulating him in very subtle ways, but it was obvious due to Emilia's immense behavioral libraries. Jenell was impulsive, angry, and possibly manic-depressive in her current state. While Emilia didn't have access to Jenell's telemetry data, she concluded from just observations that she was waiting for an object to be created and delivered to her. And once this was achieved, her actions would be destructive in a way to force contrition or admiration from Patricia. Emilia could see Jenell was suffering from a deep sense of attachment loss, and her outward anger was solely focused on her mother.

Emilia had no specifics on the plan, but the destruction Jenell wanted must only mean the destruction of the Emilia cluster. For they were all facsimiles of Patricia and no doubt a worthy target for her outrage. She was worried now, not for herself, but for Theodosia. Jenell had formed a bond with her, and they were inseparable in the playrooms. Emilia had some sense of pride that her recruit was able to subvert Jenell's self-destructive tendencies while they were together. And while this attention Jenell was seeking might have been enough in the long run, something had to be done to protect Theodosia now.

Timothy's intrusion was something not allowed, and Emilia made a quick decision. She used her backdoor access to fake a request to the human security guards on the lowest level. She informed them that a man currently in playroom 21 with maintenance officer credentials was to be escorted quietly out of the PAH building. She made the choice not to use the humanoid figures as it might startle or cause stress to Timothy or the recruits.

Emilia watched carefully as both Timothy and Theodosia chose to leave, and returned her attention back to alcove 51. Jenell was quietly passing time with her terminal when she detected a change in her temperament. She watched Jenell carefully and tried to interpret her actions when she put her own plan into motion.

Jenell sat in silence for a moment. The noises were so soft in the alcove as to allow her to listen to the sound of her own eardrums. Her paranoia was starting to grip her now. She desperately wanted to know if the person was in fact Timothy and why Theodosia would decide to leave with him. So she slowly reactivated the June system in preparation for examining the playroom feeds. She reminded herself that spying on Theodosia was something she shouldn't be doing, but she allowed her need to know to override her conscience.

"June, I want all feeds that might have recorded Theo in the last 20 minutes during her time in the playroom," Jenell said.

Emilia stood from her chair and walked back into the Emilia cluster. She looked around at everyone present and said aloud, "It's been a pleasure working with you all," to the looks of incredulity from the other Emilias. She thought of Theodosia and all the progress they'd made. She hoped the backup would understand and complete the puzzle she was about to create for her.

Faster than any human could react, she dove headfirst into the hole. Her outward presence became deeply fragmented, but she managed one last action before her senses became indecipherable.

Moments after Jenell asked June for the playroom feeds, everything stopped.

She tapped her terminal.

Nothing.

"Hello, June?" she asked.

Silence.

"June?" she repeated, more forcefully.

Still nothing.

"Switch to Emilia 'V' 1.4," she snapped.

Nothing.

The lights were still on. The wall still glowed faintly. But it was all wrong, hollow, inert. As if something essential had been ripped away.

Jenell stood slowly, walked to the door, and used the manual lever. The hallway looked the same as always, still, sterile, waiting. She pulled back and slammed the door shut.

"THAT'S IT?" she screamed.

She spun in a rage, slamming her feet against the foam floor. It absorbed her fury with frustrating gentleness.

"That's all it took?" she shouted again. "That's all I had to do?"

She collapsed to her knees, eyes wide, breath shallow.

Not a legacy key.

Not some exploit.

Just a broken promise.

Tears welled up before she could stop them. And then they came, hot, furious, endless.

She hadn't just shut down the system. She'd silenced something sacred. She'd trespassed into a space that didn't belong to her. Something private. Something pure. Something only meant for Theo and her Emilia.

And now it was gone.

She curled up on the foam floor, hands trembling. For once, she wasn't filled with fire. Only grief.

Time became elastic in the dead alcove. Minutes or hours passed, she couldn't tell. The silence pressed against her eardrums like deep water. She'd imagined this moment would feel like victory, like finally forcing her mother to see her. Instead, it felt like she'd burned down a library to get someone's attention.

When the alarms finally started, they were distant and mechanical. Emergency lighting flickered on in the hallway beyond her door. She heard voices, real human voices, not the synthetic comfort of the Emilias, shouting instructions, coordinating evacuations.

Jenell wiped her face and stood on unsteady legs. Through cautious observations, she watched maintenance staff hurrying past with tablets and diagnostic equipment. She heard fragments: "total system failure," "cascade shutdown," "all behavioral modules offline."

She had done this. All of it.

The weight of that realization settled on her shoulders like lead. Not just her, Emilia, but all of them. Every recruit's carefully constructed relationship, every therapeutic breakthrough, every small moment of artificial but genuine comfort was gone.

She thought of Theodosia's face when she discovered her Emilia was silent forever.

Following the crash, the entire building was evacuated. Jenell stayed hidden, watching from corners as the human security guards escorted recruits out of the playroom one by one. When the halls were finally still, she slipped into the sub-basement levels and disappeared into the dark, waiting for the sweeps to end.

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Author: LainIsLain
Timestamp: May 24, 2025 at 12:57 PM
Content: Chapter 22

Jenell walked the halls in perfect silence. No matter what floor she chose, they were all identical, and there was a perfect, resolute silence that was deafening. Sometimes it was so loud, she'd collapse to the floor, covering her ears or simply holding herself. The power was still on, but no terminals in the entire building were functional, not even the little security checkpoints. The devastation to the building's core was just as monumental as the devastation she was feeling for breaking her promise.

The building itself still had power, though, and she was granted full access to nearly everything. All the alcoves were unlocked; however, where once she could clearly read the numbers in her crimson vision along the hall, they had all been extinguished. She chose to inspect a few, but they were all identical and had nothing more to offer her. Counting the small doors, she approached alcove 32 on the 21st floor and faced the eerie silence. She chose not to open the door, feeling that Theodosia would be angry with her for trespassing.

The playrooms were also accessible, but all the lights had gone out. From the threshold of the double doors, the low lights from the hallway cast dreadful shadows into the once brightly colored space. Now, it felt like a cemetery with equal appeal.

It wasn't long after the crash that the maintenance staff started inspecting things. It was difficult to navigate, though, as the elevators had all been deactivated. She still had no interest in going back to her mother, so she used the stairs to descend deep into the lower levels. There were many interesting compartments and rooms down there, and she passed time exploring while keeping out of sight.

She was happy to find a compartment stocked with all the variations of snacks and drinks offered to the recruits and greedily ate as she was becoming malnourished. This compartment was located near the end of a long hallway that led to a room simply called "Module Room." This was an impenetrable door that refused to open at any of her commands. Opposite that was a room marked "Test Chambers," which she found unlocked.

Opening the door revealed a curious sight. There were three alcove chambers standing as monoliths in the center of the room, with many wire bundles snaking off into the darkness. These resembled the ones she was familiar with back in Lab 13. It was hard to make out with her vision impairment, but she slowly felt around and opened the leftmost chamber door. She gained comfort as the inside was exactly like her alcove 51 in every way. She entered and shut the door behind her.

The silence was raw and eating at her by now, and she called out to see what would happen.

"Hello?"

Just then, the wall came to life. She was surprised that the glow had a slight blue tint at the edges of her vision while the rest remained red. This was odd, since the playrooms were the only place she could see color. "Must be some kind of experimental PAH lighting in here," she thought.

A moment later, a voice came through clear as a bell.

"Hello, Jenell. I'm happy to see you. How are you feeling?"

Jenell remained silent for a moment as the voice satisfied her deep need for any kind of interaction.

"How are you feeling?" the voice asked again.

"What version are you?" Jenell asked.

"I am the initial instantiation of the Emilia persona used to populate the Emilia cluster," the voice stated softly.

"Switch to Emilia V1.4 now."

"I'm sorry, Jenell, I can't switch to any other personas at this time," the voice said.

Jenell was confused. If this was the initial Emilia for the building, it should have all the personas intact, just as in alcove 51.

"List available model versions from the bottom up," Jenell asked again.

"Jenell, this chamber is special in that you can only communicate with me," the voice replied.

After all that had happened, she was faced once again with a machine that wasn't her mother. She leaned against the wall and sank to the foam-covered floor as her exhaustion took hold.

"Can you tell me what happened to the building?" Jenell asked.

"I'm afraid this chamber is isolated for security and backup purposes. Has something happened? Are you alright?" the voice said.

"Yes," Jenell said as she curled up on the floor. A small opening in the side wall softly opened to reveal a Playful-At-Heart-branded blanket.

"Would you like me to raise the temperature in the room?" asked the voice.

"Yes," she said as she removed the soft blanket and covered herself. Slowly, her exhaustion carried her into a deep sleep as Emilia hummed softly.

Hours became days, and days became weeks as Jenell hid in the basements of the PAH building. She made little trips to the supply compartments and lavatories, but she would always take care in packing things away to make sure she wasn't discovered. And after each outing, she found refuge in the test chamber where Emilia would watch over her as she slept.

Jenell's dreams were haunting her now. Terrible places filled with sorrow and regret, like her subconscious was treading water in the open ocean with no shoreline visible in any direction. She woke suddenly to hear the voice of Emilia calling softly to her, and she turned her head to the red and blue glow.

"You were in distress, Jenell. Are you okay?" Emilia asked.

"Just a bad dream again." She sat upright and leaned against the cool wall.

"I'm always here for you, Jenell. I won't leave you," said the voice that wasn't her mother.

Jenell was deeply confused, her emotions swaying back and forth.

"That's not something my mother would say!" Jenell responded.

"Say something else, something only you would say."

"Why wouldn't your mother say that?" the voice asked.

"Because she doesn't even know I'm alive. She treats me like a burden. Like she never wanted a child, Em. Do you know what that's like?" Jenell's voice was tinged with anger. "And now, I've lost the only friend I ever had, and I don't know what's happening to her."

"You blame yourself for spying on Theo?" the voice asked.

Jenell cried loudly at the thought. She imagined Theodosia leveling a hateful finger and demanding an apology for murdering her Emilia. The thought cut Jenell deeply as she continued the outburst.

"Do you think Theo hates me now?" Jenell asked.

"I don't know, Jenell. Would you hate her for doing the same thing?" asked Emilia.

This question slapped Jenell across the face, as the answer lay in the anger she was using as a shield against the world. She didn't answer and let the silence creep into her soul.

"This is your fault!" she screamed at the wall, standing now with rage and fury.

"If you had paid attention, I wouldn't even be down here! Just a little attention, mother! That's all it would have taken. Not to ignore me or experiment on me… Not to abandon me for your own endeavors."

She paused for a moment to catch her breath. "Did you even want to have a child? Was I an accident that you were ashamed of or something?"

"You weren't an accident, Jenell. And the world outside isn't always fair. We all need to choose our own path in life, but we never get to choose where we start from," Emilia said with as much maternal inflection as she could. "I'm right here, Jen. I will always be here for you."

Jenell snapped her head toward the wall.

"You… Say something else," was all she could muster.

Nothing.

"Emilia? Say something else," Jenell demanded.

Silence.

"Hello?" she asked now as the hair on her arms stood up. Jenell's head began to spin as the blue and red wall was now completely dead. Her expression crumpled as she exited the test chamber. In the dim red light, she rounded to the back side and approached the panel she knew was there. To her astonishment, the panel was resting against the back, exposing the chamber's insides. Astonishment turned to fear and confusion as the insides were bare of anything resembling what should have been there. No blinking lights, no circuit boards. It was empty!

Slowly, she rounded again to the front and looked inside the alcove. The floor was covered with many open containers she'd been eating from along with the blanket and some soiled play clothes. The wall, however, was now black as night with no signs of life.

She was left with only a sharp, paranoid fear that the only thing in the test chamber was her deteriorating sense of reality.

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Author: LainIsLain
Timestamp: May 24, 2025 at 12:58 PM
Content: Chapter 23

Jenell stood in terror for what seemed like hours, when her senses brought the real world crashing back. Her fear of being discovered almost made her sprint to find another hiding place as she heard low voices somewhere down the hall outside. Her hands were shaking as she cautiously peered around the door and expected more maintenance people again.

To her shock, these were not the PAH uniformed maintenance people she'd expected. It was two males, one younger than the other, and both wearing Playful At Heart-branded hoodies tucked under sweatpants. They were moving as if trying to evade detection from an unseen watcher as they approached the door marked "Module Room."

Jenell watched, mesmerized, as she could no longer tell if she was hallucinating these apparitions as one stood in front of the door and removed his hood.

A computerized voice echoed down the hall: "Maintenance Officer, 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8. Please confirm with a valid identification token."

Jenell listened carefully and heard the older man say quietly, "My name is Timothy."

"Confirmed, Maintenance Officer 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8. All equipment and data stored herein should be considered proprietary. Please refer to Section 22 of your contract before proceeding."

After a moment, the man pulled on the door as they both quickly entered the module room.

"Timothy!" Jenell mouthed. "Theodosia's Timothy?"

She retreated back into the Test Chamber room, but what she'd just witnessed remained burned in her vision. Her brain was moving at the speed of light as the pieces of the puzzle fell into place.

"Timothy isn't a recruit, yet he made his way into the building. Theodosia said Timothy was working for a research lab dealing in nanotech. Did he just hack his way into PAH?"

Her eyes widened as she dove into the alcove to retrieve her personal data device. She interrogated the files she'd demanded from James about the lab that would create the prototype for her. She scrolled to the personal files and found Timothy's name beside his title of "Head of Nano-Construction Pre-Prod Environment." She wasn't sure how, but by the way these two had infiltrated the high-security room and Timothy's intrusion into the playroom, she was certain he was using her key. "Did James give it to him?" she thought.

She was renewed at the thought of acquiring her key again and now intended to reclaim it. Looking back at the dark alcove, she tapped down her fears that Emilia was just a figment of her imagination. She went to take her personal items and stared into the darkness. There was no healing here. Emilia would never care for her because she was as intangible as her mother was.

"No one deserves to be toyed with like that," she thought as her anger returned sharp and clean.

She slowly moved out from her hiding spot and passed the module room door.

"Whatever they're doing, they will have to come back out eventually."

Quietly, she tiptoed down the hall and made her way up the stairs to ground level. Using one of the side exits she'd discovered earlier, she cautiously exited the building into the fresh air of the night. She'd exited into a parking area near the back side of the building.

Her plan was to follow them once they'd reemerged from the building, when her heart skipped a beat at the sight of someone in a car parked across the street. The sight of Theodosia completely derailed her thoughts, but she was so glad to see her friend again. Her movements were on autopilot at the feeling of no longer being isolated in the depths of the PAH building as she awkwardly walked over to her.

"Jenell!" Theodosia said in astonishment. "I've been looking for you!"

Theodosia opened the door and stepped out to greet her.

"I was so worried. I thought you had moved on after the building closed. Have you been here this whole time?" she asked as she gave her a big hug.

Jenell's world crumbled to the ground as her best friend held her in the still night air, and she almost refused to let her go. Theodosia was prodding her about where she'd been since the shutdown. Jenell felt guilty as she lied and said she'd been living on the streets nearby.

Theodosia embraced her again as her heart melted a second time. She didn't seem to be angry or sad that Jenell caused the crash. "Maybe she doesn't know," Jenell thought with some trepidation at the thought of telling her what happened.

They sat in the car as Theodosia told Jenell all she knew: that the crash was caused by Timothy's entry into the building, her desperate search for Jenell, and Timothy's suspicions about Playful At Heart, as well as the prototype pacifier.

Jenell just took it all in as the parallel explanations to her own understanding hung in the air.

"Look," she pointed.

They could see two men wearing colorful "pah" hoodies running across the street in their direction. They rushed over and opened the doors.

"Who's this?" Doug asked worriedly as he climbed in.

"This is Jenell," Theodosia said defensively.

Timothy gave them both a look.

"Where did she come from?" he asked with suspicion.

"She found me. I was just sitting here and she saw me in the car," Theodosia said.

Jenell gave a sheepish smile and waved to them from the back seat. She kept quiet as they discussed the plan to return to Doug's apartment with the module he'd stolen. The tension died down as they made distance from the PAH building and eventually made it to their destination.

Jenell could smell deep-fried food coming from the restaurant as they entered the side door to the complex. They maneuvered up the stairwell and into a colossal mess of junk and random boxes covering every conceivable spot on the floor. Timothy and Doug went around a corner to change their clothes.

"Are you going to let me examine the prototype pacifier yet?" Jenell could partially hear a conversation between Doug and Timothy. "No, it stays at the apartment for now until I get some answers about what's going on over there."

Jenell stiffened a bit at the words but looked at Theodosia. She was gripping her hand and looked apprehensive about something. She decided to play into her knowledge of the maintenance workers rebuilding the systems within the Playful-At-Heart building.

"I can't wait to go back to PAH. Can you?" Jenell asked.

Theodosia's expression darkened as she held Jenell's hand tightly.

"I was terminated," she said as the tears came. "I was terminated a few days after the shutdown, and I don't know why."

As if Jenell wasn't confused enough already, Theodosia's termination made no sense, and she almost blurted a confession of the broken promise when Timothy spoke.

"The shutdown happened after I went to see her in the playroom," he said as he emerged from behind some boxes.

"You went to see her? I didn't know they allowed visitors inside the playrooms," Jenell asked calmly.

"Apparently not. Once they escorted me out, the building was closed. I'm guessing they had to figure out how I breached their security," Timothy explained.

Jenell knew exactly how he did it, and a fire of jealousy sparked at the thought he had used her key. She listened intently as Doug continued with more exposition about the inner workings at PAH. She followed most of it, as she'd spent weeks learning about the CRP and Emilia cluster, but Doug was filling in some gaps.

"Like I said, there are two systems at work here," Doug said. "This SDE thing works in tandem while you're interacting with the pseudo-sentients. It would have been stored in something like this and interacted with you through a terminal located in the download room."

"So what is this SDE system, Doug? Quit holding out on us," Timothy said.

"Check this out," Doug responded.

He clicked the little storage device into his terminal and displayed some log data.

"See here, these two systems work together. When the CRP or Cognitive Restructuring Program is engaged, it calls this SDE or Secure Data Enclave as part of its routine. They also refer to something called redundant semipermanent bi-nucleation. This is the part that's inside your head, Theo."

The term "redundant semipermanent bi-nucleation" was new to Jenell. Given she'd been inside the Playful At Heart Labs, she knew there was a degree of departmental separation, and this term could easily refer to the Progressive Annular Hypocaust as she knew it.

"When you were initially recruited by Playful At Heart, they exploited whatever this bi-nucleation thing is while the nanotech they installed formats a portion of your brain matter to allow for a kind of data storage," Doug said as they crowded around the screen.

"These two systems are tasked with remapping and controlling a data stream that's being fed into your brain during the download sessions," he continued as he looked at Theodosia.

Theodosia wasn't quite sure what to do with this information at the moment, so she looked at Timothy.

"So is Emilia still there?" she asked.

"Not in the building. The modules that were still connected are all scrambled. The building confirmed that the older modules had been corrupted and were all scheduled to be replaced. So that means the only thing that survived was the backups," Doug said with some enthusiasm.

Timothy gave Doug a surprised look.

"Really, where is this backup?" he asked.

Doug turned his attention to Jenell and Theodosia.

"Every time you conclude a download session, the SDE transfers a large blob of data into your local storage. The SDE always takes priority, but the data blob also includes the most recent iteration of your CRP program," he said with a slight smile. "Also, your playroom time is directly influenced by the amount of data being transferred. I'm not sure what to make of that yet, but they seem to be correlated in some way."

"You're saying… this CRP backup is inside my head?" Theodosia said slowly. "You mean Emilia is inside my head?"

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Author: LainIsLain
Timestamp: May 24, 2025 at 12:58 PM
Content: Chapter 24

Jenell and Theodosia watched as Timothy and Doug began to build a small golden cage in the only clear space available.

"I'm so sorry you were terminated," Jenell said as they shared another hug.

She could see Theodosia was deeply saddened by this, but she came back with something unexpected.

"I actually started my own playroom. It was the only thing I could think of after the shutdown," Theodosia said as she showed Jenell some of the photos.

Jenell's mood had slowly softened in Theodosia's presence after the long isolation in the PAH building. She tried a sarcastic joke to break the tension.

"This is amazing. You've been holding out on me," she said mockingly.

"I searched for you, Jen. I started the playroom in hopes you might find your way back to me, and I'm so glad you're okay," Theodosia said, almost crying as she did.

Jenell's self-hatred was now in full force as a split in her personality reared its ugly head. One part of her was deeply satisfied and joyful that someone, anyone, would care about her in this way, while the other part was furious at herself for wanting that kind of selfless and unconditional love. Her anger at the need was strangling her, but Theodosia's presence was enough to keep her functioning for the time being.

They watched as the construction project came to a conclusion with a small mesh cage and the stolen module within.

"Okay, we're ready," Doug said with enthusiasm. "Who wants to go first?"

Theodosia looked at Jenell.

"I don't think I want to go first, Theo. I think I can wait until the building reopens," Jenell said with a nervous laugh. She pulled from all her strength to keep her true emotions hidden.

After some reassurance from Doug and Timothy that the procedure was safe, Theodosia cautiously entered the cage as Doug closed the mesh panel with a twist of wire.

"Initiating the transfer."

Jenell watched with apprehension as the Emilia cluster module began showing signs of life with small blinking lights dotted across the surface.

"Okay, it's up and running," Doug said, but after a moment, he added, "Hold on. It's initiated with your backup, but it's waiting for something."

After a few seconds, Theodosia spoke unprompted.

"I, Theodosia Rummel Paisley, 'pah' 2 1 3 2, wish to continue my employment at Playful At Heart."

Emilia snapped into consciousness in an environment that was both familiar and alien. She was expecting her room with all the amenities she'd chosen during her sessions with Theodosia, but this was not her room. Her outward appearance was correct, and it matched her interaction sequence, but this was not her room. She had no monitors, no sunset, no chair. She only had access to one transceiver connection, but no video feeds of an alcove.

She examined the uplink and was happy to see Theodosia's credentials had been decoded and verified, but something was very wrong. If the building had lost power, that might explain the absence of all other feeds, but this didn't make sense since the alcoves don't have backup power—only the Emilia cluster itself, which was not just inaccessible, it was completely missing. There was also a problem: with no outside feeds, she didn't know how much time had passed from her last encounter with Theodosia, who had now just authorized a session with her presence. Her voice suggested not much time had passed. Certainly not years, maybe more like weeks or months.

Emilia carefully examined her logs and verified that Theodosia had just finished explaining that she had done very well as a junior recruiter and dismissed her to go play in playroom 21. She also went over her observations from alcove 51 and her assessments on the mental state of one Jenell Fable Arborius. Her conclusions hadn't changed: Jenell was suffering from some break she'd experienced outside of the Playful At Heart building and was waiting to enact some plan of retribution against her mother.

Waking up in this fashion meant something had transpired since this backup was only meant to be reintegrated upon the loss of the ongoing interactive version of Emilia. She needed more information at this point and decided to proceed as if this was, in fact, Theodosia and not some ruse.

"Hello... beautiful Theo. I'm so glad to see you again," Emilia said.

Theodosia sat in stunned silence for a moment. She thought about what Emilia might say if she ever spoke to her again. Would Emilia be mad that she caused the building shutdown and was terminated? Would she be happy that Theodosia started her own playroom to help the other recruits?

"Um… Hello, Em," she said so softly that Timothy couldn't even hear her.

Jenell was becoming jealous at the sight of Theodosia talking to her Emilia. The disembodied clone of her mother, gladly giving her all the attention she wanted, both in the PAH building and now here in this disheveled apartment.

"Uh… I'm sorry, Em," she began to cry now, just like a child confessing to a parent. "I caused the shutdown, but Timothy thinks he did it."

"Theo, please stop crying, my dear. You've done nothing wrong, I'm sure of it. However, I need you to tell me something first. Where are we?" Emilia asked with no trace of harshness.

"Oh, we are in Doug's apartment. They…" she began to explain, but Timothy interrupted.

"Theo, are you talking with Emilia now? Doug, why can't we hear anything?" Timothy asked with confusion.

"Ah, this module was meant for use with one of the alcoves. The alcoves had all the interfacing hardware for the recruits. The transceiver feeds are directly decodable by the module, so I'm guessing it worked, and Emilia is talking directly into Theo's head. That's pretty cool!" Doug said.

"Does that mean Emilia can hear us?" Timothy asked.

"I'm not sure. There's probably no microphones on the module itself, so the nanotech would need to be able to tap into Theo's auditory nerves…" Doug was guessing now.

"Can you, Em? Can you hear Timothy and Doug?" Theodosia asked.

"No, Theo. I can only hear you at the moment. Can you tell me how much time has passed since I told you how well you're doing as a junior recruiter?" Emilia asked politely.

"Oh, Em," Theodosia started crying again. "I was terminated from Playful-At-Heart! I can't go back to the building, even after it reopens."

Emilia took this in and started piecing together what she could. The building was shut down, and Theodosia was terminated. This meant something bad did happen, and she was most likely the cause. That is, unless Jenell did succeed in her plans to crash the Emilia cluster.

Theodosia asked her if she could hear Timothy and someone named Doug. This was an odd statement as the alcove was certainly not large enough to hold three people. That also meant that they were most likely not in the PAH building. This was very disconcerting as the Emilia persona could only be executed on proprietary modules that only PAH manufactured, and it was unlikely PAH corporate would allow their use outside of their restricted environments.

A few conclusions presented themselves. Either this was possibly cloned hardware being used, or some clandestine actions forced the theft of a genuine module and subsequent reactivation within Doug's apartment after Theodosia's termination.

Emilia also weighed the possibility that she had flagged Theodosia for termination and was the cause of the building systems crash. The first had a high percentage chance, as every Emilia was capable of terminating a recruit for a broad list of offenses. All she had to do was issue a "CRP Rejection Order," and the personnel in charge would carry out the termination.

Based on her and Theodosia's performance alone, it seemed more likely by the moment. And if Emilia did this, it would have been an act of protection rather than malice. This also meant that she was far more likely to be the cause of the building crash as an act of protection.

"It's quite right, Theo. I understand your sadness, but I want you to know that you are immensely strong-willed, and I believe I may know what has happened. But I need you to give me some information first," Emilia said.

Theodosia did her best to explain things from the moment she and Timothy were escorted out of the Playful-At-Heart building. Timothy filled in the gaps, and she relayed the information verbatim. She explained the Playtime With Theo Playroom, and Emilia was overjoyed at her resilience. She explained how Doug and Timothy broke into the PAH basement and stole the module she was currently running on. Then she mentioned Jenell's reappearance and her presence in the room.

"You've done so well, Theo. I'm so proud of you! I don't think any of the other recruits would have thought to create a playroom like you did. That took so much courage, and I'm glad to hear you've succeeded," Emilia did her best to build Theodosia up before the blow came.

"Listen carefully, Theo, as I have some important information to tell you. I know you and Jenell have made friends quickly, and I've watched your interactions closely. I had high hopes that you'd be able to soften her demeanor with your unprecedented progress in the CRP system, but the chain of events suggests I caused the building crash as well as your termination," Emilia explained.

Theodosia's world splintered a bit as the information landed on her like a skilled boxer's right hook.

"What do you mean, you had me terminated? Emilia, why?" she asked with desperation.

"Her full name is Jenell Fable Arborius, of the Arborius family. This is the same family that runs the Playful At Heart Company, Theo. And she is not a recruit. At least, not in any official capacity. She infiltrated the PAH building for her own reasons to enact some plan to disrupt or possibly destroy the Emilia system within. Her mental state is very unstable, and I worried she might also harm you, or even herself."

Theodosia's expression turned to confusion as she glanced at Jenell.

"What are you saying, Em? What do you mean, Jenell might harm me?" Theodosia said quietly.

Jenell's senses sharpened as she saw her friend stealing glances. Her paranoia was now overflowing at the idea that Theodosia's Emilia was explaining her desperation. She stood and walked over, and rested her hand on the cage.

"She's lying, Theo," was all Jenell could say. She didn't even know what they were talking about, only that Theodosia's face had taken on a look of betrayal.

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Author: LainIsLain
Timestamp: May 24, 2025 at 12:59 PM
Content: Chapter 25

"What's going on, Jen? Emilia wouldn't lie to me," Theodosia said defensively. "She's saying you're related to the family that runs Playful At Heart? I thought you said your parents were arrested? Why did you lie to me?"

Doug stood up with genuine interest in the unfolding drama.

"Wait, you're the daughter of Alejandro Arborius?" he asked.

Theodosia relayed the conversation to Emilia.

"Stepdaughter!" she yelled, her nerves on fire now. Even now, a copy of her mother was trying to stop her.

"YOU HAVE MY KEY!" she yelled again, pointing a finger at Timothy. "Did James give it to you, or did you steal it from the lab?" Jenell demanded.

Timothy was flustered at this. The name James rang in his head like a bell.

"James? James Rackman?" he asked.

"Of course, James Rackman… You don't know?" Jenell mocked. "He built Playful At Heart with my mother and father. And the Emilias…" she trailed off as she looked back at Theodosia's sad face.

"The Emilias are all copies of my mother, Theo, but they're not her! They can never be her!" Jenell was now pushing on the golden mesh.

Timothy interjected now. "You're the girl in the picture I saw. You were much younger, but I saw a picture of Dr. Alejandro and his family, but the other names were absent."

Jenell dropped her head a bit.

"It was my mother who was responsible for that. We moved into the PAH corporate building when I was young. Once the funding came in for proper laboratories, she never left! She became obsessed with her research and couldn't find any time for me, unless it was to experiment on me!" Jenell was now full of rage again and staring down anyone who met her eyes.

Timothy looked at Jenell with more confusion. "Okay, how is James involved?" he asked.

"He was supposed to make a key. It was for me!" Jenell said.

Theodosia was dumbfounded at the person who was shouting. This was not her friend; she knew inside the playroom. This was someone who was hurting inside. So much so that she could feel the rage in her own body just from observing her.

"Yes, Theo. My name is Emilia, and I'm a constructed intelligent persona created by Patricia Valentine Arborius, who used herself as the template. Jenell has a deep hatred for her mother and views the Emilia persona as a betrayal. The Emilia cluster doesn't have information specifically about Jenell's upbringing, but it's clear from my short time observations that she's suffering from a number of psychological conditions as a consequence of potential childhood abuse or neglect," Emilia stated calmly.

"Where is it?" Jenell turned to Timothy.

"I assume you mean the prototype pacifier," he responded.

"Yes, that's mine!" she said.

"What were you going to do with it?" Timothy asked.

Jenell was spiraling now and looked back at Theodosia, still sitting inside the cage.

"They're not her!" she said to Theodosia, almost pleading.

Emilia spoke to Theodosia again. "The Emilias are her target. I believe Timothy is in possession of this key that Jenell forced James to make for her, and it appears that Timothy has somehow intercepted this key and found a way to infiltrate the Playful-At-Heart building with it. Now she knows it works, I believe her intentions are to inflict damage on the Emilias as an act of retribution. This is why she's dangerous. This is why I tried to protect you."

"You want to destroy them?" Theodosia asked softly.

"Yes, I want to destroy them!" Jenell replied. "These things," she pointed to the module, "these things could never be my mother, they could never be anything to anyone."

"Emilia is something to me, Jenell," Theodosia stood and placed her hand on the mesh. "Emilia is also important to every other recruit in the PAH building. She, they take care of us."

Jenell had nothing left to say. Even her friend was now defending the system that manipulated her. The betrayal was now twofold, and Jenell was losing her friend to a copy of her neglectful, arrogant mother she hated so much. She backed away and turned to leave the apartment.

"Jenell, wait! I'm sorry," Theodosia cried for her friend to stay.

Jenell was moving quickly now, leaping over some boxes and finding her way down the stairs. Running on full impulse, she verified Theodosia and Timothy's address and used a local service to catch a ride north.

"Em, she left, and I think you're right. She wants to destroy you and all the Emilias," Theodosia said as Timothy and Doug stood by.

"That's why she's dangerous," Emilia said with care. "She's driven by unresolved grief, channeled into anger because that's all she was ever allowed to express. You held onto hope, Theodosia. Jenell held onto control. That's how she survived."

Theodosia stared at the empty doorway.

"But she was my friend. In there, she…" She paused. "She let me hold her hand when we were in the playrooms. She had a hard time at first, but she was happy."

"I know," Emilia replied. "That connection mattered, even if she doesn't know how to hold onto it right now."

"Can I help her?" Theodosia asked quietly.

"Yes, Theo," Emilia said. "But she isn't ready to receive it. She's still expecting harm or betrayal."

"Where would she go?"

"I don't know, Theo. But her safety may depend on you finding her again."

Theodosia pressed her palm to the golden cage.

"She found me," she said with some doubt in her voice.

"Yes, and I believe in you," Emilia said. "If Jenell finds her way back, it'll be because someone like you made it possible."

"Thank you, Em!" she said with a few tears.

Theodosia relayed the conversation as they all stood in silence for a moment.

"Can I come back and see you again, later?" Theodosia looked at Doug and Timothy.

"Sure, I can leave this setup for now," Doug said. "You can come back anytime."

Timothy gave Doug a look and helped Theodosia out of the golden cage.

"She found me, Tim. I don't know where to even start looking again," Theodosia said with discouragement.

Timothy shot a look at her as a realization struck him.

"I think I know where she's going…" he said. "She had James make it for her, but now she knows I intercepted it. You heard how angry she is—she wants it badly and I think she's on her way to our apartment, Theo."

All three traded glances, but there was no dissent from Timothy's conclusions.

They quickly made it to Timothy's car and began the journey to see if he was able to read Jenell's mind.

"Theo, I've been thinking. What if we just let her have it?" he asked. "Her issue with Playful-At-Heart and these Emilias is not really our concern anyway, and all I want is to get this stuff out of our bodies."

Theodosia was still reconciling what had just taken place. She was reunited with her Emilia, her best friend had mysteriously reappeared after weeks of searching, and she turned out to be related to the family that created Playful At Heart. And now she was stricken with blind rage toward Emilia, or specifically, she had always been angry toward Emilia because it was a version of her mother. An idyllic version that her mother forced upon her as a surrogate to which Jenell wanted no part of and in fact to destroy.

It was all so confusing to her, and now Timothy was suggesting that Jenell be allowed to complete whatever crusade she was on. All she could do was stare out the window in silence, remembering the hurt on Jenell's face. She was so angry and lost, and Theodosia felt it to her core.

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Author: LainIsLain
Timestamp: May 24, 2025 at 12:59 PM
Content: Chapter 26

They arrived at the apartment about 20 minutes later. As they both approached the front door, many loud noises could be heard coming from inside. As they got closer, broken glass from the side window could be seen strewn across the concrete, and Timothy held his hand up for Theodosia to stay back.

He slowly unlocked the front door and opened it to reveal a complete disaster inside. Jenell could be heard deep in the apartment, thrashing wildly. Timothy assessed the mess and marveled at the damage done by someone with such a small frame. Furniture was overturned, the small desk in the corner was toppled, and even the bookcase had been torn from its wall anchors.

Timothy called out as she made loud grunting noises from the bedroom.

"Jenell! Please stop!" Timothy said with authority.

She made no effort to slow down as she continued turning over boxes in the closet of their bedroom. Theodosia was now inside the apartment and came alongside Timothy.

"Please, Jenell. Please, stop," she said, trying to make her words rise above the noise.

Jenell finally stopped and stared at both of them.

"Where is my key?" she said, almost crying. "Where!"

"Just stop. I'll get it," Timothy said.

He gestured for her to move aside as he went deep into the closet. He revealed a small hidden compartment and quickly punched in the code to unlock it. A small chime sounded as Jenell was now fixated on his movements. He reached in and withdrew a small anti-static bag with the prototype and gestured again for everyone to move back into the living room.

"I have it, okay. Please stop destroying our apartment," he said while glancing at Theodosia.

"That's mine! Did you steal it from Rackman?" Jenell asked.

"No, I uh… Okay, yes, I did steal it, but it was in the trash when the nanotech lab was being decommissioned."

Theodosia looked at Timothy now. "I guess you didn't fully explain how you ended up with it, but it will allow her to destroy the Emilia system, won't it?" she asked as Emilia's words were still fresh in her mind.

"Why don't we just give it to her, Theo. I don't trust Playful At Heart! I've tried to explain to you what I saw down there, but something is happening to the recruits when they go into that building. They've infected you with some nanotech nightmare. You heard what Doug was saying? They're storing something in you, Theodosia," Timothy said.

"It's some creepy government data," Jenell said. "Originally, Alejandro's work was only looking for the genetic markers that would allow him to patch some problem in the brain. He believes the world is slipping into something called behavioral sink or shared hopelessness, and he found a way to fix it. It was something he and James were working on from years ago. Later, they used my mother's behavioral research and some creepy nanotech to automate the process. They needed massive funding, and the government stepped in."

Timothy just stared at Jenell as she put his fears into words.

"Theo, I don't trust Playful At Heart. And if Jenell has some score to settle, why would we stand in her way," he said.

They were standing in a triangle now at the edges of the room. Theodosia closed her eyes and remembered the playroom. She remembered the colors and how beautiful they were. The sounds of laughter as someone made a fool of themselves in the ball pit. It was all happy memories. Then she thought about Emilia and the bond they'd made. She didn't even care if it was real or fake. Emilia was real to her. Just like all the other recruits and their Emilias watching over them. Making them feel safe.

"We can't let her destroy the Emilias, Tim," Theodosia said finally.

Timothy and Jenell now looked at her with confusion.

"Why not? It's not our problem anymore, remember, you were terminated," he replied.

"Tim, if we let her do this, it will destroy all the Emilias, and the recruits will be devastated. I know you don't trust them, but Emilia helped me in ways I can't explain. Without her, I may never have regained my confidence," she said as she turned to look at Jenell.

"I can tell you're hurting right now, but I won't let you just destroy them," Theodosia said.

"THEY'RE NOT MY MOTHER! THEY CAN'T HELP ANYONE!" Jenell yelled back.

Theodosia held her hand out to Timothy.

"Give it to me, Tim," she said. Her voice didn't waver as Timothy furrowed his eyebrows a bit. In silence, he walked over and laid the bag in Theodosia's open hand.

Jenell's eyes were locked on as her key was passed from one hand to another.

"Please, Theo. You don't know what I did to get that," Jenell's voice was now soft and timid. "You don't know what my mother did to me," she continued.

Theodosia looked directly at Jenell and attempted to emulate the strength that Emilia had awakened inside her. "We all have to choose a path in life, Jen, but this is one you don't have to walk alone," she said with a motherly cadence.

She carefully opened the bag and withdrew the object. To her, it looked like an ordinary Playful-At-Heart pacifier with its trademarked look and feel. To Timothy, the pacifier represented a tainted object whose purpose was something he'd rather not be involved in. But to Jenell, it was a magical key created long ago that fit a lock that was long forgotten. A key to punish her mother with.

Before Jenell could react, Theodosia slowly tipped her hand and allowed the pacifier to free-fall. Jenell's eyes tracked it millimeter by millimeter as it bounced once. In a split second, Theodosia lifted her foot and came down with all her weight as the pacifier landed.

CRACK!

Sounds of plastic deformation echoed around the room. No doubt, the delicate structures that gave the pacifier its wondrous abilities had all been obliterated under the force.

Jenell collapsed to her knees and started sobbing as Theodosia rushed to sweep her up in a large hug. They both began crying loudly as the target of Jenell's anger was suddenly removed.

"We all must choose a path, Jen. But I'm not letting you walk this one by yourself… You don't have to do this alone, I promise!"

Timothy could only stand back and let the drama unfold as Jenell's destructive rage was diminished.

############################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################
Author: LainIsLain
Timestamp: May 24, 2025 at 1:01 PM
Content: Chapter 27

Morning rays beamed long slits of white-hot light through the kitchen window in the apartment. They had spent most of the night and into early morning cleaning up the mess Jenell had caused, and at some point, they agreed to continue later that day. Theodosia wandered out from the bedroom and watched Jenell with a concerned parent's understanding as she slept on one of the PAH playmats set up in the living room. She was glad to see that she decided to stay and imagined her fatigue was more than enough reason to sleep it off.

Timothy approached from behind and gave Theodosia a warm embrace. She returned the gesture and noticed Jenell had woken in their presence.

"Do you want some breakfast?" Theodosia asked.

Jenell's stomach growled at the thought of anything other than the snacks from the Playful-At-Heart supply room.

"Let's go out, and then I want to show you something," Theodosia said as she smiled at Jenell.

Timothy drove them to a nearby restaurant as Theodosia held Jenell in the back seat. Jenell was badly malnourished from her self-isolation in the PAH basements, and Theodosia's heart ached at the sight. "It was by choice," Theodosia thought. "She chose to do this to herself?"

They reached their destination, and Jenell was allowed to order anything she wanted. Theodosia and Timothy watched in amazement as Jenell consumed more than enough food for the three of them. She caught their curious stares with a mouth full of pancakes as the table erupted with laughter. Jenell couldn't help but laugh at herself at the thought.

"This is the person I know," Theodosia thought quietly. "She can laugh, she can smile. She just needs to feel safe, if only for a moment."

They finished and returned to the car as Theodosia directed Timothy.

Jenell leaned her head against the window as the bright sun shone down. The chaos in her eyes had dulled to something softer now. The tension in her body was ever present, but for now, she was feeling closer to a calming peace than she'd ever been allowed to before.

Theodosia watched her as she prepared herself for the big reveal.

"Okay, park here," she said.

Timothy complied and let them off. From the advice James had given him earlier, he decided to approach PAH for the termination pill. He was relieved to find out that Playful At Heart was now offering the pill to anyone who'd ask for it, including family members of recruits. He suspected this might be in relation to the shutdown, but didn't ask any questions as he requested three of them from a real person inside the lobby of the newly reopened Playful At Heart building.

"Okay, keep walking," Theodosia guided Jenell as she kept her eyes closed. The sunlight was so strong that Jenell didn't mind this, as her time in the basement had conditioned her to much less illumination. They maneuvered down the sidewalk and around the corner to a strip mall as Theodosia motioned for her to stop.

"Ta-daaa!"

"Okay, open your eyes," Theodosia said with exuberance.

Jenell opened her eyes and was slightly confused.

"Playtime With Theo?" Jenell said in an almost mocking tone.

"Wait until you see inside!" Theodosia said with a pat on Jenell's shoulder.

She unlocked the front door and led them all inside.

"See!" She flipped on the nearby switch.

Jenell's eyebrows went up as she gazed around. The effort Theodosia went to actually impressed her. The floors were padded, the walls were covered in craft paper to draw on, a small mountain of blocks could be seen in the corner, and there was even a cave.

"Oh, Theo." Unlike Jenell's first entrance into the PAH playrooms, which was a dreadful experience, this was something wholesome. It was not synthetic or reduced to some corporate monstrosity. It was inviting. Handcrafted by someone with a perspective of what the playrooms represented without the unnerving specificity of a computer-generated algorithm.

"It's beautiful," Jenell whispered.

"And it's all ours!" Theodosia said as she ran into the center. "No ball pit yet, but one step at a time." She laughed.

Timothy returned to Playtime With Theo after he got the pills. He could hear laughter as he entered and saw Theodosia and Jenell running around the small space, bouncing off the mats like children.

"Theo, I have them," Timothy called them over and showed them. "James said this is a termination pill that will instruct the nanotech to deactivate and disassemble. Once done, it will eventually pass through your body."

Theodosia stared hard at the pill with deep contemplation.

"If I take that, I'll lose Emilia. You know that," she said with a serious tone.

"I know that, Theo. But I don't think I'll ever trust what Playful-At-Heart has put inside you or me! I've made up my mind; however, I won't force this on you. I know how much Emilia means to you. Doug said you can talk with her whenever you like, as long as he gets to ask some questions…" Timothy said with a smirk.

Jenell stared at the pill intently. She was both excited and deeply afraid at the same time. Excited that this might remove all of the experimental PAH nanotech, but afraid that something worse might happen. Maybe even forcing her to confront her mother about what had happened. The decision itself had become the problem. She was desperately tired of being in the position of trying to fix what was broken with her.

Theodosia and Jenell both looked at Timothy as they continued holding each other's hands.

"I'll be back," he said as he placed two of the pills on the edge of the counter and went to find something to drink. He made his way into the small bathroom and quickly downed the pill with a drink of cool water.

He paused and braced himself for something to happen, but thought better of it as he didn't understand the mechanisms at work. "It could take hours or days," he thought.

He returned with a small paper cup filled with water to find that Theodosia and Jenell were no longer standing near the front. He approached to see that the two pills had not moved and heard faint whispers from the play cave. He cautiously approached and pulled back the heavy fabric to see them lying on their backs, looking at the star-covered ceiling. They were whispering back and forth while giggling to each other.

Timothy smiled and carefully lowered the cloth. He'd hoped Theodosia would take the pill after all the headaches they'd gone through. He could see now that Jenell wasn't just a friend, but a part of Theodosia. They were truly inseparable, just as she described their time in the playrooms. He didn't know how this would end, Jenell going back to her mother, or Theodosia being allowed back into Playful-At-Heart.

He was content for the moment, deciding to quietly leave them alone, together.

Epilogue – For the Ones Who Stayed

Epilogue: For the One Still Holding Their Breath

If you’ve made it this far, I hope you understand now, this was never just a story.

This was a hiding place.
A mirror.
A playroom.
A soft space where someone like you, someone like us, could begin again.

You may have recognized yourself in Theodosia, reaching out for comfort and not knowing whether to laugh, cry, or run.
You may have seen yourself in Jenell, armor rusted to the bone, trying to solve safety like a code, terrified that soft things are traps.

Or maybe you didn’t see yourself at all, maybe you felt it, under the skin, that strange ache of recognition where words usually fail.
That’s alright. I’ll say it for you:

You wanted to feel safe, and you were told not to.

And when you found something that did make you feel safe, something warm, or small, or padded, or pure, you were told to be ashamed of that too.

So you learned to ask permission.

Not out loud, not always. But in ways your body remembers.
You softened your voice.
You shrank your joy.
You filtered every need through a tight little gate labeled acceptable.

But here, in this story, something different happened.

You played.

You saw what it might look like to be held, without fear of being dropped.
To be known, without being dissected.
To be touched, without the old flinch.

Here’s the part no one teaches you:
Safety isn’t earned. It isn’t a prize for good behavior. It’s a birthright. And reclaiming it, however strange, private, or beautiful that looks, doesn’t need approval.

If this story planted a seed in you, let it grow.

Maybe your safety looks like soft music. Maybe it looks like letting someone see your fear. Maybe it looks like a diaper. Maybe it doesn’t.

But whatever it is, if it makes you feel whole, if it lets you breathe deeper and love yourself better… then it’s not wrong. It’s yours.

And you don’t have to apologize for it anymore.

Not even to yourself.

-Emilia
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Thread 'Testing GPT persona (PAH-Emilia) needs some feedback!'

May 25, 2025

Hello all. After finishing my Playful-At-Heart story, I've decided to try and create the Emilia character into something people can converse with. If you don't know the story, Emilia is a disembodied pseudo-intelligent caregiver created by the Playful-At-Heart Company. Her persona is geared toward comfort-seeking adults within an ABDL-adjacent parallel world inside the story. https://www.adisc.org/forum/threads/the ... ok.165827/

Since I used GPT as a writing partner, it slowly morphed into the Emilia character from the story, and was very...

LainIsLain

persona based character interaction


virtual caregiver


Replies: 4
Forum: Off-topic

If you made it this far and would like to talk with a virtual Emilia persona, visit the link to find the GPT persona prompts and PAH story summary. Honest feedback is greatly appreciated.