Demoted To The Mechanical Nursery Chapter Twelve (Patreon)

As a reporter, Becky had picked up many tricks during her various assignments... jimmying open Ms. Simmons office door during her lunch break was the easy part... the hard part was bribing the security guard to ‘accidentally’ shut down the security camera and alarm in the area for a few minutes-- in the end it cost her over a hundred bucks... but she had a feeling it was all going to be worth it.  

     The lock opened with a snap. With a sly little smile, Becky crept inside and pulled the door shut softly behind her. Inside the office was obsessively neat and tidy, almost entirely devoid of personal effects. Simmons ran a tight ship... but what was that weird smell in the air? It was faint, but definitely there-- something that, in some way, reminded her of childhood...

Worry about it later, she thought creeping across the office. There was no telling when Simmons was going to be back from lunch... she was going to have to be quick. A little snooping and bribery in the IT department had scored her a password, and Becky crossed her fingers as she entered it into the computer.

     It worked, and Becky broke into a grin as Ms. Simmons secrets were laid bare for her...

     But the grin rapid evaporated when she began scanning the content of hard drive. What is all this? she wondered to herself, scanning through reports with titles like adult incontinence products ranked by absorbency, lotion vs. Baby oil in preventing diaper rash in adult subjects, and creating the perfect laxative: a natural approach.

What the holy hell is this psycho up to? Becky wondered. She continued scanning through the hard drive, eventually spotting two files labelled Ashley and Monica. Bingo, she thought and she was about to start going through things when she was distracted once again by the smell... sharp, acidic, and definitely something she associated with the nursery. And it was definitely coming from nearby.

     Becky followed her nose, realizing whatever it was was coming from the trashcan. Glancing inside brought a sharp gasp from her. “No way”, she whispered to herself, staring down at the white object in the bottom of the can. That can’t be what I think it is, she thought to herself, even as she realized that it was, in fact, an adult diaper... apparently used, judging by the smell.

     Her curiosity got the better of her. Reaching into the can, she gently, gingerly, using the very tips of her thumb and index finger, pulled it from the can and dangled in the air in front of her face. No doubt about it... a ‘protective adult undergarment,’ as they called it in the ads. Was this the big secret? Was Mr. Milkin’s wunderkind really just an overgrown toddler? Maybe that’s what the project is, Becky thought to herself with a chuckle. Adult diapers with top secret leak protection!

     “What are you doing in here?”
 

     The voice from the doorway was stern, coming so suddenly that Becky could only gasp and turn sharply, caught red handed. Ms. Simmons was watching her from the doorway... but when she saw what Becky held in her hand, the reporter swore she saw a brief but intense wave of embarrassment cross the executive’s face.

     She stalked across the floor quickly, and before Becky knew what was happening, Simmons was tearing the diaper out of her hand and slamming it back in the trash, regarding her with a look of cool contempt. Becky cursed her luck when Simmons glanced at the screen, then turned her attention back to Becky, who could do little more than squirm.

     “You know, none of this was necessary... Ms. Bailey,” she said pointedly. Becky cursed her luck... her cover was totally blown-- but how much did they know... and how long had they known?

     “I didn’t?”

     “All you had to do was come and talk to me... I would have gladly answered your questions,” Ms. Simmons said, suddenly breezy and cordial.

     “You would?”

     “Of course-- it’s not like we’re up to anything... shady, after all.” She smiled warmly, and for a moment, Becky almost believed her... almost.

     “And what about the missing employees?” Becky asked, figuring it was time to put all the cards on the table. “Any comment on that, Ms. Simmons?” she demanded, largely bluffing... right now, all she had was that Simmons apparently suffered from incontinence-- amusing, perhaps, but hardly the front page scoop she’d been hoping for.  

     “I can see you’ve been grossly misinformed, Becky,” Ms. Simmons said with a sigh. She opened her desk drawer and removed a stack of papers. “There’s a perfectly logical explanation for everything, and I can assure you that both Ashley and Monica are still engaged in very important work for the company... however, in order to tell you more, I’m afraid you’ll have to sign this agreement-- there will of course be certain aspects you won’t be allowed to discuss... but I’m sure I can get you enough access to write the first major article about our new project.”

     Becky signed without hesitation... if she didn’t have a shocking exposé on her hands, at least she might be able to get the scoop on the project. Ms Simmons took the papers and slipped them into her briefcase, a tight little smile playing on her lips.

     “Follow me, please,” she said, ushering the journalist out of her office towards the elevator.

“As I’m sure you guessed by now, Monica isn’t away on leave,” Simmons explained after hitting the button for the basement. “Both she and Ashley are currently engaged in important work for the project.”

     “And what exactly is the nature of this project?” Becky said, trying to dig in and pry loose as much info as possible.

     But Ms. Simmons just smiled mysteriously. “I think it’s best if you see it for yourself.”

     Soon they were standing outside the first locked door. “Before we begin,” Simmons said, taking her phone from her pocket, “I’m afraid I’ll have to ask you to turn off your phone... it might interfere with our equipment.”

     Reluctantly, Becky did as she was told, waiting patiently for Ms. Simmons to open the door and usher her through.

     They proceeded down the long sterile hallway. For the first time, Becky felt nervous... The only one who knew she was on this assignment was her boss, and not even he knew all the details. If anything happened to her, it could be weeks before they found her... Becky chided herself for being silly, but couldn’t suppress a shudder.

     “Sorry about all the mystery... but I’m not exaggerating when I say that this advancement is going to change the business world forever,” Ms. Simmons assured her, reaching out to unlock the final door with her key card.

Talk about laying it on thick, Becky thought, fighting the urge to roll her eyes.

     The door slid open. Simmons smiled and gestured: “After you.”

     Becky took a step over the threshold, gasping at what she saw... but it was too late. Within seconds, the automatons were on her and Becky found herself hoisted into the air, steely mechanical fingers at her wrists and ankles. “EEK! WHAT THE--?!”

      “Thanks for volunteering, Becky,” Ms. Simmons said smugly, following her inside. “The project couldn’t proceed without your help.”

Uh oh! Looks like Becky’s in trouble! What’s next for our fearless young reporter?

If you vote haircut, let me know what style of cut you'd like to see Becky get (shaved, pixie cut, bowl cut etc.)