Like Lab Rats Ch. 01

What had seemed like a wall panel in the room lit up with a red glow and slowly pivoted to the side, revealing itself to be a hidden door, and a general commotion broke out in the room.

"Fifty bucks? Seriously?" someone shouted. "Fuck this, I'm outta here." I looked for the voice, and saw a tall guy in a basketball jersey start making his way towards the door. Another guy who must have been his friend grabbed his arm, saying "Whoah Mike, come on a second..."

Similar conversations seemed to be playing out around the room. Had we been given a bait and switch? I got nervous, but Adrian tapped my shoulder and pointed forward to the screen. It had a column of text. The top said $50, the consolation prize that had just been announced. Underneath it, the word "UNDISCLOSED" was repeated a bunch of times, before the final column showed "$10,000."

"Ten levels," Adrian whispered to me. "That's all we gotta do. As long as there's nothing weird going on, just keep doing tasks."

"You really think it's legit?" I asked. We had no idea if there were actually only ten levels, it could be 100, and each could only pay out $1 more. "This whole thing could be a giant scam."

Adrian just shrugged. "What've we got to lose? Fifty bucks? And potentially a whole bunch to gain? I bet it would be illegal to run the study if you couldn't actually get the big prize."

I considered what he had to say. What did I have to lose? The commotion seemed to be dying down in the room. I'd noticed three or four people walk out, although the guy apparently named Mike in the basketball jersey eventually stayed. As if it had planned for an uproar, the screen seemed to have paused the orientation, but soon continued.

"our system notices that there have been four participants who have decided to exit the study. they will be reunited with the remainder of participants in twenty four hours. for the rest of you who stayed, you will be rewarded with your first points of the study."

[> study.starts]

[> intake_path_assigned]

I felt my wrist vibrate, and the sound of a chime played out on my watch and across the room. I looked and saw my points total had increased by 100, and the bar tracking my progress to Level 2 had advanced a tiny way. A few people chuckled. A test of the faithful? If points were all this easy, the study should be a breeze.

"and now we will begin the study proper," announced the voice, as more of the while panels around the room started glowing around the edges, this time a variety of shades, and each now with an image of a shape projected above it.

"your watch will direct you to a semi-private preparation cubicle. please follow the instructions and the study will now begin."

With that, the video disappeared, and the lights in the room came back on. I looked down at my watch, which had turned orange with a circle in the center. Peeking around the room, I did notice the orange door with a circle on top. I spied Adrian's watch next to me: the same symbol.

"Phew," I said, pointing at his wrist. "Wonder if that means we'll get to hang out a little bit longer."

"Guess it does!" he laughed, clapping me on the back.

The guys in the room shuffled toward their assigned doors. The orange door opened to a long hallway, with more doors running down either side. After passing through, my watch buzzed again, now showing the digits "043." Adrian flashed me his watch, which showed the same.

"Door number?" we both hypothesized at the same time.

Looking slightly lost, like everyone else I passed, I eventually found the door with the matching label. I tried pushing, but it seemed locked. However, trying again with my right hand, and my watch, led to a chime, and the door sliding aside. I guess that thing was going to become our keys through this labyrinth.

[> participant.move : INTAKE_1_VITALS]

As the door slid shut, Adrian & I found ourselves in the smallest room we'd seen in the building. About the side of a cubicle with a ceiling maybe 10 feet high, it felt claustrophobic. Still all white, there was a small bench to sit on, across from the now familiar teal glow of a screen, so the move seemed to be to sit down. The lights were darker here too, less blindingly institutional. Like we were in a more private space. After the large auditorium-like orientation room, this one felt starkly intimate.

"thank you...ryan...and...adrian," the institute's voice announced from a screen, clearly dropping our names into its standard template, confirming we were in the right place. "we will now explain how you are to prepare for this study."

From in front of the screen, two panels swung to the side, revealing small compartments.

"we will begin by collecting some of your vital signs. first, we will calculate your height. please remove your shoes and socks and place them in the compartment below so that we can take an accurate reading. any questions?"

The screen then pointed with arrows to the compartments: Adrian's to the left, mine to the right. It seemed pretty straightforward, so without asking questions, we began.

I followed the system's directions, unlacing my converse and socks, and placing them in the compartment that had opened. Once they were inside, the cracks between two of the tiles on the wall started glowing purple. The skin of my feet made contact with the ground. Like in a doctors office or locker room, making direct contact was suddenly vulnerable. As if I was partway to getting naked.

"thank you for removing your shoes. now, please," the system said, "ryan first, stand with your back against the purple light so we can assess your height.

I did, and heard a low, machine-like whir as I assumed something was calculated.

"height measured at five feet, ten inches," the system responded. Sounded about right to me.

Adrian went next, clocking in at five foot seven.

"thank you both now, we need to calculate your weight. please remove the rest of your clothing and place it in the compartment so we can take an accurate reading. any questions?"

I felt butterflies in my stomach.

"Uh, yeah," I blurted, not sure if the system was able to actually hear what I'd said, but unsure what else to do. "You mean, take off our clothes? Like get naked? Completely? In front of each other? While you watch us?"

Instinctively, I looked to the ceiling to see if there were cameras recording. Adrian and I looked at each other in concern. I didn't know which made me more nervous: being filmed naked by a weird institute, or being naked in front of Adrian. We probably hadn't seen each other naked since we were running around as kids... if ever.

"we appreciate your concern," the system responded. "to provide transparency, there are no cameras at all within this facility. we use only your watch and other measures in our data collection. the nudity in this portion of the study is required for accurate readings, and is only required temporarily. if this makes you uncomfortable, you may choose to leave the study at any time."

At this, the doorway we walked through to enter glowed red, and I clearly understood failing to take my clothes off would mean walking away from the study and any kind of reward. I took a deep breath and decided I'd have to move forward.

"Fuck it dude," Adrian said, as if he'd had the same thought, ripping his shirt over his shoulders. "No use backing out now."

I took off the rest of my clothes, down to my briefs, and placed them in the compartment. I hesitated for a moment before stripping completely down, and the system seemed to know.

"please continue the collection of metrics by placing all your clothing in the open compartment."

Adrian, meanwhile, was already fully undressed, standing with his hands covering his crotch.

"Come on dude, hurry up!" he said. ""It's no big deal."

"Says you," I shot back, pulling my briefs to my ankles, "Running around locker rooms with other guys all day."

After I tossed the briefs into the compartment, the door suddenly slammed shut. I covered my crotch too, and Adrian and I stood totally naked. I purposefully tried to look away from him.

"Oh come on, don't be weird about it," he shot back. "It's just dicks! We've both got 'em!"

As uncomfortable as I felt standing naked in the room, I guessed he had a point. I stopped straining to avert my gaze, as the system instructed Adrian to stand on the glowing tile. Without trying to look that hard, I watched as his athletic frame was weighed. Since we'd been swimming over the summer (the last time I'd seen Adrian without a shirt on), I noticed a small patch of hair had appeared between his pecs, and a trail leading down from his navel.

But that's about as close as I was comfortable looking.

Adrian weighed in at a hundred seventy pounds, and even though I was taller, my lanky frame came in a one thirty two. After weighing, both of our watches buzzed. Without moving my hands from covering myself, I glanced a peek to see that I'd earned more points for completing the weighing exercises.

[> devices: participant measurements recorded]

[> participant measurements paired]

"Alright," I said, "Easy points."

"See?" Adrian responded. "This is all gonna be simple stuff. Get some measurements taken. Maybe a little uncomfortable. Just following directions. That's not hard. We'll get that $10K in no time."

[> participant.move : INTAKE_2_NUTRITION]

A panel in the room swung aside. I'd been hoping we'd get our clothes back, as the Institute system had noted it was a "temporary" measurement, but apparently not yet. We stepped into another room, the smallest so far, maybe no more than six feet to a side. We stood so close that I could feel the heat off Adrian's bare skin. On the opposite side of the tiny room, purple lights circled two bowls embedded in the wall. The system gave us an even more embarrassing task:

To understand our current nutrition levels, we would need to pee into the respective bowls.

Now being a guy, you get used to pissing next to the guy at the urinal next to you. But for some reason, doing it fully naked and ass-to-ass made me feel super self-conscious.

[> nutrition analysis initiated...]

"At least no need to zip up afterward," Adrian said trying to lighten the mood, as our watches buzzed with additional points. I just gave my member a few shakes, and hoped this embarrassing section would end soon.

[> participant.move : INTAKE_3_SANITIZING]

As before, a panel soon swung aside, and we were into the next room, different from any we'd seen before. A pool of water sat in the center of the room, like a swimming pool, but with a gentle ramp getting deeper rather than steps or ladders. It stretched back several dozen yards. The only lights in the room were coming up from the bottom of the pool, giving the space an eerie glow. The ceilings made the whole setup look cavernous, as looking up stretched into a darkness of an unknown height. A large screen on the far side of the pool, nearly as big as a billboard, began playing our next instructions:

"before beginning the study, we need to create an environment completely clean from outside influences, including any oils or other unwelcome solutions you may bring in on your skin. this pool contains a safe cleaning agent that will sanitize your body before entering the 'clean rooms' where our study will begin. please walk forward until your shoulders are barely covered by water but your head is still fully exposed."

I inched forward and dipped my toes into the water: surprisingly warm. Eager to escape the relative chill of the rest of the facility, I inched forward, submerging my body as directed down the gradual slope. Adrian did the same, eventually ending up a few feet behind me.

"very good," the system told us. "please submerge your full head for three seconds under the water to sanitize it. after this, do not return your head to the water. are there any questions?"

We couldn't think of any, so we dunked our heads and came up. A few seconds later, the system continued:

"very good. please wait while we sanitize the rest of your bodies, and pay close attention to the following instructions..."

[> sanitation.activate()]

Before whatever instructions followed, the pool started to fill with jets of bubbles like a hot tub.

"Day at the sauna?" I joked to Adrian, as the volume of the video increased to compensate for the bubbling noise. It now showed a cartoon diagram of a body, and was pointing arrows to certain parts as it continued:

"as previously mentioned, the institute does not contain cameras and will only collect data automatically to ensure accuracy. to assist our automated study, all participants will affix ten sensors to their skin. one on their forehead; one on their chin; one on either wrist; one on either pectoral muscle; one on their pelvis; one on their tailbone; and one on either shin."

As each body part was mentioned, a graphic illustrated where the sensor would go. The bubbles in the pool were starting to tickle, but I tried my best to pay attention to the video.

"note that these are non-invasive sensors and stay on the outer layer of skin. they will adhere for the twenty-four hours of the study, and then be painlessly removed. each sensor monitors basic data such as pulse, blood flow, pressure, proximity, perspiration, and such. any questions?"

[ > sanitation.deactivate() ]

After a minute of pause, the bubbles finally died down, and the next doorway opened on the far side of the room.

"please proceed to the following room," the system said, "where you will dry off, attach the sensors, and reclothe yourself before proceeding. and please be aware, the sanitizing process will have primed your skin to best receive the adhesive sensors. "

The idea that I'd get to finally put some clothes on again and escape the embarrassment made me breathe a sigh of relief, and I looked over to Adrian to share the relief. But when I looked over at him, something didn't look quite right. I couldn't place it immediately. Was it just the low light?

Then it hit me: the chest hair that I'd noted just a minute ago had disappeared.

As had his underarm hair.

I looked down at my own body: I was hairless from the neck down. All my under arm hair had disintegrated. I checked my crotch: perfectly clean.

"Yo, Adrian!" I shouted over. "The water, or the bubbles--they got rid of all our hair!"

Adrian looked down, and started laughing.

"No wonder it tickled!" he shouted back. "I was wondering about that! Must be what the computer meant by getting our skin ready for the sensors."

I saw him nonchalantly bound to the far side of the pool, briefly snagging a peak of his butt as he pulled himself up the far end, before looking away. I briefly looked at my cock, that now looked strange and unfamiliar. But also strangely sexy. The only place I'd seen fully shaved dicks was in porn, now I was staring at one on my own body. I quickly tried to change my thoughts though--couldn't think about porn now. Nothing that risked getting a boner around Adrian.

[ > participant.move : INTAKE_4_SENSOR_PREP ]

The door led to a hallway, warmer than the rest of the facility, with fans blowing the hot air down on Adrian & me. By the time we reached the far end, we'd dried off completely from the pool.

Here, the hallway opened up, and had two glowing plastic humanoid figurines on pedestals. One was lit up blue, the other was purple. My watch started glowing purple, and from the corner of my eye I saw Adrian's glowing blue, and an instruction was projected on the wall in front of us. An illustration demonstrated how we were to peel the sensors off the figurines and place them in a similar position on our own bodies.

The sensors were simpler than I expected: more like thick circular stickers, about the size of a quarter, off-white with a bulge in the middle. We silently peeled the sensors and placed them as instructed all over our body. When each sticker came in contact with my skin, it also started glowing purple, I suppose indicating that it was working.

"Wild," I heard Adrain mutter next to me, seemingly undisturbed by the strangeness of the situation. I tried my best to keep avoiding looking over accidentally. Why's that? Embarrassment at my own nudity? Worrying that he might do the same, and peek at my lanky, vulnerable figure? Worry that even an unintentional glance at his crotch would create an unshakable "Gay" label for the rest of my life?

[> participant vitals paired]

[> uniform_panel.release() ]

I didn't have to worry long, since once I attached the final sensor to my skin, a drawer slid open from the pillar in front of me: inside, two pairs of white underwear. One, a loose-fitting pair of white boxer shorts, and the other, a stretchy pair of trunk briefs. Finally, some decency again!

"thank you for attaching the sensors," came an interruption to my excitement. "for successfully completing instructions, you have earned an additional 100 points."

My wrist gave the now familiar buzz.

"for standardization and sanitation purposes, you will receive your clothes back at the end of the research study," the study voice continued. "we require minimum cloth interruption to our sensors in this study. therefore, you will spend the remainder of the study in our simple uniform. please select one of the garments in front of you, then proceed to the next room."

My stomach lurched. That's all? The rest of the study in just a pair of underwear? I mean, at least it was just other guys. Same thing as changing for gym class, right? I kept psyching myself out of anxiety: it's just for the study. Not like you know anyone here. Just Adrian, and he's clearly cool with it. You're going to be fine. After a few seconds, I was.

Then a decision, the classic debate: boxers, or briefs? Boxers, I reasoned, could be a liability: if brushing the cloth ended up creating...unexpected excitement, I might end up a boner tent with nothing to hide it. On the other hand, if the briefs were too tight, they could end up showing an all-too-detailed outline of what I'm packing...

I decided to steal a quick glance sideways at Adrian, who I could see snapping the elastic waistband of the briefs. Well, maybe they won't be too tight. I can always try them on and see. The second I pulled them out of the drawer, it snapped shut.

Briefs it was, I supposed. I hastily pulled them on.

As soon as I had, two sections of the wall in front of us began glowing in front of us: one purple, one blue.

"Well buddy," Adrian called over, "Looks like this is where we part."

I took a quick, sharp breath. "How are you feeling?" I asked, wondering if he was getting the same strange vibes as I was.

"How am I feeling?" Adrian shrugged. "I'm feeling like this is easy money! Take our weight, walk around with our dicks out for a little bit... nab ten grand?"

So Adrian. Nothing could phase him.

"You don't think it's all a little weird?"

"Yeah, it's super fucking weird!" he laughed. "But what a unique experience! It's like being in a strange, clinical video game! My advice?" He clapped me on my shoulder, skin touching skin for the first time that day. "Let's just have fun!"

With that he marched over to the blue panel, pressing his watch against it so it swung open.

"See ya on the other side!"

With that he marched through.

[ > participant.move : INTAKE_5_SURVEY ]

I was alone again, for the first time since Adrian and I had set out that morning. A small room again, same white walls, and a single teal screen in front of a metal chair. Maybe, I thought wishfully, I'd have a second just to sit, rest, collect my thoughts on what was happening around me. Take stock of whether the payout was still worth being shuttled around like a lab animal.