Notes From The Underground

Kathryn blinked, her eyes adjusting to the sudden change in lighting. The room they had entered was empty, save for the furniture which was neatly aligned in uniform rows. The tables were large and could easily accommodate six to eight women. Smaller tables designed to accommodate perhaps two women, lined three of the four walls. The fourth wall, the one directly opposite the doors, contained a long metal shelf which was mounted below a series of narrow rectangular slots.

"This is where we take our meals and hang out" explained Phoebe. "Unfortunately we missed lunch, so you will have to wait till later to meet everyone."

"Everyone?" said Kathryn, still taking the room in.

"Yes, the other slaves" said Phoebe. "Lunch ended a couple of hours ago, so they are all off working or training now. You'll get to meet them later, unless of course, Laura has other plans."

The thought of others seeing her half naked, in a diaper, horrified Kathryn and she turned pale with anxiety. "Do I have to?" she asked meekly.

"Why of course" said Phoebe. "Why, don't you want to meet the others? Most of them are really nice and besides we are all like a big family here. Believe me, after being with the Mistresses all day, it's a relief to be able to talk and hang out with the others. Plus the fact, it's the only socialization we have here."

"Yes…but not like this" said Kathryn.

"Like what?" Phoebe asked.

"Like this" repeated Kathryn sweeping her hand along her body. "When will I get some clothes?"

Phoebe looked at her sympathetically, and a bit confused herself. "Those are your clothes" she said.

Kathryn looked at her horrified. "I don't understand" she said.

Phoebe looked at her patiently and said "You're a diapered slave dear, what else do you expect to be wearing?"

"Diapered salve?" said Kathryn. "I don't understand."

Phoebe eyed her skeptically, becoming serious and said "Surely you're kidding me. Everyone knows what a diapered slave is. You must have gone to school. Didn't you attend your civics class?"

"Yes" said Kathryn "I know what a diapered slave is. But how can I be one?"

"Surely you're joking" said Phoebe.

"No" said Kathryn pouting and suppressing the urge to start crying.

Phoebe started at Kathryn is disbelief. "You're here because of the crime you committed. It must have been quite a serious one too, given that they sentenced you to diapered servitude. There must be no more than 20 or so women on the entire planet who have received such a sentence and most of them are here. You could not possible have committed such a serious crime without realizing it."

"I don't know" said Kathryn becoming visibly upset. "I know I wasn't supposed to use the drug India gave me to restore my virginity, but I couldn't let Alex find out that I had…had…you know used the handle on myself". Kathryn looked down and blushed, tears in her eyes.

Phoebe was very confused now. A drug to restore her virginity? What kind of nonsense was this? Besides, drug use, for the most part was legal, and in the few cases where it wasn't, it was hardly punishable by such a harsh sentence. And who were Alex and India? Surely she could not possibly mean…

"You're trying to pull my leg, right? Well I may be just a slave, but I wasn't born yesterday" said Phoebe somewhat harshly.

Kathryn immediately started sobbing. "Oh god!" she lamented "what kind of nightmare is this?"

Now normally, Phoebe would have thought Kathryn a good actress and continued to not believe such a ridiculous story, but her skepticism vanished the second she looked at the crying young woman. There was something odd about her, something Phoebe could not quite identify. The poor girl actually seemed to believe what she was saying, absurd as it sounded. Taking pity on her, Phoebe tried to comfort Kathryn. Putting her arms around her she said "it's alright. I'm sorry, I believe you."

After awhile Kathryn stopped crying and said, "Please you must help me. This is all some terrible mistake. Why won't anyone believe me?"

Phoebe said, "Listen, I believe you, but I don't understand. You need to explain what happened to you."

"OK" said Kathryn. "This is such a terrible nightmare and I am so tired. I'm sorry for getting so upset."

"Don't worry about that. We all get upset around here from time to time. This place will do that to you. But look let's get you something to eat, you must be famished. You'll feel better after you eat, and then you can tell me all about it."

Kathryn realized Phoebe was right. As if on cue, her stomach growled again, reminding her that she was indeed very hungry. "OK" said Kathryn, brightening again at the prospect of getting a least one of her basic needs satisfied.

"Here" said Phoebe taking her over to the wall with the shelf and the slots. "Let me show you how this works." Taking Kathryn's right hand, she placed her palm against a small metal plate on the wall above one of the slots. Immediately Kathryn heard a hum and about 20 seconds later a metal tray appeared in the slot and slid out onto the shelf below. Looking at the tray, Kathryn saw that it contained a bowel of what appeared to be corn-chowder, a square of corn-bread, and a glass of iced tea. Phoebe motioned to her and Kathryn picked up the tray. "Our diets are controlled by one of Zax's medtechs and the resident dietitian. Each slave is given a customized diet program depending on her needs and situation. In practice most slaves get the same thing on a daily basis. Since you are a diapered slave, your diet is more restricted. I hope you like the taste of corn" commented Phoebe glancing at the tray and motioning Kathryn towards the nearest table.

"I don't understand" said Kathryn placing her tray of food on the table and sitting down opposite to Phoebe.

"You better eat while it's hot" said Phoebe nodding at Kathryn's chowder. "I'll explain." Kathryn looked at the steaming soup. It smelled good and looked delicious. Picking up a spoon from the tray she ventured a bite. The soup tasted like corn chowder and was quite good. Being hungry, Kathryn took another bite, followed by a piece of the corn bread, which she also found to her liking. Meanwhile, Phoebe continued her explanation.

"The kitchen is of course, completely automated. Typically each slave gets three meals per day, plus an occasional snack. The exact menu is, as I said earlier, determined by the resident dietitian and tailored to each slave. Your hand print identifies you to the kitchen, which delivers your food, as you just saw. How do you like your lunch?" inquired Phoebe, who was watching the famished Kathryn eating.

"It's quite good" answered Kathryn who was eating ravenously. Once she had started eating, Kathryn realized how hungry she actually was. It took effort on her part, not to eat so fast that she choked.

"Good" said Phoebe. "I'm glad to see you like the taste of corn. You will be eating a lot of it."

"You mean I don't get to choose what I eat?" asked Kathryn, her mouth partially full.

"None of us do" answered Phoebe. "However, in your case, your diet will consist of mostly corn-based and flavored dishes.

"Why is that?"

"Because you are a diapered slave, and as such, must be fed a restricted diet."

"I still don't understand" said Kathryn,

Phoebe looked at her questioningly. Was she really this innocent and naïve, or was this all an act? How could anyone be so ignorant? After a few moments she answered. "Well, during your humiliation, your digestive tract was flushed out, if I'm not mistaken."

Kathryn looked up and blushed, her food forgotten at the embarrassing reference to Susan and the previous evening. "Yes" she said softly. "How did you know?"

"All diapered slaves undergo the same procedure". Noting the confused look on Kathryn's face, she continued. "Since you will be diapered all the time, the normal bacteria in your digestive tract have been removed and replaced by organisms that are more benign. This will prevent infections and greatly reduce the unpleasant odor. Unfortunately, this also restricts what you can eat. Your diet is a highly nutritious but a rather bland soy-based derivative that tastes like corn. That's why I asked if you liked corn."

Kathryn was still confused and Phoebe's explanation left her with more questions than she had answered. It was not clear exactly why she needed to worry about infections. Although Kathryn did like corn, the thought of eating it exclusively all the time seemed excessively monotonous. After mulling this over for a minute or so, she finally asked "And what happens if I want or eat something else?"

"Well you don't get to choose, as you just saw" said Phoebe. "Although there is some variety; it's essential just some kind of corn dish all the time."

The thought of this greatly disturbed Kathryn. Although she was naive, even she realized that food would be one of the few pleasures here, especially if she were to remain for any length of time. "Perhaps I can trade occasionally with some one" she said, the thought springing into her mind.

Phoebe shook her head and became serious. "No. Never ever do that, for any reason. Go hungry if need be, but don't eat anything except what the kitchen gives you."

"And if I do?"

"You will become violently ill. Without the normal bacteria in your digestive tract, you won't be able to digest what you eat. It would essentially be like eating poison. I saw a girl do that once, and she was in the infirmary for a month. Worse, before she got out, they needed to repeat the purging process and then afterwards they punished her."

"Punished?" said Kathryn, "how?"

"You don't want to know" said Phoebe, her face dead serious.

Kathryn noted her mentor's grave manner and decided, not to pursue this any further for now. Besides, there were too many other important questions she wanted to ask. "I still don't understand this diaper business or the 'rules' Laura mentioned or why I'm here" said Kathryn.

"The rules are easy enough though I am surprised you haven't heard of them. They are: silence, respect, subservience, obedience, acceptance, and denial. In short, you are to not to speak unless spoken to, always use 'Mistress' when addressing a non-slave, keep your eyes downcast at all times, do everything you're told without question, don't touch or remove your diaper, don't play with yourself, and above all, don't cum without permission."

Kathryn immediately blushed at the reference to touching her pisshonie and she looked down at her food. Why she needed to do these things or even care about them seemed bizarre. Headmistress Echo had been a stern disciplinarian and strict about the way they behaved, but nothing approaching the severity implied by these 'rules'. However Kathryn had more immediate and important questions. "So why am I here?" she asked.

Phoebe was curious about this also. "As I explained to you earlier, you have been sentenced to diapered servitude for your crime."

"I still don't understand" said Kathryn. "All I did was take the drug that India gave me to restore my virginity, so Alex wouldn't be angry on our wedding night. India told me it was illegal, but I never dreamed it was so serious. I can't believe it!" Tears welled up in Kathryn's eyes, as she fought to control her emotions.

It was Phoebe's turn to be confused now. There it was again: the same ludicrous story about, drugs, virginity, and a wedding. Even more curious were the mention of the names Alex and India. This was clearly a coincidence. Still…"What you are telling me makes no sense" said Phoebe. "There are no drugs, at least that I know of, that can restore your virginity. And even if there were, almost all drugs are legal, and the few that aren't don't merit the punishment you received."

Kathryn looked at Phoebe, and brightened. "That's what I've been saying…it's got to be a mistake. I don't understand why Prudence would do this to me and on my wedding night no less."

At the mention of Prudence, Phoebe stopped breathing. No, it couldn't be, two names maybe, but not three! How could this be? Worse, the young girl before her talked about them as familiars. Not Mistress Prudence or Prudence the chairwoman of Zax, but just plain Prudence, like she was almost a family member. "I still don't understand; you're not making any sense" said Phoebe. "You mean to tell me, that Prudence, the Prudence, the chairwoman of Zax sentenced you to diapered servitude?"

"I don't know about the chairwoman part, but yes, last night Prudence sentenced me to be punished for being caught with the drug."

"And where did this happen?"

"In the Castle; I was in by bridal chamber when Laura burst in and found me with the drug in my hands." Kathryn blushed, recalling her state of undress and the embarrassment that immediately followed as Headmistress Echo and the others entered the room.

Phoebe looked at her disbelievingly and asked "And then what happened?"

"They took me up stairs to Prudence's office and…oh god! It's so embarrassing, everyone was there! Prudence asked me all these confusing questions and…oh god! It's all a blur, everything happened so fast!"

Kathryn was visibly upset and Phoebe was more confused than ever. "And all this happed in Zax Castle?"

"Yes" answered Kathryn, her lower lip quivering as she struggled to keep from crying again.

"And you said you had just gotten married?" asked Phoebe, still struggling to make sense of the young woman's story, which was becoming less and less clear by the moment.

"Yes" said Kathryn. "We had been planning it for months. We were married in the afternoon and there was supposed to be a big reception party at the Castle last night. Only, well…oh god!" Kathryn started crying again.

Phoebe waited for her to clam down before proceeding. Although Kathryn's story was utterly absurd, there were details that correlated with reality. There was a big party in the Castle last night. Phoebe knew this all too well. Over three-quarters of the slaves had been there, everyone who had been rested, and a few who had not. Fortunately for her, Phoebe had been assigned prep-duties in the dungeon, but they had been planning this event for a long time and it was one of the bigger events Phoebe had seen in her long stay at Zax. Kathryn also seemed to know some details about the Castle, such as the location of Prudence office. However, her entire story was ridiculous. Still…there was something about this young woman, something that Phoebe could not quite identify. She was so innocent, so naive, so pure, so young…Without knowing exactly why, Phoebe asked "How old are you?"

"Eighteen" answered Kathryn. "I just turned 18 last month."

"Eighteen standard years?"

"Why, yes, of course."

God she was young, barely an adult. Phoebe knew of only one other slave who had been sentenced so harshly at so young an age…but that had been 20 years ago…

With life spans exceeding 300 standard years, chronological age meant little. Part of the generic engineering procedures used to improve modern humans had greatly retarded the aging process. Women aged 'naturally' from birth till about age 20, when aging slowed dramatically for the rest of their lives. Thus a woman whose chronological age was, say 60, would have the physical body and mind of someone who was biologically only 40 years old. After age 20, everyone gave their biological age, not their chronological age, when queried. Since the transition occurred at or near 18 standard years from birth, this became the age of majority, or when a woman became a legal adult. However, most women at this age were still fairly immature and lived at home or at college while they pursued their educations. It wasn't until they reached their biological mid-twenties that a woman got a job and started to live independently. It was only then, that most would consider getting married for the first time. Getting married at 18, although not unheard of, was unusual.

Where exactly had this young woman been all her life? Phoebe wondered. It was almost as if, she were from another era, somewhere in the remote past where women were naïve and had marred at ridiculously young ages. "Listen" said Phoebe, 'maybe we should start from the beginning: the very beginning."

Kathryn looked at her and blinked. "Ok" she said hesitantly. "Where would you like be to begin? When we started planning the wedding?"

"No" said Phoebe. "Let's start when you were born."

Kathryn was nonplussed. "Well…there's not much to tell…I really don't remember very much about being born, you see I was an orphan and…"

"An orphan?" interrupted Phoebe. "What is that?"

It was Kathryn's turn to be surprised. How could this older, more experienced woman not know what an orphan was? "It's someone who has no parents" she said.

"Impossible" said Phoebe, "everyone has parents."

"No, mine died just after I was born. That's how I came to the Island, at least that's what Headmistress Echo told us."

There was yet another name: Echo. And now she was using a proper title, or at least something close to it. Echo was clearly a Mistress and Phoebe had met her a few times during periodic psychological evaluations. But what was this Headmistress thing? Although Echo was clearly a senior member of Zax's staff, she was clearly no Headmistress. Such titles were reserved for Prudence and Alex. And as for Kathryn's parents dying, Phoebe had never heard of such a thing. The idea of someone being an orphan had become obsolete centuries ago with the eradication of disease, (almost all) accidents, and wars. What was this strange young girl talking about? "Ok" said Phoebe more confused than ever, but intrigued by the ever expanding mystery that kept unfolding every time Kathryn spoke, "let's start with the first thing you do remember and go from there."

"Well, my first clear memories are from when I was about age 5."

"OK" said Phoebe, 'where were you living?"

"Why at the Schoolhouse, on the Island of course."

"On Zax Island?"

"Yes, I guess. It's oh, about a mile or so from the Castle."

Phoebe knew of no school house on the Island. As far as she knew, the Castle and its surrounding buildings were the only structures on the Island. But, then again, she had never really left the Castle grounds, and the Island was fairly large. Raising her eyebrows Phoebe said "Ok, go on."

"Well, like I said, my first memories were of the Schoolhouse…" For the next two hours, Kathryn told Phoebe about her life at the Schoolhouse, the other girls: Karolyn, Krystyn, Krystal, and Kourtney, and how they were all orphans like her and how they had been raised and educated by Echo their entire lives, living exclusively at the Schoolhouse on Zax Island. She then related the recent events leading up to her wedding the previous evening and the unfortunate and terrible happenings that had followed. Kathryn concluded her story, blushing, and saying "The last thing I remember was waking up here this morning in the cell where Laura and you found me."

"A very interesting and curious story" said Phoebe who was still mentally reviewing what Kathryn had just told her. There were some extremely improbable coincidences in this tale that Kathryn seemed completely unaware of. "So let me see if I understand you correctly" began Phoebe. "You've spent your entire life on Zax Island living in the Schoolhouse and except for the one time you mentioned when you went for your adult physical examination, you have never left the Island?"

"Yes, that's correct" said Kathryn, becoming curious at Phoebe's reaction to her story.

"And you were going to marry Alex, yesterday in a ceremony at the Castle, after which you were going on your honeymoon?"