Pearl

Zoe's thighs were crossed hard enough to crush a watermelon, her pulse pounding. She didn't know what to call this feeling in her belly, turned-on and terrified at all at once. All she knew was that ever since she'd started looking up this 'Pearl', this thing they'd embed between her pleasure button's nerve endings, it made her insides feel weirdly warm and tingly. Zoe felt her face pale as she pictured herself stuck with that pea-sized bead for the rest of her life. The thought was, more than anything, extremely 'cute'.

"P... People are saying that the Pearl is amazing... but also that it's kind of addictive," she whispered, recalling her own thread. "Like I heard about a girl who got one of these and now she's stopped going outside."

"Heck, we might have one right here." Kate's eyes narrowed conspiratorially. "You know that Asian girl who sits alone on the other side of the lecture hall? I saw her looking bored as shit near the end of Mr. Lipky's class when she pulled out her phone and immediately went like this:" She made a show of rolling her eyes upwards into her head, shuddering like an epileptic fit.

Zoe gulped. "H-Holy shit... Should we ask her if--"

Kate crossed her index fingers in an 'X' as if to say "No, I'm humiliated enough talking about this with *you*."

Somebody said it was going to ruin relationships. Not families, for sure; definitely pull some empty nests back together, really brighten up a nuclear marriage, but childless couples were in trouble. The guys were going to get a similar implant eventually, but until then there might be a little resentment towards girls who'd been 'Pearled'. Someone said girls should have to disclose on their dating profile if they had one, because the sex wouldn't compare to the Pearl. Zoe felt nauseous just thinking about it.

"For fuck's sake, 'once you go Pearl you'll never go back'?" Kate shook her head. "We might get fucking drafted next year. Can't you let us girls have this one win?"

The rest of the lunch break passed by in a haze of weird schadenfreude-tinged excitement. Zoe blurted out something about saving up money from her part-time job, to which Kate pulled up a government web page on which lay these horrifying words:

'Starting May 2044, the Pearl implant will be covered under PaceMed for ages 21 to 24...'

Someone claimed this was backed up by studies done at Stanford, saying that insuring the Pearl implant at 21 resulted in reduced rates of drug abuse. Some part of her wanted to yell about correlation and causation, but the mere idea that it could possibly do all that made Zoe feel like she was drowning on dry land. Her insides churned--but it was no use trying to talk about it, or even read any more of this. Every time she opened a thread on this topic, her palms started sweating and her heartbeat would pick up.

"I--I..." Zoe could barely form words around the lump forming in her throat. She knew how badly she wanted that implant inside of her--and that scared her more than anything else. Her eyes widened and she looked away from Kate at first, but the next class was starting soon. She felt like the two of them had to form an opinion on this now or they wouldn't be able to focus on class.

"D-Do you think it's true?" Zoe asked finally. "I mean... does it really make you cum so quick?"

"W-Who knows," Kate said absently, looking somewhere else. "I haven't seen anybody post video footage yet. It might be too early, or it could be a load of bull."

The bell rang before Zoe got a chance to reply; they both rose together and headed towards their respective classrooms with a brief wave goodbye as if nothing were wrong.

"Let's both get one," Kate whispered just loud enough for Zoe to hear when the other girl glanced back over her shoulder.

"W-What? Are you crazy?" Zoe shot back despite herself. This was the rational part talking. The libidinal part, on the other hand, wanted it desperately. That thing, that silver bead, kept turning up in her mind like it was lodged in there, taunting her.

"No, I'm serious! Fuck, I'm so wet just thinking about it," Kate said impatiently, gesturing at her bike shorts where a sticky spot indicated that she wasn't imagining things. "I-If you're not ready or whatever--I can do it first!" she finished with a half smile, trying to look encouraging. "Un... Unless..."

Zoe gulped. If something happened to Kate alone, she'd feel responsible and never forgive herself--but the idea of getting this implanted along with Kate made her insides feel all bubbly and giddy, like the best rollercoaster ever. Her heart raced and butterflies took wing in her stomach. So much could go wrong, but what could be worse than missing out on what Kate felt if it went right? She swallowed hard again, steeling her resolve, before reaching her hand out with just the pinky outstretched in celebration of bad decisions taken together.

"Okay. Let's do it."

------

The word 'Pace' in 'PaceMed' referred to the idea of keeping pace with rising productivity aboard. PaceMed was a government initiative to incentivize the development of non-essential implants that would make America's workers the most productive in the world: from artificial muscles to brain-machine interfaces, everything was fair game. No other country in the world would have a program dedicated to such advanced medical devices; nor, Zoe mused, one that had apropos of nothing started giving away free sex toys.

Zoe and Kate could not have felt less at home sitting in the waiting room. The most patronized PaceMed clinics had acquired a certain sordid patina to them, the plastic fittings on the chairs cracking like dried mud as their legs scraped against the floor. A large screen hung above them showing a pleasant documentary about dogs. There was only one other patient: a man with round plugs and connectors driven into his body all over, wearing what looked like goggles but which were really replacements for his eyes. He had a QR code and the logo of a local construction company tattooed on his bicep.

The two girls sat side by side, tense, whispering between themselves while looking anywhere but at each other. They waited nearly twenty minutes, during which time Zoe grew more anxious than she'd been since her Statistics exam last month, when finally someone came out to call Zoe into the exam room. 'Oh fuck,' she thought. 'I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die.'

"Good luck, soldier," Kate said wryly as the door shut behind Zoe's back.

------

The doctor was an older woman named Dr. Foster. She looked kind of like a librarian--short hair, a plain dress, and big round spectacles that gave her a sort of scholarly air despite her stupid grin. "I've had a lot of you Pearl girls lately," she said with a slight edge of disdain. "It's the easiest procedure I do, but it pays like crap. Maybe I should charge more..."

She cleared her throat. "What's your name?"

"Z-Zoe. Zoe Pasternak. I'm an engineering student." The girl already felt deeply exposed as she lay spread eagle on the exam table, chubby legs spread wide apart, arms dangling over the sides. The doctor had already inserted the cold, painful metal intrusion of a speculum and now held a kidney tray in front of her face.

Right there, glinting in the fluorescent light, was a marked sterile baggie in which (supposedly) floated the vaunted Pearl implant. It was hard to see: Most of the baggie was occupied by plastic framing to make sure the doctor didn't lose it, but if she squinted hard enough, she could make out an iridescent bead about the size of a pin head in the center of the package.

Zoe bit her lip; it wasn't fair to be nervous after coming this far. But she couldn't help herself; all she could think about were those addicted girls on Reddit, talking about how sex with their boyfriends no longer compared with having their clit vibrate by itself. Could she handle something like that? It looked tiny enough to fit inside the tip of a ballpoint pen--would it be too big for her? Would it change who she was... would it make her like all those women whose whole purpose in life seemed to be masturbating?

"Ms. Engineering Student: do you know the principle behind these implants?" Dr. Foster asked as she pulled up a little PowerPoint on her desk monitor. "It's quite advanced metallurgy for something so utterly unproductive: a room-temperature superconductor." She scoffed. "I know, I know. You heard it was some kind of magnet, but what if you got it stuck to a metal chair, hmm? That wouldn't feel great, would it?" She cackled and Zoe shook with embarrassment.

The doctor continued with an amused smile playing at her lips, "But really--the Pearl is nothing but a coated superconductor. One characteristic of a superconductor is that it rejects all magnetic fields, a behavior known as the Meissner Effect. This means that when a magnet approaches a superconductor, it pushes away quite strongly, regardless of polarity. And of course, when that magnetic field varies rapidly..."

"It... vibrates?" Zoe said, trying to follow along despite feeling like she'd missed most of what she just said. The doctor nodded with a knowing look.

Dr. Foster smiled. "Exactly! So by implanting the Pearl into your clitoral glans and then applying an external magnetic field, we can create a vibration within the clitoris itself. I'm told it's quite exquisite. Do you have a driver in mind?"

"Um... I'm thinking the Wave. I like the idea of it vibrating to music or something," Zoe replied sheepishly. "I'm thinking I'll share it with my girlfriend... probably."

The doctor raised her eyebrows; her expression made clear that she was far too old for this stuff. "Well, there are certainly plenty of toys designed to interact with the Pearl--I don't want to steer you wrong, but those who use the Wave seem more concerned about their next orgasm than they are about sharing anything with their partners. It's worth considering what you're getting out of the experience before you bring this into a relationship."

Zoe swallowed hard. She felt embarrassed and excited all over again; both feelings made her mouth go dry. She couldn't stop staring at the Pearl as Dr. Foster held it in its little baggie. It looked so small, but also incredibly powerful: tiny enough to fit inside a pen, yet able to make her body shake with pleasure. "It looks like it might be too big for me..."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that," the doctor said dismissively. "I've had girls come back because they wanted bigger ones. We can adjust them down if you need us to, though I'd recommend keeping it as large as possible. Now, let's get started."

She put on some rubber gloves and lifted Zoe's legs up onto her shoulders. The girl gasped as the cold speculum entered her, but then she relaxed into it; after all, it was only for a few seconds. Then came the implant itself.

"So... how does it does it go in?" Zoe asked nervously.

Dr. Foster's smile was a little less enthusiastic this time as she held up a syringe with a hooked tip. "It'll come in just above the urethra and enter the glans from below. I'll numb you up with lidocaine spray but it'll probably still sting."

Oh, god, Zoe thought, starting to get very nervous. "O-Oh, okay," she said, trying to sound nonchalant, though her breath was quickening and she was starting to have second thoughts. This was, on balance, completely terrifying.

Before she could protest, Dr. Foster sprayed the numbing agent directly on her groin. A tingling soon spread through her pussy that solidified into a wall of noise, which made Zoe clench her teeth and look away. She couldn't bear to look at the doctor work, although as soon as the needle touched that awkward furrow above her urethra the reality of her situation came rushing back into focus. There was a dull ache as the doctor pushed the plunger down.

Afterwards, there was nothing but numbness. She felt nervous. Another little prick as the needle withdrew, then white noise.

"There we go!" Dr. Foster exclaimed. "All done. Here, I've even got an inspection mirror for you. Do you want to see?"

Zoe looked down, trying to find the lump of metal that had been implanted into her most sensitive spot. Of course it wasn't visible; it was nestled deep inside the flesh. Her clit poking out from its hood was a bright pink color, almost like coral. It looked to be almost forcibly erect, likely a sympathetic effect rather than anything to do with the implant, but nevertheless there was something incredibly naughty about knowing a tiny device had been put inside your body that could drown you in pleasure--and being able to do nothing more than watch your own clit throb while your legs were propped up on stirrups. The fading numbness was a kind of perversity unto itself... she'd certainly never felt anything like this before.

The doctor pulled out something like a yellow handgun with a coil at the end of it, seemingly to test the implant. Zoe felt a slight pressure, but nothing that resembled real stimulation. A pang of regret washed over her as she wondered if this was all just a big tease. If she would feel what they promised. And when?

"Good reaction," Dr. Foster said, baring her teeth again. "No touching, no toys for seven days," she instructed as she walked around the table, unhooking Zoe's limbs from their restraints one by one. "After which, try to stay in school."

------

Seven days. Seven fucking days before they could use the thing! Zoe and Kate had agreed to stop seeing each other after classes in case the mood overtook them, but they Zoe still had to avoid touching herself while alone, and while her fingers did brush her clit a few times to check if it felt the same, she wasn't stupid enough to go to town on it. She remembered the doctor's warning: it might get dislodged or something if you play with it before it heals.

Moreover, she and Kate still met at lunch, but the air between them had completely changed. The conversations they had were deranged, two sex-starved college girls verbally screwing each other.

"K-Kate," Zoe began awkwardly, her back hunched deeply over the corner table. "S-So nice to see you again..."

Kate did not mince words. "Zoe... T-Turn around so that I can look at your big fat butt. Please, it's an emergency..."

"N-No, we're not supposed to touch ourselves," Zoe protested half-heartedly. She felt embarrassed. All day long she'd been thinking about how she'd be able to enjoy this thing with Kate--about how incredible she was going to feel gripping the Wave between her thighs--but now she was worried the anticipation alone was driving her insane. It was starting to affect her grades too; a couple of nights ago she had stayed up late reading online threads about Pearl drivers instead of studying for her physics midterm. And as much as they were trying hard not to let the fact they couldn't get off have any impact on their relationship, they were both sure there were plenty of times when their desperation showed through.

"Fuck, you're right," Kate said, looking away and biting her lip. "B... By the way, has your Pearl been picking up microwaves?"

"Excuse me?" Zoe asked, confused by the sudden change in topic.

Kate sighed and looked at her hands. "I mean, maybe I'm imagining things but... look over there," she pointed towards the cafeteria counter where students were reheating ready meals and instant ramen. "See that microwave? Watch what happens when someone turns it on. Or rather, feel it."

Zoe squinted to see what she meant. Moments later, she saw a student walk by, place a foil-wrapped sandwich into the microwave, and nuke it.

"A-Ah!" Zoe gasped. The instant the microwave turned on, she felt her clit tingle faintly but noticeably. It was like being touched by an invisible feather. She could feel her nipples stiffening under her hoodie. Her hands flew down to cover her pussy, but it was no use: The sensation was far from intense, but there was nothing she could do to shield herself from it. She looked around nervously as the feeling faded; other people were watching them with looks of mild curiosity or amusement, but nobody seemed to have noticed anything out of the ordinary.

"W-What the fuck?" she stammered, her face burning red. "Why does my clit react to a fucking microwave?! Does everyone's Pearl do that too?"

Kate rolled her eyes, trying not to look fazed, but clearly blushing herself. "D-Duh," she said, "When they say it responds to magnetic fields, they don't just mean from a driver. Any electromagnetic field will make your Pearl vibrate. It's like those magnets people used to put in their fingers. It's just a little bit more sensitive than that, and um... intimate."

"Oh, god," Zoe said, covering her face with her hands. "I can't believe this is happening!"

Kate grinned. "I've also felt people picking up the phone. That Asian girl said the traction motors on the subway can give you a little buzz."

Zoe felt stupid for not realizing this earlier. The idea that her clit would pick up on the slightest hint of a magnetic field was so obvious, she was embarrassed she hadn't thought of it before. She was also horrified that she'd been so distracted by the Pearl's potential for sexual release that she'd never considered that it might also respond to the everyday world.

"A-Am I gonna get horny when your mom makes ready meals? Is this my life now?" Zoe groaned.

"Well, it doesn't hurt," Kate shrugged. "A-And there's conductive underwear that can help. I think it'll get easier to ignore as you get used to it. Just try to keep it in mind and act natural."

"Nothing about this is natural! My clit's a goddamn antenna!" Zoe protested, her voice rising. People around them were starting to stare. "I'm going crazy here!" she insisted. "This isn't what I expected at all!"

"But but," Kate leaned in close and whispered, "It's super cute, isn't it? You're walking around so shy and innocent looking, this big chubby girl in a lily white sweater, except that every time someone takes a call on a cellphone or uses a microwave, your pussy starts dripping. Your clit goes nuts. It's so fucking adorable," she swooned.

Zoe stared at her friend in shock; less that Kate was being so brazen and more that she agreed with it on some level. "I--I guess..." she said uncertainly. She felt a strange heat spreading through her body, which wasn't unpleasant exactly... just weird. The sensation of her clitoris vibrating faintly had started to feel like an itch she couldn't scratch.

"Come on," Kate smiled, grabbing Zoe by the arm and pulling her towards the exit. "Let's try the train. I think there's some metro tracks that run past my house."

"W-Wait, but... okay..." Zoe let herself be dragged along, still not sure she liked where this was going. But then again, who would have guessed that a tiny implantable toy could make her an exhibitionist? And even if it wasn't exactly what she'd hoped for, maybe it didn't matter. She was having fun exploring new feelings and sensations, and she had to admit that she enjoyed feeling sexy in front of other people.

The two girls made their way out of the cafeteria together, pushing through the crowds of students as they headed down the hallways. They were both giggling now, a little drunk on the thrill of breaking the rules.

------

They took the subway from campus to Kate's place, which was only about fifteen minutes away. It was rush hour and packed full of commuters, but at least it gave them some cover for trying things out. Zoe stood next to Kate with her arms fists bundled against her chest as the train doors closed. She felt like a kid waiting for Christmas morning, unable to wait any longer to see what she got.

A few moments later, the train started moving, which meant the traction motors were running which meant--

"H-Holy shit!" Zoe yelped as her clit went wild. It was like someone had stuck a bullet vibe inside her panties, except that there was no actual device involved; just the electromagnetic fields of the train's motor system. The sensation was so sudden and precisely targeted that she almost fell over; she had to grab onto Kate's arm to keep herself upright. Kate herself looked worse for wear, her breath coming out in short gasps and her face redder than Zoe had ever seen it. Her eyes were wide open and darting around wildly, looking everywhere but at her friend.