She was swimming, floating in a sea of arpeggios. The music surrounded and filled her with joy as she flowed forward. The purple stream twisted, delightful sound surging around her in a definite pattern, the rhythm teasing some sort of meaning just beyond her comprehension.

Her mind was racing, but she had very little control, her body not obeying any of her commands. It was almost as though her conscious will was bound inside a silver cage, her mental hands tugging on the gilded bars of her prison.

She went with the flow, letting it carry her softly, bobbing along to the omnipresent beat. It was a happy, contented feeling, all of her fears being bled from her as pure satisfaction tickled her toes.

She breathed deeply, letting a stream of the music flow through her sinuses and into her rebellious brain, deadening her reactions to the strange situation.

In her somnolent state, it took some time for her to realize that she wasn’t alone. There were countless figures floating with her in the misty music, thin streams of bright notes linking them together into one whole. They hung together in mid-air, rotating in unison to the tempo of the song that played them all.

The other figures had little definition, their forms covered in body hugging rubber. Some wore yellow, others black, still others red, all of them floating together in the delicious void.

They were indistinct, their faces covered by the outfits they wore, floating humanoid shapes with fully formed breasts clasped in the filmy material, a large stylized ‘R’ printed in black ink on every chest. The music weaved its way around each figure, bodies caressed and constrained by its melody.

Her hands drifted in front of her without conscious control, each hand and arm encased in the same material as the other figures. It looked strange, but felt perfectly normal.

Bemused, she watched her fingers move and flex in shiny yellow. She started to feel an unnatural kinship with the other figures, apart from her, yet with her.

Somehow she knew that they felt content, the music allowing her to get a sense of satisfaction. They were together, subunits of one purpose, though she didn’t understand what that purpose might be.

She was right to be there, a part of something greater, tasting the soothing music as it took her will away. With every breath, she felt calmer, momentary turmoil soothed by the beat as it drained her resistance.

Suddenly, the figures in front of her shifted, twisting to either side, delineating an invisible pathway in the amorphous environment. Another figure moved towards her down an invisible, circular corridor.

This one was encased in a purple outfit, but otherwise looked similar to the other forms, which were now showing some sort of obeisance to the one in purple.

The new figure moved with purpose, streams of music stretching over her body and flowing outwards in every direction, linking her with the others. It didn’t take a genius to realize that this might be their leader.

Was she her leader, too? The errant thought floated through her mind, but she rejected it. She wouldn’t allow herself to be coerced by a formless apparition!

The figure loomed closer, her shiny body now in front of Suzy’s. She could see every gleaming inch of the bodysuit that stretched tightly over the figure’s generous assets.

The view was rather arousing, her drowsiness fading. She could control this situation. Not even the soothing music would calm her down now.

The blank figure watched Suzy behind the shiny mask that covered her face. She was strangely drawn to the woman, even as her conscious mind was repelled. She stopped herself from leaning closer, the music weaving through the air in a sinuous fashion.

Suddenly, the woman’s blank face curved into a smile under the mask, her eyes crinkling open, holes forming in the material. Now she was staring into an eerily familiar face, a dark purple color lighting the deep sockets from within. She was staring into her own eyes.

“Who are you?” she mouthed, words seeming to have no sound in the misty landscape.

The lips opened, forming a simple word that began to burrow into her mind. “Obey,” whispered the figure.

The word was firm and compelling. The walls she had built around her mind were starting to crumble away.

“Obey,” said the figure again, this time louder.

The other figures floating through the indefinite landscape took up the cry, chanting the word as well. They all clamored for her obedience, the harmony of their cries louder than the music which had infused her soul.

She could feel herself at the tipping point now, so close to giving in. She couldn’t, though - not now, not ever.

She had believed in someone once, but had been burned badly, betrayal turning her loyalty to ashes. She couldn’t allow herself to trust like that ever again.

A fiery rage roared within her, rejecting everything. Nobody would ever own her soul again. She screamed, letting her frustration boil out of her, her body erupting in flames.

Reality shattered, the figures stuttering their words. The environment cracked, looking like a bad photograph. Pieces of the universe crinkled, disintegrated, blowing away in a nonexistent wind.

Soon, there was nothing left but white ashes dancing through a blackened landscape. She was alone, with no demons or strange music to torture her.

Somehow, this didn’t make her feel better. She sat and cried, all alone in a strange land.

Fatigue overtook her. She felt tired of everything.

Eventually, once her sadness had ground down to numbness, she woke up.

***

Suzy woke with a gasp, sweat sticking the sheets to her body. Breathing hard, she tossed off the covers and lay back, running her hands through her golden hair.

She hadn’t had any nightmares for years, and it seemed strange that she was having new ones now. She had hoped to put the bad memories behind her, or bury them deep enough to stop them from bubbling back up.

Perhaps she was stressed out? Being under pressure at her job, and trying to decide whether to make the leap to another would be enough to make anyone have nightmares.

Or maybe it really was the old ghosts coming back to haunt her again. It had taken her years to even begin to understand the absolute betrayal of her father.

Her mother had taken the easy way out, causing her daughter infinite heartache. Even though there was nothing she could have done to prevent the tragedy, that didn’t stop her mind from replaying the horrors in her dreams.

It had taken years of therapy and an iron will to overcome these disasters, gluing the pieces of her soul back together again.

She had faced the same precipice herself once before. In the end, it had been her grandparents who had brought her back from the brink, stepping in when there was no hope left.

They had both been steadfast individuals, their hope for the future and their love for her finally breaking her suicidal tendencies. They were getting on in years, but their care was the bedrock she had built her new life on.

She wiped away a tear, the memories making her maudlin. She was idly wondering whether it would be a good idea to give them a call when a loud, screeching racket filled the room.

She hunted for the ‘off’ button with one hand, groping blindly in the dark room. With a rough lurch, blessed silence finally settled once again over her bedroom.

She blinked her eyes, and looked at the clock. Thinking through all she needed to do today, she cursed. The reports her boss wanted still weren’t done, and she had hoped to get into the office early to finish them on time. Apparently, that wasn’t going to happen, but if she hurried her daily routine, she’d still be able to save a few precious minutes.

Her mind made up, she jumped out of bed with new energy, scavenging the needed clothing from her dresser on her way to the bathroom. Flinging aside the shower door, she stepped in and turned the water on.

She turned up the heat and let the water flow over her body. It was only at this point that she noticed that she was still wearing the Rankotech bra from the previous evening, the yellow latex clinging tightly to her chest. Befuddled, she traced the big, black ‘R’ with a finger. Why was she wearing it, and why hadn’t she noticed earlier?

Bemused, she watched as one hand continued to touch the shiny material, admiring how tight it was. Although this was arousing, underneath she still felt a trace of urgency, her other hand slipping down to grab the bar of soap.

Lathering up, she started caressing her breasts, the soap bubbles streaking across her chest. She needed to be clean, she knew that somehow.

It never once entered her mind that it might be faster to take the bra off before washing, her hands now slipping under the tight outfit to massage the soap directly onto her breasts. She felt great, more alive than ever!

It was so nice to caress and watch the water dance over her shapely form. She licked her lips, eyes flashing purple as she started to gyrate in the steam, feeling sexy.

It felt really nice, but something was missing. Letting the sensations be her guide, she slipped her left hand below, no longer trying to pretend that she didn’t need release.

As a few fingers slipped inside, she thought that she could hear a primal rhythm. It was indistinct and hard to hear, but she knew that she needed to match it.

Pretending to dance, she swayed to the beat, her hands caressing her body as her arousal grew. It was so easy to lose herself in the sensations, letting them direct her actions. Work didn’t matter, finances didn’t matter, the world didn’t matter.

There was nothing but the beat, her hands, and the pleasure. She thought that she was imagining things when the yellow bra constricted, grabbing at her breasts before relaxing again.

It pulsed in time to the beat, the material gripping her in the measured rhythm. The nubs in the cups rubbed her with every movement, her nipples swelling to tight bullets. She was too far gone now to worry about the implications of the situation, the material squeezing her towards a burgeoning climax.

She grunted in time, pumping her fingers, trying to push herself over the edge. It was simply too much for her body to handle all at once. The tingling sensations from her erogenous zones exploded, wracking her body with waves of pleasure as she orgasmed in time to the music only she could hear.

She gasped for breath as the waves subsided, satisfaction bursting from every pore. She cursed, realizing how much time the self-stimulation had cost her. If she didn’t hurry up, she wouldn’t even make it to work on time!

Quickly now, she shampooed her hair and washed it out. The soap ran over her flushed body, dripping over the bra she hadn’t even considered removing. Climbing out of the shower, her wet hair clung to the back of her neck - there wasn’t enough time to dry it properly.

It didn’t occur to her that normally she never would have considered pleasuring herself before work.

***

She was a half hour later than she had wanted to be by the time she arrived at PolyCorp. It definitely wasn’t an auspicious start to the day when she hit the elevator button and it failed to arrive. It took her a couple of tries before she realized that they were still broken from the previous day.

As such, her temper was up as she exited the stairwell, wondering what else could possibly go wrong.

Her heels clacked on the floor as she hurried into the office. She was just about to sit down at her desk when she was interrupted.

“Suzy?” the smarmy voice managed to catch her off guard. “I’ve noticed a distinct lack of punctuality around here. And where are those TPS reports? We need them in two hours.”

The amount of superiority in the man’s voice was sickening. Of course, it was Lewd Larry, dressed in a smoking jacket, come to badger her yet once again.

It was all she could do to contain herself. Her face flushed in anger, and she said primly, “it will be ready on time. Please leave me alone so that I can get started.” She stared daggers at Larry, silently willing him to fling himself from the nearest balcony.

Instead, he smirked and said, “see that you do,” sauntering off back towards his office.

She watched him walk past the empty cube where Nancy used to work, and a sudden lurch of loneliness hit her again. It really sucked to work at an office where you no longer had any friends.

She sighed and sat down, getting her computer ready for another workday. She flipped through her email, checking to see if anything important had happened while she was out.

There were several spam and maintenance notifications she could safely ignore, but a message from ‘Everlasting Elevator Repair Services’ caught her eye.

She brightened up a little when she read that her message from yesterday had actually been received and they had dispatched a technician to work on the elevators. Maybe things were finally starting to look up?

She clicked back to her spreadsheets, looking for the numbers she needed for the reports, and was soon absorbed in the analytical work. The numbers were patterns, and she knew that all she had to do was concentrate fully and they would give up their secrets to her.

A half hour in, she heard the elevator bell ring and the doors opened. Out stepped a burly fellow in a workman’s outfit, tools hanging from his belt. In his left hand was a clipboard, ‘Everlasting Elevator Repair Services’ printed on his uniform, opposite his name: ‘Gus.’

He ambled up to the counter and dropped a greasy part onto the clean surface. “I found yer prahblum!” he announced cheerfully. “This here gear mustah been stripped sumthing awfhul!”

Suzy looked in askance at the mess, calculating in her mind how much work would be necessary to take care of this new distraction. “That’s great,” she said slowly, trying to prevent herself from exploding in anger. “Can I just have the invoice, please?”

“Yah betcha!” he bellowed. “It’s raight heah!” Using his greasy fingers, he dropped the clipboard into her hands. “Please saign neah the bottom!”

“Great,” Suzy said dubiously. She browsed the contents, taken aback by how much it cost to fix one little problem. The parts always seemed cheap - it was the labor that inflated the cost.

It wasn’t her money, though, so what did she care? She signed at the bottom and tore off the top sheet for her records.

“There you go,” she announced. “Have a nice day!”

“Yah betcha!” the man bellowed again, turning back to the elevators. Apparently, Gus had only one volume setting.

Shaking her head, Suzy looked at the time. She only had one hour left to get the reports done before the big meeting, and it would take at least ten minutes for her to properly clean up.

Neither job was optional, since first impressions were paramount. The external client could pull out if they saw the nasty mess currently occupying her desk.

She wrapped the broken object from the elevator in a tissue and dropped it into her garbage can. Unfortunately, that wouldn’t work for the grease sticking to the desk, unless she wanted to spread a thin layer of the lubricant over everything.

She rushed out to grab some soap and paper towels. When she came back, her phone was ringing.

Making a noise of extreme frustration, she dropped the cleaning supplies and leaned over to pick it up. “Hello!” she said with false cheer, hiding her annoyance at this new interruption.

“Hi, Suzy!” said Nancy. “I wanted to call and ask you how things went yesterday at the interview! I heard they made you an offer. Are you going to accept?”

Suzy didn’t want to be angry at her friend, so she clamped down hard on her emotions and attempted to answer rationally. “I’m not sure yet, Nancy. There’s still so much to decide. I don’t really know how I feel about the whole situation right now.”

She self-consciously touched her shirt, thinking of the Rankotech bra she wore underneath. Had she already accepted the fact that she wasn’t going to take it off?

“Actually, I need to let you go. I’m really busy right now. Why don’t I give you a call later?”

“Alright,” said Nancy. “I know how much stress you’re under, so I’ll let you get back to it. But remember, I’m here for you. Just let me know what you decide when you decide it. Remember, there’s prosperity through productivity! Ciao!”

Bewildered at the apparent slogan, Suzy hung up the phone. She cursed, seeing the time, and quickly set to work on the grease. It didn’t take long for her to clean it up, but she needed that time to prepare!

She only had forty minutes left, and she was going to make the most of it! Hiding the cleaning supplies in her desk so that she didn’t have to put them away again, she pulled the reports back open.

Usually, she hated putting reports together, but this time patterns in the columns drew her in. She could feel the rhythm and see the melody of the dancing digits. She was starting to get aroused at their beauty, her senses tingling.

She was lost in the forest of numbers, each one sparkling as she passed, their patterns arrayed in pairs of numerals that marched silently into the distance. If she grabbed that one there, they would break apart and form different patterns, interesting fractals she had never seen before. It was so much fun to do, dancing with math to a silent beat only she could hear.

“Suzy!” barked a voice, interrupting her trancelike state. “What are you doing?”

She was unceremoniously dumped back into full awareness. Her mouth was open and she was making soft panting sounds. One of her hands had slipped under her shirt and was palming a breast. The bra was pulsing, massaging her nipples with the bulbous nubs. It was a highly distracting situation.

Face aflame, she blubbered, trying to come up with an excuse. “I’m so sorry, sir!” she said, blushing. It was the worst possible scenario - not only had Lewd Larry showed up, but so had her boss!

John was apoplectic, having none of it. “Masturbation in the office is completely unacceptable, but that isn’t even the largest problem!” He gestured at her desk. “Clearly, the reports aren’t done!”

Blanching, Suzy looked at the clock, confirming that the time for the meeting had come and gone. What had just happened?

Everything had been in hand just a few short minutes ago! “It’s almost done!” she exclaimed, clicking wildly with her mouse. “It’s just about ready!”

“It doesn’t matter anymore, the meeting is now irrelevant!” he roared. “This is just further proof of your incompetence!”

His eyes narrowed. “I’ll have you know that the client from SoftChange called, withdrawing all business from us due to our being ‘unresponsive’ to their needs! And they’ve laid the blame for this squarely at your feet!”

Suzy gulped, only now realizing the monumental mistake she had made the day before. “But,” she gasped, “SoftChange has never been a large client for this company!”

“That’s right.” His eyes now glued her to her chair. “This was our opportunity to turn that around, grow our business. This whole debacle has cost the company an immeasurable amount of money.”

He paced the floor. “I can’t have this. I need you to leave, now. You’re fired.”

Larry stood back, letting the boss do all the talking, but Suzy could see the smirk in his eyes as he sipped his coffee. Suddenly, she couldn’t take it any more.

“You know what? It doesn’t matter. I quit. You couldn’t PAY me to work for this company. I’ve been harassed, put upon, ganged up on, and dismissed for years!” Her eyes flashed. “They usually say not to burn bridges, but I don’t even care. You’re all assholes!”

Grabbing her bags in a fit of anger, she rushed for the door, knocking against Larry on purpose. His coffee spilled all over his tweed jacket, dark rivulets flowing into his pocket.

He blanched as she got right up into his face. “I hope your mistress is as good at removing stains as she is at giving blow jobs,” she said nastily, rushing towards the door.

A dripping Larry was left behind, his mouth flopping open like a goldfish.

***

It wasn’t yet midday when she arrived home, tears streaking her face. She ought to feel relief that her horrible job was over, yet she just couldn’t do it.

She always wanted to do her best in all things, and she felt as though she had failed. What had happened was massively unfair, and she was still trying to process the situation

She threw her purse into a chair in the kitchen and sat down in another, her head in her hands. How had she arrived in this situation? Everything seemed so simple just a day ago. Maybe it really was all her fault?

A knock on the door distracted her from her misery. Through bleary eyes, she gazed through the peephole, seeing a brown truck rumbling away down the street. Curious, she opened the door to find a package sitting there.

Wary, she grabbed it and shut the door, locking it. She wanted to be alone in her current state of mind.

Who could be sending her parcels? She hadn’t remembered ordering anything recently. Then the thought came that it might be from Rankotech, much like the box yesterday which had helped to start the mess she was in. She shivered, but not with fear.

She hadn’t managed to remove the first article of clothing that was gifted to her. Did she really want to risk dealing with a second piece?

She sat the box down on the kitchen table, crossing her arms and glaring at it. After a few minutes, annoyed at her own indecisiveness, she decided that she was being too skittish.

Maybe it wasn’t from Rankotech at all. There weren’t any markings on the box to indicate one way or another.

The box cutter was still on the table from where she had left it yesterday, so she utilized it to open the new package. On top of the contents was a sheet of paper.

Printed at the top was an interrogatory statement in all capitals - ‘ARE YOU CONFORMING TO EXPECTATIONS?’

What did that mean? Whose expectations?

Tossing the paper aside, she took a bubble wrapped object in her hands and tried to disentangle it. As she rotated it, a slinky yellow blob of material dropped out onto the table.

She stared at the mass warily, now almost certain where the object had come from. Feeling silly, she retrieved a pair of tongs from a drawer and prodded it.

Nothing happened. Or, at least, there were no surprises.

She could tell now that it seemed to be made out of the same material as the bra. She rearranged it on the table, spotting another stylized, black printed ‘R,’ removing all doubt as to the origination of the package.

After shuffling it about for a bit, realization finally dawned. This was supposed to be underwear!

This new understanding didn’t exactly help her, however. Given her adventures with the bra from yesterday, she was understandably concerned that if she put this article of clothing on, it might not be coming off.

But would that really be a big problem for her now?

That thought brought her up short. Had she really already decided that she was going to work for Rankotech?

They had already displayed some pretty creepy behavior, sending her clothing that was effectively starting to control her body.

She jumped as her bra gave her a squeeze, familiar arousal curling up her spine. It clearly was suggesting something, but was she willing to play along?

Unbidden, sensual thoughts rose within her mind, her imagination starting to run wild. She was lying down sodden with sweat, writhing in pleasure, stroking herself. No, she was dancing seductively, running her hands down her svelte sides. She was moving to the beat, movements effortlessly graceful.

She blinked, beating back the sudden fantasies. What had gotten into her? Dismayed, she realized that she was naked, her clothing strewn around her.

Her hands were out of control, pulling the panties smoothly into position. Once their work had finished, she stumbled, almost as though she had broken out of a trance.

Cursing at her carelessness, she recovered and took stock of her new predicament. Her latex bra had been joined by latex panties, the ‘R’ she had noticed earlier now sitting on top of her mons, covering her pubic hair.

She bent down to get a better look, more curious than worried. The sheer material clasped her tightly, but there appeared to be a few openings below that she couldn’t quite see. Feeling it out with one hand, she ran her fingers around and into several molded oval holes.

Clearly it was meant for longer term wear, and now that it was on, she couldn’t seem to convince herself to take it off again, just like the cursed bra. Running her fingers over the material, she enjoyed the sensations being transmitted to the skin underneath.

She was already feeling horny again, the clothing somehow making her insatiable. Shaking her head, she pulled her hand away, trying to get a grip on the situation.

Bemused, she tried to figure out what to do next. Who could she contact about the situation? She’d be laughed at if she talked to the authorities. How would that conversation go?

Dear officer, I’ve put some naughty clothing on, and it’s controlling my every thought! With the way things were going, she’d probably end up attempting to pleasure herself at the station, which would be even more embarrassing than things already were!

Suddenly, a thought came to her - her friend Nancy might know what was going on. Naked except for her new undergarments, she searched her pants on the floor to retrieve her smartphone and dialed Nancy.

It rang through several times before it was picked up. “Hello, Nancy? It’s Suzy. We need to talk.”

“Oh? Have you made your decision?” Nancy sounded eager.

“It’s not about that, at least, not directly.” Suzy sighed, deciding to feel her out. “When you got the offer to join Rankotech, did they happen to send you any kind of… clothing?”

“Of course! It’s a perk for all new employees!” Her voice became soft, purring. “You didn’t happen to put any of it on, did you?”

“N-no, not really,” Suzy stuttered, feeling uncomfortable discussing the subject with her friend.

Both her bra and panties started pulsing, immediately putting the lie to that statement. Her face became flushed as her body’s primal reactions began to stir. “Only, it’s, I would like to know more about the clothing, that’s all.”

“You didn’t? I put them on as soon as they arrived! I didn’t think twice about it, really. You should give it a try! I think you’d enjoy it - it should release some of that stress you always seem to be carrying.”

Nancy’s bright voice was starting to become a bit of a blur as the ministrations from her clothing continued. With one more throb, she moaned, embarrassed by her behavior, her unoccupied hand now creeping back down to cup a shiny breast. Why couldn’t she stop caressing herself?

Over the phone, she heard a tinny laugh. “I knew it! You’re a liar, but that’s okay. Nobody I know has been able to resist, and believe me, I tried hard! It gets inside your head somehow so that you need to obey it. It’s like a half remembered song you have to sing the melody to.”

Suzy heard some heavy breathing through the line. “It’s already getting to me, just thinking about it, the mindless, sensual feelings that flow through your body. I know it’s wrong, but it’s too late, I’ve already been altered to accept it. Soon, you will understand as I have.”

The breathing got louder, interspersed with cute moans. Suzy felt as though her breathing and Nancy’s were synchronized, but it was so hard to tell due to the distraction of her pulsing privates.

Her nipples stiffened, being gently rubbed by the bra, the underwear now sliding back and forth gently over her lips as it gripped her skin. She dropped her hand to her thighs and plunged her fingers inside the rubber hole which covered her vagina, tickling herself to increase the stimulation.

The strange tune started again, the music in her brain winding its way through her thoughts. “Can you hear that?” she asked hoarsely, wondering if she was going crazy.

“Oh, yes,” replied Nancy. “It’s the music of Hive, and it is beautiful.”

“Hive?” asked Suzy, barely coherent. What was Nancy talking about?

“Don’t worry,” gasped Nancy. “It will all become clear soon. Just let it take you away and feel the pleasure.”

Suzy’s resistance was at an end, her thoughts now lost in the music, her body a pulsing, sweaty mass of tingling pleasure. She could feel the tempo rising, her breasts vibrating in rhythm to the unending song.

She needed release, had to have it, pumping her fingers inside as fast as she could. The tune crescendoed towards a climax, her insides swirling in a purple morass. Something twitched, and she cried out her pleasure, taut body vibrating like a drum.

The song quieted, but she felt as though she would never be completely without the music.

Sobbing gently, she gasped. “That was amazing! Does it feel like that every time?”

“Don’t question it!” said Nancy roughly, coming down from her own orgasm. “Just give yourself to the beat and let it guide your actions!”

She paused for a moment. “I’m sorry, I just can’t answer any more questions - you need to find out for yourself! I’m going to have to put the phone down now and masturbate some more. Enjoy yourself!”

Nancy clicked off, sounding pleased about something.

Suzy did, in fact, enjoy herself several more times throughout the afternoon and evening.