Chapter Four

Late in the night, I received a call from an unknown number. It was my sister’s boyfriend.

I was surprised. Despite them being together for years, we’d never so much as even talked before.

Me and Gaby don’t really get along anymore.

As kids we were incredibly close, as close as you would expect twin sisters to be. Then in high school we drifted apart. I was having fun, going out with friends, and sure, some partying. But Gaby was always the smart one, the over-achiever. It was no secret who the favorite daughter was.

She took everything so seriously: her life, school, computers. Always spending her free time on her PC or pouring over some giant book on programming. She always had to be the best at everything she did.

I’ll admit, I haven’t always been the greatest sister. So my heart sank when I got a call from Gaby’s boyfriend in the middle of the night telling me something’s wrong.

“What happened? Is she in the hospital?” I asked anxiously.

“No. Nothing like that.”

“Then what?”

“Your sister’s in trouble,” he said cryptically. “But you can’t contact her directly. Please, trust me – her life depends on it.”

Her life depends on it?

My mind was racing with the possibilities. It couldn’t be drugs. Gaby’s not the type to ever take drugs. Not super-serious Gaby: the nerdy girl with the ugly frumpy sweaters. She once freaked out cos she found a joint in my car. So then what?

Mark offered to pay for the first flight out to San Jose. So I packed my bags and headed straight to the airport.

The flight was six hours. Mark was waiting when I arrived. He had big, dark bags under his eyes, and his hair was disheveled. He looked like he hadn’t slept in days.

“There’s a coffee shop near our place,” he said. “I’ll explain everything there.”

“How about a bar instead?”

Over the next several drinks, he told me everything. About the job in Texas, the harassment, the promotion. The move to Silicon Valley. Vision and her co-workers. Women in Tech. The social mixers, Flynn Parson. Her sensitive breasts, her out of control sex drive. Wet t-shirt contests, her new outfits, her new attitude, the weekend getaway. Cheating on him with a big tech millionaire (which he kept saying he wasn’t taking personally. Whatever the fuck that even means).

It was…a lot. By the end, I had no idea what to think. According to him, a women’s advocacy group was involved in a massive conspiracy with several large tech companies to brainwash attractive programmers into becoming horny, obedient sex slaves.

He sounded nuts. The whole thing sounded like one of those crackpot online conspiracies you sometimes hear about. It was hard to believe.

Maybe he’d lost his mind? Caught my sister cheating on him and just…went crazy. It was a hell of a lot more believable than the alternative. There was only one way to know for sure. I needed to see things for myself.

“So what’s the plan?” I asked.

“To stop them.”

“How?”

Even if he was telling the truth, what chance did the two of us have in stopping a bunch of tech billionaires?

He stared down at the table.

“That’s the part I don’t know. I’ve been sort of preoccupied since I, uh—caught her… I mean, I know I shouldn’t—“

“—take it personally,” I interjected.

It was probably the eighth time he’d said it. Why wouldn’t you take it personally? Had he somehow been brainwashed too? Or had he really just lost him mind...

More than anything, I wanted to arrive at their apartment and see my annoying sister in one of her ugly frumpy sweaters, with her stuck-up personality. I wouldn’t even care if she got mad at me for coming by unannounced. At least then I’d know she was okay.

Then we could figure out what to do with Mark. Get him checked into some kind of mental hospital or something.

“So, where am I going to stay?” I asked.

“Oh.”

“A hotel?”

“They’re expensive,” he said while staring down at his drink. “I could cover it for a day or two, but…”

Money issues? Another red flag. Was that why my sister cheated on him? But Gaby’s not like that. She’s the furthest thing from a gold digger.

Nothing about this seemed to make any sense.

“Well,” I sighed. “I’ll have you stay with you.”

***

We arrived at their apartment. The place was small but nice. Guess it’s all they could afford with just my sister’s salary. Mark had mentioned he’d still couldn’t find a job since the move, besides a little dog-walking.

We switched to tea and continued the conversation. I checked the time. It was already eight o’clock.

“Does she normally stay out this late?”

“She has a lot of … meetings,” Mark replied, seemingly only half believing his own words.

Sometime later, the front door opened.

“You won’t believe the day I had,” Gaby said, walking inside.

I couldn’t believe my eyes. She was wearing a low-cut top, small tight skirt, and thigh high boots. I’d never seen my sister wear anything with cleavage before, so it was total shock to see her boobs practically spilling out of her top. She looked like… a stripper.

“Steph!” she exclaimed, dropping her bag. She ran over and greeted me with a big hug. She smelt like…perfume and sex. Something was wrong.

When my sister asked what I was doing here, I made up a story about meeting a guy at a hotel for an investment opportunity. She looked at Mark and rolled her eyes.

We spent the next hour catching up. It’d been so long. I hadn’t realized just how much I missed her. Despite our differences, she was still my sister.

I desperately wanted to just ask her what was going on, but I stopped myself. We needed to be careful not to draw any suspicion.

Gaby yawned. “Well, it’s getting late. We should hit the hay.”

“Let’s do something tomorrow,” I said. “You can take off work and we’ll have a good old fashioned girls day. You can show me around. What do you think?”

“I can’t,” said Gaby.

“Why not?”

Mark and my sister shared a look of amusement. Like, can you believe what she just said.

“Women in Tech should be team players,” she stated.

Mark nodded. “Women in Tech need discipline.”

“Women in Tech need discipline,” Gaby agreed.

What the fuck…

Why were they talking like that? It was…so strange. I wasn’t sure how to respond.

“Women in Tech…need discipline,” I found myself repeating, trying to decipher its meaning. “Women in Tech should be team players...”

I mean sure, it seemed reasonable enough. Discipline and teamwork were important traits for any job. But it wasn’t about what they said, it was more about the strange way they said it.

They both just smirked and nodded.

I felt uneasy. What if Mark was right? What if they somehow really had been brainwashed by a tech company. It seemed ridiculous... but still. Something was off with them. I needed to be careful…

“I’ll make up the guest room,” Gaby said.

As soon as she left, I pulled Mark away from the door.

“Oh my God. What the fuck happened to my sister?”

Mark looked confused. Did he not see it? She’d become an oversexualized caricature of herself. The old Gaby would’ve never dressed like that.

“Well, I have good news for you. You’re not crazy. Or if you are, it’s contagious, and it’s spread to my sister as well.”

“But what did she do?” Mark asked.

“What did she… everything! The way she’s dressed, the way she smells, the way she talks about work…”

“She’s always loved her job,” Mark protested.

“Yeah, I know, she’s my sister. She’s always enjoyed the challenges of work, but it’s always been a job. Right now, she sounds like she’s… like she’s… drunk the Kool-Aid.”

“So it’s not just me,” Mark said. He sounded relieved.

“She needs help. She needs us.”

Gaby poked her head out of the guest room. Well, guest room was putting it nicely. It was a tiny office with a blow-up mattress.

“Almost done. I’m so glad one of us was home when you came by,” Gaby said. She had the same strange expression as before.

“Uh huh,” I nodded, trying to force a grin. Trying to avoid the awkwardness of the situation with small talk, I said the first thing that popped into my head: “But I’m glad you’re working so hard. Women in Tech need… need to be team players.”

More smiles and nodding.

“Maybe just call ahead next time,” Gaby added with a passive-aggressive tone. That was more like what I’d been expecting.

She looked over at Mark. “Anyway, I’m gonna crash. Can you make sure my sister has everything she needs?”

“Of course, sugar tits,” he said, slapping her ass.

Whoa… Sugar tits? My sister would have never let that slide. The old Gaby would’ve slapped him in the face and told him off. I don’t know what was weirder. That he’d just gotten away with calling her sugar tits, or that she actually seemed to like it…

Maybe Mark was right…

After my sister went to bed, he sat beside me on the couch.

“So… I have questions. Lots of them.”

“We have all night,” he replied. “Ask whatever you want to know.”

***

We spent hours going over every detail, asking any question I could think of about Vision, Flynn Parson, and Women in Tech. We’d covered the broad strokes at the bar, but now I wanted every little detail.

When I asked Mark how he felt about seeing my sister cheat on him, once again he said that he “wasn’t taking it personally.” I didn’t understand. Why did he keep saying that?

I asked about her new clothes. When she’d started dressing like that and why. Gaby had always dressed conservatively, so to see her like that was shocking. He told me Women in Tech need to look their best.

I wanted to know how the hell he got away with calling my sister ‘sugar tits’. He told me Women in Tech love pet names.

I kept repeating the answers out loud, trying to get to the bottom of things. So far, everything he said made sense, but something felt off.

Women in Tech need to look their best.

Gaby finally realized how important her appearance is. I know she always wanted to be taken seriously at work, be praised for her intelligence not her body, but that’s just the way it is.

I repeated the words in my head.

Women in Tech need to look their best.

Women in Tech love pet names.

Mark showed me what he had found online about Vision and Women in Tech. That not only were both companies created on the same day but only just a few minutes apart. I stared at the headshot of Flynn Parson. It gave me an uneasy feeling. He was the link. Whatever was happening, he was behind it all. I just knew it.

“I don’t think he’s involved,” Mark interjected. “I did at first, but I met him. I think he’s on the level.”

I wasn’t sure what to make of that. It seemed pretty obvious that this Flynn Parson guy was connected. So then why was Mark defending him?

“So where should I look first?” I asked. “Women in Tech?”

“It has to be.”

I asked again about the meeting he went to. He told me how Gaby had reverted to wearing her old bulky clothes. We talked about the new girl Angela, and the other group of women.

“Women in Tech should save their energy for serious issues?” I asked.

There was something… strange about that. Something wasn’t right. But I couldn’t put my finger on what it was. It was like what had happened earlier with the two of them.

Why did they keep saying that phrase?

“Nothing about that… strikes you as odd?”

Mark gave me a confused look.

“Of course not. Women in Tech should save their energy for serious issues.”

“Women in Tech should save their energy for serious issues,” I repeated, trying my best to figure out what I was missing.

“Women in Tech should save their energy for serious issues,” said Mark. Another wave of dizziness filled my mind.

“Women in Tech should save their energy for serious issues,” I once again repeated, this time more confidently.

The words spun around in my head, over and over. He was right. Gaby’s always been a serious person. She’s never been the type to waste her energy on frivolous problems. Women in Tech should save their energy for serious issues. That’s just common sense.

But there was still something about that phrase: Women in Tech.

There was something strange about it. Already now I’d heard it at least a half dozen times. It’s highly likely that it had something to do with everything that was going on. But how exactly?

I needed to write all this down. Mark grabbed me a pen and paper.

In my sloppy handwriting I wrote: “Women in Tech should save their energy for serious issues.”

Ok, what next.

“Tell me everything you know about Women in Tech.”

“…well, they’re an organization who—”

“—No, not the company. About… people like Gaby. About women who are in tech.”

“Oh. Sure.” He thought for a moment. “I mean, Women in Tech should use every asset they have available.”

I continued writing, slowly repeating each word as I went.

“Women in Tech… should use… every asset…they have available. What else?”

“Women in Tech should be team players.”

“Right. Women in Tech…should be…team players. Next?”

We repeated the process, going through every piece of advice Mark had heard from my sister.

The room was spinning by the time we finished. I really needed to lay down. Between the jetlag, alcohol, and the lack of sleep, it was all catching up to me. My head was buzzing.

I looked down at the pages I had written one last time, hoping to have some kind of revelation.

Let’s see…Women in Tech…

They use every asset they have available, are team players, save their energy for serious issues, need to look their best, should give more than they receive, should be respectful, need to be competitive, need discipline.

Made sense so far. Those where all qualities Gaby’s had her whole life. Nothing weird that.

But further down the list things became a bit… stranger.

Women in Tech…

…appreciate pet names, are here to please, are here to serve, need to satisfy clients, had to show off their bodies.

As I read the list again, I started to second guess myself. Maybe there weren’t as strange as I’d initially thought. The more I read them, the more sense they seemed to make. They were all things you needed to succeed in the tech industry. Nothing too crazy, I guess.

But at the bottom of the page were the last two things. These had to be connected to my sister’s changes. These were beyond reasonable. They sent a shiver down my spine just reading them.

Women in Tech love to obey.

Women in Tech must submit.

I had a bad feeling about this. I knew this was serious.

I rubbed my eyes. I needed to get some sleep. I was exhausted. This was all too much. Best to get some rest and start fresh tomorrow.

But before that, I had an idea. I looked at the list.

“Hey. Question for you.”

“Hit me,” said Mark.

“Women in Tech need to be competitive, right?”

“Women in Tech need to be competitive,” he replied, the same odd tone as before.

“And Women in Tech need to be respectful,” I continued.

“Right, Women in Tech need to be respectful.”

“Women in Tech need to be respectful,” I repeated. “Okay, one more. Women in Tech need to be meticulous.”

I paid close attention to his reaction.

He wrinkled his nose at the question: “What?”

“It’s something I’ve heard.”

“Uh, sure,” he shrugged.

“Do you think that’s true?”

“Uh huh,” he politely replied.

I could tell by his tone that he didn’t believe it. Strange, I really thought that would work. I thought I’d figured it out. I needed to try again.

“Last one,” I said, I staring directly into his eyes. “Women in Tech need to wear big hats.”

Mark laughed. “I haven’t heard that one.”

“But is it true?”

He shook his head. “I mean. No? It doesn’t really make sense.”

“Okay. Just wanted to check.”

I looked down at the list. Well, there goes that idea. I didn’t understand. Or maybe I was just wrong. Maybe that phrase had nothing to do with any of this.

“I need to get some rest. We’ll pick up all this up tomorrow.”

“Great. Hey, uh, Steph?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks…” Mark said softly.

“No problem. We’ll figure this out. I promise.”

I went into the guest room and collapsed onto the blow-up bed. I was exhausted.

Women in Tech… Women in Tech…

Something about that phrase…

My head was still spinning. I closed my eyes and fell asleep.

***

The next day, I had the place to myself. Mark and my sister had both left for work.

I got on my laptop and started searching for any information I could find about Flynn Parson and Women in Tech. It was almost suspicious how little information there was. You’d think someone so high-profile would be a little more public.

But why? What was he hiding? I kept staring at his picture. Such an intense gaze…

I looked back down at my list. I’d jotted down some questions. Writing my thoughts always helped me think better.

Who? Flynn Parson? Possibly more?

What? Brainwashing my sister and dozens of other women? (Maybe Mark too)

Where? Women in Tech meetings? Vision?

When? At least the past few months

Why? ???

I heard a car pulling up. It was my sister. I hadn’t expected her to be home so early. Mark told me she’d been staying late every night for “important work meetings.” I quickly hid my notepad.

“Helloooooo?” Gaby said. “Anyone home?”

“I’m in here.”

“How’d you sleep?”

“Uh, good… you know, as good as you can on a blow-up mattress.”

She smiled. “I’m sorry. I wish we had an actual guest room. We were supposed but with Mark not really working…”

“Hey, so uh, I wanted to ask. Are you mad that I came to visit?”

“…no, I’m not mad. Annoyed, maybe. But it’s good to see you, really. It’s been a while… I’ve missed you.”

“Me too,” I smiled.

A moment of awkward silence. Then my sister grabbed a couple glasses from shelf.

“How about a bottle of wine?” she asked.

“Yes, please!”

We spent the next bottle and a half catching up. It really was nice to spend time with my sister again. I carefully tried using this bonding experience to subtly get more information out of her. I asked more about work and the Women in Tech mixers.

“They’re amazing,” she gushed. “I don’t know where I’d be without them. They really helped me fit in. Speaking of which, we’re having a Christmas party. You should really come. I told all my co-workers you were in town, and they insisted I bring you.”

“Hmmm.”

“Please? It’ll be fun. I promise,” Gaby pleaded.

It could be good. Give me a chance to investigate the situation further and—wait…I had an idea!

“Hey Gabs, how about we wear matching outfits?” I casually asked.

Gaby always hated when our parents would dress us up the same as kids. It always felt like she resented being a twin. She was way too much of an independent spirit to have a sister that looked just like her.

“That’s a great idea!” she said, beaming with joy. “Oh my god! We gotta go shopping for dresses! I can’t wait.”

I smiled back. Her enthusiasm was infectious.

Just then, Mark entered the apartment. “Hey, honey.”

Gaby briefly shuddered. “Hey babe. I told the guys at work my twin was in town and they insisted I bring her to the Christmas party!”

They traded jokes about California’s overly PC culture. I examined my sister. Her personality seemed mostly the same. It wasn’t like she was a completely different person.

Sure, there were the outfits, and all the other weird stuff, but at the heart of it she was still herself. I snapped back to the conversation.

“It gets better,” Gaby said.

“Oh yeah?” Mark asked.

My sister was hardly able to contain her excitement.

“I’m going to get her a dress to match mine!”

“That sounds fun… What made you—”

“—Women in Tech love to dress up,” Gaby interrupted.

I paid special attention to the look on her face. There was something so… captivating about it.

“Women in Tech love to dress up,” I found myself repeating.

I tried to notice if there was anything unusual about what she’d just said but it seemed pretty normal. Of course Women in Tech love to dress up: most women did. My sister’s recent outfits were proof of that. She seemed to be having lots of fun.

“Women in Tech love to dress up,” Mark repeated. I nodded in agreement.

“But… why is Steph going to match you?” he asked.

I was a bit offended. Just because I wasn’t a Woman in Tech didn’t mean I didn’t enjoy dressing up. I didn’t have the same prudish attitude as my sister. I never felt the need to hide my body like she used to.

Gaby stood up and stumbled towards Mark. I could tell she was pretty drunk. I was too. We had a lot to drink while we were catching up.

She wrapped her arms around Mark’s neck.

“Women in Tech like to excite men,” she whispered. “Women in Tech like to make men hard. Women in Tech will do whatever they can to turn men on and get them off.”

Whoa…had she forgotten I was here? Gaby always hated public displays of affection. Even if it was just me around. Or was she doing this because I was here?

She leaned in and kissed Mark, deeply and passionately. I looked away in embarrassment. This was so out of character for her: the old Gaby would have never done something like this.

“Women in Tech like to make men hard,” she repeated.

I couldn’t help but notice the bulge in Mark’s pants. I should get up and go…

I really should leave. I shouldn’t be here right now. It’s not right…

“Women in Tech love to get men off,” she whispered.

I felt the blood rush to my cheeks. A warmth filled my head. I should just stand up and go but…

Wait—something wrong. There was something weird about what she was saying. I needed to figure it out.

Women in Tech like to excite men? Clearly from the look of things that was true. Nothing wrong with that statement.

Then what was it? Women in Tech like to make men hard? I could tell by the bulge in Mark’s pants and the look on my sister’s face that was true too.

Women in Tech will do whatever they can to turn men on and get them off? Maybe that was it. That’s what was wrong. They’ll do whatever they can? That can’t be right. Can it? Seems a little…extreme.

“Women in Tech love to get men off,” Mark echoed. Hearing it from him only further confirmed what I was thinking. It was definitely true.

Women in Tech love to get men off.

He brushed his thumb against her crotch. Gaby shuddered and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

“Women in Tech love to suck cocks,” Gaby said in a sultry voice. Her speech was slurred from the wine.

That can’t be true…not all Women in Tech love to suck cocks, do they?

Obviously my sister did, of course. But all Women in Tech? Every single last one of them? That can’t be right…could it?

“Women in Tech love to swallow cum,” she continued.

Did she love to swallow cum too? My breathing was getting heavy. My chest rising and falling with each deep breath. I should really get up and leave but…

The warmth had spread throughout body. My pussy was warm with arousal.

“Women in Tech love to suck cocks,” Mark repeated.

Gaby’s eyes lit up as she made her way down his body.

“Women in Tech love to swallow cum,” my sister replied, dropping to her knees.

I audibly gasped as she pulled his hard cock out. Was she really going to do this in front of me?

I knew just how much my sister loved to suck cocks but still. I was right here…

“Women in Tech like to make men hard,” I mindlessly echoed. “Women in Tech love to get men off…”

Gaby was playfully brushing the tip with her tongue. Then she wrapped her lips around it and moaned.

Gaby loved to suck cock. She loved to make men hard. She loved to get men off. She began sliding up and down his shaft, taking him as deeply as she could.

Oh god, it was so… fucking hot. My own sister. She was so fucking hot.

For a brief moment I even imagined myself as her. We looked similar enough. I imagined that was me lapping up Mark’s cock. A loud moan escaped my lips.

Why did I just do that? I’m not even attracted to Mark…

So, why did I just imagine myself going down on him? Was it jealousy? But why would I be jealous?

I must’ve had too much to drink. A dozen different thoughts raced through my head all at once. My head was buzzing. The room was spinning.

She started deepthroating his cock, stroking his shaft with one hand, while the other hand gently rubbed her clit.

Oh fuck… I’m so… horny.

My heart rate quickened. My breathing sped up. Why did I love watching? It obviously wasn’t just me. Gaby chose to do this in front of me. She must love to be watched as well.

“Women in Tech love to be watched,” I thoughtlessly muttered, unaware of my own words as I buckled my hips in arousal.

They both looked at me. Their eyes lit up in agreement.

“Women in Tech love to be watched,” Mark repeated.

“Women in Tech love to swallow cum,” I continued.

Gaby’s head was bobbing up and down on Mark’s cock. He looked at me and nodded.

Don’t look at me while my sister’s going down on you. What are you doing? What if she noticed? What if she…

“Oh god,” I moaned.

I was feeling so aroused. It took all my willpower to resist pulling down my shorts and touching my own clit. Would my sister even care if I did? We all know she loves to be watched…

My breasts were nearly spilling out. I tried to adjust my top in a brief attempt at modesty, noticing Mark look back over as I did.

“Women in Tech love to swallow cum,” Mark. My sister kept sucking and slurping, clearly enjoying herself.

I tightly gripped the couch as I squirmed back and forth. So fucking horny…

“Women in Tech love to swallow cum,” I whispered.

Another wave of arousal. I softly bit my lip. All my focus was on my sister: watching her eagerly bounce up and down her boyfriend’s hard cock. I’d never been one for voyeurism, but I couldn’t deny the whole thing was so fucking hot.

“Women in Tech love to get men off,” Mark grunted. I could tell by the look on his face that he was about to finish.

Women in Tech love to swallow cum.

“Women in Tech love to swallow cum,” Gaby moaned at the same moment I was thinking it.

It was like she could read my mind. She was quickly stroking Mark’s shaft, her mouth opened wide, tongue sticking out in anticipation.

Mark groaned as he ejaculated into my sister’s eager mouth. She lapped at his cock, licking up every last drop. Her expression was filled with total ecstasy.

Afterwards, Mark collapsed onto the couch. Gaby climbed into his lap, giggling as she nuzzled up next to him.

“Wow…” was all I managed to say, completely dazed from the show they had just put on. I was feeling incredibly lightheaded. It was so wrong. So hot. So wrong and so hot. So fucking hot.

My senses were slowly coming back to me. Why did she do that?

Why did I do that? Why didn’t I just leave?

Maybe Mark was right all along. There’s something strange going on and I’m going to get the bottom of it.

I just needed to find some proof. I don’t know what I expected her to say. Women in Tech are horny sex slaves? That would certainly catch my attention. But instead, everything she’d said so far had all been pretty reasonable. Nothing too crazy.

This was gonna be difficult.

“Go clean up, baby,” Mark commanded.

My sister moaned at the pet name and left.

Mark looked over at me. “Are you okay?”

“Mm-hmm. That was… that was pretty hot,” I admitted. “I mean, I know I shouldn't have… we shouldn’t… but…”

“Women in Tech love to be watched,” he stated, looking directly at me. His eyes were glazed over.

“Women in Tech love to be watched,” I repeated.

“But I meant, like… with the Christmas party.”

I jumped up, suddenly remembering the plan.

“Oh, right. I mean, yeah. I figure it’s the best way to learn what’s happening. Go into the belly of the beast, y’know?”

“Of course. But… why’d you agree to dress the same?”

“We’re identical twins. When we dress the same, not even you will be able to tell us apart. And that means I can go anywhere she’s allowed to go.”

Mark smiled excitedly. “You’re a genius!”

That was nice to hear. I’d spent my whole life always being compared to Gaby. She was always the intelligent one. But I could be smart too. And I was going to prove it.

Together, we were going to stop them and get my sister back. No matter what.

***

Gaby agreed to take the week off work to spend time together. I was surprised at first. Women in Tech need to be team players. Women in Tech need discipline. But apparently her boss had insisted she take the time off, to spend some quality time with her twin.

Besides, Women in Tech need to make time for fun.

I was glad she did. This would give me a chance to figure out what was going on with her. To finally get to the bottom of all this.

Things were great. After years of almost no contact, I was worried she wouldn’t have wanted anything to do with me. But I was completely wrong. She was genuinely excited for to spend time together.

It reminded me of back when we were young, when we used to be best friends. I wasn’t sure what caused this sudden change of heart, but whatever it was, I was glad.

We spent the first day together at the mall, going from store to store, looking for cute outfits. I waited outside the changing room for her to try some of them on.

Gaby stepped out. She was wearing a tight black top that barely contained her massive breasts. They looked like they could pop out at any moment. She was also wearing a tight miniskirt, so short that every time she spun around, her bare bottom was fully on display.

I’d always been the more adventurous twin when it came to style, but I never would’ve had the courage to wear something like that.

Gaby giggled. “What do you think?”

“Wow… you look… amazing!”

Maybe it was narcissistic for me to say that about my twin, but it was true. She looked great. Between her stunning body, her gorgeous long flowing hair, and her expertly applied make-up: everything about her was perfect.

She bought that outfit, along with some others. I even got a few for myself.

Everyone was staring at us as we made our way around the mall.

When you have breasts like ours, you get used to the staring. But with Gaby next to me it was unlike anything I’d ever dealt with.

It was a nonstop parade of men, constantly coming up to us, and every time they did my sister would flirt back. Like heavy duty flirting.

Women in Tech like to excite men.

It felt like being with a famous actress.

“Hey Gabs?“

“Yeah?”

Spending time together had brought out a bit of the Texas accent in both of us.

“What’s up with all the new outfits?” I finally worked up the courage to ask. She shot me a confused look.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you were always… not a prude,” I lied, “but just… well, you know? You’d always been very conservative with how you dressed.”

There was a moment of silence. I was so worried she’d take offense at my statement, but instead just smiled.

“Women in Tech need to look their best,” she replied, as if it was completely obvious.

Like I was stupid for even asking. Honestly, I felt stupid. It was obvious. Of course they needed to look their best. It was a tough industry for a woman. I was so proud of my sister’s accomplishments.

“Women in Tech love to dress up,” she continued.

“Women in Tech love to dress up,” I echoed, staring directly into her big brown eyes.

She smiled and nodded. “Women in Tech love to show off their bodies.”

She was right. Hadn’t I always thought she was ridiculous for dressing so frumpy? She then why is it weird that she suddenly realized the importance of looking good. Why was I making such a big deal about it?

I was relieved. There was nothing wrong with the way she dressed. Women in Tech love to dress up. Women in Tech love to show off their body.

After, we made our way back home and put on a movie, joking, and laughing. It felt so good to be spending time with my sister again. I hadn’t even realized just how much I’d missed her.

Mark came home later that night. “Well, anything new?” he asked when we finally had a moment alone.

“Nothing yet,” I replied. “There’s still something off about her, but I just can’t figure what.”

“I saw the new outfits she bought,”

“I know, aren’t they great!”

“You don’t think the way she’s dressing is unusual?”

“Women in Tech love to show off their bodies,” I reminded him.

“Women in Tech love to show off their bodies,” he agreed. “Ok, well maybe not the outfits, but what about the cheating? Her sex drive?”

He had a point. Gaby was certainly a lot more… titillating than she used to be. My sister never would’ve flirted with every guy she ran into at mall before. That wasn’t like her.

Women in Tech like to excite men.

“I have a theory,” I told him. “But it won’t make sense to you.”

“Why not?” he asked.

“Because it’ll sound crazy. And because… well, I think that…” I said, trailing off as I found myself lost in thought.

I still thought there was something weird about that phrase: “Women in Tech.” The way they looked at each other, the way they would repeat it. It was like they didn’t even realize how strange the whole thing really was.

Women in Tech should be respectful.

Women in Tech are here to please.

Women in Tech need to be competitive.

Women in Tech should be respectful.

Women in Tech are here to serve.

So far, the advice had all been pretty reasonable. But what if someone was able to use it to give commands that weren’t so reasonable?

What if they were able to use it to somehow change her? It was something to consider.

The next day we went to the nail salon to get a Mani-Pedi. I closed my eyes and relaxed, enjoying the feeling of being pampered. This was the life.

“What color should we get?” my sister asked.

“What color are you gonna get?”

I knew for my plan to work, we had to look the same.

“Mmm, I was thinking red.”

“Sounds good to me!”

After, we went to the hair salon, to get our hair done for the Christmas party. I made sure we were matching.

It’d been a while since I had long fake nails. It made it hard to type.

I got back on my laptop and searched for more information on Flynn Parson. There he was, with his big smug smile. There was something off about him. His eyes were like those paintings that followed you. He gave me bad vibes.

I was still pretty positive he had something to do with all this. I needed to keep my distance from him, no matter what. The last thing I needed was to let all this craziness somehow spread to me. Then we’d never get my sister back.

The next day, we went to the gym. It seemed like every one of her exercises were more about showing off her body than they were working out. Pretty much everyone there was staring at her. And just like the mall, she flirted with all the guys. She even disappeared for a quick “personal session” with one of them.

After that, we went to go buy our dresses for the party. I hadn’t really considered that if I was going to look just like her, that meant I was going to be wearing some super skimpy dress.

Women in Tech love to show off their bodies.

I’d never been afraid of showing off my body. I enjoy being admired. But the dresses Gaby wanted to get were beyond anything I’d ever worn. We might as well be wearing nothing at all.

I giggled at the thought of Gaby showing up to the party naked. It certainly wouldn’t be too out of place for her, the way she’d been acting.

We stood in front of the mirror examing out new dresses. I couldn’t deny they looked great on us both.

“How much are these?” I asked the saleswoman.

“$2000.”

My jaw dropped.

“$2000 for two dresses?” They were barely even dresses, more like thin pieces of fabric. “That’s insane!”

“$2000… each.”

“Jesus… that’s like three months of rent.”

Gaby looked amused at the mini-breakdown I was having over the price.

“Women in Tech have expensive tastes,” she declared.

Gaby never used to be one for fancy things, but it made sense. California was stupidly expensive so obviously as a result Women in Tech would develop expensive tastes.

“Are you sure you want to spend this much? We can find nice dresses for so much cheaper.”

Gaby looked at me slightly annoyed. “Women in Tech know the value of money.”

I felt embarrassed. Of course they do. What was I thinking? Why would I even question her on something like that. She knew the value of money more than I did. The value of looking good.

Women in Tech need to look their best. I shouldn’t have said anything.

“You’re right, sis. I’m sorry.”

“I don’t mean to interrupt but I overheard your conversation. Why don’t I get the dresses for you?” said an impeccably dressed businessman. His suit was clearly customed made.

“You two look so good in them,” he continued. “I’d hate to see such perfect dresses go to someone… less suitable.”

Gaby giggled, twirling her hair. “Aww, that’s so sweet. Are you sure?”

“Please, I insist. It’s no problem at all.”

“Such a gentlemen,” she said, biting her lip.

“Was there anything else you were looking at? A beautiful woman like you deserves to be spoiled.”

“Well…” she said, “There was one other.”

“Let’s go try it on.”

She grabbed his hand and led him over. I watched as my sister and the clearly wealthy man grabbed another dress and made their way into the changing rooms.

Women in Tech love to suck cocks.

Several minutes later, they both came out. “You look incredible,” he said as she twirled around. Her tits looked glazed over, like she had barely even taken the time to wipe the cum off them. He looked over at me.

“How about your sister, would she like to go try on a dress with me?”

“I’m ok…” I nervously replied.

I looked over at Gaby. She shot me an angry glare. People think twins can read each other’s minds and for the most part it wasn’t true. However, in that moment I could. Her eyes were saying: “Do it. Don’t you dare embarrass me like this.”

“This nice man’s going to buy these expensive dresses for us. You should thank him for being so polite,” she said with an annoyed tone.

It’s obvious what he actually wanted. I looked like a high-class escort in the dress I was already wearing. Was that why he approached us? Did he think we were a couple of escorts? Well, if Mark was to be believed, technically one of us was.

“I’m okay, really. I can purchase the dress myself if that’s an issue.”

I knew my bank balance would barely cover it. It might even get declined. But it was better than prostituting myself for a dress.

“I’m so sorry,” Gaby apologized. “Let me make it up to you.”

“Nonsense,” the man replied. “It’s no problem at all. I don’t mind getting her dress as well. Besides, with that attitude it’ll be the last dress anyone ever buys her.”

Gaby giggled. I blushed with embarrassment.

He paid for our clothes and handed Gaby his business card on the way out. I watched as he got into the back of a black Escalade and drove off.

“What was that?”

“What do you mean?” my sister said.

“Why would you do that? You make good money. You can afford the dress on your own.”

“It’s not about the money.”

“Then why?”

“Women in Tech are attracted to wealthy men,” she replied in a matter-of-fact manner.

I thought about it. It made sense. That guy was wealthy and handsome. I was starting to wonder if there was something wrong with me for not wanting to.

“Women in Tech are attracted to wealthy men,” I repeated.

Gaby nodded and started the car. Suddenly, it all made sense.

That’s why she had cheated on Mark. Poor Mark. How could he compete? There was something so…sexy about a man with money.

Women in Tech are attracted to wealthy men.

Everything was slowly starting to come together.

I could see the look of despair in his eyes when I told him about it later that evening. I put my hand over his to comfort him.

“Don’t worry. We’re going to fix this,” I said. “We’re going to get Gaby back.”

He shook his head. “It isn’t Gaby’s fault… Women in Tech are attracted to wealthy men. That’s just a fact. It’s just… something I never wanted to notice.”

A long pause. Poor Mark. He wasn’t wrong though. My sister deserved someone who could take care of her. She was the best, and she deserved the best. Not that there was anything wrong with him, but Women in Tech are attracted to wealthy men, and he was… well, not.

“I’ll see if she lets anything slip tomorrow.”

The next morning, we went to a day-spa. It felt so nice to relax and be pampered. This was the life. I could really get used to this.

“Women in Tech deserve to pamper themselves,” Gaby said.

God, life was so great for Women in Tech. Now I see why Gaby had always been so interested in programming. Hell, maybe I should’ve pursued the tech industry too. They get everything they ever want. Anyone they want. The world is their oyster.

Gaby scrolled on her phone while we sat in the hot tub. She scooted over to me.

“Smile,” she said, and snapped a selfie.

I looked over at her, she was scrolling on her phone and giggling.

“Oh my god, we look so cute. Can I post this on Reddit?”

“What’s Reddit?”

“It’s like a message board. They made a subreddit dedicated to me!”

“Oh really? That’s neat. What kind of pics do you post? Is it like Instagram?”

I remembered her Instagram. The pictures she’d been posting lately were incredibly lewd and risqué. I figured this Reddit would be the same. I didn’t expect it to be even worse.

She handed me her phone. “Check it out.”

I scrolled through the pics. I instantly recognized the first one. It was the topless pic of Gaby, the one her ex had leaked. That was back when we still kept in touch. I remember just how much distress that whole situation caused her.

She cried about it for days when it happened… and now she’s proudly showing it off like it’s no big deal?

Then it hit me. Something really was wrong with my sister. Over the past few days I’d become complacent….

Every new thing always had a perfectly reasonable explanation. I was starting to suspect that Mark had been overreacting. That he just couldn’t handle the reality of the situation. Sure, Gaby’s changed a bit. But what’s wrong with that? People change. She’s living her best life.

But now, seeing this reminded me. Something was wrong. There’s no way she would ever be alright with showing off those pictures like that. That’s not like her. My sister would never be okay with that. There was absolutely no way she could just explain this one.

I thought about how every time I noticed something unusual, my sister would have a perfectly logical explanation. There was something odd about that, wasn’t there? That she had an explanation for everything?

Things I could’ve sworn I thought were strange just a week ago were now perfectly reasonable.

I remembered my theory on the phrase Women in Tech. So far, she hadn’t said anything that didn’t make sense. But what if that was the problem? What if…

“Gabs, why would you let them do this?”

“What do you mean? I’m the one who posted them.”

“But why?” I asked. As soon as I said it, I regretted asking. I realized she was about to give me another perfectly reasonable explanation.

“Women in Tech deserve attention,” she said, staring into my eyes.

“Women in Tech need to self-promote online. Women in Tech need to maintain an active social media following.”

I blinked a couple times. I was feeling dizzy. The heat from the sauna earlier must’ve been getting to me. I was being ridiculous.

Obviously Women in Tech deserve attention. My sister deserves all the attention in the world. She’s an incredible person.

I don’t know much about the tech world, but it makes sense that you’d want to promote yourself. That you’d want to maintain a following on social media.

How else were you supposed to climb the corporate ladder? How else were you supposed to excite men?

“Women in Tech should make themselves available,” she added.

I nodded. Women in Tech should make themselves available. Gaby’s career had taken off precisely because she had.

Women in Tech should make themselves available.

Of course she’d wanna share that picture. Why wouldn’t she? Her tits looked great in it. There's no use in hiding them. Everyone knows they're there.

Not to mention the millions of men on the internet that would get hard from a picture like that.

Women in Tech like to make men hard.

I felt relieved. I was just overthinking things. It made complete sense once you really thought about it. I was getting worried over nothing.

Later that night, I told Mark about the Reddit. He was livid. It kind of scared me a bit, reminded me of the possibility that maybe he was just crazy.

He gripped my phone when I showed him the pics, gritting his teeth.

“What the hell is happening here?”

I put my hand on his knee to calm him down and looked him directly in the eye.

“She explained it to me…and look, it made sense.”

“How?” he exploded.

I shot him an angry look. Gaby was just in the other room taking a shower. His loud outburst could completely blow our cover, make Gaby suspicious of us. Then we’d never get anywhere.

Although…more than that, Mark was starting to scare me. I’d never seen him like this, this side of him, this anger. Was this why Gaby cheated on him? Was she scared of him? The more I learned the more it seemed like the only problem here was him.

Maybe this whole thing was just all in his head…

“Lower your voice,” I demanded.

“How could it possibly make sense? You know your sister? In what possible universe could this possibly make a lick of sense?”

“You’re telling me that there’s no explanation I could give that would make this make sense to you.”

“Of course not!” he yelled.

“That this is so out of character for my sister—”

“—Yes!”

He counted on his fingers the multiple reasons as to why this made no sense. That she didn’t take pics like this, and even if she did, she would’ve at least shared it with him first.

“Fourthly” he said, “why would she tell you before me?”

“She wanted to post a photo of the two of us. She wanted permission before she did.”

“What?”

He looked down at the phone and continued scrolling.

“I said no.”

Mark was red with anger. I wasn’t exactly afraid of him, but it was worrying to see him like this.

Suddenly, I realized, I didn’t know anything about him. He was practically a stranger to me. I’d only met him a week ago. Before that I’d barely even known of his existence. Sure, I knew Gaby had been seeing some guy for the past few years, but beyond that, nothing.

I’d been far too trusting of him. Believing the things he said over my own sister. Especially now that she’s had the chance to explain everything. All the things she’d told me made perfect sense. I couldn’t believe I’d actually let him wrap me into his ridiculous conspiracy theories. He’d somehow actually made it seem believable at first.

But this wasn’t some tech company’s diabolical scheme to try and brainwash women. This was just a delusional boyfriend who couldn’t accept that my sister had finally outgrown him. That she didn’t need him anymore. She could do so much better.

“So what’s this explanation,” he grunted. “What on earth did she say to you that made the whole thing make sense?”

I looked him directly in the eyes and calmly repeated everything Gaby had told me earlier.

“Women in Tech deserve attention. Women in Tech need to self-promote online. Women in Tech need to maintain an active social media following. And Women in Tech… should make themselves available.”

We sat in silence for a minute, both just staring at each other, looking directly into each other’s eyes. I could see his breathing slow. He was starting to calm down. Thank god, I was finally starting to get through to him.

After several minutes, I broke the silence.

“So… you’re okay with it?”

“Of course,” he answered immediately. He looked down in embarrassment. “I totally overreacted. I’m sorry, I… I wasn’t being reasonable.”

“And now you are?”

He nodded. “Women in Tech deserve attention.”

I nodded back. “Women in Tech deserve attention.”

I shouldn’t be so hard on him. It’s not Mark’s fault he’s not wealthy. It’s not his fault he’s not enough for my sister anymore. For a long time he probably was, and he’d gotten used to it. It’s not his fault.

He shouldn’t….take it personally.

I almost felt bad for him.

I woke up early that morning. My jetlag had been bothering me this whole trip. I didn’t handle traveling well. I missed being home, sleeping in my bed. Maybe it was time for me to head back.

At least the trip hadn’t been a complete waste. I was able to reconnect with my sister again.

And I should be relieved. I couldn’t believe I’d actually thought my sister was being brainwashed by a feminist organization. I couldn’t help but laugh at how ridiculous that sounded.

Just then I heard a knock at my door. “Are you up?” Mark asked. “I saw the light on.”

“Yeah? What is it?”

“Can I come in?”

“Sure. I guess.”

He opened the door and came inside. I could feel his gaze leering at my body. I hadn’t expected a visitor at this time of night. I was in just a tank top and underwear.

He looked like shit but despite that had a big smile on his face.

Oh great, he looked fucking crazy. Had he finally snapped? I prepared myself for another outburst. If he so much as raised his voice, I was going straight to my sister and telling her everything.

“You look happy,” I said dryly.

“Check this out,” he said. “You gotta see this.”

He handed me his phone. It was an Instagram page. For Women in Tech: the organization.

I slowly scrolled through the posts. “Women in Tech are perfect trophy wives. Women in Tech never wear pants. Women in Tech need to belong to a man.”

Holy shit…

I gasped. This was it… the smoking gun I’d been looking for.

Holy shit. This was it. This was how they were doing it.

I finally found the Women in Tech phrases that didn’t make any sense. This is what I’d been looking for. My heart was pounding.

I was beaming with excitement. Unable to stop myself from grinning. I was right all along!

Holy shit, I couldn’t believe it.

“This is it!” I said, waving his phone triumphantly. “This is the missing piece!”

“What is?”

“This Insta,” I said, scrolling down. I read them all out loud.

“Women in Tech are perfect trophy wives. Women in Tech never wear pants. Women in Tech need to belong to a man.”

None of it made any sense. It was all so sexist and ridiculous. There was no logical explanation for these. This was the evidence I needed.

“Why?” he asked.

“This is how they’ve been doing it,” I gushed. “They just… they just posted it all online! It’s all here.”

“Maybe it’s because I only got a few hours’ sleep, but I’m not following. What’s all here?”

“This!” I said pulling up an image at random — Women in Tech appreciate pet names.

“Women in Tech do appreciate pet names. That’s just true.”

“Women in Tech appreciate pet names,” I agreed.

Bad example. That one was obviously true. I rolled my eyes in frustration. He wasn’t getting it.

“That’s not the—"

The door opened and we both froze. Gaby’s head poked in, looking confused.

“What are you two doing in here?”

My sister was wearing only a pair of blue pajama shorts. Her tits swayed as she came into the room, clearly not bothered by her lack of a top.

Women in Tech love to show off their body.

“We’re, um…” Mark stammered.

“Gaby, we found the Women in Tech Instagram account,” I said, cutting him off.

“Oh, isn’t it great?” she beamed.

Her tits bounced as she jumped with excitement. Despite our boobs being the same size, hers seemed even perkier than mine. It wasn’t fair.

“I’ve been following it for a while,” she said.

Mark grabbed the phone from me.

“Great?” he asked angrily. “Women in Tech should be owned by men — does that sound great to you?”

Gaby’s brow furrowed and she leaned over his shoulder to see for herself.

“No, okay, that doesn’t sound right... are you sure this is the real account?”

“You’re following it!” Mark shouted.

“I just searched Women in Tech,” she shrugged. “I didn’t, like, get it off the website.”

“C’mon, Gaby,” I urged. “You’ve got to admit there’s something going on here. Look at this crap.”

I grabbed the phone out of Mark’s hands and pulled up another random post.

“Women in Tech should wear high heels? It’s ridiculous!”

Gaby held her hand out. “Let me see that.”

I handed her the phone.

“Women in Tech should wear high heels,” she slowly read out loud.

She looked back up at me. “Women in Tech should wear high heels,” she repeated. “What’s wrong with that?”

Wait—I was almost positive that was one of the ridiculous ones. That it was one of the phrases that were blatantly untrue. But hearing the words come out of my sister’s mouth made me realize the opposite.

Women in Tech should wear high heels.

It made complete sense.

Women in Tech should look their best, and no one could deny high heels looked good on women. It accentuated their legs, and made their butt looks great. Women in Tech love to show off their body. A smart, professional woman should always wear heels.

“Women in Tech should wear high heels,” I repeated.

“Women in Tech should wear high heels,” Mark echoed. “Okay, well that one’s obviously true, but—”

“—Guys,” my sister interrupted with a laugh. “Can we talk about this another day? Steph and I need to get ready!”

“For what?” asked Mark.

“Tonight’s the Christmas party!”

“I really think we should—”

“—Women in Tech need to be the life of the party,” Gaby quietly said, staring Mark in the eyes. He nodded back.

Like always, she was right.