[Al and Zoey: A Married Couple Fallen Into A Rut...]

It had started off so nicely, so much passion and fire: Allan and Zoey McManus, they were going to be great, shake up the world!

Then, somewhere along the way, 'the world' fought back. Their band broke up, they got steady jobs, they had kids, they bought a house in this hick town with decent schools and a low crime rate... Then their love life started to suffer...

Al and Zoey have been together for 17 years now, and they don't want a divorce, but... There's no spark, no spontaneity, no genuine PASSION any more... What they want is themselves, (and each other,) themselves the way they were a-decade-and-a-half ago in their last year college, when the world was bright and full of promise, anything seemed possible and nothing could stop them!

At least: that's what they THINK they want...

The e-mail was as unexpected as it was bizarre.

Everyone knew the world had been conquered by aliens, but no one cared. The aliens weren't striping earth of its water, or kidnaping people, or planting weird red vines which drank blood, nothing like that was happening. Ok, the Heads of State of most of the world had all vanished one day along with most of the WMDs like nukes and the special cryo-vaults of the CDC, but other than that and announcements that the planet was under new management things had gone on almost exactly as before. Sure, the prisons had been emptied and refilled: the petty criminals and everyone just in the wrong place at the wrong time let out and given decent work installing the new infrastructure improvements, while all the corrupt politicians and cops were now cooling their heels behind bars, but that was a GOOD thing, right? Then there was this e-mail everyone was to report to the town square in a week to be assigned a 'sex toy volunteer': and some people kinda lost their shit.

Apparently earth's new overlords were seriously pervo fucks who a significant, (not 'statistically significant' but like MORE THAN 50% OF THE POPULATION; 'Significant',) number of which dreamed their entire lives of being used as living, breathing, thinking, dildoes or fleshlights by another sapient being...

They talked it over with their neighbors and church friends and while the people at church were kinda worried most of the neighborhood was pretty blase about it all. This was ESPECIALLY true of Martin and Anna from across the street, who seemed to think this was going to be the answer to everything that was wrong in their lives: but Al and Zoey always got this weird vibe off those two anyway: always agreeing with everyone, never making waves, shy, diffident, keeping to themselves...

The Day came, at around noon a Ghirabo security ship descended and opened its sides. A few Ghirabos jumped off, dressed as security officers. One of them spoke into a translator which bleeped out in a loud volume. "All humans, for a line in front of me and you will be assigned a sex toy. Upon assignment you may choose wether to have the toy assume its desired form now or later. Now form the damn line!"

The crowd which had gathered quickly obeyed with Al and Zoey ending up between the front and the middle. The Ship left and came back before they got to the front of the line... They were told that due to them being a couple they could choose between either having one or two Ghirabos. Martin and Anna knew this from the e-mail and follow up letter the next day, and quickly replied, having already agreed privately which they wanted...