A friend in the military

As you'd planned, it was right when you finished up your first day, or partial day, anyway, as Director of Hideki Labs that Kelly Lancer got off duty.

You'd had other things on your mind for a while, but considering that going beyond just a fusion of Hideki's most advanced technology had started with your journey into orbit with her, and given how she'd felt about some of what you'd done while in orbit, you had certainly planned to make a return visit when you could.

Unlike most officers, the Captain had chosen to live in a small studio apartment on the base itself. It was smaller than she could have found in the nearby city, but it saved on commuting and put her in prime position to be available to respond in an emergency, which you knew she thought might be advantageous one day when questions of promotion arose, should she ever be able to distinguish herself in such a situation.

It also meant it would be easier to get to one of the experimental spacecraft if she decided she'd like to take another flight up with you.

Still, she'd just gotten off duty, which meant you still had to wait a while as she ate, showered, and changed into comfortable civilian clothes, leaving her uniform out for rapid changing should the need arise.

You didn't mind waiting that much, though. It gave you the opportunity to explore a different state of existence, where instead of concentrating your awareness into a single physical form while leaving yourself only dimly aware of everything else--enough to alert you to true emergencies but not so that you were actively, consciously processing what went on elsewhere--you diffused your consciousness across everything that you were, everything you had become. After all, you were reality itself. You were the underlying nature of everything that was, the fundamental principles underpinning all of existence. In theory, you should be able to exist in a completely incorporeal state, observing everything equally.

Which you could. It was remarkably simple to let your physical body vanish entirely and let your very being dissipate across itself. Your mind encompassed the universe, processing its overwhelming bounty of information consciously as easily as it did subconsciously. Everything was easy, so incredibly easy, so readily accessible. Alter one particle here, and a person lives. Change the amplitude of a wave there, and four people die. Create two protons elsewhere, and a civilization falls. Destroy a quark in yet another place, and an economy booms.

The lines from cause to effect were all so simple, so obvious. You could even reverse time's arrow, make effect precede cause, alter what others perceived as the past, fix what others thought of as the future. Only a few events you could not alter.

But you had no desire to alter any of them. You were much happier to let events unfold as they would have done. Life would be far more uninteresting if you knew everything that would happen, and you had an eternity of life in which to stay interested.

Even so, the exploration had itself proved interesting, though you had little intention of repeating it in future, and in allowing time to flow at its ordinary pace you finished it right as Kelly Lancer had relaxed into watching a TV show before likely going to sleep.

You considered how you should appear to her. After all, you weren't exactly there as Director of Hideki Labs, or as a potential co-pilot on a flight into space. If anything, you were going there because you knew certain of the Captain's more hidden secrets, and knew she'd been waiting for another opportunity to indulge in them, in a way she thought only you could provide. You still remembered the look she gave, the way her voice sounded, when you had still been merely a basic gestalt, controlling her body with your nanites and slime.

In public, she really was the tough-as-nails military officer she appeared to be. When it came time to do her duty, she took no shit from anyone, followed orders she was given, and expected her own orders to be obeyed with alacrity. She stared right into the face of danger and laughed.

But in private she wanted to be controlled. On those occasions when she spent a night off-base it was often at a local BDSM club where she'd willingly be on the receiving end. The idea of surrendering herself so completely was arousing to her, and the danger such complete submission represented only further attracted her to it.

Her dreams, since you'd parted ways, had been full of scenarios in which you controlled her, made her do any number of things, hurt her, violated her, left her helpless as you went about your own business--just so long as it didn't get in the way of her duty.

So you decided on the same outfit you'd worn when you first shown up in her CO's office, only adjusted slightly to fit the larger proportions you were still trying out: a slinky, tight-fitting blue dress. Given that you were there for recreation rather than business, you figured you should probably look the part.

You decided to appear sitting on her bed, just out of her line of sight as she watched the episode.

"Hello, Captain."

Kelly Lancer started in surprise, reaching for the handgun she kept on the side table. She leveled it straight at you, then took a moment to take in who you were.

"Wait," Kelly Lancer said, "doc? Dr. Ternion?" She was clearly confused, but held the gun steady. "How'd you get in here? You didn't come in by the door, after all."

"I've..." You hesitated. It was true. You hadn't come in by the door, and when you'd last been here you couldn't do something like collapse into a puddle of slime, being constrained by the limitations of your bodysuit and exosuit, or pass through solid objects. "I've advanced a little further since we met, Captain."

"I'll say, if you got in here without my noticing you." Unlike her bed, the door was quite deliberately in Kelly Lancer's line of sight.

"Before we go on," you said, "is there any need for the gun? I assure you it can't hurt me, and if you fire it to raise the alarm about an intruder, I can guarantee you I'll be long gone by the time anyone gets here."

The officer thought about that for a moment, then nodded and, without breaking eye contact, lowered the firearm and slowly laid it back on the table. "All right," she said. "Why are you here, then?"

"To ask after you, why else?" you said, relaxing just a bit, moving into a more provocative pose. You knew Kelly was getting an eyeful of cleavage.

Her mouth twisted in a mock smile. "I guess I might have expected that you'd pay one last visit."

"Why is that?" you asked.

"I'm being reassigned. I got the memo just as I got off duty. With Project Quicksilver's suspension, the brass have decided that I'm needed at another base. Easy to move someone with no attachments, after all." She waved a hand around the room. "Even if it's resumed, I won't be on it."

You nodded. That was one of the few things you'd done as Director. There was a clause in the contract for Project Quicksilver that permitted Hideki, in the event of a major interruption, to suspend progress on it while not cancelling the contract outright. It allowed three months to get research and development going again, and you'd activated it before leaving the office. After all, you had to decide whether to continue the project at all. Truth be told, you didn't really want to create more beings like Tina and Lina. You'd much rather reorient toward medical applications, but it would mean losing one of Hideki's biggest contracts.

And you hadn't considered how the military would respond even just to the project's suspension.

"I'm sorry," you said. "I thought that your superiors would want to keep their side of the team around, at least pending a final decision."

"Don't be," Lancer said, though her voice did carry a little bitterness. "I get reassigned all the time. I'm just glad I was able to make the trip with you, doc."

You nodded, but a thought occurred to you. Something for later.

"So is there any particular reason you're here, Dr. Ternion?"

"Call me Juno," you invited. "And I was thinking about our flight, Captain. I've been attempting to refine how my nanites interact with the human nervous system, and I think I've figured out how to use them without rendering the test subject **** after only a few minutes. I was wondering if you'd be willing to help me test it out."

As intended, you saw the clear signs of arousal in Kelly Lancer. The woman craved being controlled, at least in here. She wanted to be made to do a provocative dance again. She wanted to be made to do more than just dance.

"You can call me Kelly," she returned. "And... are you sure? I don't want to go for five minutes only to pass out and wake up five hours later again."

"I can cease controlling your body instantly if you're showing signs of slipping into unconsciousness. It was only that it was unexpected the first time."

Kelly nodded. "I'm not saying no, Juno, but this is pretty irregular. I really should get approval from my CO so I can be properly monitored during the test."

"Given that the test may involve my moving your body in unpredictable ways, there's no way to ensure that the monitoring devices will be accurate. My nanites can record all the data I'll need."

"Doesn't sound like the most unbiased experiment, using the devices being tested to record their own data," the officer pointed out.

"Sometimes it's the best we can do, especially when we're dealing with technological advancements as novel as what I represent."

"All right," Kelly said after a moment. "But..."

You raised a questioning eyebrow.

"I'm assuming you can monitor my thoughts in the event you make me unable to speak?" she asked.

You nodded affirmatively.

"If I say or deliberately think 'McCabe' three times in a row, stop, all right?"

You nodded again, and smiled inwardly. This wasn't just an experiment for Kelly.

"All right then. Give me a little slime, Juno."

"I've refined that, too, Kelly," you said. She did look a little disappointed that she wouldn't be slurping up another ball of blue slime, but after waiting about five seconds you said, "All right, I'm ready."

"What did you do?"

"Slipped individual nanites into your body through your pores," you said. The truth, of course, was that none of the rigmarole was actually necessary, but simply controlling Kelly would have made her too suspicious, even if she would have enjoyed it. "Before I go on, is there anything you don't want me doing?"

"Aside from **** or irreversible injury?" she said. "No. Experiment on me however you like." She'd become flushed, her breathing shallower. She clearly wanted to see what you were going to do first.

"I can heal any injury you might suffer during the test," you assured her. Maybe later you would mention that you could transform her body.

"All right. Then just don't kill me."

You started with something simple, and Kelly's left arm raised itself into the air. She looked over at it, nodded.

You made her stand up and walk around. She could still feel that she had control over her head and torso, but her limbs didn't respond to her commands. That didn't last long, though, as you took control of her from the neck down to make her move some furniture out of the way to clear a space in which you could make her move.

"How are you feeling?" you asked, standing up yourself, making the Captain stand stock-still in the centre of the room.

"I'm doing OK," she said, but her voice was just a bit breathier than it had been.

You made Kelly's arms move, her hands taking hold of the hem of her light sweater, lifting it off. She was wearing a military-issue tank top underneath.

"Wanting to get a closer look?" she asked.

"Do you want me to get a closer look?" Even as you said that you lifted her legs, one after the other, making Kelly take off her socks.

"I did say you could do whatever you wanted," she confirmed.

She had been wearing shorts, so you had her slide those off. Her panties were plain and black, but a slight discoloration betrayed how she was feeling.

Kelly realized it too, as her mental signals were those of someone wanting to pull her hands in front of her crotch, but her efforts were futile.

"You're interested in this for more than just science, aren't you?" you teased.

Kelly bit her lip to stay silent.

You smiled and made her pull off the tank top, revealing the comfortable padded lounge bra and firm abs underneath. You paused.

"I'm still fine, Juno," the Captain said. Before you undressed her further, though, you melted your dress back into your body, revealing the smooth skin you hadn't had when you were last here. You smiled as it was obvious what Kelly wanted to do at the sight.

You walked around her, not touching her at all, just giving her a little show of your own, moving in a way designed to arouse.

"Let's see how you're feeling," you said, and Kelly's breathing became ragged as her hands undid the clasp of her bra and you made her shoulders shrug it off. As you'd already known, her nipples were hard, and she tried, to no avail, to move her hands up to them, though not to hide them.

"Now, what should I make you do," you mused even as you made her slide her panties down and step out of them. The two of you stood completely bare, facing each other, one of you in direct control of both of you, the other turned on at being trapped and powerless.

Kelly tried to shiver as you made her dip a finger into her slit, bring it up to her mouth. She licked it of her own accord.

"You're getting off on this, aren't you?" you teased again. "I bet I know what you really want, Kelly Lancer."

"What do I really want?" she said, her voice even breathier as you made her play with her nipples.

"You want me to find some way to get you assigned as a liaison to Hideki Labs, not so much to monitor the progress of Project Quicksilver, but so that I can do this to you all..." You made her move a hand from a nipple to her pussy. "...the..." Her thumb started rubbing her clit. "...time." You made her finger herself, and she had a small orgasm, only her face betraying the pleasure she felt.

"You're not just willing to be controlled by me," you continued as you **** Kelly to keep masturbating. "You want to be controlled by me. You crave being controlled by me." Her fingers plunged in and out faster. "You need to be controlled by me."

The Captain was trying not to moan and nod in agreement.

"I can do so much more than this, Kelly," you said, adjusting her sensitivity. She had another orgasm as you slipped a finger into her anus. "I can use my nanites for so many other things." A blank patch of wall turned into a mirror so Kelly could look at herself; you knew she thought it was just your nanite-slime forming a reflective surface. "I can do more than just control what you do; I can control everything about you."

Of course, you had no intention of going so far as to alter her personality or interfere with her own decisions, but you did make her breasts larger, her butt curvier. She was already pleasingly well-proportioned, but her eyes went wide as she saw her bust expanding, could feel the growth under her hand.

"I've suspended Project Quicksilver, but I'm retooling Project Inside Out toward medical research. There's a small downside, though."

"What's that?" Kelly managed in between gasps and moans.

"The more advanced products require regular attachment to a human host to maintain full effectiveness. I could really use someone who doesn't mind playing host to a sentient bodysuit or slime for much of the day. Both at once, ideally. Of course, there would be quite a few of these, and they recharge much more efficiently if both are used at once." You smiled. "Whoever I find has to be someone who doesn't mind being encased and controlled for hours every day. All wrapped up in sentient bandages and puppeteered by an intelligent slime, her body a symbiote for them." Kelly's breasts and ass had continued to grow the entire time, her proportions verging on outlandish before you stopped them. "The slime would be able not just to control her body but reshape it, and the bodysuit would keep her safe from harm while attached. She might even retain her new shape afterward, until the next session and the next potential transformation."

You moved up close behind Kelly, tracing a finger up her abs, the other hand lightly squeezing her free nipple. "Would you happen to know someone who might be interested in that, Captain Lancer?" you whispered in her ear.

She didn't say anything around her continued vocalisations of arousal, but her thoughts came through loud and clear. "McCabe! McCabe! McCabe!"

Immediately you reverted her body to normal, stepped away, returned control of it to her. She crouched a little, hands on knees while she took a moment to recover. She didn't care about her nudity, and you hadn't recreated your dress. You waited for her to speak.

"I..." she said. "I..." She took a deep breath. "If you could get me reassigned there, Doctor, it would be the miracle of all miracles. Once the brass makes up their mind, changing it is almost impossible." She moved to her drawers, pulled out fresh panties.

"But would you like that?"

Kelly flopped down on her chair after putting the panties on. "Yes. God, yes. That sounds... amazing." She saw no need to hide from you just how turned on she was by the loss of control.

"When do you ship out?"

"About a week from now. But as I said, good luck getting the brass to change their orders."

"I think the brass would be interested in bandages and gels that can heal essentially any injury. Of course, there'd be certain stipulations attached, but I can give military personnel higher priority in exchange for a liaison officer of my choice."

"Good luck with that, too. They'll assign whoever they want to assign."

"I can point out that your physiology, from what little data I was able to collect before you passed out, seems better suited than most for participation in the research." Your dress reappeared before you sat down on her bed again.

"How many people have you actually tested this on?"

"There's a few employees at Hideki who served the purpose for Zoe Hildebrand and Chloe Walker, but, and I mean no offence by this, Captain, when it comes to the work itself, they'll be able to contribute more as researchers than as batteries."

"No offence taken. I can understand the need." She thought for a moment. "How much time would I have to myself? I'd still want to stay fit and sharp."

"The models Hideki made for full-body use, up through Zoe and Chloe, had around a one-to-seven ratio, one day of being attached to a host would keep them going for another seven days. I'm pretty sure that we can improve that, though. My target for final production is one-to-twenty-one, eight hours of attachment for seven days of independent activity."

"That sounds extremely ambitious."

You thought for a moment about how it might be done without active intervention on your part. "I think our work on Project Quicksilver may prove valuable," you mused. "There should be a way to retool the technology used to create Tina and Lina in order to make intelligent bodysuits and slimes more energy-efficient, without making them unsuitable for attachment to a human."

"That's a bit above my pay grade, Juno. I'd rather leave the science stuff to the scientists."

"I'll write up a proposal and send it in," you promised. "The contract will have to be renegotiated, if Project Quicksilver will only serve in a supporting role for Project Inside Out"--you saw no need to change the names at this point--"but I'm certain the military will want to be involved, and I can use that to get my choice of liaison."

"If it's going to take twenty-four hours per suit and slime right now, though," Kelly said, "how much time will that actually leave for me to liaise?"

"We're going to focus on smaller-scale products first. We can build back up to full-body development later, once we've proven the energy efficiency."

"All right." Kelly nodded. "I'll just trust that you can pull off your miracle."

"Don't worry. I can write a very compelling proposal when I have to."

The Captain nodded again, but then said, "I just thought: how are you going to get out? It seems like you just appeared here."

"I'll just disappear, of course," you said, and vanished in front of Kelly Lancer's eyes without saying another word.