The Product Tester - Chapter 10

Illustration by the illustrious @HofBondage. 

The next couple weeks went by in a blur. 

Ethan had no idea what his fiance was up to, but whatever it was, she was in a good mood about it. Diaper changes became just a part of their routine. They’d wake up, he’d give Mary a change, he’d go to work. She’d work on freelance jobs, or do something to get the cover off, and then they’d get lunch together and she’d get her second change of the day.  

If she was making progress on the cover, Ethan couldn’t tell how. He’d stopped receiving notifications about any tampering with the electronics, and the software seemed to be working just fine. If he didn’t know any better, he’d have guessed that Mary had given up, and was riding out the month to collect her paycheck. 

But, he did know better. Mary was too stubborn for that even if he’d told her a dozen times that it was the best thing to do. 

Whatever she was working on, when he got off work in the evening, they’d have dinner, maybe watch a movie, and then go to the bedroom for a little fun. And, as much as Ethan hated to admit it to himself, it was probably the best sex they’d had since they first got together. 

Mary had stopped caring what state her diaper was in when they went to the bedroom. With her cover on, they couldn’t really do anything the usual way, but that just forced them to get creative with things. The experimentation had been a thrill, and Ethan was almost ready to-

After they fooled around, they’d watch a movie or just relax on the couch near each other, chatting about their day, enjoying each other’s company. Bedtime would roll around, they’d go to sleep, wake up together, and do the whole thing over again. 

Three weeks into the trial, though, things changed. 

Ethan couldn’t tell anything was amiss the night before. They chatted, they watched the new musical on Disney Plus Ultra, they went to bed. Mary fell asleep curled up in Ethan’s arms. 

When he woke up, she was gone.

Fumbling for his phone, Ethan turned off the alarm, then looked over to tell his fiance good morning. She wasn’t in bed. 

“Baby?” he said, sitting up. She never woke up before him, not unless she had a good reason. 

He threw back the covers and got up, walking to the kitchen. “Mary? Where are you?” 

Nothing. He couldn’t hear the shower, and there wasn’t any other reason she’d be in the bathroom, but…

His eyes were drawn to a paper on the kitchen counter. Walking over, he picked it up and read. 

Ethan.

I’m fine. You don’t need to worry about me. I’ve got a lead on how to remove the cover, but it’s going to take me a couple days. 

The remote transmission on the cover is clever, but it’s not impenetrable. Once I get back, I can give you a few pointers on how to make it more secure. Until then, I’ve disabled your ability to get notifications or a GPS pin of where I am. Don’t worry about me, I’m being very careful. 

I love you. I’ll see you in a few days, when I collect my check for twenty five grand. 

XOXO 

-Mary

Ethan read the note twice, then ran back to the bedroom to get his phone. 

…

It was a good day for Katherine. 

The security test with Mary was going well. Three weeks in, and she’d made no progress on penetrating their security. If that wasn’t an endorsement, nothing was. 

Better yet, the practical use test was beginning today. If that went well, they’d be able to go to market in six months. LAB-D was going to corner half a dozen markets with one product, and she was the CEO who’d made it happen. 

If she played her cards right, they’d be a Fortune 500 company before 2035. 

That wasn’t why she was in a good mood. 

She was in a good mood because she’d found a discrepancy. Someone was mucking around in the company’s servers, and Kat was about to expose them. 

It made her so giddy she could almost sing.  

Katherine was damned certain that, when they’d set it up, the practical test had eighteen participants, with spare parts and space for two additional participants in case of a sudden change of plans. 

She’d talked to a couple of them personally, and she’d overseen the setup and sent out the work orders herself. As important as this project was, there was no sense in leaving it to a subordinate. It had to be done right. 

So, she thought, looking at her computer display. Why do all my records show nineteen participants, with spare parts for one? 

Her phone rang. She glanced at the caller ID. It was Ethan. 

She held the receiver up to her ear. “Katherine speaking.”

“Mary is missing.” Ethan sounded panicked. “My app isn’t showing her position. I can’t even do an emergency lookup. She’s just gone.”

“Alright.” Katherine paused. “Do you know anything in detail?” 

“Just that she left to try and get the cover removed. Kat, I’m worried about her. What if the collar drugs her while she’s in traffic? I won’t be able to override it, and-” 

“You built the safety systems yourself. The accelerometer in the collar will prevent it from doing any such thing.” Cradling the phone against her shoulder, Kat pulled up some info on her display, reading the information as it scrolled past. “I’m sure she’s fine, Ethan. She’s a grown woman.” 

She was looking at the logs from Mary’s cover. A thorough list of every accident, every change, every orgasm for the past three weeks. Sure enough, the information was reading a static ‘Null’ across the board. Mary had managed to block out the signal.

“Clever girl…” 

“What?” Ethan asked. 

Kat closed the window. “Nothing. She’s fine, Ethan. She’ll probably be back in a few hours, once she realizes she needs a change and can’t get it without you.” 

“But-”

“She’s not your prisoner. She’s an adult, and she chose to leave. Don’t worry too much. I’m sure it’ll be fine.” 

Ethan breathed for a moment, clearly working to calm himself down. “Fine. But if you hear something-” 

“You’ll be the first to know. Goodbye, Ethan.” Mary hung up, setting down the phone.

Feeling especially chipper, she hummed a little tune under her breath. “I’ll bring the veil, you bring the groom, slender and pale…” 

Punching in another number, she waited for the other end to pick up. 

“Hello?” 

“Melissa, you’re getting the practical tests set up right now, yes?” Kat said, smirking. 

“That’s right,” Melissa said. “We’ve just got one more room to put together, the subjects should start arriving any minute. Why?” 

Kat smirked. “You need to watch out for one of them, Mary Bambine. Glasses, in her late 20s. From what she told me, she’s going to be an incredible brat. Fussing, lying, doing everything she can to make things difficult for you.” 

“That’s not a problem, ma’am. We have procedures for girls like her.” The sound of a power drill started up in the background, muffling the conversation for a moment. 

“Well, I just wanted to give you the warning,” Kat said. “She specifically told me that she wants you to be as mean as possible. Don’t give her a moment to relax.” 

“Of course. Thanks for the warning. Is that all?” 

“Yes it is. Have a good trial.” 

Melissa’s voice was more than a little mirthful. “Of course, ma’am. I’m sure I will.” 

…

Mary shifted uncomfortably in the plastic folding chair, waiting for her name to get called. 

Did I bank on this too much? Maybe I should have worked more on a backup plan. 

She’d come up with a plan, but it all hinged on the information she’d learned from Ethan’s hard drive.

There was a trial happening just on the other side of town, with eighteen subjects. While Mary couldn’t learn the details of what they were testing, she only needed to know two important facts: Test subjects were going to arrive in a diaper cover, and they were going to be let out at the conclusion of the trial. 

That was all that mattered. 

She’d hacked into the LAB-D server and added herself to the list of test subjects. Whatever it was they were going to test, Mary would just have to show up, go through the trials, and get the cover removed. 

So far, things were good. She’d gotten inside. Nobody had questioned her when she gave her name, they’d just directed her to go to the waiting room and sit down. 

Mary glanced at the other subjects waiting in their own uncomfortable folding chairs. All had the telltale bulge of a diaper beneath their clothes, and collar around their neck that matched her own. 

Nobody else had brought a tote bag of clothes, but that didn’t seem to be a problem. The person who’d directed her to go inside had just told her to leave the bag under her seat, saying that it’d be collected and returned when the trial was over. 

A young man walked in, plopping down in the seat next to her. He looked excited. 

Why so eager?

Mary realized, looking around, that everyone looked excited. There was some trepidation, maybe even some embarrassment, but everyone except Mary had some level of enthusiasm on display.

“Can you believe they’re paying us for this?” the man said, speaking to Mary quietly. “Three days of fun, and they’re paying us! I’d have done it for free. Heck, I’d pay for this kind of service.” 

“Y-yeah,” Mary mumbled, unsure how to respond. What the heck is he talking about? 

“Mary Bambine?” 

The voice was called from the corner of the room. An attendant in a black lab coat was holding a clipboard. 

“That’s me!” she said, standing up quickly, wanting out of the awkward conversation. 

“Your prep room is ready in the back. Come on through, and we’ll get you… dressed.” 

That was an ominous pause, Mary thought, walking towards him. She was guided through, down a hallway, into a nondescript back room. 

A cart was against the wall with a sheet over it, but what caught her eye right away was the changing table. Or, that is, the changing… platform? 

It was upright. The table was padded with the same water-resistant material as her usual changing pad, and it had similar cuffs at the head, but it was at an 80° angle to the rest of the room. 

The attendant walked in behind her. “Are you ready?” 

“I… yes?” Mary said, uncertain what she was supposed to be ready for. 

“I’ll need you to remove your clothes, then stand so we can lock your hands in place.” He glanced up from their clipboard. “If you’re feeling uncomfortable, you can back out.” 

“No, it’s fine,” Mary said, unbuttoning her shirt. “Sorry, I’m just- Uh…” 

“Totally understandable,” the attendant nodded. “You’re in good hands. Don’t worry.” 

Slipping off her shirt, Mary moved to her pants. As much as she’d gotten used to Ethan seeing her diaper, it still made her blush to show it off to a random employee at the LAB-D office. Still, he seemed professional about it, and so she slipped off her shoes, took off her pants, and finally removed her socks and bra. She kept on her glasses, and of course her diaper, cover, and collar. 

“Alright. Raise your arms above your head?” 

She obeyed, backing up towards the changing platform so he could cuff her hands in place. “How come it’s not just lying down, anyways?” 

“This makes it easier for your babysitter,” the attendant explained, as he clicked one wrist into place and moved to the second. 

Mary blinked. “My what?” 

He clicked her other wrist in place. “Alright, you should be all set. Your babysitter will be here in just a moment to get you dressed properly.” 

Making a check on his clipboard, the attendant turned, strolling quickly out of the room while Mary spluttered. 

Speaking to an empty room, Mary said, “My what?” 

She was alone, and confused. She had to have misheard, but… he’d said it twice. Babysitter. What the hell? 

The door opened, and a professional woman in a tailored suit stepped in, looking smug. 

Oh no. 

“Well, isn’t this something?” Katherine said, eyes drinking in Mary’s predicament. “You thought we wouldn’t notice the extra applicant?” 

“I… fuck.” Mary had no defense. She’d been found out, and her plan was-

“Don’t worry. I’m going to let you stay.” Kat showed her teeth, and while it was supposed to be a smile, it really just made Mary shiver. 

“I don’t understand.” Mary felt exposed in front of Katherine, and not just because she was almost completely naked, save for her slightly soggy diaper. 

“No, you don’t.” Katherine’s wicked smile deepened. “You really, really don’t understand what you’re doing, but I’ll give you a hint. The safe word is ‘Bubbles’. Say that, you’ll be let out, no questions asked.” 

Mary frowned. Safe word? But that’s- 

“But,” Katherine said sharply, interrupting Mary’s train of thought. “If you do that, I’ll instruct the attendants not to let you out of your cover. If you bail early, you get nothing but wasted time. Stick with it for the full three days, though, and you win.” 

“I… you’ll just let me do that?” Mary asked. “Why?” 

“Because I feel like it.” Katherine smirked, raising her eyebrows. “Your trial was to determine the cover’s efficacy, but that’s not what’s going on here. You’ll figure it out in a few minutes, I promise.” She paused, letting that sink in. Mary gaped, sputtering, at a total loss for how to answer. 

Kat beamed. “Have a fun weekend, Mary. I wish you the best of luck, you’re going to need it.” 

She turned to leave, whistling a little tune as she shut the door behind her. 

Mary only felt more confused. Is she whistling… ‘Matchmaker’?