The SSF, or Subject Storage Facility, at R&R Laboratories was broken up into two separate areas with different security levels: SSF-1 and SSF-2.  

The SSF that Dr. Walker had just entered, commonly called SSF-1, was dedicated to storing subjects who had completed or at least started Reduction Therapy but had not yet been assigned to a Participant for rear-housing.  All post-RT subjects held on-site would initially be stored in SSF-1 and monitored by CCTV security cameras, but they would be moved to the much stricter and more secure SSF-2 once they were assigned to a Participant and awaiting rear installation.  

SSF-2 was not just home to new subjects who had been paired to a Participant and were awaiting rear installation.  SSF-2 was also home to returned subjects who were surrendered by their Participants and needed to be scheduled for bond-breaking and reassignment. These were orphans like subject #117d, except they’d actually spent some time confined in their Participant’s rears before being surrendered back to the lab.  Orphans were not exactly rare, but also not incredibly common and depending on how far along the subject had progressed in the subject Tier System, he could have anywhere from a 8% to 98% probability of developing Dante’s Syndrome if reassigned to a new Participant.  Depending on the results of the assessment and bond-breaking results, the orphaned subject would either be recycled or repurposed for adjacent R&R Laboratories experiments. Failing to be of functional use for R&R Laboratories could also result in a subject being deemed “non-viable”, which would open them up for purchase by a third party for independent purposes. Despite all the methods available to utilize non-viable subjects, sometimes the most practical solution was simply to destroy them.

SSF-2 had much stricter security than SSF-1.  In addition to requiring a security badge to enter, a staff member was required to be present in SSF-2 at all times.  Any visitors to SSF-2 had to sign in and out with the posted staff member, usually an intern. SSF-1 didn’t have that level of security…just a security checkpoint at the door and the CCTV surveillance cameras.

Whether it was SSF-1 or SSF-2, only a select few R&R staff members could enter unsupervised and one of those staff members was Dr. Walker.  She waived her ID badge over the panel directly below the “SSF-1” placard and the red light turned green.  With a welcoming beep, the reinforced titanium bolts made a heavy, chunky thud sound as the doors unlatched and she pulled them open. 

There was a single illuminated fluorescent light fixture in the back corner for emergency purposes, but all the other lights were out.  When the young doctor stepped in through the door frame, the occupancy sensor tripped and the automatic lights turned on. Immediately, her ears picked up a very faint flurry of barely audible squeaks.  

SSF-1 was the smaller of the two Subject Storage Facilities, but the space was utilized quite efficiently.  Dr. Walker approached the cages on the far left..the ones that came up to her knees.  She squatted down and peered inside.  These cages were not normal cages with bars that you might see lab animals inside.  Instead of bars, these cages were outlined with special glass.  

By default, it was one-way visible…meaning the subjects could not see out but any lab worker could see in.  The lab tech could also swipe the top left corner of the interactive glass screen and the clouding effect would disappear...revealing to the subjects inside the massive woman staring in at them.  Dr. Walker was about to swipe the screen so that the 2-footers she was observing could see her but before her black-painted fingertip could contact the glass, she felt a sharp pain.  The young doctor winced. It was her feet again.  She looked around for an open chair but there was a fair amount of clutter in this space; any chairs in SSF-1 were filled with stacks of paperwork, empty cages both clean and dirty, and even unopened boxes of lab glassware.

Although she’d need to have an intern clean the space up later, this was no problem for right now.  The cages were large enough, sturdy enough, and of the perfect height.  

Dr. Walker felt comfortable taking a seat on the cage she’d just been observing and slipped her feet out of her flats.  She set the syringe she’d been carrying filled with Becca Young’s assignment shot next to her left thigh. 

Some of these larger subjects had responded poorly to reduction therapy or were waiting for follow-up sessions to reach target size.  The 2-footers were a small demographic group, and not the only group that illustrated a prevalent, albeit diminishing uncertainty in the accuracy and precision of Reduction Therapy.  As the young doctor massaged her tired feet with her hands, she peered down between her thighs into the cage she was sitting upon and watched the contained 2-footer.  He couldn’t see her obviously but he must have known she was there because he was trembling, having scrambled so frantically that he knocked over his water and food dish.  After kneading her soles, her heels, and gently pulling each of her short, chubby toes until they cracked pleasantly, the rejuvenated doctor slid her cooled off stocking-clad feet back into her flats, stood up off the cage that served as her seat, and retrieved the Assignment Shot. 

Dr. Walker continued down the line on her right.  Next to the 2-footers were the 1-footers.  Self-explanatory..they were smaller than the 2-footers such that they could be stored in shared cages.  

The cages grew smaller and smaller as she progressed until they were no longer on the floor…but instead on counters.  Instead of a box the size of a large dog crate that she herself probably could have fit inside, albeit uncomfortably, she was peering into a container the size of a punch bowl.  There were several subjects ranging from 8 inches to as small as 4 inches.  Continuing further, the containers only got smaller. There were a lot of 2-inchers.  It was a popular size amongst the Participants and it was easy enough to target with the reduction tech. 

A 2-incher would be perfect for a lot of Participants…but Dr. Walker decided that Becca, already proving to be a bit skittish, might have an easier time housing a smaller subject.

She leaned in and peaked at a few of the 1-inch subjects.  Some of the interns had endearingly nicknamed them “Paperclips” due to their resemblance in size.  

The young doctor’s large mammaries were nearly as large as the container she was peering into, and they pressed against the cold metal surface of the counter, the tops of her breasts gently swiping against the bottom portion of the glass.  Her nose grazed against the glass as she deactivated the fogging effect on the glass, revealing herself in all her tremendous glory to the 1-inch tall subjects.  Several of the subjects nearly had heart attacks. Immediately, Dr. Walker heard heavy chatter and panic amongst them as they stared up at her huge form.

Subjects in SSF-1 could be grouped together in a single container if they were small enough and they weren't prohibited from making noise.  This was not the case for SSF-2, where subjects were all segregated regardless of size and absolutely no communication was permitted. 

Under the weight of her inquisitive gaze, some of the subjects fainted…some of them cried...one of them just stared up in awe and shook.  Dr. Walker's eyes fixed on the one shaking and her smile grew.  The doctor broke eye contact to retrieve from a neighboring countertop what looked like a small barcode scanner.  Below a 3.5-inch screen was a tiny keyboard. The device was a uniform flat gray, as were most of the buttons. The only parts of the device that were not gray were the enter button on the keyboard, the trigger along the back, and the power button along the top-right side of the device.  Both buttons were a vivid pink. The trigger was also pink. When squeezed, two lasers were emitted from the device.  One laser projected out from the back of the device, painting a red hatch on the doctor’s small hand.  The other laser was located on the side, and it projected within a small, clear rectangular box mounted on the side of it.  Larger objects could be scanned easily enough with the back-facing laser but smaller objects, they’d need to be deposited inside the side-mounted plastic box.  

The soft, rubber button deformed as the doctor pressed it. The 3.5-inch screen flashed and then lit up with the device’s manufacturer information along with a login prompt.

‘I think a Paperclip will do just fine.’ Dr. Walker thought with a smirk.

"Good afternoon. Are we ready to commence with the next phase of the experiment?" Dr. Walker did not wait for an answer to her question before she reached into the container of 1-inch tall subjects and scooped out the one who had trembled to behold her.  He cowered before her as she expected he would, but to his credit he didn’t try running away. He accepted that she was going to lift him.

His naked skin felt slightly cold through the aqua blue gloves...he seemed so small and fragile in her hands, although she knew that the reduction in size strengthened them well enough to be handled roughly.  Dr. Walker gently twisted him around in her dexterous fingers, gently tugging on his extremities and checking his overall health.  Everything seemed to be in order.

He was larger than the quarter-inch subjects, nicknamed “The Sprinkles”. They were the most susceptible to becoming lost during rear-housing.  He was also much smaller than “The Crayons” who were relatively difficult to ignore during extended housing sessions. 

He was also quite timid despite his bravery.  He didn’t struggle within the doctor’s hands except to stabilize himself when he felt like he might fall.  He was very well behaved.

He was the perfect size and temperament for Becca.

Dr. Walker gently lowered the subject into the transparent container at the top of the scanning device.  This was the first time that he mildly began to struggle.  

“Shhhhhh” Dr. Walker soothed him, and whether or not it came off as a suggestion or a command was not clear…but his struggling calmed.  Once inside the transparent chamber, a series of thin red lasers danced over his skin with his movement and then there was a quiet beep to indicate that he had been scanned. The sound startled him and he was now trying to climb out of the transparent container.  The scan was complete so Dr. Walker assisted him, gently shushed him as she did. With the subject back in the relative safety of her gloved hand, Dr. Walker looked down at the handheld device’s 3.5-inch screen. It had  flashed immediately after the scan and now was displaying text:.

'Oh, that’s right’, she thought. ‘This is the one that hadn’t had any Acclimation Therapy sessions yet. He has no idea what’s coming.  No wonder he’s so calm…’  

Dr. Walker set the barcode scanner down next to the subject container and reached into her back pocket for a small tape recorder.  Without breaking eye contact, she pressed the record button and after the chirp, she said, 

"Subject #298a has been selected for pairing with Participant Becca Young".  

He was trembling before…but now he was shaking like a leaf.  She knew that he didn't know exactly what that meant.  He probably didn't know what any of it meant.

She thought about choosing someone else with at least some acclimation experience, but all things considered, Subject #298A had the bravest reaction to her overwhelming size. He stood out.

Perhaps she should arrange for at least one Acclimation Therapy session before installing him, she thought.  If Brandi was not so busy, it might be possible but the new intern was booked solid for weeks.  It wouldn’t normally be a problem to store the subject until Brandi was available, but this was a unique circumstance.

Becca Young had demonstrated her ambivalence over the past year regarding the experiment. Traces of that ambivalence and uncertainty remained even during their recent calls to re-initiate her.  Then, unexpectedly, Becca called R&R Labs requesting that an appointment be made for her to come in and receive her subject.  Dr. Walker was excited by the request but feared the spontaneity of the interest could easily toggle to another withdrawal.  For all Dr. Walker knew, Becca could still be on the razor's edge…and an unexpected delay in the schedule could be all the excuse she’d need to once again exit from the experiment.  It was important that Becca Young receive her subject as soon as possible..

Would a session or two of Acclimation Therapy help subject #298a in the long-term? Quite likely.  

Was there time?  No. 

He would need several days to recover from the effects of the Assignment Shot as well as allotted time for a few final pre-installation protocols.  Brandi wasn’t the only one that would be busy..

Would his acclimation to Becca Young’s rear be successful without Acclimation Therapy? 

..probably.  

Dr. Walker was willing to accept the risk. 

The reward, Becca Young’s participation, was much more important.

With her freed left hand, she removed from her lab coat pocket the bright, vivid pink syringe and set it down on the counter.  The determined doctor tore open a small sanitary square and began rubbing the cold, wet wipe all over the subject’s lower half as he squeaked pathetically. 

Dr. Walker tossed the square into the waste bin and lifted the syringe back up, expertly uncapping it with one hand.  

The formerly well behaved subject was now struggling with a much higher intensity now. With her vision corrected to beyond 20-20 by her thick black-framed glasses, Dr. Walker could make out the tiny little goosebumps that decorated the subject’s nude body.

The doctor held the sharp, shimmering point of the needle vertical and a few droplets of the vivid pink solution dribbled out the tip as the doctor vacated any stray air bubbles from the Assignment Shot. 

"I'm very sorry, dear.." Dr. Walker said but only slightly meant as she flipped the subject over onto his stomach and began kneading one of his buttocks with just one finger.  His naked skin had goosebumps all over and he was squeaking rather loudly now.  

"This will only hurt for...well…a few days.."

It was a true statement...although it was the low-end of the recovery window...not to mention it pertained only to the main assignment shot. There would still be several others that were to remain surprises. 

It was a small syringe from the doctor’s perspective, but the needle was about the same diameter as subject #298A's thumb. As it penetrated his buttock, he screamed in disbelief at the pain...and it wasn't going away.  Dr. Walker, eyes fixed through the lenses of her glasses, her bottom lip dented by her front teeth. In deep concentration, the young doctor VERY slowly began pressing the plunger, forcing the few droplets of liquid into subject #298a.

As the liquid left the tip of Dr. Walker’s needle, she could see luminescence of the Assignment Shot pool up in the subject’s buttock. He howled and yelped as the doctor’s single finger began kneading and massaging the glute, urging the pooled fluid to dissipate. 

And it did.

The Assignment Shot traveled up his lower back and down his legs.  It spidered out in all directions like a million-year time-lapse of a river birthing tributaries. The vivid pink color visibly crept through his veins and spread to cover the full volume of its new home in the subject’s body, finally fading to match the subject’s tanned skin tone.

Dr. Walker removed the needle and checked the entry wound of the needle to confirm there was no excessive rupturing. It would certainly scar; he’d carry it for the rest of his life but getting the Assignment Shot was for his own good.  Life in a woman's rear without it would be even more shocking and initially unpleasant, not to mention the risk of Dante’s Syndrome, which was already a non-zero risk due to his lack of Acclimation Therapy sessions.  

She was setting him up for a successful Acclimation with Becca Young; perhaps one day he might even be grateful.  If he ever ascended to the higher subject tiers, he would have her to thank for administering this painful shot.  Dr. Walker shushed the subject, briefly bringing him close to her face.  A gust of blueberry-scented wind blue over the subject’s naked lower half as he hovered over her large breasts. 

For a moment, she watched him drift out of his pain and admire in awe the captivating view below him.  She followed his gaze down to her protruding breasts...her cleavage quite deep.  If it was deep enough for that blueberry to become lost, it was certainly deep enough for him to get lost in.  It was far less safe, however, than the female rear end, she reminded herself.  Dr. Walker rolled her eyes and returned him to his cage.

She again picked up the scanning device and began entering information on its tiny keyboard.  Dr. Walker took a moment to review the information she’d updated.

She didn't have to get far before the gentle squeaking coming from subject 298a's cage was inaudible.  She didn't even turn around to look when she turned the lights out and pulled the door shut, ensuring the lock to SSF-1 was secured behind her. 

~