It was June 6th faster than David could blink, and all the while he'd had one burning question that he couldn't get answered no matter who he asked; why do the girls have to make their feet stink, but he doesn't? Not that he wanted to, but he was just left with a point of curiosity that seemed to be part of the mechanics of the experiment. He didn't like that there were elements being kept hush-hush, but he gathered that's why the males didn't get many volunteers after reading whatever was on those pamphlets, as well as why the pay was so high.

Regardless of his worries, David was committed to going through with the experiment to save his wallet, willing to sacrifice most of his body for whatever purposes the experiment needed if it meant being able to eat something other than ramen for a change.

David sighed, and pulled out his phone. “Guess I’ll see if Emily is around…” he mumbled, scrolling through his minimal contacts.

"Yo, Emily!" David called out as she answered the phone, hearing the tell-tale click.

"What's up David?" Emily responded, sounding like she just woke up, a light grumble in her tone and the sound of ruffling sheets in the background.

"That's odd, she should be up and ready by now…" David thought.

 "Uh, just was wondering if you wanted to head to the experiment together. Did you just wake up or something?" he asked, a hint of concern in his voice.

"Yeah, I'm not supposed to go in until… I think the ninth? I wonder why you have to go in so much earlier?" Emily replied. “It’s the sixth today, so… three days…” she continued, a yawn escaping her mouth.

"Yeah, weird…" David muttered. He was greatly disappointed that he’d have to go to the trial alone.

"Dude I gotta tell you, I'm struggling here. I've pretty much worn my Asics barefoot for like every second I've been awake. Abby is staying with her boyfriend after like, the second night, because the smell in the dorm is getting so bad. I tried to leave them out in the hallway but the RA curbed that real quick after the complaints…" Emily explained with a groan.

David audibly responded with disgust.

"Jeez, that sounds terrible. Not really sure why they aren't paying you guys all that money, I don't even have to do anything." David stated with further curiosity.

"I know, like I said you're a lucky bastard. Anyway, can I go back to sleep? Staying awake with the smell in here is making me want to gag…" Emily said with an actual gag thrown in there.

"Right, sorry Em. I'll see you after the experiment I guess?" David said, trying not to laugh at his friends situation.

"Sure dude, I'll see ya later." Emily responded, hanging up.

David put his phone in his pocket and threw his jacket over himself, stepping out the door and heading to the address he assumed was correct.

—

"Hi, welcome to Greater Steps! I assume you're our male volunteer?" a feminine voice chirped from the reception desk as David took steady steps into the sterile looking main entrance.

"Yeah, hi, my name's David Johnson. Was there really no other dude that applied?" David asked, feeling more and more uneasy.

"No, unfortunately you're the only one. I mean, to be fair, I wouldn't want to be in your shoes - excuse the pun!" the kind-mannered receptionist giggled, but then adorned her face with an expression of regret.

"What do you mean by that?" David asked with curiosity, noticing the change in her expression.

"I'm sorry…” she began, a look of flustered panic on her face, before she composed herself and continued her sentence.

“I'm not allowed to disclose details of the experiment not already described within the pamphlet you were provided, or that could be found on our website. If you have further questions, feel free to ask Dr. Caitlin Ross, she's actually waiting for you in Room One. Would you like me to walk you to her?" she asked, smiling as she stood up to direct David.

"Uh, sure…" David responded with a puzzled tone, following the receptionist as she led the way.

She led David to a nearby room marked One, and directed him inside.

Before David could turn to thank her, another voice took his attention. And God, was she beautiful.

"Hello, Mr. Johnson," the woman greeted, her voice laced with a mix of confidence and curiosity. 

"It's nice to have a face to the name. I'm Caitlin, we talked on the phone. How are you feeling? Still ready to go through with it?" she asked, stepping closer to him.

David shifted his gaze from Caitlin's captivating green eyes, hidden behind her designer glasses, to take in her appearance. Her vibrant red hair cascaded over her shoulders, adding a touch of allure to her already striking presence. The lab coat she wore couldn't hide the curves that accentuated her figure, leaving David momentarily distracted

"Oh, uh, yeah I guess so. I had some questions I wanted to ask if that's okay?" David nervously responded, trying not to come across as a helpless pervert.

"Sure, sure. Just let me go ahead and do this real quick…" Caitlin said as she suddenly pressed her chest up against David.

"Uh, what-" David gasped, flustered beyond belief.

"Sorry, just checking some factors for the size alterations…" Caitlin responded, touching David's lymph nodes on his neck and feeling around other parts of his body.

"You're all good! Would you mind standing over here before I go ahead and answer those questions of yours?" she asked, directing David towards a metal platform that looked like a scale.

"Yeah…" David answered, feeling like he was visiting the doctor. He walked over to the platform and stood on it, awaiting further instructions before he could finally ask his burning questions.

"Ok, shoot!" Caitlin urged, while she continued to toy with the gadgetry near the platform.

"Well… why am I the only dude who applied? You're offering a lot of money…" David asked, looking curiously at what she was doing.

"Good question David! I would imagine, first of all, that they probably don't have as much of a drive to help science as you do!" she answered, not bothering to look his way.

David raised an eyebrow at Caitlin's response. It felt like she was dodging his question, but he decided to press on.

"But seriously, why the “size alterations,” I mean, what does that even mean? And why do the girls have to do all that foot stuff?" David asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

Caitlin paused for a moment, her green eyes glimmering with a mix of excitement and hesitation. She took a deep breath before answering.

"The experiment we're conducting is focused on exploring the effects of heightened olfactory sensitivity and tolerance thresholds due to size alterations, for the purpose of expanding our classified upcoming product." Caitlin explained, carefully choosing her words as she gave David a customer-service smile.

David's confusion only grew. "But why do the girls have to make their feet stink? And why is their pay higher? You didn’t answer that one…” he continued, wondering if he was being too pressing.

Caitlin hesitated again, seemingly contemplating how much she should reveal. Finally, she decided to offer a partial explanation.

"The foot odor part of the experiment is specifically designed to test the threshold of tolerance someone can achieve when altered in size, and how they can handle long-term exposure." Caitlin clarified, her voice taking on a more serious tone. "As for the pay difference, it's not just about the foot odor. There are additional factors that we consider when determining compensation."

David felt a mixture of intrigue and concern. He couldn't shake the feeling that there was something more to this experiment than Caitlin was letting on. He decided to probe further.

"Can you at least tell me what the size alterations involve?" David asked, his voice tinged with suspicion.

Caitlin sighed, realizing that David wasn't going to let the matter rest. She glanced around the room, as if assessing whether it was safe to share more information.

"David, I understand your curiosity, but there are certain details that I can't disclose at the moment. The size alterations are a crucial part of the experiment, but revealing too much could compromise the integrity of our findings, unless we progress further…" Caitlin explained, seeming almost frustrated, as if the sweet bubbly persona she was showing was a front.

"I guess we can progress further." David sighed, worried about what he was entrusting to this suspicious woman.

"Wonderful. That's all I needed to hear.” Caitlin chirped, as she pressed a button on the control pad, making a loud beeping sound as she stepped away from it.

“Say cheese!" she laughed, as a bright flash enveloped the room. David tried to cover his eyes, but immediately felt his body go limp, and he fell to the floor, falling unconscious…