I always knew my girlfriend Samantha was kinda nerdy, but I had no idea she was sadistic. Not until I found myself in the large, empty image chamber on her university's campus where she worked as a graduate assistant in the new "applied sciences" department.

Standing in the echoing room, dark, metallic and easily large enough to hold several buses-- in fact, I had trouble seeing the ceiling in the gloom--I could barely make out Samantha's form in the control room high above me, her white lab coat the only real indication that someone was watching.

"Cool, isn't it, Rob?" she asked over the intercom.

"Uh, yeah," I said, not sure why she had asked me to enter.  And what was the clicking sound on the other side of the door?

"It works a lot like the holodeck on Star Trek...or the Danger Room from X-Men," she said.  I rolled my eyes; what a geek! I was athletic, cool, and had only dated her because we hooked up at a lame party two weeks ago.

She continued.  "Lasers can construct physical objects, with real weight, texture, and thanks to our hidden gas tanks, specific smells.  We can literally create anything the subject wishes to experience!"

I imagined the goofy glasses bobbing on her face right now up in the control room. 

"Okay, that's neat," I said, heading for the door.  Approaching it I noticed...no handles? What the hell?

"Oh, that door only opens from the outside.  It helps to maintain the illusion if no objects are inside the chamber besides the subject and the lasers."

I shrugged.  "Well, open up then!" I shouted.

Silence.  What was she doing?

"Samantha?" I called out, looking to the control booth. The white lab coat swayed a bit before she answered.

"Do you love me?" she asked over the microphone, her high-pitched geek-voice already getting on my nerves.  Love? Was she crazy?

"Look, Samantha...honey...we can talk about this later," I said, heading for the door again.

"I don't think you do, Rob," she said.  "And that's okay.  I understand...I'm just not your type.  But...I hate it when guys break up with me...and eventually, they always do."

I wasn't sure where this was going.

"And so," she said, "I've decided to break-up with them first.  And this way, you can't get even with me by spreading nasty lies or anything."

I was completely clueless as to her point.  While the coming "break-up" was accurate enough, I likely wouldn't tell many people I had dated such a loser for such a length of time.

"And so, Rob...without further ado...I'm going to end our relationship now."

I shook my head.  "Can you at least open the door then? I'm uh...so devastated...I need to, uh, go home or something."  A lie, naturally.

"That won't do, Rob.  I want you to suffer the way I have suffered all these years.  I know I'm a geek...but one thing geeks are good at is computer programming, even hacking. And so, I've devised a new progam for the image chamber, specifically for you.  Once I activiate it, it will run non-stop for one full week.  Considering all applied science faculty are on their annual retreat and won't return for another six days, I'd say that gives you plenty of time to play with my program."

I raced back to the door, searching for a damn handle or saftey override...even I had seen an episode of Star Trek before.

"Samantha...whatever you're about to do, it's not neccessary," I shouted, pressing against the cold door.  "We can work this out!"

"Good-bye, Rob...I wish you well.  But, I doubt you'll ever leave this chamber in one piece."

"Wait!" I yelled to the booth.  "If something happens to me...they'll know it was you!"

"No, Rob," she answered.  "They won't detect my protocols.  And just so you know, I did a lot of research for this program...even sneaking into your mom's home one night while she was out, leaving a tiny video camera in place to record her exact dimensions.  I took samples of her foot-wear...the texture, the smell...well, you'll see the rest."

What the hell was she babbling about?

With that, Samantha's lab coat dissapeared from the control booth.

Resigned to a long week of silence and hunger, I sat on the cold floor.  Now what? Crazy bitch!

Suddenly, a low humming began filling the chamber.  At first, it was centered around the floor, but after a minute or two, it seemed to emanate from all sides of the circular chamber, a low buzz like a massize computer booting up.  The meager lighting suddenly went totally dark, leaving me in blackness as the air heated up around me and the humming increased in intensity and loudness.

I could feel the chamber vibrating, and I stood, unsure how to respond.  "Hey!" I called out.  No response.  What the hell was she going to do? Kill me with lasers or something? And what was that nonsense about my mother?

The humming grew louder, filling my ears and making me dizzy.  The room shook slightly, and as the air grew even warmer, I wondered if she had locked me in a large microwave or something.

Suddenly, all humming and vibrations stopped.  I stood in the darkness, heart pounding. 

And then...nothing.  I almost felt dissapointed. After all that build-up, it seemed Samantha's little program screwed up.

I sighed, relieved.

The bright light was unexpected.  Intense, retina-searing whiteness engulfed me and the chamber, causing me to trip backwards and fall down as I quickly covered my eyes.  A large thunderclap issued around the chamber, leaving me dumbstruck and scared out of my mind, heart racing and blood turning to ice. What had she done to me?!

Suddenly, a freakish feeling washed over my body.  I removed my hands from my eyes and found myself in a grove...of carpet fibers?!

"What...the...fuck..." I murmured.  Pressed tightly against my body as I stood up were thick bands of individual brown carpet fibers, each one reaching up to my chin and each as thick as another person, but much firmer.  Bunched together as they were, I found myself unable to move, trapped inside some sort of bizarre carpeted field.

Gazing up, I realized I wasn't outside...but instead, located in a very familiar place.  Miles above me, a textured ceiling; around me, light blue walls; and spread across this room, mountainous furniture.

My mother's...bedroom?!