Experiment Emma

A gift from NimbleTail for a well-timed backup

Caption/Design by Cafter Homme

Emma must have spent hours laying in her bed… no… not a bed, a padded kennel, crying out for someone, anyone, before finally a man approached. She had begged the huge blurry silhouette, “What happened to me?” but only heard a messy wail from her pinned open mouth as her tongue refused to budge from it’s piercing in the thing that locked her jaw open, stretching it out, her ever-drooling mouth getting dry, though she refused to drink from that… thing. But she knew what had happened, something wrong, so wrong, she dared not look down at herself.

On her 20th birthday, Emma had reported for her Compulsory Pettification like her letter instructed, she knew better than to run. But instead of the horror she expected – stripping, tattooing, binding into the dog-system-thing she had read about – everything had just gone black, and she had woken up to this new, unexpected nightmare. Why was her mouth jammed open? She wondered. Why… WHY WERE HER ARMS AND LEGS GONE?!

The hazy man patted at her head, soothingly, and got close so she could see in her near-sighted eyes, which seemed… worse? It must have been her crying, she told herself. He pulled down his nurse’s mask, only for her to see… her college counselor, Mr. Ericsson?? What was he doing here!?

“Good morning Emma, shhh, don’t worry, puppy. Everything will be alright. Lay down, don’t worry…”

He ignored her confused wails, the PetSitter would turn on soon and instruct her to make the correct sounds.

“You’re in a government lab, and I’m so glad you are. We needed a perfectly average test subject for our new experiment; average physique, average intelligence, and you fit the bill, yes you did! Yes you did!”

Ericsson scratched her belly, patting her there while she tried to fight him off with her soft little paws.

“I want you to know this is nothing personal, though I am so excited to take you home if you last a few months here. They called it a finder’s fee for all my years recruiting girls like yourself. I shouldn’t say home, not your home, my home. I’m sorry but this isn’t a two year sentence like the others, you’re part of a long term research study, you agreed to it in the career assessments I’ve had you doing for your graduation.”

Emma squirmed, mad, confused, but because of her new body, she couldn’t quite roll over or get onto her four little legs yet.

“We’ve been trying something new with problem pets, putting them through months of training in a special machine, but it’s too expensive, weeks and weeks lost for each one, minds stripped of identity. We need a more efficient method of reduction. I’m sorry, you’re not a bad pet, but this is how I’ll ensure you’re my best pet, such a good good good pet, Emma!

With every “good” the little covers on Emma’s privates vibrated a little bit more intensely, Ericsson knew if he said it any more in a row it would give her a full reward so he stopped.

“Rest assured your family has been paid handsomely, and your cousin’s ComPet draft slip for next year was rescinded. They think you volunteered for this route to spare her, everyone does.”

Another attempt to speak came from Emma’s open mouth, before the PetSitter spoke it’s first clear words into her ear. “BAD DOG: UNAPPROVED NOISE!” and the modesty covers that had just rewarded her instead punished with a zap, sending her cute little legs flying to cover herself, before another zap told her to keep her legs spread and available.

“A fast learner! Good puppy, good puppy!” he patted her head again this time, seeing tears in her eyes that would surely subside.

“You’ll start proper training soon, and— Oh, I don’t know why I’m even telling you this…”

And neither did she, because all Emma had heard her counsellor say through the new PetSitter earpieces had been, “GOOD ongmrni EMMA, SHHH, ondt rowry, PUPPY!! ieghyvnetr lwli eb la RIGHT. LAY DOWN, otnd’ orywr…”

And on and on and on…

Emma being told about her new life.

NimbleTail has started a Patreon! And even though I wasn’t signed up yet, they offered me a commission sketch for saving some posts from the dA chopping block a while back. To build on this design I wrote a little snippet of a story, maybe an inspiration for something down the line.

Ericsson’s comments about other experiments refer to this story, The Last Day of April.

Emma’s pet gear is explained here!

Enjoy!