VIRTUAL SEARCH
by
Joe Doe
ASHLEY DECIDES TO USE VIRTUAL REALITY TO BECOME A HEROINE IN A JOE
DOE STORY. BUT THE HUNT IS RIGGED AGAINST HER, AND RESISTANCE IS
FUTILE....
THIS STORY WAS HEAVILY INSPIRED BY ASHLEY'S AND NERDLY'S FEEDBACK.
THE STORY OUTLINE ALSO ALLOWED ME TO WORK IN REFERENCES TO A FEW
OTHER STORIES; I HOPE THIS PLEASES SOME OF THE FOLKS WHO WANTED
TO SEE SEQUELS. THANKS EVERYBODY!
Part 1
Ashley browsed tentatively through the adult titles in the virtual
reality store. Although a number were interesting, she was looking
for something specific....
"Is there anything in particular I can help you find, miss?" the
grandmotherly lady who ran the store inquired.
"Well, yes, actually," Ashley replied. "I saw on the Web that you
have some new titles based on the Joe Doe stories."
"Yes, we do, dear," the woman replied, leading Ashley a few feet
over. "Those are right over here."
Ashley glanced through the titles. "Which Witch" and "One
Question" she recognized immediately, but it was a new selection,
entitled "The Hunt," that caught her attention.
Ashley turned it over and read the description.
A HEART-STOPPING, SUSPENSE-FILLED ADVENTURE GAME
THAT PLACES YOU IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ACTION! YOU
ARE THE HEROINE OF A JOE DOE ADVENTURE OF YOUR
CHOOSING.
"THE HUNT" IS THE NAME, AND AVOIDING AN UNJUST AND
UTTERLY HUMILIATING STRIP-SEARCH IS THE GAME!
MATCH YOUR WITS AGAINST DECEITFUL AND DUPLICITOUS
AUTHORITY FIGURES DETERMINED TO TRUMP UP A REASON
FOR YOUR STRIP-SEARCH. IF YOU CAN STAY OUT OF
TROUBLE FOR THE TEN MINUTES, A SQUAD OF VIRTUAL
FEDERAL AGENTS WILL ARRIVE AND ARREST THE VILLAINS.
BUT, IF YOU MAKE ONE TINY MISTAKE...IT WILL BE TIME
TO BEND OVER AND SPREAD 'EM!
THE GAME IS FULLY COMPATIBLE WITH VR INDUSTRY GAME
GRID STANDARDS, SO YOU CAN EXPERIENCE YOUR ADVENTURE
IN ANY OF THE STANDARD URBAN, FOREIGN, HISTORICAL, OR
RURAL SETTINGS. JUST CHOOSE YOUR IDENTITY AND LEVEL
OF DIFFICULTY, AND YOUR ADVENTURE BEGINS!
"We have a 'play before pay' policy, so if you'd like to try this
out in one of our screening rooms, then you're welcome to do so,"
the store clerk explained helpfully.
Ashley examined the game more closely. This hadn't been the
adventure she had planned on, but the part about beating the
rogue males at their own game piqued her interest. It might
be fun to see some smug, self-satisfied doughnut-muncher led
off in handcuffs after a failed attempt to molest her.
"Will this game work with the downtown Chicago grid?" Ashley asked,
reading the compatibility standards again.
"Of course," the clerk said. "I just need to type in your identity
information and the difficulty level, and we'll be ready to start."
The old woman led Ashley to a demonstration room. "I'll give you
an hour to play the game."
"I'd like to play the game using my own image. My name is Ashley,
and I'm an attorney. I'd like to play the game in downtown
Chicago." Ashley sat down in the VR chair and put on the VR
helmet.
"Of course, dear," the old woman said, as she strapped Ashley's
arms and legs to the chair and attached the sensors.
Ashley always hated being strapped into the game, although she
understood the reason. "Is there a stop feature?"
"I could turn on the stop feature, but the point of the game is
that, if you lose...you get searched. Usually I just assign a
bunch of extra spare lives. Just stay 'RESET,' and the round
will start over."
"Well...I suppose, but I'd rather have the 'stop' enabled because
I really don't want to be searched...."
Suddenly Ashley saw the settings flash on the screen. The game was
starting....
HEROINE'S NAME: ASHLEY
IDENTITY: URBAN PROFESSIONAL
STANDARD URBAN ANTAGONISTS
GRID: DOWNTOWN CHICAGO
STOP: DISABLED
EXTENDED PLAY: DISABLED
RESET OPTIONS: 7
DIFFICULTY LEVEL: MAXIMUM
SURVIVAL TIME: 10 MINUTES
TOTAL TIME: 60 MINUTES
"STOP" was disabled, and the difficulty level was set to the
maximum. The total time she was going to spend in the chair
was sixty minutes. But she could win if she could stay out
of police custody for 10 consecutive minutes at any time
without having to ask for a "RESET."
Of course, Ashley could use the RESET option only 7 times, so
she'd have 8 lives in all. After seven failures, she would have
just one more chance. If she failed again, she'd be forced to
face the music, totally defenseless, utterly at the mercy of her
tormentors....
It didn't sound TOO hard. Though she really did want to enable
"STOP" and reduce the difficulty level, she soon found her
virtual self shuffling though a crowd of commuters and out
the door of Union Station. It was 8:30 AM.
Ashley looked around. Although she had played these games for
years, she was amazed at the level of reality they were able to
achieve. She felt like she was really in the city.
But, although it felt totally real, the world also felt
strangely...different. She was dressed in a smart business
suit, but the skirt was VERY short. Her expensive silk blouse
had several buttons undone, and she saw that she was wearing a
pushup bra that exposed quite a bit more cleavage than she was
used to.
And, to her dismay, she noticed other differences. Ashley was an
attractive young woman, and she was used to male attention. But
the men in this virtual world were not glancing at her discreetly
or respectfully. Everywhere she looked, men were openly ogling
her and appraising her charms with sly, knowing smiles.
She didn't like it, but she knew there was nothing she could do
about it. She had willingly traded away her feminist credentials
to become a heroine in a Joe Doe story, and now it was time for
her to pay the piper.
She looked up and tried to button her blouse, in a desperate
attempt to be less of a bimbo. Unhappily she noted that the
buttons were not merely undone, but completely missing.
Ashley was so busy tugging down her short skirt and adjusting her
sheer blouse that she didn't notice that the light on the street
corner had changed. The commuters quickly surged past her and
crossed the street. She raced after them, but, as soon as the
last virtual pedestrian left the crosswalk ahead of her, the light
changed to red, and cars began to honk wildly. She raced to the
curb, but it was difficult in her high heels, and she barely made
it.
Four policemen greeted her at the curb. One of them took her
purse, and two others grabbed her arms. "You're under arrest
for jaywalking, miss."
"Under arrest?" she said, shocked. "Don't I just get a ticket?"
"I'm afraid not, miss," the officer replied. He nodded to the
others, who expertly cuffed her hands behind her back. "We're
going to have to take you down to the station and process you
though regular channels!"
Ashley glanced at the clock on the building. It was 8:31 AM.
The game wasn't even 2 minutes old, and she was already in
police custody.
A squad car pulled up to the curb, and she felt a sharp slap on her
behind. "Let's go, honey buns!" the officer said contemptuously.
"It's time for the old pat and poke!"
As Ashley shuffled towards the car, she yelled out the magic word:
"RESET!"
******************************
Everything stopped. The world immediately went black for a few
seconds, and then she found herself standing on the street again.
This time she was about a block farther away from the train
station. Once again, the clock on the building read "8:30."
She looked around and decided to examine her surroundings a bit
more carefully before she made her first move. After all, she
was going to be strapped into the chair for an hour, and she was
determined to avoid a strip-search at any cost. She knew now
that her "spare lives" would go fast, and she didn't want to
waste them.
For the most part, the game seemed to be using the standard Chicago
game grid, and Ashley recognized most of the stores and buildings
immediately. There were some differences, however. Every block
contained a doughnut shop, and each doughnut shop held a
congregation of policemen. Police stations seemed to be placed
at frequent, convenient locations throughout the grid.
If she did make a mistake, she noted grimly, it wouldn't take long
to get her to an examination room.
However, the main difference was the people. The passing men were
still eyeing her lasciviously, and the women seemed either to
disdain her or to look upon her predicament with smug amusement.
And there were police everywhere. They were directing traffic,
checking parking meters, cruising the streets in squad cars,
and walking the beat. Most of them were men, but, unfortunately
for Ashley, the few females seemed to be either fat and
unattractive bull dykes, or wiry butch girls.
The female police officers in the world of Joe Doe would be of no
help to Ashley. Every police officer, regardless of gender, eyed
her lustfully and mentally undressed the luckless attorney.
Ashley was meticulous about crossing the street, desperate not to
repeat her earlier mistake. Halfway across, a dirty candy bar
wrapper literally blew into her hand. She immediately dropped it,
surprised to see something so scummy-looking brush against her.
The candy wrapper hadn't even hit the ground when the police moved
in for the kill.
She soon found herself up against the wall with her legs spread,
while two horny policemen carefully groped her.
"Littering is a serious charge," one of the officers snickered.
The other grinning officer had just slid his hand up Ashley's short
skirt when she yelled, "RESET!"
******************************
The world went black again, and she found herself a block farther
down, once again being openly ogled by police.
The game was proving to be very unsettling. Ashley knew Chicago
well, and she always felt in charge and in control. In this game,
however, she was reduced to the level of hunted prey. What was
worse was that her antagonists were clearly enjoying her distressed
struggles and seemed to feed on her feelings of panic and
helplessness.
She knew that every cop in the city was gunning for her, and she
decided to try a different tack. She ducked into the lobby of an
office building to avoid the police.
An old man in a security guard's uniform immediately asked to see
her building ID card.
"I don't actually work in the building," she said, nervously. "I
just wanted to get in out of the sun for a few minutes."
The old man said nothing, but smiled and blew his whistle. A squad
of building security appeared and quickly surrounded Ashley. Her
arms were pulled up over her head.
"I think we should call the police," one of the guards said.
"Don't worry, we will," another guard replied. "But first we
should search her ourselves."
To her horror, Ashley felt one of the guards unzip her skirt. The
treacherous garment instantly flew down her legs and deposited
itself in a heap around her ankles. She felt the guard's fingers
in the waistband of her delicate panties....
She quickly cried, "RESET!"
******************************
Ashley once again found herself standing on a city street. In
order to win the game, she had to avoid a search for 10 consecutive
minutes.
Or, while avoiding a search, what she REALLY had to do was not use
up all her lives before the store clerk released her at the end of
sixty minutes. But she was spending her reset options fast, and
the police were busting her almost instantly each time.
She quickly lost two more rounds. In one, a homeless man started
to grope her when she wisely ducked down an alley to avoid a police
van that was conducting "Tick Searches." When a sharp kick from
Ashley deposited the old wino into a garbage can, she was arrested
for assault. They even invited the drunk down to the station to
"help out" with her search.
Ashley couldn't call "RESET!" fast enough on that one.
In the next round, she decided to stand perfectly still. A
malicious bicycle messenger squeezed her luscious bottom and
then pushed her off the curb. Once again she was arrested for
jaywalking, and forced, in handcuffs, to publicly apologize to
the grinning young man who had fondled her bottom. The smirking
bicycle messenger was treated like a hero, of course, and was
invited down to the station to make a statement and to "observe
the proceedings." Ashley fumed silently. It was so unfair!
She yelled "RESET!" when the leering messenger volunteered to
"frisk" her before her trip to the station, and the police
readily agreed....
The rules of the game were becoming clear. She was surrounded by
authority figures, primarily males ones, who were desperate to
catch her making some trivial mistake that would "justify" taking
her into custody.
Of course, if she did nothing, they would simply find some way to
frame her. It was a delicate balancing act. Nominally she was
still an intelligent and successful career woman. But in fact the
rules of the game had effectively transformed her into a hunted
bimbo. To survive, she had to force herself to be totally and
utterly submissive to all male authority. She had to avoid arguing
with anyone...or getting into any type of dispute with anyone...or
she would instantly be deemed to be the one at fault.
At the same time, she had to aggressively protect herself, or the
abusive men would shear her like a helpless lamb.
There was always an escape path, or a way out, but there was only
one. If she didn't play every hand perfectly, she would fall into
the clutches of the men who now surrounded her, scrutinizing her
every move.
She flinched. Once she was out of lives, she knew, she would be
totally at their mercy....
Ashley knew that she was smarter than any computer, and she was
certainly smarter than the clumsy villains in the Joe Doe stories.
The problem was that the deck was completely stacked against her.
As an attractive, unescorted female, she was presumed guilty. Her
only protection was her superior intellect.
The game was aptly named. In the world of Joe Doe, Ashley was a
clever, beautiful fox being hunted down by a pack of howling, horny
dogs....
******************************
The world went black again, and then the lights came back up. She
looked around and was dismayed to find that the street was once
again filled with smug policemen watching her like hawks. Ashley
steeled herself to the challenge. She knew that slightest misstep
would doom her, but, now that she had the rhythm of the game, she
felt that she could win. She would have to be VERY careful,
though, and not make any mistakes.
She quickly got off the street, ducking into a dress shop. As
she had hoped, there were no police inside. It was the kind of
place that a macho male cop wouldn't be caught dead in.
As she browsed casually through the dresses, she looked at her
watch. Three minutes had passed, and she was still standing.
She was pleased to see that the lights in the store occasionally
seemed to flicker, which meant that the power was being drained
away from the visual display. The elapsed time and the flicker
meant that the artificial intelligence engine was taxing itself
to try to figure out some way to get a police officer into the
store and then to give the officer some sort of bogus pretext for
arresting Ashley.
She smiled with satisfaction. It wasn't so hard to win, if you
knew how to play the game. Although every character in the game
was working against her, Ashley knew downtown Chicago better than
the computer did. If she could keep her wits about her and force
her pursuers to move quickly across difficult and unfamiliar
territory, she might have a tiny chance.
The store seemed empty, which meant that her move had been
unexpected. The artificial intelligence engine was busy
trying to generate a snotty dress store clerk, or a malicious
security guard, or SOMEONE who could hassle poor Ashley.
She suddenly heard a voice from behind her. "That suit fits you
perfectly, miss," the store clerk gushed. "Do you want me to
wrap it up for you?"
"I'm afraid I don't understand," Ashley said.
"The suit you're wearing...one of our store's," the shop clerk
replied. "Would you like to take it off and have me wrap it up?"
Ashley looked around the store in confusion. Sure enough, the
exact outfit she was wearing was on now on display in the front
window of the store.
She could have sworn that wasn't there a moment ago.
She was about to say that she didn't need to purchase her own
clothes, but then she noticed that a man in a store security
uniform had mysteriously appeared in one corner and was ogling
her in a most unsettling way.
She paused. If she got into an argument with the clerk, she
knew that the guard would come over, and she would have no way
of proving that the clothes on her back belonged to her.
In the world of Joe Doe, that meant every stitch she had on would
have to be taken into evidence....
"Wrap up my suit?" Ashley asked the clerk, stalling for time.
"Yes, I'll take it and wrap it up," the clerk said, with a cruel
smile. "And why don't I also take your shoes, hosiery, and the
lovely bra and panty set you just tried on...and wrap those as
well?"
Ashley paused and looked at the smiling clerk. If she argued that
they were her clothes, she would be arrested instantly. But she
didn't have any other clothes to change into. So, if she agreed
that they belonged to the store, the clerk would gleefully strip
her naked and throw her back onto the street.
She thought very hard before answering, since she knew her fate
depended on every word.
Finally, she reached into her purse and handed the clerk a charge
card. "Why don't you just charge my purchases?" Ashley said,
cheerfully. "I'll wear them out."
The smile instantly disappeared from the young woman's face, and
the lights began to flicker. Ashley knew that the clever fox had
won this round.
But, as she was standing at the counter, she noticed the lights
flicker again, and the smile returned to the clerk's face. The
grinning young woman motioned to the security guard to come over.
"This card has been reported as stolen," the clerk told the
guard, gleefully. "I probably just typed in the wrong number,
but we can't be too careful, can we? We'd better take her into
custody...and strip-search her!"
Ashley tried to talk her way out of the mess, even as the guard
and the clerk took her into the back office, where Ashley was
quickly stripped down to her pretty pink bra and panties. It
was only when the sassy young clerk gave the order to "drop your
drawers...and SQUAT!" that Ashley reluctantly called, "RESET!"
******************************
The round started over again, and Ashley went back into the dress
shop. She knew that shop was a good locale for her, but, to her
dismay, the sales clerk and security guard appeared instantly this
time. After only a minute of browsing, the cruel clerk once again
asked Ashley if she wanted to have her outfit wrapped up.
Ashley knew there had to be some way out of this. Then she
remembered that she was a Joe Doe heroine, and, as such, she
was wealthy, well-educated, and independent. Sure enough, when
she looked into her purse again she saw that she had more than
enough cash to ring up her purchase.
The store clerk glared daggers when Ashley handed her the money.
Ashley was still basking in her triumph when she saw the lights
flicker ominously and then heard a voice behind her.
"May I see your purse, miss?" the security guard asked.
Ashley turned around slowly. If she said "No," she knew that she
would be arrested on the spot. But she also knew that if she
passively submitted, the guard would frame her for something.
She had to think....
She turned, and, when she did, she purposely dug her high heel
into the foot of the virtual security guard.
The guard winced and went down on one knee. To his obvious horror,
a small bottle of perfume that he had palmed dropped from his pudgy
hand and noisily hit the floor.
"I'M SO SORRY, SIR!" Ashley said, contritely. "I made you drop
your perfume!" she exclaimed. She made a big fuss out of
apologizing and helping the man up, knowing that it not only
ran down the clock, but also ensured that he would have no reason
to arrest her for assault.
The guard said nothing, but angrily limped away. It was obvious
to Ashley that he had been planning to frame her by dropping the
expensive perfume into her purse, and Ashley had hit upon the
perfect passive-aggressive tactic to foil his plot.
The unhappy clerk gave Ashley her change and angrily told her,
"You'd better move on, now, or I may have to ask the guard to
arrest you for loitering!"
The charge was preposterous, but Ashley knew better than to argue
with any of the characters in THIS game....
******************************
IN PART 2, ASHLEY EVADES A SCHOOL UNIFORM, A STRAITJACKET, A
FREE TRIP TO MEXICO, A TICK INSPECTION, A STRIP-SEARCH SEMINAR,
A SHOWER BEHIND A PLATE GLASS WINDOW, AND A CHANCE TO WIN 75%
OFF. WILL HER TRAINING AND INTELLIGENCE ALLOW HER TO BEAT THE
SLOW-WITTED AUTHORITIES? WILL JUSTICE PREVAIL?
******************************
Part 2
When Ashley emerged from the store, three policemen were waiting
for her. They wanted to ask her some "routine questions."
She inquired politely about the charges, and the police said that
they weren't charging her with anything...yet. But, if she didn't
want to answer their questions, they would "be regretfully forced"
to take her into custody.
The police explained that they could hold her for 48 hours without
filing any charges. Of course, they would have to take her back
to the station for "processing...."
Ashley quickly punctured that plan by cheerfully explaining that
she would be more than happy to answer ANY questions right here,
since she was always DELIGHTED to help the police in any way.
They led her to a paddy wagon parked in front of the store. When
she stepped into the back of the van, she was surprised to see a
rather tubby-looking policewoman sitting next to a polygraph
machine.
While the male guards strapped the hapless Ashley to the machine,
the grinning dyke explained to her that she had "better tell
the truth, or we'll have to take you downtown and hold you."
The questions were openly sexist and demeaning, but Ashley knew
better than to protest. She was a skilled lawyer, and she easily
parried the computer.
"Why aren't you traveling with a male escort?"
"What is a woman doing with so much money? Did you steal it?"
"Did you turn tricks to earn that money?"
"Why don't you make eye contact with the males who look at you?
Do you think you're too good for them?"
Ashley was careful to give truthful answers that would not
incriminate her, even though the questions were totally outrageous.
When the fat policewoman saw that she was not going to get a rise
out of Ashley, she quickly switched to some more probing queries:
"Have you ever fantasized about being strip-searched?"
"In your fantasy, what are you wearing?"
"Which garments are removed...and in what order?"
"Is your search performed by a male or female officer?"
"Are other officers present? Are they allowed to watch?"
"Are non-police personnel allowed to watch? What is their
reaction to your search?"
"Is the search video-taped?"
"Does anyone you know witness the search? Who? What do they say
to you?"
Ashley knew that the purpose of the questions was two-fold. If
she lied about anything, the computer would know, since it was
literally reading her thoughts. But, if she answered truthfully,
the computer would be able to build a database of her most
humiliating fantasies, which it would doubtlessly use once
her search began.
She ground her fingernails into her palms. It was so unfair! She
was being forced to reveal EVERYTHING to the police officers in the
van. The cops were clearly delighting in the increasing levels of
degradation they were heaping upon her.
"Do you remove your own clothes, or do others strip you?"
"Do the officers make comments when you undress for them? What do
they say?"
"How does taking off your clothes in front of the witnesses make
you feel?"
"Are you made to assume various positions after you're naked?
What positions?"
"Do you perform exercises, and, if so, what exercises?"
"Is a cavity search performed?"
"Do they wear rubber gloves? What sort of lubricant is used?"
"Does more than one officer perform the cavity search?"
"Are you forced to exchange sexual favors for your freedom?"
"Which sex acts do you perform? With how many people?"
"Do you swallow?"
"Do you ever masturbate when you read the Joe Doe stories?"
"Which parts of the stories do you concentrate on when you touch
yourself? Are there any particular words or passages that you
find particularly stimulating?"
"Are you excited now?"
"Are your underpants wet?"
"Would you like to slip your hands into your underpants and
masturbate right now?"
When Ashley reluctantly said "No" to the last question, the siren
on the lie detector went off, and she was immediately taken into
custody. The fat lesbian guard who had mentally strip-searched
her already had her latex gloves on when Ashley yelled "RESET!"
******************************
When the game restarted, Ashley was still panting from her
humiliating encounter in the police van. She looked around
and was relieved to see that the ominous vehicle was nowhere
in sight.
Of course, the game didn't need to ask her any more questions,
she thought bitterly. Her adversaries on the police force
already knew everything they needed to know....
She was on her last life, and she knew this was it. The game knew
everything it needed to make her search as humiliating as possible,
and to turn Ashley's worst-case scenario into a Technicolor
reality.
In order to survive, she knew that she had to move quickly,
carefully, and unpredictably.
She hailed a cab and told the cabbie to drive her to the airport.
From the way the cab was flickering and traffic seemingly slowing
down, she knew she had made a good choice. After all, she was a
passenger behind a bulletproof shield in a cab, totally isolated
from the outside world.
The cabbie tried to pick a fight with her, but she feigned
laryngitis and told him to hurry to the airport. She could
tell the cabbie was angry and frustrated, since he knew the
trip would take more than enough time for her to win.
Win!
After about 3 minutes behind the wheel, the enraged cabbie
deliberately ran a red light and plowed directly into a city
bus. No one was seriously injured, but the cabbie immediately
turned on Ashley and started to yell that the accident was her
fault, since her short skirt had distracted him.
Ashley saw several police officers trying to get closer, but,
fortunately for her, the large bus was blocking the intersection,
and the rather pudgy cops were having a difficult time making their
way to her cab.
She decided not to stick around to see how this turned out. She
deposited $20 in the tray for the $3 cab ride, told the driver to
keep the change, and dashed out of the cab and down an alley.
When the homeless man came after her and asked for money, she
immediately tossed him a $100 bill and sprinted around the corner.
When she looked around, no one was pursuing her. She'd made it!
She quickly ducked into another dress shop. She had used this
trick before, of course, and her tricks were less effective with
each repetition. But it was worth a try.
The clerk inside the store raced up with a box in her hand and
told Ashley that the alterations were done, and her outfit for
the costume party was ready. All she had to do was try it on....
Ashley knew that it was probably a trap, but the key was to stall
for time. It would take a few minutes to change clothes, and it
was hard to imagine an outfit much worse than the parody of a
business suit that she was wearing now.
When the clerk opened the box up, Ashley was horrified to see that
it contained a juvenile-looking school uniform, identical to the
one that the luckless Susan had been forced to wear in "Back in
School." Ashley winced as she pictured herself dressed in the
agonizingly short skirt, white blouse, blue blazer, tie, and cap.
Another box contained little black shoes. Finally, the clerk
teasingly laid out on the counter a plain white pair of cotton
underpants and a white t-shirt.
"If you'll just give me your purse for safe keeping, we'll get you
out of your silly ADULT clothes and into your darling little school
uniform," the clerk said, eagerly. "Won't you just look PRECIOUS?"
"B-but, if I g-give you my purse...and-and put on that childish
uniform...then everyone will think I'm a-a teenager," Ashley
stammered. She remembered from the story that all the prisoners
at the school reformatory were over 18, but, as she pictured
herself prancing around in front of smirking adults in that
juvenile uniform, she knew that would provide little comfort.
"Don't worry," the clerk said maliciously. "The authorities are
outside, and they will make sure you get back to class. Of course,
it is rather naughty of you, running around in your mother's
clothes. They will probably punish you for that." The clerk
had a cruel smile.
Ashley looked over her shoulder and out the window. Just outside
the door of the store were two officers with arm patches that read
"Truancy Police." To her horror, she noticed that one of the
officers was tapping a wooden spanking paddle against his palm
and smiling at her.
"It's nice to see that they've included something for Nerdly in the
simulation," Ashley thought, sarcastically.
The outfit she was wearing was bad enough, but she knew that, if
she put on the childish uniform, whatever small amount of authority
she had left would be stripped away from her for good. Even if she
somehow got past the truancy police, she would be reduced to the
role of an awkward, blushing schoolgirl, subject to the whims of
any adult that crossed her path.
"Um...where's the changing room," she said, stalling for time.
"The changing room is reserved for trying on BIG girl clothes,"
the clerk replied, in the most patronizing voice imaginable. "Why
don't you just strip down right here in front of the counter,
birthday bare, and I'll help you change into your darling new
outfit....
"After all," the clerk continued, with a malicious smile, "we
can't have you wasting everyone's time by DAWDLING in the changing
room, can we? We'll just strip you down to the skin right out
here where everyone can see, nice and quick, like a little bunny!"
Ashley threw some money on the counter to pay for the uniform and
promised to pick it up later. The lights flickered furiously as
she darted out a side entrance to avoid the two scowling truant
officers and the store clerk, all of whom were now running after
her.
But Ashley knew the grid better than her pursuers, and she quickly
gave them the slip. She desperately looked around for another
hiding spot. The doughnut shop was out of the question. And
stopping at any of the private office buildings would entangle
her with building security.
She hurried down the street. With every passing minute, the
computer had more time to rearrange the terrain to match the
world of Joe Doe. But Ashley had read the stories closely,
and she was confident that she could avoid any obvious traps.
She hid behind a dumpster when she saw the "Tick Inspection Van"
round the corner. She noticed a small clinic on the corner that
offered free eye exams, and that seemed innocuous enough. But,
when she looked closely, she saw that it also offered "Mental
Health Services," and there was an open, curtainless shower stall
in the corner of the reception room. Next to the stall was a tank
of what looked to be delousing fluid.
An empty straitjacket dangled ominously from a hook....
If Ashley could see the shower stall from the street, so could
everyone else. She would ask for a simple eye exam, of course,
but, in the world of Joe Doe, a minuscule bureaucratic error
would doubtlessly lead to a humiliating shower in the window,
for one and all to see. And she would certainly need to be
searched before they strapped her into the straitjacket and
drove her to the asylum for her..."treatments."
She spied another store on the corner and started to walk
towards it. But then she saw the big sign in the window.
STRIPCO is OPEN!
Providing handcuffs, lubricants, and gloves
for all of your strip-search needs!
Ashley ducked into a small travel agency. Inside, a sleazy-looking
salesman was selling a vacation package to a beautiful blonde
executive in a crisp business suit.
"You've won a fabulous two-month vacation at a Mexican resort
called 'Boys Town,'" the smarmy travel agent explained. "Room
and board are included, although you will have to agree to sign
these forms authorizing us to conduct a medical exam when you
arrive. We'll also need a list of your male neighbors and
co-workers, so that we can send them promotional materials."
Ashley remembered how the heroine in Joe Doe's "Lost in the
Translation" had been stripped naked in the lobby of the police
station at Boys Town before being forced to work as a prostitute.
Ashley had no doubt the "promotional" mailings would be offers for
her male "friends" to come down and purchase her wares. It was a
good scheme; the travel agent would doubtlessly sell an airplane
ticket to every man who knew the beautiful executive.
Looking over the travel agent's shoulder, Ashley saw that he was
doodling a picture of his pretty victim dressed in a sleazy hooker
costume standing under a streetlamp.
She was about to warn the virtual contest "winner" of her fate
when she glimpsed the shrewish store clerk, still holding her
school uniform, round the corner....
Ashley quickly ran into the lobby of an opulent hotel, and the
game strained to recreate the lush surroundings. But, after a
few minutes, a hotel security guard suddenly appeared and asked
Ashley if she had a room key. She noticed the security guard had
a small tube of lubricant in his pocket, and he looked her up and
down with a most unpleasant smile....
Instantly, she dashed up the stairs and lost herself in the
convention crowd on the second floor.
She ducked discreetly into a ballroom where a tax seminar was being
held, but then suddenly the lights flickered. In a twinkling, the
audience became policemen listening to a Sheriff Birch giving a
seminar on strip searches....
"Are there any volunteers from the audience?" the corrupt Sheriff
asked, looking directly at Ashley.
She sprinted out of the room and ran from the hotel. She was being
hunted furiously now, and she had to keep moving!
Moving quickly down State Street, she approached the entrance to
Marshall Field. She knew that walking rapidly through the large
department store would drain the system's resources by forcing the
computer to generate floor after floor of merchandise.
As she reached for the door handle, she noticed a sign in the
window:
SALE! 75% OFF FOR SELECTED FEMALE SHOPPERS!
WALK IN THE DOOR AND WIN!
She suspiciously cupped her hands and looked through the glass
doors. In the distance she could see a very distressed blonde
wearing a pair of sandals and a Chicago Cubs baseball cap....
And nothing else.
The hysterical blonde had realized too late that "75% off" referred
to her clothing, not to the prices. Ashley watched in horror as
security guards led the blushing girl to a trampoline under the
watchful eyes of a large audience of male shoppers.
Ashley also saw a man wearing a "Contest Judge" button eyeing her
lasciviously from just inside the door. She shivered. As soon as
she walked into the store, she'd be declared a "winner."
She ran a block farther. She was still in the South loop, and she
recognized a famous German restaurant she had always enjoyed eating
in. She knew the restaurant well, and she knew it would tax the
game to the fullest to generate the detailed interior, which
contained murals of the World's Fair.
Ashley strode into the restaurant and headed left towards the
famous "sandwich bar." She was literally inches away from
stepping into the room when she saw the lights flicker. She
paused. The game had changed the restaurant grid in some way,
and, before she took another step, she had to figure out how.
She looked at the beautiful wooden bar in front of her. It
certainly seemed the same. Except for the grinning men looking
at her, it was exactly like it was when she had eaten there a
few weeks ago.
The grinning men were the key. Why were they all smiling at her,
if her plot to hide in the restaurant was so ingenious? Why were
there no women in the bar?
It was then that Ashley remembered that the bar had been restricted
to men until the 1960s. Sure enough, she stepped back and looked
at the sign above the door she was about to enter:
"NO WOMEN ALLOWED"
Ashley smiled. If she'd gone into the bar, she would have been
arrested.
The restaurant, on the other hand, was "integrated," and there were
other female diners eating there. An angry maitre d' brusquely
seated her by the window.
A waiter bustled over and tried to pick a fight, but Ashley wasn't
biting. From her watch, she knew that she had to survive only two
minutes more in order to win. She was going to love walking around
town with the Federal agents, arresting everyone who had harassed
her today!
Ashley ordered a glass of water and a plain salad with no dressing.
She didn't want to be arrested for dropping crumbs on the floor, or
for over-eating, or for getting a dab of gravy on her chin. The
lights were flickering every few seconds, as the game strained to
come up with a way of getting Ashley to commit some sort of bogus
"crime" in that innocuous setting.
She looked out the window. To her delight, she saw that the FBI
van that was going to rescue her was waiting outside, and the
female agents were looking at their watches, too. One of the
agents even winked at Ashley and gave her a triumphal "thumbs
up" gesture.
"In a few minutes, the pigs in this town are going to learn a
lesson about women's rights!" Ashley thought, with satisfaction.
She was so distracted that she hardly noticed the man who grabbed
her purse....
She was after him in a flash, but the waiter blocked her path,
shrieking that she couldn't leave "without paying!"
Ashley screamed for someone to stop the thief, but, though the
place was filled with police, no one lifted a finger to stop the
fleeing criminal. She couldn't get past the waiter, and she knew
that, without her purse, she would be arrested for vagrancy and
petty theft. So she picked up a beer stein and flung it at the
purse snatcher. It was a perfect strike, and he fell to the
floor as if he'd been poleaxed.
Several policemen quickly surrounded Ashley. The cops had been
totally immobile when she had screamed for help, but, as soon as
she had foiled the criminal, they immediately sprang into action.
"You dented that beer stein!"
"Trying to run out without paying is a serious offense!"
"Not to mention assaulting that poor man for no reason at all!"
"We're going to have to take you back to the station!"
"But he took my purse," Ashley objected. "I didn't do anything
wrong."
Several other policemen were tenderly helping the purse snatcher
stand up while the other officers roughly cuffed Ashley's hands
behind her back.
"But this is TOTALLY unfair!" Ashley pleaded, desperately. "I'M
not the criminal! THAT MAN is the criminal! I AM THE VICTIM!"
"I just found that purse sitting on the seat next to her, and I was
rushing it up to the lost and found," the thief said, lamely, as he
rubbed his head.
"Sounds reasonable to me," a tubby officer replied.
"That snotty little YUPPIE assaulted this poor, innocent man,"
another cop said.
"We'd better take her downtown and search her for weapons," the
tubby officer suggested.
"And arrest her for trying to run out on her check!" the waiter
added.
Ashley looked out the window, and saw the full ramifications of her
mistake. The female FBI agents who had been waiting to rescue her
had just been stripped butt-naked by the "Tick Inspectors." The
furiously blushing agents were being given a full cavity search
while the delighted pedestrians laughed and jeered.
Ashley knew she was doomed....
But, suddenly, a loud buzzer went off, and everyone in the game
looked up. "DAMN!" one of the officers said. "Time's up! She's
going to get away!"
******************************
To Ashley's immense relief, the world went black, and a message
appeared in front of her.
STANDARD URBAN SIMULATION COMPLETE
TIME ELAPSED: 60 MINUTES
WOULD YOU LIKE TO CONTINUE WITH EXTENDED PLAY?
Ashley quickly shouted, "NO!" The screen went black again, and
she exhaled. All she had to do now was wait for the old woman
to unstrap her. She might not have "won" in the conventional
sense, but at least she wasn't going to be searched!
But then a new message appeared on the screen.
ASHLEY,
FROM YOUR PULSE, RESPIRATION RATE, AND AROUSAL READINGS,
I CAN SEE THAT YOU ARE REALLY ENJOYING THE GAME. SINCE
YOU'RE HAVING SUCH A GOOD TIME, I'LL LET YOU PLAY A BIT
LONGER. I AM GOING TO LUNCH NOW, AND I'LL LOCK YOU IN
THE STORE UNTIL I GET BACK.
EXTENDED PLAY: ENABLED
NEW TIME: 60 ADDITIONAL MINUTES
Ashley struggled to get free, but she was strapped in tight. She
hoped that she would get one more round. She might be able to beat
the machine if she just had ONE more chance!
But that final hope was dashed when the lights went up and she
found herself standing in the middle of the crowded restaurant
with her hands cuffed behind her back.
"Welcome back, sweet stuff," an officer grinned.
"Maybe we should invite the purse-snatcher -- I mean, the poor,
innocent victim -- back to the station to help out with her
cavity search," one of the cops said, as he playfully squeezed
Ashley's shapely bottom.
"Good idea!" the tubby officer replied.
The diners burst into applause as the blushing Ashley was led out
of the restaurant in handcuffs.
Although she knew the scene was virtual, she still felt strangely
guilty as she watched one of the "Tick Inspectors" slap a naked
FBI agent on her bare bottom and push her into the back of the
grim looking "Tick Inspection Van."
The two FBI agents were completely naked, and the smirking tick
inspectors had cuffed the blushing women together so that the two
partners would be touching nose to nose. Ashley winced as she
imagined the two dignified law enforcement professionals being
forced to rub their naked bodies against each other all the way
from Chicago to the border....
But Ashley had bigger problems. She shuddered as she thought of
all the humiliating details of her fantasy life that she had been
forced to reveal to the computer. It would all be used against
her now, to strip away every last shred of her pride and dignity.
Ashley's hands twisted helplessly in the cuffs, but she knew there
was no escape, and resistance was futile. There were only 59
minutes left, but she had no doubt that the examination room
was ready and waiting....
Edited by C. Lakewood