Onboarding
1. Registration
After years of doing makeup on film sets and private events; Katie Vassil had developed a tolerance for grand displays of wealth. It was difficult for her to get drawn into the glitz and glamour when she knew that it was all just posturing for the tabloids. But when she looked out the helicopter window at the Ravens Nest Mansion, it was abundantly clear that her new boss was the real deal. The beachfront estate was prime West Coast property, and from the air, it could be mistaken for a small resort town; complete with golf course, Olympic swimming pools and private dock. For the next year, it would be Katie’s home and that it all belonged to just one person.
She had met Melina Owen at a charity fashion show where the reclusive tech billionaire was on the wrong side of a stumbling waiter. Not knowing who she was dealing with, Katie immediately stepped in to help, escorting the older woman backstage during the commotion. Melina didn’t object; instead, she seemed to be enjoying the whole ordeal and watched with interest as Katie “borrowed” a spare outfit from the show. It was only while Katie was reapplying Mrs Owen’s makeup that the private security team found them and Katie had several guns pointed at her. But Melina just waved them off and left Katie with a polite,” Thank you for the help, miss.” An hour later, she received an email, offering her a job as Mrs Owen’s personal beautician.
As the chopper touched down on the rooftop landing pad, she was greeted by a short Asian woman who was flanked by a blonde girl that looked fresh out of high school. Both women wore casual business suits and Katie felt a little underdressed in her comfy travel clothes. “Good morning Miss Vassil.” the shorter woman greeted, “I’m Sarah Ling, Head of Operations here, and this is my assistant Maxine. We hope you had a pleasant trip?”
“It was amazing.” Katie stammered, still feeling the rumble of the rotors. “Not every day I get to take a private helicopter to work.”
After exchanging pleasantries Sarah led the group to a waiting elevator where Maxine presented a detailed schedule on her tablet, “Mrs Owen would like you to get started as soon as possible so we’ve got a busy day to get you settled in.” The blonde had a refined British accent that caught Katie off guard .“We’ll start by finalizing your contract and getting you registered on the house system. Then there’s the tour of the estate and a quick lunch break before your orientation with Anette.” The elevator opened to a bustling entrance hall that looked to be lifted out of a luxury hotel. Daylight flooded in through massive windows and glistened off the marble tiles and polished oak furniture while groups of staff rushed through. Katie didn’t have a spare moment to properly appreciate the decor as they worked their way around the crowds and Maxine wasn’t missing a beat. “You’ll also be living with Anette and the wardrobe team so she’ll be showing you to your new accommodations. After that, you’ll have some time to meet your new housemates and get cleaned up before the welcome dinner with Mrs Owen. Any questions?” Katie had many but as if on cue, they arrived at their destination.
The contrast between the small, windowless conference room and modern villa just outside was jarring. After everything she had seen, Katie expected touch-screen walls or holographic projectors. But the only thing there was two office chairs beside a simple table stacked high with documents. “I didn’t think you guys would still be using paper.” Katie noted as she glanced through the familiar Non-Disclosure Agreement atop the pile. “That’s mostly true, but contracts are a special case here.” Sarah explained as she sat down, gesturing for Katie to do the same. “Mrs Owen appreciates just how easily data can be manipulated so it’s good to have something real to hold on to.”
Sarah let that little detail hang for a while before continuing, “Now according to HR, you have been ‘very’ thorough with the contract.” She said with a sly smile. “I’m surprised they could stop fingering each other long enough to actually be helpful.” Katie let out an involuntary chuckle at the crass language and tried to explain. “I’ve been burned by bad deals before. And while I’m extremely grateful for the offer, I’d like to be sure what I’m getting into.”
Katie had thoroughly dug through the eighty-seven-page contract, highlighting dozens of red flags that were hidden in the finer details. Points like not being able to tell anyone where she was working or needing to live at her employer’s residence for months on end. The most glaring issue was that she would have to consent to getting a tracking implant. Any one of those things would be enough to ignore the job, but the five-figure salary and big-name client warranted some consideration. In the end, it was all explained as security measures which made sense with all things considered. It was only after weeks of back and forth negotiations, explanations and planning, Katie was finally comfortable starting a new life.
“Completely understandable.” Sarah handed Katie a pen who began paging through the documents. “Take your time before you sign and then we can get you sorted with your ID chip.”
“How exactly do those things actually work?” Katie asked when she finally signed the last page. “I’m pretty sure your… I guess it’s now our boss; she probably owns a few dozen companies that already track my phone, behaviour and internet history. So why would you need to go through all the trouble of installing chips on all your staff.”
Her new manager seemed almost impressed at the question as she unpacked a small medical bag. “This is more of an employee access card like you’ll have at any other job. The biggest difference is that you can’t lose it or have it stolen. And it’s not a global tracker but specifically made for sensors installed in premises controlled by the Raven Technology Group.” Sarah explained everything with well-rehearsed ease, intimately familiar with the system’s inner workings. “Mrs Owen has tasked me to manage several hundred personal staff across four continents. With money being no object for our employer, this is the most reliable and secure way for me to know exactly where everyone is and what they’re doing at all times.” She handed Katie her phone and it showed a detailed map of the mansion with a highlight around their current meeting room. Beneath the map was a short list.
SARAH LING—HEAD OF OPERATIONS—TASK: STAFF ONBOARDING (END 1630)—STATUS: 100%, PERFECT
MAXIME CLAYTON—GENERAL ASSISTANT / SUPPLEMENTAL SECURITY—TASK: ASSISTANT TO SARAH LING (END 1700)—STATUS: 89%, ACCEPTABLE
KATELYN VASSIL—BEAUTICIAN / MUA—INACTIVE
Katie tapped on other rooms and the list was instantly updated to show dozens of people going about their day. Sarah practically had a small army of maids, cooks, gardeners and security guards right at her fingertips.
“The technology is actually part of Mrs Owen’s original vision.” Sarah continued, “Non-invasive cybernetics and passive sensors enabling fully integrated workspaces. If there wasn’t so much misinformation and stigma over a simple chip we could have been in an age of digitally enhanced humans by now.” Sarah made her way behind Katie who was struggling to understand the concepts fully. “Now The Goddess makes a fortune selling primitive accounting systems while she gets to save the really good stuff for us.” Something struck Katie about that last sentence but the cold sting of the anaesthetic swab on her neck banished the thought.
The needle pierced Katie’s skin and released a single graphene capsule into her system. It settled onto her spine and tiny motors propelled it upwards, all while broadcasting a numbing static throughout her nervous system. The momentary paralysis and blackout was infinitely better than the hours of excruciating pain, a violent auto-immune response and likely seizure that should have followed.
When the capsule reached the brain stem, it released a payload of several advanced nano-machines. The spider-like robots began cannibalising their vessel, using its’ material to assemble a complex web of bio-circuits throughout the young woman’s skull. What would have once taken several hours through a high-risk surgery was achieved in a matter of minutes. When the work was done, the nano-machines embedded themselves into the circuitry before snapping Katie back to consciousness.
Katie braced for a familiar pinch but it never came. She curiously felt at her back for any sign of the procedure but there wasn’t much more than a tiny puncture. “You sure it’s working? I don’t feel any different.”
Sarah chuckled and made a show of checking her phone. “Everything looks good on my end. Should there be a problem?” Katie’s right eye involuntarily winked twice in response to the test phrase, indicating a stable connection. “And like I said, it’s just a glorified ID card. You’re not supposed to feel any different.”
They spent the next hour going through the particulars of working for one of the richest people on the planet. Katie received her uniform, work phone and a very generous expense card; but the whole time her mind repeatedly drifted to thoughts about her supervisor. She imagined people in Sarah’s position would be like a prim and prudish nanny. But while Miss Ling seemed stern, she had been nothing but accommodating from the moment they met. Katie also could not get over how different they both were. Side-by-side it would be difficult to say that they were the same species let alone gender.
Katie knew she lucked out on genetics. She was a comfortable 6′ with a generous C cup and her Mediterranean heritage gave her golden skin and straight brown hair. Combined with over twenty years of endurance swimming and a proficiency with makeup, Katie was well aware just how desirable she could be. But Sarah was a different creature altogether. Her small square face hinted to Chinese roots but there wasn’t a trace of an accent. And despite her imposing presence, the woman could barely be more than 5′5″ tall and with no extra ounce of fat, mussel or even cleavage to speak of. The skin was what grabbed Katie’s attention the most. It was pale ivory and practically flawless, making it very difficult to guess her age. And it all contrasted so well with the dark business suit and short black hair. She could imagine herself peeling off all those clothes, allowing herself to fully appreciate everything her superior had to offer.
Katie almost yelped in surprise when she realised where her thoughts were going but luckily no one else seemed to notice her daydreaming. She didn’t think she was interested in Asian women or women in general, but something was intoxicating about Sara. She projected quiet confidence and lately, everything that she said and done had a sensual edge. The way she unconsciously shifted closer, or the subtle caresses of Katie’s arms and shoulders. Most notably was her eyes. Katie couldn’t help but stare and let herself be drawn in, losing herself in their inky depths. All Katie needed to do was get just a little closer. To let herself be drawn in without question or thought.
She didn’t even feel the hand wrap around the back of her head as it pulled her down for a deep kiss. Even then, she couldn’t help but savour the feeling for several long seconds before instincts kicked in and she considered pulling away. But that errant thought was instantly detected by the cybernetics and several choreographed impulses flooded Katie’s system with hormones and endorphins.
The moment of resistance quickly morphed into fervent enthusiasm and Katie eagerly grabbed at the shorter woman, allowing herself to explore beneath the loose-fitting shirt. Sarah returned the attention in spades; reaching into Katie’s pants and messaging the area around her the moist bottoms. Each advance was accompanied by the appropriate neurological stimulation, profoundly elevating Katie’s perception of the experience.
When Sarah’s fingers finally probed directly at her vagina, Katie was lost in pure ecstasy. In such a heightened state, she would have climaxed several times over already, but the newly installed neural regulator kept it just out of reach. As an act of desperation, Katie leaned further into the object of her desire. She began frantically ripping at clothes and grinding her hips against the intruding hand in, believing that the additional contact would suffice but it was all in vain.
“What are you willing to do for it?” Sarah’s words rang loud and clear but Katie could barely form a coherent response. “Anything. Whatever you… just, please. Please. Please?” Sarah gently stroked the taller woman’s hair while her other hand continued its ministrations of Katie’s pussy. She leaned in close and whispered, “That’s not enough. The Goddess demands everything you have for everything she has to offer. Do you accept?”
Thousands of images filled Katie’s mind showing her the heights that she could achieve. She was awash in a tangled mass of other women as countless limbs were eager to bring her pleasure. “It could all be yours. You need only to accept her gift?” She saw herself standing nude on a grand stage where she gracefully danced like a marionette on unseen strings. “Your every thought, your every action; will be a manifestation of her will. Do you accept?” She was on a metal slab as metal arms moulded her body and mind like clay. “The Mistress will take everything and in return, you will be made part of perfection”
Before Katie could completely give herself to her new master, it all stopped. There was no pleasure or frustration or pain, just peace. She stood before the golden throne of the Raven Goddess who looked upon her with kind eyes. “You will be mine completely.” The words alone were pure ambrosia to her haggard soul. “I will be your everything and in turn, you will want for nothing.” The Goddess pulled her close with nothing but a thought and their lips were a hair apart. “Do you accept me?” The goddess asked.
With absolute clarity of mind, Katie made her last decision as a free woman. “Yes.”
“Then I allow it.”
The sensory overload would have been sufficient to render anyone unconscious, but the same regulator that prevented Katie’s satisfaction now forced her to enjoy every second of it. The seemingly endless waves of pleasure shattered any sense of self she still had, leaving her open to the terabytes of data that would overweight her identity. All the, while control shocks permanently altered her brain chemistry to a mix more suitable for her new life. Long minutes passed before the strength of each convulsion waned, and she felt herself be lowered into a comfortable chair. It wasn’t long after that Katie drifted off to sleep; still shuddering as she was slowly remade according to The Goddesses will.