The Archway, Part 5 (Patreon)

Part 5

Nurse Wipes is the fucking bomb. Being changed by Suki had been pleasant, in a weird, awkward, practical sort of way, but a tactical briefing is not the best accompaniment to being changed. What is a great accompaniment?

“Who's got a stinky bum-bum? Is it you? I think it is!”

“Whooo-eeeee! You sure made me a big present, didn't you? Let's get you all nice and clean!”

“Lift up, little Mistress! Here comes the nice fresh pampers!

“Look out! Today's forecast calls for heavy snow!”

Awesome. It was clear that the conversion hadn't robbed Nurse Pratchett of any of her Sweet characteristics. If anything, it might have enhanced them. Her hands were unbelievably gentle and smooth, as if they were custom built for wiping butts. Her voice was literally enchanting, putting me at ease and making me feel warm, safe, and loved. I looked around the room as the shower of baby powder descended. Princess Boom-Boom was watching with clear envy. Megan was seated on a crate looking away, but I kept catching her stealing glances in my direction. Dr. Yamamoto was absorbed in tinkering with one of the incomprehensible devices she had in her lab coat. Larry was looking away, clearly embarrassed on my behalf. He would just have to embarrassed for both of us, because I felt amazing.

With two loud crinkling sound, my new diaper was in place.

“Good work, Nurse Wipes.” I said, giving the Sweet a condescending pat on the head.

“Any time, little Mistress.” she said with her usual warmth.

“Perhaps we could turn our attention to our broader concerns?” suggested Larry impatiently.

“I concur.” cut in Suki. “I believe I lost the energy projector I devised this morning in the confusion upstairs.”

“Well don't blame me!” said Larry. “We were in a cloud of smoke with a two-ton killing machine closing in. We did better than could be expected.”

“That's true.” I said, rubbing my butt against the changing table. I was still distracted by how much more snug this new diaper was than the last one. “You guys did a great job.”

“As a result...” said Suki, trying to steer the conversation back. “We must act quickly. The temporary enhancement I gave you is already wearing off. If we do not recover the device, we will lose our advantage.”

“Didn't you say earlier that my quantum effect propagates and strengthens over time? There must be a whole bunch of it around by now.” I pointed out.

“Quite so. However, our baseline for comparison is Princess Boom-Boom. She was with you for four hours, nineteen minutes before she exhibited signs of being influenced by your abilities. I was exposed for a shorter period, but succumbed to the effect after an extended incubation period. With your enhanced abilities, those time delays may be shorter, but not short enough to form an effective countermeasure against additional attacks.”

It took me a little while to parse all that. Larry beat me to it.

“If I understand you correctly, everyone who comes into contact with Miss Hubble here is being affected by her powers. Does that include...”

“You, yes.” confirmed Dr. Yamamoto. “You have definitely been exposed long enough to make you susceptible to conversion. If not converted, I suspect that your goals and interests will be heavily influenced to align with Miss Hubble's, as mine were prior to my own conversion.”

“Wh...What does conversion...feel like?” asked Megan. Everyone turned to her, and I could almost see the words “Asking for a friend” forming in her mind.

“It's the best thing in the whole world!” gushed Princess Boom-Boom.

“It's like being given a brand new soul!” said Nurse Wipes. She made it sound like she had found religion, instead of being forced to change diapers for the rest of her life.

“I believe Princess Boom-Boom's summation is accurate.” confirmed Suki.

Larry backed away from me, retreating to the far side of the storeroom. “Don't mind me!” he called.

I couldn't blame him. I really wasn't clear on what the ethics of this situation ought to be. I had been  raised to believe that being a good Utopian meant using your talents and efforts to help others and make the world a better place. Now I had found that this supposedly ideal society had a dark underbelly of cruelty and prejudice. I felt adrift, and the worst part was, I kinda liked how it felt.

Princess Boom-Boom sat beside me and rested her head on my shoulder. I knew that she was different now than she had been when I had first met her, dramatically so. She had gone from being a calloused bully to someone who would rest her head on someone's shoulder if she sensed that they were unhappy. She had lost her Knight powers, but she clearly wasn't dumb or useless, however she might protest otherwise.

I placed my arm around the adorable woman's shoulder and hugged her close to me. I whispered in her ear. “What a good, useless idiot.” She squealed in delight.

Dr. Yamamoto spoke without looking up from her device. “I believe our next course of action should be to access the facilities computer network and attempt to ascertain the whereabouts of the Duchess's forces. I will need some time, unfortunately.”

I noticed Megan eyeing me again. I patted the changing table next to me.

She blushed and cast her eyes downward, but she walked over with small, hurried steps and sat awkwardly beside me.

“I notice that you're not over there with Larry.” I pointed out. Larry was visible in the corner, sitting on a crate.

“Oh, do you think I should keep him company? I didn't think...” she almost stood up, but I motioned for her to sit.

“What is it you want out of this?” I asked her.

“Out of...” she asked, clearly trying to evade the question.

“Look, it's obvious you're curious about what I can do for you. You could avoid my effect, but you don't seem interested. I'm just asking what your deal is.”

She sighed. This was obviously difficult for her. “Look, I know you just started with this whole Oddball thing, but I've been doing it for three years. I nearly starved to death while they were examining me because I can't process actual food. Other people got the power to read minds, or punch holes in brick walls, and I got the ability to eat plastic wrap and drink gasoline. If that wasn't bad enough, I was set up to spend the rest of my life in this prison because they won't let anyone out unless they're absolutely certain that they can't harm anyone, which is virtually impossible. I got the short straw, and then I had eat it. The last three years sucked hard.”

I nodded as she spoke. She was so shy, it didn't even occur to me that she was older than me.

“I want freedom. I want a life of my own, where I can go where I want and do what I want. I don't want to be a scientific curiosity or an amusing novelty. I want there to be something special about me that isn't the ability to eat cling wrap.”

She paused, so I cut in. “So, when you saw Nurse Wipes pull out this changing table...”

She nodded. “You can change people's powers. I don't know how much, but Dr. Yamamoto is the expert, and she doesn't really know what you can or can't do anyway. Everyone you've transformed seems to like it, so I what do I have to lose?”

I stared at her. “Uh, how about your sanity? Your free will? Your personal autonomy? Any of that ring a bell?”

She shrugged. “My sanity is already fading, my free will and personal autonomy haven't helped me so far. I'm desperate here.”

I arched an eyebrow. “Potty training?”

“Yeah, that's an...interesting wrinkle in the whole thing, but I don't see Dr. Yamamoto complaining, and Princess Boom-Boom seems cool with the arrangement.” said Megan.

“Yay!” cheered Princess Boom-Boom, perking up immediately at the mention of her new name. “Is Megan gonna be stupid diaper girl like me, Miranda?”

I turned and petted Princess Boom-Boom affectionately on the head. “No, Princess. Megan will never be as dumb as you! Never ever!”

“Thanks Miranda! Ooh, sorry Megan.” said Princess Boom-Boom. She seemed happy to be the dumbest person around, but was sorry for Megan all the same.

I kept petting Princess Boom-Boom as I turned back to Megan. “Second thoughts?”

“I don't want to be an idiot, but even Princess Boom-Boom isn't really dumb. She just thinks she is.”

Princess Boom-Boom immediately burst into tears. “Waaaahaaaa!” she wailed as tears dripped onto my shoulder.

“Oh, I'm sorry, Princess!” amended Megan in a hurry. ""I didn't mean that. You're dumb as shit! No question!”

Princess Boom-Boom was immediately all smiles again. I wondered what it would be like to have your emotions spin on a dime like that.

Megan chuckled. “You're trying awfully hard to talk me out of this. Don't you want me on your side?”

“You don't have to be like Princess Boom-Boom to be on my side.” I pointed out.

She rolled her eyes. “Yah, never know when you might need someone to swallow some styrofoam! Come on.”

I sighed. I guess I had done my due diligence. Truth be told, converting people was amazingly fun. Maybe I need to stop feeling guilty and just enjoy it.

“Okay. I'm willing to try it. Tell me what you want to be.” I said.

“I just want to be happy and useful. If you can give me that, I don't care about the details.” she answered.

“If you're sure, look into my eyes and say that.”

Megan looked into my eyes. She seemed tired and stressed. “I want to be...”

“No no. Don't say what you want. Say what you are. Be assertive about it.”

She frowned a little at this, but she rallied. She looked into my eyes with a harder, more determined expression. “I am happy and useful!”

She looked around herself, obviously wondering if it had worked, but I knew better. Every time I had converted someone, it had been involuntary. Princess Boom-Boom had been an accident, Suki was essentially brainwashed before her conversion, and Pratchett had been a complete takeover. Megan was receiving the conversion willingly, and it felt different. More peaceful, and relaxed. All the energy for the conversion was flowing into me instead of out. I took a deep breath as the changes became apparent, only then realizing that I was sitting next to the diaper pail.

“Do you see anything?” she asked as her hair turned from dull auburn to vibrant electric blue. Her pupils went from hazel to sapphire, and seemed to grow larger as well. Her t-shirt reformed into an elaborate blue tank-top that reminded me of a belly-dancer's outfit. Her slacks piled up and faded, forming her new disposable diaper.

“Maybe a few subtle things.” I said as she watched  her diaper swell into shape.

“This feels really weird.” she said as stared at herself.

“The diaper? Yeah, you'll get used to it. Eventually. Probably. I hope.”

“Not what I was talking about. I feel...hungry.” She sniffed the air thoughtfully.

I chuckled. “You should probably do that a little further from the diaper pail.”

She sniffed again. “Oh! Oooooh. Wow.”

“What is it?” I asked.

“Uh, is there any way that everyone could look, like, over that way for a little while?” she asked nervously.

“Megan, tell me what what's going on.” I said, starting to get concerned.

To my surprise, Megan folded her hands and bowed her head. “I need diapers, Mistress.”

I needed a second to process that. “Yeah, a lot of that going around. Sorry, I'll try not to give any direct orders to you. I kinda wondered...”

Megan cut me off. “No Mistress. I need them. Like, metabolically.”

I stared at her. “Are you serious?”

She nodded. “I used to only be able to metabolize petrochemicals. I think your power and mine got tangled up a little.”

I was horrified. I was disgusted. I was sorry that this had happened to her and ashamed that I had been involved in it. But also, I kinda wanted to see that.

“Look, whatever it is, we're all fine with it. Do whatever you have to. No one is going to judge. Are they?” I asked the onlookers. Nurse Wipes raised her hands and smiled sweetly to signal her acceptance of my order. Suki was still fiddling with her equipment and was dead to the world. Princess Boom-Boom was too busy staring in amazement at Megan's new hair to follow the conversation.

Megan approached the diaper pail. She opened the lid with a press of her foot. She looked inside. I knew what she was seeing. The diaper that I had filled with shit not half an hour earlier, sitting atop the one Suki had been wearing. Megan's eyes widened as she saw it. She licked her lips.

I turned away. I couldn't watch.

I turned back. I couldn't not watch either.

When I did, I saw that my full diaper was now hovering in the air in front of Megan, levitating in an aura of electric blue. Megan had her hands held with palms together in a peculiar pose. The diaper floated towards her, touched her bare belly, then glowed with a fierce blue light. The light merged with Megan, spreading outward from her belly as she gasped with ecstasy. I didn't know what she was experiencing, but it looked like she was enjoying it. Princess Boom-Boom started clapping and cheering as the light gradually faded. Megan stood with a look of utter bliss on her face.

“Um...how are you feeling?” I asked cautiously. Megan didn't respond, she just gave me a thumbs up.

“Well, you sure seem happy. Where's the other half?” I asked.

She nodded. She pressed her palms together. The changing table that I was sitting on began to glow blue. Before I knew it, it had levitated nearly five feet into the air.

Megan folded her legs into a lotus position, without sitting down. She floated up until we were eye to eye. “I'm a Diaper Genie!” she announced gleefully. “What is your wish, Mistress?”

Everyone was watching now. Even Suki looked up from her work to see the blue-haired woman in a thick, white diaper float in the air. I was struck by how beautiful she was, now that she was so clearly and unashamedly happy.

“You converted Megan?” asked Suki. “And I wasn't informed?”

Megan rotated in the air. “What do mean? You were right here the whole time!”

“I was attempting to access the network protocols that control this facility, in direct competition with a dedicated team of Brights who have suspended my network credentials. I was busy.” said Dr. Yamamoto testily.

“Did you have any luck?” I asked.

“In a manner of speaking. I have introduced several invasive algorithms into the network, which should take the opposition a significant period to eradicate. I have also traced the ID tag of Samantha Curtis, one of the Oddballs I was hoping we could intercept. She is being held in a secure area on Level 4.”

Megan pouted. “Aww, poor Sammy. She never gets a break.”

“What's her deal?” I asked.

Megan and Suki at once. “She can teleport.”

“Jinx! You owe me a soda.” said Megan.

“I do not subscribe to that convention.” said Suki.

“Wait.” I asked. “If she can teleport, how is she being held at all?”

Megan sighed. Suki answered. “Miss Curtis has demonstrated a considerable reluctance to utilize her abilities. That is the main reason she is classified as an Oddball rather than an Esper.”

“Yeah.” said Megan sadly. “She hates doing it. They forced her to do it over and over again to study the effect. She didn't say a word for weeks afterward.”

“That is correct.” confirmed Dr. Yamamoto. “We were able to determine that Ms. Curtis can temporarily shunt her body into a separate dimensional plane, allowing her to easily bypass any physical obstacle. Unfortunately, the emotional effects of doing so were too intense for her to handle. Technically, she could escape at any time, but is unwilling to do so, as she would only have to continue using her powers to remain at large.”

I was appalled. “That's horrible! How could you do that to someone?”

Suki shrugged. “It was an essential part of my function as Research Director.”

I had almost forgotten the cruel indifference Dr. Yamamoto had displayed when I first met her. Now that she was wearing diapers and had her hair in pig-tails, it was easy to forget that she was still a monster. “That is not a valid excuse!” I yelled.

She hung her head. “I accept your judgement, ma'am.” I knew that she would accept whatever I said now that I had converted her, but she didn't really seem sorry.

“You're going to personally apologize to Samantha for what you did to her.” I told her.

“Yes, ma'am.” she conceded. “To the that end, I believe we should move to retrieve Ms. Curtis without delay.”

“Damn right! How do we get there?” I asked.

“I have been attempting to devise a suitable route through the building, and have been stymied by the probability of an ambush along any route we choose.” said Dr. Yamamoto, slipping easily back into professional mode. “I believe with the addition of Megan's telekinetic abilities, an alternate route is now available.”