M
montycrusto
Guest
She spotted the advert on a crowded notice-board in the arts faculty building. Amidst all the flyers for student plays, music venues and lodgings, a small, neatly printed card said: “Volunteers wanted for research into psychological effects of incarceration. Participants will be held as prisoners for three days, while neurological activity is monitored.” There was little more beside a telephone number and directions to an office in the Psychology Department. Rachel paused and looked up and down the corridor; a few other students came and went, but no-one she knew.
Incarceration. The word had caught her eye immediately. The thought of being imprisoned, behind bars, kept under lock and key, had always been a secret fantasy for her. The sound of keys jangling, a heavy door slamming, or the clinking of a chain, had always made her feel excited. Now she was being offered a way to indulge it safely, even nobly, as part of a scientific enterprise. Rachel realized her heart was thundering at the idea. She knew she wanted to do this, but also that she almost certainly lacked the courage to go through with it. So it was with a certain determination that she walked quickly down the stairs and across the campus towards the Psychology building, not wanting to wait until her courage failed.
The office was not where she thought it was, and she had to return to the map just inside the entrance to the building. Realizing she was on the wrong floor, she set off again, down a flight of stairs and along an unfamiliar corridor, which turned a corner and opened up into a small lobby. There were washrooms through a pair of doorways at one end, and sure enough, the office she was looking for was halfway along the wall on one side. It seemed to be the only office here.
Rachel approached the wooden door slowly, her hand raised to knock. She heard voices inside, and she paused, her spirits suddenly quailing at the thought of offering herself as a volunteer. This was the psychology department, after all… would they immediately guess that she wanted to be locked up to satisfy some deep perverted desire? The voices changed in tone, and she heard a chair pushed back. Before she could back away, the door opened and a young man came out, looking her up and down in surprise. It did look a little as if she had been eavesdropping. As she moved back to let him past, a voice called from inside the office,
“Come in, young lady, no need to wait on formalities”
She saw through the still open door a cluttered office with a benevolent-looking older man sitting behind a large desk. She couldn’t back out now he had seen her, so she entered, her embarrassment making her blush. The younger man had already sauntered off down the corridor. The man behind the desk introduced himself as Doctor Kay, and invited her to close the door and sit down. Rachel’s heart was pounding, but she did as he asked. He seemed to know why she had come, and after asking her name and a few other questions, the grey-haired gentleman launched into a detailed explanation of the research project.
He told her she would be kept for several days under conditions comparable to imprisonment, that she would be fed and looked after, but denied contact with the outside world. This was apparently vital for the success of the experiment. She nodded, grateful not to have to explain herself much. She would be treated as a prisoner during the project, which meant not only the loss of her personal liberty, but having to obey rules and orders given by staff; these staff would be experienced prison warders. Restraint and/or punishment may be applied if orders were not followed to the warders’ satisfaction. He paused, looking a little embarrassed.
“I’ll be honest with you, Miss Barnes, some of the warders we have engaged for this project are experienced in dealing with high-security prisoners; you may find their conduct and language shocking, and perhaps unpleasant. This too is part of the experiment, I’m afraid, and it is quite unavoidable. The simulation must be as realistic as possible, you see, in fact once it has started, no-one will refer to it as a simulation; that would adversely affect our data, although of course we cannot rule out all traces of artificiality. The incarceration itself should not be too onerous, provided you follow the rules and instructions given to you. If you feel you cannot give us your time, I do understand.”
He paused again. This was her moment to back out, if she wanted to. Rachel was seized by a mixture of fear and excitement; the talk of restraint and punishment had gripped her imagination, and she was trying to brush away the mental image of actually being handcuffed and manhandled, when she realized the Doctor had stopped speaking. Flustered, she tried to hide her turmoil, and meet his eyes. Doctor Kay looked at her appraisingly for a moment, then handed her a piece of paper covered in print.
“Perhaps you would like to think about it for a day or two? There is some more information on this sheet; do read it at your leisure and call me if you have any questions. Don’t leave it too long though, the project has already begun. I do hope you will decide to join us, Miss Barnes”
With that he stood up and held out a hand for her to shake, then showed her to the door, and she stumbled out.
Incarceration. The word had caught her eye immediately. The thought of being imprisoned, behind bars, kept under lock and key, had always been a secret fantasy for her. The sound of keys jangling, a heavy door slamming, or the clinking of a chain, had always made her feel excited. Now she was being offered a way to indulge it safely, even nobly, as part of a scientific enterprise. Rachel realized her heart was thundering at the idea. She knew she wanted to do this, but also that she almost certainly lacked the courage to go through with it. So it was with a certain determination that she walked quickly down the stairs and across the campus towards the Psychology building, not wanting to wait until her courage failed.
The office was not where she thought it was, and she had to return to the map just inside the entrance to the building. Realizing she was on the wrong floor, she set off again, down a flight of stairs and along an unfamiliar corridor, which turned a corner and opened up into a small lobby. There were washrooms through a pair of doorways at one end, and sure enough, the office she was looking for was halfway along the wall on one side. It seemed to be the only office here.
Rachel approached the wooden door slowly, her hand raised to knock. She heard voices inside, and she paused, her spirits suddenly quailing at the thought of offering herself as a volunteer. This was the psychology department, after all… would they immediately guess that she wanted to be locked up to satisfy some deep perverted desire? The voices changed in tone, and she heard a chair pushed back. Before she could back away, the door opened and a young man came out, looking her up and down in surprise. It did look a little as if she had been eavesdropping. As she moved back to let him past, a voice called from inside the office,
“Come in, young lady, no need to wait on formalities”
She saw through the still open door a cluttered office with a benevolent-looking older man sitting behind a large desk. She couldn’t back out now he had seen her, so she entered, her embarrassment making her blush. The younger man had already sauntered off down the corridor. The man behind the desk introduced himself as Doctor Kay, and invited her to close the door and sit down. Rachel’s heart was pounding, but she did as he asked. He seemed to know why she had come, and after asking her name and a few other questions, the grey-haired gentleman launched into a detailed explanation of the research project.
He told her she would be kept for several days under conditions comparable to imprisonment, that she would be fed and looked after, but denied contact with the outside world. This was apparently vital for the success of the experiment. She nodded, grateful not to have to explain herself much. She would be treated as a prisoner during the project, which meant not only the loss of her personal liberty, but having to obey rules and orders given by staff; these staff would be experienced prison warders. Restraint and/or punishment may be applied if orders were not followed to the warders’ satisfaction. He paused, looking a little embarrassed.
“I’ll be honest with you, Miss Barnes, some of the warders we have engaged for this project are experienced in dealing with high-security prisoners; you may find their conduct and language shocking, and perhaps unpleasant. This too is part of the experiment, I’m afraid, and it is quite unavoidable. The simulation must be as realistic as possible, you see, in fact once it has started, no-one will refer to it as a simulation; that would adversely affect our data, although of course we cannot rule out all traces of artificiality. The incarceration itself should not be too onerous, provided you follow the rules and instructions given to you. If you feel you cannot give us your time, I do understand.”
He paused again. This was her moment to back out, if she wanted to. Rachel was seized by a mixture of fear and excitement; the talk of restraint and punishment had gripped her imagination, and she was trying to brush away the mental image of actually being handcuffed and manhandled, when she realized the Doctor had stopped speaking. Flustered, she tried to hide her turmoil, and meet his eyes. Doctor Kay looked at her appraisingly for a moment, then handed her a piece of paper covered in print.
“Perhaps you would like to think about it for a day or two? There is some more information on this sheet; do read it at your leisure and call me if you have any questions. Don’t leave it too long though, the project has already begun. I do hope you will decide to join us, Miss Barnes”
With that he stood up and held out a hand for her to shake, then showed her to the door, and she stumbled out.