Chloe Caron nervously adjusted her skirt as she entered the presentation hall. Gaining admission to Erocorp's yearly high-level investor showcase was the biggest win of her career as a journalist; she had managed to score tickets through three different intermediaries who vouched for her as a proxy for an heiress from Monaco.
Erocorp represented an insurgent force in what they called "creative pharmaceuticals"; drug research that no other company would touch for fear of ethical and legal concerns. Despite netting billions of dollars a year, their operations were tightly confidential. Erocorp's investors were known to no one; risk of their identities being publicly disclosed could lead to significant financial and legal risk. That is, they were unknown until now, Chloe thought, smirking to herself. She looked about the small presentation hall, which could seat less than a hundred people. The crowd was well-heeled, with billionaires (or their proxies) represented from all over the world.
The auditorium's light dimmed and the doors closed. A woman walked out on stage. She was dressed provocatively, in a cocktail dress with a back that nearly showed her buttocks, and sheer cuts in her dress that showed the underside of her breasts. She waved as the audience applauded.
Chloe recognized her as Dr. Adriana Novotny, the chief scientific officer for Erocorp. Novotny bowed once and then gestured to the presentation screen. Chloe surreptitiously pressed a button on her smartphone to start recording the presentation.
"I come before you to speak about a topic dear to me," Novotny began. "Sexual liberation. For the last one hundred years, society has been challenging our conception of what it means to be sexual." The presentation screen lit up with a picture of a pill bottle from the 1960s. "Enovid, an oral contraceptive that would let women choose the timing of pregnancy, ushering in a new era of sexual freedom."
The presentation screen transitioned between various images of pornography from the 1960s to present. "Humanity is now more sexual than ever. But I contend that our sexual revolution will be halted by one simple factor: the human mind."
A picture of a brain flashed on the screen. "Our minds present a significant barrier to true equality. Women have been biologically trained to be less sexual than men; our instinct is to judge sexual encounters as risky, even when there is no risk involved. Our biological imperative denies us experiences that would be pleasurable and fulfilling."
The screen flashed with words; it was a listing of sexual fetishes. "At the same time, we have difficulty finding partners who we are totally sexually compatible with. I have enjoyed my share of male and female partners, yet acquiring these lovers and communicating my exact needs is onerous and stressful."
Novotny paused for dramatic effect. "I consider this unjust. I want women and men to be totally sexually equal and liberated. I want everyone's deepest sexual desires to be fulfilled. And I want you to be able to satisfy your partners' needs."
A blue 3D rendering of a nude female figure appeared on the screen. "But how does Erocorp solve this problem?" Novotny asked rhetorically. "As you know, Erocorp has invested significant R&D capital into nanite research; microscopic computing devices that can enter the human body and bind to nerve cells in the human body." On the screen, metallic dots entered the figure's mouth, down through the esophagus, and all throughout the body.
"What if these nanites could produce sexual desire in people?" Novotny asked. The metallic dots on the screen began to congregate at particular areas of the female figure; her shoulders, her lips, her breasts, her buttocks; the highest concentration of nanites was at the figure's genitalia.
"We can make these nanites trigger sensation in the erogenous zones of whoever consumes them. We have done this," Novotny said. "We have done this and we have succeeded." She paused, taking a deep breath. "But this is just one part of the puzzle. If we stopped here, these nanites would be like any other treatment for sexual dysfunction. Nothing special. So what is the magic?"
Novotny paused again. She looked around the audience. "I can talk about this for hours. But I will not. All of you have spent time and took a great deal of risk to be here. And you will be rewarded with a live presentation of the nanite treatment that we are calling..."
A huge word flashed on the screen. "Excitatus."
"But who is to be the subject for our live demonstration? Well, our subject is seated in our audience right now, as it turns out."
Heavy metal restraints emerged from the armrests of Chloe's chair. Before Chloe could understand what was happening, they tightly locked her arms to the armrests. Another restraint emerged from her headrest and coiled around her neck, pulling her head backwards against the chair. She yelped as the cold metal pressed against her skin.
A picture of Chloe appeared on the presentation screen. It was Chloe's official professional headshot. "Ms. Chloe Caron," Novtony said. "A freelance journalist, primarily employed by La Sud, in Marseille." Chloe's stomach lurched as large men approached her chair. She struggled vainly against her restraints.
"She came here to write an expose on our activities; on your activities as well," Novotny said. The audience around her looked at her with malice. Chloe could only look ahead, attempting to blank out their stares. "Of course, our corporate intelligence had her sniffed her out instantly and deliberately brought her here."
One man grasped her chair and pushed it forward; it slid forward on hydraulic wheels. Another man was pointing a camera at her face. Chloe's breath was panicked as her chair was wheeled onto the stage. The cameraman followed her face, blasting it onto the theater screen; she could see her fear and sweat.
She cursed herself for thinking she was smart enough to outwit a billion-dollar corporation. And she realized, with a start, that she was alone; nobody knew she was here. Her editor had warned her against infiltrating Erocorp. She set off independently for the hope of a big story.
Novotny smiled widely as Chloe's chair was fastened into place. Around Chloe, the stage transformed. A 20-foot plexiglass box was drawn down from the ceiling around Chloe, trapping her on stage; the interior of the box was a reflective mirror surface, but the audience could look in. Items began to emerge from trap doors in the stage floor; including a thick queen bed, a large cabinet.