The Recording Device

Jack Allen was an ordinary man; at 49 years old and divorced after 15 years of marriage to Suzie, he now lived alone in a one bed flat. Life was pretty boring. He didn't have much of a social life. Most of his friends were married and as a result he didn't get invited anywhere very much - either because he didn't have a significant other, or because he didn't appreciate being paired up with women of their choosing. Sure, he'd accepted invitations before, and even had an affair with one of the nominated women - but more from a feeling of duty than from his attraction to her. She (Linda) on the other hand, seemed more than happy with the relationship and couldn't wait to get into bed with him each time they met. She was upset when he called a halt, but he felt it was wrong to carry on when he had no feelings for her.

Some time afterwards, on one of the few occasions that he was invited anywhere, he'd left the party by 1am in the morning to drive home (he hadn't been drinking). Halfway through his journey, his car developed a fault and he had to pull over. Fortunately, he was able to coast into a service area, where he could make a call to the Automobile Association. It was a bad time to ring and the AA van didn't turn up for over an hour.

After tinkering for a couple of minutes, the engineer stood up from under the bonnet and told him it was an HT lead fault. With a replacement fitted he was soon on his way again. Half an hour later he was on a long lonely road, when the car cut out again. It was dead. Moreover, his mobile phone appeared to be without a signal as well. He popped the bonnet and stepped out to have a look, using a torch that he kept in the glove compartment – only to find that this didn't work either.

"Shit!" he muttered aloud. It was then he realised just how quiet it was. Not just quiet, nor a lessening in the ambient volume, but silence, absolute cotton-wool muffled nothingness.

He was suddenly hit by a blinding white light that seemed to come from everywhere at once. It didn't hurt his eyes, but seemed to wrap him up as if in a blanket. As the light diminished he found himself standing in a circular room. It was pure white. The floor looked hard and shiny, but felt soft underfoot.

"OK, this is a dream," he thought to himself. "I'm in bed and having a nightmare."

He looked around. It was definitely a room, with a floor and ceiling apparently of the same material, but there was no sign of a doorway, or anything else. He tried hard to think where he was sleeping. Was he at home? In a hotel? At a friends place?

His brain kicked in and he remembered the party, replaying the evening right up until...

"Oh shit! This isn't a dream is it?"

He perceived movement using his peripheral vision and when he turned his head he saw some change in the wall. It was vague at first, but then hardened into a shadow of light (that was the best way to describe brilliant white on pure white). The object began to coalesce until it bore a shimmering resemblance to a humanoid figure. He instantly understood that he was on an alien ship. He found he was holding his breath and tried to breathe out without making too much noise, before he passed out.

The image spoke, but without sound. Jack "heard" the voice in his head.

"Hello. Can you understand us?"

He nodded.

"We mean you no harm, do you understand."

Again, a nod.

"We are... Observers. We visit planets throughout the galaxy in order to study and understand the life that we find there. Yes, there are many millions of planets – and asteroids - that contain life. Many have sentient life forms. However, none appear as complex as you humans."

It was a lot to take in at once; first that there really were such things as aliens and that they had a vehicle, but also that there were many others throughout the galaxy. The enormity of it made him feel very small indeed.

With a croak, he found his voice, "If you are – as you say – observers, then surely the best way to do that would be inconspicuously. So why have you brought me here?"

It wasn't a laugh as such, but he gained the impression of amusement, "Both astute and direct. We should have expected nothing less. Are you typical of your species?"

"No, but then I don't think anybody is." It seemed strange having an apparently one-way conversation, but he continued, "And you haven't answered my question."

"Sometimes we need a little more insight and simple observation cannot provide that. Sometimes, we have to delve a little more deeply."

Jack's mouth went very dry. He'd seen enough science fiction films to have an idea where this was headed. But he kept quiet, waiting to hear what the being had to say.

"We have found that the best information comes directly from the experiences of a subject from the world in question. We have already done this with a cow and a cat on your world, but realise that this is woefully inadequate. Now we wish to use a human."

Jack was frightened.

"No," he told them, little expecting that he would have any choice in the matter.

"We will cause you no harm. We will record your memories first – although these will probably be tainted and not entirely helpful."

That didn't sound so bad, but Jack knew there was more.

"What we would like to do – with your acquiescence, is to implant a very small device in your body. This will record and transmit all of your experiences as they occur."

Jack didn't for one moment believe that this would be without pain or inconvenience. His natural instinct was to tell them where to go, but something made him hold back; after all, they needed him.

"Why would I agree to any of this? What on earth would I get out of it?" He almost smiled when he made the inadvertent pun. "What if I decided to tell someone?"

"You will not recall any of this. You will be unaware of the presence of the device – it is so small that you would not be able to see it if you balanced it on your fingertip.

"We want to ensure that nothing happens to you, so that we can continue recording for the longest possible time. Of course, we can't predict accidents, but we can help your body's recovery period. We will examine you body thoroughly and correct any imperfections that may cause future problems for you."

"Let me get this right, you're asking for permission to put an implant in me that I will never know about. I won't even recall this conversation?"

"Yes."

"And in return all I get is... is..." he voice trailed off as he began to understand. "You mean... if I had, say, a genetic heart defect, then you'd fix it?"

"Yes."

"I'd never get cancer?"

"No."

"Ah, but you wouldn't be able to stop me getting a common cold, would you?"

"No, but your body would combat it more efficiently. You would probably not even realise you had it."

"Come on, there has to be a catch somewhere. Don't you have to come back and see me, or take the thing out?"

"No, that will not be necessary."

Jack was beginning to run out of reasons not to like the deal.

"OK," he said quietly. And that was it.

*****

Jack stared at the dashboard of his car, looking at the lights, he was a little confused at first, but then remembered that the engine had cut out on him. He turned on the ignition and it started first time.

When Jack arrived home, it was already daylight. He felt famished and dived into the fridge to make a sandwich. While he was eating it he looked in the freezer and found a steak. Without considering what he was doing, he put it into the microwave oven to defrost.

The two rounds of sandwiches were soon gone, as was an entire carton of orange juice. He put the steak under the grill to cook and then poured out some oven chips onto a tray and placed them in the gas oven. It took twenty minutes to prepare the food, by which time he had already had a large bowl of cereal and was considering a second.

He followed his meal with a whole tub of ice cream. Finally, for now, his appetite was sated.

Jack didn't feel weary but figured he should try and get some sleep. Two hours later he was awake again. Unable to relax anymore he got up and went downstairs. He switched on the television, but there was the usual early morning pap. The news channels were OK, but after twenty minutes he had heard it all. He walked into the lounge, trying to find something to do.

The book case was pretty full; mostly with books that he had already read. But there were a couple that he hadn't yet gotten around to. He picked up the first one and sat down to read The Right Stuff.

After twenty minutes, Jack realised that he was reading much faster than usual. For one reason or another, he knew that he tended to go through thirty pages in an hour. Already he was a hundred pages in. Over the next third of an hour he speeded up. Within sixty minutes Jack had finished it, and yearned for more.

The second book was devoured and Jack began re-reading others. By lunchtime he was starving again, but had completed six volumes before he walked out of the house and drove to the local trading estate where they had a number of eateries. For no reason other than it was the closest, he strolled into a Pizza Hut. His enormous appetite caused discussions between staff and other diners alike.

Walking back to the car, Jack put his hand in his jacket pocket and pulled out a packet of cigarettes. Although he didn't get through a pack in twenty four hours, he hadn't even thought about them today. He pulled one out and lit it, taking a deep drag.

He coughed violently and threw the stick away in disgust.

"Shit!" he said. "Why do I smoke?" He screwed up the pack and lobbed it into a bin.

Back home, Jack settled down to read again. He took a break after each book and watched some television – usually factual information channels.

Later that evening he prepared himself yet another meal. It was while eating it that he noticed that one of his filled teeth appeared to be loose. By the time he was ready for bed and made his way to the bathroom to clean his teeth, it fell out.

"Huh, I guess this means a trip to the dentist. I'm glad it's one near the back and doesn't show."

Early the next morning he awoke, fully, and had to get up. His tongue could feel something in the hole created by the absence of the tooth. When he looked in the mirror he was shocked to find what appeared to be a replacement tooth pushing through.

Further inspection told him that a neighbouring tooth was also beginning to feel wobbly. By the next morning it too came out.

Jack's days continued relatively normally; heading off to work at 7.45am and returning at 6pm. He ate more at lunchtimes, but was fascinated to find that his work seemed easy. Even projects that required a lot of thought seemed to finish quickly and without problems. He found himself having to purchase more books. At first they were ordinary books, but soon he moved on to reference works. He developed a craving for information and knowledge.

Meanwhile, his body seemed to be developing rapidly; most of his teeth were quickly replaced by strong, healthy ones. His eyes which had begun to deteriorate shortly after his 40th birthday recovered to their previous acuity. His hair lost the tinges of grey and the areas where he had perceived thinning were no longer there.

It was a mystery. He had no idea what was going on. At first he was a bit worried, but as everything that was happening was good, how could he complain? Admittedly, he only required three hours sleep a night and needed to find things to occupy him the rest of the time. And he had to eat a lot more. But his mind was working faster and more intelligently and his body was beginning to look – well - good. He had even noticed women giving him a second glance.

Jack's short night time sleeps were filled with dreams, mostly erotic ones. He was now used to awaking with a full and rigid hard-on, which wouldn't go until he had masturbated. And was it his imagination, or did it seem bigger than it used to be?

Very quickly Jack's self-confidence grew. This became apparent to others, but not in a way that made them consider anything was wrong. He was still the same person; it was just that they hadn't noticed how good-looking he was, or how young he looked for his age. And he had a lovely smile. And he always seemed to have the answers.

What Jack noticed was that the women around the office seemed to change their attitude towards him. From one of either not noticing him, or simply ignoring him, to one of hanging on his every word. When he asked their opinion they invariable appeared flustered, their faces suffused with a pink glow – even if they knew the answer to his questions.

This even applied to his neighbour, June. An attractive 30 year old, she had always been friendly toward him, but he had never made any overtures toward her. Three weeks after his life began to change she bumped into him on the stairs. He had been out jogging – something he had taken to doing in the last few days in order to burn off some of his excess energy. He was wearing a t-shirt and football shorts, which showed off his toned body.

"Hello June!" he said cheerfully. "Been shopping?"

"Oh! Yes. Um, hello Jack." She averted her eyes downwards in embarrassment, only to realise that she was looking straight at his crotch. The eyes flew wide and she flushed deep red, coughing to try and hide her awkwardness.

"Can I give you a hand with those bags? They look a little heavy."

"Ah, well, if you... please. Um." She wasn't making much sense, but Jack had gotten used to women acting in this way recently.

June handed him the carrier bags and then reached into her purse to retrieve her front door key. She opened it and gestured for Jack to go in. Inevitably, as he walked past, her eyes wandered down to his firm backside. It was all she could do to prevent herself from grabbing hold of his cheeks and digging her fingernails in.

Jack deposited the bags in the kitchen and turned to face June.

"Let me get you a drink," she said. "You must be thirsty after your run. How far did you go?"

"Thanks, that would be nice. I didn't really work it out, but it must have been about ten miles."

"But you aren't even out of breath! And look, that body... of yours is hardly sweating!" She reached out and ran her finger down his thigh. It felt wonderful and made him draw a deep breath.

June reddened again and the involuntary action of lowering her eyes brought Jack's shorts into her vision again. She saw the material twitch and then watched in fascination as something beneath the silky fabric began to unfold. At first it just bulged, but then it pushed out sideways and then as it straightened it moved into a more upright position. The material was thin enough that she could make out a lot of detail; the head and even the veins on the underside. It bobbed as it throbbed.

Jack made no move to hide his erection and waited to see how she would react.

"Oh my word! Did I cause that?"

"June, you can't possibly be that naïve. Of course you did."

She giggled like a schoolgirl. "I'm sorry, but let's be honest, you haven't got a lot hiding it. Besides, a lot of men would be jealous." She didn't say that a lot of women would too.

June flushed again, "I mean... so I'm told... or understand... not that I... you know!"

"Ah," he said. "I see. Well, anyway, now we've got a problem, because I can hear the building janitor working out in the hallway and I can hardly leave here like this."

"How long will it take to go down?"

He merely shrugged in answer.

"Oh come on! I know that men don't stay up for all that long."

"I do. It will still be like this in an hour."

"You're joking!" She seemed to consider for a moment. "But, after, well, you know, doesn't it go down then?"

"Of course, although it takes some time."

The possibly differing meanings of his words almost made her ask the question; "It takes a while to go down after, or it takes a while before you come?" Somehow she knew the answer. She could feel her nipples pressing hard against the lace material of her bra and she had a hollow feeling in the pit of her stomach. She daren't move for fear that her pussy would leak into her panties – something she hadn't experienced since she was a teenager. She stood there in her kitchen in the presence of this tall, handsome, muscular man whose arousal was both evident and, somehow, hypnotic.

June reached out slowly and wrapped her fingers around the solid, nylon-clad flesh. She could feel every heartbeat as the blood surged through its veins. She could almost feel her own pulse throbbing through her nipples and pussy in time with it. In an almost dream-like state she looked at Jack's face as he stared back impassively and nodded. She slipped the fingertips of both hands into the elasticated waistband and pulled his shorts down. It was, without doubt, the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. When she put her hand around it this time it almost burned her with its heat.

She pulled the skin downwards and marvelled at how the head gained even more of a sheen. June had rubbed a man before, but never a dick as magnificent as this. She looked back up at Jack's face. He didn't smile or show any recognition that she was performing a sexual act on him. He broke the spell when he spoke huskily.

"Undress."

She felt that she should tell him no, that she didn't want to, but couldn't. Instead, she released his penis, took a step back and began to unbutton her dress. She shrugged the garment from her shoulders and let it fall to the floor. She paused momentarily, but then reached behind and unclipped her bra. As with the dress, she let it fall from her shoulders and watched to see if Jack would respond to her naked breasts – a part of her body that she was quite proud of. His eyes wandered over the firm white orbs and pouting nipples, but he remained dispassionate.

He still waited, so June hooked her thumbs inside the elastic of her underpants. She was determined to elicit a response from Jack and slowly rolled her panties down onto her hips. The soft brown pubic hair came into view and barely concealed the pink, swollen lips of her pussy. She pushed the elastic over her hips and let her knickers fall to the floor. She stepped out of them and kicked them to one side.

"Now stand with your feet apart."

June was breathing heavily. She moved her feet apart until she could feel her pussy lips pulling open. Her knees felt weak and she could sense her vagina lubricating.

Jack left her standing while he removed the rest of his clothes. Before long he stood before her completely naked, his cock straining toward the ceiling. He ran his eyes over her body. To June it felt like a caress and made her shiver with anticipation.

"Shouldn't... shouldn't we go to the bedroom?" she asked.

"Why?"

"Well, I mean... don't you want to... you know?"

"Perhaps pleasure should be taken where you find it?"

Her mouth dropped open and she felt on the verge of an orgasm. He meant to have her here, in the kitchen!

By now June was in a trance-like state and helpless to respond. Jack leant down and gently kissed her lips. She closed her eyes and felt his mouth move gradually down towards her breasts. As he reached the nipples and nuzzled and suckled them he used his hands to squeeze and probe the flesh. They were still there as his head moved on down. Her left knee began to shake uncontrollably as he kissed her pubic mound. When his tongue darted out and slithered across her clitoris she grabbed at a cupboard door handle. The resulting crescendo of pleasure would have left her in a heap on the floor had she not done so.

Jack held June in his arms and released her death-like grip on the handle. He lowered her to the floor until she was resting on her knees and then nudged the head of his dick against her lips. She had always refused to give a blowjob and couldn't understand why any woman would want to carry out such a disgusting act. But today, here, kneeling naked on her kitchen floor having just been brought to orgasm by the man standing in front of her, she suddenly wanted to taste him and see what it was like. She opened her mouth, took hold of the shaft and then guided it in. She was surprised at how little entered the wet orifice. As she tried to push it in further she gagged and had to stop.