Theo looked down at the long contract in front of her with a nervous tingle in her stomach. She was a student at Manchester Uni, struggling to make ends meet when the ad had popped up on her Facebook news feed.
"Quick and easy cash now! Apply in less than a minute!"
Upon reading the ad further it appeared to be a science facility wanting volunteers to run a new scheme of tests.
That seemed okay, she thought and sent of an application. The following day she received an email, asking her to attend a meeting on Tuesday 5th May at 12:15pm. They continued to repeat that it was for scientific studies and that the payment for the programme could be up to £2000 for one 48 hour study, with the potential of an increase if suitable for the study.
Theo's eyes widened, with that sort of money she could move out of her flat with the damp smells and nasty neighbours, she could start a savings account!
So that is how she found herself sat in a clean white office before a serious looking contract. The kind faced female scientist ahead of her smiled a sparkly smile, her name tag read Dr Kingston. She was pretty, and had the sort of face you would expect on a tv hospital drama, serious with her hair tied in a neat pony tail but when she lets her hair down everyone swoons into the screens.
"Feel free to have a read, but really it's nothing to worry about, in fact you might enjoy it we're all very friendly here."
Theo felt put at ease and began to read the contract. She felt self conscious as the doctor sat watching her, and skim read some of the pages. There was so much technical jargon she started to zone out and eventually decided that there really wasn't anything to worry about and skipped the last few pages. She understood the essentials, a new pill, very safe, could leave at any time. She signed her name on the dotted line in the marked spots.
The scientist beamed and shook her hand.
"We're delighted to have you on board Theodora."
Dr Kingston took the contract and swiftly put it into a cabinet behind the desk. She locked it.
She smiled at Theo, and gestured her to follow her.
'Now, we would like it if we could have you for a full 36 hours for observations,' she said as they walked down a long clean corridor that smelt of disinfectant. 'We would like to start as soon as possible, but we are happy to delay if you need to make arrangements?'
'Um, no I have the next few days free, I would just need to message a friend so no one worries,' she said.
'Naturally,' she smiled again, almost too sweetly.
They approached a large locked door with KX017 written on it. She turned a key in the lock and opened it wide to reveal a very white flat. All the furniture was pearly white, the cupboards, the walls. The floor was covered by a lush grey carpet, and there was a large flat screen TV mounted to one wall.
'Here we are, this is where you will be able to stay whilst you are with us. You will find a fully stocked kitchen, television with Netflix is over there, bedrooma and ensuite bathroom this door over here' she said gesturing around the small studio flat. It was nicer than her current accomodation.
'Thank you this is great,' she said gratefully.
'No problem, we have one request,' she said, walking to a large wardrobe, 'we would like you to wear our sanitised clothes. It's important to us that there are no interfering factors in our study. So if you wouldn't mind changing into those as soon as you can, and at the same time message who ever you need as we would like to take your belongings and store them safely. Again, all part of the study.'
'Oh, okay,' she said, opening the wardrobe she saw that inside were various shades of grey items. All of them printed with the same code as was on the door 'KX017'.
'Thank you Theodora. I will come back in about an hour to collect your clothes and explain the next stage of the study. In the meantime, feel free to use the kitchen facilities to make yourself some lunch.'
Dr Kingston walked out of the flat and shut the door behind her, Theo heard the lock quietly click. She looked around the flat with a mild curiosity, opening the door to the bathroom and examining the cupboards.
She put on some music through the speaker system under the television and pulled out a pair of grey shorts and a t-shirt. They looked like pyjamas. She pulled them on, and left her clothes in a neat pile by the door.
She pulled her phone from the pile and quickly sent a couple of texts, one to her mum, one to her best friend. Explaining where she was and that she's fine and will be in touch. She went to the kitchen and made herself a tuna mayo sandwich.
She sat down on the pristine sofa and ate it quietly, thinking about what the study might be. She had read in the contract a drug named Klanexopene, if she remembered the spelling right. She pulled her phone back out and typed it into google.
'No Results'
'Figures,' she muttered. She wondered what the drug was, whether there were any side effects, and how many other people had tested it. She wondered too why she was locked in, although she didn't mind too much, she wasn't exactly sure which way was the way out and she had no intention to leave without her payment anyway.
Soon she heard a knock at the door, and the click as it unlocked.
'All settled in?' Dr Kingston said as she opened the door, she was followed by a young man also in a white lab coat. He had dark eyes framed by black thick glasses and dirty blonde hair. She couldn't deny he was very attractive and suddenly felt more self conscious, wishing she had picked out a hoodie to wear instead. She considered to herself that both of these scientists were oddly attractive, she had had the impression that they were the studious types, but they both could easily pass for models.
'This is Dr Klein,' she said and the young man reached out his hand. She shook it awkwardly.
'It's a pleasure to meet you Theodora, I look forward to working with you on this project,' he said smiling at her. They both smiled a lot, she thought.
'No problem, you pay well,' she said and they both laughed.
'Yes well. I'm sure you would like to know more about the study so were here to explain things to you a little further,' Dr Kingston said, both sitting down on the arm chairs opposite the sofa Theo sat on, she quickly uncrossed her legs, and tried to sit more sensibly.
'The drug that we are going to be administering you with is called Klanexopene, as you saw in your contract. It is going to be issued as a birth control method. This is early stages of human trials however we know that the drug is completely safe and effective in its birth control means, we are more measuring side effects that it may produce at this stage. If we get this drug on the market it will change women's lives. As an instant birth control means it can be taken right up until 5 minutes before sex to prevent unplanned pregnancies. I'm sure you can understand the benefits of such a drug.'
'Absolutely,' Theo agreed.