I was a little desperate for cash. I had been kicked out of my apartment after being let go, again, from another run down diner. Apparently, it isn't appropriate to pour hot coffee all over horny old bastards who were old enough to be my grandfather. Hell, maybe old enough to be my great grandfather. The owner was quick to let me go. Okay, so maybe I shouldn't have been so rash. But really, why do waitresses have to take grabby hands just to earn a measly tip?
I pulled my jacket tighter around me. It was starting to rain as I ran the last block and a half to my new job. When I applied and interviewed, I couldn't really figure out what the job was. No one said anything other than it was easy work and the bonus was that it paid a lot of money. In cash. I already had my eye on a new apartment. One two steps up from the dump I was living in last time.
The building I was heading for was your run of the mill brick building. Grayish brown, no markings, nothing to make it stick out. It was in the bad side of town, but let's face it, I've been in the bad side of town long enough to learn that picky people don't eat.
The only thing I could see that stood out is a small camera right above the steel door. I banged on the door hard. I heard a soft whirring above me. I looked up and let the camera get a good look at my face. A few seconds later, the door clicked open and I made my way in out of the rain. Inside was barren. A small room that looked like a lobby connected to three hallways.
"Hello?" I called out.
A few seconds later, I heard the sound that high heels make on tile flooring, heading my way. An older lady in a dark colored dress suit made her way to stand before me.
"Hi, I'm Cora. I'm Dr. Nolan's assistant. If you will, follow me."
She turned and I followed her through the middle hallway. I was lead into a small room at the end of a long corridor.
"We need a few things before we start. I am going to photograph you now. Please strip down to your underwear."
"My underwear?" I don't know if I like the sound of that. I know I was going to be involved in some sort of testing, but I wasn't sure why any testing would require me to strip.
"Yes. We will need to categorize you. That means body type as well as other characteristics, such as eye, hair and skin color."
I guess that makes sense. Kinda. I stripped out of my clothing. It was wet anyway. I skipped pretending to fold them and piled them in the corner. Cora stepped close to me and positioned me by the wall. I did several photos. Several shots were taken of me facing forward, from my sides, and several of my back. After the photos, Cora measured parts of my body. My arms, my waist, my bust, my hips were all measured.
After the measurements, much to my embarrassment, Cora also gave me a pelvic exam. I was lead out of the room, wearing nothing but a paper gown now, underwear long stripped off, into another room. All that was in this new room was two mattresses stacked on top of each other covered in a couple sheets.
"What..." I was confused. What testing was I being volunteered for that only included a couple mattresses that didn't even have a frame? I started to back away from the room, only to be stopped by Cora.