I awoke in an altogether different condition than on the previous occasions, except in that I was as nude as before. I was neither bound nor confined in a restrictive space. Instead, I was laying on a kind of padded ledge or built-in bench that was long enough to accommodate my body in a small room of perhaps 9 feet by 12 feet. It was not unlike a jail cell. I noticed the room had both a lavatory sink and a toilet of sorts. Neither fixture looked like what I was used to seeing in a bathroom, but their functions were easily enough discerned from their form. They may have copied the basic design parameters from observation of fixtures on earth. I had, after all, no reason to suspect that the devices were optimal for waste evacuation or hygiene for the aliens, if their process of waste removal was even anything like that of a human.
"Do you need to relieve yourself? If so, please do so before we begin." The voice came from a small squat robot that I had not previously noticed owing to its diminutive stature, its static position, and its position at the periphery of the little cell near the only door or portal. It was cylindrical with a pyramidal top, had wheels, and looked somehow fake despite its impressive capabilities.
"Begin what?" I said
"The tour and orientation for incoming liaisons." The robot said in a voice that was not the synthesized type that I was used to hearing in movies, but rather it sounded quite human though perhaps too perfect for an actual human.
I did in fact need to pee. And, in the context of what I had experienced so far, urinating with my back to the little droid was the least weird thing I had done since I was brought "aboard" or wherever I was.
"You are to wear these." The robot said rolling up to me with some red material clamped between the pincers of one of its short arms.
I took the pieces of cloth and unfolded them. They were a rudimentary shirt and pants like medical scrubs, but, instead of soothing pastel colors, these were a fire engine shade of red. They had a fly that was, like some pajamas, not secured by so much as a single button. Still, it was nice to leave behind the vulnerable feeling of being nude among strange beings.
I reminded myself that the clothes were unlikely to have been issued for my comfort. The alien I had seen wore no clothing, and, for all I knew, clothing was a completely foreign concept to its species. No, the clothing was meant to differentiate me from the subjects. The aliens had studied us long enough to know that in any interaction between naked and clothed humans, the one with pants (or a skirt) is invariably in charge. I could not deny that clothing injected a degree of confidence that would likely be beneficial in my role. I was beginning to suspect that the .2 in Sex Zoo 2.2 (i.e. Department 2) focused on sexual power dynamics.
When I had put on the top and bottom, the robot turned and rolled toward the door. It paused at the door for just a moment before the door opened. I wondered how the process worked. Did the robot send a wireless signal to trigger the door? If so, was it encrypted? I was thinking about how I could make a break. I didn't know what I would do once I got out, or even what "out" meant. Out of the Zoo? Off the ship? Back to earth? Was I even on a ship, or was that a fabrication?
My reverie was interrupted by a statement by the little droid as it rolled ahead of me smoothly leading the way. "I've been told to inform you about rules. You are confined to the corridors delineated by these yellow lines and all rooms immediately off them except those marked with placards indicating they are restricted areas." The machine pointed a closed pincer at a color coded line that ran along the floor about six inches from each wall.
"During your work hours you may travel freely within this space as necessary to get your work done and go about the course of living as long as you don't interrupt experiments in progress. Rooms in which experiments are being conducted are marked with a placard. In most cases there is an anteroom between the corridor and the experiment chamber that is used for observation and monitoring and doors from the anteroom to the experimentation chambers are locked except when needed for transit. So it should not be a problem. If you stray from the delineated area, you will begin to experience a pain that, if ignored, will escalate to the point of incapacitation and possibly death. When you are not performing your required tasks, you are free to entertain yourself as you see fit. Do you have any questions?" The little droid inquired as it came to a stop.
I had a million questions, but the most pressing ones I did not want to ask. At the top of the list I wanted to know whether the droid or the aliens had read my thoughts about escape and that was what triggered the lecture on my confinement area and the penalty for violating it, or whether it was a mere coincidence. That alien had clearly read my mind, but I didn't know if it had limitations.
For the time being I decided I should assume they could understand every thought that went through my mind and should be appropriately cautious. This turned out to be exceedingly challenging and mentally exhausting. I had once practiced Soto Zen meditation, and knew how maddeningly difficult it could be to clear the mind. It was even harder because an overwhelming desire to get the hell out of this place was my primary motivating force in life. How could one plot an escape without thinking about escape? On the other hand, if I played along with the aliens' game in my mind, would I eventually become brainwashed into being what they wanted me to be? The mind is complex and tricky.
I decided to ask a question to distract myself. "What kind of entertainment is there?"
"Well, most obviously, there are sexual diversions of any nature you might desire, and you are encouraged to take advantage of them. However, should you require a break from those activities, we do have probes that pick up radio signals transmitted from your planet, and we have receivers that can transform the raw signal into audio and visual output perceivable comprehensible by you. If you have any other particular desires, your hosts will consider requests. We have learned that occupying the mind is important to the well-being of members your species." The robot answered.