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Drama Fiction Thriller

It had been a long shift and Liz was looking forward to a little "me time". As she made her way through the halls of the Stearns Antarctic Radio Hub, she was struck with a familiar thought.


"This place looks more like a hotel than a research station."


She of course knew that one of the main purposes of the Stearns Hub was to act as a way-point between the other various Antarctic research stations. She also knew that the warm colors were meant to be a calming contrast to the bitter cold and stark white vastness of the ice shelf outside the Hub.


The walls were painted a pale yellow with accents of green and blue. The green was a few shades too light, making it look more like a lime-flavored popsicle than the lush forest leaves it was meant to emulate. Similarly, the blue was meant to mimic the color of a springtime sky, but it was a shade too dark, so it instead looked more like a pair of faded blue jeans. Limes and faded denim awash in a sea of piss yellow were not Liz's idea of relaxing concepts. Luckily, she had her own means of relaxation.


Liz reached her quarters and stepped inside. She locked the door, more for peace of mind than actual privacy. Craig was the only other person in the Hub, and he was on shift for the next twelve hours. She walked over to her bag and pulled out her new vibrator and a bottle of lube. Then she removed her pants and sprawled across her bunk.


The Buzz NightGear was a top of the line vibrator. It utilized a slew of advanced technology to do things no previous vibrator could even dream of doing. The manufacturer guaranteed Buzz NightGear would outperform any other vibrator on the market.


Liz had chosen a Buzz NightGear in a rich aubergine color. The vibrator was self-warming, made of a synthetic material that contoured to any woman's shape, and had a detachable personal massager called a Buzz Smalldrin. The Buzz NightGear had a dozen vibrating components and tiny couplings through the shaft that allowed it to increase or decrease in length as well as conform for a perfect fit. It was equipped with various sensors that tracked biological factors such as heart rate and moisture. It used this data to naturally contort, expand, and contract to give the user ultimate satisfaction.


The Buzz NightGear was Bluetooth enabled and communicated with an app on Liz’s phone. The app came with dozens of pre-programmed vibration patterns. Some were geared for fast results while others were for longer sessions. Some focused on penetrative pleasure while others were perfect for external stimulation. It also had several manual pre-sets, each increasing in vibrational intensity.


Liz clicked the Buzz NightGear to the third strongest manual setting and then popped open the bottle of lube. She readied herself and Buzz NightGear's shaft before settled back against her pillows.


Liz started slow, just a bit at a time, allowing herself to naturally stretch. She guided Buzz NightGear back and forth, just barely allowing the extended vibrating node at the base of the shaft to touch her clit. After a few minutes, the Buzz NightGear was fully inserted and Liz rocked her hips back and forth, getting the most out of the vibrating node. Just as she was on the edge of climax, the Buzz NightGear suddenly shut off.


Quickly turning it back on, Liz picked up where she left off. This time she chose the penultimate level of vibration. The Buzz NightGear responded to the Liz's muscle contractions and curved itself slightly, putting pressure on her G-spot. She was nearly there, just on the verge of an orgasm, when the Buzz NightGear shut off again.


Frustrated, Liz grabbed her phone and chose a pre-programmed vibration pattern at random and began again. She worked at it for almost an hour, but every time she was about to climax, the Buzz NightGear shut itself off.


Giving up for the moment, Liz clicked the Buzz NightGear's sync button and then turned her attention to her phone. On the screen, a blue ring spun for a few moments as the Buzz NightGear synced with the app. Finally, a message appeared.


INSUFFICIENT CHARGE


PLEASE CONNECT TO COMPUTER


###


The next day Liz was grateful she was the only one in the control room. She was exhausted, having stayed up late trying to figure out what was wrong with her Buzz NightGear. Her eyes burned as she stared at the banks of screens in front of her. Trying to ignore the tension in her body, Liz finished typing her hourly update.


15 MARCH 2024 - 0900 HOURS


ALL SYSTEMS IN OPTIMAL CONDITION


RECEIVING AT NORMAL RATE FROM ALL INSTALLATIONS


After initializing a program to compile and package data, Liz went about her other duties. She tried not to dwell on the hurdles she'd jumped through the previous night in her attempts to get the Buzz NightGear to function properly.


Liz had reset both the app and the Buzz NightGear several times. She'd allowed Buzz NightGear to charge for several hours. She'd even updated the app, but none of it worked. Buzz NightGear continued to shut off moments before Liz reached her climax.


Finally, she'd even opened a chat with the manufacturer's online customer service. The anonymity provided by the chat window did little to lessen her discomfort and embarrassment as she tried to describe to the customer service representative the nature of her problem. The representative had finally sent her a patch, but it had taken hours to download. Once it finally did, she realized that it would take even longer for the patch to upload and sync with her Buzz NightGear. Liz had eventually fallen into a fitful sleep and woken up tense and off her game. 


Although Liz tried not to stress about her situation, it was hard not to worry. Her assignment, maintaining the Stearns Hub during the Antarctic winter, had only just begun. She dreaded having to go five more months without a release.


###


Three days later and the Buzz NightGear was still acting up. Now it was shutting off at random times, preventing Liz from even getting close to an orgasm. Even the Buzz Smalldrin, which was low-tech and purely mechanical, was acting oddly. It would vibrate fine when she held it in her hand but then stop functioning as soon as it neared her clit. She'd tried to get herself there with her hands, but it was useless. Much to her own chagrin, Liz realized that her ability to climax had become dependent on a vibrator.


Liz used to use a model of vibrator called the Buzz Bunny. It had faithfully served her needs for years but had finally died a couple of weeks before she was due to report to the Stearns Hub. She'd been surprised to learn that the Buzz Bunny had been discontinued.


After an exhaustive and comparative search for a new vibrator, she'd finally settled on the Buzz NightGear. She'd used it a twice before traveling to Antarctica and had been happy with her decision. Now, she was kicking herself for not bringing any kind of back up.


The night before, Liz had left the Buzz NightGear on until the battery ran completely dry. Then she plugged it in and let the Buzz NightGear charge for fourteen hours, hoping that a full battery might solve her problem. That night when Liz returned to her bunk, she found a message waiting for her on the Buzz NightGear's app.


INSUFFICIENT DATA


PLEASE PLUG IN TO MAIN COMPUTER


###


Liz found herself checking out Craig when she relieved him for the day and started her shift in the control room. This was incredibly unlike her, but she was getting desperate. It had been eight days since she'd had an orgasm and the lack of release was beginning to take its toll. Her muscles ached and an elusive sinus headache made her nose feel like it was trying to push itself from her face. She was struggling to fall asleep and when she did manage it, she tossed and turned. Her mind churned between thoughts of getting off and ideas for how to fix the Buzz NightGear.


Not that propositioning Craig would do Liz much good. Craig was a homosexual. A piece of his identity that he loved to talk about. Always sharing wild stories of his hook-ups and ex-boyfriends.


Liz couldn't believe that she was imagining hooking up with Craig. She identified as asexual. More accurately, she identified as aromantic. She just wasn't sexually attracted to other people and normally that would have very much included Craig. For Liz’s entire adult life she'd been just fine taking care of her own needs. Now, the Buzz NightGear seemed determined to take that privilege away from her.


Liz had always felt a bit abnormal about her sexual identity. All her life, friends and acquaintances had talked about their crushes and partners, but she'd never been able to relate. Masturbation had been a way for her to feel like a normal person.


If Liz was honest with herself, she had to admit that she masturbated more for stress relief than actual sexual pleasure. Masturbation had become Liz's only outlet for relaxation. Neither playing mobile games nor watching videos nor reading e-books really interested her, especially after hours of staring at a bank of screens during her shift. Liz had never been a fan of drugs, cigarettes, or alcohol. Even if she was, there was no booze or drugs in the Hub, and it wasn't like she could just step outside for a quick smoke. It was the middle of the Antarctic winter. Temperatures outside the Hub were close to minus 60 degrees. Liz was stuck inside and was becoming desperate for a solution to her problem.


After her shift that day, Liz picked up her phone and saw she had over two dozen notifications from the Buzz NightGear app. Each said the same thing.


PLUG IN TO MAIN COMPUTER


###


Liz was nearly at her wit's end. The Buzz NightGear was still acting squirrely, almost as if it had its own agenda. An agenda that didn't include Liz ever reaching a climax. During her down time, the same message continued to nag her. Popping up on her phone over and over again.


PLUG IN TO MAIN COMPUTER


It had been over three weeks since Liz's last orgasm and she had tried everything she could to get herself there. As repugnant as she found the act, she had tried watching porn. She'd gone down quite the rabbit hole as she tried to find videos that didn't gross her out. So many of the videos were crass and unrealistic. She thought she'd stumbled upon something that might help her reach completion when she discovered both point-of-view and personal masturbation videos, but soon found she was viewing all of them too analytically and was unable to truly relax or get into the correct mindset. An inability to turn her brain off kept her from turning herself on. It didn't help matters that she kept getting the same notification from the Buzz NightGear app.


PLUG IN TO MAIN COMPUTER


Next, Liz tried sexting with her closest friend, but that was just too awkward. She tried reading trashy romance novels on her e-book reader while switching between the flighty Buzz NightGear and her fingers, but she found she couldn't even get close to orgasm. She just wasn’t stimulated enough and the Buzz NightGear’s performance was too erratic.


PLUG IN TO MAIN COMPUTER


Liz had always heard that the longer a person went without reaching orgasm, the easier it was for them to achieve one. So far, this did not seem to apply to her.


PLUG IN TO MAIN COMPUTER


Liz was miserable and dragged herself through one day and into the next. She still wasn't sleeping. Her entire body, especially the muscles in her thighs and vagina, felt clenched. She was struggling to concentrate during her shift in the control room.


PLUG IN TO MAIN COMPUTER


Liz had always enjoyed the simplistic and solitary nature of her job, but now the monotony of the position bugged her. All she did was sit in a chair and wait for a piece of equipment to break down. If it did, she made a report of it. Just monitor the equipment and make notations if it stopped working.


PLUG IN TO MAIN COMPUTER


Liz's jaw ached. She kept catching herself grinding her teeth. She had bitten every single one of her fingernails down to the quick.


PLUG IN TO MAIN COMPUTER


At night, Liz had begun desperately wailing away on herself with the Buzz NightGear, hoping to reach climax before the vibrator abruptly shut off. She'd run out of lube and had stolen the olive oil out of the kitchen. Once the olive oil was gone, she'd been left with only water and spit. The former didn't make the best lubricant and the latter grossed her out, but she kept trying. Each time she failed it was that much harder to hold out hope that she'd ever find release.


PLUG IN TO MAIN COMPUTER


Liz felt trapped in the Hub and confined in her own body. It was against protocol to bring personal devices into the control room, let alone plug them into the equipment. Yet, the longer she went without release, the more she started to consider complying with the Buzz NightGear's frequent request.


###


It had been over two months and Liz couldn't take it anymore. Protocol be damned.


On her next shift, she snuck down the hall and placed her ear against the door of Craig's room. She could hear him snoring and felt confident that he would be asleep for hours. She retrieved the Buzz NightGear from her room and returned to the control room.


Liz plugged the USB cable into the port on the main console and waited. Less than a minute later, a new notification popped up on the app.


UPDATE SUCCESSFUL


ENJOY YOURSELF


Liz unplugged the cable and instantly received a new message.


PLUG IN TO MAIN COMPUTER TO CONTINUE


Devastated, but seeing no other choice, Liz plugged the Buzz NightGear back in.


ENJOY YOURSELF


Seeing no other option, Liz pulled her pants down low on her thighs, scooted her chair close to the main console, and inched her hips forward until they were on the edge of the seat. Liz clicked the Buzz NightGear on and could instantly tell a difference in how it was acting. She chose one of the app’s high-intensity vibration patterns and set to work.


The Buzz NightGear practically came to life inside her. She barely had to hold it in place or rock it back and forth. She placed her feet up on the edge of the console and leaned back. She opened her hips wider as waves of pleasure coursed upward through her body.


Liz bit her bottom lip and took in a deep breath. Involuntarily, she closed her eyes and so did not notice when a green progress bar appeared on one of the screens in the bank of monitors in front of her.


The Buzz NightGear expanded and contorted as it adjusted between vibrational intensities. Liz’s legs began to shake. She grasped the arms of the chair so hard that her fingers dug into the plastic.


Closer and closer she came to orgasm.


Months of frustration and deprivation melted away, replaced by pure pleasure. Sweat dotted Liz’s brow but she barely noticed. The Buzz NightGear sent a spike of vibration directly into her G-spot and Liz cried out in ecstasy.


Liz was on the precipice of climax. Her back arched and a low moan slipped from her mouth.


Almost there. Just a little more.


“YES!” Liz exclaimed as she came, soaking the chair. She nearly collapsed as every muscle in her body relaxed. Satisfaction and relief coursed through her and she let out a contented sigh.


###


In another part of the world, a man sat behind his computer and watched as malware of his own design went to work. The man knew he'd been right, the digital security of the Stearns Hub was a joke. His malware had no trouble breaking through the government firewalls. Soon it accessed the sensitive information his client had requested. Leaning back in his chair, the man watched the progress bar inch forward as the top-secret information was downloaded onto his own private server.


The man chuckled to himself as the download progressed. It had taken longer than expected but finally both he and the woman named Liz had gotten what they needed.

February 24, 2021 19:10

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20 comments

Cassandra Durnin
18:06 Feb 26, 2021

As usual, spot on with your description! Though it was a bit of an uncomfortable read, I did somewhat enjoy the plot and detail that you included, which only further cemented my belief in your talent to simply... spin worlds out of nothing. Everything is viewed as common, which makes it seem like the world really is just like that in the story, without any information dumps or such. Great job on this one!

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Michael Boquet
18:30 Feb 26, 2021

Thank you!

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18:02 Mar 04, 2021

The description in the story was amazing. Reading this did make me somewhat uncomfortable, but it made me more invested in the story. I like how you are not hesitant to write about these subjects. I can't wait to read another one of your stories.

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Michael Boquet
19:01 Mar 04, 2021

Thank you. I don't normally write "erotic" type stuff, but I've been trying to write in other genres. I assure my stories aren't usually as uncomfortable. I appreciate your feedback!

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Cara H
17:32 Feb 26, 2021

I would find that dude and beat him to death with the Buzz NightGear. Overall, I found this story hilarious, although I sympathized with poor Liz. I loved your descriptions of the colors, particularly this line. "Limes and faded denim awash in a sea of piss yellow were not Liz's idea of relaxing concepts." Sometimes (perhaps oftentimes) interior designers have no idea what is actually pleasing. I used to work in a retirement community. The dingbat CEO had the renovation team outfit the elevators with multiple marquee-style bulbs to look lik...

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Michael Boquet
17:54 Feb 26, 2021

Thanks so much! That's too funny! I've had a similar situation. My wife is a therapist and the agency she works for built a new office building. The contractor/construction people painted the walls, including in the 'sensory friendly' room the walls yellow (inspiration for that detail in my story, btw). Yellow is a color that causes anxiety, so an odd choice for a place people come to deal with their own anxiety.

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12:10 Feb 25, 2021

I love your vibrator names choices lol! They really made me chuckle. :) Also, really loved the ending -- what a last line! ;)

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Michael Boquet
12:49 Feb 25, 2021

Thank you

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Izzie Q.
03:24 Feb 25, 2021

hey michael! wow, you're so so accomplished!! I read lots of your stories and really liked them, you are great at sticking to the prompts and I look forward to seeing more from you!! hope to chat more in the future :)

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Michael Boquet
03:47 Feb 25, 2021

Thanks so much. I followed you too. Cheers to new friends!

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Izzie Q.
03:47 Feb 25, 2021

Yes, cheers!!

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Beth Connor
23:52 Feb 24, 2021

As usual solid writing. There are a few grammar tweaks, but very solid. I don't usually read erotica, so I don't feel like a strong critiquer in this case, but I do have a dark sense of humor sometimes so I laughed way too much... That being said, in my narration experience, most erotica stories I've read the audition script for were awful and very poorly written. You could rock that market!!!

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Michael Boquet
01:32 Feb 25, 2021

Thanks so much. What a nice compliment. Yeah, it definitely needs a final proofing.

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Daniel R. Hayes
20:59 Feb 24, 2021

I thought this story was good. It was very descriptive and I didn't expect that ending. It was very visualizing and I think you are very good at bringing the reader into your worlds. Great job with this one. I know you said you were tweaking this story so I thought I would just point out a couple of lines that I thought were off: "but every time she was on about to climax, the Buzz NightGear shut itself off" I would drop the "on" "She thought she'd stumbled upon something that might help get reach completion when she discovered both poin...

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Michael Boquet
22:48 Feb 24, 2021

Much appreciated, my friend. Thanks for pointing those typos out. I may have found them, but I'm bad at proofreading myself, so who knows. I'm grateful that you caught them and thanks for the positive feedback!

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Kelly Stenning
21:16 Mar 03, 2021

First time reading something like this and I really enjoyed it! The title grabbed my attention and I'm glad to say that I was hooked from start to finish. The names you used as well were highly amusing too.

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Michael Boquet
21:31 Mar 03, 2021

Thanks so much! I see we got paired in the Critique Email. I plan to read your submission later today. Glad you enjoyed this story!

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Mustang Patty
11:55 Mar 02, 2021

Hi, Michael, Thank you for sharing this story. I liked it a great deal, and I loved how you drew me in. The story is told in a clear and engaging manner, and while some of the mechanics - grammar, punctuation, phrasing - are a bit clumsy, it is a great read. The only thing I can recommend is to consult a Style Guide to help you master the mechanics - 'Elements of Style' is my favorite. Good luck to you in this week's contest, ~MP~

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Michael Boquet
13:06 Mar 02, 2021

Thanks for reading. I appreciate your feedback and advice.

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Paul Myer
06:17 Feb 26, 2021

You never know what your desires may lead to. 🤣 👍

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