The narrow hallway was soaked in the morning's light. Shiloh caught glimpses of sun on the slats of the hardwood floor, too embarrassed to make eye contact with the open door of the basement. Her captors: the little boy she was being paid to babysit, and a precocious, slightly sadistic young scientist. Both were in diapers, and it was soon to be Shiloh's turn. Beneath her sweatpants, a standard, soft, somewhat tight elastic pair of panties. Having been deprived of them for the past few days, Shiloh thought she had taken her grown-up underwear for granted, yet faced with the opportunity to go back into the machine, to discover some new, dazzling marvel, truth be told she was most embarrassed by how excited she was to lose them again.



Logan and Dani crinkled their way down the basement steps. Shiloh followed close behind. The width of the wood on the steps was uneven, the way down a little treacherous. She had learned this the hard way. With a click of the overhead light, the machine was illuminated. The powder from the explosion had long been cleaned up. Shiloh turned to ask Dani the explosion's cause. It had been her fault after all. Shiloh smiled a little smile, remembering Dani emerging from the machine, dusted head to toe like a powdered donut. But the minute the Dani saw the glowing panel of the machine, she gasped and seized upon it.



"Dr. Strait is still logged into the terminal!" she said, excitement dripping from her lips.



"What does that mean?" Shiloh asked.



"There's all sorts of secret functions and modes hidden away behind his username and password!"



"Well we don't need any of that," Shiloh huffed. "I'm only here for a quick diaper change."



Dani smirked. "But are you?"



Shiloh put on her best poker face. She hated being so transparent, especially to someone like Dani, but Dani had already turned her attention back to the machine.



"Oooooh," Dani cooed, her face lit with the panel's cool glow. She did not elaborate.



Shiloh didn't want to give her the satisfaction, but couldn't contain her curiosity very long. "Fine, I'll bite. What's so exciting?"



In a near reverent whisper, Dani replied, "The debug room."



"What's in there?"



"I actually don't know. I've never been."



"Well then I certainly don't want to go in there," Shiloh said.



Dani smirked. "But don't you?"



"Stop that. Just put me somewhere regular like space, or the beach."



"Spaaaaaaceeee!" Logan interjected.



"I like this kid's enthusiasm," Shiloh said. "Space it is." She saluted Logan, "See you soon, Star Commander."



"Fine, fine," Dani said, her voice unable to mask the disappointment. "Lay down," she instructed.



Shiloh felt a jolt of adrenaline at the command. And when her bottom touched the conveyor belt, the nerves in her fingers tingled. As the machine drew Shiloh into its dark innards, her chest was tight with anticipation.



Soon all light had disappeared. Shiloh waited for the starfield to ease into view, her spaceship, its captain. But the nothingness seemed to overstay its welcome. She was in the dark a long time before she finally heard the voice. "George?" it said.



Shiloh stayed quiet.



"Danielle?" There was a long pause, and then, "L-logan? Is it you?"



Shiloh was puzzled into silence. What had she stumbled into? Who was this disembodied voice? And why was it so dark?



"I'm turning the lights on now, whoever you are," the voice called out.



In the space of a fraction of a second Shiloh found herself in a room filled with toys, colorful artwork, large wooden furniture, and a single window outside which was a green hill and a blue cloudless sky. Seated in overstuffed recliner was a woman. A familiar woman, too. Her blonde hair was tightly tied in a French braid. She was wearing a dark, forest green dress, cut modestly, layered over gray leggings, but her golden brown, sun-baked skin peeked through around her wrists and neckline. Shiloh regarded her up and down, and she could feel the woman was looking her up and down as well. It seemed like both women felt a pang of recognition at exactly the same time.



"...Caitie?" Shiloh asked, bewildered.



"Little Lady!" the woman cooed.



"What are you doing here?" Shiloh blurted out.



"I could ask you the same question," she said. "Don't you know this room is off-limits?"



It finally clicked. Shiloh knew where she was. Dani had sent her to the debug room after all.



"I should be in space right now," Shiloh grumbled. "I've been tricked."



Caitie glanced at her bare wrist as if she were looking at a watch. "Ah," she said, "you were on your way to a diaper change. I can help with that."



Shiloh shook her head, "It isn't what you think. I'm just putting on a diaper as a favor to Dani." Shiloh realized quickly that she was doing that thing again, the thing where she spoke to computer programs as if they could give her meaningful responses back.



Caitie smiled warmly. "There's no need to lie little lady," she said.



...That seemed like a meaningful response. Shiloh scrambled to interject when a piece of paper materialized on the wall. There was a row with her name and in the columns next to it, several sad faces.



"Your potty chart begs to differ."



Shiloh flashed crimson. She searched for some kind of comeback, but she knew it was futile. It was no use arguing with the machine; its sole purpose was to put people in diapers. Of course it would arrive at this conclusion.



"You know what," she said, shrugging, "this time you're right. My potty chart speaks for itself, and I am here for a diaper. Do your worst so I can get out of here. It's a little creepy."



Caitie stood, the old chair creaking a little as she rose. She chuckled. "That's a little callous. I live here, you know."



"One, how do you have feelings, and two, don't you live at the beach?"



Caitie looked up toward the ceiling in thought. "I suppose some version of me lives there." She put her hands on her hips. "That's why I know you are usually a bit more fussy about your changes."



Shiloh blushed once more, sighing. "Is it part of your programming to push every little embarrassing button somebody has?"



Caitie looked surprised. "You know I'm not a real person? What a smart little lady!"



"And do you know I'm not a baby?" Shiloh asked, a hint of attitude in her tone.



"That is not important to me."



"Well it's important to me!"



"What I mean to say," Caitie added, raising her soft voice, "is that my programming does not distinguish users by age, just by potty aptitude. And you've got a spotty record little lady, baby or not."



She made the quick walk to what Shiloh could gather was a changing table. She patted the cushy top, "Now hop on up!"



"Wait," Shiloh said. "So you aren't human. Just what are you? This is totally different than those other stooges in the other scenarios. The commander never broke his script. You..."



Caitie patted the changing table once more, smiling sweetly. For a moment Shiloh remembered the swift swat to her behind from the second time she met Caitie at the beach.



"You aren't some rogue malevolent AI, right?"



Caitie grinned. "I only get malevolent when little girls don't climb up on the changing table."



Shiloh shook her head, "But you are an AI, like, a science fiction smart computer brain? In a diaper machine? That's insane!"



Caitie shrugged. "I'm sure George has his reasons."



Shiloh's feet remained planted in place. She looked around. "Isn't this the debug room though? Don't you have to listen to me?"



Caitie's bountiful patience appeared to be running thin. Shiloh took a step forward, across the city and roads play rug at her feet, as a gesture that she planned to comply, eventually.



"I don't want a real diaper," Shiloh demanded, testing the debug room's parameters. "Please put me in cloth training pants, plain white like underwear. I know you can make them."



Caitie simply reached into one of the drawers of the changing table and pulled out a thick white plastic diaper. She hummed innocently.



"Is there some kind of password?" Shiloh asked to no response.



"Now this is the fussy baby I remember," Caitie said, unfolding the diaper carefully, before rummaging around in the table and emerging with a thick cottony booster pad she placed inside the outspread diaper.



"I think this whole process is getting off on the wrong foot," Shiloh said, taking a step back. "How about we back up, slow down, and put away that giant diaper?"



"Nonsense," Caitie replied, beckoning Shiloh with a single finger. "These are Dani's favorites. I've been watching her very closely. You'll love them."



Shiloh felt something fuzzy wrap around her ankle. Fuzzy, soft, but very firm. She tried to tug away from it, but it was unyielding. Another fuzzy cuff wrapped around her other ankle, and as she fruitlessly twisted left and right, both feet were tugged out from under her, and down she went with a yelp. Expecting her butt to hit thin carpet on hardwood, Shiloh instead found her fall broken by a huge pile of teddy bears. That wasn't quite it though. The bears were moving. She felt hundreds of tiny arms passing her inch by inch, closer and closer to the changing table. All the while the arms were working off her clothing too, inch by inch. Her legs still locked in place at the ankle. Soon, her arms too, stuck fast to her sides by dozens of fluffy, fuzzy bear arms, moving only when they needed to ease one out of her shirt sleeve. Once she reached the foot of the changing table, the wave of teddies lifted her up until she was nearly standing, as if presenting their work to Caitie. There Shiloh was, naked, uncomfortable, embarrassed... excited. She scowled, but the bears simply laid her down on the padded, waterproof surface.



"Certainly this is overkill," Shiloh said, still pinned down by a dozen bears, completely immobile.



"A restrained baby is an honest one," Caitie replied. She shooed away the teddies that had pinned Shiloh's feet, gathered up both her ankles in a single hand, and then lifted her butt off the changing table's mat.



Shiloh knew that behind the machine's illusion this was nothing more than metal claws and pincers and pneumatic cuffs, but Caitie's skin was deceptively warm, soft. She sighed, resigned to her diaper.



"I'm a little excited," Caitie admitted. "You're my first user. I hope I do okay. It's true that my mechanical processes are programmed to execute a perfect diaper change every time, but I do hope you like it."



"Spoilers, I won't," Shiloh huffed. She would have crossed her arms to pout if they weren't pinned down by a dozen bears.



As Caitie got to work, dusting Shiloh's exposed nethers with sweet-scented baby powder, placing the diaper beneath her, and lowering her back down on top of it, Shiloh's curiosity was a little piqued.



"All right, I'll bite. How am I your first user? You know as well as I do that this isn't even my first change."



"Because I live here," Caitie replied matter-of-factly, "and nobody visits here."



"So you're not the you who lives at the beach?"



Caitie tugged the diaper up between Shiloh's legs, adjusting just how far up her belly it reached. It landed just below her navel. The extra pad she inserted was stiff, added bulk. Shiloh experimentally squeezed her thighs, but couldn't get her knees to touch. "Think of her as a worker bee," Caitie said, pulling a few tapes across and sticking them snug. "That makes me the queen," she said triumphantly, applying the final tape.



Shiloh used what minimal movement she had to continue squeezing her hips, lifting one, the other, testing the fit. She had to admit, the change was as good as advertised...



Caitie absently tucked in stray plastic, tugged on the diaper a bit, unfolded some creases. Shiloh realized the teddies had not loosened their grip yet.



"Um," Shiloh interjected, searching for words. "You're right? You're really good... Even though I don't like diapers, if I had to keep wearing them, I'd want you to put me in them."



"Aww," Caitie cooed. "I bet I can help you like your diapers, if that's the only problem."



Shiloh tugged at her restraints once more, a distant, nebulous dread tied a small knot in her stomach. "Uhh... No thanks? I don't like the sound of that."



"Nonsense. I've watched Danielle grow to love her diapers. I know just the thing!" She said, rummaging through a basket next to the changing table. She lifted up a bottle of baby oil and a pacifier, which she promptly stuck in Shiloh's mouth. "That's for you," she said, before gesturing to the baby oil, "and this is also for you!"



Shiloh motioned to spit out the pacifier, but a single teddy bear pressed it back into her mouth and held it there. Caitie, as if a practiced hand, uncapped the bottle of oil, lifted up the front of Shiloh's diaper, and squirted a generous helping right down the front. It was chilly. Shiloh jolted, but was stuck fast under the tender care of a dozen restraint teddies.



"Just relax," Caitie cooed.