Silver Catsuits — Day 4
Thursday Morning — The Taunt
Jane barely slept. Her heart still raced from last night’s discovery: she was a high-priority target for Sinclair. Fear gnawed at her, but so did rage and fierce determination. If that smug bitch thinks I’m easy prey, she has another thing coming.
She refused to hide. Jane went about her normal routine—library, psychology department lounge, cafeteria—determined not to let Sinclair think she was scared. But the campus felt different now. Heavier. More watchful. Everywhere she turned, at least one person in silver boots lingered nearby. Many times she could swear they were watching her.
The truth settled over her like ice: far more students had been converted than she first realized. The silver suits—and Sinclair’s control—were spreading faster than she could have imagined. The university was slowly being hollowed out, transformed into something obedient and mechanical.
Kate texted her to meet in person at the coffee shop. By late morning the two of them sat across from each other with their drinks. Kate seemed sympathetic, but her concern felt slightly rehearsed.
“Have you looked at those notes from last night?” Jane asked. “I was hoping your STEM background might spot something useful.”
“Sorry, pal. The notes are too incomplete. We may dislike her methods, but Professor Sinclair is an expert in her field. Without more context, I’m stumped. I even ran them through an AI model—zilch.”
Jane sighed heavily. “So I still have no hard evidence. Just a list of names marked ‘Converted.’”
“That’s hardly enough to convince the istration or the authorities to move against her,” Kate replied.
“But what do I do next? Every day I see more silver boots. I need to take her down fast, or...” Jane trailed off, not wanting to finish the thought.
At that moment, Rebecca Thompson—the TA whose keys Jane had borrowed—entered the coffee shop. She moved with robotic precision and walked straight toward their table.
“Greetings, Jane. Professor Sinclair sends her regards. She hopes you enjoyed Monday’s demonstration of her technology. She also wanted me to inform you that you will experience it firsthand very soon.”
Jane froze for a second, then fury exploded through her. She shot to her feet, the chair screeching loudly against the floor. She was ready to strike Rebecca when Kate quickly stepped between them.
“She’s not worth it, Jane,” Kate said calmly. “That’s exactly what Sinclair wants—for you to lose control and get in trouble. Look at her.”
Rebecca stood perfectly still, unflinching.
Jane took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. “Tell Sinclair that the next time she wants to send me a message, she should have the guts to do it herself instead of sending one of her soulless dolls.”
Rebecca’s expression flickered with anger at the insult to Sinclair. “You should not speak disrespectfully about Professor Sinclair. She is a great woman deserving of praise.”
Jane was about to snap back when Kate clapped a hand gently but firmly over her mouth. Kate then turned to Rebecca, touching her shoulder. “You’ve delivered the message. Leave us.”
Rebecca’s face returned to blank robotic neutrality. Without another word, she pivoted stiffly and walked away.
“Calm down, Jane,” Kate said softly.
“I feel so powerless,” Jane muttered. “She’s toying with me, and I can’t do anything about it. I don’t even know what to do next.”
Kate held up a keycard. “What if we suddenly had access to Professor Sinclair’s lab?”
Jane’s eyes widened. “How? When?”
“You weren’t the only magic nerd in high school,” Kate said with a small smile. “The near-fight gave me the perfect opening to lift this.”
Jane was impressed—she hadn’t noticed the sleight of hand at all. “She’ll notice the keycard is missing soon. We need to get inside fast, but only when Sinclair is off campus.”
“Got you covered.” Kate opened her laptop and showed Sinclair’s faculty schedule. “This afternoon she’s giving a guest lecture at another university. That gives us several hours.”
“It’s the best chance we’ve got,” Jane said, determination hardening inside her.
Thursday Afternoon—The Lab
Jane and Kate met at the science building entrance and made their way down to the basement. The corridors felt eerily familiar—this was where it had all started just a few nights ago.
Kate swiped the keycard. The lock flashed green and the door clicked open with a metallic sound. “Ta-da.”
A rush of excitement hit Jane. For the first time, she felt like she had the upper hand.
The lab was mostly dark, lit only by the glow of monitors and a low blue emergency light. Worktables, metal lockers, filing cabinets, and storage shelves filled the large space. Fabric samples lined the walls alongside strange circuits and unfamiliar materials.
Jane stepped deeper inside, phone ready to record. She moved to a desk and began rifling through notes and documents.
Kate wandered toward the far end of the lab and slid open a large metal cabinet. Inside hung row after row of identical silver catsuits, each with integrated silver footwear, all shimmering with that unmistakable metallic sheen. Dozens of them. “Look at this, Jane.”
Jane’s stomach dropped. “That’s a lot of suits. Is she planning a mass conversion?” She returned to the desk and found a logbook. She skimmed the pages and took photos—detailed experiment notes on conversions, though the subjects were listed only by coded designations.
Kate spoke again. “I have an idea. Why don’t you put on one of the suits? I can monitor your reaction and try to figure out how it works.”
Jane stared at her in disbelief. “Are you nuts, Kate? I’m not touching those things, let alone wearing one.”
Kate pressed on. “The only way to find a countermeasure is to understand how the control actually works. You don’t have to put the whole suit on—just slip a foot in so we can observe.”
Jane’s annoyance grew at how pushy Kate was being. Then suspicion crept in. Her friend had conveniently acquired the keycard the same day Sinclair was conveniently off campus. A controlling perfectionist like Sinclair would surely have alarms or security. This felt too easy.
Jane glanced at Kate’s black boots. Who wore heeled boots on a stealth mission? “You’re being way too pushy about this, Kate. Why don’t you take off your boots and test it, since it was your idea?”
Kate looked surprised. “And how would you monitor my integration with the suit? Between the two of us, I have the tech and materials science knowledge.”
The excuse sounded weak. Jane also noticed Kate had grown more attentive the moment she started examining the logbook. Kate’s behavior had been slightly off for today or so—nothing overtly robotic, but somewhat worthy of suspicion.
‘Distract her’, Jane thought. “Grab your laptop and run whatever tests you can on one of the suits first,” she said, lying smoothly. “I’m not going near them until you’re sure it’s safe.”
Kate nodded and retrieved her laptop, plugging it into a device on the lab bench and starting to type.
Jane grabbed the logbook and casually walked toward the exit. She tried the door handle. Locked.
Kate’s voice cut through the quiet. “What are you doing, Jane?”
“I thought I heard something in the corridor. Give me the keycard, will you?” Another lie—she just wanted out.
“That can wait. This is our only chance to search the lab properly.” Kate kept typing. “By the way, I ran several tests. The suits are completely inert. There’s apparently a special activation sequence that only Sinclair can trigger.”
“You figured all that out in just a few minutes?” Jane’s voice dripped with skepticism. “That’s unbelievable, Kate.”
“That’s how good I am with tech. Come on—try putting one on.”
“No. I truly don’t believe you.” Jane’s tone hardened. “Take off your boots, Kate.”
“Are you getting paranoid again?” Kate stepped closer, her expression one of gentle concern. She quickly pulled out her phone. “Look, here’s a picture from my freshman year. I’ve had these boots since then, see?”
Jane stared at the image. The boots looked exactly the same as the ones Kate was wearing right now—identical scuffs, same wear pattern, no aging or fading whatsoever after all these years. Her stomach dropped. AI-generated image.
“Since freshman year, right?” Jane’s voice sharpened. “Then how come they look exactly the same as today? Not a single difference in wear or tear.“
“I don’t know... I polish them well,” Kate replied smoothly, almost too smoothly. “Come on, Jane. You know me. We’ve been best friends for years.”
“That’s far enough!” Jane snapped, heart pounding. “Take off the boots. Now.”
“Fine.” Kate bent down—but instead of removing the boots, she suddenly sprayed something into Jane’s face.
Jane coughed, the chemical making her head spin and her legs buckle. As she collapsed, her hands brushed Kate’s boots. Black paint smeared away, revealing the gleaming silver underneath.