A Trust Machines Story

by grapehyacinth

 

“After my cousin Patty turned us into a can of dog food and let her dogs get to us, I damned well need to get back at her,” Rob told his wife Mona, but he smiled as he said it.

Mona looked worried, however. “But she hates the Venn Machines. She hates being transformed in them.”

“No, she just thinks we're crazy because we like to be food. So I think, as mentioned, we should let her try it. After all, her name just happens to be Patty.”

Mona cringed, but Rob smirked. “Come on, she'll make such lean ground beef, and then we'll toss her on the barbeque and grill her up proper!”

“Rob, you can't do that to her! It's her worst nightmare! Cooking her, and then... No, you've got to do something more gentle. She doesn't like being inanimate.”

“She doesn't deserve anything more gentle.” He shrugged. “It doesn't matter anyway – it's not like we'll ever get her into a Venn Machine.”

But for once, Mona had a plan. “Maybe we won't. But someone else just might be able to.”

“Who?”

“Renn Burrows! The arrogant ex-jock she obsesses over!”

“Ugh. She's still into that ass? He's scum!”

“And Patty knows it. But she's still attracted to him. I bet she'll let him change her.”

“Yeah, but he'd never help us.”

“He doesn't have to. We'll venn you to look just like him.”

When Patty's phone rang with a “private name, private number” caller ID message, she almost didn't pick it up.

“Patty? Hey, it's Renn!”

She cupped the phone in her hand, holding back a squeak of excitement. After days of silence, Renn had actually called her! She figured he'd already moved on to another woman.

“Hi, Renn,” she said cautiously. “Whose phone are you on?”

It took a moment for Renn to respond, “Oh, my phone's dead. This one isn't mine. Listen, I'm really sorry I stood you up the other night, but I was a lion with my friends, and I didn't turn back until hours after we were supposed to meet.”

Patty smiled to herself. Of course he had a good reason for standing her up. He was so attractive and manly, she was willing to look past his arrogant jerkiness. She'd been a wallflower in school and had never caught the attention of any man like Renn. So even though she knew exactly who he was, she couldn't help allowing herself to date him. At this age, she deserved a little guilty pleasure.

And she could only imagine what he was like as an animal – probably all muscly and ferocious... Strangely, the idea turned her on. Usually, anything having to do with transformation bothered her. Some people were so extreme with the Venn Machines – like her idiot cousin Rob.

Renn had probably been a gorgeous animal.

“I'll pick you up at seven and we'll go to...the Thai restaurant, okay?”

“I didn't know you liked Thai!”

There was a slight pause on the other end. “I just got into it recently. See you at seven!”

Patty ran into her bedroom to pick the perfect outfit.

Rob sat with his cousin at a restaurant, pretending to be interested in her. It was a disgusting, degrading experience, and the only saving grace was that Patty thought he was someone else. He felt weird in Renn's taller, perfectly male form. Rob was no looker, and his love handles left something to be desired, but when venned, no one became a better pizza than he. A slice of Rob was legendary in these parts.

“You must have been an amazing lion, Renn,” Patty said, ogling him hungrily. Her look of pure lust made Rob very uncomfortable. What if she tried to have...relations...with him?

The idea was too horrible. He had to get her to a Venn Machine as soon as possible.

“Oh, I was. I was the best lion ever,” he finally stuttered.

Patty placed her finger on his arm. “Were you all...growling and strong? Did you take charge?”

This is disgusting...this is disgusting, Rob thought, struggling not to cringe.

“Of course. I'm king of the forest!” he managed to push out, but it wasn't as bravely as he would have liked.

They sat blinking at each other. Rob was no talker, but Renn clearly was, because Patty waited expectantly for him to continue.

“Yes... I... we ripped apart some people who were venned into deer. We ate them, and then... and then we ripped each other apart.”

Patty's jaw fell open, and for a second Rob thought he'd gone too far. But then Patty began to clap gleefully. She was eating it up!

“I'd love to be a lion with you, Renn,” she said very suggestively. She moved closer to him, and he pulled back very slightly.

“It would be a special night,” Patty raised her eyebrows.

Rob gulped.

She ran her hand down his chest. “Although apparently horses are more fun to be when you're in the mood...”

Carefully, he turned away so her hand slipped off. “Um...”

Well, you learned something new every day, thought Rob. Patty, who hated the machines with a passion, was now willing to be transformed for erotic reasons? Maybe his cousin wasn't as plain vanilla as he'd assumed.

“Patty, I thought you hated the Venn Machines!” he couldn't help exclaiming.

She eyed him for a moment. “Well, you know I'm not a big fan, but...Renn, I've told you this a million times! We've already changed me...”

She was suspicious! He had to act before he was found out! He had to get her to a Venn Machine immediately!

He jumped up and grabbed her arm. “Let's go change, Patty! I can't wait another minute for you. I'm going to make you the happiest lion–”

“Or horse!”

He shuddered, “– or horse, ever!”

Patty quivered in anticipation as Renn led her to the Venn Machine. He chattered something about his designing a special Venn lion program just for her, but she could hardly pay attention. Her focus fell on his figure, almost too perfect to be true. Every muscle was spectacularly defined under a shirt that was damp with sweat. Oh, God, she couldn't wait until they were lions together. The thought of what the night would bring was too almost much to bear.

“Come on in, Patty. We're going to have a hot time tonight!” Renn exclaimed, stepping into the Venn Machine.

A hot time! Still quaking, she entered the other side, ignoring the controls in front of her. All she could think of was Renn as a perfect, strong, king of the jungle, his sweaty, furry body pinning down her own...

“Patty,” he said from the other side. The bubbles twirled before her...

And then she lay on the floor, flat and unable to move.

Renn's utterance of “patty” rang in her thoughts. It wasn't the name of his program, and she wasn't a lion. He'd turned her into a raw hamburger.

Several possibilities popped into her panicked mind. Maybe Renn was playing some kind of kinky game with her? When she felt herself being lifted and poked, she almost could believe it. But something far worse was nagging at her - Renn was being far too nice to her, and he knew she detested being inanimate. As jerky as he was, would he really make her an object against her wishes?

No, but Rob would...

Now, total and utter fear shot through her soft form. She tried with all her might to escape from the hand she sat in, but there were no limbs to move; no muscles to flex. She was nothing but meat...a patty.

No, no, no! I'm me, I'm a person, I'm not meat! she protested silently. Oh, God, this is awful! I can't see, I can't hear...

She tried to ignore the feeling of powerlessness and instead concentrated on her new form. She was perfectly round and flat, like a machine-made patty. At least she was nice and soft – she couldn't stand the idea of hardening. It sounded particularly frightening.

I'm going to be fine. I'm not going to let Rob scare me. I'm a patty, I'm going to grin and bear it, and then I'll turn back to a person, completely unharmed, she told herself.

And maybe, if he poked her a bit more, she might even enjoy it.

“Ha, ha!” Rob cried in victory, scooping up his patty cousin. He'd already changed back from being Renn, and he didn't miss it a bit. “Well, Patty, let's get you home! We don't want you going bad in this heat! Patty the Patty! I love it!”

Full of joy, he nearly skipped to his car, roughly depositing the hamburger on the passenger seat. “Sorry, should have brought you a plate to sit in, but I guess I didn't plan too well. I was too busy getting revenge!”

Intent on getting back to Mona as soon as possible, he drove through three stop signs on his way home. He burst into his house, clasping his floppy cousin between two fingers.

“Mona, we have company!”

His wife appeared from the kitchen, drying her hands on a dishtowel. Rob flapped the meat back and forth, and Mona's eyes widened. “It's really her?”

“Meaty and tasty Cousin Patty is ready-to-eat!” He tossed the meat down on the kitchen table and both husband and wife stared at it in awe.

“Even though I've seen tons of transformed people, I still can't believe that's Patty in there,” Mona whispered.

Rob laughed. “She's probably hysterical. I love it!”

Mona gave the patty a gingerly poke. Then she stood back, biting her lip. “Rob, maybe we just stop here. This is bad enough.”

“No way! She deserves every bit of this. You turn me into dog food and feed me to your dog? Well, I turn her into people food and feed her to...people.”

Mona sniffed at the air. “I think she's starting to smell.”

“Then let's fire up the grill!”

The warm sun felt good on Patty's form; relaxing in fact. She had to keep calm, for no matter what happened to her, she would change back in the end. If only she'd paid attention to what Renn – well, Rob – had set the machine's duration to...

The temperature rose below her, pulling her from her musings. Having grown more accustomed to her new figure, she was able to discern that she lay across several bars, which themselves seemed to be radiating a pleasant heat.

Mmm, cozy, she thought to herself. It was almost like snuggling up with a warm blanket on a cold winter night. She hated to admit it, but the sensation was altogether delightful.

Rays of heat tickled and teased her softness, while a more intense warmth radiated all across her bottom. Her body seemed to melt somewhat, and she almost felt as if she was letting off...sweat?

Her mind raced back to Renn's muscles, so perfect under the sweaty shirt...

All the time it had been her cousin...

I'm going to get you back for this, Rob, she told herself. You know damn well...

And then her situation finally hit her. Oh, my God, wait! What the hell is wrong with me? He's cooking me! That's what this is!  Is he going to eat me?

No, Mona would never let him. She knows how scared I am of the whole idea...

But a pleasant sizzling was now surrounding every part of her. It almost felt like the buzz after a particularly good drink; her body hummed with the warmth and shuddered with the flame... All was well; she'd be fine...

I'm on the grill, and I love it...

Her mind was getting lost in her new form, and she stopped thinking about what happened after a little hamburger had spent its time upon the barbeque. She was merely lost in the here-and-now, in constant bliss as her insides cooked...

“Burn, witch!” Rob cried in glee.

Mona watched with misgiving as Rob finally flipped his cousin over, displaying her blackened bottom. “Oh, Rob! Please be careful! You burned her!”

“'Burn the witch! Burn 'er!'”

There was no talking sense into Rob when he started the Monty Python quotes. Mona knew that Patty wasn't experiencing pain as she was merely a piece of meat, but she could only imagine how panicked Rob's cousin probably was at this point, and she felt guilty.

“Watch her juices sizzle! I'm actually jealous!” Rob flipped the patty once more.

“So? You like being food. She doesn't.”

“She's never even tried it! And why are you defending her? She turned you into the dog food can that held me!”

Yes, she had, and Mona didn't mind him scaring her just a bit. But taking this hamburger experience to the bitter end might cause family disharmony for many years to come.

Or Patty might just visit later to murder them in their sleep.

Rob poked a fork through his cousin's still-pink middle. Juice burst out, sizzling onto the coals. “Oo! She's ready to go! Medium raw! Grab me a bun, Mona!”

Mona remained where she stood, so Rob simply grabbed his own, tossing his steaming cousin onto it. “You'll be kind of bitter, considering you're Patty, so let's smother you in ketchup!” He dumped what seemed to be a quart of the red goop onto the meat and closed the bun.

“She needs ketchup? You know venned people taste better than the real thing.”

Rob held up the burger to his mouth. “Usually. But this is Patty we're talking about.”

Instead of taking a bite, he stared at the burger in his hand. “Ah, Patty, you smell so good. I can't wait to bite into your juicy...body,” he smiled, “just like Renn wanted to.” He chuckled. “It's only too bad I can't hear what you're thinking right now, and even sadder that you can't hear any of the awesome comments I've made.” He raised the burger. “Bon appetit!” He declared, and took a bite.

“Rob,” Mona murmured nervously.

Rob chewed, smacking his lips. “My God! I have to admit – Patty's the best patty I ever tasted!”

“Rob, it's not right.”

“Aw, Mona, don't ruin it! You know how much fun it is to be eaten. Here. Try a bit of her.” Rob handed the burger to her.

She accepted it carefully, but put it down on a plate.

“What did you set the machine for, Rob?”

“Oh, Mona, you won't even have a taste of her?”

“Rob!!”

“Eight hours!”

Mona picked up the plate and walked into the house.

“Mona!” Rob roared after her. “Mona! Get back here with my cousin! I wanted to eat her!”

Mona locked herself in the bedroom and placed Patty and her plate on the dresser.

Patty was placed on something soft, and something cool bathed her form immediately after. Whatever the substance was, it was thick, and it felt wonderful clinging to her hot surface. Then something was placed on top of her and a light pressure applied. The action sent a wave of near-pleasure through her, and she giggled to herself. Yet she enjoyed the sensation for only moments before she realized what it was.

She'd been placed on a bun and bathed in ketchup.

Before she could react, a piece was severed from her body, like she'd lost an arm. It didn't hurt. But the oddity was that, as small as the morsel was, she was still aware of it as it was crushed by Rob's teeth.

And now she was scared to death.

The rhythmic chewing sensations weren't unpleasant, but Patty was growing too frightened to care. The idea of going down someone's gullet and being imprisoned in their stomach horrified her. Being highly claustrophobic, her utter and complete inability to escape made her feel faint. If only she would faint! But instead, little by little, she'd be eaten away by stomach acid, and what happened then? Rob had once said the feeling was almost psychedelic; there were bits of you everywhere, being absorbed into blood and tissue, floating in the bloodstream... And after that...

Rob, the son-of-a-bitch! She'd never forgive him. She just had to get through this, sanity intact, and then she would destroy him! She would come up with the worst transformation ever, and his name was all over it!

But first, she just had to survive her present ordeal. She knew she couldn't get hurt being venned, and so many people – just like Rob and Mona – became food all the time. If they could do it, so could she.

I will end him...

She braced for the next bite, but it never came. She felt herself being handed off to another set of fingers, and then she was placed down.

She sat there, then, wondering if Rob was playing mind games with her. He probably was, the bastard. Surely he was laughing, thinking of her terror...

Without saying a word to Rob, Mona drove back to the Venn Machine. She placed the little hamburger on one side, entered the opposite chamber, and, getting up her nerve, changed Patty back.

Patty launched herself from the machine, out for blood. She found Mona waiting for her outside, a mournful expression on her face.

“I'm sorry,” Mona said quietly.

Patty clenched her fists, trying to hold herself back from strangling her. “Where is your asshole of a husband?” she asked in a measured tone.

“He didn't come. He probably won't go near you for a bit – he's afraid you'll kill him.” Mona made a small smile, but Patty didn't return it.

“Coward. But also smart.” She took a step towards Mona, who hardly reacted. “How could you let him do it, Mona? You know how scared I am.”

Mona looked away. “Often transforming the person and letting them experience it themselves can cure that.”

“I'm claustrophobic, damn it!” Patty finally exploded. “How the hell do you put me in someone's goddamn stomach! Damn it, I'm going to kill him!”

Arms outstretched, Mona tried to comfort her, but Patty pushed past. “Get away from me!” she shrieked. “I'm going home!”

“Patty, look, I changed you back before you got digested! Rob wanted you to go the whole way through him! Remember, in the end, it's all in fun!”

Patty swirled around, incredulous. “Seriously? Seriously, Mona? Taking a person's worst fear and smashing their face into it is fun?!”

She took a deep breath. That was it. She had enough of Rob and Mona's crap. No more helping them when they both wanted to be venned into stupid things, no more bringing them around so people could sample them as food...

“Mona,” she finally whispered, “go to hell.”

Feverishly, Patty combed through the results of her Google search. And finally, on page two, she found what she was looking for.

She read the title aloud, savoring every word.

“'The Ten Most Disgusting Things to Turn Into'.” She swept her finger up and down the screen, grinning at the illustrated list. “Yes, yes...” She perused the pictures, some of which were quite graphic.

Each suggestion was better than the last; all would suit Rob quite well. But then, she came to the top, and she couldn't help breaking into a smile...

“Rob, you're going to be number one,” she said with much satisfaction.