Volunteer 1

Disclaimer:  balloony, inflatable themes herein - for mature audiences only.

*****

When it was first explained it to her, the notion was so bizarre that she was sure a camera was hidden somewhere in the room and that she had been duped into appearing on one of those practical joke TV shows.

"Oh, no.  We're quite serious - that's the reason for the extended confidentiality agreement this time around"  explained the counselor.  "We finished the animal trials last fall and the government granted us a permit to begin human testing."

This would be her third time as a paid volunteer for clinical drug trials at CVTechnologies.  Though it hadn't always been what she could deem a pleasant experience (mostly because it was that she'd have to spend a weekend away from home), it was great to actually be (modestly) paid for receiving quality medical care.  If her "sacrifices" helped mankind, so much the better.  The medical teams at CVTech were always a friendly, professional bunch.  They never hesitated in answering her questions and she was on a first name basis with much of the staff.

So she sat there on the office couch, a pen in one hand and clipboard in the other, mulling over whether to accept this latest offer or to decline and go running home, screaming the whole way.  Above all, though, she was quite simply stunned by what had just been revealed to her. 

"So basically, I get to be a human balloon?"

"Basically, yes."

She paused again for a long, uneasy silence.  Of course, it also meant a week of long overdue vacation.


She signed the document.