NOTE: All characters in this story are over 18 years old. The term teenage still refers to people who are eighteen or nineteen years old. This story is pure fantasy! Have fun!!
--commercial beginsβ
Do you struggle with bad habits like smoking, drinking, or gambling? Does your spouse tell you he wants to clean, but constantly forgets? Do your kids constantly back-talk or struggle with their grades? Tired of throwing away hard earned money on tuition, just to have your son or daughter fail their classes? Then we have a solution for you!
Switch-On!
Apply this medical device between the shoulder blades and -presto!- behaviors can instantly change. Encourage a more positive you. Promote a better marriage. And keep those sons and daughters respectful and studying. After just one week you'll see new, permanent changes in yourself and the ones you love. Turn off the negativity and lack of motivation and Switch-On! Today!
Mom stands over her son at the table and asked with a concerned look on her face, "Hey son, how are your grades?"
The son looks up and smiles, "All A's thanks to you, mom! And Switch-On!" He gives her a big thumbs up and she hugs him proudly.
Call 1-800-555-SWITCH or go to Switch On Devices. You'll be so glad you did!
--commercial ends--
Switch-On hit the market with a blast from a major corporation, Vabaja, Inc. Critics complained it could be abused. Lawmakers struggled with defining and regulating the devices. Professors debated the ethical nature of tampering with a human being's free will. And while the talking heads and lawyers and politicians flapped their gums, the Switch-On devices flew off the shelves by the tens of thousands in a matter of weeks. Some people clearly had nefarious purposes to owning one of the devices, but even the benign expectations of innocent buyers were corrupted by their basic desire to control their environment and everyone in it.
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Mom Makes a Mistake
Marie fidgeted in front of the bathroom mirror wearing only her bra and a skirt. Brunette, buxom, and forty-six years old, only married once, a teenage son who was almost out of the house, Marie figured a man could do worse that find her. Her major issue --if she had to self-analyze- was her smoking. She picked up the bad habit when she was her son's age and only stopped when she was pregnant. The day after Corey was born Marie started back up. Since the divorce she had gone up to a pack and half a day; it was a habit she didn't want and couldn't afford, but all attempts at quitting failed miserably.
"Not this time, though," she thought to herself. "This time I'll beat it." Marie bought a Switch-On device that had been advertised as being great for getting rid of bad habits. With money tight, it would save her almost two hundred dollars a month. In a few months it would have paid for the Switch-On and by the end of the year she'd be way ahead. Some people had complained that the device took away your self-control, but Marie figured it was a lack of self-control that was causing her problems anyway. Besides, maintaining the same program consistently for thirty days allegedly allowed the user to remove the device as the new habit would be permanent. That was damn appealing.
Marie looked at the two-inch by three inch piece of plastic with patches of small needles sticking out of the flat underside. The installation was supposed to be mildly painful, but then it immediately engaged pain receptors at the site and shut them down. One second of pain and it would be on. She figured it would be a piece of cake -- hell, child birth was fifteen hours. This would be nothing...
...If she could get the damn thing on. It had to go right between the shoulder blades. But try as she might, Marie could not reach it and feel comfortable that it would be installed properly. Not wanting to go to her doctor and embarrassed about asking her friends, Marie grabbed a robe, draped it over her to cover her chest, and went to get Corey.
Corey was finishing up his senior year and doing his best to get good grades. Five foot nine with a skinny build, his brown hair was longer than his mother would have preferred. Of course, his room was dirtier than Marie preferred as well. B's and C's were pretty common lately instead of the A's and B's she was seeing his junior year. Maybe it was the smaller apartment, maybe it was the girlfriend that dumped him... But at least he would graduate. Corey was typing away on his laptop when Marie interrupted him.
"Honey, can you help me with something?" she asked nicely.
"Mom, I'm working on my report," Corey droned.
"Come on, it won't take more than a couple minutes."
"Do I get to borrow your car if I do?"
"Hmmm, let me think about that... NO. I can't afford to have you getting into an accident. Just get off your ass and help your mother out. It's important."
Corey rolled his eyes, "Gee, I guess me passing my classes is less important." He got up anyway and followed his mom to the bathroom. There Marie explained what she needed done and how she needed Corey to shove the device into her skin.
"Won't you bleed?" he asked, horrified.
"It says that there might be a tiny bit of blood, but the needles are very thin and short and it will stop quickly." Marie saw that Corey was cringing and sighed, "Stop being such wimp! I'm the one that has to wear the damn thing, not you. Just slap it on!"
"Fine!" Corey groaned.
Marie disrobed and stood there in front of the mirror in her bra. Corey tried not to look -- it was his mother after all. It was bad enough when she brought a guy home and he had to see her kissing some old dude. Thank God she didn't let them stay over. He poised the device against her skin and then pressed it firmly into her.
"Ouch! Ouch! Ou- Ahhhhh....." Marie felt the sting for a moment and then a wash of pleasure that went through her. The Switch-On released natural endorphins to combat the pain, flooding her system and filling her with a relaxed, satisfied feeling. She also felt sleepy. Very sleepy.
Corey helped his mom over to the bed where she collapsed. She managed to squeak out a smile and an assurance that she was okay before passing out.
With his mother asleep, Corey looked over the remote control and read the instructions. The thought crossed his mind that this might be an opportunity to be able to get his way a bit more at home. He quickly ran to his room and grabbed his cell phone. According to the device instructions, it would sync with any mobile device, so why not his cell?
The Switch-On already had commands programmed into it, presumably by his mother.
YOU HAVE NO DESIRE TO SMOKE CIGARETTES.
WHEN YOU PUT A CIGARETTE IN YOUR MOUTH IT WILL TASTE BITTER AND AWFUL.
YOU WILL BE UNABLE TO BUY A PACK OF CIGARETTES.
The screen read "LINK TO MOBILE DEVICE: SUCCESSFUL". When he synced his cell phone the new commands didn't show up on his cell phone, and he wondered if the reverse were true.
Corey uploaded all the apps and typed in the command, "YOU WANT TO MAKE BROWNIES." It was a silly one but he figured if she saw it, it wouldn't get him in as much trouble as what he wanted to put in. He had the opportunity to make it a subconscious command (meaning she would be unaware of it), a physical command (meaning she would do it and not know why, but be unable to stop it), or make it a regular occurrence of either type of command. Corey selected SUB/ONCE, figuring that it would be a good test to see if it would function as promised.
The command went through his cell phone but never showed on his mom's remote. "Whew!" he whispered. Everything was finished just as his mother was coming out of her bedroom. He tossed the remote on the table where his mother left it.
"How long was I asleep for?" she asked.
Corey shrugged, "I don't know... Maybe an hour?"
Marie wondered if it worked. Would she be able to kick the habit finally? She was nervous and instinctively reached for a cigarette. Right away she knew something was different. Marie wanted to hold it but had no desire to light it. She pushed herself to try her commands out, though. The cigarette tip illuminated and sure enough when the she drew in the smoke, it tasted terrible. Absolutely awful, actually. Marie made a face and put it out.
"I think it works," she mused. "I was worried but I think it worked, son. Thanks for helping me install it."
"No problem. Can I take the car out now?" Corey smirked.
"Uhh, no. You can't." Marie noticed that her son was eyeballing the controller and figured Corey might become mischievous with the Switch-On device if he got a hold of it. "And just in case you think you can try some sort of funny business, I'm going to lock this up." She knew there was a password she could lock it with, so that would have to be a priority for her.
"Whatever," Corey responded, turning away because he didn't want his mother seeing the smile on his face.
"I'll tell you what, though," Marie told him, "How about if I make some of my famous brownies to satisfy your studious urges?"
Corey couldn't concentrate as he sat at his laptop. It worked! He had a remote control to his mother -- a chance to get away with practically anything. As his mother was mixing batter in the kitchen, Corey surreptitiously pulled his phone out and clicked on the Switch-On app. Trying it out again, he typed, "YOU WANT TO THANK YOUR SON. LET HIM BORROW THE CAR KEYS AND GIVE HIM FIFTY DOLLARS". SUB/ONCE
Subconscious, one time. He wasn't greedy. He just wanted a chance to see his buddies in his old neighborhood.
A half hour later a warm plate of brownies with powdered sugar was brought to Corey's room and set at his desk. An envelope was next to it. "Mom, what's this?"
Marie smiled, "Open it."
Corey opened the envelope and peaked inside. Two twenties, a ten, and the car keys. He looked up at his mother, "Really? You sure?"
Marie answered guiltily, "Yeah, you've been a good kid. And I owe you for putting this thing on me. So, take it out and be careful!!"