Disclaimer -
This is a work of fiction and nothing more. Enjoy the fantasy, but keep it away from reality. Also, all characters in my stories are 18 years of age or older! The term 'teen' can refer to somebody who is 18 or 19 as well.
--commercial begins--
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.
-----
Siblings' Raucous Rivalry
Keith's voice was booming down the hall for the third time that morning, "Alicia, hurry up! I've got to take a piss!" It followed a series a hammer blows to the closed bathroom door.
Peggy rolled her eyes as she dried herself off in the master bath. The power went out last night and everyone was running late. Divorced and forty-three, Peggy was worried about getting to work on time and the last thing she needed to hear was her son and daughter fighting again. Keith had moved back home after being gone for two years and it was rough waters the whole time. Twenty-three and headstrong, the brunette young man blew through all his savings for school and was forced to come back home and find a job. Peggy had the cash to throw away on his education, but why blow it when he wasn't going to take it seriously. The divorced mom stopped just shy of making him get his own place. She figured that living at home would be a humiliating experience enough to encourage him to get back on his own two feet. Instead, Keith spent his days working out in the garage and his nights in territorial fights with his younger sister.
Alicia was just graduating High School and an antagonizer for sure. After Keith moved out she had taken his bedroom (the larger one), but when her brother returned she found him demanding the old room back. Instead Keith was forced to stay in the pink bedroom his little sister used to sleep in. Alicia teased him incessantly over it to the point where he finally went and painted the room dark blue. It was a rare moment of labor from Keith.
Peggy threw her robe on and stomped into the hallway. "Keith! Stop pounding on that goddamn door right now!" She pointed at the master bath off her bedroom. "I'm done in there for now. You can go to the bathroom in there."
As Keith huffed past her, Alicia poked her head out of the bathroom and sang out, "Yeah, big brother, go tinkle tinkle in mommy's bedroom..."
"Screw you, bitch!" Keith yelled back.
Peggy put her hands up on her wet hair and closed her eyes... "Yep, I can't wait to get back to work."
--
It was Peggy's lunch break and surfing on the internet took her to a website advertising Switch-On. She read over the advertisement and wondered if her children could be influenced enough to get along each other. "That'll take more than a modern breakthrough," she mused, "it will take a miracle." Still the thought was planted and it wasn't until two weeks later she placed an order for two identical models. There were several designs the company offered and the fine print was near impossible to read on her smart phone. Peggy figured they would all work pretty much the same anyway and clicked PURCHASE NOW. The purchase came with a remote viewer as well, which would be good to have just to keep an eye on the house when she wasn't home. With all the business trips she took, it would be great to have a clandestine way of making sure Alicia wasn't bringing home any boys.
Of course, installing them on Keith and Alicia voluntarily would be out of the question. She had to put them on when the kids were sleeping. Peggy knew this would be poorly received by both her kids, but she figured she could convince them both they weren't wearing the devices, and all it would take would be a month and then she could remove them. Besides, it was for their own good. Peggy justified that she could get her son motivated, her daughter concentrating on classes again, and above all keep the two of them from fighting all the time. What mother wouldn't want those things for their family?
--
It was 2am and the house was as quiet as could be. Peggy snuck into Alicia's bedroom first and found her daughter splayed out on the bed, the covers kicked off and her mouth wide open. The mother pulled the blanket up and over her girl and remembered the days when she was actually a sweet kid. Alicia rolled over on her side away from her mom, unconciously giving her back to her mom. Peggy reached carefully under her daughter's pajamas and pushed the Switch-On device into her skin. Alicia tensed for a moment, and then went slack. At first Peggy was concerned she killed her daughter, but then saw that she was breathing comfortably.
Next it was Keith's turn. Creeping into the messy room, Peggy found her son sleeping bare chested on his stomach. It was a snap to get the device onto him. Now with both kids hooked up, she tiptoed out of his room and back to her bed. Climbing under the covers, Peggy looked over the Switch-On readouts on her laptop and saw both signals coming online.
KEITH.... WAITING FOR SIGNAL... WAITING FOR SIGNAL.... SIGNAL GOOD!
ALICIA.... WAITING FOR SIGNAL... WAITING FOR SIGNAL.... SIGNAL GOOD!
She looked about the control console and tried to familiarize herself with the commands. Some made perfect sense like the Command screen, One Time commands and Perpetual commands. Others were odd, like the Stealth mode. Peggy clicked that one for each device.
KEITH... STEALTH MODE... ACTIVATED!
ALICIA... STEALTH MODE... ACTIVATED!
A little question mark box was next to the radial button and when she pressed it, a box popped open explaining the command. "Prevents the wearer from acknowledging or discovering the Switch-On device."
That was strange the mother thought, but it was convenient. There was plenty of other commands to explore, but Peggy had to get some sleep. There would be time tomorrow. She could easily do all the programming from work. She was about to turn off the laptop when a red signal flashed in the corner of both readouts. It simply read STIMULATED.
Peggy stepped out of bed and went down the hall to peak in on Alicia to make sure she was okay. While her daughter seemed asleep, it was clear she was doing something personal. The covers were off the bed again and the teenage girl was humping her pillow, her eyes closed, a soft moan escaping from her. Peggy cringed and closed the door. She looked in Keith's room and found her son had flipped over on his back, his parts sticking straight up in the air forming a tent in his shorts. Mortified, Peggy went back to her room and scoured the website for an explanation. She found it on the FAQ.
"The SX-420 Model Switch-On device can have a number of side effects when initially installed. To eliminate pain from the installation, the Switch-On uses the body's natural endorphin production to block pain receptors. This endorphin increase can make the wearer euphoric and sexually aroused. These are common conditions that will not persist past the first two hours."
As embarrassing as that was, Peggy decided it was still for the best. She went on to read how removing the devices before one week was over could cause nerve damage, so it was too late to turn back now. Come morning time, the kids would be ready for a new day.