Bullies Get Bullied

I heard a knock on the door and signaled for Lauren to hide behind it. I opened it as soon as she got in position, with Kris slowly crawling on her open palm.

A short guy in a security uniform was standing outside. He had a shaved head and a thin, muscular build. As soon as we made eye contact, he grinned at me and shook his head.

"Hey, man! It's been a long time," He greeted me. "What's up?"

"Oh, hey, Ben," I replied. "Come on in!"

I moved aside and gestured to the living room.

"You know you're the last person I expected to hear from again, " he said as he entered the house. I heard you had a side gig for me. Need help defending yourself, heh?"

Before I could reply, Lauren moved behind him and placed the slug right in his ear.

Ben gasped and attempted to get it out, doing what looked like a ridiculous little dance.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, what the hell?" He exclaimed before going limp and falling loudly onto the floor.

I smiled and shrugged.

"Guess you're the hopeless one this time, Ben," I commented.

He groaned and rolled over, opening his eyes and looking around in confusion.

"What the fuck, man?" He complained, slowly standing up. "Are you trying to get back at me after all these years or something?"

"I think you should be more concerned with the fact that you're not yourself anymore, buddy," I said with a grin.

His eyes widened.

"Wait, what the f-" He started to say but stopped to stare at his hands. "I'm not myself?"

"No, Ben, you're not yourself. You are a mind-controlling slug who believes they're you," I explained in a monotonous tone.

"What?" He asked in disbelief. "Dude, what's going on?"

I sighed. This was Iris all over again.

"Focus!" I ordered. "Do you feel a sudden need to please me?"

The security guard nodded.

"Good. Now, once again, you're not Ben. You are a slug inside Ben's brain."

He remained silent for a minute, and I could see he was considering whether to believe me.

"Like that movie..." he finally whispered. "What's it called? The Faculty!"

I nodded. I knew the one. I was actually surprised HE knew it. The fucking bastard had spent all his time in college making fun of me for being a nerd.

"Yes, like the Faculty," I confirmed. "Except you're not an alien creature trying to take over the world. You're my little ****, and you're going to make sure no one hurts me."

The guy gulped and nodded, finally coming to terms with the situation.

"That's funny, dude," he remarked. "I mean... We weren't exactly friends in college, were we?"

"I know. The irony of that situation isn't lost on me," I replied. "Why do you think I called you in the first place?"

"Wicked, dude!" He exclaimed. "Can't exactly blame you for that, I guess. So what do you need me for exactly?"

"Here's what I need you to do, and I'm talking to the slug, not Ben," I explained. "I want you to make Ben loyal to me. You're going to make sure that his priority in life is my well-being and safety. Got it?"

The big dude hesitated for a moment but then gave me a thumbs up.

"You got it, man!" He exclaimed with a wide grin. "This is wild! I can change my own brain!"

I sighed and shook my head.

"Now, I need you to leave that brain. You need to rest for what comes next."

Ben nodded and fell back down, lying face up, completely ****.

Kris slowly crawled out of his ear, and Lauren picked it up.

My new bodyguard groaned and turned to look at me.

"Dude, if you want my help, I'd like to know what the fuck is going on..." he muttered.

He stared at me, seemingly confused, and I just chuckled.

"My father was a scientist, and he made a bunch of weird mind-controlling slugs," I said. "My neighbor, Emily, got her hands on one, and we're afraid she might try and use it to harm me."

Ben turned his head toward Lauren and eyed her curiously.

"Mind-controlling slugs, heh?" He repeated. "Lucky bastard!"

"Yeah, I know," I said with a laugh.

"Erm..." he mumbled as he got back up. "Any way you could get me a girl or two?"

I snorted.

"Serve me well, and I might consider it," I said.

"Roger that!" He grinned.

"Now, do you remember Steve Samson?"

"I sure do! Heard he didn't do so well after uni."

"Well, it seems I'm about to give him another shot at life," I said with a grin. "You're going to have a new colleague."

"Cool, cool." The big man replied, as if mind-controlling an old friend was no big deal.

Suddenly, my phone vibrated.

I pulled it out and saw a message from Jenny. It was an image of an old, bold man. I remembered seeing him walking his dog in the neighborhood. It was indeed a perfect spy. I sent a message instructing her to come back. We would take care of the guy later that day.

Steve arrived an hour later and was quickly reprogrammed. After what he'd done to me in college, I made sure to mess a lot more with his brain than with Ben. Once we were done, he was a completely different man, only interested in serving me and nothing else.

I gathered everyone around the kitchen table and smiled. My army was almost complete.

"So what's the plan, bro?" Jenny asked excitedly.

I took a deep breath.

"We can't wait for too long," I said. She might have seen Steve and Ben come in, and there is no way to tell how she will react. We will send Kris to reprogram our new spy. He'll do a bit of reconnaissance, and tomorrow, first thing in the morning, if the way is clear, we'll get inside her house and make sure she's no longer a problem."

"Boss?" Ben called. "What if she tries to get to you before that?"

I shook my head.

"That's why Steve and you are here," I explained. "You'll be watching the house. If she tries anything, you immediately warn us first and do your best to stop her. Do not let her get a slug inside your ear, or we're fucked. Got it?"

"Got it," Ben said.

Steve simply nodded with a blank stare.

"I'm counting on you all to stay alert. We can't afford to mess this up," I added. "But with some luck, she has no idea what's coming."