Happy Pills - The Story of Kevin Free

Training

   Shortly after Diego left, someone else came to see Kevin. If their uniform and strength was anything to judge by, they were a security guard of some kind. They grabbed Kevin roughly, and led him to another room.
   "Sit down," they growled, gesturing to a chair.
   Kevin approached the chair. It was metal, and faced a screen. There was a strange apparatus attached to the back of it, as well as what appeared to be restraints on the arm rests. Kevin shuddered. "Why is there-"
   The guard shoved him on to the chair. "I said sit down!"
   A quiet whimper escaped Kevin as his hands were shackled to the chair, which he now realized was bolted to the ground. The guard then lowered the apparatus over Kevin's head. "Eyes open."
   Knowing he'd be forced if he didn't comply, Kevin kept his eyes open, even as the guard clipped the apparatus to his eyelids. Kevin rapidly realized that the purpose of the apparatus was to prevent him from closing his eyes. If he hadn't been scared before, he certainly was now. Shivers ran up and down his spine, and Kevin tensed up. He was afraid to move. The guard was no longer in his line of sight.
   Suddenly, the guard gripped Kevin's jaw, and forced his mouth open. A cup touched Kevin's lips and a strange tasting liquid was poured into his mouth. Once his mouth was full, the guard held it shut until he'd swallowed. A few minutes passed normally, but there was a gradual shift, and time itself seemed to liquefy as the lights went dim. The screen in front of Kevin flickered to life as an intense calm feeling settled over him. Accompanied by the cold that was now spreading to the rest of his body, Kevin was experiencing both meanings of the word chill. He felt as if he were drifting in an icy ocean, and something may have been lurking beneath the surface to drag him down, but if there was then it certainly didn't matter. All that mattered was what was on the screen. All that mattered was the soft voice now speaking to him.
   "Look around you. Strex. Look inside you. Strex. Believe in a Smiling God. Strexcorp. It is everything."
   A slight smile crossed Kevin's face.
   Strexcorp, he thought. Yes, that feels right. It is everything.

   After having his brain flooded with chemicals and four hours worth of Strexcorp propaganda, Kevin felt dazed, and oddly cheerful. He hummed and shivered as he was taken, still cold, back to the room from before and forced to sit down on the bed. He didn't really mind. He watched the guard leave, and smiled to himself.
   "Mister Diego was right," he said to no one in particular, a slight giggle bubbling under his voice. "I do work here. Where else would I work? Strexcorp is everything, so what else would I do? What even is a Strexcorp anyway?"
   Kevin began to laugh loudly. "What does it matter, Kevin? I wish I had a blanket. I need a fucking nap."
   After a few minutes that felt like days, the door beeped open again, and the familiar figure of Diego entered the room.
   "Hello, Kevin."
   "Hi, Diego!"
   Diego frowned. "I told you to call me sir."
   "Sorry!" Kevin giggled. "Sir! Sir, sir, sssir!"
   Diego rolled his eyes. "Clearly the drugs haven't worn off."
   Kevin looked at Diego, barely hearing his words. In his current state of delirious happiness, Kevin couldn't see the burning ice in Diego's eyes that he'd seen earlier. He couldn't see what had made him feel afraid. Instead, he saw an attractive man in a fancy suit that was, for some incomprehensible reason, interested in having a conversation.
   "You're really pretty."
   Diego seemed unimpressed by Kevin's compliment. "Yeah, I get that a lot. How was training?"
   Kevin assumed that when he'd said training, Diego was referring to the room with the screen. "Was good! They showed me stuff. Things. Strexcorp!"
   The slightest smile tugged at Diego's lips. Not a smile of happiness, but rather one of satisfaction, and maybe amusement. "Yes, that's right. You belong to Strexcorp."
   Kevin nodded enthusiastically.
   "And what is Strexcorp."
   Kevin giggled for a few moments before answering. "It's... It's everything!"
   "Good. Tell me, Kevin, do you believe in a Smiling God?"
   "Oh, yes! Yes I do! The Smiling God is very good!"
   "Perfect. You'll start on the radio tomorrow."
   Kevin grinned. "Thank you! Thank you!"
   Diego turned to leave, but Kevin spoke up again.
   "Wait!"
   "What?" Diego asked, now mildly annoyed.
   "I have a bed, but no blanket, and I'm super duper cold!" Kevin chirped. "Can I please, please, pleeeease have a blanket?"
   Diego smiled, more out of amusement this time. Now that Kevin was drugged and more under control, he was silly and childish, and nowhere near as much of a threat as he'd been when he'd held sway over the people of Desert Bluffs. Were he a weaker man, Diego might have described him as cute.
   "Hm... sure. I think you've earned that. I was told you were very well-behaved today."
   Under normal circumstances, Kevin would have been annoyed by being praised like a puppy. However, in his current state of mind, the praise brought a rush of happiness and excitement. Especially coming from Diego. Especially if it meant he would be getting a blanket. He was so very cold, and it was starting to bother him just a little.
   Diego left, closing the door behind him and walking away as the automatic lock immediately clicked into place. He returned to Kevin a few minutes later with the softest blanket he could find. After all, reward and positive reinforcement worked great when combined with the kind of chemicals the used to train and re-educate Strex employees.
   Kevin was visibly excited when he was given the blanket, and happily wrapped it around himself. "Oh, this is so wonderful! Thank you, Diego!"
   Diego gave a slight nod, and then turned to leave. "You're welcome, Kevin."