The glossy black cap sat perfectly on his head. The rainbow goggles reflected bright spirals back at him. Everything was neat. Everything was orderly.
He reached up and ran a hand across the smooth surface of the cap.
“Good drone,” he murmured to himself.
The words made him happy.
The cap took his bidy, the goggles took his mind, he was turned into simple minded drone and made to love the control. No confusion. No second-guessing. No endless overthinking.
The gym around him faded into the background as he admired the gear.
“Good drone stays focused.”
He adjusted the goggles carefully.
A small grin crossed his face.
“Good drone finishes the workout.”
The cap gleamed beneath the lights.
The goggles remained fixed in place.
He stood a little straighter.
To anyone else, the outfit might have looked strange. To him, it felt like a uniform.
If resistance were ever detected. Brain Drain protocol commenced. His body would stiffen and lock. For his lips he’d endlessly repeat, “You love this bro!” until is mind stopped resisting.
He tapped the side of the cap affectionately.
“Good drone likes the gear.”
Then he chuckled to himself.
“Gear helps drone remember.”
The smile remained on his face as he turned away from the mirror and headed back toward the weights, content with the simple identity he had built for himself.
He smiled at his reflection, fingertips brushing across the smooth black cap.
“I like being a good drone,” he said.
The words came with genuine satisfaction. To him, the cap and goggles weren’t a prison. They were a symbol.
When he put them on, distractions seemed smaller. The endless noise of everyday life faded into the background. There was only the next task, the next workout, the next goal.
He adjusted the goggles and admired their bright spirals.
“Good drone stays focused.”
A small, dopey smile spread across his face.
“Good drone likes simple things.”
He patted the cap affectionately.
“Cap fits nice. Goggles fit nice. Everything feels right.”
The gym lights reflected from the glossy surface as he stood proudly in front of the mirror.
“Good drone ready for work.”
And with that, he turned back toward the weights, happy to continue the routine he had chosen for himself.
With a vacant, dopey expression and a slightly open mouth:
“Ready to serve. Ready to help. Ready to do what I’m told.”
He blinks slowly, lightly patting the shiny cap.
“Thinking is hard. Following is easy. I have my cap. I have my goggles. Everything is simple now.”
A faint smile crosses his face.