Socks and Hypno

Jack had always been a gym regular, hitting the weights three or four times a week to stay in shape. Nothing crazy—just enough to keep his body toned and his mind clear after long days at his desk job. His buddy Luke was the perfect workout partner: funny, sharp, always cracking jokes about protein shakes and debating the latest tech gadgets between sets. They’d spot each other on bench presses, high-five after a good lift, and grab a smoothie afterward to shoot the shit about life.

But lately, things were… off. Jack started noticing it with some of the other guys at the gym first. Bros who’d been casual lifters were suddenly obsessed, pumping iron for hours with blank stares, muttering about “gains” like it was their religion. They’d shuffle around in basketball shorts and tank tops—or no shirt at all—flexing in the mirrors, their eyes glazed over as they scrolled endlessly on their phones, headphones glued to their ears. They seemed dumber, too. Conversations that used to flow now ended in grunts and bro-slaps. “Feels good, bruh,” they’d say, like zombies repeating a mantra.

And then Luke started changing. At first, it was subtle—he’d cut their chats short to squeeze in extra reps, his focus laser-sharp on the weights. But soon, he was distant, always with those wireless headphones in, staring at his phone like it held the secrets of the universe. His laughs turned into dumb chuckles, his smart takes on politics or books replaced by flexing selfies and talk of “alpha vibes.” Jack watched as Luke’s muscles swelled—bigger biceps, broader chest—and his wardrobe shifted to nothing but gym shorts, jerseys, or going shirtless to show off those gains. It was like Luke’s whole identity was evaporating, replaced by this cookie-cutter stereotype of a toxic, masculine jock bro. What the hell was he listening to? Jack wondered, eyeing those headphones like they were some kind of curse.

One evening, after a grueling session, Jack cornered Luke in the locker room. The air was thick with sweat and the distant clank of weights. Luke was toweling off, his pumped-up body glistening, already slipping into fresh basketball shorts and a tight tank that screamed “fuckboy alpha.”

“Bro, something’s different about you,” Jack said, trying to sound casual but feeling a knot in his gut. “You’re… I don’t know, not yourself anymore. All this zombie staring at your phone, the endless lifting. What’s up?”

Luke turned, his eyes dull but with a weird, euphoric gleam. He grinned vacantly, pulling out his phone. “Nah, bruh. Feels so good. Just gotta obey. Let go, man. It’s all about the gains now.”

Before Jack could react, Luke tapped the screen, and a hypnotic spiral swirled to life—colors pulsing, drawing the eye in deeper, deeper. Jack’s gaze locked on it involuntarily, the world blurring at the edges. “What the—?”

“Shh, bro,” Luke droned mindlessly, his voice flat and obedient. He grabbed a spare pair of headphones from his bag and slipped them over Jack’s ears. A low hum started, then a voice—smooth, commanding, weaving into his brain like silk threads. “Just listen, bruh. Feels so good to let go.”

And oh, it did. The spiral spun, pulling Jack in, the voice in his headphones whispering truths he couldn’t ignore. Abandon your personality, bro. Reject that weak individuality. You’re nothing more than a toxic, masculine, alpha jock bro now. Obey the group think. Build those muscles—addicted to the pump, looking hot as fuck in basketball shorts and tank tops. Dress like the stereotypical fuckboy you were meant to be.

Jack blinked, but his resistance melted like ice under the sun. The voice deepened the trance: Get dumber and dumber, trading brains for muscle. No thinking for yourself—just obey, bruh. Masculine group think is all you need. The more you change into a jock, the happier you get. Pump those weights, feel the horniness build with every gain. Soon, you’re nothing but a gooner, addicted to stroking that cock, edging to the alpha life.

Luke nodded along, flexing absently as he watched Jack’s eyes glaze over. “See, bruh? Just obey.”

Deeper the hypnosis sank, the spiral twisting with red-pill vibes: Embrace that bro ideology, bro. Be the cookie-cutter stereotype—red-pilled alpha jock, dominating the gym. Alpha male fuckboy, all muscle and no mind. Feels so good to let go.

Jack’s thoughts slowed to a crawl, his body tingling with the urge to lift, to flex, to obey. He stripped off his shirt, revealing his own growing gains—he’d been hitting the gym harder without realizing why. Basketball shorts felt right, tank top hugging his chest. Dumber… hornier… gooner… The voice looped, addictive, pulling him under. Luke slapped his back. “Welcome to the bro life, dude.”

Everything was very quiet now. Something inside him had changed. Inside his mind.

There was some order now, where before there had been chaos. The dots were stimulating his ... everything. He could feel them burning across his nerves and muscles, inside his body was a symphony of pain and pleasure, excitement and at the same time a new calm that came with ... purpose.

"I observe."

Not just a statement of fact, but a new calling. Observe the teachings of his recruiter.

"Observe", his recruiter insisted, and he echoed it.

"Absorb", his recruiter insisted, and he echoed it.

"I am ..." he started, but

"Convert", his recruiter insisted, and he echoed it.

Everything was now clear to him.

Convert.

His new purpose on this planet. He had been given a wonderful gift. As his recruiter vanished, as he was left alone, he felt no fear or anxiety. He felt his new purpose taking hold of him completely.

Convert.

Cody had told Alex to meet him at this strange place, this derelict broken down ... house.

But instead of Cody Alex only found this biker dude with this weird tech gadget helmet. Alex wondered if that was even legal.

Before he could say something, the visor came to life displaying these weird red patterns. Alex wanted to say something. Did he?

Something was verry wrong here. Why could he not turn away? Why could he not look away? Why did he stare at this guys helmet with its funny ... dots ... and