The Recruitment Program (Nanoha hypno fic) (Patreon)

And here's the week's second fic - a quick bit of techno hypno today! And that's about 10k words of mind control goodness for you guys this week - I hope you enjoy! New poll will be up tomorrow, I'll see you then!

(Contains hypnosis and a touch of stepfordization)

“You don’t carry a device?”

“No sir,” Signum shook her head. “Not of the modern variety. Laevatein fills much the same functionality in combat, and I’ve never seen the need for anything he cannot cover.”

“Interesting.” The assessor nodded and noted something down on his pad. “That should be fine. And still, your combat rankings speak for themselves. I don’t imagine there will be any problem. In fact, that should be all that I needed to hear.”

“I see…” The knight paused, weighing something in her head for a moment, before deciding to push ahead. “With respect then, Sir, may I ask what this is all about? I wasn’t aware that my unit was up for inspection – the bureau hadn’t notified us in advance of anything of the sort.”

“Ah, no, they wouldn’t have,” the assessor chuckled, pushing his glasses up his nose. “Do not worry. This isn’t about your unit, Miss Signum. This is about you.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Me? … I thought that the TSAB’s file on my past indiscretions had been closed.”

“No no, you misunderstand.” He raised his hands and shook his head in a reassuring manner. “This isn’t about your criminal record. No, this is more of a headhunting opportunity. Top brass are looking for a few… select people to fill a special role. One under direct command from the Admiralty.”

Huh. That wasn’t the answer Signum had been expecting, and it showed in her expression. The Admiralty? You didn’t get much higher in the TSAB than that. “I see. I apologize. I wasn’t aware.”

“Of course, of course.” The assessor smiled and took a sip of his coffee. “Well, it’s something of a secret, so that’s only to be expected. Still, I’m pleased to say you’re exactly what we’re looking for – in fact, I’d say you’re perfect for the role.”

“Really?” Hm. Well, Signum wasn’t one to let pride go to her head, but it was a pleasant feeling to be acknowledged all the same. “This is a surprise. What’s the position?”

“Bodyguard, essentially. You’d be…” He hesitated for a brief moment, just long enough to convince Signum he was hiding something. Was there still more about this job that he couldn’t reveal to her? “You’d be protecting one of the high ranks – for an indefinite term.”

“Ah.” Ah. “Then I’m certainly honored, but I fear you’ve been wasting your time. My circumstances require me to maintain close proximity to my family – I’m not interested in any special accolades, especially ones that might get in the way of that.”

“Mmm.” The assessor made a neutral sound that the knight had no idea how she should interpret. “Yes, your profile mentioned something to that effect. The Wolkenritter and the Mistress of the Night Sky, yes? Well I’m sure we can work something out…”

“No.” Her answer was immediate and apologetic. “My answer is no. I’m sorry, but there’s no way I could ever consider it. You’ll have to find someone else.”

The assessor chuckled again, apparently not the least put off by her refusal. “I thought you might say that. But I think I can change your mind.”

Signum found his optimism almost amusing. “I assure you, you cannot.”

“Well,” he said, pressing a button and then offering the pad across the desk to her. “At least take a look, hm? This will tell you everything you need to know.”

She almost pushed the device back without even glancing at it. “That will not be-Ngh!“

But glance she did. A small, momentary flicker of the eyes – which was met with a bright flash and a stunning wail of ear piercing noise. Faster, brighter, louder than anything the woman had been expecting, and it struck her unaware mind like a hammer. She reeled, falling backwards into her chair, her head spinning. And in that moment the assessor leaned forward and pushed the pad fully into her hands.

“I’ll let you take it all in,” he said, drawing back with a smirk and settling in to watch. Signum didn’t have a good response for him, still trying to clear the flash from her eyes, but her angry confusion was evident in her tone.

“What are you…” Or it was, for a moment. Then her fluttering eyes blinked open, phantom stains of light still dancing in her vision, and she found herself focusing completely on the screen in front of her.

It was odd. If she hadn’t been so distracted then she would have expected to see text there – a document about the job they were offering her, or a profile, or orders, or anything. But it was nothing like that. The screen was lit up with a large, green, glowing spiral.

It looked ridiculous. Like a cheap cartoon graphic, ripped from the early days of the internet back on earth. Yet… Why couldn’t she take her eyes off of it? The spinning, trailing edge, always creeping towards the center, the way the green light dimmed and brightened, the way the, the spiral seemed to drill around and around, drill so deep that it felt like it was creating a tunnel through reality…

“What… what is this…” She managed to gasp, the strength and fury of her earlier growl completely lost to her. It was harder to talk that it should have been. Something about this pattern was just… sucking at her concentration…

“A little something cooked up by intelligence R&S,” the assessor answered casually, still sitting relaxed in his chair. “A sort of cerebral nullified… or, well, it was something like that. To tell the truth, Miss Signum, I was never one for technobabble. I just use the things; I don’t understand them.”

“I…” It was a strain to even hear his words – the spiral was consuming everything. Light, sound, touch… She could feel it, and only it, pulling at her, drilling into her, filling her eyes and her head, pulling her awareness down into its dark depths. “I don’t understand…”

“Oh, you can get used to using those words,” he chuckled. “You’re going to be using them a lot, trust me. But yes, I’m afraid you misunderstood me earlier, Miss Signum. You aren’t being offered a job – or a choice. You’ve been selected for the program, and you will be taking part. You resistance is immaterial – that’s why it’s currently being scraped out of your head, along with a whole host of other things. A shame to lose that high combat rating, but we have other powerful mages. You won’t be missed.”

“But…” She was really struggling now, but fading fast. Nothing she tried was working, and every passing second seemed to loosen her grip, pulling more and more of her out and down into oblivion. “Why…”

“Why you?” He shrugged, picking up his mug and taking another gulp of coffee as he watched the spiral fill the pink haired knight’s eyes, as though he could see it wiping away her mind. “I couldn’t say. Perhaps you offended someone important and they put your name on a list. Maybe your criminal file was never as closed as you thought. It doesn’t really matter – ultimately, you fit the profile. That’s it.”

The man waited for another outburst, another protest or question… But nothing came. Across from him, Signum stared with a slack jaw, her eyes blank and full of spirals. She didn’t even twitch when he stood up and circled the room to stand next to her.

“No more? Ah, hollowed out already, are you? What a shame – you didn’t even get to hear about the role you’re going to be moving into. Ah well. Why spoil the surprise?” He patted her head, almost fondly, and gently closed her mouth before she drooled too heavily on her jacket. Then he waited, and watched as the spiral finished its work.

Soon, the pad flashed again, and then slipped from suddenly limp fingers, clattering to the floor. Signum, Belkan knight of eld and leader of the Wolkenritter, simply sat there, her empty eyes staring into the space where the spiral had been – the place where everything she had once been had vanished – and thought not a single thing.

“Well my dear, it has been fun,” the assessor said, retrieving something from his desk – a pink visor attached to a weighty headset and thick headphones. “But I’m afraid it’s time to get you off on your way to your new… position in life.” He slid the device onto her unresisting head. “So, goodbye, Miss Signum. It’s been a pleasure.”

And as a barrage of pink spirals and images began to fill her vision, and strange, perky music began to stream in through her ears, the last thing the empty woman heard were the distant words, “The nice thing about artificial bodies is they’re so easy to modify…”

And then the world dissolved into giggly pink goo, and swallowed her whole.

-

Fate Harlaown sighed as she took a lengthy sip from her wineglass. She hated these little high-class parties the upper ranks of the TSAB so enjoyed. They were just so dull and unremarkable. The military patting itself on the back for a job well done.

Plus, Nanoha had declined to come, saying she was busy training the new cadets, so she didn’t even get to see her wife dressed up like a princess. Hmph!

… Okay, that might have been the actual reason she was feeling so grouchy. Hayate hadn’t come either, of course – this was much more her scene, but she was still chasing leads, trying to find her missing knight. Of course with how long it had been, even she had to admit her hopes of finding Signum were slim to none – that was why she’d told Fate to come ‘enjoy’ the party instead of helping…

The Enforcer winced and tried to dispel the depressing thought. She missed her rival terribly – and she’d find her one day, she was sure of it! Signum herself would smack her over the head and tell her off if she let her concern for her friend turn her life upside down…

Still, she felt bad, being at a fancy dinner like this, while somewhere out in the universe her friend was probably in mortal peril, fighting for her very life in some desperate situation-Ack!

“Oh! Like, I’m so sorry. Excuse me!”

Fate recovered from her stumble and turned to face the woman who’d bumped into her with a sheepish smile on her face. “No no, sorry. It’s my fault for…”

The enforcer trailed off, staring. The woman in front of her was unfamiliar. She wore a white, flowery dress that hung tightly to her figure, emphasising her curves to the fullest and revealing a very well stacked cleavage with a plunging neckline. Silver and gold jewellery dangled from her wrists and ears, and white, shining teeth flashed in her smile. Every investigative sense Fate had immediately cried ‘Trophy Wife’.

But it was the pink hair, hanging down long and smooth to the base of the woman’s back that snagged the enforcer’s attention. “Signum…?”

The pinkette blinked at her slowly, heavily made up eyelashes bobbing up and down. “Huh? No, silly, I’m Serena~” The woman giggled, and all illusion that she was anything like the missing knight shattered. “Like, I don’t think we’ve met?”

Fate gave her a strained smile. “No, ah… We haven’t. My mistake. You just reminded me of someone for a mo-“

“Is everything okay over here?” A deep male voice asked from the side, and turning, Fate saw Admiral Shields walking over. He wasn’t someone who she’d worked with often, but she knew he was one of the men near the top of the whole Bureau… And if he was coming over here, then-

“Hubby!” Yep. Right on cue, the pink haired socialite practically bounced into the Admiral’s arms, clinging on to him with the brightest, most vapid smile Fate had ever seen. “There you are! I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”

The man chuckled, patting his woman’s wrist. “Apologies my dear – I got wrapped up talking shop with some of the old guard.” He turned to Fate. “Enforcer Testarossa, is it? I’ve heard good things about you. I hope my wife wasn’t too much of a bother.”

“Oh no, sir.” Fate smiled in the usual fake social gathering way. “We just bumped into each other – my fault.”

“You’ll never guess what she called me, Darling,” Serena giggled, proudly displaying herself on her beloved’s arm like a happy trophy. “It was the strangest name! Sinyum? Stigson? Oh, what was it…?”

“Ah…” Fate blushed. To think she’d ever confused this woman with the most stoic knight in existence. “It was nothing. I just mistook you for someone else, that’s all.” Her eyes darted to the side. “I, ah. I think someone’s calling me. It was a pleasure to meet you Admiral. Ah. Serena.” She bowed politely, and exited as quickly as she could, half wishing she could use lightning form to do so…

“The pleasure was all mine, my dear!” Shields called after her. And then, after she’d gone, he glanced over his shoulder at a small man hovering nearby. “Lovely lady, eh Simmons?”

“Certainly Admiral.” The man replied, pushing his glasses up his nose. “One of our best.”

“Indeed, indeed.” The Admiral nodded, putting his arm around Serena’s waist, to her obvious delight. “Still, I think she may suspect something she shouldn’t.”

“Ahh, most unfortunate.” The small man nodded. “… Shall I inform the program?”

“Mmm. It might be best.” Shields thought for a moment, his hand drifting down to smack his wife’s rear. She giggled and ground herself against him. “Though as I recall she had a wife who was tagged as a concern as well… Better get both of them. Keep them as a set.”

“Of course, Admiral.” The man got an electronic pad out and began to type. “Will you be wanting them for yourself, or will you be putting them up for grabs?”

“Hm. Well, I think we might try them out. Keep the bedroom exciting. What do you think, Dear?”

His wife looked up at him with adoration. “Whatever you want me to, Darling~ I could always use some help keeping the house tidy and cooking for you!”

He chuckled and nodded. And somewhere, buried deep within a mostly empty head, there was a small stirring of old, forgotten rivalry. Serena smiled. She bet that blonde would feel wonderful between her legs… But if she thought she was going to steal her husband’s love, she had another thing coming! No one was ever going to get between her and her hubby… Her family~