“So this does what again?” Brittany stared at the gun in her hand.

“That is the material deatomizer, but Mandy calls it the snot gun.” The blonde dressed in a baby-blue clean suit answered Brittany with a small smile.
Brittany raised an eyebrow. “The snot gun?” She asked and inspected the gun closer.

The Lab Tech simply nodded. “A lot of governments have been showing interest. Want a demonstration?”  she asked Brittany excitedly.
“Uh. Sure?” Brittany answered apprehensively.

“YAY!” The tech shouted. “Bring out the subject!” She shouted again.

From behind a one-way mirror, Brittany and the tech stared into an empty white room. An unmarked door opened, and a trembling man dressed in a yellow jumpsuit emerged. He looked relatively normal. Probably about 6ft. Maybe a half foot or so shorter than the lab tech. Brown hair. Brown eyes.

“Brittany. That’s Brad.” The tech explained and then leaned down to speak into a microphone. “Say hi, Brad.”
The man raised an eyebrow, “Amber?” he asked. “Where am I? What’s going on?”

Amber ignored Brad’s questions and turned to Brittany. “So, don’t tell anybody, but Brad recently dumped me. I pulled some strings and had him ‘enlisted’ into this project. Does that make him right about me being clingy and crazy?”

Brittany simply shrugged as she kept her eyes on Brad.

“Hey. Brad. Babe.” Amber spoke once more into the mic. “I’m going to come out to say hi. Don’t do anything drastic. Okay.”
“Don’t do anything drastic? What the fuck did you do, Amber? I told you we were done. I wasn’t going to have you ordering me around like I was one of your stupid interns.” Brad walked up to the mirror and pounded it angrily.

“May I?” Amber turned to Brittany and extended her hand for the gun.
“Oh. Of course.” Brittany handed the gun to the shorter woman with smile.
Amber then left Brittany and appeared out in the room with Brad. Gun in her left hand.
“Hey Brad.” She spoke.

Britany couldn’t help being amused. Brad instantly went on the offensive cursing and threatening Amber who stood at least half a foot taller than him in her flats.
“I’m going to need you to calm down.” She coo’d.

“Calm down? First, your sick company kidnaps me and then you come here with a gun threatening me? What are you going to do. SMOL me?” He stepped toward Amber.
“Brad. Don’t try to be tough. You and I both know I could easily take you without this gun. Remember last weekend? Spending the day as my chair?” Amber teased.
Brad had enough. Brittany held her breath as he charged Amber who raised the gun and pulled the trigger.

It made a sound like a clicking flashlight. One minute Brad was standing there. The next he wasn’t. Amber stood proudly and stared at the floor.
Brittany looked on in horror as all that appeared left of the man in the yellow jumpsuit was a small puddle of some sort of brown goop.
“Gun.” Amber held up the rifle in her left hand. “Snot.” She pointed to what remained of Brad.

“The gun breaks down the bonds that makes complex organisms, well complex. Instead you are left with the most basic components. In the case of mammals, a pile of neurons. Poor Brad is now nothing but,” Amanda stooped down and picked up the viscous glob with her right hand, “Puddy in my hands.”
Amanda squeezed ‘brad’ in her grip. He oozed between her fingers.

“We’re not really sure what exactly a deatomized person experiences, but based upon some studies and tests, we know there’s a form of consciousness in there somewhere.” Amanda then turned and walked out of the room. She was back standing next to Brittany in no time.  

“Brad. Brittany. Brittany. Brad.” Amanda smiled and presented the brown slime to Brittany who reluctantly took it. She hated this part of her job.
“So, uh, how long can somebody last like this?” Brittany asked as she held Brad in her left palm and poked him with her right finger. It felt like a slimier version of Silly Putty. She found it hard to believe that ‘brad’ was still alive, but it also felt as if the slime was grabbing her hand back, as if scared to be released back to Amanda.
“We’re not 100% sure, but we do know it doesn’t take much. To prevent starvation, if you want to call it that, simply giving about 1 liter of water and electrolytes a day seems to do its job.” Amanda tapped away on her computer, writing the results of that day’s ‘experiment’.

“Oh. So, like a sports drink?” Brittany asked, her curiosity growing. She held Brad up to the light and stared at the dirt and dust already stuck in him.
“Mmmm. If you’d want. Sure. The other girls and I found sweat works just as well.” Amanda turned to Brittany with a smirk.
“Is there a way to turn them back?” Brittany continued down her list of questions.

“Yesish.” Amanda replied. “The two that we successfully reversed the process on were blubbering messes. We eventually had to turn them back into snot, but we’re getting closer! Brad will be next on our list.”

“And if there’s no way to turn them back?” Brittany handed Brad back to Amber.

“They make great insoles.” Amber replied matter of factly. She placed Brad on the desk with ‘splat’ and returned to her work.
Brittany’s mind briefly flashed to thousands of people being turned into living blobs for others to wear in their workout shoes.
“Let me know if you need help with any Marketing.” Brittany told Amanda before leaving the tech to her work.

In her office at the top of the building, Brittany typed away on her laptop. Her mind flashing to the sight of Brad’s transformation and how powerless he was. She voiced these thoughts aloud. Her body stretched on a chaise lounge…

“I mean. Can you imagine how terrifying it would be. To have your consciousness trapped inside a blob, forced to be nothing but whatever somebody else wanted you to be. Absolutely powerless with no life of your own. What madness…” Brittany shook her head, “Be sure you really work the soles this time. Last time they were still a bit dry.” She ordered her latest slave without a hint of irony.

“And to top it all off. He was her ex. Like. Just being reduced to nothing because you decided to dump somebody.”
“Uh. Brit.” The voice spoke up.

Brittany peered over her laptop and moved her foot to show her slave. His body was covered in sweat. He had an eyebrow raised.

“Oh hush. We’re different. Work those small hands between those toes and I may let you take me to dinner.”