The Paranoid
3. Victory
Over the years of evolution and human disasters, the term ‘raid’ has changed. Before the rebellion, it was classified as a sort of attack, and was usually used when describing army techniques. But after the rebellion, the term was changed from raid to Raid, and was used even less often then before.
During the rebellion, the word was used to name terrorist attacks. At first it was used by the government, to give the public a sense of security because it was so ‘innocent’ and ‘small‘ sounding. But then the terrorist caught whiff of the governments use of words and decided to stick with it. Mainly to mess with the governments head, mainly to obtain a kind of sick pleasure. Terrorists during the rebellion always liked to turn a persons brain inside out before they killed them, anyways.
But once the rebellion was over and the government had finally regained control of their land and people, the word got banned, due to it’s many uses in the five year long war. The term turned into a name and the meaning was turned into a disaster. Anyone who even muttered the word was kept under a microscope, and was to be sent to Tundra 5 if thought to be holding any type secrets. Paranoia sent many innocent people to the ice queen’s death, tearing everyones sense of safety apart. Because back then, Tundra 5 was worse then the rebellion and System of Stars’ war packed in one punch.
Tundra 5 was, and still continues to be, huge. It has lots of ice and cold and frostbite. People sent there usually never returned, and the ones that did were usually sent to their sectional prison right after. If you didn’t die the day the government informed you that you were going to Tundra 5 or the four waiting days afterwards, then it was almost guaranteed that you weren’t going to have a very nice funeral.
Every terrorist playing a part, big or small, in the rebellion was sent to Tundra 5. Every ex - caption or fighter who survived System of Stars’ war, was sent to Tundra 5. Every father, mother, daughter and son thought to be suspicious, was sent to Tundra 5. It was the governments use of fear to help control the economy better, and much faster. Of course it had put some in panic, learning that their friends or family was leaving for the dry prison, but that didn’t matter to anyone but the person, themselves. No one cared for anyone after the rebellion. Even now, I see my elders giving each other a judging look, and acting as though their word meant the same as an Eyes. But once they remembered the year, and that their words were only important to blood and not The Leaders, they would let their sharp edges smooth back to normal and their trust run free through their family again.
Fear, and the foreshadowing of death, can make the worse come out in the best of people. That’s exactly what I want.
***
When I was younger, before I got sent to the center, I would share my room back home with my older brother, Alec. I wouldn’t see him too much due to him being five years older than me and already attending school when I was learning to walk, but we did have a close relationship. Or as close as you can be to another, with only seeing them four times a year. Being with him usually meant music from banned labels and ancient curse words. Sometimes, though, when I had talked so much that he just wanted to smack me in my mouth but then realized he couldn’t without him being smacked in the mouth himself, he would tell me stories.
Most of them were just stories of him at Sky or him with his stupid friends,
following stupid girls around. But when he would wake up in the middle of the night due to the thunder and lightning outside our window, and he would hear the tears I would try to hide in my pillow, he would come over to my side, and he would tell me stories of times before the rebellion and wars. He knew I liked those stories best.
They all sounded fake to me, which is one of the reasons I liked them so much. They were like some silly fairy tale where the prince saved the princess from the dragon, but Alec swore they weren’t. And I trusted Alec. But seriously, a world where they were ruled by only one person, and not six? That’s just unbelievable. But then Alec would remind me that, hey, Ciro, they weren’t ruled back then, they were just guided. And he would be having this look on his face that I didn’t really understand, but wanted to so badly, and I would just sit still for once. Because I wanted him to be happy, and surely me being quiet was all he wanted, right?
Right.
So afterwards, when he had nothing left to say and his darker green air would mix with my lighter, I would sit and wait. I wouldn’t be sure of what I was waiting for, but it just felt like the waiting was needed. I wouldn’t know who exactly needed it, either. I just knew it was wanted.
But then Alec would look at me and snort at my facial expression. Apparently I was real funny back then, because it would make him smile and laugh all the time. Ciro, he would say. Ciro, sometimes I wonder.
I looked at him then, and I would ask what he was wondering about.
I wonder about everything, little brother, would be his answer. Then he would start singing some fast paced song with high screeches in the middle and smile when I tried to join in.
During the rebellion, the word was used to name terrorist attacks. At first it was used by the government, to give the public a sense of security because it was so ‘innocent’ and ‘small‘ sounding. But then the terrorist caught whiff of the governments use of words and decided to stick with it. Mainly to mess with the governments head, mainly to obtain a kind of sick pleasure. Terrorists during the rebellion always liked to turn a persons brain inside out before they killed them, anyways.
But once the rebellion was over and the government had finally regained control of their land and people, the word got banned, due to it’s many uses in the five year long war. The term turned into a name and the meaning was turned into a disaster. Anyone who even muttered the word was kept under a microscope, and was to be sent to Tundra 5 if thought to be holding any type secrets. Paranoia sent many innocent people to the ice queen’s death, tearing everyones sense of safety apart. Because back then, Tundra 5 was worse then the rebellion and System of Stars’ war packed in one punch.
Tundra 5 was, and still continues to be, huge. It has lots of ice and cold and frostbite. People sent there usually never returned, and the ones that did were usually sent to their sectional prison right after. If you didn’t die the day the government informed you that you were going to Tundra 5 or the four waiting days afterwards, then it was almost guaranteed that you weren’t going to have a very nice funeral.
Every terrorist playing a part, big or small, in the rebellion was sent to Tundra 5. Every ex - caption or fighter who survived System of Stars’ war, was sent to Tundra 5. Every father, mother, daughter and son thought to be suspicious, was sent to Tundra 5. It was the governments use of fear to help control the economy better, and much faster. Of course it had put some in panic, learning that their friends or family was leaving for the dry prison, but that didn’t matter to anyone but the person, themselves. No one cared for anyone after the rebellion. Even now, I see my elders giving each other a judging look, and acting as though their word meant the same as an Eyes. But once they remembered the year, and that their words were only important to blood and not The Leaders, they would let their sharp edges smooth back to normal and their trust run free through their family again.
Fear, and the foreshadowing of death, can make the worse come out in the best of people. That’s exactly what I want.
***
When I was younger, before I got sent to the center, I would share my room back home with my older brother, Alec. I wouldn’t see him too much due to him being five years older than me and already attending school when I was learning to walk, but we did have a close relationship. Or as close as you can be to another, with only seeing them four times a year. Being with him usually meant music from banned labels and ancient curse words. Sometimes, though, when I had talked so much that he just wanted to smack me in my mouth but then realized he couldn’t without him being smacked in the mouth himself, he would tell me stories.
Most of them were just stories of him at Sky or him with his stupid friends,
following stupid girls around. But when he would wake up in the middle of the night due to the thunder and lightning outside our window, and he would hear the tears I would try to hide in my pillow, he would come over to my side, and he would tell me stories of times before the rebellion and wars. He knew I liked those stories best.
They all sounded fake to me, which is one of the reasons I liked them so much. They were like some silly fairy tale where the prince saved the princess from the dragon, but Alec swore they weren’t. And I trusted Alec. But seriously, a world where they were ruled by only one person, and not six? That’s just unbelievable. But then Alec would remind me that, hey, Ciro, they weren’t ruled back then, they were just guided. And he would be having this look on his face that I didn’t really understand, but wanted to so badly, and I would just sit still for once. Because I wanted him to be happy, and surely me being quiet was all he wanted, right?
Right.
So afterwards, when he had nothing left to say and his darker green air would mix with my lighter, I would sit and wait. I wouldn’t be sure of what I was waiting for, but it just felt like the waiting was needed. I wouldn’t know who exactly needed it, either. I just knew it was wanted.
But then Alec would look at me and snort at my facial expression. Apparently I was real funny back then, because it would make him smile and laugh all the time. Ciro, he would say. Ciro, sometimes I wonder.
I looked at him then, and I would ask what he was wondering about.
I wonder about everything, little brother, would be his answer. Then he would start singing some fast paced song with high screeches in the middle and smile when I tried to join in.