Free Minds

Chapter 93.

   Oh.

   My.

   God.

   Was I dead? Yeah, that had to be it. I was dead. And now in hell. That could be the only explanation for this. It was only in the most screwed up part of hell that Alien-Mr. Speck was just Mr. Speck. It was only in hell that Yunie-controlled Mr. Speck could actually be our cool, tech genius, philanthropist principal who does everything for the good of mankind and would certainly not hurt a fly. The Yunies had knocked me out too hard while we were in the hallway. Everything that transpired so far was simply the devil torturing me in his playground.

"Has it in sunk yet?!" Our principal asked, with the same giddiness that got everyone off their feet with wild screams when he was first introduced as Zavlon's new principal in the assembly pod just a few weeks ago.

   I didn't have to look over to the others to see how they'd taken this disturbing revelation. This wide room we were in felt stuffy and congested in an instant. The sudden heat within my body armour was suffocating as the unspoken mood that had engulfed the atmosphere.

   I barely had the time or energy to come to terms with reality when certain way too obvious clues that had always been there came at me with merciless force.

   Like how it was the Virtual glasses by Speck tech for the Virtual Reality dance organised by Mr. Speck that was responsible for the placement of the mind control tech into the heads of Zavolonians. And why Mr. Sacury had come at him the day after the dance in the hallway. Also, how on earth would a bunch of aliens know so much about the history of humanity if there had never been any rumours of sightings of them anywhere in the world like other aliens, so much so that they would make it their personal responsibility to want to do something about it?

   I hated how this was starting to make so much sense, starting to seem truer with each realisation that came to me.

"And here I was thinking I was dealing with the geniuses of the future." Mr. Speck (I just threw up in my mouth) laughed. "I can't believe you hadn't figured it out all this while."

"Maybe it's because no human being who, like us, had seen you and everything you do could ever –" I was saddened at how my voice cracked from the anger and disappointment most likely written all over my face. "–could ever imagine you doing this. Everything you've done in the world of science and technology has been for humanity and has impacted everyone in the best manner one or another. You've inspired so many people–me included!– to follow in your footsteps and make the world a better place. What changed?"

"Absolutely nothing." He sighed, exasperated. "Didn't you listen to anything that I said earlier? I had it all wrong before. You can't make people the way they should be by giving them the best and latest tech or by discovering groundbreaking theories that will alter the course of their lives. People can only become better by changing themselves. As time goes on, however, more and more of them lose sight of that."

"And you think getting in their heads and turning them into puppets is what will lead them down the oh-so-righteous path?"

"Just stop asking questions and begin your search for Mr. Sacury's antidote. If you're lucky you'll live long enough to see my vision come to being."

   How many times did we have to say there was nothing here?!

"So if your technology works only on Zavolonian students, what did you do to our teachers and non-teaching staff?" The horror on Rav's face showed his preparation to receive an equally appalling answer.

   Sedative pods was the cool response he gave, as if putting a bunch of adults with families and/or friends in a weird enclosed space against their own will that turned them to vegetables was normal.