Abandoned World: The Awakening

— Charlie, are you in the clouds or something? Who doesn't know about this? We heard it from one probation worker, then another. Same thing. How proud they were that they'd gotten it right. And since they did, they got to do whatever they wanted with the prisoners… I realize no one wanted to tell you because… Because you're so nice. You're always so sweet about the bright future we have. That there even is a future. That's worth a lot. We all believe in it, Charlie. I guess that's why nobody ever tells you, because you're so kind. You're so supportive of all of us. Not like Tannet. Not like some of the elders. Nobody's gonna tell them either, 'cause they know how they're gonna act. They'll deny it. Peyton can convince them otherwise. No one doubts it. He's so smart. He's so good at explaining things. That's why no one's talking out loud. You know what I mean, Charlie?

— I certainly do. — Haddock replied. He had just heard something he had never expected to hear in his twenty-four years. That behind his back the whole station would be living a life of its own, knowing all the underhanded games he had invented, and not telling the secret to himself, because his position required him to be diligent and responsible about such things as history, social studies, and ideology. This is the kind of grave he dug for himself during this time. The kind of grave into which it is worth nothing to fall — you do it and you won't notice. And the people left above will only tell you that they could not warn you, because you are so good that you do not deserve to know what terrible wolf traps, bear pits and human graves exist everywhere. They say you need to protect your psyche from such things, or there will be no one to tell them stories.

— I know I do. — Haddock repeated. — Thank you for telling me, Delaney. What else is going on in that prison? Tell me, so I know and so I can make sure Peyton doesn't go in there.

— It's a living hell! That's what happens there… Those who become wardens, for some reason, immediately change. They become real assholes. And they don't even realize it. I don't get it, Charlie. Two of them were so easy to tell how clever they were, they'd come up with elaborate schemes to deceive others. Deceive and mock. Especially those who had gotten into the Tosca for hiding the media they had found. How they were bullied one at a time, each time coming up with new reasons for the others to give up on any one person…

— What do you mean? What do you mean?

— For example, they would say that one person had done something wrong. It could be far- fetched, but the point was to put everyone in front of a choice: either this one person would be forced to humiliate himself in some way or, for example, everyone would sleep at night without blankets… And every time, they say, it works. Everyone starts to be afraid only for themselves, and someone humiliates himself for all the others… Someone even read somewhere that it is called the Stanford system. That the ancients knew about this human phenomenon. That a person will try to bully another person and do it the more subtly, the less reason he has in reality to do it. The more unfair it is, the more monstrous it will be… That's what people are really like. That's what people are like, Charlie… And nobody wanted to say that in front of you, because you teach us to be kind. You teach us to think about the future, no matter what our present is. And whatever our present self is… Please, Charlie, pretend you don't know any of this. Pretend I didn't say anything. Keep giving us confidence like you did before….

— Of course, Delaney. Of course… It's gonna be our little secret It's gonna be exactly like it

was before. And nothing's gonna happen to Peyton. No Tosca, I promise you. Tell me, are there

other things that everyone's hiding from me, too? Just so I know what to be prepared for, just in case.