~SEVENTEEN YEARS AGO~
*As narrated by Dr. Robert Keller
"One day, war will rage on as the world has never seen before. Entire countries will be destroyed; entire nationalities will be decimated; and entire species will be lost forevermore.
What we can safely hope for is to be able to nip in the bud the stirrings of an urge to destroy by destroying those we feel have the potential to do so.
This is within the interests of the world as a whole.
World War Three must be prevented before it is even contemplated.
But what strategy do we implant? What, ladies and gentlemen, is the most effective way of counteracting potential war? Do we go in, guns blazing, attacking the Russians? Do we nuke Japan once again?
No. No, we do not.
This will simply result in full-scale war, the one thing we are attempting to prevent. This is an abrasive measure. This will only end with fighting fire with fire - and then, what will the point of THAT be?
You may be asking yourselves what I, a mere doctor; a scientist, am doing up at this podium, speaking to you as if I have stood in your heavy-soled boots with a gun in my hand, taking another man's life. You might not be listening to me as I speak, but I ask that you take into consideration what little you have heard.
All of us present here know what we humans are like. We know our behaviour patterns. We know this - and we fear it.
We fear it for our children; for our grandchildren; for our great-grandchildren; and so on and so forth.
So I ask you: As hypocrites combating war with weapons, are we accomplishing anything? Are we changing anything? Are we?
You know, the human mind is a funny thing. It remembers things easier in groups of three. Peace, love, happiness. The sixties were a fun time, weren't they?
The human mind is funny for another reason: It can make you believe things. Isn't that how hypnotists make a quick buck?
Where am I going with this, you're wondering?
Well, I believe that the future of peace depends on the enemy's psyche. Think about it. Think really hard about. The brain is a weapon. It is also a weakness; an Achilles heel, so to speak. If we can infiltrate someone's mind, just imagine the possibilities.
Just imagine.
However, as I look at you, I imagine the sacrifices each and every one of you has to make. This is for the good of your respective countries; for the good of civilization.
I believe I have created something that goes far beyond normal weaponry; something that will ensure that troublemakers are nipped in the bud.
Merely telling you about it is not enough. I shall show you. This, ladies and gentlemen, concludes the seminar. I look forward to working with you all."
At the back of the room, Michael Martins held the hand of his pregnant wife. She squeezed it hard, and gave him a weak smile.
The other couples sat in silence, lost in thought.
CZYTASZ
The Secret Life of Inanimate Objects
Dla nastolatkówWhen Terra was a kid, her bed attacked her. Of course, no one believed her - but after that, she becomes afraid of being alone. Her family is convinced that it is a phase, but is it? It's the way the objects in her house move slightly, taunting her...
