Refraction by Wick Welker
Author:Wick Welker [Welker, Wick]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Demodocus Publishing LLC
Published: 2021-04-29T22:00:00+00:00
The next morning, Cal awoke to rain dripping on his face. He got up and found Raz sitting by the extinguished fire, gazing at a small photographâa family portrait.
âWhoâs that?â Cal asked, pointing.
Raz, caught unaware, slid the picture into his front pocket. âUm, my family.â
âReally?â Cal got excited about meeting a new cousin and aunt.
âNo, not anymore. Theyâre gone.â
Cal frowned. âWhat happened?â
âTheyâ¦â He squinted at Cal, something complex written on his brow. âTheyâve died.â
âIâm sorry. I wish I couldâve known them. Did Central deport them?â
âNot exactly. I had the opportunity to see them more and I didnât. Itâs a story for another time. Right now, weâve got more important things to talk about. We have things to do.â
Benedito joined the conversation after returning from a spot at the edge of the campsite that he deemed to be the latrine.
âHow does Central Cell stay in power?â Raz questioned them.
Cal looked up, thinking. âIt keeps us blind. They stop us from knowing the truth.â
Raz nodded. âThatâs true, but when people donât really care to begin withâwhen theyâve ceased to be citizens and have become nothing more than consumersâthey donât really care to find out. Commercialism breeds apathy. If people donât ask questions, they donât really have to blind us. Think of how easy it wouldâve been for one of you to fly into Copper Mound and see how these people are living. But you never even thought to do it. And this place is no more than thirty miles outside of Central.â
âTrue,â Cal acquiesced.
âHow else might they maintain power?â Raz asked.
Benedito spoke up, âThey just lie. They kept saying I had something to do with you and Cal but I didnât do anything. They twisted my words and created evidence out of thin air. And then, to get me to talk, they throw me into a mine. They terrorize us.â
Raz nodded. âYes, they only tell the truth if it benefits them, and even then, they reframe or re-contextualize facts to fit a comfortable narrative. Theyâre also not above outright lying. They'll intimidate, bully, and kidnap anyone who threatens the institution. They use the same scare tactics that many world powers have used throughout history. They build walls to keep out the underprivileged. They have strict laws prohibiting their citizens from leavingâmaintaining their vetted population. These are all their tactics, but itâs not how they keep a stranglehold over the worldâs resources.â
âHow then?â Cal asked.
âExclusivity,â Raz simply stated. âTo be a citizen, you must make a certain amount of money. If you donât, you get kicked out. They breed elitism by creating a false sense of scarcity. By doing so, the remaining citizens that do qualify, naturally conform without need for coercion. This is where Central is unique. The people become unified by status and the will of the people becomes the will of the government. It becomes a utopian harmony of greed and self-importance. When every citizen feels like a king, they have no need for dissentâno fire within themâthat questions the authority.
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