บท 11: -Turn around now before you see something you might regret-
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As I thought, the entire rebellion was going fucking nuts over the information I've found. A lot of them refused to believe me. We ended up swearing Tripod into the group just so they could get his confirmation of what I saw. They were all uneasy and disgusted.
Me? I just went about my days as normal. (I even snuck out to visit Will, he's getting so big!) There's not much I can do about it. I started asking about how metal worked if there were no fire. Apparently that's what the Melting Point division is all about. Their room is set up with a large...oven is the best way to put it. It's the only thing I've seen that goes up to higher temperatures. In fact they somehow manage to create high heat without igniting any flames.
As much as I tried to understand how that worked, it just...worked. It made no fucking sense and I'm reminded once more that physics in this world don't work like I know them. A lot of our technology is essentially, 'it just works', and it drives me crazy.
I would have taken that to mean my doomsday fear of everything burning down was exaggerated but considering I still haven't seen any fires around...
The Melting researchers are basically in charge of making the metal parts that go in building machines. Things like stoves and washing machines. Power tools and hospital equipment. They just send molds into the 'oven' to melt down various substances into the shapes they need, no fires needed. It just raised more questions with me but no one there knew the answers either. The shape that originally designed the 'oven' was long since dead and no one bothered to know how it WORKED, only how to USE it.
I asked for a copy of the blueprints for other machines to see if maybe I could learn more about them and thus, get over my own roadblock in my work. A part of me was still considering the whole 'escape and live in the wild' route. I should go through with my plan to see what's outside the city at least.
---
Bled was my guard tonight. I informed him I was just going to ride around on my scooter because it helps me think. He accepted the excuse easily enough and I set off at night, the streets empty as all the shapes went home for curfew.
I don't know how long it was. I kept kicking at the ground to speed up until I got worried about how fast I was going and was forced to slow. The number of houses around me began to decrease in number until I was left with just empty whiteness in all directions. It was unnerving. I suddenly realized I should have bought something to mark my path with. What if I get lost and can't find my way home?
No. It's fine. I've got a good sense of direction and I can use my scooter to point me back. I've only been going straight so all I would need to do is turn around. Still, the utter void around me was creepy. White as far as my eye can see with no distinction between ground or sky. Was there even a sky?
Finally I spotted something. A faint horizontal black line. I slow down and just walk cautiously closer to it. Carefully placing my scooter on the ground, making sure it was still pointed correctly, I walked closer to that line. It was an edge. The end of the ground.
I peered over it and saw nothing. I grabbed onto the edge and leaned over. There was nothing. It was the ends of the world. Just a drop off ledge and nothingness all around. I reached down to feel underneath. Flat and smooth just like the ground I stand on. A flat world. A flat disc. There was nothing underneath when I carefully bent over to look. Not even elephants.
There was nowhere to go. I can't even escape. Not this way at least. I heard about wild animals, probably on the OTHER side of the planet, knowing my luck. I sigh and turn my scooter around to head back. I suspected, but it was still disappointing to know there was nothing out here.
---
There was a rising social unrest. All members of the rebellion were refusing to buy milk. To prevent the infants from starving they've been crushing up fruits and vegetables to make a thick pulpy mush to feed them. The negative effects weren't noticeable immediately.
The infants were overheating. All shapes heat up after eating. It was a side effect from all the energy built up inside us. Breaking down solid foods generates more heat than the children were able to handle. A lot of children were hospitalized for fevers. They simply couldn't handle non-processed foods. I can overheat from just 2 cartons of milk which is already processed for easier digestion. These children just couldn't handle even a semi solid yet.
I essentially 'invented' a strainer so they could just filter out the solids from the juice. It helped a lot. Mini-Sam actually came to thank me. I'm just glad I'm able to help. Some of the other shapes were beginning to notice this strange racial boycott of milk by a sizable population of squares and triangles.
As for me, I'm probably the only shape in the know who still drinks milk. Sadly I don't think I'm growing any bigger. I even got a doctor's appointment to check. He seemed confused because I've long since reach sexual maturity but I'm still not technically an adult. Great, yet more examples of my freakishness. Stupid malnutrition, can't really blame my parents, its really more of my tutor's faults I kept missing meals as a child. In human terms I suppose it would mean I'm stuck looking like an older teenager? Ugh, what else is new? At least its older teen and not younger teen.
The good news is that people wouldn't be able to force me to Click since they instinctively still think I'm a kid. I guess that's good. I can still be Paired though and I really don't want to. Despite all that I still have to deal with being hungry.
"Stupid non-existent stomach. Can't you just NOT?!" I shout at my belly. My belly responded by aching. I drank a carton of milk. My belly made happy feelings.
"Fuck you too."
---
Things were getting tense. I've underestimated how upset the Rebellion was over the whole 'we are feeding our children the crushed bodies of our dead'. Someone on the mail delivery team slipped notes with this information into the mailbox of every shape in our area.
From the muttering I hear around the streets on my way to work it seems even the other districts were given this information. Everywhere I go I see shapes gossiping uneasily about whether or not that strange note was true. It seems even some high class shapes were in the dark about this. Guess only the Waste and Agriculture teams were privy to this knowledge.
Inquiries were sent to the council. So many letters expressing people's need for clarification. Was this true? Why have you hidden this from us? Why are the dead being used as food? These were just a few of the more common letters and complaints being sent in to the council.
Slant told me about these letters and informed me that the Rebellion was planning on stirring up even more unrest and starting a riot. He wanted me to give him some more blueprints for weapons in preparation.
I gave him the finished ballista designs (mounted on wagons for easier transport and aiming) and told him that power tools and other construction materials were good enough for simple weapons.
I've also measured and crafted more of my 'camouflage' suits for several of our members who deal with the assassination and espionage. They've gotten a lot of work done with sneaking into restricted areas. Slant told me they have a good layout of the government buildings. He says we're going to capture the council members and execute them in front of the people during the riot.
This was really happening. We were going to finally start an uprising. I spent my time anxious and worried. Am I ready for this? Hell no. I am so worried and scared and I don't know if I can do this. How many people are going to get hurt?
I outright tell Purple not to participate in the riot. "What? But...this is all that we've been working for?"
"You could get hurt or killed. Please. Stay home that day." I beg him, the nerves of my anxiety made me light headed. I was so stressed out. I haven't been able to sleep properly. I'm sure Purple noticed just how bad I looked because he finally nodded. "Ok. If you're that worried, I'll call in sick that day."
The neighborhood, hell, the whole city was in a tizzy. There were already fights breaking out along the streets. The soldiers were deployed everywhere to arrest people and break up the brawls. The Rebellion was continuing to spread rumors of dark dealings that the Council has been doing. They used me and Tripod's descriptions of the Waste Disposal room to make the truth seem even harsher and scary.
Slant told me the riot would be tomorrow.
I visited Will that night and told him to stay home. To try and force mom and dad to stay home too. Will asked if the rumors were true. "...Yeah. I saw it myself. When I was in the Research center. They threw a body into the grinder."
Will looked absolutely terrified. I tried to hug him the best I can. "That's why I need you to stay home tomorrow. Ok? You can't go outside at all. Close the blinds, stay quiet, block the doors. Please stay safe."
"I-I'll try..." Will's eye was tearing up and he kept trembling. "A-are you going to stay home too big brother?"
"Yes." I lie.
I have to be there. I had to be there. Mini-Sam insisted on it. "This is all thanks to your work. You will have the honor of killing those wretched Circle councilmen." He sounded so proud of me. I just felt sick.
I've been stress drinking milk for a week now. I felt uncomfortable all over, my bricks itched and burned. I can't even throw up despite my anxiety because shapes aren't built to be able to do so. I just lay awake on my bed watching the 'time' slider. Tomorrow we riot. Tomorrow I'll be involved in more violence than I've ever been part of. In either this life or my first. I don't think I'll be able to kill anyone.
I'm so scared. I don't want to do this. This was a bad idea. I take another sip from the milk carton and find it empty. I toss it to the ground with all the others. My insides churned nauseously and I felt exhausted. I really need to sleep. My vision is spinning and despite the energy rumbling inside me, I just felt so...tired.
Tomorrow we riot.
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Mlzuum4
Mlzuum4 In case you didn't guess it yet, something terrible is going to happen to that dimension