Mind Control

Wars

Drew and I are sitting on the loveseat, facing Julie and George. There's a few snacks on the coffee table, but they're untouched.

"Julie, I know my face is nice to look at, but can you please stop staring and start explaining what the hell is going on?" Drew snaps.

I elbow him. "Don't talk to her like that!" I scold under my breath.

"Alright alright," she sighs. "I'll start from the beginning. So both of your parents were successful scientists, each specializing in their own fields. We knew Drew's parents first, George and your father, Drew, were good friends growing up. They introduced us to your parents, Lydia,"

"Skip the formalities and just tell them what happened Julie," George sighs. "Have you ever wondered how the Egyptian kings got their citizens to work for free, to build the pyramids?"

"They believed that the king was the reincarnation of God on Earth, and thus they were working for God," I say.

"That's what all the textbooks and historians say, but your parents thought otherwise. A company called Lotus approached both your parents, telling them they suspected the Egyptians used some form of mind control to accomplish what they did. Your parents laughed it off," says George.

"Understandably. The Egyptians may have been an advanced civilization, but certainly not advanced enough for any kind of mind control," Drew argues.

"About two years later, another company, a Russian one, approached them. This time they threatened them. They ordered your parents to work on developing a means of mind control. They consented, and worked for them for about 8 years," George continues.

"While Vlast, the Russian company, had your parents working on this, they were searching the globe for traces of the mind control formula," Julie says.

"Wait, formula? So this mind control thing was done by, what? Swallowing something?" I asked, unconvinced.

"We can't be sure, but most think it was a powder that was put into the citizens' food and water. Anyways, you can find traces of this mind control throughout history. At one point, we think the Athenians had it. Which might be why the Peloponnesian War started," Julie replies.

"Um, hate to break it to you, but no. Athens made an alliance with Corcyra, which was a strategically important colony to Corinth. After some fighting, Athens took steps that violated the Thirty Years' Treaty. When one of Sparta's allies attacked one of Athens', the war began," Drew smirks.

"Julie, I love you and all, but Drew is right. Dad had me study the Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians extensively," I add in. "There isn't any evidence here. I can say the Second World War was caused by a fight over this mind control thing,"

"Exactly. How did Hitler convince all of Germany that the Jews were at fault? How did he get Germans to kill Jews? The Germans knew it was wrong, Lydia. But Hitler and the Nazis somehow convinced them that they were doing the right thing," Julie argues.

"It was because people were looking for new solutions. The Treaty of Versailles crippled the German economy, and then the Great Depression hit, making everything worse," I say, a little less confidently. 

"Does that make any sense? The economy is bad, people are losing their jobs, so they lose all sense of morality? They think killing other humans is the right way to go?" asks George impatiently.

"If this thing is so recent, why aren't there any records of it?" challenges Drew.

"Why in the world would records be kept about such a dangerous weapon? I'm sure it was a well kept secret, only known by Hitler and his inner circle. Some even think Hitler was using it against his inner circle," Julie retorts.

"Alright! We can go arguing about this forever. I'm still not completely convinced, but I'd like to know how this connects to Drew and I being kidnapped!" I interrupt.

"Your parents did manage to develop a form of mind control. Not the same one the Egyptians used, but a modern one, requiring the use of technology," George says, looking at me. "They had made a decision, once you were born, that they would never let anyone have control of this technology,"

"So when you were ten, and Drew was eleven, they destroyed everything. They deleted all the data, and made sure it could never be retreived," Julie continues, tearing up. "The president of this company ordered your parents to be murdered," 

"Wait, both our mothers were murdered, but not our fathers. Why?" Drew asks.

"That was just coincidence, Andrew," Julie replies, full out crying now. 

"And our fathers? Why were they murdered?" I push. I don't mean to be insensitive but I need to know the truth.

"They both knew they were in danger, so they sought the protection of another company; Lotus. They made sure, through a deal, that Vlast wouldn't come after them. A month ago, the president of Lotus ordered one of Vlast's important men to be murdered. The head of Vlast was furious, and all deals were disregarded. There were killings left, right and center. This included your fathers. You two were trained, in case anything happened. You were homeschooled, and your curriculum focused largely on history. Why? Well, that knowledge came to use today, didn't it? Enough talking for the night. I'm making dinner, you two go up to a room and get comfortable," George says, trying to comfort Julie.

"One last question, George. Why do they want us?" Drew asks quickly, standing up.

"That's what has us worried. We have no clue,"