Matt Stockamp's Revised Topic

What deficiencies have been manifested in a student's academic potential and learning environment due to government and community control's power in restricting public high school teachers to teach a certain curriculum that does not allow for educated discussion including foreign perspectives and opinions?

Dory Doctorow takes a distinct stand on this topic through the major differences in Ms. Galvez and Mrs. Andersen. In Ms. Galvez's case, Doctorow explores how much more comes out of a class that involves educated discussion and multiple opinions. This happens when the class discusses what is wrong with what the DHS is doing and how they are treating others. Ms. Galvez opens this question for discussion where Marcus shares his view, and it is appreciated. We see the difference of this compared to a regulated class discussion under Mrs. Andersen. When Marcus begins to share his personal opinion, Mrs. Andersen dismisses him as she sides with the DHS as she is forced to do. It is interesting to note that after Galvez allows this discussion with multiple opinions, she is never seen again in the novel. That is the power the government has over our education that Doctorow hints at in Little Brother. Through these two scenes it is made obvious that Doctorow fights for the allowance of multi-opinionated class discussion as it produces critical thinking and then requires the student to take a certain stance on a topic.

New Hypertext Pitch

I am focusing on teens who have problems trusting authority, more specifically police officers. This relates to Cory Doctorow's "Little Brother" in that the main character, Marcus has a huge problem with trusting authority. This is a central theme to the book as well. Kids now days don't trust authority or respect it.

Refined Question for the Analytical Hypertext

What risks are incurred in indoctrinating students in a Private Catholic Boarding Schools?

Understand the fact that this is a religious schools and is outside the jurisdiction of the government. This is a private institution and are not subject to the same laws applicable to its public counterpart. However, there may be some trouble when a certain view is forced upon a student who does not share the same faith as the establishment. Going to a Catholic School does not mean one must abide by the teachings of the sect. Therefore, it is alarming when the views of this establishment is forced to a student. For the most part, one should always be allowed to say ‘no.’ What I mean by this is that a student should have the option of opting out of a certain activity if they feel that it is not in compliance with their moral values. Furthermore, there is a certain amount of rigidity in the core curriculum of such schools. It cannot be avoided when the school requires taking ‘Religious’ classes. Yet I firmly believe that one should not have to if one feels that it is not beneficial for him or her.

Schools are there to educate students. Their job isn't to find out everything students do outside school even if they don't affect their behavior in school. Cory Doctorow would agree with my statement as he as well believes that students are and feel free when outside campus. In little Brother, the principle has Charles, a snitch, that informes him about all the activities students do outside of school. Marcus goes against Charles and Benson as he believes that what they do is wrong.

Problem Hypertext 2

So my hypertext is going to be about the kids who trust authority. This relates to Charles in Little Brother because I do not feel that Doctorow is giving a fair representation of kids who trust authority. He describes people who trust authority as prudes and people who are doing it for all of the wrong reasons. If Doctorow is trying to convince kids like me to distrust and ridicule authority, he is failing miserably. I felt like he did not write a protagonist that I can relate to and I had no interest in participating in what he and his friends do on a normal basis. I do not worship the government or think that all of our laws are smart and/or the right ones, but I have never had a reason to distrust the government and neither had Marcus and his friends at the beginning of this novel. Before the terrorist attacks, all of these kids were privileged, private school kids who never had shortcomings that were significant. But what makes me angry is that a bad guy was a kid who liked the teachers and followed the rules.

Matt's hypertext proposal

Students are not obtaining their maximum educational opportunities and intellectual potential due to propaganda and subjugation from professors that has formed our learning environment.

Hypertext Proposal

Society and it's social norms change over time and the last thirty to forty years are a great example of this. The social activities and socially acceptable behaviors that were conventional while our parents were our age are in many ways drastically different than the ones we assume today. In some ways they were worse and in some ways they were better. However, day to day, hypocritical parents are criticizing their children for undertaking activities that they themselves did or even worse. While they may be doing this in a protective nature, it is still unacceptable in some fashions. Therefore, I would like to research this issue and obtain more information regarding the problem.

TSA & Security Theatre

The TSA employs numerous methods to try and prevent terrorism. Why do you remove your shoes at the airport? Why can't you take liquids aboard? Why do I need a pat down?

The question is how effective are these techniques.

In Little Brother, Doctorow illustrates the DHS's ineptitude and ineffectuality. Even trivial techniques like putting rocks in shoes completely nullify gait recognition. RFID tracking can be spoofed and tampered with.

Little Brother is fiction, there are many, very serious flaws in the TSA's methods. Coined by Bruce Schneier (one of the book's afterword authors), the term 'security theatre' describes the TSA's impression of security while not actually providing real security. Many argue that the TSA is designed to provide the perception that they are providing security, while not actually doing a good job.

Last summer I took a domestic flight in Australia. There was absolutely no security whatsoever. It was wonderfully refreshing to simply enter the airport, walk to the gate, and step onto the plane. No metal detectors, no x-rays, no scanners, no nothing. I didn't feel any less secure.

Can there be a balance between security and privacy/non-hassle? What are the problems with the TSA's approach and security techniques?

After spying on android users was mentioned I remembered the entire Carrier IQ fiasco that caused an uproar last year and decided that maybe it was something I could look into. Though personally I wasn't really affected, I knew that the majority of users out there didn't know how to remove, let alone detect, Carrier IQ's spyware. (To have been able to detect Carrier IQ you'd need an app developed by XDA developer, supercurio. If you wanted to remove it you could simply flash a custom ROM by CyanogenMod or MIUI which didn't have any of Carrier IQ's nonsense). Obviously if this had affected me personally I would be pissed. People can do stupid things on their phones, things they may not want others to know. If someone was recording everything you did (Carrier IQ had supposedly been able to track keystrokes) then this so called privacy you thought you had would just be an illusion, the reality being someone out there knew a bit too much about you than they should've.

So what would CD had done about this problem? He'd probably just reveal what Carrier IQ was doing (which Trevor Eckhart had done) and let the people, the consumers, bring down Carrier IQ through their purchasing power. No one wanted a phone with Carrier IQ on it which mean't that only phones without Carrier IQ spyware on it would sell. The market adjusted, and Carrier IQ was brought down.

H.T. Proposal

I would like to study the impact and implications of the Patriot Act and compare it to the situation present in the novel, Little Brother. The Patriot Act essentially granted the US government the ability to spy on potential “terrorists” through underhanded methods such as wiretapping. Furthermore, it reduced restrictions on law enforcement agencies’ ability to search various types of private records. Many Americans considered the bill to be a blatant violation of privacy and accused it of being unconstitutional. I believe that Cory Doctorow would stand in staunch opposition of this bill because it intrudes on basic liberties. In many ways, the bill allows many of the same surveillance strategies, such as wire and Internet tapping, that Marcus fights against in the book.

Our History Books

I want to center my hypertext around the question of who writes our high school history books? Do the authors accurately describe every event without bias, and do they give a alternative viewpoints? Basically do we give weight to all opinions and versions of history or not. I think the real conflict is whether the economics and politics of high school history books take precedence over the actual learning. I will get a stronger conflict once I start my research. I think Doctorow, through the use of Ms. Galvez, Charles, and Mrs. Anderson, believes that our history books aren't getting it right. He has Ms. Galvez describe protest movements in detail, and from a contrasting point of view, which is in conflict with Charles ideals which were ingrained in him through the mind numbing teaching of history.

Hypertext Proposal

Although going the extra length to provide security for students has always comforted me, our recent class discussions made me realize how unnecessary some of the safety measures schools have taken in recent years have become. Even though I did not even notice them my first two years of high school, cameras were all over the campus - even in the cafeteria. Once I did notice them, I definitely became more uncomfortable because I felt obligated to be careful of what I said in front of them...not that I said bad things, but the thought of some old guy in a room analyzing videos weirded me out. Anyway, I began to notice more and more cameras around school, then the administration hired twenty-four hour security guards who roamed our halls, and, perhaps most disturbing, the deans and teachers began creating fake Facebook profiles and adding students to spy on them, which taught us all how vulnerable we were. Our every move was watched at school, and our Facebooks, filled with pictures and events from our lives, were open to them to see. I think that security is important at school, but I also think that by watching people constantly, with cameras AND non-stop security, it becomes like prison.

I think Cory Doctorow would agree that some surveillance in schools is necessary, yet, as in his novel, sometimes the line between an acceptable/unacceptable amounts of it can get blurry. He would probably suggest an alternative, more effective way of preventing crime that would flip the current system and target outsiders rather than students. Cory Doctorow uses the examples of cameras and monitoring online activity, which are common today, yet I think his novel proves that he believes that sometimes administrations take surveillance too far and instead of keeping kids safe, they end up making them paranoid and possibly even more endangered.

Trash search

I respect authority and think it's needed. The second that authority is abused is when i lose my respect and become offended. Sobrato monitors us in many ways, but the one that i find most offensive to our rights as citizens of our country is monitoring our trash. I understand this is a private instate and by signing a contract with the school we loose many of our rights but i still do not agree with this. Cary Doctorow book would relate to this in the ways Marcus deals with the monitoring in his school. I will provide my answer to this problem and hopefully give a solution.

Marcus is monitored in his high school by his laptop surveillance, gait recognizer, and then later on with video surveillance. Doctorow gives the solution of using the system against them by either hacking it or fooling it with a couple pebbles. all in all we have to fight the system that is trying to take away our privacy or rights.

Problem Hypertext

When I began to think of a topic for this particular hypertext, I realized that, in general, I trust authority. I trust that the police and the government are doing everything for the benefit of the people as a whole. So I think that my hypertext will be about how I pretty much trust authority and if that is a good or a bad thing. The ironic thing is that I am no saint. I do normal college things that I would not want my professors to know about and I was raised by two very liberal parents who always tell me to go with my gut and what I think is right. But I trust authority and even if I am stupid and/or ignorant I think it would be an interesting topic to write about.

-Maggie

David Newton: Topic Proposal and Doctorow's Answer

I propose a research hypertext that examines the conversation of college dorm security/surveillance and seeks to add information about security/surveillance at SCU dorms, in particular. My greatest concern is with the building administration's methods of preventative security. I feel that the staff's efforts to try to prevent bad things from happening are largely ineffective. Simultaneously, I feel that they breach students' rights to privacy. My frustration stems from the annoyance of having to submit to useless preventative security.

As suggested by the novel, surveillance has its uses, but its usefullness eventually diminishes as more surveillance is introduced. Like Marcus, I appreciate protection and fully realize that protection inevitably requires some form of privacy invasion. With this hypertext, I want to suggest an optimal level of preventative security for dorms that balances the importance of safety with the importance of privacy.

Through Little Brother, Cory Doctorow expresses disgust toward preventative security through his Marcus character. He writes about a power-abusing department of the government in order to drive his message that more security measures does not create more security. I would expect him to stand in favor of the elimination of most or all preventative security measures at SCU dorms. He would believe that the benefits of such measures do not justify the cost of lost privacy of the students.

Problem-Mallory Miller

One problem in society I have found prominent in the book Little Brother, is punishment is often skewed or biased depending on the type of authority. For example, Marcus' principle suspends him for two whole weeks just because he speaks his mind in class. Perhaps Marcus could have had a better attitude, but I don't think he deserves two weeks of suspension. The principle just acted this way because he has hated Marcus for years now so he gave him a worse punishment than needed. Another example in the book- sever hair cut lady tortures Marcus and his friends and holds them hostage just because they were at the scene of the bombing, and Marcus refuses to give his password. They were there by chance, not because they were terrorists. Their punishment, being held hostage, is ridiculous especially in such a trying time. Marcus is put in his right place and judged fairly only when he is brought to court and tried by a true judge. Court with a trial and Jury is Cory's solution to biased authorities giving unfair punishments.

Briar's Hypertext

For my research Hypertext, I would like to explore the issue of “terrorism” with an emphasis on airports and airport security. Although this is unlike the bay bridge or BART attacks, it is relevant to me because I have traveled to numerous airports in the US with a huge pair of scissors and never once have been stopped. The second I got to Amsterdam, they scissors were discarded because of their potential threat to others. In Little Brother, the DHS cracks down, but when Marcus switches up the codes they DHS gets flustered. I feel this is happening with the TSA after the 9/11 attacks and would enjoy researching further.

Analytical Hypertext

On the questions of Education:

Public Education vs. Private Education: More on the issue of Private Education.

From the Cory Doctorow novel, the issue of education and how it is supervised is one of the core themes. In it, he explores the relationship between those who follow the rigidity of indoctrination and those who see pass its superficiality. I have always attended Private Schools for my education - specifically, religious schools. They followed a certain way of teaching subjects and I questioned their methods. In the novel the relationship between Marcus, Charles, Mrs. Galvez, and Mrs. Andersen shows the intricate relationship between those who are restraint and those who are activist.

If Cory Doctorow were assessing the problem, then the answer is a little clear. Then education should be free of indoctrination. It should not force a certain viewpoint but present the data where the student that should be deciding. Forcing a certain view regardless of whether it is good or bad erases the creativity and ability of the students to think freely. They will derive most of their beliefs from only one perspective and possibly reject the others.

Research Hypertext

When thinking about an idea for my hypertext that would be related to Little Brother I thought about the theme of surveillance with an emphasis on school and extracurricular activities. Many schools like my high school would find out things that students did outside of school and would get punished for that. However, I cannot understand why the school is able to punish a student if he is doing something inappropriate outside school but doesn’t affect his behavior within campus. Do they actually have the jurisdiction of punishing us for something we did outside of school?

For my research hypertext, I want to explore the concept of indoctrination in schools. This really hits home for me since my high school did a pretty good job of indoctrinating it's students. In specific, I'd like to explore the differences in the legality of the indoctrination of students in public school vs. private schools. I'd like to look at the problem of the very blurry line between a school having influence over its students and a school crossing the line into indoctrination.
I think Cory Doctorow wouldn't agree with any type of indoctrination in schools. I think this because of Mrs. Galvez's positive reaction to Marcus when he quoted the declaration of independence in class to counter against Charles' arguments. And then, getting rid of Mrs. Galvez in his story and replacing her with Mrs. Andersen, Doctorow wanted to prove a point that teachers should not be fired because they encourage debate and free thinking.

Comic 3 (Rage)

This comic pokes fun at the fact that all of the technologies which Marcus uses to avoid detection are far from bulletproof. While much of these measures are more than effective at hiding the average citizen from basic government or ISP surveillance, far more effective technologies are necessary to hide a "terrorist" from the eyes of the "government's" anti-cybercrime divisions. My basic premise was that, if I could get around Marcus' protection myself, far more capable security specialists employed by the government would be able to do so without much effort.

3

A WIP of the final scenes between Carrie and Marcus.

remixing little brother

http://webpages.scu.edu/ftp/gcarmelino/comic.html

My remix takes the story and flips it on it's head. I take the protagonist and make him into a terrorist. Marcus starts the story off as a victim. a victim to a mistake by the DHS, but in his revenge and his form of justice he slowly becomes the terrorist they were looking for in the first place. He begins to create havoc in the society and causes people to mistrust there government. So i thought if the kid is capable of doing so much and cause the government so much trouble, he is a terrorist and should be depicted as one. at the end of the strip i make fun of the fact that a kid could be capable of so much when such things as dinner or his parents bed time could hinder his actions.

Remixing Little Brother - Golkar

http://webpages.scu.edu/ftp/aegolkar/ctw2_remix3.html

I felt that the revolutionary struggle depicted in the book was overly-romanticized. Throughout the novel, there are some overt and implied comparisons of Marcus to some of the greatest revolutionary minds in history, such as Ceasar Chavez. I added my own tinge to this by expanding upon this notion. I chose to compare Marcus to some of the more controversial radicals whose ideals drove them to fight against an authority that they deemed unfit to rule. While their methods were anything but peaceful, their desire for freedom was still very much there.

Matt Stockamp's New Remix

I wrote a remix based upon what the future and legacy of Marcus Yallow might hold. I remember talking class about different ways of writing history, and as I thought about what I wanted to remix I pondered about what future history books might say about Marcus. I decided to write about a future history class and their discussion about freedom through involving Marcus in their history book. I wanted to have Mrs. Andersen (Marcus's teacher) teach the class because I wanted to imagine her changing sides and siding with Marcus after realizing the good he had done for the country and realizing that she had accepted authority's propaganda and been stupidified. I also reflect on some themes in this remix. So here it is:

Little Brother Remix

Setting: The year is 2050 and this remix takes place in a public high school history class.

Student:

Excuse me Mrs. Andersen. I was just reading my textbook, American Heroes from the 17^th through the 21^st Century, and I stumbled upon a man by the name of Marcus Yallow. Why is this kid’s name in a history book along with guys like Abraham Lincoln and Dr. Martin Luther King? I mean what did a 17 year old high schooler ever do to gain such a national legacy?

Mrs. Andersen:

I’m glad you asked that question because I was planning on lecturing on our rights as citizens for freedom, but I can’t think of a better way of explaining this subject than to spend this class talking to you about Marcus Yallow.

In the early 2000s, America and especially San Francisco lived in fear due to terrorism. The Bay Bridge had just been bombed, leaving over 4,000 people dead and an innumerable amount of citizens missing. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was on the prowl at every moment, suspecting and accusing multitudes of innocent people of being terrorists. Marcus Yallow was one of these citizens.

After the bombs went off, Marcus was abducted by the DHS and sent to a secret prison on Treasure Island. While he was there, he was interrogated and horribly mistreated. Upon getting released, his life was changed and he swore an oath to take down the DHS and bring back America as the “Land of the Free”.

What many of you will be surprised to hear is that I taught Marcus that same year. I remember he came into class one day just infuriated that I was protecting the DHS and approving of their snoopy behavior because it was the government’s doing who had forced these beliefs on me. He demanded a change in the government and even quoted the Declaration of Independence:

Governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness.

Marcus Yallow never took anything at face value and by that I mean to say that he was not stupidified by the government or the education system. Marcus stood up for his rights, and believed that the same government that wrote the Declaration of Independence did not have the authority to alter their governing in a way to harm their citizens. He was not stupidified like many of us who go about life accepting what we are told. We are propagandized every day, and a stupidified person accepts this propaganda without a grain of salt. I fell into this category for years, and it breaks my heart that I stood behind an immoral government and berated Marcus for his actions. Own up to your rights and knowledge, and never accept what you are taught without challenging and testing it. Don’t adapt and be passive about the abuse of your rights. Marcus personifies someone who stood up for what he believed in through opposing authority to the point of death for what he believed was the right thing to do.

To answer your question, Marcus stands side by side with American heroes in your textbook because he fought for freedom when this nation was going in the opposite direction of oppression. He is the George Washington of the 21^st century. Both of them were anarchists who fought for what they believed was right, and each of them stabilized the nation and brought freedom to the people.

Marcus’s most famous quote comes from the time he was in danger with the DHS: “You can’t get anything done by doing nothing. They’ve taken it from us. The terrorists who attack us are still free – but were are not. I can’t go underground for a year, ten years, my whole life, waiting for freedom to be handed to me. Freedom is something you have to take for yourself.”

Marcus Yallow stood up against the DHS and regained America’s freedom in a time of distress. His legacy leaves him as one of the greatest patriots of our time.

I urge you to not stand idle when you are propagandized or especially when you feel your freedom being taken from you. Fight for what is yours as Marcus and our forefathers have done. Don’t fall into stupidification as I did, but establish your own opinions and challenge authority to whatever level if it contradicts with your civil rights and liberties.

Does that sufficiently answer your question?

Student:

Thank you Mrs. Andersen. That answer is more than enough.

Little Brother Comic Remix

For my third remix, I created a comic that expands upon my second, except I used Bitstrips instead of Comic Life. This comic addresses the issue of Mrs. Galvez's arrest for having a discussion about popular civil rights movements and revolutionaries. It shows how absurdly the Department of Homeland Security acts in the novel, and it offers a similar yet alternative ending to the book.

Link to my site: webpages.scu.edu/ftp/nclaghorn (click "Little Brother Remix")

Little Van

http://webpages.scu.edu/ftp/dnewton/bitstrips.html to view my remix.

I created another bitstrips comic that takes the perspective of Vanessa Pak. Van disappears from the novel for a good chunk of the middle plot. During this period, it is unclear how she spends her time. Toward the end of the novel, the reader learns that Van had liked Marcus the entire time. My comic pokes fun at this turn of events.

David Newton

Little Brother Dubstep REMIX (ft. Nicholas Yames)

So for my third remix I decided to take the last lines of Chapter 4 and play off of the cliffhanger. This is the scene in which Marcus is finally released for the first time and is grabbed by Van and Jolu. Instead of having him freed, I have him pulled back into the truck. I then use the classic Doctorow cliff-hangers and theme of youth in revolt over the next few chapters.

It was daylight outside, gray and drizzling. I was looking down an alley toward cars and trucks and bikes zipping down the road. I stood transfixed on the truck's top step, staring at freedom.

My knees shook. I knew now that they were playing with me again. In a moment, the guards would grab me and drag me back inside, the bag would go over my head again, and I would be back on the boat and sent off to the prison again, to the endless, unanswerable questions. I barely held myself back from stuffing my fist in my mouth. 

Then I forced myself to go down one stair. Another stair. The last stair. My sneakers crunched down on the crap on the alley's floor, broken glass, a needle, gravel. I took a step. Another. I reached the mouth of the alley and stepped onto the sidewalk. 

No one grabbed me.

I was free.

Then strong arms threw themselves around me. I nearly cried.

Chapter 5

Then as they dragged me back up each staircase, I did cry. It was past my time to consider my own personal pride. I sobbed. I sobbed and didn't care if they knew I was sobbing. Having been so close to freedom, so close to my normal life again, only to be dragged back into the miserable hell-hole in which I had barely existed the last few days was the most traumatic experience of my life. That is, up until what happened next.

I was led back to my cell, half-towed half carried, which would be my home for the next two weeks. Every other day I was summoned, and asked the same questions each time. It seemed as if they didn't find any information that they expected to find in my e-mail and other devices. Now all they asked was,

"Why were you there Marcus?! Why were you so close to the bombing and why in the hell were you not going towards the safe shelter?!" Severe Haircut Lady was stuck on the same point and refused to believe me when I told her the truth. Sick from the same questioning over and over and also due to a lack of water and food from the past two days, I inquired back on the fourth day. 

"How are you going to explain this to my parents?"

"Oh that won't be a problem. Remember that packet you so willingly signed off on without reading?" My heart raced as I realized the mistake I had made. "You signed off voluntarily giving us the ability to hold and question you as a witness of a major attack on our country. We can officially hold you for 28 days."

Blood rushed to my face and tears rushed to my eyes. I didn't want to give her the satisfaction though. But as she sniggered at my reaction I lost it. I writhed in my chair, the plastic handcuffs cutting into my wrists. Tears rushed out of my bloodshot eyes. I nearly urinated all over myself… again.

"Wow. If you're this bad after four days imagine how you'll be after ten? Fifteen? Or how about twenty? Why don't you just cooperate and tell us the truth Marcus? That way you and your friends will be better off."

Her emphasis on the and made me shiver. Where were Van and Jolu? Where was Darryl? The thought of my friends going through the same thing I was because of my own actions as the de-facto leader of our group infuriated me.

"WE DIDN'T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE BOMBING!" I hollered back. "WE'RE GOD DAMN HIGH SCHOOL KIDS!"

As she went through her normal charade about how we are the "exact prototype" that terrorists look for, my vision began to fade. I had exerted too much energy without having food or water or anything of sustenance for so long. My body couldn't handle it. My mind zoned out even more and I saw her motion for a guard to move towards me but it was too late; my chair was tipping and my eyes were blacked out before I hit the ground. 

Chapter 6

The next 48-hours are very hazy in my memory. I was in and out of consciousness. All I truly remember is the vision of a doctor examining me and giving hushed orders to a nurse I could not see. I could only make out his outline, not his face. The only distinguishable feature of the room that I recognized was the IV Pack towering over me. I remember looking at it and realizing that it was essentially the only thing keeping me alive. At one especially perturbing moment of my dip back into relative consciousness I remember thinking, "If I die, they will be punished. If I die, that could be my payback." For a split second I wanted to die. For revenge. But I managed a barely stable heartbeat. And then I slept. 

I woke up back on the floor of my cell in what seemed to be the early morning hours of the next day. Apparently I was in a stable state again because there was no longer a comfortable hospital bed, doctors and nurses, or even an IV keeping me alive. Once they realized I would survive they dragged me back to my cell and threw me right back onto the ground.

"Bastards," I whispered under my breath though clearly nobody would hear me. It was the first moment of peace I could remember from that prison. The first time the shuffling of guards in the hall could not be heard or the distant screams of another interrogation victim. 

Unable to fall back asleep, I simply sat there. My thoughts wandered. I felt rested, and less upset than the day before. Then I thought, "Was that the day before?"

My compilation of memories from the hospital bed could have stretched over an hour or a week. I had no way of discerning them. This scared me. What more could have happened in the time I was out. What about Van? Jolu? Darryl?

But my thoughts were unable to stray any closer to the subjects most dear to my heart. Food was shoved in the door flap. It was my first time seeing actual food in what seemed like months. Even though it looked like some disgusting form of a stew, my heart raced and my stomached growled at the sight of it. 

I paused a moment, waiting to make sure it was not another trick. After what seemed like an hour but was probably 30-seconds I gave in and lunged at the bowl. I grabbed it and was not struck, not grabbed and was even able to maintain the food. I ate the soup/stew concoction in less than a minute. My stomach was still not satisfied.

Later that day guards summoned me and I was given exercise time in the yard. As I felt fresh air for the first time in over a week, my lungs felt as if they were screaming in rejoice. I lounged around, observing my surroundings. My mind felt stronger than it had since the original bombing. I began examining the prison when I finally realized something; there were no other prisoners in the yard. Each time I had been outside before there were other prisoners.

Then I noticed a group observing me from what looked like a poorly hidden guard tower. Two women had clipboards and were staggered behind a man. It took me a few seconds to jog my memory and then I finally recognized the man. He was the vague figure of the doctor who was caring for me. 

My thoughts were stuck on this point as I glared back at them as they carefully observed me.

"What had gone wrong when I was out?" I thought. "Why are they so intent on watching me?" Then I thought about the soup. 

"Did they poison me?" I began to panic. I knew it was too easy. I should have known they wouldn't have given me that food so easily. I began pacing back and forth. I stuck my finger down my throat and tried to make myself throw up. When this failed I began showing more signs of anxiety. I briefly saw the doctor motion towards the guards, then I saw the guards begin advancing on me as I stumbled. Then everything went black. Again.

Chapter 7

I was summoned again. But this time was different. I was asleep on the floor of my cell when the door burst open. Ready to face the usual guards I was astonished to be face to face with Severe Haircut Lady as I stood up. I was so shocked that I stumbled backwards and nearly passed out again. Really, her haircut is that bad.

This was the first time she had come directly to my cell. She glanced at me with a look in her eyes I had not seen before. She looked at me with an uncomfortable sense of empathy. 

"Marcus." She paused. She never paused before she spoke. It was if she was going to vomit out the words she was about to say. "How are you feeling?"

Well that explained her resistance to saying it. But why did she care? 

"Fine I guess." I replied. Not knowing whether to supply attitude or weakness. "What's it to you?" I went with a little of both.

"Marcus," she started up again, ignoring my slight hostility. "You were sick. Very sick. Close to dying in fact. We had to care for you."

She was nervous. I had the sense that I had the upper hand as she continued, "We had to give you some drugs to keep you alive." She bit her lip at this. She was not content with about she was about to say. "The drugs we gave you… They've never been used before."

My sense of the upper hand vanished. What had they given me? Did they poison me? What was it? Was I going to die? Before I could even ask any of these questions she began explaining how I was to be released immediately. I was to be taken on the next ship to shore like before and set free. This wasn't a lie either. This was different. Her speech remained skittish, I could tell she was not lying. My own nervousness escalated exponentially; and then she said,

"But we will be watching you Marcus. No matter what you do. We will be watching you. Make one false step and you'll be right back in here."

I felt nauseous. Was it part of the mysterious medication they had given me or was it just in my head? I convinced myself I wouldn't throw up. My mind fazed in and out again as I was sent on the same whirlwind I was the first time I was "released." 

This time it was real though. Somewhere on the ship ride to shore I regained my discernment in order to recognize this fact. I was going to be free. But as the truck drove over bumps and stopped at the hauntingly familiar stop, I realized I didn't want to be free. None of my questions had been answered just as I could not have answered theres. I began screaming for the Severe Haircut Lady, shouting questions about the drugs. What were they? Will I be okay?

But it was too late. She was not there. Just two guards. Or three maybe. I still had a bag on my head. One opened the door and two carried me down the steps. They removed the bag stepped back and closed the truck door and began driving away. I shouted a fain last attempt for answers but they were already around the corner before I finished my sentence.

I turned to the alleyway I was in. It was a familiar part of town. I began to walk. Desperate for anything. Anyone. But most desperate to be in that jail. And answers.