Children of Krina

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Sean's POV

I was worried about Owen and the remaining boys. While Owen had been more open with some things, he was still hiding a lot from us. Normally I would be okay with that, but not this time. Whatever he was hiding was hurting him and was interfering with our family. He chose to step down as lead, he did not really have a choice once we learned he was letting Agatha Biggs control him. We understood that he had not known what he was agreeing to; he had only been nine years-old, after all. To hide it from us for several years though, especially when he is giving us the pompous speeches at every turn: 'Family First', 'Family is a choice'; 'You don't keep secrets from family'. He had turned it all into lies, spit on the promises we made to each other. He may not have been in control, but he was the one who had done it; was still doing it to a certain extent.

His entire reaction to Victor and that he was Krinar, he was ignoring it, shoving it aside since it did not suit his plans. Owen had to accept that Victor was of alien birth and that his people were now living on Earth, that they had welcomed him into their fold. There was nothing Owen or any of us could say that would convince Victor to turn his back on his people. Nor should he have to choose between us. From the looks of it, Victor had made a life for himself and a family. He was accepted and it was not for his money or his fame.

I returned to my research in my quest to free Owen from the evil witch's domination. Once I had my Owen back to normal, we would hunt her down and trade her to the Krinar for Victor. Owen would be happy again.

BRAINWASHING

by Dr. Lawrence Wilson

Definition. Brainwashing is the systematic, and always violent, but not always conscious, distortion or conditioning of the mind of another person for selfish or other harmful purposes using operant conditioning. I will just introduce this large topic. It is not the same as hypnosis, as explained later in this article.

PRINCIPLES OF BRAINWASHING

1. Brainwashing requires an operator and a victim. The operator is an authority figure or the person in charge of the situation. The operator must act in certain ways upon the victim, who by definition is not in control and not in authority.

In other words, brainwashing cannot occur between two equal in power. If they are equal, then brainwashing will only occur if one of the people convinces the other that he or she is a victim and must do as the first person directs.

This means if you can stop being a victim, brainwashing often stops working. It is a key to avoiding brainwashing, though it is often done so subtly that one hardly realized it.

2. It is helpful, though perhaps not always necessary, that the victim be unaware of the process of brainwashing. In other words, it is harder, but certainly not impossible, to brainwash someone who knows what you are trying to do. This is why soldiers are often trained in brainwashing tactics, so at least when they are captured and forced to do odd things they will know why it is so and it may help them resist, though certainly not always.

I have read, for example, that all American soldiers are forced to undergo torture to train them what it is like to be brainwashed. The hope is that it will help them learn to handle it better and avoid their giving in too easily.

3. The first step in brainwashing is the operator applies pain or stress against the victim. This may go on for a few minutes or up to a few years. The word pain or stress can be of many types, such as:

Axel's POV

I waited for the others to finish showering. Victor had invited us to go swimming in the ocean with them. Unlike most homes in the center, Victor and Sang's house was on a cliff above the shore. I was looking forward to seeing it and visiting the special viewing room the marine biologist and one of the engineers had built for Sang at the bottom of the ocean. She had given Victor permission to take us there and let us stay a while if we wished. He assured us that we could film through the glass and that we would be able to see the sea creatures even though it was dark. Something about the nanocytes and our eyes, I did not care as long as I could watch underwater life and I figured Silas would feel the same way.

We were the last to arrive; the pod deposited us right on the beach. Everyone greeted us warmly, human and Krinar. A large kettle sat over a fire, a heavenly aroma rising from it as the contents simmered. The Krinar called Korum gave us each a white metal wristband, than explained that they would keep the sea predators away while we swam and that we were to keep it on at all times while we were in the water. We split up and I went to find Victor, eager to see the ocean floor.

Sang created a small pod and the four of us entered. Instead of rising up into the air, it floated across the sand. I could not help bracing myself with each wave that hit the pod, even though we did not feel it inside. I felt my chest tighten in fear when we were completely under, no scuba or diving gear to let us breathe. Sang distracted us, calming us by pointing out different fish and coral. She soon had us relaxed and enjoying the ride and it was one to remember. We saw Whale Sharks, Leatherback Sea Turtles, Moray Eels, Humpback Whale, Bottle-nosed Dolphins, Manta Rays, and Brain Coral to name only a few.

The pod settled on top of the small house, within a few minutes the floor of the pod opened and our seats floated gently down into the house. They made sure we knew how to work everything, and then returned to the pod. They waved to us once they were swimming outside the building. Two dolphins joined them. They gave one last wave and reached for the dorsal fin, letting the dolphin pull them through the water. I was envious.

Silas' POV

I filmed the sea creatures we passed as we traveled in the pod to the underwater house, I wanted to be able to watch it later and remember. I had expected another speedy trip, but this time the pod moved slower so we could see everything. I was in awe once we were inside the house, everywhere I looked was the ocean floor and the creatures I hope to learn about. If this is what my life was going to be like with the Krinar, I was grateful that they allowed me to join them. My dreams were going to come true and I did not have to worry about getting into the right college.

"I wonder how far behind human technology is compared to the Krinars. We have submarines and maybe some underwater labs, but nothing like this." Axel seemed just as memorized by the view as I was. "It is like I can reach out and touch them."

Brandon's POV

The Krinar did not have to worry about my brother and me telling their secrets. We have found our home. I know the others felt the same way. Corey and I had joined the Academy because we wanted to belong somewhere, to have a family that wanted us. We had found the family part with Axel and the guys, even the doofus, Raven. We were not perfect, none of us were. That was okay, we fit the way we were. There were many things we disagreed with to the Academy and the truth of it was I would not miss it. The Krinar have taken better care of us in the past five years then our parents and the Academy ever have. Yes, it was because Victor asked them to and that is why we are with them now, but they still did it. They could have said no and let us try to survive on our own. Hell, I knew many humans who would. They had not though; they watched over us and made sure we had a safe place to stay. That is what pissed me off about Blackbourne. Even after all they have done for him; he talked about them as if they were dirt beneath his feet. One day soon, he was going to have to accept that Victor was Krinar and was not going to rejoin his team. The Academy was gone, the teams were gone, the only left was the families and they were not as strong as the Academy believed. Life was full of the unexpected and if you could not roll with the punches, you might as well curl up and die.

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