Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction ❯ 1986 ❯ Ingsoc, Big Brother, and Fuhrer King Bradley ( Chapter 2 )

Chapter 2: Ingsoc, Big Brother, and Fuhrer King Bradley

 

It took some time to explain to Ed where they were. Winston was unknowingly lucky to have clamed Ed down so quickly. The Walked through the city, talking, Ed was wearing a party outfit, it was a little tight.

“So,” Ed said quietly walking down the street with Winston (as to not draw any attention to them) “am I to understand this place, this city is called Airstrip one?”

“Yes,” whether you believe me or unbelieve me is your choice.” Winston replied quietly, “We are currently at war with Eurasia, we always have been.”

“I know a bit about war my self,” Ed said solemnly “its always hard to see those you care about die in battle.”

“No one I know has died.” Winston said shortly, pondering Ed's statement.

“What do you mean?” Ed said his voice raising.

“SSHHHH!” Winston hushed Ed.

“How is that possible?” Ed said quieting down “If you've been at war with Euraizer or whatever for as long as you can remember, someone hast to have died.”

“No,” Winston said firmly “our solders don't die. Big Brother's plans have ensured our army's safety.”

“That's not possible.” Ed said stubbornly, “the object of war is to kill each other.” With out death, there is now war.” Ed said.

Winston opened his mouth to argue, but the sudden logic of the statement hit him and he pondered it. O'Brien's mental reconstruction of Winston's mind was giving away, and reshaping to it's original form.

“Hey Winston,” Ed said, snapping Winston out of his thoughts “thanks for finding these clothes for me.”

“Yes.” Winston replied, returning to deep thought.

 

*flash back*

 

Winston walks to the end of the hall in the victory mansion and knocks on the door. The person opens up. It is a mother, he ask if he can borrow one of her son's outfits. She asks why, he lies and says that a distant relative has come to visit. For a moment, double think kicks in and he knows the blond boy is his distant relative, such is the power of double think. She grabs an outfit and hands it to him, he tells her he will return it as soon as his relation leaves for home.

 

*end flashback*

 

“I want to know,” Ed said “why are you speaking so strangely? You use words that I've never heard before, they make sense, but I've never heard them.”

“What do you mean?” Winston said looking at Ed.

“You use words like crimethink, double-plus-ungood, minilove. They sound like a child attempting grammer, but used by everybody.”

“You're talking about newspeak.” Winston said understanding Ed's question “we are fixing the English language, so many extra, unuseful words, so Big Brother decided to make the language accurate, double accurate. Instead of asying very accurate or more accurate, we get rid of the words `very' and `more' and replace them with double. There by eliminating two useless words and making the statement double accurate.” Winston said this with a mechanical efficiency that scared Ed.

 

“Attention. The two minutes hate will begin momentarily.” A public address system announced in a dull, lifeless manner.

Winston stopped and so did Ed. Ed watched in amazement as the entire world seemed to stop and gather around the telescreens.

Then it began. Ed watched in horror as people became more a and more violent at the images on the screen. He too was so offended he was shouting and jumping like the rest, not able to control his emothions. When the image of Big Brother was shown on the screen and the people chanting his name, Ed suddenly regained control of himself.

“Wha…” he said holding his forehead with his hand.

“Play along!” Winston whispered sharply in Ed's ear.

Ed took the hint and joined in the chanting.

After the two minutes hate was over and everybody returning to their tasks, Ed turned and walked away quickly. “I see” he said darkly.

“You see what?” Winston said catching up.

“Now I see what this world is.” He said “I might not understand all of it's facets, but I have a general idea.”

“What are you going to do?” Winston asked, worried.

“Give the people hope.” Ed whispered triumphantly.

Winston suddenly remembered…as though it were a dream, sitting at his desk, writing in the diary, if there is any hope, it lies in the proles. A realization hit him, he was going to wake them up. “Wait.” Winston said grabbing Ed's arm.

“What?”Ed said looking at Winston.

“There's something you should hear.” Winston looked directly into Ed's eyes. Ed looked back, there was an understanding between them.

“Alright, tell me all you know” Ed said quietly.

Ed and Winston spent hours walking around the city, Winston describing the events of his personal revolution and his encounter in the ministry of love. Ed listen in shock, each step in the story becoming worse and worse. When at last Winston finished his story, they were standing in front of the victory mansion. They climbed the stairs in silence until Ed's eyes passed over a poster. He saw the poster before, but didn't make the connection. Big Brother looked familiar, too familiar. Ed realized who it was and told Winston to hurry. Upon entering the room Ed whispered “Where can we talk and not be heard?”

“Over there.” Winston said pointing to a corner of the room.

They walked to the corner and Ed whispered: “that poster is that Big Brother?”

“Yes, why?”

“He's in my world too.” Ed said

“What?”

“Only in my world he had a different name.”

“What is it?”

“Fuhrer King Bradley”

 

So tell me what you thought of ch. 2! It's hard writing from Orwell's point of view, so let me know you like this or else I'm not going to continue writing past ch. 3. I'm working on a concise standard disclaimer and will insert it when it is complete, so please be patient.