Inside Brian’s Brain

Prompt: Write about your antagonist’s life at the age of 16. This one is interesting for me because I’m currently in the process of outlining and developing a new manuscript idea. I want to get to know my antagonist, but I don’t want to give too much away to you all. So if it feels like I’m holding back in this post which is less like a story and more like a character portrait, it’s because I am =P

Knowledge is power, and that was Brian’s biggest problem with the system. It gave people too much power, and when the uneducated, ignorant, self-centered mongrels that made up the general population had knowledge, were given power, of course things were going to go wrong.

The best thing to do was to take that knowledge away. Sure there would be outrage at first, but eventually, if they were persuaded in just the right way, they wouldn’t even realize they missed it.

At 16, Brian was still two years away from learning the truth as it applied to him. But unlike everyone else under the age of 18, he didn’t care. And unlike everyone over the age of 18, he didn’t think it mattered. Knowing where you came from was trivial. Knowing where you were going, who you’d bring with you, who you were willing to sacrifice, now that was important.

He told his friends as much. Well, his close acquaintances. Brian would never stoop so low as to actually call them friends. Nor would they do the same for him – there was a mutual understanding that centered on an appreciation of brilliance. Brian wasn’t attractive. He didn’t have exceptional charm. He wasn’t among the popular ranks because he was kind or wealthy.

Brian was, simply put, a genius when it came to reading people. He could twist knowledge, the cold hard facts of life, the most heinous truths, and almost always end a conversation with his greatest foe agreeing with him. Just give him an issue: politics, the economy, the environment, lowering the drinking age, raising the social security age, anything you want, he could argue it. He was a debate coach’s dream.

But he wanted more than some silly, stupid ribbon in high school for participation, for proving that his peers were idiots. Everyone already knew they were, and it hardly seemed like a good use of time to advertise the obvious.

No he aimed higher. Generations ago when the program that defined a nation was put in place, their goal was simple. Too simple to Brian. It could be so much more. Again, the ignorance of these people with so much power and who could implement so much change made him sick to his stomach.  The answer, the possibilities of what the program could become hit him when he was 12. It had been the first time he had ever gone overseas. In Europe, people always looked at him, studied him. His features were a unique blend that always led to questions: “Is he Italian? Greek? Asian?”

But Brian always responded the same way. “I’m American.” And when he realized that was the answer to an even bigger question, it became the cause he’s been dedicated to ever since. Why should other countries get to take the credit? Shouldn’t his homeland get to take the cake?

The seed was planted. The idea grew, and with his planning and research came knowledge that so many others took for granted and overlooked.

You wouldn’t have necessarily known it when you looked at Brian when he was 16, but he was already a person with tremendous power. And when he grew up, he was one of the most powerful people the country had ever seen. His plan was in place, and it was only a matter of time before his vision was finally realized. He was invincible.

Or at least he thought he was. Because in all his time looking forward, he never looked back over his shoulder.

He never saw her coming.