Desmond Linus was born on January 2nd, 2237. His eyes were blue, his hair was brown, he was tall, smart, happy-go-lucky, and an overall pleasant child to be around. He hated his life.
His full name was Desmond Michael Linus Linus, and he hated it intensely. His parents must really have had fun naming him- they picked some very obscure names: "Desmond" from some philosopher a few centuries ago; "Michael" from a physicist doing electromagnetic work at about the same time; and most irritating of all, "Linus": something from a comic strip from the peak of their miserable human civilization. They had the cheek to have the last name "Linus" too.
He hated his parents, who died on him when he needed them most. He hated his clothes because he couldn't afford new ones. He hated school because it moved too slow. He even hated the paint on the walls of his room in the foster house; orange made him nauseous.
Perhaps what he hated most of all was the government- what it was, who ran it, and why he wasn't a part of it. Locke was a collector of bad ideas, especially if they concerned children. Kids attended compulsory education from three months of age. The monitor stayed on until five years old. He outlawed disproportionate meals- every meal must be eaten with every other person, at 6 AM, 12 PM, and 7 PM. If you were late by more than 2 minutes you were executed. Desmond remembered the day the meal law was signed. "All children are required to eat all three meals of the day in perfect synchronization. The punishment for failing to comply is death." He happily signed it and called population control."
Amidst all the hate, though, Desmond Michael Linus Linus cradled one small victory in his hand like a fragile piece of blown glass:
He was not in the Directory.
And that was the way it was going to stay.