#SurvivorsUnderTheCity

[ourbygoneage]

Ch 27: The Debate Verse 1

Rachelle and Noah stood on opposite sides of the makeshift stage, the crowd of survivors gathered around them in anticipation of the debate to come. Tailor, Trace, and Erzabet stood off to the side, watching with interest.

Rachelle spoke first, her voice clear and strong. "Informed consent is the cornerstone of a just and fair society. People have the right to make their own choices about their bodies, their lives, and their communities. It is the responsibility of those in power to inform and educate, not to manipulate and deceive."

Noah nodded thoughtfully, their expression serious. "I agree that informed consent is important, but it's not always enough. Sometimes people don't know what's best for them, and it's the duty of those with knowledge and expertise to guide them. We can't always trust the majority to make the right decision, especially when they don't have all the facts."

Rachelle frowned, crossing her arms. "But who gets to decide what's best for others? You? The government? The medical establishment? That kind of paternalism is dangerous and can lead to abuses of power. We need democracy, transparency, and accountability to prevent that from happening."

Noah shook their head. "Democracy is flawed too. The majority isn't always right, and sometimes the minority needs to be protected from the tyranny of the majority. We need dissenting voices to challenge the status quo and push us to be better. And as for transparency and accountability, they can be used to manipulate and control just as easily as they can be used to promote justice."

The debate continued for hours, the arguments becoming more personal and heated as time went on. Tailor, Trace, and Erzabet watched with interest, occasionally interjecting with their own perspectives.

As the sun began to set, the survivors started to disperse, some nodding in agreement with Rachelle, others with Noah. Rachelle and Noah remained on the stage, still arguing.

"You're advocating for a world in which the powerful can do whatever they want without consequence," Rachelle said, her voice shaking with anger. "That's not justice, that's tyranny."

Noah sighed. "I'm advocating for a world in which those with knowledge and expertise can use their skills to help others, even if it means going against the majority. That's not tyranny, that's responsibility."

Rachelle shook her head. "Responsibility without accountability is just a justification for power. I won't stand for it."

#SurvivorsUnderTheCity #Philosophy #TransRights #chronological

[ourbygoneage]

Ch 26: The Betrayal Verse 3

Tailor takes a deep breath and shows the evidence to the other Horsemen, who gather around him. Rachelle takes the phone from his hand and starts to flip through it, her expression darkening with every image.

"This is...this is terrible," she says, her voice low and angry. "We can't leave the survivors in Jenn's hands. Who knows what else she's been hiding from us?"

Trace nods in agreement, his face set in a grim line. "We need to take action. We can't just let her get away with this."

Erzabet, however, seems less concerned. "Look, we did what we came to do. We took out the council and got the information we needed. Why do we need to stick around and deal with this?"

Rachelle glares at her. "Because we're responsible for what happens here. We can't just leave the survivors in the hands of someone who's only looking out for themselves."

Tailor speaks up, his voice hesitant. "But what do we do? Confront Jenn? Try to take over the settlement ourselves?"

Noah, who has been quietly observing the conversation as the outsider among outsiders, clears their throat. "I have an idea," they say, catching everyone's attention. "But it's risky."

Rachelle raises an eyebrow. "What's your idea?"

Noah explains their plan: the Horsemen will use the evidence they have to confront Jenn and force her to step down, but they will do it in a way that makes it clear they are not seeking power for themselves. They will hold a meeting with the survivors, present the evidence, and call for a new council to be elected, with the Horsemen overseeing the process to ensure it's fair.

"It's a good plan," Trace says, nodding. "But what if it doesn't work? What if Jenn refuses to step down?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Rachelle says firmly. "But we have to do something. We can't just leave things as they are."

Tailor looks around at the group, feeling a sense of purpose and solidarity. They may be outsiders, but they have a responsibility to do what's right for the survivors.

"I'm in," he says, and the others nod in agreement.

#thehorsemen #survivorsunderthecity #takingaction #confrontingjenn #newcouncil #responsibility #solidarity #chronological

[ourbygoneage]

CH 26: The Betrayal Verse 2

Tailor sat in the corner of the dimly lit room, staring blankly at the wall. His thoughts were racing, and he couldn't shake the feeling of betrayal that had taken hold of him. Jenn, the leader he had trusted and fought for, had been secretly controlling the council all along. But what could he do about it?

Noah finished cleaning his tools and came over to sit beside him. "What's on your mind, Tailor?" they asked, noticing the troubled expression on their friend's face.

Tailor sighed heavily and leaned back against the wall. "I found evidence that Jenn has been secretly leading the council all along," he said, his voice strained. "She's been using us as pawns in her power play."

Noah raised an eyebrow in surprise. "What kind of evidence?"

"I found a hidden room in the council chamber," Tailor explained. "There were threatening letters and plans detailing how the whole thing was a setup to scapegoat the council and take control of the survivor base."

Noah's expression darkened. "That's not good," he said, his voice low. "What are you going to do about it?"

Tailor rubbed his temples, feeling the weight of the decision on his shoulders. "I don't know," he admitted. "I feel like I should confront her or at least tell the others, but I don't want to cause any more chaos."

Noah nodded in understanding. "It's a tough call," he said. "But I think you know what you need to do. You can't just sit on this."

Tailor sighed again, knowing that Noah was right. "I know," he said, resigned. "I just wish things didn't have to be so complicated."

Noah put a hand on Tailor's shoulder, offering a small smile of support. "Life is complicated, my friend," he said. "But we can't let that stop us from doing what we feel is right."

Tailor nodded, feeling a sense of resolve growing within him. "You're right," he said. "I need to do something about this. And soon."

#SurvivorsUnderTheCity #Philosophy #Betrayal #chronological

[ourbygoneage]

Ch 26: The Betrayal Verse 1

Tailor can't help but snoop around the council chamber as Noah works, his heart beating rapidly as he searches through the papers on the desk. His eyes widen in shock as he comes across a document with Jenn's name on it.

He quickly scans through it, his heart racing as he realizes that it's a record of secret meetings between Jenn and the council members. She's been pulling strings all along, planning this attack to blame the council and seize control for herself.

Tailor's hands shake as he reads through the document. He finds evidence of deals made behind closed doors, secret shipments of supplies to the council, and plans to use the horsemen as pawns in her game of power.

He also finds correspondences between Jenn and a group of raiders, offering them a chance to take control of the survivor base in exchange for their help in taking down the council. Tailor's stomach churns as he realizes that they were being used all along.

He takes a deep breath and pulls out his phone, snapping pictures of the incriminating evidence. He knows that he needs to bring this to the others, to let them know that Jenn is not the ally she pretended to be.

As he slips out of the council chamber, his mind races with what to do next. He can't let Jenn get away with this, can't let her take control and become the same tyrant she claimed to be fighting against.

#SurvivorsUnderTheCity #Philosophy #Betrayal #chronological

[ourbygoneage]

Ch 24: The Plan Verse 2

Jenn sat at the head of the table in the security room, her fingers tapping against the hard surface. The four horsemen and Noah sat around her, each of them looking tense and focused.

"Okay, here's the plan," Jenn began. "Rachelle, you'll be in charge of setting up distractions around the perimeter of the council building. Trace, you and Tailor will take out the guards at the front entrance. Erzabet, you'll enter from the underground tunnels and take out the guards on the lower levels. And Noah, you'll be in charge of healing any wounded survivors we might encounter."

Tailor frowned. "What about me?"

Jenn turned to look at him. "You'll be my second-in-command. You'll stay with me and help me take down the councilmembers."

Rachelle spoke up, her voice firm. "Hold on a minute. Why are we doing all the work here? And why are we assuming you're not setting us up as scapegoats?"

Jenn's expression hardened. "We need to do this quickly and quietly. And I'm not setting you up as scapegoats. I just can't be seen to be leading this rebellion. I need someone to take the blame if things go wrong."

Rachelle's eyes narrowed. "That's what scapegoat means, Jenn, and you're just expecting us to go along with that?"

Jenn sighed. "Look, I know it's not ideal, but we don't have a lot of options here. We need to take down the council, and we need to do it now. If we wait any longer, more innocent people will die."

Tailor nodded slowly. "She's right. We need to do this. But we need to be careful. We need to make sure we have the support of the survivors before we go ahead."

Rachelle nodded in agreement. "Absolutely. I'm not comfortable doing this without their consent."

Noah spoke up, his voice calm and measured. "And if we can't get the masses to reach a consensus? If we can take down the council quickly and efficiently, we can prevent more innocent lives from being lost due to leadership who aren't considerate of the people's better interests. We just need to make sure we do it right."

The four horsemen and Jenn looked at each other, each of them lost in their own thoughts.

Finally, Jenn spoke up. "Okay. We'll tell the survivors what's going on. But we need to make sure we have a solid plan in place first. And we need to act fast."

#survivorsunderthecity #rebellion #takebackthecity #consentmatters #secrecy #greatergood #SurvivorsUnderTheCity #Revolution #InformedConsent #chronological