Chapter 173
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There were some new sleeping arraingements made on Tuesday August 1st. Those who'd chosen to leave slept together, defectors slept together. The loyalists would have to stay a few more days, at least until governor Santos could properly arrange their return. Amy and Eve slept in the same bed. They still weren't sure what they were, but they didn't have many beds. After more than a month of sleeping alone, locked inside her cell every night, it would take a little getting used to sleeping next to anyone again. The future was uncertain, the girls were both scared. It helped to sleep next to a friend.
The next few days at the oil rig were confusing. Most people, both loyalists and defectors, continued with oil drilling. Whatever happenned, the fuel was needed for the Arks. Things were awkward between the two groups, but for now they could work together. They watched tv in the same rooms, uncensored at last. Mason addressed the nation, said he and Douglas were in negotiations to resolve the conflict peacefully. He promised those loyalists stuck in militia territory, they had not been abandoned. Already some had left the Collective States and returned to the United States. Others from the United States had come to the Collective States. They seemed to feel that Douglas was offering more freedom. What happenned to either group of refugees was anyones's guess.
During this week Amy showed Eve a video on Youtube. They had been in isolation when Texas secceeded. The night before Douglas made a speech, from an undisclosed location, his followers were briefly able to hi-jack the airwaves, give people a chance to see it.
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Douglas: My fellow Americans, I apologize for interrupting your tv. I know it can be fun to lose yourself in your favorite programs. But I felt it neccessary to talk to you about the state of this country. Over the last year and a half we have seen our president, George Mason, sieze more and more power for himself. He decides what everyone makes, what a carton of milk will cost. Once we could've objected when we disagreed with the president. We could've petitioned our congressman, taken our case to the courts, even voted the president out of office. Now, one man controls the courts. Those in congress who support Mason are kept in office. The political dissidents are arrested, placed into forced-labor camps. We cannot even worship without fearing reprisals. Who is to blame for this? Some are more to blame that others. But for the most part, if you want to know who is to blame, we need only look in the mirror. I cannot claim to be innocent in this. I hoped to protect the system from within, but in doing so I knowingly served Mason in his tyrannical regime. We all became afraid, who wouldn't be? Mason promised to protect us, and all he asked in return was our silent, obedient, consent. If this seems like a fair trade to you. If you feel it has all been worth it. Then stay with Mason. But if you feel as I feel, and if you are wiling to fight for your freedom. Then join me. Tomorrow twenty state legislatures will vote on whether to remain in the union, or leave it. Some will leave, will help me to start a new nation. We are not abandoning our American values, we are fighting for them. To make sure that liberty and democracy continue, even now. The choice is yours. Thank you, and good luck.