A Glibertarians Exclusive: Breaking Out, Part III
Ten days later – the forest
Learning to get along in the Outside had occupied much of the escapee’s time. But the gentle country proved friendly. There were fish in a stream near the big rock overhang where they had made their camp, and after several false starts, they learned to catch fish, and found some edible herbs, nuts and berries. And somehow, by some unspoken consensus, Denver ended up being their informal leader.
After the first night in the overhang, the four constructed a woven screen out of brush to separate the area into two sleeping areas – one for Denver and Helena, the other for Romero and Brietta. To commemorate the occasion, they took new names, announcing them one evening after they had eaten:
“Denver and Helena Paine.”
“Brietta and Romero Franklin.”
The days were spent foraging and improving their camp under the overhang. The nights were spent exploring other new aspects of their newly free lives – and not a single Social Interactions Permission form was filed.
On the tenth day they walked to where they could see the big electrical transmission towers, and followed them over several steep ridges until they found the source.
“What is that?” Denver asked. They were at the edge of a wooded area on a hill overlooking a large, open valley.
Brietta chuckled. “Don’t you remember? The classes we had on pre-Green energy production. Remember all the ways they said people were destroying the planet?”
“Sort of.”
Brietta pointed. “That is a nuclear power plant. That’s where the city is getting its electricity. And look, there’s another row of towers heading off the other way. Bet you there’s another City out there that’s getting their power from this nuclear plant.”
“So, who’s keeping the plant running?” Denver wanted to know.
“Look. To the right. There’s a bunch of buildings. Bet you anything it’s a town for the workers in the plant.”
Helena spoke up. “What’s that on the other hill? Over there, to the left?”
“Another building?” Denver examined the larger structure. “No. Not just a building. You reminded me of our classes; do you remember what they showed us, about how the mega-rich lived back in the ‘dark days of capitalism?’ That’s a mansion. And not a relic, either; it’s well-kept. Look, you can see gardens, and the grass around it is cut short. Someone lives there.”
“Someone who is making sure that power plant keeps working,” Denver said.
“Look – there’s another one. You can see the roofline just over the top of that hill.” Brietta looked at her ‘phone. “No signal. I’ve got this in isolation mode anyway. Nobody should be able to track it. Should I take pictures?”
“Yeah,” Denver agreed. “Take pictures. Of everything. Need to get a little closer?”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea. I’ll get what I can from here.”
Brietta moved up and down the tree line, taking pictures from several angles. When she was done, they pulled back into the forest.
“Let’s head back to camp,” Denver suggested. “We need to talk about this.”
It was growing dark by the time they returned to the rock overhang. Brietta started a fire, and the others brought in two large fish. After they ate, the four young fugitives sat around their fire and looked at each other for a while.
As he usually did, Denver voiced the thoughts that had occupied all of them throughout the afternoon. “Lies,” he began. “All of it. Everything they told us. All lies. The old world, what they did – all lies. The Modern Cities, how they were built for inclusiveness and equity, all lies. You all saw that for yourselves; the elite still have their mansions. The environment, how the old society destroyed it, how the Outside was unlivable because of their selfishness – all lies. The new green energy plans, the wind and solar power – all lies.”
“We’ve seen it all,” Helena agreed. The others nodded.
“Why?” Romero asked. “That what I want to know. Why?”
“Why do you think? Control. Oh, the one thing they didn’t lie about was the elites. You saw for yourselves, they still have their mansions in the nice, clean countryside, while we have Minimal Personal cubicles in the Modern City, and have to fill out a bunch of forms before we can hug someone.”
“They did all this, just to keep the regular people under control?”
“Why else?”
“So, what are we going to do about it?” Brietta held up her ‘phone, showing a picture of the mansion. “I presume you think we ought to do something about it?”
“We have to let everyone in the City know about this. Things will change quickly if we can spread the word.”
“You think?” Romero laughed. “How many people are going to want to leave their nice, warm, comfortable cubicles to come out here? We did, sure, but I bet we’re in the minority. Also, now that we’re on the topic, remember that they used to have something Outside called ‘winter?’ What are we going to do when cold weather comes?”
“What are you saying, Romero? Do you want to go back?”
“No, Brietta, I don’t want to go back. Why would I want to go back?”
“To tell the truth,” Denver repeated. “Let’s see if people still trust their government when all this comes out. I mean, we ‘vote’ for the same people, over and over again, they keep promising changes – and what ever changes? It’s time for a real change.”
“Fine, then. How do we go about it?” Romero demanded.
“Well,” Brietta said, “I might know a way. But we’d have to get back into the City.”
“Think that hatch will still be open?” Denver asked.
“Only one way to find out. We haven’t had a Designated Work Week since we left, so maybe nobody’s been down there.”
“Good, then,” Denver said. “We’ll leave tomorrow morning.”
He grinned. “Let’s go rattle some cages.”
***
Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don’t stand in the doorway
Don’t block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
The battle outside ragin’
Will soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin’
Mentally cues up re-education scenes starting with Clockwork Orange.
A bit of the ol ultrapunnage…
“You think?” Romero laughed. “How many people are going to want to leave their nice, warm, comfortable cubicles to come out here? We did, sure, but I bet we’re in the minority. Also, now that we’re on the topic, remember that they used to have something Outside called ‘winter?’ What are we going to do when cold weather comes?”
“What are you saying, Romero? Do you want to go back?”
I knew that was coming.
One thing I question is why plebes would have camera-capable phones to create unlicensed documents not pre-approved by the State. An oversight, perhaps, since there were no expectations of a) anyone being outside or b) nothing worth documenting inside.
Plus, easier for people to be snitches.
They let the plebes keep their toys, they just suppress anything not state-approved.
I don’t question that they HAVE them. I do question that they would be allowed a true “isolation mode.”
Yup.
Pretty sure phones now still try to call home when switched into airplane mode or similar.
It probably says ‘Isolation Mode’ on the display, but actually functions more like a troublemaker flag.
Hopefully Brietta has cobbled together a homemade Faraday pouch…
Indeed.
I can’t believe they didn’t ditch them back at the pod city.
I choose to have faith that the author’s already thought of that and I’m jumping the gun here.
They might be using e.g. wifi instead of a typical cell network, and this are already out of range for normal communications.
There are a lot of other possibilities I’m sure.
I’m pretty sure this is how they will get caught.
Also, maybe this is is how the society gets new leaders or candidates for the relocation project they have in the outer colonies. They could just as easily kill them and make them protein for the weekly rations.
Possibly those in the hive are there because their ancestors wanted it to be this way, a place where woke won. The rest of the productive people built them a hotel womb so they could be “safe and secure” and not ruin the rest of the world with their madness.
I’ll dream I’m safe
In my hotel womb
Soft and soul made
It’s a wonderful room
I wish I’m back
In my hotel womb
Slip through the crack
To that wonderful room
Those whom escape have the right proclivities to graduate to the challenges of living in a world where resiliency is needed. Perhaps one or more of the people who are in the group are agents of the outer existence and are testing their mettle looking for candidates to breed with.
Or it could all end poorly and they become protein.
One of my favorite songs off that record. We truly do have the same collection.
I’m really into the story, so my brain naturally tries to think of all of the potential story possibilities.
This is really good Animal. I don’t think it’s wise for them to go back to the city.
I’m bringing this over from the dead thread because as a Michigander this enrages me.
“MICHIGAN GOV. WHITMER ON COVID LOCKDOWNS: “We had to make some decisions that in retrospect don’t make a lot of sense, right? […] We didn’t want people, you know, all congregating around the gardening supplies. […] It was February in Michigan, no one was planting anyway…””
It would break my heart if Stretchin-Gretchin were to have an unfortunate accident. Truly it would.
As a fellow Michigander, I share the sentiment. It would be ever so unfortunate for her to come down with a sequence of awful diseases, like, say, a herpes outbreak around her eyes, virulent psoriasis, ass cancer, and finally an inoperable brain tumor. My heart would break.
Based on her governing she may already have the inoperable brain tumor.
Bs. She is a sne, authoritarian shibird with an eye on the White House. And you Michiganders looked at her in November and said”More Please”.
Or the fortifications extend to the governor’s races. Gretchen’s top 2 opponents were thrown off the ballot due to “invalid signatures” and a 3rd was changed with a misdemeanor for being at some rally in DC.
Changed = charged
https://www.freep.com/story/news/politics/elections/2022/05/26/michigan-board-state-canvassers-petition-fraud-republican-governor/9939185002/
https://www.freep.com/story/news/politics/elections/2022/07/07/ryan-kelley-michigan-governor-january-6-charges/7829460001/
‘you Michiganders’
Woah now, you can say a lot about me but I’m no mitten head.
Yeah, we’re not a collective. Too many Michiganders voted for her, which I’d stand by even if she only got 2 votes. But not all of us, and there’s reason to believe there were shenanigans with the mail-in ballots.
Surely there could be no shenanigans in the most securest election evar!
Yeah, I doubt it’s gonna go their way when they get back…
Certainly their Social Credit score will take a large hit if the post pictures to whatever social media is present. If they show the pictures to select people and one of them is a glowie they’ll be sent to ‘remedial classes’ separately, perhaps even in different cities.
Yep. They should have left the phones behind anyway. Those will be traced and every picture they take analyzed. And deleted from history by nefarious forces.
I bet Denver and Helena Paine and Brietta and Romero Franklin would be labeled as clearly just crazy conspiracy theorists, and they would have been committed to an appropriate mental health facility following their trials for conspiracy and disinformation.
Great stuff, Animal
“The nights were spent exploring other new aspects of their newly free lives –”
Bow chica wow wow
“and not a single Social Interactions Permission form was filed.”
But are the ladies Q-approved?
Mike, you dishonest cunte.
“History will hold Donald Trump accountable” for what happened on Jan. 6, 2021, Pence told an audience of several hundred policy makers and journalists on Saturday night in Washington.
Pence recounted before the hushed gathering how his own life was put at risk as Trump’s supporters stormed the Capitol while he stood on the Senate floor to help oversee the certification of the 2020 election. He described how he had to hide, at the direction of security, from rioters rampaging through the building.
“President Trump was wrong,” Pence said, recalling that he wasn’t afraid, but “angry.” “His reckless words endangered my family and everyone at the Capitol.”
“Reckless words”? Like “go peacefully”?
What a pathetic cunte.
Rampaging, escorted by police. Potato, potahto.
I think Mike knows his political future is kaput. Now, he’s eager to ingratiate himself to the establishment to see if he can at least score a lucrative sinecure.
Sounds about right. Unless he, like so many before him, mistakenly thinks that people will vote for a Republican who acts like a Democrat when they have the option to vote for a real Democrat.
Why not? Pence voted for Carter in 1980.
Yeah, but he’s tainted for that market by having been Trump’s VP. They’ll happily cheer him throwing Trump under the bus. But, they’ve got a long list of more reliable options.
A Man Without A Country.
Great story, Animal.
I’m honestly wondering whether the mansion they saw was just a house. I mean, to someone raised in a pod, I’m guessing a house would sort of seem like a mansion.
And as to the reaction if they returned to the city? Don’t do it! If we’ve learned anything over the last few years, it’s that a large portion of the people being lied to will desperately support the lie. They like the social credit scores and the artificially-imposed status. They want a superiority over the fellows that they know they could never otherwise have.
I think that’s the white middle-class Karens. The poor urban and ruralites weren’t buying the vax and they certainly don’t feel morally superior in their poorness. HOWEVER, they also will support the lie by inertia. Having boundaries, no matter how tight, is comforting and having freedom is difficult and exhausting. You have to make decisions and initiate actions and sometimes do things that are “illegal” (meaning, things TPTB don’t like), which has associated fear attached. We discuss the Founding Fathers as if they had no fear. It’s easier for us to digest this way, but they had to have been plenty scared and did it anyway.
And if you’ve never had a moment in your life where you were expected or wanted to act independently, it wouldn’t occur to you to try. If it did occur to you, you wouldn’t know where to begin.
For a much lower risk scenario. It’s also how quite a few people approach cooking. The recipe says they need to add x, so they add x. They never consider leaving x out, or replacing x with anything else.
Not according to all the internet recipe reviews I’ve read.
“I tried this chicken recipe but used pork and fried it instead of baking and swapped out the white wine for a tomato sauce, it wasn’t very good”
This is true.
“I didn’t have any eggs, so I replaced them with a banana-chia-flaxseed pulse. It turned out terrible; this recipe is terrible.”
Hah, that’s great. I usually read the comments because they often have helpful suggestions, but some of them just make you shake your head.
Depends on the recipe, but if it’s a first time and I haven’t done the same/similar one before, I try to follow it to the letter. Once I have an idea of how it’s supposed to be, I’m open to variations.
#metoo
I generally do the same thing. First time, follow the instructions, and then adjust to tastes, unless it’s something where I’m just looking for an idea (example: it’s a casserole, cream of anything will work, it doesn’t have to be cream of mushroom).
That said, baking is more of a science than cooking, which is more of an art.
Mojeaux:
Very true, which is why I specified cooking. I’ve got a handful of baking recipes that I’ve learned well enough that I can play with and tweak.
Tulip wrote an article about baking by the seat of your pants and I found it very helpful.
I first read that as “Banking by the seat of your pants”, and went “Wait, what?”
You didn’t know that tulip was behind SVB?
“(meaning, things TPTB don’t like)”
Puns.
…
Oh, you meant the real TPTB.
I’m so happy I’m not a Gamma. I’m happy to be a Beta, I don’t think I could handle all of the work of being an Alpha.
Terrible idea, kids.
Great chapter, Animal!
+1 to both sentiments.
I think Mike knows his political future is kaput. Now, he’s eager to ingratiate himself to the establishment to see if he can at least score a lucrative sinecure.
President of a mediocre state university, maybe?
Fans of Animal: I have been scheduling his work….and lets just say that Mondays at 1100 are covered to June. Enjoy!
NICE!
Yeah, I’ve been having the orphans clear snow and tote firewood, so I’m free to write more. Makes it convenient.
*standing ovation*
A steady diet of Joyless Reid should be good for morale.
“Nothing makes [our troops] feel more like home than their access to American television programming, and a popular channel is Fox News,” says Democrat Eric Swalwell.
“We need to take a look at how [Fox News] is being broadcast to our troops.”
Perhaps we should just bring them home.
Tackling the tough stuff.
I remember this panic happening before.
When I was living in Japan, Rush was their target to get off AFN.
I remember the French fashion show channel and MTV Europe being popular. Fox News was only on in the MWR building.
Good stuff Animal. Amazed at your week-to-week output of these. On another note, I will be in OKC in April if any Glibs around
Be sure to try an Oklahoma Onion Burger (assuming you like onions).
Had em, not too bad. Been to OKC many times over the past 10 years. Need to find a good Nudie Booty again too 😉
Del Rancho steak sandwich is a must-get.
Norman area, what are you doing and how long?
This is interesting:
Major foreign holders of United States treasury securities as of November 2022
What happens if we default?
The Cayman Islands???? looks like drug cartels, politicians, and CIA slush funds holding down 6th place.
How the fuck can Peru be holding 31B?
Cocaine $$
Russia isn’t on the list at all.
Here we go:
https://twitter.com/nic__carter/status/1635328056234766337
Which crypto were they into?
If it was a stablecoin like Tether or Circle, then there’s a strong possibility that he’s correct. Powell is on the record as wanting to destroy that ecosystem.
Is anything shocking anymore?
Nothing.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6ogdCG3tAWj78lwIVHjSU9pqYwa1KM9b
Damn you Tundra!
Nothing’s Shocking (link NSFW due to album cover).
Although this is a bailout, it’s appears to be a bailout targeted solely at US banks. I don’t see how overseas banks get access to the Fed under the program they created.
It looks like Powell is backing up the US banking system and telling the offshore dollar market to eat shit, unlike in 2008 when the Fed bailed them out too.
We’re going to find out shortly.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10967735/Australian-bank-Volt-collapses-140-workers-losing-jobs.html
I’m looking forward to monsters that look like Greta Thunberg to come pouncing out of the underbrush.
https://cdn.openart.ai/stable_diffusion/d5c5d6d27d234edea28f9e7757203a93e9a25eb0_2000x2000.webp
GAH!
My eyes!
lol
dude…
Just pair it with this (NSFW).
Thanks for that.
https://ibb.co/QrQwYZv
I still think she’s a Fed.
Great story, Animal.
WOOHOO!
Plot twist: They’re all feds.
It’s a Paranoia game!
it’s the Sports Illustrated curse, but for con artists
What phenomenal story series so far Animal! One of things I’m trying to do is teach my 3-year-old how to think for herself and not be so easily persuaded by her peers so she can have the mental fortitude to fight against this bullshit ass collectivism.
Is it kosher to make fun of lunatics?
https://twitter.com/KeithOlbermann/status/1634373104716640260
I don’t know, I don’t keep kosher.
Is he a lunatic or does he just really know his audience?
Audience?
Musk from the top rope:
“Have you considered a career in comedy?”
The cavalry have come
HSBC has scooped up the UK arm of failed Silicon Valley Bank, securing the deposits of thousands of British tech firms that hold money at the lender.
Had a buyer not been found, SVB UK would have been placed into insolvency by the Bank of England following the stunning collapse of its parent in the United States. Insolvency would have left customers with only deposits worth up to £85,000 ($100,000) — or £170,000 ($200,000) for joint accounts — guaranteed.
In a statement, the central bank said it “can confirm that all depositors’ money with SVB UK is safe and secure as a result of this transaction.”
HSBC, Europe’s biggest bank, announced the £1 ($1.2) deal early Monday morning, saying it would be effective “immediately.”
The acquisition should “end the nightmare thousands of tech firms had been experiencing over the past few days,” Susannah Streeter, head of money and markets at investing platform Hargreaves Lansdown, said in a statement.
Nightmare averted?
Nope. It seems Powell has structured the bailout to prevent foreign banks from feeding at our trough.
Now we’ll see who runs out of liquidity first. I’m betting it’s not the Fed.
Pretty good bet.
Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr~
Pretty sure it was HSBC who had their own catastrophe and bailout back in the late 00s.
Or maybe I’m misremembering.
I thought “ the £1 ($1.2) deal” was a nice touch.
The HSBC rescue is “fantastic news” for the UK startup ecosystem, said Piotr Pisarz, the CEO of Uncapped, a financial tech startup that lends to other startups. “I think we can all relax a bit today,” he told CNN.
Uncapped had launched an emergency funding program Saturday to help companies meet payroll and other obligations. It had received “hundreds” of applications from UK and US firms by Monday, according to Pisarz, who said it remained ready to support firms affected by the SVB collapse. Uncapped is also offering longer-term bridge loans to help with working capital.
Pisarz said startup companies would likely look to diversify their banking relationships because of this event. It was an “unhealthy situation” to have around half of Britain’s startup ecosystem banking with a single institution, he added.
Diversification? That’s so old fashioned.
Probably racist too.
But I thought the “D” in “DEI” was for diversification.
Isn’t that acronym “Discrimination Enforcement Initiative”
Technical read: https://clownbasket.substack.com/p/explainer-expression-vector-contamination
Savage Bee is the best Bee.
Damn.
It’s French pro trans kids?
Thanks Animal, great reading but I worry about the Paines/Franklins on their return to Uncivilization. Late to the party as usual but I’m a slow reader.