TEOTWAWKI
#142 : Refugees-The Toy Gorilla
Weldon took turns, as did almost everyone, tele-operating rescue drones. Today wasn’t going so well. Perhaps if his Avatar hadn’t been a toy Gorilla with fairy wings? The boys had tried to program nonthreatening avatars and someone had mentioned that dragons were scary.
Maybe so, but was a little pot-bellied, gorilla any better? It was embarrassing.

“No Sir.” Weldon told a particularly irate older black gentleman. “I don’t know who Al Sharpton is OR Jesse Jackson. I’m sorry Sir but I’m not going accompany you onto land. I’ll take you close enough so that you can wade ashore then I’m outa there. They don’t like me there and I stay away from places where I’m not wanted.”
“I’ll Sue” the Black man said “You’re violating my rights”.
“What right is that? “ Weldon asked “If it wasn’t for me and other’s like me you’d be dead.”
“If you were black you wouldn’t be talking like that you big gorilla. If I were white we’d not be having this conversation.” The black man was frothing. “Black lies matter!”
Weldon smiled a bit. Shirley the Old Boy hadn’t meant what he’s just said? Oh Well.
“I’m sorry sir. I’ll take you to Oz, a great and wonderful floating palace hidden in the fog, or I’ll take you to shore near a FEMA camp. You have to find your own way from there to anywhere else.” The little Gorilla said. Since the old coot wasn’t cooperating Weldon figured it was all about misdirection now. Confusion to the enemy. When the old guy went running to the Authorities and began ranting about the great and wonderful Oz, hidden in the fog, how much credibility would he have?
Not much.
When the refugees arrived at the Banana Slug most had nothing more than what had been given to them, that is a dragon tear, an omni-suit and an avatar. They were then given a refugee grant. If they were too young to understand money it was placed in escrow. Everyone was eager and willing to help them assimilate into the community. Food and housing was provided. Most of the children were adopted.
Everyone who were not too badly sick or injured were helping everyone else. There were jobs available in the community to anyone who wanted one. If a child felt he was big enough to attempt something no one said no, rather they watched and assisted the kiddo over the hurdles. An economy was growing. Those who accepted jobs had no problem living comfortably.
Other’s chose a different way. By ones and twos, they would leave the tribe for days at a time to look for food and Carbon. Anyone who wanted one was leased a Fluffy. They now came in various models. A small Fluffy could be integrated into a kin-ship to become a prospector. Whole cities lay drowned before them. They were full of petroleum products of all kinds. All it took was a little bit of effort to find some and ‘feed a fluffy.’ It was a chain reaction process. The more crystal-mantas their Fluffys gave birth too, the more SSmoke they had for themselves. That gave them more options. It was all laid out for them in the MagLib.
They usually came back the richer for it, those that lived. Sometimes they were stupid and they died. Some times crap happened and they died too. Life (and death) is like that, no guarantees. They took the hand that they were dealt and they played it and mostly survived or folded and mostly died.
Quitters NEVER win, by definition.
Weldon decided to pull the plug on this guy. Listening to him rant and rave about perceived slights and injustices wasn’t the best way he could think of to spend his day. He’d had a crawful of him and was going to let him go. Weldon remotely adjusted the man’s Omni-suit to PufferFish mode then put it on auto-pilot and pointed the whiner toward the nearest FEMA camp. The guy had plenty of food and water, and a black and yellow toy gorilla avatar. What more could he need? In a few days he’d arrive at the camp, the Omni-suit and the neuroloop would dissolve and go away. Sometimes opportunity only knocks once then it get’s tired of knocking and goes somewhere else.
.
The Next Episode Is
#143 : Moving Day…
The Previous Episode was
#141 : Refugees: The Children…
The First Episode was
# 1 : Prologue…
..............
Book One: SoulStone
..................................................
I'm
@everittdmickey
.
I write
SPECULATIVE FICTION
My books on Amazon.
I engage in political commentary
and
generally talk about anything that strikes my fancy
on
Steemit
and
Sola
When watching the LameStream FakeNews Media
it's hard to tell what’s true or when they are lying isn’t it? It seems that they are more interested in influencing public opinion than they are reporting the facts.
SteemPunk Snail Image from Pixabay
The episode reminds me of the famous theory of the evolution of Charles Darwin's species, which established that only those who adapt better to an environment are those who manage to survive. The black gentleman, seems not to be prepared to adapt to the new situation that is living.
Therefore, the "natural selection" or "survival of the fittest", for this gentleman, will lead to deterioration in their living conditions and then he will be attached to what harms him.
In general, many of the refugees, as the episode suggests, will disappear because simply the "natural selection" will take care of them. The WaterTribe, is doing a good job; but, they can not work miracles with some characters or "species".
Kind of like you can lead a horse to water but can't make it drink syndrome. Some people will always complain.Some will flow with the water, and some will drown.