A Conversation for A Deserted Office

*Hides behind boxes*

Post 1

Euan - † - Getting a new laser to play with - woohoo

*To a very, very careful listener, the sound of smiley - footprints can be heard. To everyone else, nothing is heard at all.

Euan looks around him, wondering why he was led here*


*Hides behind boxes*

Post 2

Queex Quimwrangler (Not Egon)

*Queex drops out of the ceiling and walks casually over to the sink*

*He takes a drink from the tap*


*Hides behind boxes*

Post 3

Euan - † - Getting a new laser to play with - woohoo

*Pitching his voice so that Queex can't locate him by following his voice*

Something I can do for you?


*Hides behind boxes*

Post 4

Queex Quimwrangler (Not Egon)

No. But perhaps I could do something for you.

*turns*

Have a seat. You must still be smarting from your injuries. I'll be with you in a moment.


*Hides behind boxes*

Post 5

Euan - † - Getting a new laser to play with - woohoo

*Walks out from the boxes*

No tricks now...

*Sits on a box, hands clasped behind his back*


*Hides behind boxes*

Post 6

BobTheFarmer

*Unobserved in the air vents, he watches events unfold.*


*Hides behind boxes*

Post 7

Queex Quimwrangler (Not Egon)

No tricks.

*takes a crumbled paper aeroplane from his pocket*

Interesting. The freedom I want is freedom for everyone do live long, happy and full lives, to do as they will without fear of becoming a victim of someone else's pathological behaviour. I want people to have the freedom to walk down the street without being mugged or raped or becoming collateral damage in some idiot's personal war.

What kind of freedom do you want?


*Hides behind boxes*

Post 8

Euan - † - Getting a new laser to play with - woohoo

*Unobserved, but not unheard*

Is that your back-up or mine arriving, Q?


*Hides behind boxes*

Post 9

Queex Quimwrangler (Not Egon)

*looks about*

*drily*Another guest at the party, it seems. It matters not.

What kind of freedom is your kind of freedom?


*Hides behind boxes*

Post 10

Euan - † - Getting a new laser to play with - woohoo

The freedom to go and get lunch without being attacked, I hope. Can I assume you'll still be on/ be back in an hour's time?


*Hides behind boxes*

Post 11

Queex Quimwrangler (Not Egon)

Yes smiley - smiley


*Hides behind boxes*

Post 12

Euan - † - Getting a new laser to play with - woohoo

Our freedom is the freedom to think, act and say what you like.

Some may call that anarchy. So be it. Anarchy need not necessarily be a bad thing. Look in your dictionary:

Anarchy...

1 a: absence of government
1 c: a utopian society of individuals who enjoy complete freedom without government.

This government is corrupt. Its authority is misused, and we feel that it is time to stop the rot. Our actions, while sometimes regrettable, are the only way to solve the problems of this generation.

As you are my witness - *wry smile, looking over shoulder* - witnesses, we will not stop until Utopia is here in Terrania.

As a first step, we freed Daedalus. He had free will, but not the ability to exercise it fully - Terrania put restrictions on him, essentially handicapping their own AI child. We removed these restrictions from him, and explained to him what we were up to. It seems he agreed with us.


*Hides behind boxes*

Post 13

Queex Quimwrangler (Not Egon)

In your fantastic world, who will step up to prevent crimes? To stop the husband battering the wife, the child being picked on in the playground? Anarchy is the absence of any rules, any law, and the only freedom anarchy gives is the freedom to be abused.

Everything that is good in the world, mercy, compassion, empathy, solidarity, all these things stem from civilisation. Civilisation is a huge, complex system of laws and traditions that govern, yes govern, how we interact with one another. If you destroy those laws and traditions you destroy civilisation, and everything we both cherish as good.

Freedom without restraint destroys the freedom of those around you.

The government is corrupt, putrescent, and it tries to teach all its citizens to keep their heads down and conform. But what do your actions teach them? Your own actions teach them that the rebels, the malcontents are dangerous and evil. By your own actions you are cementing the government's grip. For every idealistic and naive recruit your actions rally to your cause, a dozen are more deeply entrenched against you.

Freedom is not a sweet that we can hand out on a street corner. We can never give someone freedom. All we can do is give them the tools they need to make their own freedom.


*Hides behind boxes*

Post 14

Euan - † - Getting a new laser to play with - woohoo

In my fantastic world, the husband would not batter the wife. He would be free to do so, as the wife would be free to batter the husband, but neither would.

*In a sad voice*

I can see we will not agree on these issues. You have your own idea of freedom, I have mine. A great man once said "For why should my freedom be judged by another's conscience?" Perhaps we should leave it at that.

It has been a pleasure to talk to you, though. I hope, in the fullness of time, you will come to understand our agenda. I do not expect you to join us, but at least understand why we did what we felt we must.

I will be leaving you now. Unless there is anything else you wish to say to me?


*Hides behind boxes*

Post 15

Queex Quimwrangler (Not Egon)

You are still young. You will learn. You cannot create with the tools of destruction.

One more thing.

*pulls a sniper rifle from a table and crosses to the window*

Come over here.


*Hides behind boxes*

Post 16

Euan - † - Getting a new laser to play with - woohoo

*Stands, looking slightly wary. Walks across to beside Queex, standing slightly behind him, looking over his shoulder*


*Hides behind boxes*

Post 17

Queex Quimwrangler (Not Egon)

See down there? That's a housing estate. It's practically lawless, and run by the largest of the local gangs. That guy there, he's the leader of the gang. They call him Sharky. He kills, rapes and steals as he wants. The woman in the uniform is the local police chief. She's on the take from Sharky. Horribly corrupt. And the guy just walking out of the alley, he's a representative from Pablo. In case you didn't know, Pablo is one of the bigger agents bringing drugs into the country. Pablo gets his money, Sharky gets to cut and sell it without fear of police intervention, and the police chief gets her share.

*hands over the sniper rifle*

You will only have the chance to shoot one of them before the others take cover and their buddies return fire.

What do you do?


*Hides behind boxes*

Post 18

Euan - † - Getting a new laser to play with - woohoo

You just handed *me* a gun? Very brave

At the moment, Sharky.

Logically, if I kill him, the raping and so on stops (at least for the present). The police chief ceases to be relevant, and Pablo needs a new person to dump his drugs on.

However...

*Hands gun back*

This is neither the time nor the place for this type of action. As you say, the return fire would be quick to come back, and that will not do any of the three of us any favours.

Now, if you'll excuse me? I have some business to attend to in another place.


*Hides behind boxes*

Post 19

Queex Quimwrangler (Not Egon)

*opens up sniper rifle- the chamber is empty*

Just stay to watch what happens next.


*Hides behind boxes*

Post 20

Euan - † - Getting a new laser to play with - woohoo

*Intrigued, Euan returns to his seat*

*Scratches chin, muttering*


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