Betty strut into the committee building with large strides that got smaller and smaller the further inside she ventured.

What was once a lion marching into the jungle, became a small woman about to confront some of the utmost politically shrewd members of the country.

Even Tyrone felt a bit pressured seeing Betty’s dwindling spirits but with not a lot of life left to his name, Tyrone was determined to do anything he could to make a difference.

After all, he didn’t fear death after Jessica, Xandra, and his family had died but he did fear The Johnson name being forgotten without ever doing something significant.

The receptionist at the front desk cast a doubtful gaze towards Tyrone when she noticed him following Betty inside a place that was clearly meant to exclude his ‘kind’.

The disdain in her eyes was palpable but she didn’t rush to rash actions and instead made a call to the only man who could stop whatever schemes Betty was cooking up – Anthony.

“Yes Sir… she has just arrived with a Colored in tow…” The Receptionist reported dutifully.

“Really?” There was a long pause before Anthony’s reply “Leave her be… she has yet to accept the ways of the world…”

“But Sir-”

“Hope is a beautiful thing Sammy… let her hope a little longer…”

-----------------

Tyrone didn’t take note of the wayward gazes being directed toward him and Becky as they made their way through the expensively decorated lobby.

He was too indulged in watching Betty, the haughty woman, tuck her tail between her legs and act civilized for the first time since he met her.

There were no smoking expensive cigars or walking around like she owned the place. All Tyrone saw was a woman losing hope with every step as fear overcame her mind…

If Tyrone was accustomed to anything in his entire life, it was his unnatural ability to sense the fear in others’ hearts.

Tyrone had noticed that his dreams were slightly darker since losing the abilities he had gained in his Universe for all but five seconds before being sent back in time without anything special to his name.

‘Scratch that!’ he thought ‘I did come back with a pair of Jordan Shoes that was swiftly liberated by the police…’

Tyrone pranced forward and occasionally glanced at Becky.

He could not deny that it was a bit pleasurable to witness Betty’s uncertainty but her waning heart just made him realize that even the woman with a will of steel had reservations about fighting for the ‘Colored’ Community – a community that would quite possibly never love her back.

“Don’t worry…” Tyrone comforted like an expert liar “Everything is going to be fine…” – said everyone ever before a disaster occurred.

Betty frowned in displeasure at Tyrone’s comfort since the timing was a bit too perfect.

It was almost as if Tyrone calculated the precise micro-second to intervene before her mind was broken from the pressures of what she was about to do.

Not willing to show an unsightly image in front of her subordinate, Betty took a deep breath and regained her lost confidence “I am not worried… just stick to the plan and we will be fine…”

Tyrone took a couple of steps back to create a respectful distance for a ‘servant’ and sighed a bit in his heart.

Betty had called in every political favor she was owed just to acquire a seat in today’s committee meeting and that still only got her into the building.

What allowed her into the meeting was half – using the support of sympathetic ‘Colored’ Supporters amongst the senates, and a half – the support from the enemies of her husband who hoped she would be committing political suicide.

Safe to say, odds were not exactly in her and Tyrone’s favor but as long as there was a chance, Betty was confident enough that Tyrone would find it or at the very least, fail with grace so that she wasn’t too ashamed.

Walking into the building, she was only concerned with garnering support to impose bills that would aid ‘Colored’ people but now that she was here, her noble aspirations were fading away.

Still, even as she thought about the impact her open support for ‘Colored’ would have on her friends, family, and businesses, Betty still walked forward with her doubts.

Tyrone admired Betty’s resolve since it took courage to do something that you knew had so many branches that could lead to failures and ruin your life.

If he could do everything over, Tyrone had the feeling that he would choose to abandon all the kids in the orphanage to save Jessica and Xandra, so he knew how hard it was to make the choice Betty had already made.

-------------------

Committee Meeting Chambers

….

A huge argument that had persisted for the past two hours was entering its climax…

“That is not what I am saying, Anatoly…” A Senate Member, Abner Jonas, complained unwillingly with his eyes occasionally darting to the door.

For the past couple of hours, he was attempting to prolong the discussion as much as possible to aid Betty’s interruption at the exact moment to state her stance as a ‘Colored’ Supporter.

Truly, Abner was doing this for himself more than anyone since his children had secretly married African Americans, and someone discovering this fact could end his political career prematurely.

Anatoly Fyskov frowned and banged the table to demonstrate his anger and displeasure “Then what are you saying, Jonas? We already accepted these Black Animals into our country and now you want to give them our jobs, houses, and wives?”

“You must be very insecure if you believe your wife would be given as well…” Another Senator, Abe Beame, joked openly since he was a supporter of Abner.

Anatoly gritted his teeth in anger, but Carl Denti intervened before Anatoly said something he would regret “While I appreciate the joke… I must agree with Anatoly… This country had welcomed ‘Colored’ people as much as possible and asking for more at this time will only cause outrage from Americans who are the backbone of this country…”

Abner frowned “You shouldn’t be afraid to say it since we know what you mean… We white people won’t accept black people right? So we are excluding these people from our restaurants, homes, armies, and businesses because we are racist and prideful?”

“Racism and Natural Superiority cannot be confused as the same thing!” Carl Denti shouted with a little edge to his voice that quieted the room.

Abner and Abe wanted to retort but everyone knew just how slick Carl was in the political arena so arguing with him would be a losing battle.

“If you do not agree with me…” Carl stated while extending his hands outward “Then step forward and let your discontent be known…”

There were at least two hundred people inside the room but nobody dared to step forward, not because of fear of Carl but because of the political suicide of arguing with someone so shrewd.

Carl also knew that nobody would step forward and smirked nonchalantly at the generous donation Anatoly would gift his bank account due to his unconditional support.

“Then should we put the further percentage inclusion of Colored into American Society to a vote?” Anthony asked, already knowing the results but going through the formalities anyway.

It was at the moment of the final decision that two people entered the chambers with unhurried steps…

Step

Step

Step

“I – I may be a li-little late but I hope I still have a voice?” Betty asked commandingly but everyone noticed the slight trembles in her voice.

Raising their heads and seeing the Colored Tyrone behind Betty, everyone knew why she showed up so fashionably late and was nervous to the point of stammering.

Anthony shook his head when he saw his wife enter the chambers with Tyrone in tow. He could hear Anatoly whisperings ‘Now we bring black animals into the chambers as well!’

Anthony shuddered inside but managed to restrain his anger at Anatoly.

Truly, Anthony had nothing against Colored people but the last time a Colored person intervened in his life, everything was almost torn apart and he had been suffering the consequences of his actions ever since.

Before Carl or Anatoly could steal the spotlight caused by the shocking reveal of a Colored Person inside the chambers, Abe and Abner hopped to their feet in support of Betty’s brave gesture “Everyone expected for the meeting is afforded the opportunity to voice their views…”

A more silent member of the senate, Calvin Chadwick Senior, spoke in denunciation of Tyrone’s presence “If we start allowing every animal inside the chamber, then we’d have to bring our whips and hunting rifles…” he mocked.

Tyrone frowned “I don’t think a single drop of ink into a large cup of milk would change the color…” he shot back, referring to the fact that he only noticed one ‘Colored’ person amongst the two hundred present…

Even then, that person was taking notes and given no right to speak whatsoever.

“A drop of ink in the milk still makes it undrinkable…” Carl joked with a profound comment that earned sneers from nearly all the committee members in the room.

“I would think that the cow from which you get that milk feels the same way, given how you sweeten the milk, add preservatives and chemicals that distort it so far from the principles upon which it was built – Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness!” Tyrone shot back, silencing everyone snickering in the room and causing Betty to stumble slightly where she stood.

Chadwick frowned seeing things were taking a turn for the worse “You have no right to speak here, boy!”

“Then why is it, in this entire room I only see one ‘Colored’ person and he isn’t even allowed to talk… when does my say, as a part of the community being discussed, come into the conversation?” Tyrone enquired strongly, withholding a fit of coughs that threatened to spill from his lips.

Everyone on the Committee was taken aback by Tyrone’s sharp reply with several members reconsidering their votes on the upcoming issue, while Abner and Abe internally cheered.

“Wel-”

“Let the kid speak!” A sharp voice commanded just as Carl was about to stir up a storm of complaints.

Every member of the Committee was instantly frightened when Colonel Chester Philips, a prominent Military Figure, spoke out for the first time in three meetings.

“Colonel Philips, I don’t th-”

Colonel Philips raised his hands dismissively to cut off Chadwick’s statement “I said, let the kid speak, BOY!”

Tyrone turned to Colonel Chester Philips and bowed slightly in his direction “Tyrone Johnson…”

“Colonel Chester Philips…” He replied and gestured forward from his seat as an indication for Tyrone to continue.

“We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness…” Tyrone recited the only piece of The Declaration of Independence he could remember from History Class.

“You are all not here to discuss whether ‘Colored’ shouldn’t be allowed to increase our numbers in the army in preparation for the upcoming war that will soon intrude upon American interests… but actually, you are all here to discuss if giving an inch to, not ‘Colored people’, but African Americans will impede the status quo…

Well…” Tyrone took a breath and slumped his shoulders “I am here to tell you that your fears are unfounded since it will not tilt the world in our favor… Eighty years from now, the world will still be tilted in your favor as the rich and white…

What you’re debating is not to do right by other Ethnic groups within America… what you’re debating is whether allowing a false sense of achievement in the upcoming war will pay off in the end… You know that you need to allow African Americans entry into the army but you want to do it without giving us jobs and societal standings…”

Carl scoffed “African Americans have been allowed into the army since 1863…”

Tyrone shook his head in disagreement “African Americans are not technically allowed to join the army even now… Being allowed into an organization means an equal chance for everyone but most of the army only allows African Americans into their ranks to fill a quota of twenty percent membership…”

Colonel Philips and several other Military representatives in congress frowned at Tyrone’s statement since it was a sort of open secret amongst those higher on the societal ladder.

Chadwick rose his brow and smirked at the opportunity to attack that Tyrone had unknowingly stated “That information is top-secret, tell me… how exactly do you know that?”

Tyrone barely managed to stop himself from cursing aloud at the improper use of his Historical knowledge “Because African Americans can also count sample sizes in surveys and extrapolate on that data…” he lied through his teeth and seemed to alleviate the worries of everyone who had grown suspicious.

“Summarize your points, boy…” Anthony interrupted while eyeing his wife half-proudly and half-disappointingly.

Honestly, he was beyond happy that she had taken the final steps to cement her beliefs but he was also a bit scared of the consequences that would follow from encroaching on the interests of several powerful men who profit from disorder.

Tyrone took a deep breath and drew upon the minor historical knowledge his mind retained from History class…

“Black History Month was created in 1926 but it still hasn’t been recognized by anyone truly influential… Jack Johnson, the first black man to win Heavy Wight Championship in 1908… is that a big deal? NO!... We have to make it a big deal because even small things like this matter so much to the Black community…

African Americans need to refuse to give up their seats on white buses to get any real attention from everyone in this room… African Americans rarely have any representatives in committees that make a difference and we still don’t have the right to vote… You claim to acknowledge us as Americans but that is only for technicalities…

This is a time of war and anger is boiling to the point of tipping over… In this room, you guys are not debating equality, you are debating ‘pretend equality’ and even then, you are reluctant to give even a little benefit…

If you want to increase the percentage of African Americans in the army, you need to give us something to believe in because you can’t expect us to fight for a country when it doesn’t believe in us the same way we believe in it…”

“Stop!” Colonel Philips yelled from his seat as he stood up, eyeing Tyrone with a faint smile of appreciation on his face.

Tyrone frowned and went over every word in his speech inside his mind and made sure that nothing he mentioned was controversial for the current time period.

He grew displeased at his speech being cut short by the Colonel and wondered if he should have gone with Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech but that would have caused untold historical ramifications.

“I agree with you…” Colonel Philips shouted with approval “I am sold and move the motion forward to approve the inclusion of African Americans in the army to a larger degree while also adding benefits to every African American soldier, not limited to insurance, stipends, pay beforehand, and job considerations for families of soldiers that do not include maids or manual labor… and –”

Just as Carl Denti was about to argue his point in anger, Tyrone frowned and interrupted Colonel Philips of his own accord “That’s not necessary… I was just talking shit…”

An innate dread overtook Tyrone’s mind, spreading fear throughout his body as he glanced around the room and noticed that three men in varying positions had grown anxious over the last minute.

He could sense the fear rippling from their bodies but even stranger was the subtle pattern in their fears – it was like a heartbeat that was ticking down to zero.

The intense urge to exit the Committee building overtook him and before he realized what was happening, Tyrone had already blurted the first thing that came to mind.

Under the astonished gazes of everyone in the room, Tyrone walked over to Betty’s side, grabbed her by the arm, and began pulling her towards the door forcefully in her dazed state.

“Hey! What are you doing?” Betty complained as soon as she snapped out of her trance, punching Tyrone to release her.

Tyrone tilted his head backward and whispered “Something is wrong with this place… there is too much fear and it’s growing by the second…”

Betty paused and glanced around the room, noting that some of the Committee members were becoming a bit skittish.

It didn’t take a genius to figure that something was clearly wrong, though it seemed that not everyone had noticed as yet.

Betty instantly grew solemn “My husband…” she whispered and Tyrone shuddered.

Without any hesitation, Tyrone pushed Betty forward and ran back with large strides, grabbed Anthony from his seat amongst the committee members, and carried him to the door using his limited strength.

Anthony resisted fiercely at first but soon he also noticed the abnormal state of the room and proceeded to hang helplessly in Tyrone’s arms until they got to Betty’s side.

“Is something wrong?”

“What’s happening?”

Tyrone heard murmurs as he approached Betty’s side with Anthony in tow but just as he was about to exit, he heard a faint clinking of chains that had no doubt sealed off the huge exit.

“What seems to be the issue soldier?” Colonel Philips asked as he approached Tyrone with five Military guards surrounding his location.

“Something is wrong with this place…” Tyrone replied uncertainly.

“Wrong how?” Betty inquired.

The Colonel waved his hands and his men spread out in a defensive formation, but it was exactly that action that caused a more vivid sensation of fear to assault Tyrone’s senses.

“It’s like there is fear everywhere… everyone is becoming more afraid so it’s hard to tell where it is coming from…”

Colonel Philip frowned “We don’t have time for this nonsense, we need to get ou-”

“Hush!” Betty snorted commandingly, stunning the Colonel and Anthony “Take a deep breath and focus Tyrone… what are you feeling… focus on one sense at a time?”

Unlike the others, Betty knew that Tyrone possessed a strong intuition or sixth sense. Actually, she had no idea exactly what it was but somehow, Tyrone could tell when something was about to go wrong with her plans.

Tyrone sighed, closed his eyes, and focused on one sense like Betty advised, “It sounds like a countdown… and it’s really close…”

He shifted in place a bit before moving around the defensive formation until he suddenly paused and turned towards Betty, Colonel Philips, and Anthony with a somewhat unsure look on his face.

“This bodyguard…” Tyrone whispered, gesturing to the bodyguard a couple of feet away “He reeks of fear that is ticking down… like a –”

Beep

Beep

Beep

At this time, a beeping sound was plain to everyone in earshot.

Betty’s eyes widened as she grabbed Anthony and ducked.

Colonel Philips was instantly surrounded by all his guards except the obvious one that was beeping, leaving Tyrone to dive behind a nearby table.

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