Page 27 - SurprisingTruthSample

Nicholas Boothman
The Director smoothed her suit, glanced at the
smoking hole, and then looked directly into the camera
light. Henry could practically hear the click of the
narrative machine engaging.
A young, terrified-looking reporter, clearly pulled
from the weather desk, started his live feed.
“Director, what is the situation here at the river
junction? We are hearing reports of a catastrophic
power failure and multiple casualties from the elevated
train line.”
The Director stepped forward. “Thank you for your
patience, citizens. I can confirm a localized energy
fluctuation has been reported here at the power
substation, which has resulted in a temporary
interruption of service.”
Henry felt his teeth clench. Localized energy
fluctuation. The kind of cheap, lazy lie a middle
manager throws out when he spills coffee.
The Director continued, her voice gaining an oily
layer of confidence. “I want to reassure the public that,
contrary to some alarmist reports, there was no
derailment. What you are seeing is purely structural
debris from the station’s safety enclosure, which
unfortunately was impacted by a standard mechanical
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