Page 101 - SurprisingTruthFinal

Nicholas Boothman
Chapter 11:
The Hypocrite's Proposal
Henry returned to the community center to find
Vincent and Lina not arguing, but working with
terrifying, synchronized efficiency. They were breaking
down the server bank.
Lina had disconnected the main power conduits
and was meticulously wiping the drives, one by one.
Vincent was using a scavenged blowtorch to melt the
plastic casings of the satellite uplink equipment,
ensuring the hardware itself was unusable. The whine
of the failing cooling fan was replaced by the smell of
burnt polymers and the quiet, determined violence of
betrayal.
“Stop,” Henry commanded, his voice hoarse from
the cold and the endless silence of the Quiet Zone.
Lina didn’t stop wiping. “We’re decontaminating,”
she said. “You introduced a lie into the only pure signal
source on Earth. The Gaze is compromised. It must be
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