Page 166 - TruthAboutLyingFinal

The Truth About Lying
Silence on the other end. Then: “Henry, we have a problem.”
“Another one?”
“The government wants control. Federal takeover. Noon announcement. You can advise or they take it anyway.”
“When?”
“They’re holding a press conference at noon. They’re going to announce the takeover and offer you a position as technical advisor. If you refuse, they’ll seize the system anyway and lock you out.”
Henry looked back at the Quiet Zone. At the people who had opted out. At the system he’d built that was helping some and hurting others.
“I’m done.”
“What?”
“Let them take it. I’m done. I built it. I deployed it. I can’t fix the problems it created. So let someone else try.”
“Henry, you can’t just walk away.”
“I’m not walking away. I’m admitting that I don’t have all the answers. That my system isn’t perfect. That someone else might do better.”
“Or they might do worse.”
“Then that’s their responsibility. Not mine.”
He hung up.
His phone buzzed immediately. The unknown number:
ASSESSMENT PROTOCOL ACTIVE 12 HOURS REMAINING
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