Page 169 - TruthAboutLyingCoverFlipAmazon20

Nicholas Boothman
The conference room began to dissolve back into white space.
“You speak of the V-7 interface as a revolution,” it said. “We see it for what it is: a sensory cage of your own design.
“The test is not whether your technology works. It does.
“The test is whether you possess the wisdom to survive it.”
Jinji stepped forward. “How do we find that balance?”
"If I told you, it wouldn't be your solution. It would be mine." The Curator began to fade. "You have to discover it yourselves. That's the test."
Vincent's voice was raw. "And if we can't?"
"Then I will do what I have done four hundred and seventy-three times before," the Curator said quietly. "I will preserve what I can, and I will mourn what I cannot. I do not enjoy this work. But it is necessary."
The white space collapsed.
The Assessment had begun.
Vincent closed his eyes. Not in prayer. For the first time, he understood what they were being asked to become.
Not believers.
Not survivors.
Something else.
This wasn’t something you prayed to.
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