Page 204 - TruthAboutLyingFinal

The Truth About Lying
The display changed, showing three branching paths in sharp relief.
“Protocol One: Extraction. We remove the top ten percent of your population by measures of empathy, wisdom, and cooperative capacity. These individuals are relocated to a Consortium world. The remaining ninety percent are left to their fate.”
“You would just abandon them?” Vincent said. “Ninety percent of humanity...”
“We would save ten percent,” the Curator corrected. “Which is ten percent more than would survive otherwise. Extraction is reserved for species that have demonstrated potential but lack the time or resources to save themselves.”
“What’s Protocol Two?” Jinji asked.
“Reset. We erase the last two hundred years of collective memory. Your species wakes up in a pre-industrial state, with no recollection of the technologies or social structures that led to your crisis. You get to try again, with the benefit of our subtle guidance.”
“You would erase our entire civilization,” Jinji whispered. “Everything we have built. Everything we have learned.”
“We would give you another chance to build something better. Approximately thirty percent of Consortium members are on their second or third attempt. There is no shame in needing to start over.”
Henry felt sick. “And Protocol Three?”
“Protocol Three: Graduation.” The Curator’s voice carried something like hope. “Within seventy-two hours, you must create a functional system that balances truth and
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