Page 53 - TruthAboutLyingFinalAmazon18

Nicholas Boothman
“Grapes. Fast energy. Glucose delivery for a brain suddenly burning hotter than anything evolution had prepared for. And when fermented? Safe hydration. The first antiseptic. Something that steadies the mind just enough to live with itself.”
Jinji leaned forward. “You’re saying that’s intentional.”
Vincent met her gaze.
“I’m saying if something was about to give us self- awareness... it would have a problem.”
He stopped pacing.
“A brain like that doesn’t come cheap. It burns. It destabilizes. It fractures.”
Silence.
“So you don’t just send the signal,” he said quietly. “You prepare for the aftermath. You make sure the system can survive the upgrade.”
“You think it was planned.”
Vincent didn’t answer directly.
“I think whatever happened,” he said, “didn’t just wake us up. It kept us from burning out.”
Henry gave a small, skeptical laugh. “So what, someone dropped off supplies? A cosmic vineyard?”
Vincent shook his head. “Not dropped,” he said.
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