Page 99 - SurprisingTruthFinal

Nicholas Boothman
ABSOLUTE TRUTH REQUIRES ABSOLUTE
AWARENESS. WE CANNOT SPEAK TO YOU
WITHOUT ADMITTING OUR FEAR OF YOU.
SILENCE IS THE ONLY LEGAL COMPROMISE.
Henry felt the weight of their logic. They had found
the only rational response to a society that criminalized
social grace. The Truth Law hadn't forced them to be
brave; it had forced them to be antisocial.
He tried one last attempt, pulling up The Gaze on
his phone, ready to run a scan. "I just released code to
help you! The Palliative. It allows risk management! It
allows choice!"
The man looked directly at Henry, then at the
phone, then slowly shook his head and picked up the
chalk again. He wrote two final words:
THE LIE. TRAITOR.
The final word hit Henry like a physical blow. He
was not a hero here. He was the enemy, the one who
had successfully contaminated their final refuge. He
had forced them to speak the truth and their truth was
that they hated him and preferred the silence.
Henry retreated, leaving the Quiet Zone and its
terrifying honesty behind. He had found his answer.
The Palliative might restart the machinery of the city,
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