The Extinction Trials(84)

Owen motioned to the park and the people there. “Is this The Change? Are they The Change?”

Darius turned and walked along the path, as if gathering his thoughts. “The Union was faced with an impossible task. We knew our world was coming to an end. It was only a matter of time before a catastrophe occurred. We made the difficult decision: to do a controlled burn and restart the human race using what we had learned.”

“What does that mean exactly?”

“The Genesis Virus was supposed to be a global reset.”

“I don’t follow.”

“Think about it. If you want to defeat a global army arrayed against you, an army with nearly unlimited resources and unlimited personnel, how do you win?”

“You convince them not to fight in the first place.”

Darius smiled. “That’s actually a very good answer. In fact, in a way, it’s the route we took. If you want to defeat a superior enemy without ever firing a shot—and keeping everyone alive—there’s a simple way: erase everyone’s memories. An army can’t fight if they can’t remember what they’re fighting for.”

“Your plan was to give the whole world amnesia?”

“Curable amnesia. Our plan was quite simple, really. Once the Genesis Virus had infected the global population, we would have gathered the human race together and started over. We would have administered the cure for the virus and the mesh at the same time and begun anew.”

“How would the mesh solve the world’s problems?”

“Think about it. In a world where the mesh knows your every thought, there can be no crime, no hunger, no suffering.”

Owen shook his head. “And no freedom.”

“Freedom is an illusion. Freedom is nothing more than a currency—something we spend to get something we want. We’ve always traded some amount of our freedom for the things we need for survival. We trade our freedom for financial compensation when we take jobs. We trade our freedom for safety when we allow police to search our homes and stop us when we’re walking down the street. The mesh is no different.”

“The mesh is The Change, isn’t it?”

“The Change is what the mesh does to us. The mesh creates a changed society in which your thoughts determine your destiny. It’s always been that way: your thoughts determine your words and actions, and your words and actions determine your fate in life. The mesh simply moves up the cause-and-effect chain. By monitoring thoughts, we can perfect our society. The mesh is the eventuality of human evolution: The Union, the joining of all human consciousness. The truth is, we were always destined to be one human organism, one cohesive whole with a shared consciousness. That is The Change. That is what The Alliance is terrified of. Unity. Unlimited progress with no need for what they provide.”

Darius motioned to the park around them. “You’re seeing proof right here.”

“I don’t see how the mesh can solve all of our problems. Linking our minds just connects us. It doesn’t necessarily make us better.”

He focused on Owen. “That’s because you don’t yet understand the full scope of the mesh and Revelation—our predictive technology.”

“Then tell me.”

“I’ll start with an example you’ll understand. Do you know how a fire starts, Owen?”

“Of course. Combustible fuel, oxidizer, and a source of heat above the flashpoint—”

“I meant conceptually. A fire starts with a spark. A spark gives rise to a flame, a flame becomes a blaze, a blaze an inferno, and finally a wildfire that cannot be stopped. That’s what bad thoughts do to our minds. They begin as a spark—a tiny thought that grows. If that thought gets enough oxygen, it can lead a person to ruin. The mesh prevents that. It’s a mental fire detector. I would think you of all people would be for that.”

“I think our own minds are the last place we truly control—and they should be our domain.”

“One might say the same for a home. But the government requires smoke detectors to protect the inhabitants. This is no different. In the age in which we live, a person’s thoughts are the most dangerous thing in the world.”

“What about The Birthright—it provides a framework for managing your mind. For understanding how the mind works. What about morality—a shared code of ethics?”

“Those are risks we can’t take, unfortunately. Our solution—the mesh—ensures our society’s success. Voluntary adherence to a code of ethics doesn’t. We’re done taking risks with the human race. We saw where that road led us before.”

Owen considered that for a moment. And he considered what he hadn’t seen. Maya. And Cara.

“You said before that minds that were wired differently, that might oppose The Change, would be fixed. What do you mean specifically?”

Darius stared at Owen, seeming to read his face. “You’re asking about Maya and Cara.”

“I haven’t seen them here.”

“You’ll see them again.”

“When?”

“Soon.”

“What will happen to them?”

“In the past, our society has imprisoned those who didn’t obey the laws—those who acted against the greater good. It’s inhumane, if you ask me. The criminals often don’t recover from their time in captivity. And it has an effect on the people who care about them—being separated from their loved ones. The mesh, just as it offers you a chance at a better life, offers salvation for them.”