An End to the Escape

“Shall we start from the beginning?” Nari pulled out a contact virtual lens and placed it on her eye.

More screens than I could count popped into view. News articles and papers from many moons ago. “Fine. If it’ll get you off my back.”

“Let's look at the first line, shall we? ‘There is the truth, and nothing but the truth.’ What exactly does that mean Makoto?”

“Well, that the truth is what it is. Nothing will change that. Sure it's gibberish but it’s not wrong.”

“Not entirely off, I'll give you that. But nevertheless, let’s add the second line ‘But what is truth, and who decides the truth? Is it God? Is it man?’ From your perspective it’s Fides. Am I correct?”

“Yes. Fides obviously has the objective truth.” That was the most common knowledge in the world after all.

“And who gave them the ability to decide? What gives the Truth the ability to find its so called objective truth?

“Their data! The fifteen zettabytes or whatever it was of data they fed the machine to find the truth on every situation.

“Ok sure, now let’s finish off the first message. ‘But if man fails at his own truth, is there any truth created by man?’

“Ok so?”

“You can not be this stupid Makoto.”

“You’re the one putting meaning where there’s none to be found.”

“Makoto, you remember the protestor at the market?”
“Of course.” Couldn’t get him out of my head.

“Subjectivity plus subjectivity can not create objectivity, right? Even your five brain cells can understand that, And man is the most subjective creature in the world! Everyone has their own opinions, their own viewpoints. And that’ll stay the same no matter how much Fides tries to change it.

“So what? The Truth is a machine, not a man. It can perform calculations beyond our wildest dreams in mere seconds. If anything has the truth, it’s a machine like that.”

Nari rolled her eyes. “A machine made by man, made with that same subjectivity. Zero to any power is still zero, as any amount of subjectivity is still subjective.”

“So you say. Words don't mean much when the Truth is obviously correct.”
“That the route you want to go here? Delude yourself into believing what you're told? What a bore you are.”

“If anyone is deluding themselves, it’s you Nari.”

Nari broke down in laughter, clutching her stomach. “You got two eyes bro, use them.”

“Oh trust me, I am.”

“Anyway, let's focus again on the message, shall we?” Nari tossed one of the many screens around her towards me. What looked to be an old newspaper of sorts was embedded on the screen. “Who creates the Truth Makoto?”

“Creates it? Fides of course.”

“So they say, but where's the basis for their truth? For the Truth?”

“Basis? The data they collected I guess.”
“My god Makoto, you can't be this dumb. Just because a shit ton of people have an opinion doesn't make said opinion right. Even if the Truth works exactly as Fides says, something with zero proof, there is still no objectivity there to discover, no method of creating their so called objective truth.

“But-”

“No no, you’re going to listen right now. No amount of data in the world can prove an abstract concept like the truth, you’re trying to combine two things that are simply completely incompatible. Look at the article I sent your way Makoto.”

Imprinted in black ink was an article about some old monument that burned to the ground, around the time the truth was put into motion.

“What an old building? You’re losing me here Nari.”

“And apparently you can't read. If you somehow miraculously gained the ability, you would see said building burned down, or so said the Truth.”

“So said? I really don't think the Truth could be wrong about such a thing. You take one look and it’s clear.”

“Apparently not.” Nari pulled another screen from midair, tossing the pixels. “In fact, said building never got a lick of flames.

I looked down at the article. What looked to be a war report of sorts went on about some battle, and a picture of a very familiar building was front and center, blown to bits by a missile.

“This has to be fake.”

“No sir! That’s verifiably accurate in every which way. Of course, Fides erased every scrap of info about said building once they found out about their little mistake, but nothing truly disappears on the internet.”

“But come on! Let's pretend you’re right for a second. Just because it got one little thing wrong a single time years ago doesn't completely discredit the Truth.”

“Doesn’t it? I thought the Truth was infallible! One strike and you’re out, and the Truth is no exception.

“Well…”

Nari dramatically held a hand in the air. “But but but there's more! Did you think this show had come to a close? It’s only one little mess up after all, it's a bit premature to discredit the whole thing based on that, don't you think?”

“Exactly.” Finally, she was seeing the light.

“Except my dear friend, that’s exactly the case!” With a wave, the screens around us flew around like digital daggers, circling around the table.

Information flew around faster than anyone could process. Dates, times, locations, events. Beginnings and ends, conflicting events encapsulated over and over.

“What the hell?”

“Like it Makoto? See the truth of it all?” No, I couldn’t believe it, this had to be a deception, a test of sorts. Yeah! This was just a test, none of this was real, just deceptions shrouded in a veil of proof.

“Prove it.”

“Excuse me?”

“How do I know these articles are real, that the Truth said any of this?”

“Is that how little you have left Makoto, your only option available to deny everything? Is diving into your own mind better than facing reality?”

“I…”

“Very well! You’re so predictable, the finale was in clear view from the first step! Nari pulled two more articles, conflicting tales about a very familiar scene.

“There was a murder you may have heard of, happened a few days ago. There were some rumors of a message left at the crime scene, as seen on this lovely online forum to your left.”

Sure enough, the message board @Channeles was front and center, with a thread about the message. Despite its Japanese origins, @Channeles was still completely accessible and unregulated, the only place of its kind. Fides apparently had it marked as enemy number one to this day.

“Luckily for us simpletons, the Truth corrected our silly frivolous ideas last night. Look it up yourself.”

I scowled, pulling up a screen and typing in exactly what she requested. Pages upon pages, official and unofficial desiccated to the Truth popped into view, all sharing the same consensus; according to the Truth there was no message left at the scene.

The familiar sounds of a patrol rang through the shop as Kono perked up from his chair, half asleep. Yet I didn’t care, what was the point?

“The Truth was wrong…” It was just a simple four words spoken barely above a whisper.

Treason.

Alarm bells rang as Corruption Checkers broke down the door for my crime against the state.