FREEDOM CODE: THE INVISIBLE WAR FOR HUMANITY’S FUTURE: Chapter 6 The Price of Truth

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Chapter 6: The Price of Truth

Scene 1: The Meeting

The streets of the city were cold and grey, a steady drizzle falling from the sky as Beate walked toward the inconspicuous café. Her heart raced in her chest—not from fear, but from the anticipation of finally getting the truth out there. She had been working tirelessly with Mia and David, collecting evidence, compiling data, and connecting the dots of the vast surveillance network that was consuming their lives and the lives of countless others.

This meeting was her last hope.

A friend of a friend, a journalist named Olivier, had agreed to meet with her. He had been following some of the more obscure news on newly emerging technologies. He was a sceptic, looking for undeniable evidence on the global surveillance system, which some people claimed was more ubiquitous and pervasive than anyone had expected. He was chasing facts on the weaponization of technology to undermine human rights and, overall, the dangers of converging technologies.

Beate sat down at the table, her fingers tapping nervously on the coffee cup as she waited for Olivier. She wasn’t sure how much he knew about the system they had discovered, but after the events with the encrypted files, the living dossiers, and the increasingly invasive surveillance, she felt it was time to share her concerns with someone.

Olivier arrived, a man in his early forties with a tired look in his eyes, as though he had seen too many things he wasn’t supposed to see. His demeanour softened when he saw her, a reassuring smile appearing, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“Beate, it’s good to see you. I am Oli,” he said, his voice low, while shaking her hand. “I’ve been looking into some of the sources you gave me. This is big. Really big.”

“I know,” Beate replied quietly. “I just don’t know how much time we have left. There are too many people involved, too many layers to this. It’s all connected: surveillance, healthcare, economics, everything.”

She leaned in closer, her voice barely above a whisper. “I am afraid it may be already too late to change something. The world we know might be gone before we realize it.”

Olivier didn’t respond immediately. His eyes flicked to the small notebook she had brought, containing encrypted files, notes, and screen captures from their investigation. He knew the story would be explosive. What Beate was revealing to him made even him feel uncomfortable.

Nevertheless, after a long pause, Olivier said with confidence: “I’ll get it published, I promise. This needs to be done. We will get this to the right people, and we’ll make them listen.”

Just as Beate exhaled a breath of relief, her phone buzzed. She glanced at it. Mia was trying to reach her, her message brief but urgent: “Something is wrong. Can I please come over? Now!”

“I have to go,” Beate said, her tone sharper than usual. “But thank you, Oli. I trust you.”

Olivier nodded, his face tightening. “Just... be careful, okay?"

Scene 2: Blinded

By the time Beate got home, she had a headache like no other. Her head was throbbing. She felt strange—her eyes were burning and it would not subside. Her vision was blurry. She could barely focus on the screen of her phone when she tried to reply to Mia’s message, but she had to give up on it.

It seemed her sight was worsening every minute. She could barely see the door lock as she fumbled with her keys. Her heart started racing again, and the dizziness grew unbearable.

Something must have happened to her. She had an acute health crisis and called Mia. “This is scary. It can’t stay this way.”

Half an our later, they were in the hospital. Beate tried to stay calm, but her dizziness was like nothing she had ever experienced before.

The doctor, an older man with a professional demeanour, checked her pupils, shining light into them. He was using special optical tools to see details in her eyes. Beate could not read his face when he asked, “Have you ever had a laser surgery for your eyes?”

“No,” Beate replied, her voice trembling. “Why would I need that?”

The doctor frowned, his brow furrowing. “Your eyes... there's severe damage here. We need to run some additional tests. This isn’t normal.”

A feeling of dread settled over Beate as she was guided into another examination room. What was happening to her? What could have caused this sudden, inexplicable blindness?

Scene 3: Olivier’ Investigation

Back at the café, Olivier was already deep in his investigation. He started connecting the dots that Beate had laid out for him. As he pieced things together, he stumbled upon an irritating entry in the encrypted files that Beate had granted him access to. It contained a strange note, just at the time when she was blinded. Next to the time stamp, there were just three letters: DEW. What did that mean? He searched the Internet for “DEW” and made a terrifying discovery. Full of surprise, he stuttered: “It seems this is an abbreviation. It means directed energy weapon”.

As he dug deeper, Olivier realized the true extent of the potential abuse of the 8Q communication network they were using with their mobile phones. It wasn’t just about the data being collected or the surveillance; it was about the possible weaponization of this technology. The 8Q network, originally intended for fast communication, could be used to emit microwave radiation and target a certain spot for an extended period of time. This could cause severe harm to people—irritating them or even worse, blinding them.

Olivier figured out the likely story behind Beate’s temporary blindness, and the more he looked into this, the more it became clear: Beate wasn’t the first victim. The use of directed energy weapons against civilians had been happening before, several people claimed, most of them dissidents. So far, there was no proof. The authorities had covered it up. But now, they had evidence!

Scene 4: Panic and Loss

Mia and Prof. David were immediately alerted by Beate’s condition. This looked like a targeted attack on Beate. Mia, in particular, was beside herself with worry. Prof. David tried to reach Beate, but her phone went straight to voicemail. He felt a pang of guilt and helplessness.

“Mia, we have to stop this,” Prof. David said urgently, looking over his shoulder as he paced in his office. “This is escalating. We’re losing control. The journalist is about to publish the story. That’s our chance, but then we need to get back to normal.”

However, before they could make any further plans, they were struck by the radio news. There had been a terrible car accident not far from where they had been. According to the police report, the circumstances were still unclear. The car had run off the road in the middle of the night under bizarre circumstances. Witnesses reported there were no obstacles, no skid marks. Apparently, it was a perfectly deadly crash.

As they were searching the Internet for further news, they noticed a recent update on the shooting case some weeks ago. The article contained a photograph, and Prof. David was stunned. He was sure this man had been sitting in the first row, while he was giving his lecture. He was following his presentation in every detail. He had made a lot of notes, Prof. David remembered, also during the discussion. This was pretty unusual!

“Could it be that it was a foreign spy, who was trying to figure out some secrets from your cutting-edge talk?”, asked Beate. Prof. David shook his head. He did not want to believe this. But he did start wondering, if there were perhaps any connections between the shooting, the surveillance platform, the targeted attack on Beate, and the deadly car accident.

The weight of the situation crashed down on them. The importance of their discoveries was now undeniable. Someone was pulling strings, ensuring that no one exposed the system. The dystopia Beate had uncovered wasn’t a possible future to prevent—it was already their reality!