“All those stories you told me. They were true, weren't they?”
“Yeah.”
“And all those years,” said Nathaniel, sounding as if he was trying to understand it. “Shireen kept it all secret, too. All that time I thought I was so wise, so clever. But I didn't know anything.”
“It's not your fault,” said Finn.
“I was born in there, you see,” said Nathaniel. He clearly felt the need to explain. “Engn was all I knew. I was brought up to know there wasn't an outside world. The machine was everything. But it was a lie all along.”
Finn took his gaze from the eyepiece and looked at Nathaniel, his features picked out by the beams of light from the ports. They were all victims, weren't they? Even the masters. Even Nathaniel. Even the Director himself, lonely and bitter. What was the point of it all?
