story’.
‘So you have to avoid arousing suspicion in order to get aroused?’. Dick was even more pleased with this latest quip but Taylor ignored him and there was an uncomfortable silence for a moment or two, broken by Dick asking, ‘How do you identify potential Resistance members?’
‘We all keep our eyes open for signs, however small, of anti-Party sentiment. It could be a throwaway remark, a small symbolic act of rebellion or even a minor public order offence. We then observe the citizen for at least six months to make sure they are who they appear to be, that they are genuine and not Party members masquerading as people sympathetic to our cause in order to infiltrate the Resistance. We could recruit a lot more members but we can't afford to be lax in our vetting procedures’.
‘OK, but then how do you make an approach?’ enquired Dick.
‘Very carefully at first. Usually by dropping a subtle comment here and there to establish how we feel about the Party. Of course, you have to understand that for all they know, the potential recruits we approach might consider us Party members, secretly testing their loyalty. That means there has to be a high degree of trust from both sides’. Taylor continued, ‘Anyone who comes here is not only taken and brought back blindfolded, they keep the blindfold on throughout all our discussions with them. It only comes off when we’re satisfied they are genuine. The outer entrance door incorporates sensors to detect concealed bugging devices, homing beacons, recording equipment or indeed weapons. That way we make doubly sure we’re not inviting back any disguised Party operatives’.
‘But surely people can work out where they are once the blindfold comes off?’, enquired Dick.
‘Why should they?’, replied Taylor . ‘Look around you. This facility could be anywhere. In an office building, the basement of a museum, a private house, an underground storage depot, a factory outbuilding, a disused hospital - even in one of the Party’s own facilities, operating under their very noses!’
‘So where are we then?’ asked Dick, looking around his surroundings with renewed interest.
‘Even though you have been brought here to act as our main weapon against the Party I still cannot divulge that information. You remember that other man who was trained by my predecessor in much the same way as we will train you...’
‘Ah yes. That would be the person the Oracle saw in a previous very accurate dream’, Dick said with more than a hint of sarcasm in his voice.
‘Yes. That was him’, Taylor said uncomfortably. ‘Although we don’t know exactly what happened, supposing he was captured…’
‘Which he most definitely was’, added Dick.
‘Just supposing…’ continued Taylor , ignoring Dick’s barbed comment, ‘that happened and he knew our exact location, he would have lead the Party right back here. That’s why we have to take these precautions. It’s not that we don’t trust you, it’s that just we can’t take the risk’.
‘That’s OK. I understand’, said Dick.
‘Good’, said Taylor rising from the table. ‘You need to learn a lot more about our time. Alice ’s brief film showed you something about our world but there is much more to find out. Only by understanding our enemy can you learn how to defeat it. Before we start a formal induction course we thought it would be good for you to discover as much about our society as you can on your own’.
Dick followed him out of the room to another that contained a number of computer terminals. He sat himself in front of one.
‘Er, how is Alice ?’, he asked.
‘She’s fine thank you. She was a bit disturbed after seeing you in distress after your nightmare last night but apart from that she is fine. She’s at work at the moment’. Taylor pulled another chair up to the terminal.
‘How long has she been in the
‘So you have to avoid arousing suspicion in order to get aroused?’. Dick was even more pleased with this latest quip but Taylor ignored him and there was an uncomfortable silence for a moment or two, broken by Dick asking, ‘How do you identify potential Resistance members?’
‘We all keep our eyes open for signs, however small, of anti-Party sentiment. It could be a throwaway remark, a small symbolic act of rebellion or even a minor public order offence. We then observe the citizen for at least six months to make sure they are who they appear to be, that they are genuine and not Party members masquerading as people sympathetic to our cause in order to infiltrate the Resistance. We could recruit a lot more members but we can't afford to be lax in our vetting procedures’.
‘OK, but then how do you make an approach?’ enquired Dick.
‘Very carefully at first. Usually by dropping a subtle comment here and there to establish how we feel about the Party. Of course, you have to understand that for all they know, the potential recruits we approach might consider us Party members, secretly testing their loyalty. That means there has to be a high degree of trust from both sides’. Taylor continued, ‘Anyone who comes here is not only taken and brought back blindfolded, they keep the blindfold on throughout all our discussions with them. It only comes off when we’re satisfied they are genuine. The outer entrance door incorporates sensors to detect concealed bugging devices, homing beacons, recording equipment or indeed weapons. That way we make doubly sure we’re not inviting back any disguised Party operatives’.
‘But surely people can work out where they are once the blindfold comes off?’, enquired Dick.
‘Why should they?’, replied Taylor . ‘Look around you. This facility could be anywhere. In an office building, the basement of a museum, a private house, an underground storage depot, a factory outbuilding, a disused hospital - even in one of the Party’s own facilities, operating under their very noses!’
‘So where are we then?’ asked Dick, looking around his surroundings with renewed interest.
‘Even though you have been brought here to act as our main weapon against the Party I still cannot divulge that information. You remember that other man who was trained by my predecessor in much the same way as we will train you...’
‘Ah yes. That would be the person the Oracle saw in a previous very accurate dream’, Dick said with more than a hint of sarcasm in his voice.
‘Yes. That was him’, Taylor said uncomfortably. ‘Although we don’t know exactly what happened, supposing he was captured…’
‘Which he most definitely was’, added Dick.
‘Just supposing…’ continued Taylor , ignoring Dick’s barbed comment, ‘that happened and he knew our exact location, he would have lead the Party right back here. That’s why we have to take these precautions. It’s not that we don’t trust you, it’s that just we can’t take the risk’.
‘That’s OK. I understand’, said Dick.
‘Good’, said Taylor rising from the table. ‘You need to learn a lot more about our time. Alice ’s brief film showed you something about our world but there is much more to find out. Only by understanding our enemy can you learn how to defeat it. Before we start a formal induction course we thought it would be good for you to discover as much about our society as you can on your own’.
Dick followed him out of the room to another that contained a number of computer terminals. He sat himself in front of one.
‘Er, how is Alice ?’, he asked.
‘She’s fine thank you. She was a bit disturbed after seeing you in distress after your nightmare last night but apart from that she is fine. She’s at work at the moment’. Taylor pulled another chair up to the terminal.
‘How long has she been in the
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