FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The Truth

The small room was packed with a wild assortment of furs. It appeared people from all walks of life had turned up to hear what the speaker had to say. While they waited, many conversations happening all at the same time created a dull roar in the space.

A fairly young fox turned to the fur on her left and whispered, "I hear he got his information straight from Station Sigma. Someone there didn't agree with the mandate to keep it under wraps."

The badger she was talking to rotated his head so he could face her without moving the rest of his body. "Who at Station Sigma would possibly chance going against the High Commander to disseminate such divisive information?" He shook his head in denial of the thought. "I'm sure this is all just a hoax to get people riled up. Maybe even lies to start a coup against the government. There's no way we can trust it."

On the other side of the badger, an older vicuna scoffed. She had her nose in the air and a derisive look on her face. "Oh, so you're one of them."

"One of whom?" The badger asked defensively, facing his accuser with his chest puffed up in offense.

"One of them deniers. 'The government can't possibly be hiding anything.' 'No one would actually go against them.' Bah, I say! You'll see when he starts to speak."

The badger shook his head and moved away from both the fox and the vicuna. It appeared that they definitely believed in the rumor that was going around that the government was lying to them all about what the precipitation falling from the sky actually was. He, for one, did not believe it. There was no way some inside fur decided to spill the beans on some top-secret government information. The clearance needed to be assigned to Station Sigma was so high, anyone sent there had to pass some rigorous background tests. Surely they'd weed out anyone who'd be a leak risk.

All around, the waiting and milling furs seemed to be growing more restless. It wouldn't be much longer before the speaker got on stage and started the rally in earnest. The badger looked around for a better place to stand and wait. Over on the right-hand side of the room, there appeared to be a tight-knit group of other badgers with their heads put together. He made his way in that direction, hoping they'd be of a similar mind to himself.

"...No, I'm telling you, it's just not possible."

"And I'm telling you that I know a guy stationed over there. He wouldn't lie about that."

"Well, I don't care who you talked to, it's just not something they'd allow to happen. Either he's got it wrong, or he's lying to you on purpose."

"I suppose it's possible that he was a party to misinformation. But he's definitely not a liar!"

The badger sidled up next to the group and attempted to insert himself into their conversation, "So, you don't believe the rumors, do you?"

Two of the furiously whispering badgers turned to look at the newcomer. They straightened up before addressing him. "Ahem. Well, you see, it is incredibly unlikely that any government employee would risk losing his job to disseminate such volatile information. We believe that it is much more likely to be a carefully planned campaign aimed at dividing the nation and causing strife. If people believe such nonsense, then they are much more likely to take up arms. There are plenty who are dissatisfied with how things have been going lately that would jump on the chance to wreak havoc."

"Exactly my thoughts. There is no way each and every employee at Station Sigma wasn't screened for their likelihood to leak information and weeded out accordingly. It's just not at all feasible that this information is accurate. Not at all."

The group of badgers all agreed and they continued discussing the unlikelihood of the validity of the rumor. As they were picking up speed in their conversation, a hush fell over the crowd. On stage, a large bear was moving into position. There were two wolves standing to each side of him. It looked as though they were there for his protection, though none of the badgers could fathom why he thought he might need it.

"Assembled furs, thank you so much for making time to listen to what I have to say today. I'm sure many of you are well aware of the rumors going around about the massive secret the government has been keeping from you. I know that it seems quite far-fetched that something so huge could be a lie. I know that it seems very unlikely that anyone who could know the truth would share it with the masses. And I know that the thought of this being true is absolutely terrifying for many of you. But, I'm here to tell you today that what I'm about to tell you is absolutely the truth.

"For over twenty years, I have worked as a scientist at Station Sigma. I have been in charge of the atmospheric readings, the interpretation of the data, and the collation of findings. Along with several high-ranked colleagues, we have been monitoring the situation for many years. It took quite a long time to determine what was going on with our own weather patterns.

"At first, we were fairly certain that it was a naturally occurring cycle that created clouds and precipitation. Water would evaporate from the land, condense in the cooler air of the higher atmosphere, then fall once more to the earth. However, all of the studies that have been conducted in the last fifteen or so years have pointed to another truth being evident. It is not the water cycle that causes rain, and rain is not water.

"While it is true that water evaporates from the land and recondenses into clouds, what falls from these clouds is not water. We have sent probes up into the clouds themselves and have monitored the energy readings we found there. It appears that, once the water condenses into clouds, something truly amazing happens. They become super-conductive. Somehow, the amount of energy they generate through friction of the water molecules opens a portal to another plane of existence.

"We are still trying to figure out where exactly this portal leads, but for now, what we know is that the precipitation falling from the clouds is not water. It is quite similar in makeup to water, but there are a few unknown elements contained in each droplet that changed the chemical makeup into an unknown molecule. Until we can identify the exact compound we are dealing with, it is the position of the United Governmental Agency that all citizens refrain from contact with the precipitation falling from the skies. That includes what has been called 'snow', 'hail', 'sleet', 'rain', and even 'fog.' While we are not certain that 'fog' is anything more than low-lying clouds, it is better to be safe than sorry.

"At this time, we are unaware what detrimental effects, if any, the unknown precipitation might cause. Unfortunately, that is not my department, and so I have no answers. It is simply my job to observe the upper atmosphere and see if there are any changes in the behavior or makeup of clouds. However, whether it is my area of expertise or not, I still strongly caution you all to take this very seriously. If precipitation is harmful, we are all at risk."

As the bear on stage finally finished his presentation, the furs in the crowd went wild. There was yelling, screaming, fainting, scoffs and jeers. Everyone in attendance was divided on whether they believed him or not. It was so unbelievable, it was really no wonder two camps were forming. On the left side of the room, all those who believed the news gathered together to talk about it. On the right, all those who disbelieved got together to form a plan on how to deal with those on the left. Before long, the room descended into absolute chaos.

His job done, the bear and four wolves left the stage and, though a back door, the room entirely. "Well, I'd call that a success," the bear said to his companions. The wolves grunted or shrugged in response. This was a job and they did it. They didn't really care about the fallout from the talk. Their job was simply to make sure the bear wasn't harmed. As they slid into the waiting car, they each let out their own sighs of relief. Now that they were safely away from the rally, they could call their own jobs a success.