The Ask and the Answer (Chaos Walking, #2)

by Patrick Ness

“You are enslaved by your idleness,” says the Mayor. “You are defeated by your complacency. You are doomed”– and here his voice rises suddenly, hitting doomed so hard half the crowd jumps– “by your good intentions!”

“You let an army walk into your town and instead of making them take it, you offer it willingly!” He’s still pacing, his voice still rising. “And so you know what I did. I took. I took you. I took your freedom. I took your town. I took your future.”

I wonder why the only choice is twixt two devils, tho.

“It is my pleasure to announce that building work has been completed on a new Ministry, one that will keep us safe from the threat of the Answer, a building where no secret may be kept, where anyone who tries to undermine our way of life will be re-educated into understanding our ideals, where our future will be secured against those who would steal it from us.” The Mayor pauses, to give his words maximum impact. “Today we launch the Office of the Ask.”