The truth is out there… but there are a lot of people who don’t want you to know it. Who’s in on it? Aliens, the government, the corporations, the rich and powerful, or maybe all of the above. Whether they’re ancient or recent, they’re all the same at their core–conspiracies. You’ve found out about them, and that makes you the target now, because we both know they’re not going to risk being exposed. They’ll stop at nothing, but all’s not lost; there are still ways to keep yourself safe. I’ve got 4 tips here to help you fend off the conspiracy and maybe, just maybe, expose the truth.

Spoiler alert: tinfoil hats won’t save you this time.

4. Investigate Thoroughly

Few are better at unraveling conspiracies than Fox Mulder.

Whether you accidentally witnessed Them at work or were deliberately digging up dirt, you’ve learned something They don’t want known. You might not even know why this information is so valuable to the Conspiracy, but They are willing to kill you over it. At this point, it’s in your best interest to start learning as much as you can. If They are already after you, the situation can’t really get much worse, right? You may as well find out what it is you could be dying for.

But no, this is for more than just personal curiosity. While the Conspirators aren’t likely to be willing to negotiate with you outright, a better understanding of what they want and why it’s so important to keep it a secret can be extremely valuable. Are They after power? Money? Trying to takeover the planet on behalf of their alien benefactors? They might have opposition you could turn to for help (well, in that last case, you might be screwed). There might be a “thread” you can pull to unravel the whole situation and get law enforcement on Their backs, assuming the cops aren’t involved, too. Heck, if you’re lucky, the Conspiracy may not be as ominous and evil as it seemed at first. Perhaps They are just trying to cover up the existence of a massive government program that explores other worlds. You might even get a job offer out of that one.

3. Trust No One

                                          Hail Hydra

As you’re looking in to the Conspiracy, however, you need to be VERY careful. Your search for the truth is just as likely to lead you right into Their clutches, because who knows more about the Conspiracy than its members? Often times, They will set up honeypots where anyone looking for info on Them or Their cause is automatically brought to Their attention. Any knowledgeable people you might try to contact, even other conspiracy theorists out for the truth, might actually be a mole instead. Take appropriate precautions, be that encryption, proxies, anything that can conceal your face and identity.

It goes beyond that, however. The Conspiracy could have gotten to your friends, your family, your lover. They could be members, or they could be blackmailed, exploited, or held hostage, but either way, even they can’t be fully trusted. It’s hard to survive alone, and you may have to resort to getting help from these people, but only when there’s no other option. Little Jimmy would be sympathetic to Their goals, wouldn’t he? It’s not wrong to be paranoid in this situation. To pull out a rather famous quote, “just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you.”

2. Go Off the Grid

Space is also a good place to hide, if possible.

If at this point, you’ve learned too much to have any shot at being let off the hook, and you’re completely out of allies and trustworthy friends, you might be thinking that taking down the Conspiracy is hardly the best course of action you have. It might be better to just hide, right? But They… They have eyes everywhere. EVERYWHERE! They are always watching, waiting. It doesn’t matter where you go, you’ll leave a paper trail of some kind. Receipts, purchases, the GPS in your cell phone… websites can track your common behaviors and profiles and identify you that way. There’s nowhere in modern civilization where you’ll be safe to hide.

Maybe that’s the answer, though? To leave behind the luxuries of modern civilization, to forsake technology and live a simple life, as far from the major city centers as possible. A solitary, lonely existence, to be sure, but if They can’t find you, then They can’t kill you. You could fake your death, but would They really buy that?

On the other hand, this is going to cost you everything. You may survive, but is the kind of life you’ll be living really much of a life at all?

1. Employ a Deadman’s Switch

Some are more literal than others.

You’ve had enough of hiding. You want your life back, your family. Everything They have taken from you. It’s time to take the fight to Them, but They are just too powerful to take out head-on. You need to have a bargaining chip at the ready… and fortunately for you, you already have the perfect one.

Remember all that research you did? All those rumors and hearsay which you finally managed to confirm? That’s the proof you need. If your investigation bore fruit, then this is the time to use it. If They are going to treat you as if you’re a threat, then you might as well do something to deserve it. That’s where the Deadman Switch comes in. A system that’s been setup such that, if it fails to receive a particular encoded message from you after a specified interval, all the damaging material you’ve gathered will be released to the world at large, to do with as they will. Sometimes it’s literally tied to your vital signs, but it doesn’t have to be.

This is something that needs to be executed perfectly to work. If They have superior decryption technology, they’ll be able to find a way to stop it without you. Ideally, it’s something They couldn’t even torture out of you. Most importantly, there can be no way to deactivate such a system once it’s in place. You’ll be sending out this signal for the rest of your life, however long that is. And don’t even think about trying to bluff with this… that never ends well. Even this plan is a long shot, but it just might be what you need to get back to something that even vaguely resembles normal.

Well, there you go. I hope They don’t focus their sights on you! Any other ideas for escaping the grasp of an all mighty conspiracy? You can let me know in the comments, or on Twitter @RetroPhaseShift, if you aren’t worried about Them seeing it. If you enjoyed this article, please share it, or better yet, check out my new book, The Arcology, now available on Amazon!