“Oh, just personal curiosity on my part. But at an institutional level . . . Well let’s just say that the timescale we’re operating on is perhaps a bit longer than you’re used to. Maintaining the individuality of consciousness is essential for the continuation of democracy as we know it. And thus America as we know it. Eventually a confrontation may be inevitable in regard to ourselves.”

The DARPA agent gestures to the passersby on the street, all unique, brushing past one another in all colors, complexions, genders, classes, clothing; the movement chaotic at the local level but each trajectory perfectly sorting into a pattern absent of collisions, people self-organized into a fluid.

The agent says—“This period of personal and individuated consciousnesses may just be a historical interlude. The next emergent step may be inevitable. Brain-to-brain group minds will be the norm. Maybe even in just a few hundred years they’ll think we were primitive barbarians because of the antiquated individuated way we lived. How to communicate to such a future what it was like to be an individual, to have just one body, to wake up alone in your own head every day?”

Kierk doesn’t know what to say to this so he just takes out a cigarette and proffers it, but the agent shakes his head.

“Well, sorry this was such a short meeting, Kierk. I wish it had been longer but I’ve enjoyed our conversation . . . So I will say to you what I came to say. And that is that we’d encourage you, strongly, to stay on. That is, we’d like you to get one of the positions. However, our influence is not infinite. Everything is bureaucracy, in the end.”

“Why do you want me to get one of the positions?” Kierk asks, blowing smoke that dissolves in the light.

“There may be, in the near future, certain . . . think tanks, appropriate for you. But you don’t even officially have a PhD yet. That’s problematic. Please, if you can, keep your head down, and it may be possible to secure you a position. Or even something bigger.”

“Bigger like what?”

“DARPA and the DoD view the problem of consciousness as central to maintaining technological sovereignty. Of course, this is also a concern for NASA. Perhaps a sort of Manhattan project will be set up. I’m sorry I can’t be more definite. I advocate for the problem’s importance within the organization but I am merely one voice. Anyways it’s been a pleasure—”

“Wait wait wait. There’s something I need to ask you. Concerning Atif.”

The DARPA agent frowns. “Yes, we had high hopes for Atif as well. That was very unfortunate.”

“Too unfortunate. Some of the Crick Scholars, myself included, suspect . . . how do I say this . . . foul play?”

The DARPA agent looks askance at Kierk. “You believe that Atif was murdered?”

“And you . . . DARPA . . . wouldn’t have had anything to do with it,” Kierk probes.