Hope, Levy, Marc [good summer reads TXT] 📗

of genius; she wanted him to know that. It was the work of a brilliant mind. She told him how much she admired him for coming up with it, before continuing in a different tone.

“The idea is the product of a brilliant mind, sure. But to want to execute it is the desire of a deranged person. Are you insane, Josh? Do you understand how risky this would be? What if you fry your brain in the process?”

Josh did his best to reassure her. He told her they would need months to develop a prototype of the headset, and he had already thought of the safety rules he would want to implement. The stimulation sessions would be progressive, he said. They would start with just a few minutes, maybe even just a few seconds. They would be spread out in order to assess any potential side effects, and if the control EEG showed the slightest anomaly, they would stop immediately.

“The only thing that could reassure me is if you never succeed in putting on that headset,” Hope grumbled before returning to her reading.

Josh didn’t tell her that Flinch had offered them his help.

The next day, back at the Center, Luke began thinking about the different steps they would need to develop their headset. Josh had started putting together the library of images and sounds they would use. He had already downloaded a good collection to his laptop.

Flinch popped his head around the door and asked them to follow him. He led them through the Center, to a door they had never yet opened.

Behind it was an entire wing given over to bigger, better workspaces, full of much more impressive facilities.

“We’ll move you over here,” Flinch announced. “Think of it as a promotion. The only people with access to this part of the Center are researchers working on absolutely crucial projects. The security here is incredibly tight, as you can imagine. Information here is completely sealed in.”

“What do you mean by ‘crucial’?” Josh asked.

Flinch turned to look at him.

“Do you like to read?”

“When I have the time.”

“That’s your generation’s downfall. You don’t have the time to sit down with a good novel, but if only you knew the extent to which literature has predicted the future of science. I sometimes think novelists might be even more disciplined thinkers than scientists. Or perhaps scientists no longer read enough to stimulate their imaginations. Anyway, be that as it may,” Flinch said, and then continued. “Just under sixty years ago now, a young man called Kerouac wrote a book that would go on to become a cult classic of the times. On the Road. Ever read it?”

“No,” Josh admitted.

“You should. Kerouac painted a picture of an entire generation that celebrated freedom and speed. Young people of your age were traveling across America, living life to the full, their only reason being the pursuit of love. It was a favorite of mine, as a teenager. I know what you’re thinking. I don’t look like the rock ’n’ roll type. But never judge a book by its cover. A few decades later, another great writer published a book called The Road. Cormac McCarthy.”

“Oh, I saw the movie,” said Josh, relieved at feeling a little less ignorant.

“Nowhere near as good as the novel, but let’s move on. McCarthy’s road is a postapocalyptic highway. His characters are struggling to survive in a destroyed world, forced to kill one another for the smallest of reasons. The protagonist walks around with this old beat-up shopping cart. I suppose you’re wondering where I’m going with this.” Flinch looked at Josh. “In just fifty years, hope in the future has evaporated. The stories and movies predicting the end of the world, the end of democracy and humanity, are too many to count. Wars, fanatics, viruses, robots, all destined to obliterate us. Here, we have another vision of the future. And we’re working to see it done. Consider this part of the Center as the antechamber of the future. A future full of hope.”

Flinch turned and started walking as Luke and Josh exchanged glances.

They had arrived at a room, where Flinch introduced them to a team of six researchers. Luke immediately sensed the close relationship between Flinch and these scientists.

One of them began talking them through their project.

“Neurolink aimed to develop a high-performance interface between microelectrodes and the cortex, with a view to taking deep electric measurements within the brain. Our electrodes’ biochemical composition allowed us to link up with neural signals much more precisely than ever before. The concepts we developed were tried and tested on a monkey’s cortex several months ago now,” he explained. “And for several months, our supple electrodes, which perform much better than we had ever expected, have succeeded in creating an actual brain-to-computer interface. We’re calling it BCI.”

“You cloned a monkey’s brain?” Josh gasped.

The researcher shot Flinch a look, and when the professor nodded, the researcher replied. “Precisely. Our computer was capable of simulating its brain. The screen in front of you is a kind of amazingly intelligent electronic primate.”

“I think you guys are going to get along very well indeed.” Flinch smiled. “In a week or two, once I’ve approved your accreditation, you can start collaborating on Neurolink.”

The men shook hands, and the deal was sealed. Luke could already see the benefits, especially the time they would be saving. His dizzying excitement was only somewhat tempered by a stab of jealousy that he had not been the one to make the staggering breakthrough.

Josh, meanwhile, was thinking of Hope. He decided it would be best not to tell her the news for the time being. When she came back to the Center, he would need to be discreet about it. On their way out, he mentioned it to Luke, and when Luke asked him why he cared, Josh explained Hope’s fears, and how she was worried about the impact their research would have on their mental health. Luke didn’t seem particularly fazed and