<strong>Location</strong>: The Ritz-Gospel Hotel (First Haven, Watcher’s Island). Conference Hall 01<br/><strong>Date</strong>: 5 January 2099. Monday<br/><strong>Time</strong>: Morning<br/><strong>Who</strong>: Julie Tanaka<br/><br/><hr/><br/>Julie gave an entirely genuine smile to the reporter—his question was intelligent and one of the few piloting subjects where she felt she might have better insight than most. And while the question was loosely related to politics, her instinct was that answering directly would be fine—she was not being asked to endorse any sort of ideology. She was curious as to why he had not introduced himself and his organization—maybe he was nervous and forgot? “That’s certainly an interesting question—I know that within R&D there’s some speculation as to whether the increased neuroplasticity of younger candidates would aid or hinder synch in the long run.<br/><br/>“It’s my hope that the politicians involved would consult with ADAMS and follow the recommendations they receive—this is more of a technical question in the end. As an analogy, you might ask a politician to draft policy on health care, but not to run a hospital or perform open-heart surgery.<br/><br/>“As for my instinct based on my own experience...” She paused a brief moment to mull the question. “I’d have to say it’s not something I’d recommend. The discipline and maturity required to begin the program is hard enough to find at fifteen or sixteen years old. Honestly, if the situation humanity finds itself in were less dire, I’d say it would be a kindness to raise the age of eligibility.” Julie was worried she might have come off as too much of a science wonk, but that was just who she was. She was never going to have the easy charm Tianran demonstrated, but hopefully “cute and geeky” had its own appeal.<em>And if it doesn’t, at least that means less press conferences.</em>