"That," John agrees. "And lately Harold has been talking about finding something to do here. Some kind of purpose. I don't think he's considering building a new Machine, but like I said, he's a genius. If there's anyone who can figure out a way to do the same job here without the Machine's help, it's Harold."

He pauses for a moment, taking a sip of his coffee. This is what's most important, this is what he needs to tell her, but he realizes once he says it, there's no taking it back. Once the offer is made, it's done.

"He wants to put together a new team," he says. "And he's been very interested in you."