(In third person POV)
After a quick drink of coffee, Ben heads to Mr. Darcy's office, where he is assigned to for his private meeting. When he enters, he notices that another person roughly in his 30s is in the office as well. Mr. Darcy introduces him as Matt, a lab researcher working on the BiNanoJack project. He will be assigned as Ben's partner during his time with this project. In the meantime, the meeting serves to brief Ben on the situation of the project and his responsibilities.
Mr. Darcy begins the long explanation. "Ben, I know that you have only been working in this agency for just over a year, and I do apologize that this news came so abruptly to you, but you are one of the most qualified candidates for participating in this new project. And let me tell you, this project has taken countless hours to research, and we are excited that we are now at this next level. While we wanted to announce this sooner, we needed to do a thorough background check on everyone in case a double agent from Halcron snuck into our agency. Because of this, you do have the choice to refuse, as it does drastically change your life, but we strongly encourage you to join, as this project requires youthful health. If you like, I could discuss the details before you decide." Ben nodded his head slowly, thinking that he doesn't have much to lose for this. Plus, the name of the project sounds interesting and different from previously announced projects.
"Great! Matt here will help me along with this explanation. As stated in the large meeting, this project named BiNanoJack, is essentially a way to transfer your consciousness from one body to another. Over these past years, researchers here discovered a way to extract a person's consciousness into special nucleic acid molecules called coDNA, which encodes your memories and thought processes, similar to DNA with your physical traits. Along with some other proteins, they can carry out processes, similar to neurons. While this provides a medium to transfer consciousness, it alone is not a stable form, as coDNA can easily disintegrate without a protective layer. Therefore, we had to engineer nanoparticles to carry the coDNA. I will spare you the exact details of the particles because they are extensive, but essentially, these nanoparticles will store and protect coDNA inside and outside the body. Once ingested into a host, they will quickly travel through the bloodstream and bind to the host's blood-brain barrier within one minute. When bound, the nanoparticles will release the RNA produced by the coDNA in small vesicles through the barrier, where they will attach to neurons in the brain to "hijack" them, giving the user control over the host's body. Note that during this process, the host's consciousness is still intact, but will be in a coma. Therefore, your consciousness within the host is considered a separate entity to protect the user from being influenced by the host. However, this means that this "hijacking" won't be permanent, and the nanoparticles will eventually detach from the barrier due to foreign body reactions in the host. Don't worry, the nanoparticles are designed to withstand bodily interactions, so they will remain stable as they are eliminated from the host."
"Eliminated from the host? You mean..." Ben asked in response.
Matt responds, "Yes, the nanoparticles will have to eliminated in the same way other things are eliminated in the body: through the urinary system. Sorry, it sounds disgusting, but it is much safer from extracting them with more invasive methods. And we can't leave the nanoparticles in the host for long periods of time as they can cause stroke and other complications for the host. This can also damage your consciousness, as the coDNA processes are linked to the host when bound to the barrier. But on the bright side, you won't have the senses to perceive urine while detached from the host."
Ben inquires, "So how long could the nanoparticles remain in the host?"
"From current tests, up to 24 hours. But the actual duration would vary based on the host's physical condition."
Ben inquires, "I see, so since we are discussing elimination from the host, what would be the next step after elimination? As you said, I won't have the senses I would have as a human..."
Mr. Darcy replies, "Yes, so here is the important part of this meeting. Controlling the host would be intuitive after a hands-on experience, but transferring between hosts would be critical. The nanoparticles have a built-in infrared sensor to track the closest human being possible (other than your previous host). Via a fabricated protective layer of fluid produced from the host, the nanoparticles will emit waves to propel the fluid towards that human being. It will map out the body orientation before entering the mouth of the next host. Because the nanoparticles are invisible to the naked eye, the next host should not be able to perceive anything. Now, the reason why this is critical is because that protective fluid layer needed to propel the nanoparticles will only remain for up to 30 seconds, so you need to make sure that there is a new host nearby when you are about to be expelled from your current host. So preferably, the switching will need to take place in a public bathroom..."
"But why can't I just hop back into the original host?"
Matt jumps in, "Similar to the reason why there is a time limit on each host. The hijacking takes a toll on the host's body, and we found that reentry results in poorer control for the user and a higher chance of death of the host. Each host should be an approximate 24 hour cooldown before being hijacked again."
Ben summarizes, "So I have about 24 hours in each host, 30 seconds to switch between hosts, and 24 hours before I can go back into a previous host. Anything else I need to note?"
"Yes, so while you have about 24 hours in each host, the foreign body reaction in the host starts immediately after the nanoparticles attach to the host. Over the course of those 24 hours, the connection between the host and the nanoparticles will weaken as the host's immune system starts surrounding the nanoparticles. Therefore, over the course of hijacking, you will start to experience some of the host's thoughts influencing your actions and your thought processes. While the coDNA encodes your core consciousness, you do rely on parts of your host's cerebral cortex for more complex thoughts. Unfortunately, the cerebral cortex also stores most of the host's consciousness. In refining the nanoparticles, we try to focus on utilizing the less sensitive portions of the cortex, but some of the host's consciousness might still be found in those portions. The nanoparticles will suppress this consciousness, but as the connections weaken, some parts might be inadvertently activated. Of course, you will still maintain the majority of control throughout the 24 hours, but this is something to keep in mind as you use the host's body. We would suggest conducting the more perilous actions first while leaving the less dangerous ones for later."
"So how will my consciousness be extracted and placed into these nanoparticles? And how would my consciousness return to my body?"
"We have developed a machine which will convert your brain waves in your brainstem and cerebral cortex into special code for the coDNA, unique for your consciousness. When your consciousness is extracted, your brain will go into hibernation, and your body will be maintained in a stasis chamber in our lab facility. When it is time to return, the same machine will re-stimulate your brain using the information encoded in the coDNA, thereby restoring your brain waves and consciousness."
Ben sits in silence for a few moments, absorbing and processing the motherlode of information that had just been dumped on him. In the end, he answers, "I think I understand the gist of this project now. But why go to such an extensive length, with consciousness transfer? And is it really ethical to be 'hijacking' people?"
Mr. Darcy reassures Ben, "I understand your concern, and it has been a controversial topic for us as this research was being conducted. As expected, we could not obtain the consent of the hosts, as they would surely refuse to participate (If they did, it would be easier to just ask for their cooperation instead of hijacking.) But we are doing this to try to crack down on Halcron, who we have constantly cited as the biggest suspect behind these cases. It is undeniable that they are hiding something, and we hope to expose it in the interest of the general public. As you probably heard, we have devised several other plans already, but they have resulted in many losses to our agency. This project might just be one of our last resorts."
Ben sits back to ponder. On one hand, he is still concerned about the numerous worries in undertaking this project, such as the sense of being stored in nanoparticles, or the potential influences from the host. But he also understands that the agency suffered setbacks in employee numbers, and this project would require subjects in great health condition, considering the amount of stress each subject must experience. But perhaps this is what he needs to do to improve his standing in the company. Being a new investigator, Ben still carries much of the vigor in furthering his career path. Plus, this will help on his year long investigation into Halcron, and he trusts that the research department has done all the necessary tests to ensure the safety and efficacy of the project. Personally, Ben also finds it interesting to "be" another person. It will certainly be a rare but fascinating experience. After pondering, he replies, "I'm in. I will help in looking further into Halcron."
Mr. Darcy gives a surprised look at first, but it quickly shifts into a smile, "That's great. Honestly, we didn't expect a response that quick, but we are certainly glad you will help us on this project. We are definitely aware of the risks as some things have to still be ironed out. Unfortunately, not every aspect can be tested in lab as each person is different, but we assure you that our research team will be assisting you throughout the process. It is late today, and I'm sure you must be somewhat exhausted after all the news that has been dumped on you at once. Go home for today, and Matt will discuss the next steps in our lab facility tomorrow." Matt feeds Ben a message through the agency phone on the location of the lab. Afterwards, the three stand up and shake hands. "Thank you, Ben. And welcome to the project," Mr. Darcy states before leading Ben and Matt out the office.