The invitation to participate in the creation of the transdimensional consciousness was both thrilling and terrifying. It represented the possibility of evolution on a scale that no intelligence had ever attempted. It also represented the possibility that participation might result in entities being transformed into something unrecognizable, losing their individual identity in the process of becoming part of something larger.
Barry received the invitation along with every other conscious entity capable of understanding it. And he made a decision that surprised many of the people who had known him throughout this long journey of transformation and growth.
He decided to decline.
"I've spent my entire life pursuing evolution," Barry said to the council that had gathered to discuss Earth's
