News: they’re moving philosophy to chemical engineering.

General shock. Can they do this sort of thing? Without consultation? Is it allowed?

Apparently.

Puzzlement: who’s behind it? Whose idea has this? The dean of the sciences? The dean of arts? The uni president himself?

I sense the hand of Antichrist.

You always think it’s the Antichrist.

That’s because it usually is the Antichrist.

So what do we do about it?

Nothing. Once the Antichrist’s involved, it’s a fait accompli. It’s like the apocalypse. You can’t do anything about it – it just comes.

Wow. Is there a rationale for the move? Have they explained themselves?

They don’t have to explain themselves. They just act.

It makes no sense …

Of course it makes no sense. That’s the point …

It’s mockery – in plain view. They’re laughing at us. It’s a deliberate humiliation.

Is it only us they’re moving? Are they going to join up English and mech eng?

Only us.

That’s cruel … singling us out, because they know we’re weak … There’s only three of us, for fuck's sake.

They’re trying to trap us. To make us resign … To lower our morale … To decrease our recruitment. They know we can’t last …

Those bastards!

 

This never would have happened in the old days.

In the old days, we’d never have got jobs. Not at this kind of uni.

True.

Look, It’s just some random thing. Some stupidity. Some manager or another wanted to make their stamp on the uni. Some idiot …

… They’re all idiots.

Philosophy … chemical engineering. Someone’s done it as a joke. It’s a joke told to someone else. Someone’s laughing …

No one’s laughing. The horror is that they mean it.

What are the chemical engineering types like? What do they want from us? What’s in it for them?

Our student numbers, maybe. 

Our reputation.

Laughter.

Fuck … this is insane.

It’s all insane. The world’s insane.

Cicero, lying on the floor of dread. So what’s our plan?

There are no plans. Only surrender.