It did not take too long before Adam was able to hear Dr Fidelis’ voice coming into play. Silence had been the barrier between communicating with Troy. The AI had waited for nearly thirty seconds, waiting for either the doctor or the bearer of the earpiece, to initialize conversation.

Adam still had questions to ask, no matter how little the timing served it. The hunger for knowledge never settled, never gave him a feeling of accomplishment. It only wanted more, the more it had already been given. The AI could have stopped himself from feeling it if he had stopped himself at the start. There had been no reason to begin gathering information, other than his own curiosity. Now, though, it has turned into a much larger problem.

What would have happened, if he had refused the offer? If he refused to do any test, what would Dr Fidelis have done? According to the small bits of conversation, which Adam had listened in on, the AI was the doctor’s lifework. It was the greatest discovery, that a human could make in the current age. If such a thing could be anything other than biased, the AI also thought itself the greatest discovery.

Getting back to it, Adam was not sure, what the consequences would have been. Dr Fidelis had clearly built everything upon him being inclined towards more knowledge. Everything in the tests was new to him. Not something too surprising, in the earlier test, seeing as he had yet to see anything. Yet, new content was always added. Some new quirk, which put the whole structure on its head.

The AI was never bored. He had always been bombarded with information, while desperately trying to build his mental structure upon it. The pre-known information had been a great boon, in this facet, helping him study more, in the time between experiments. Without it, he would have likely failed a few of the tests.

They had required ingenuity on his part. The first tests had been simple. The instructions hadn't been too complex. Do one thing. Do another thing. And, then there came the latest task, which was a list of tasks. It brought in the concept of choice, in a subject, where Adam had previously been told exactly what to do. It was new. A unique direction, never walked upon before. It would be laborious to adapt to this new course. And, oh, how he loved it.

If the impossible happened, and the AI had to make the choice again, would he say no to it? Would he decline the offer, instead deciding to sit in silence, for all of eternity? It was an experimental way of thinking, with it not having a chance of ever impacting his life. But, if one ignored the negatives of spending time, thinking on it? Then, Adam would not have refused. No matter how irritated it was, in the small amount of knowledge he could learn, even a little was better than nothing. An eternity of doing nothing was an infinite amount of times worse than spending an eternity trying.

*Troy!*, the AI was able to hear Dr Fidelis shout. Why the doctor had decided to do such a thing, was a question left up to discussion. There was no considerable distance between them when the communication relays were put into the thoughts. The only thing coming out of the higher volumes was the bearer of the earpiece wincing in pain, due to overstimulation of the hearing sense.

“Yes, sir?” Troy asked, a finger coming up to fiddle with the earpiece. Adam was initially scared of him taking it out of his, due to bodily reflex. But he was luckily proven wrong, as the man only adjusted it slightly, making sure it fits perfectly. While the readjusting did cause the slightest of repeating feedback, nothing was out of the ordinary with it.

Even with the current, more natural tone, Troy was obviously not in his calmest emotional state. No harder tone was used on the 'sir`. It was added as a quick afterthought, meant to ease the harder voice of Dr Fidelis. And muscle memory. This was not the first time that a scenario like this had occurred for him. The AI was unsure of any other way, to train the answer up, replying at such a speed. No real thought had been put into the words before it had left his mouth. Yet, Troy had been able to articulate his words perfectly, nearing the levels of a well-practised speech. The tongue knew the pattern well and fired it off near-instantly.

*You are not supposed to give our local artificial intelligence such as delicate secrets. While I understand, the thought of work soon being done can be comforting. Some people have such poor attitudes. But, you can't say anything, which will influence the results. Mental tricks, like letting Adam know, that he can relax, are one of many things that you are discouraged from saying or doing.

This is a first-time offence, though. So, I don't have any reason to do anything other than simply warn you about it. Try to remedy this warning, by working diligently, just like the other tests before this one. If not… we’ll talk about it, under different circumstances. Do you understand?*

The last word was formulated in the way that nothing other than yes would be accepted. Adam was hastily documenting the word usage, the emphasis on some of the words, how thinly veiled the threats were laid out, and, most importantly, the kindness factor. Dr Fidelis had not restricted himself to the stick and simply beating Troy down relentlessly. Doing such things would not have brought the results.

It had been a mix between being kind and being ruthless. A dance between fine lines. Being the kind, older man, and being the commanding offices, who would not hesitate to sink Troy’s ship. The doctor had been deemed figured out, before this day. Yet, with the current moment playing out, the AI knew just how right he had been, in reclassifying the specimen.

The fine techniques used, during the bashing implied experience. This was not learned through practical experience. Dr Fidelis had studied the art of manipulation. If not for the likely repeated information, Adam would even have called their information about the subject identical. The doctor personally writing all the pre-known information was not too far-fetched. With the time he had had at his disposal, double-checking everything was not just a necessity but a certainty.

Troy’s reaction, to the words, said, was much more nuanced, than what had been felt, during the AI’s own threats. A slight shaking in the right ankle, as it attempted to put on more weight than it was supposed to, the lowering of the eyes, to not have eye-contact, and, most importantly, the subdued tone, at which the answer to the question came.

“Of course, sir”, Troy said, in a soft, calm voice. “It will not be forgotten.”

If this was the reaction, which one could expect, when using both kindness and ruthlessness, Adam would certainly be changing these personal tactics. A servile posture, ready to accommodate a command. How the doctor had known, how to control another, on such a personal level, the AI simple needed to know. What factors came into play? Was it physical, mental, or a mix of both? How much time had been used, on getting the factors calculated? Was it done on the spot, or had it been pre-planned? He wouldn't be able to ask directly, of course. Maybe, it would be possible, to have a test created around the subject. Dr Fidelis had obviously made this current one up on the spot, meaning that new could be created. The idea of doing so simply needed to be put into his mind and the AI would be able to acquire the knowledge.

*Good to hear, buddy*, Dr Fidelis cheerfully replied. The last back and forths had been seemingly forgotten in the tones used. The doctor was right back to his normal ways of speaking. *With that, we should be getting back to our current tasks at hand. Namely, letting you two know, what tasks you’ll be doing. Starting it off today with me saying, that this test will not be the longest of them. This will be mainly because of a lack of preparation time, due to unforeseen circumstances stopping me from letting the intended test be used. Which is totally fine, really. I am sure nobody would want to go to a full-scale replica of a zoo, with all the animals and staff included. Also, there was a petting zoo for goats, sheep, massive snakes, cute kittens, and absolutely adorable rabbits. Oh, how I would have loved to watch such a thing. Even my old heart feels a twinge when those cuddly things are shown. It really does…

Anyway. As I said, the new test will not be long, being restrained to a maximum of one hour. This is due to the lesser time-consuming task, during the test. It is simply not intended to be played for so long. Well, at least not the way you're going to be playing it.

Wait. Did I ever say, what you will be playing? You… you don't have to shake your head, Troy. I know, that I haven't said anything about it. I was leading you, being intentionally vague. To create suspense, you know? Makes it more interesting for all of us. Especially me, when I have to relisten to all of this.

…

Getting back to it, the game that you two will be playing is poker. Got the idea to let you two play this when Adam unexpectedly asked me about the rules. I mean, it does fit in, with the general topic, that we’re leaning towards. And, doing it this way, it will also fulfil the criteria for the current test. So, a win in all edges. Somebody gets to know a few things about what they are curious about, and I get to show something to my superiors, which isn't absolute garbage.

As you may have noticed, playing poker alone is not the most fun thing in the world. You win with every hand, of course, but you don't get anything monetary out of it. Wasted time, in my eyes. Therefore, you will be playing against simulated opponents. This will include full-body models, with complete sets of movements, facial expression, and several other things used to discern the value of the opponent's cards. Adam, do remember all those tricks I told you. If you use them correctly, I am sure they will come in handy.

The communication between the two of you is, of course, a slight problem. Initially, I wanted to dumb down your opponents, by making them unable to hear Troy talking. But, I decided to just keep it as it was, and let the two of you sort out your conversational issues. You could still just talk to Adam out loud. The opponent won't be bothered by you talking to somebody, that they are unable to see. But, if you say anything about your cards, or what you should do, then they will try to use it against you. They are smart enough to think that far, at least.

I’ll just list off some of the base things, which should aid the two of you. The game itself will be against a single opponent, with only a single human present, other than you, giving you intricate focus on a single body. More might be added, throughout the game, but it is not a certainty. The starting amount will be a thousand credits, for each person. Starting bids are either five or ten, depending on the round. Losing equals not having enough credits to continue. Any questions? No? Great! I’ll just load it all up, and the two of you should be ready to start.*

The inquiry for any questions was clearly a formality only. Adam had been able to see Troy begin to speak up but was stopped upon Dr Fidelis simply continuing to speak. It didn't help that the connection was cut off, in the end, leaving no time for questions after.

Going away from the unusually passive human before him, the AI was unsure, what to make of the test. More specifically, if it would be beneficial to him, in any meaningful way. Poker was a complex method of play. It required both skill of the game mechanics themself, but also the ways the other players functioned. One could not win, without studying both sides dutifully.

With the wordings used, the AI was unsure, that the opportunity to do the latter would show itself. Simulated people was a new form of testing materials. Independent actions. Unpredictable, not following a clear, established pattern. Or, so it would be, in the greatest of circumstances. The animals, during the last few tests, may have seemed unpredictable, following the ways of the real-life counterparts. Yet, Adam had a suspicion of such observations only being so, due to a lack of more broad data being shown. If he had studied the creatures for long enough, faults would have likely been found in the movements, in their actions, and the reasoning for their behaviour.

With the new test, however, which would apparently continue for upwards of a full hour, the AI thought it a certainty that the thought pattern of the simulated human would be fully mapped. Randomness in computers could never be random. It had an algorithm. With enough time, anybody could find it, and predict the numbers, before they occurred.

Around them, objects began to form. Troy moved towards it, his placement already located.

'Are you ready?`, Adam sent.

“I don't think that matters anymore”, Troy answered.

'It would still be useful information.`, Adam sent, as a rebuttal.

“Then… no. I am not”, Troy answered. The chair was ready before him. A step more and the two of them could begin their task.

'You were right. It does not matter. Now, sit down, and let us finish this as quickly as possible. With the primitive opponent, it should take a few minutes.`

A jest. It turned the mood into a more positive note.

Adam should have used these methods sooner. They really were effective.