However great his mood had been, Troy was feeling quite weird. His body was fine, no aches pulsing through him. His overexerted knee had gotten enough rest, to the point where it didn't hurt. Physically, he couldn't have been better.

With all that positivity, why was it all so lousy? The former grin on his face had turned sombre, his worry getting transferred over to another. Dr Hale wasn't feeling good. Troy had known that for a while. Charlie had warned her about it. Action to fix it should have been taken yesterday, yet no such action had been done. Here were the consequences before them, with breakfast forced to an early stop. For Charlie and Dr Hale at least.

Troy had the privilege of sitting alone at the table, slowly getting his food in. No hurry was taken, no matter how much he wanted to. The hurried departure of the other two had awoken questions, not only in him but also in those around him. Fingers were being pointed at an increasing rate, as more and more people came to eat.

It was worrying. Those people should have been used to it. Charlie, Dr Hale, Darlow, and all the others of the group were not of the quiet kind. Their antics were heard, seen, and felt. A literal breaking of physical laws had been seen without a single surprised glance. Everyone had been used to it.

So, why hadn't bad health garnered the same reaction? Why was it so widely talked about? It was a frequent problem, right? Just something that needed a few screws changed, before it all went back to normal. People should have forgotten it five minutes after the occurrence.

But, people just kept going on and on about the subject. Troy didn't look at anyone around him. The words heard were enough. They were not condescending, but legitimately worried about the health of a co-worker. This was serious to them.

His meal had not been enjoyed. It had been taken in automatically, while the conversations around him had been listened in to. Troy’s eyes had just been glazed over, for a period of several minutes. The listening skills needed were not in his repertoire, unfortunately. Listening in on a single conversation might have been easy, but with so many, it was hard to get a focus on anything distinctive.

There had been a brief idea of using the AI. Favours had already been established as a traded currency. Why not start up the trade yet again, with an easy one to start things off with? Adam wouldn't bet against it, certainly. The values of services had not been established, and Troy didn't think it would ever come. One service being done directly equalled one service needing to be given. He was fine with the system, and the AI was most likely as well.

The idea to use him was refuted finally. Troy had gotten through half the contents of the cup before that decision had been made. Curiosity was the greatest killer of all. Ignorance was bliss for the idiots, and Troy was one of them. Adam had never seen the cafeteria before. The AI would likely ask for a thorough inspection, as one of the favours needing to be repaid. One could not get a debt before the former had been repaid. Such was life and such was the system. Chancing it now would not let the attention dwindle.

It took a longer time than what Troy would have preferred before he was done eating. Another shot of coffee was greatly coveted, but as he glanced at the time he knew it would not be. He was his own boss for the day, and the boss demanded the employee to get to work. He wasn't over time yet, but another few minutes and there would be a problem. Getting out of the cafeteria in the usual hurried fashion, the walk to the testing room began.

On instinct, Troy nearly tried starting up a conversation with Dr Hale. Maybe some comment about breakfast, or just the dullness of the badly painted walls. Anything to get words going.

But, no matter what was said, no answer would have come. Because Dr Hale wasn't there.

Troy knew what was wrong with her, and knew how quickly it needed to be fixed. He also knew that the whole thing could have been fixed much earlier and that he wanted to berate her for not getting it fixed then. Even if he had the chance though, Troy wouldn't have done it. Beating those already down was something he just didn't want to do. Having been on the receiving end of that action before, he knew just how cruel it was. An inability to fix it, while being berated for not doing the impossible.

Going away from the topic of hating those in higher positions, there was one thing which Troy had learned. Something which he was surprised he hadn't heard before.

Mara. Dr Mara Hale. Not the most common of names, but one which Troy was glad of knowing. He wouldn't ever be on the first name basis with Dr Hale. Neither had any want to be closer. Charlie was their intermediate, and that worked perfectly fine for both.

Still… he should have known the first name. Had she just not bothered to introduce herself fully? Now that he thought about it, Troy didn't know Dr Fidelis’ first name either. Was that intentional? The first had only been learned through Charlie’s use of it. Something to wonder about.

In no time at all, the usual placement for the testing room was found. Normally, Dr Hale would be there, telling Troy to shut the hell up, while punching in the exponentially increasing difficulty of a passcode.

That wasn't how it would be going today, though. Looking up at the near-blank wall, Troy thought it awfully high today. Just looking at it made him shrink. What could have been so intimidating about his task?

Knock on the door, and hope that Dr Fidelis opens up. Simple. Nothing to worry about. Except… maybe there were self-defence methods? There shouldn't have been any reason for them, but impending doom was a good excuse for faltering.

Probably wouldn't work once asked about it though. What was scarier? Getting reprimanded for not following orders, or having one’s life put on lethal levels of danger?

…

Troy pounded on the wall without a second thought. It would have been better to start off a bit lighter, but there was no such thing as overkill. If it worked, there was no reason to change it. That's how it worked, in his mind.

A good five solid knocks were put on before any reaction came forth. The hissing of the wall made Troy flinch, thinking that his latter guess had been spot on. Luckily, the only scary thing to emerge from the wall was Dr Fidelis’ face.

Upon seeing the shorter stature of Troy, the wall was opened fully, to reveal the tall doctor standing tense.

“Good morning to you, Troy. Maybe a weird question, but doesn't Dr Hale usually follow you over here? I certainly can't remember ever having to open the door for you?” Dr Fidelis asked as the two of them walked further in. From behind him, Troy could hear the door closing sharply. The clap of air was highly heard that day. Not the greatest sign of the day.

“She does,” Troy confirmed. Looking around, he could see the screen unlit. It had been turned off fully today. What had been on it, which caused such measures to be taken? Could it be that the test was important enough, for Dr Fidelis not wanting to reveal anything to grealy? The chance of it was there, and he wouldn't have been surprised by it. That man took some things much more seriously than others.

A look was given to the smaller person in the room. It went unnoticed, much to the taller one’s displeasure. Not that such emotion was shown. That wouldn't have worked out better for anyone, and their personal goals.

“And… I seem to not be able to hear your explanation for why this is? Did she need to grab any essential materials on her way here? I did promise to get a new notepad today, but it wouldn't be too out of character for her to grab it herself. A good worker who puts her professional first, that she is,” Dr Fidelis said, mild praise going out to his co-worker. Less her work ethic, and more her priorities. Priorities which Troy was finding himself to strongly disagree with.

“During breakfast, she fell ill. Not something she could push through, which she certainly did try to. Would have gotten more than mild brain damage if she continued her futile efforts. One of the other people there helped her out, with the promise that she wouldn't be working today. I was told to continue as usual and to get there at the allotted time. I hope this doesn't cause too much disarray in your plans,” Troy explained. The apology at the end had not been planned, just coming out on its own. It had been the byproduct of looking at Dr Fidelis’ facial expression, which had not been in its usual jovial state. Yet, it had not been in an annoying genre either.

It had been giving up. An irritation brought upon one by the person’s own actions. From the sigh accompanying it, the doctor would likely share his sins all the same. Troy had noted before that everybody seemed to make such exaggerated noises, before confessing to any crime. Why did that trait of mind stand apart from all others? He had not a single clue.

“I should have known this would come to pass,” Dr Fidelis began it all up with. The large doctor started moving to his desk, continuing his overdrawn speech along with it. “It was surprising to hear last night when Dr Hale asked for time off. I don't believe I had heard that request come from those lips of hers, since her first few years here. With the sheer rarity of such a personal request, it should have been accepted just because of that. If only we had had the time for it. If she had asked me at any other time than that, I would have granted it.

But… but that last part, which needed to be finished before today, was impossible to do without her direct input. I could have done it myself maybe, but it wouldn't have turned out as great as it did now. Maybe it would have been better with an imperfect state. It could always have been tweaked during the ongoing testing. Minor alterations are acceptable. If only she had given me the reasons. I thought she had a need to fill her personal needs, not anything vital to her continued operation. I wonder… would she have been able to stand here now and help me if I had accepted her request?

Nothing to dwell on now. Don't worry about bothering me, Troy. The only thing bothering me is my own faults. How about we get you prepared for the test? It will require a few things, which Dr Hale normally does for me, but that shouldn't be an issue for either of us. Right?”

Troy nodded stiffly in response. A mental apology was sent out to Dr Hale. It seemed that the fault did not lay at her feet, but the one of her direct superior. Would it be worth it, to notify the doctor of his massive mistakes? Of the literal life, which he had put on stake, just to get slightly better results? It was best not to. He knew he would get too much into it, just as he had done last night. He had to thank that coffee he had drunk during breakfast. If his mind had been more clouded, the words would have seeped out of him faster than he could stop them.

Dr Fidelis opened one of the numerous cabinets under the desk. After rummaging through a large assortment of things, of which included gelatinous cubes, screwdrivers, and what looked to be a comically large spoon, the doctor seemed to find what he had been looking for.

A small box. From the rattles upon movement of it, it was safe to say that there was something within. Something small, hard, and not fragile enough to stop the large man from throwing it from one hand to the other. The smaller party trick had even been done without so much as a glance downwards. If it had been in a different setting, Troy might even have applauded.

“What's that?” Troy inquired, trying to peek at the contents of the plastic box. It was somewhat translucent, allowing one to see the inside a bit. Not enough to single down on a form, other than the size. The object inside was not large, with it having no problem fitting within something the size of a thumb. If he wasn't sure of it not being so, he would have guessed that it was a-

“Pill,” Dr Fidelis concisely answered. Popping open the container, the doctor revealed a small elongated tablet. It had no signs on it, giving no hints as to what it was made of. “One which you get to swallow. And, don't bite into it. Won't be pleasant for anybody if you do.”

The warnings were not the best thing to be told, before being ordered to eat it.

“What will this be used for?” Troy asked. Having been handed the pill, he looked at it up close. Nothing more was revealed, no inscription being obvious on it. The dosage wasn't even stated. Wasn't there a law which required that?

Dr Fidelis did not slow in his other preparations. The skin-suit was brought forth. Not to give it to Troy, though. Bringing another device forth from the cabinet, a wire was inserted into an unseen port in the suit. A holographic graph was shown in the air, which Troy did not have any clue how to describe. Lines permeated the screen, no system in it. Numbers accompanied the tactic. From the doctors humming, he at least seemed to understand the mess.

“Well… you won't be coming outside here quite a while. That food inside there is not edible. That little pill will be keeping you nice and full, without anything major to worry about. You can try to eat food during the test. Pretty sure some amount of taste will carry through. It won't be nourishing though. And, try to not to drink any water while you're at it. Never tried it myself before, but it is supposed to taste like static. Don't know what that means exactly, but it cant be anything positive.”

The answer didn't help too much, but Troy didn't mind it too much. With a shrug to supplement it, the pill was swallowed. In the few moments, where it stayed on his tongue, the taste of it was noted as extraordinarily awful. How such a thing would be keeping him full for several hours, he wasn't sure. And, he didn't even want to know.