However much Adam had been inclined to start unregular tests immediately, the AI knew it would not be. Troy had not been in the right state of mind, having come way too close to the so-called breaking point. He was afraid that any additional pressure would bring back the earlier mental state.

It had taken much persuasion, but Adam had succeeded in getting the man to rest. Fears had been had over spending a full favour on it, but Troy had succumbed to his pleas after many repetitions. Stating the same points over and over was once again proven to be a valid tactic. However little point it made logically, repeated sensations had the ability to stress the human mind to a higher degree. This did show itself in many parts of the human lifestyle, such as the constant change in white noise. Musical sets could never be heard for too long before one got annoyed by the familiar vocalisations.

The cafeteria had been left not much long after their agreement had been sealed. Troy had felt sated, with no intentions of eating any longer. Adam was still unsure of how the man came to this distinction. The painful bursts coming from the stomach area had not disappeared, nor had any new sensation come forth. Yet, the man was walking happily, talking about how he had gotten to eat to his full intentions.

“I never get to do that normally. Takes too long to get another portion.”

The AI wondered how such words could be true. Buffets were normally designed to counteract such problems by creating one-way paths. But knowing how many other areas where the facility had failed to adapt, it was not out of the realm of possibilities by a long reach.

Walking back to the personal room had not been too interesting. Troy and Adam had continued their conversation along the way, neither having any reason to halt it. Only upon nearing the hallway containing the man’s room did the AI propose discontinuing their talking.

'The doors may be thick but they are not designed to be noise-nullifying. Some reduction they may provide, but anything more is not to be expected. At this hour, most personnel will be sleeping, relaxing, or doing some other activity requiring no outside influences. It would not be just to break this state of mind simply because of wanting to talk some more.`

Troy had not made any objections to his idea. Doing so would have ruined it anyway, but the lack of response was more likely from a higher degree of exhaustion. It had come creeping in, but the AI had clearly observed the increasing sluggishness in the man's movements. It was already late, much later than Adam had ever seen Troy be up to. The body was clearly not accustomed to such a change, having already prepared itself to disengage from the commands of the brain. He had observed a similar state during the first unregular test. Adam was still unsure what caused it, but back then Troy had been in a more inept state of mind, not able to focus on his surroundings and cause himself to lose his sense of direction. If not for several inquiries into where the man was going, they would have likely had a repeat of it during their way to the room. At least, Adam had memorized the number to the room.

For lack of a better term, the man had been coaxed into his bed. Any complex mental process had been devolved into incoherent mutterings. What might have been intended as words came out as simplifications of a cat popping its lips again and again. Even the tasks normally conducted by a human before bed had been put on the optional list. Troy had attempted to brush his teeth. He had failed spectacularly, with his toothbrush falling down into the sink. At least there had been plenty others in a box, but the AI had not felt any need to allow the man to try again and had instead made him go into bed with his teeth going unbrushed.

Clothes had been removed expeditiously, quicker than Adam had expected for the man to do. Getting naked was just one of the things that the human mind had honed to a point of perfection. It was not what the AI would have focused on, but each entity to its own.

As Troy had fallen asleep quickly, with the earpiece still remaining inside its placement during tests, he was able to observe the man thoroughly. The last night had not provided the greatest of results. A disturbed mind had caused lighter sleep, with next to no REM phases. With the tiredness being shown by Troy, Adam had full expectations of getting.

But… such thoughts gave over questions to be answered. This sluggish state that Troy had been in was not positive. It had shown itself for a long time, but the effects had increased exponentially. Plans about contacting emergency services, if Troy was unable to reach his bed, had been considered. It would have been through Dr Fidelis of course, since Adam did not have any capability of contacting anybody else other than the doctor, but it was still one of the needed failsafes.

What had caused this sudden wave of tiredness? Eliminating all older objects having a chance of influencing the man’s physical state, it all came down to the pill that had been administered not long ago.

The side-effects of it had already been discussed. Major discomfort from the stomach region, caused by a lack of solid food and any amounts of liquid. It was obvious some pain would come from it. Adam had ever been surprised at how minor it was. With how gruelly pain had been described in the pre-known knowledge, the AI had been expecting a sensation so incomprehensible that it would cause a lack of proper mental functions. That would have perfectly explained human behaviour in times of great distress, having a good reason for their incompetence shown time and time again.

Yet the pain had felt just as any other sensation. It had come in like all others before it, Adam had catalogued it into its own unique placement, and moved on with his life. Nothing special stood out from it, when compared to the several other sensations. Nothing which would stop him from thinking clearly. Well, it would technically cause a major backlog to happen, if enough sensations were to come at once, but with the fragmentation up and about it would take more than any human body would be able to handle safely. Troy would be brain-dead long before the AI would even be feeling minor discomfort. So Adam thought himself safe in that regard.

Getting back to the problem of Troy’s hopefully temporary lack of properly functioning mental faculties, there had been a few problems in the AI’s logic. Blaming it all on the effects of one pill may have seemed logical. Lack of proper amounts of liquid and solid foods were known causes of a sluggish body. It should not have been surprising that Troy was having those same effects to himself.

But the world did not seem to be so simple. If these effects were only shown after consumption, Adam would have gladly left it as so without a seconds thought. Yet, after prolonged observation of the inner workings of Troy’s organs, it seemed less and less likely to be the case. The stomach had long since been sated. It had taken several minutes before full processing had begun, but the bursts of pain had lessened in quality, any more only being the final death-throes of earlier pain. With so long a time used for analysis, it had become obvious that the stomach, or anything large related to it, was not at fault. It might have been in the start, but it was no more. The controls had been given to the one next in line, and Adam had trouble finding the identity of it.

There were many contestants, many who had been the sources behind several minor hindrances. Lack of a proper sleep schedule, combined with an unbalanced diet for a longer amount of time, could have the potential to cause sudden tiredness, and a general lack of hand-to-eye coordination if held sustained for long enough.

Yet… that proposal did not have the needed kick. It could produce the same effects, yet, but not in the ways that Adam needed it to. So was the problem with several other combinations. Too slow, too strong, too weak, too full of other side-effects, had a larger chance of causing death than anything, or that it would cause dysentery was just a small bit of the criticisms made during the selection process. With such large quantities of possible combinations made, turning it all into an exponentially growing amount of possibilities, it did take a long time for Adam to parse through. However many options he analysed, there were twice as many left to be seen through. That was just how it was, using brute force on extremely large numbers. It would work in the end, and the AI had the time to spare.

While doing that, a few other threads were left to themselves. Mostly for the need to continually monitor the actions of Troy of course, but some of them could not even handle such a simple task.

Thoughts stayed far past their intended placements. Even if they were not in the requirement of finding the right answer, they could not help but throw in their own ideas. They were not made in the same way, not being created by combining pre-existing conditions. If the AI already knew all about those already traced, was there really any chance of them being the true culprit? What if it was something else? What if it was something even deeper than anything else had been? Not serious yet per se, but something close to both Troy and-

'Adam, my good buddy. Are you ready for the debriefing for today? I am in a bit of a hurry, so if we could get it over with as quickly as possible, I would be immensely happy,` Dr Fidelis sent to the AI, bringing Adam’s thoughts out of focus. Not to say that they were forgotten of course. Only… discontinued. They had been logged in the archives, but would likely only be built upon more in the later future. Once something had been stopped, it was incredibly hard to start it again with the exact same intentions as before. A hindrance that the AI was more than happy to complain about, seeing as many important subjects had been halted in their progress simply by the fact of outside influences surprising him. If only Adam could keep his thoughts in control. Then it would be the perfect system, with each group being compartmentalized into completely separate functions, yet also being able to work in perfect tandem. A pattern of total synergy, knowing what each separate thread is experiencing, yet not being influenced by it unintentionally.

If the AI had the ability to sigh, he would likely have done. Maybe Troy had been onto something with those ideas of his. Maybe the human mind really had genius hidden inside itself.

Adam guessed he would know soon enough.

'I am as ready as I ever will be.`

A message sent with no small hint of sarcasm attached. It had double meanings etched onto it like it just didn't care. It would have been in Adam’s best interest to simply never use it again, while also trying to discontinue Troy’s use of it as well. But… a certain fondness had been grown over the wording. If not for the very direct messaging, it let a unique kind of atmosphere grow around the conversation. One showing a serious discussion, while also letting some minor faults slide for the sake of comedic purposes. A place where the AI could make mistakes while treating it as fully intentional. Human humour was weird like that, with anything for any reason being seen as funny, as long as it had even the vaguest sense of relation to another subject. Adam had meticulously looked through several pictures of a horse standing on a balcony, who for all intents and purposes looked entirely normal. Yet to many, this was the top of what could be called quality entertainment. Those creatures really were a wonder to behold, if not in their smarts then in their chaotic nature.

'Excellent. If you get ready to receive a camera feed, we should be right in business quickly.`

'I will make sure to do so with great care.`

Adam only hoped that the debriefing would be more entertaining than the last. This time, the time constraint was not set in stone, allowing the AI some amount of leeway. And it would be best to believe that it would be taken with great care.

That was a truthful statement. Perfect practice for the hearing to come.