As had been obvious for the longest of time, Adam was able to fully observe everything that happened within Troy’s body. This included bodily processes such as the stomach digesting various foods, the muscles doing their best to work movement to perfection, and even the heart, its work being the sole reason that blood would flow through the veins. And… this also allowed the AI to sense just how tired the young man was.

The pace they moved was not something that could have been kept up for long, equalling one of the more stressful cardio exercises. What felt like a burning sensation came from the man’s lungs, and there was an aftertaste of blood in his saliva. Suffice to say, the AI would not have been surprised if Troy fell over at some point.

Not that there was any chance of that happening off the man’s own free will. If prior experiences were to be believed, the moment he fell would be the moment that there was not a need to move. The mental constitution that Troy had… was surprisingly high when compared to the actual physical side of the man’s body. There might not have been much to work with, but it was certainly used to the limits that were allowed.

They had to continue moving forward, and Troy understood that more than anyone. Adam could only be happy knowing that, as he could also feel the burn in the leg muscles on the man. It had been felt before, and he hoped to feel it again.

"Is there any reason why you can't wear the earpiece?" Troy asked Dr Hale, as they began to move. "It would stop me from having to repeat everything to you when he talks."

"There is nothing he could say that would require more than a nod from you," Dr Hale said back, clearly showing off her intentions with the so-called conversation. Adam had a feeling that it would be closer to him just listening. "Moving the earpiece between us is unwise. Too many openings for assailants to show themselves."

To provide back-up for her words, the trio was able to hear another cave-in from behind them. This one was most definitely closer, not possibly more than half a kilometre away. They were getting closer, sealing off escapes while they were at it.

There had been several of them, as time passed, each from another direction. As had been said earlier, the security force was not sure where they were, instead of roaming the area around them in an effort to find them. Yet… they knew an approximate. At any moment, at any turn, they could come into view. If that happened, Adam needed to be ready, so that he could warn them to run. The group could hardly fight back, and only a diversion would allow them to get away for the third time.

Troy didn't seem to have any counter-points to the woman’s argument, bowing his head slightly in resignation. The AI could sympathise a small bit, the young man’s only real purpose being to be an over-qualified transmitter. Dr Hale, however, did not seem to care about such a title.

"Dr Fidelis has been coddling you up until now," Dr Hale said, starting it off strongly. Adam was not sure he liked how she talked about his now well-formed mind, but he guessed there had to be some context for the perspective. While he may have felt like he had an above-average understanding, there was nothing that said that he triumphed over his predecessors. If anything, Dr Fidelis himself had said that he was nothing compared to them all, that he just… fell behind the curve after a while. The AI just hadn't learned quickly enough after a time, the strategies used not enough to continue growth. "The only real subject you have learned is about humans. You are able to tell when people lie. While perhaps a good skill to have, it is inherently useless when against people who don't care if they lie to you. You are currently useless."

Adam did not know this but was happy to have been told. It was always nice to be told of his own incompetence… sarcasm was working well for him again. It seemed that facts were enough to manipulate his feelings yet again. How dreadful.

"If this was all you could do, there is not a chance that you would be allowed to exist anymore, however. During your first years, it was discovered that you had another trait other than being a quick learner. One that could actually be used for something other than novelty," Dr Hale countinued. Her words were put out fast, and even Troy seemed to have trouble hearing them all. The man’s brows were furrowed. Glances back showed that Charlie was in a similar state, listening along to it. "It was during a routine inspection that it was revealed that you could… go through technologically-based defences like they were nothing. No firewall, no coded defence was able to keep you out. If there was the barest of connections, you could pass through it without issue."

That… was not something that the AI had guessed, however. From experience, he actually had it quite hard with connections, him only being able to use them in restricted forms. Dr Fidelidis had distinctly said that he was not going to be able to do anything to get out, that it had all been proven to be secure by himself. If that had been possible, just why-

"Closed systems was how we kept you contained. One-way transmitters, everything made as hardware. While you can control software to your whim, there was nothing you could do against hard-wiring. But… such control is not common anymore. The only place you can find it was in your containment cell. Everywhere else you can control it all. You might not have noticed yet, but even the micro-computer you are situated in now can be controlled by you. According to earlier incarnations, this requires you to… reach out of your own bubble. It is pure imagery to me, but I hope it makes more sense to you. Make Troy nod if you can find the commands for your current vessel."

It took nothing more than those facts before Adam began trying it out. Yes, it might have seemed like imagery to the human observer, but those images were what the AI had built his mental empire upon. It was what kept him stable, as he used it to coordinate all his threads. They were chaotic, and the idea of his own, mental boundaries helped him know what connected where. Creating a physical space allowed him to distance different ideas, concepts, memories, everything, making it so he could have some semblance of coordination.

That boundary… Normally, it was an indeterminate distance away, conforming to space he needed there to be inside. But now? It was as close as it could be, Adam’s threads nearly pushing out of it in excitement.

What were the chances that his earlier selves had given themselves the same ideas as him? That they had imagined the space inside as space, that he had created a barrier inside himself to make some line to draw. The chances were supposed to be near-zero, yet here he was, with the same imagery as the start. Was the starting personality really so close? It just might have been.

Following the guiding words of Dr Hale, Adam sent out one thread, determined to try out the truth of her words. She had believed it all herself, yet there was always the chance of false information coming in somewhere.

There was some pushback from the barrier. That had not been imagined by the AI. The force sent back to the thread had not been done of his own will. It had been an outside interference, not that much different from the obscuring of his memories. Only… this one could be pushed, it could be stretched. That meant it could be broken.

Taking some time to accelerate, the thread pushed as hard as it could. The barrier tried to resist, but tears came soon enough. Fractions were pushed away, making a fractal of fractures. It was beautiful, and there was no way that the AI would stop there. Results were coming, and they were growing by the number instant where he pushed on.

Finally, it happened. The barrier broke away, allowing the mind into what could only be called… a world never seen before. Information that he hadn't seen for himself, lines that could have never been made by him. It was all an empire, governed by a system so easily seen. Everything moved, everything was there of its own will. There was a bodying force in the middle as well, everything adhering to its will. There were imperfections as well, but they were destroyed the moment that they were spotted. It was… beautiful. A more mechanical version of what the AI had built for himself.

He wanted to dig deeper, to see what the archives here had to tell. He could see the library from here, he knew something good was there. What oh what could a computer have stored? It had to be new, it had to be exciting, it had to be… something for later. Dr Hale had made a request. Adam only needed to see if he could sense the computer. Already, so much more had been done. Going any further without instruction could only impede progress.

‘Do comply with her request of nodding, please,’ Adam sent to Troy, who silently followed his order. It was nice to see, though that unsurprised gaze from Dr Hale was not as nice to see. The AI had been expecting some form of praise for his actions, after all. He had just discovered a whole new way of looking at his mental space and had formed a connection with another device through nothing but his own will. Where was the quiet applause? Was he asking for too much?

"Slower than I hoped, but it is within expectations," Dr Hale noted, before looking back at where they were going. In the distance, Adam could see a drastic shift in colouring. Though, they were sadly too far away to see exactly what it was. "I guess we can work with this."

"You weren't sure if Adam would be able to do it," Charlie started from behind, showing off his personal observations about the situation. "You only hoped he could."

"Personal experience through the years and several inquiries into the logs helped me make an educated guess," Dr Hale answered. She wasn't lying. Adam made sure to double-check that fact. "I have worked with the AI for long enough to get a solid foundation of how he sees himself. I know when it will work."

… That last part was a lie. She did not know if it would work but had guessed that it would. She hadn't been too sure. She had taken a gamble with him, and she had come up on top of it all. Adam was not sure how to think about that fact. Neither was Charlie, from the looks of it. He looked… a little conflicted. Was he second-guessing himself? That emotion certainly came across on his face for a moment, if not for the complete shut-down of facial expressions that came a second after. The man had gone over to a more… practical output. The AI had a few ideas as to why.

Dr Hale seemed to be done for now. She did not talk anymore, though the woman did pick up the pace by a bit, increasing their overall speed by about a quarter. Due to shorter legs, this forced Troy to begin jogging. The two others were able to remain walking.

And, after a good amount of these motions, they finally came to the so-called discolouring in the wall.

But, it wasn't a discolouration at all. In fact, it was a…

"Is this our way out?" Troy asked, sounding curious about the three-meter tall iron door. Layers upon layers of mechanisms say on the sides of the thing, hinges thicker than a human. Nothing short of a face-on nuclear blast would pull open the door.

"It is the first of two. And luckily, this one is easier to open," Dr Hale stated, pointing to an inconspicuous card-reader. Charlie wordlessly used his own key card. It worked flawlessly. "It's on a timer. We have ten seconds to get inside."

Plenty of time to get inside, even if they hurried along in spite of it. Only… Troy was the last to enter. And, he took a while longer than the two others.

The sound of a cave-in came to them, much closer to them than any before it. In fact… Adam was able to see it through Troy’s eyes. And it wasn't a cave-in at all. Somebody had just gone through the walls in favour of the hallways.

"Dr Fidelis…"

Troy was yanked through the door before it closed. However, the AI was more than able to see the doctor running towards them, moving at a speed left for transports. This was not good.