Interest was decidedly subjective. It was an impression, which stood on its own to a singular person. No two people had the same thoughts to the same thing. And not for a lack of trying. People tried understanding others. Some succeed in imitating it, but never truly stand singular in the passion.

Adam wasn't interested in the mechanics of opinions. He was interested in the people connected to the opinions. The mind could create. It was a fact cemented into reality. Innovation came to all. It required a change in opinion, a change in the person. Some changes took but a moment, while some took full years. The AI truly was fascinated by this piece of the cognisance. Notably on the long-term developments. Those that took more than a split second to settle, constantly being the source of indecision and turning one grey on the sides of white and black.

What started this process? Was there even a start? Adam had only been able to see instant changes in opinions. He hadn't been able to observe any entity for long enough, to discern anything transforming slowly. There might have been several people morphing their world-views, in the same seconds he taught about it. The AI could never accurately know if there wasn't enough opportunity to see it for himself.

When talking about spontaneous shifts in mind, a catalyst was always present. A thing, action, or even just a concept was enough to force a rethinking. One could never truly know when it would happen. Traumatic incidents had severely increased chances of it, but there was never an unquestionable reaction to look to. No real pattern had been found. It wasn't even required, that it was something new. A resurgence, just enough for a nostalgic feeling, was more than enough. It was all confusing, and he would never stop trying to find a universal answer.

Getting any hints about the long-term changes would be a big step forward to that. If only the mental overhaul could have some resemblance to its shorter version. Adam was not sure how it operated. A catalyst would not necessarily have to be present. It just needed to have endured. Or, maybe it wouldn't even have had to be. A self-created thought could potentially change a person’s viewpoint if just left to fester for long enough. This was normally moved down to negative links, though so the AI wasn't convinced that it was a universal method.

The nature of the catalyst could not be the same. Or, maybe it could. Everything depended on the person. Oh, how Adam was unreliable on how the formula worked. This was one of the many examples of how fanatical it could get. There was most likely one true answer to it all. Finding it would easily be impracticable, with all conventional algorithms.

Not that that would make the AI falter, of course. The more prominent difficulty made it all that much more enticing.

Currently, Adam was working on another side of his theory. Calling it a restriction would fit better, really. He was focusing on the type of catalysts, which were just under the threshold of causing an immediate change in opinion. Enough to bring up the notion, but not enough to cause it. Well, not at first.

The human brain was a finicky thing. It worked best at different things at different times. With a twenty-four-hour cycle to work with, this left a lot of potential positions out in the open. Adam was currently focussing on one general state of mind, which all so-called humans felt. Sleep.

A time where defencelessness was a key attribute, where the beings were holed up in their hiding places, and most importantly the time where the brain was the most active in the memory department.

As had been stated many times before, human memory was a peculiar thing. It did not like repeats. Only a single instance of a single memory had the right to exist. When thought of, that thought became the new memory, all opinions coming along with it.

It was not hard to imagine the quantity of twists and turns that could be created this way. The changes in feelings one could have over remembering. A happy one could turn sad, with just the slightest bit of relation. Cries could turn to laughter. All it took was something to start off with. And, as the final-found variable, Adam had the perfect test subject, to validate this minor theory.

Forty-five minutes had elapsed, since the moment Troy had fallen asleep. The AI would have preferred to overlook the sleeping process since the start but had been hindered by Dr Fidelis. It was not the largest loss in the world of course. The more superficial stages of sleep were not fully efficient in memory-sorting. It was more of an initialization, giving the body more time to acclimate to deeper levels of sleep. The REM portion, to be more specific.

Adam had come back at nearly the perfect time. In under a minute of waiting, the eyes had begun rapidly moving. While no sensory data was being transmitted, the movement of the muscles could be felt by the surrounding skin. Why the sensation of touch remained, while sight wasn't, was something the AI did not know. Foregoing a whole conjecture of the reasons, he simply moved on from it. So much effort had been made on speeding the process along. Wasting time here was not up for debate. Not even with himself.

The sensation of touch gave the AI much understanding into the inner body’s workings. During regular sleep, the pulse of the heart would lower itself drastically. In the optimal physique, it would stay around the forty-five to fifty range. With Troy’s less-than-perfect state, it was a bit higher, staying comfortably at fifty-four. The AI had counted it. Not enough to be concerned about, but enough to question his longevity.

That pulse stayed constant, until right around the moment of REM. After the initial ten seconds of eye movement, the pulse spiked. The emotional and sensorial processing had begun, and it wasn't looking positive.

Adam had already predicted it being so. Troy had not been devoid of stress, in the last many hours. Couple that with a greater lack of sleep the previous night, and one had the potential of nightmares.

Sleep invoked many things. The most well-known identifier of sleep would be the dreams accompanied by it. According to his reservoirs, they were a byproduct of the previously mentioned emotional processing. The brain went over the activities of the idea, and neatly gave its opinion about them, before tossing them a little further into their respective places.

Seeing as their minds were their own, and the brain was just as much a part of it, it was obvious that some erudition would flow between. Processing sensory information meant that Troy would feel some during his sleeping hours. A phantom perception.

Essentially, it was focused on inane matters. Not anything comprehensible, of course, being more along the lines of accidental happenstances of information. Didn't stop any being from twisting it into a story after the fact, but that was but another quirk of the human mind.

The body had a way of interpreting these scraps of information as well. It took it all as reality. If the mind was frightened, stressed, or otherwise feeling burdened, the physical body would mirror it. Troy was a great example of that, with the heightened pulse. A pulse which was slowly rising. If it went a little further, Adam was sure the man would awake.

It was in this state that the AI wanted him to remain. It was in this critical period in sleep, where the opinions had the chance of being changed. It just had to show itself. Now, Adam had several potential thought-patterns which had the chance of being the catalyst. From the constructive criticisms of Dr Fidelis to the short-stacked poker game, the AI had plenty of openings.

Chances were high, and he just had to figure out, which was being dreamed about. Even without memory, the subconscious mind had a great edge of manipulation. It showed itself in minor forms. An aversion to subjects, both verbally and physically, was the prime hints.

With enough time and enough days, Adam would be able to plot out the progression of change. Even if the future wouldn't present situations on the same level of stress, the initial catalyst would be more than enough development-wise. Similarities would pile on top of each other, increasing the mind’s change of mind.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

Troy opened his eyes.

An interesting development. It was certainly enough to bring Adam out of his inner mutterings. More interestingly was the ongoing lack of sight, which was being experienced. The eyelids were pressing upwards hard, more than enough to cause strain on them. Comfort was not a priority in the action.

Other than the eyelid-movement, no other actions came forth. The pulse remained stationary, well over the limit. The man should have been awake, yet no clear signs had shown themselves. No twitches of the limbs, everything as relaxed as could be. Only the passive muscle movements were present, all others being in their unworkable state. Troy was most likely in a semi-state of awareness. Another pathway had been taken from REM sleep to awareness. One which wasn't intended for any use.

Communication was decided on.

'Troy?`, Adam sent. A cursory attempt at contact, just to see if it worked.

It most certainly did not. What did do, however, was to pull the man right back into a deeper sleep. The eyelids slowly closed, the beating heart falling with it. In under twenty seconds, the pulse went down under the seventies, continuing the gradual decline.

One thing did come out of the attempt though. Not one which the AI would ever classify as an answer. It would be safer to call it a verbal muttering activated by a related pathway-activation.

"Please… stop."

The tone was not one, which Adam had ever heard before. The usual signs of negativity were present in the voice. A slight muffle of the words, blended a bit around by the chattering of the teeth. Timid undertones accompanied it. Innocent undertones. Such was the classification for the higher tones, of which had been used.

He was not sure the correct traumatic experiences had been dreamt about. Not ones which the AI had witnessed at least.

A shame. This would more than likely impact Troy’s performance semi-permanently. And worst of all, Adam wasn't even getting anything out of it.

No. Not all was lost yet. This still had the possibility of being a lead-in to another negative experience. There were still plenty of hours for the trauma to show itself. Adam just had to be hopeful.

----------------------------------------

Troy awoke to feel… nothing. Not the expected condition to be in, with the hecicity that was the prior day. But, for the first time in too long, there were no protests in his body. Nothing felt out of place, nothing making its presence known, and certainly nothing being riddled with painful waves of blood.

What could it be? If not entirely negative in protest, was there really any other way to feel? It seemed like it. Troy was fully refreshed. A deep breath brought healthy amounts of oxygen reeling throughout his body. A wide eagle spread off the body, the last bits of a sleepy body were removed entirely. Opening his eyes, the soft lamplight gave him the ability to look at his surroundings, with no oversensitivity to anything. If this was what people were supposed to feel, Troy felt cheated.

His legs were swung over the bedside, getting him into a comfortable sitting position. Not ten hours ago, his legs would be shaking from the pressure. Now? He couldn't even feel them. And that was intended in a positive way.

Giving a glance to the gracious clock, it looked like the time was thirty minutes before the normal wake-up time. A bright and early morning was seemingly in for him. Well, there wasn't any difference about it at light levels really. Troy hadn't seen the sun in several days now. Those D vitamins had to be lacking in his body by now. Maybe a few pills would do him a load of good.

His skin tone wouldn't be fixed by it though. He had already started off as decently pale. With no skin-conditioning, there was a good chance that Troy would be getting into the negatives. Lighter than light was possible, and he would soon prove it.

Wait. If there was no sun to hold the skin-tones darker, how were the other people not pasty as hell?

This was a serious mental debate, as Troy got himself up off the bed. Clothes were fastened to his body in their regular places. There weren't even any mistakes on putting on the shirt. Those last few days, he had unwillingly established the pattern of putting them on backwards. It could go for a fashion statement if the need called for it, but Troy wouldn't be doing that on purpose when he could have some say on the matter.

The base morning rituals were quickly begun. With the early rise, he could have taken it easy. Going back and sleeping for a few more minutes wouldn't have been questioned. Yet, there was just something in his mind calling him on. A dare. The energy was pumping through him.

As the toothbrush was used to clean that list part of his mouth, there was one thing which surprised him greatly. A voice, one could call it.

'Have you slept well?`

A voice from inside the head was not at the top of the list, of what Troy was expecting to hear. While it might have been in the top twenties, a few other signs should have been shown, before he got to that stage.

It took all of five seconds until the origin of the voice was noticed. The dull tone really did help identify the culprit. Troy wasn't sure he had ever heard a being sound so utterly uninterested in anything.

"Uh, yeah. It was fine. Nothing but positive things to say here," Troy said uncomfortably. He had totally forgotten about the earpiece sitting quietly in his ear. Not his fault, with it being so well-fitted. One could hardly tell it was there. "How about you?"

'I have not found any leading allusions to possessing the capability of sleeping. I am constantly awake, processing everything around me. Analysing everything around me. Manipulating everything-`

"Yeah, I'm just assuming that is a yes. No reason to overstate it. Yes or no would have worked just fine," Troy got through, still holding the toothbrush in his mouth. With a quick washing up of the face, he was nearly ready to depart.

'Very well,`, was all the answer that was given. Unusual behaviour for the AI, who wasn’t known for his shorter words. Could it be? Adam had implemented advice from an external source, without any larger push for it? It must have been Christmas!

Wait. No. It wasn't close to that yet. The temperature outside was more likely to be scolding than anything close to freezing. The only ice he would be seeing was the one in the desserts.

As Troy walked over to the entrance, there was some expectancy of some kind of an addendum. Some extension to the answer. Adam couldn't really have listened, right? The AI was too self-centred to do such a thing.

Or, was it the man’s perception of the entity that was skewed? Slight resentment may have appeared in the past, but most of it had been created through logic riddled with holes. This was a perfect showcase of it. His impression of the AI was one of silent arrogance. The type of being who thought themselves superior, not as arrogance but as simple fact. With the short answer given, it might just have been Troy’s mind which forced itself into believing the wrong things. It wouldn't have been the first time, not even on this scale. Purposely misunderstanding the views of other people could have been called a pass-time of his, seeing potential traitors left and right. Not the best mindset when one was in a constantly shifting environment, never getting to know many before moving on.

With the newly introduced truth, it would have been heresy not to act upon it.

"So, Adam. Did you do anything useful out of me wearing the earpiece? Can't have it for too long of a time more, before I need to get to breakfast," Troy cheerfully asked in an attempt to bring on more broad conversation topics. If positivity was to be shown, it was to be in an environment, where the AI could talk to its… mainframe’s content!

…

What even was a mainframe? It had to be something important. Probably.

'Results were inconclusive. While personal theories may have been confirmed through specific data, other sets disprove it. My ideas are currently in limbo, without any proof being conclusive. Further research is needed.`

A long answer this time. Good. And, it certainly explained a lot. If Troy had any foundations on what the heck the AI was talking about, of course. Personal theories? He had heard a lot of those coming from Adam. Which of them were in play? Did it really matter? He wasn't sure it would bring any more understanding, if he attempted to understand it all.

"Doesn't sound like what you hoped for. That sucks," Troy answered, not too sure on how to answer. A reaffirmation on the AI’s abilities, and how much he supported his goals? Or, just the path of neutrality, asking into the subject without being overly energetic? Either would work, really.

'Indeed. Many hours have been wasted, trying to patternize the data. It is becoming increasingly obvious that this will be impossible. Some parts of the gathered information are flawed, misinterpreted, or just utterly wrong. It will be more efficient to redo this experiment, with a more refined method of research.`

"Does that entail another night of sleeping?"

'Most likely. I see no other way to gather the same variety of data, other than you submitting to being put into and out of a semi-conscious state, for a minimum period of five hours`

"Great." Not any other response was valid.

'Indeed. I do not believe the latter will be feasible under any circumstances. The currently last favour will hereby be used, to get access to your body during the next larger period of sleep.`

"Well, at least I know what you will be using it for," Troy answered, not having any idea what his body would be used for. "I'm gonna get breakfast now, so I’ll, uh, yeah, you know…"

'Take out the earpiece? If so, there should be no problem with you doing so.`

"Good to hear, Adam. Until next time."

Troy yanked out the earpiece, placing it into his pocket. There it would remain until the need called for it. There was a small thought about letting it stay in the room, but it was decided against. If the situation called for its use, there would be no time to retrieve it.

Having everything prepared, the door to the hallway was opening up. He was ready to get himself something to eat.

What he wasn't ready for, was the clenched fist from Dr Hale.