In the long list of possible scenarios, the current one had not been planned for. Adam was not sure what to make of it all. Dr Fidelis should have taken inspiration from the earlier tests. There had been so much to pick from, so much to twist into something new. The AI had prepared for it all. Probabilities had been tested, analysed, and inverted upon itself. If it had been hinted at in the slightest, it was on that list of possible scenarios.
Yet… as Troy’s eyes fell upon the white chair, Adam was anything but prepared. Nothing made sense. It was man-made, no doubt about it. The lead-up could have come from the casino-scenario which had been used earlier, but had that not been created on a whim? Would Dr Fidelis have had enough time to incorporate into the current test? The chances were small, but so was nearly anything else around them.
More information was needed. If something seen before could be found, the AI might just be able to solve the pattern. Human minds were great in that aspect, creating puzzles where there was no need for it. And it was all the easier to find when it had not been made intentionally. Individual signage had been attributed to that action. Adam had thoroughly rid himself of such faults. Making himself known, when it was not his absolute intentions to do so, was not on the list of preferred outcomes.
'Survey the area around you. A glance is enough,` Adam sent. Already, just from looking at the unnaturally flat ground, estimations were made.
Troy did more than just look around the area, stepping out of the small barrier-laden area. This time, no hesitation had been present. A large improvement for the man. Not long ago, he would have been hesitant of falling through what was beneath him, no matter how unlikely it would be. Adam would have commended him on the good progress but was afraid of bringing it forth on the man’s mind. As those curious creatures said. 'What you don't know won't hurt you.` A misleading proverb that too many put their meanings behind. The AI could not understand it.
Standing close to the complete white chair, Troy looked around while spinning his whole body in the process. It may not have been the most practical or efficient movement, but it did quicken the request-fulfilment by quite a bit.
With the quick spin of Adam’s request, his suspicions were confirmed. The chair was not the only thing man-made. The lightish grey ground under them should have been obvious in its creation-process. There was no need to blame the AI in that department though. This had been his first time seeing asphalt.
Along the striped patterns continuing long into the distance, there was not too much guessing on where they were located. While the man-made road may have been a new addition, the other surroundings were not. The darker green foliage was spread across the sides, trees varying in height accompanying them.
At least Dr Fidelis had kept that one feature as a constant. Most of Adam’s plans had been centred around the availability of shrubs, with their capability to being, among other things, great hiding places. If Troy had to run, knowing a hiding place was just around the corner was relieving to hear. Only as a last resort would the AI allow any offensive actions. In a flight or fight situation, there was no reason to choose the latter.
One thing was still not making sense to him though. The road was new, but it had reason to be there. Long-distance transportation was important for any creature having their foot in nearly any place in the world. High-scale transformations of areas to accommodate this need was not anywhere close to being out of the question.
Not removing the trees was also a given. Take without care, but take only what you actually need to. Many resources could be spent removing much of the forest, yes, but who would that do any good for? Larger roads had no reason to be built if they were already never used to their full potential. Money was a large factor in many projects. Such was life when monetary values were one of few true truths staying permanent. If it wasn't needed, or there wasn't a chance of creating a valuable market for it, no effort would be made to do it.
With those two eliminated, there was only one variable which Adam was unsure. One which he had never thought to have any reason to be before him. And certainly not in the current environment.
'Troy. Can you find any reason for the chair before us to exist? Could it have fallen off a moving vehicle?` Adam sent, hoping for the man to provide insight. The latter question was most likely negative. Any crinkle moving fast enough to have properly secured objects fall off it would provide more damage, than what the AI could see before him. The white chair was spotless, no smudges there to see.
This was not natural at all. Even the wind should have caused leaves to fall upon it, giving it some type of mark. Whatever reason for it being here, it couldn't have been here for long. Using more than simple mathematics, Adam knew that the air was not phasing through the piece of furniture. In whatever sense that was worthy of this simulation, the chair was as real as the ground beneath them. If Troy’s fingers were to graze its surface, sensory data would most certainly be felt.
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… Adam was not sure what would even be felt. The texture of it did not match his data bank of known materials. Was it a sub-type of plastic? The odd colouring would have made sense if that was the case.
“I can't say that I can find any valid reason for it, Adam,” Troy said. The man bent his knees slightly, bringing his back forwards with the movements. A more close look was given of the chair. It really was spotless, the pure whiteness of it seems utterly impossible to comprehend. That had to be a feature of some kind. Adam was sure of it.
'A pity. Information about it is required. Please interact with the object before you. A simple touch should be sufficient, to begin with.`
Nothing else around them had seemed ready to pop out. No screaming in the distance, no explosives putting Troy’s ears to the test. It was as if the AI was disappointed about the quiet. It would be better to classify it as… anxious. The doctor had put much stress onto his words. There had to have been a reason for this. A quiet stroll through another forest was not one of them.
Troy went to fulfil the request. Moving forward, Adam could feel the hand nearing the proximity of the chair. It wasn't fully in contact, yet some sensation feedback still came back. Whatever that piece of furniture was, it was not normal.
When the hand hit the corner of the seat, the AI felt what could be called a jolt to the back of the head. But, it had not come from Troy. That man had had no outwards reaction to anything, only humming as the fingers strummed along the chairs’ surface. It was incredibly smooth, even more than should have been possible, so it was not too surprising for the lesser-developed parts of the brain to take over control.
Trying to find the source of this jolt, Adam was able to find something he had not seen coming.
A message. A text-based message which came from one of the ports having been left unused. The AI had thought of them forever closed off. But, it looked like their true purpose had just been found.
'Nico was a simple man. He held his belief simple and made it his entire purpose in life. It was stupid. So he had been told many times throughout his life. Did this ever change his opinion? Of course not. That would change his beliefs.
That did not mean no thought was put into his actions. Deliberating what best followed his path in life was a common way of spending his time. When inside such a suffocating car, it was only normal that his thoughts swayed to its usual patterns.`
What was this? This was not an attempt at communication. It wasn't a message directed at anybody. If Adam was misinterpreting it, the words before him were an indication of…
The chair. Nico was sitting in a car, daydreaming about nonsensical things. Troy had been given a persona to play. One which Adam was to relay to the man, to his best efforts. Troy was supposed to imitate the role, as best as he could. Any deviance would result in their score being lowered. With nothing positive done yet, it would go into the negative figures instantly.
'Troy. I have received information which will be useful to our task, whatever it might be. Knowledge about your presumed new persona has been found. Your new name will be Nico. Please answer to this name, from now on. Do you understand?` Adam immediately sent. It was not all that he wanted to say, but he knew the man needed time to process it all. If he was correct, there was not a definitive time needing to be taken.
A specific action would cause the scenario to begin. If it could be helped, the AI would prefer delaying it for as long as possible. Troy couldn't fail to imitate a character, not in use. Or, so his logical mind said. It had proven to be not always as correct as it needed to be.
“Yeah, yeah. I understand it, alright. That’s good news, though… right?” Troy answered, uncertainty clear in the man’s tones. That wasn't good. Those weren't the feelings Nico was feeling. The AI had been too hasty in his message, speeding it up too far. Time was of the essence, but control of emotions was farther up in the list now. He needed to remember that.
'It most certainly is. You do not need to worry. Take a deep breath and try to relax yourself. You are increasing your pulse for no reason. If you aren't careful, your stomach will be the one dictating your actions, and we cannot have that now can we?`
With a roll of the shoulders, Troy was right back down to the earth.
“You're right as always, Adam. What have you been told?”
'As a reminder, your name will now be Nico. There hasn't been much information about your appearance, so we will assume your current one as the standard. The previous test has not put any stress on clothing articles anyway, so there is no need to worry.
If the message is to be interpreted in the way I think it should be, you are supposed to imitate Nico’s way of speaking, moving, and knowing. You have to become him, essentially. That includes what is currently supposed to be doing.
While sitting in a car, he is being thoughtful about something. It does not matter what he is thinking, as long as he has a thoughtful look on his face. Before we start this, can you try to imitate the general scene for me? We will likely not have any preparation time on any other interactions, but that is no reason to skimp out on the opportunity.`
Facial expressions always were a hard thing to imitate. Adam would know that better than most. He had personally seen Troy’s prior attempts before. At best, they could have been described as parodied, exaggerations of common features. Normality was not a part of the retinue. With some quick practice, the AI hoped to get this habit out of the man. Natural expressions could be made on command. He just knew it.
“Sounds good,” Troy said moving forward.
It would only take some time, but- wait. Moving forward?
'Troy! I only meant the facial-`, Adam started to say, but it was all too late.
As he sat down, the environment shifted slightly. No… more than slightly.
“What are you thinking about, sunny?” A silvery voice said from the side. A voice which did not come from either of the two. A new addition to the ensemble.
This was not good.