Chapter 7
Bo was awake when her work e-mail alerted her to the arrival of Zi's report. She read it twice to be sure.
Zi's instruction to follow before taking the medication was to disable a few electronic devices without causing damage to them. She had chosen to disable the mobile phone cameras and the webcam using black tape. Her instructions for one hour after the medication were to re-enable the devices. She had taken the medication at 8 pm and at 9 pm she had started to try to enable the cameras and apparently failed. She seems to have used unnecessary force in removing the tape or the leftover glue on the phones with no recollection of what she actually did. It is likely that she used a knife and returned the knife to its exact place. She had not even attempted to do anything with the webcam. She didn't remember going to sleep, woke up at 7 am, got herself ready by 8 am for work and found that she could not recall names and faces. Then passed out for about 10 hours. Approximately 22 hours after taking the medication, only the positive effects remained: uncluttered thinking and a distinct lack of anxiety. After 25 hours, that is, around 9 pm the medication seems to have all but completely worn off.
Bo was concerned because of the two blackouts. It is not normal, even for this experiment, for people to pass out twice within a twenty hour period. She used her intranet portal to request a minder for subject Zi. The system identified Y314 as the nearest available. Once Bo confirmed the choice, the system updated itself to prevent any further testing on subject Zi. The system also sent an alert to Y314 who immediately rejected the assignment sighting personal constraints. Bo was surprised and she looked for the next available option. Kes was available and willing. All this took ten minutes, all exchanges happening electronically.
Since they could not afford to waste time, Bo instructed Kes to arrive at the subject's home, her friend Zi's home, at 7 am and sort out any misunderstandings over the phone. Kes was also told that it was a campsite, meaning she had to be prepared to provide for herself.
Kes immediately got on to the internet and scouted the area. The apartment didn't have a space outside such as a balcony. So even if the subject didn't have space or she hated Kes, they will have to share the apartment. Kes mentally prepared herself to be as pleasant as possible. On the bright side, she didn't have to pack the literal tent. She can now take just the sleeping bag and clothes. For anything else she can improvise or buy new things or take a quick trip home.
Meanwhile, the system sent a notification to Y314. He had rejected three assignments so far and now he either has to become a subject or quit. Those were the rules.
Bo felt a little sad. She slept.
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