Mark spent more time filling out medical forms, and signing the NDA and liability agreements. It made him feel a bit unnerved with all the legal stuff, but he did note that it said he'd be compensated if he was unhappy after the tests. He saw a few places where it looked like their charitable compensation might be snuck away through a loophole though.

Now, Mark was in a physical examination room, just like any he might've found when visiting a doctor.

Sharon was testing his blood pressure as he sat quietly.

"I... I could get in trouble for saying this Mark," Sharon said, "cause... cause I don't want you to think that this is sketchy. The people here are very good people. They know what they're doing. But... but this is some... radical testing you'll be engaging in."

Mark perked up. "You mean I will get to do the testing?" he asked.

"Yes," she said, removing the blood pressure test strap, "but it's because we don't often get people as willing as you."

"Is this... that bad?" Mark asked.

"It... it depends," Sharon said. "I'm not allowed to say anything. Just... that they'll do some psychological testing on you with this."

"You mean...," Mark asked, "like my reaction?"

She nodded. "Again, I can't give specifics. But... just be prepared."

"Okay," he said.

"But you said that you're here because you lost a scholarship?"

He looked away in shame. "Yes. And my school year job ended, so I... I don't have any way to pay for housing and for school next semester."

Sharon paused in what she was doing, and gave him a smile. "I can't promise this Mark, but because you're willing to do tests like this, there's a chance that you might be offered a job here."

Mark jolted upright at that. "Really?"

"Again, I can't promise anything," she repeated, "but the staff here try to take care of volunteers at your level of testing."

Now Mark was in a good mood.

Sharon continued her tests.

"Okay," she said when she was done, "now, I'm sorry to leave you here, but I've got more questions for you to answer on the tablet. Some of these questions are of a sensitive nature, but if you're willing to answer all of them, and in depth, it will help us get a good test for you."

He nodded, accepting the tablet and stylus. She left the room.

The questions, just like before, started out as fairly simple. But this time, it seemed like it wanted to get to know him. It asked him basic things like what his favorite color was - purple.

As he answered the questions, he seemed to sense similarity between the questions. He figured that this was like many tests he'd taken in school - it was adaptive, that his answers informed what questions came next. Judging by the complexity of his answers, that he was writing them out, it also seemed like an AI was analyzing his answers too.

The get-to-know you type questions continued.

What is your favorite thing to do for fun?

Swimming, he answered, especially in the ocean.

Next question.

If you could choose between being able to fly, being able to run fast on land, or being able to swim easily underwater, which would you pick?

Swimming he picked.

The questions got more personal. They asked him about his connections with family and friends. He was honest. Perhaps bluntly so. He did not have much desire to see his parents again. Maybe his siblings in a long time, but never his parents.

Again, a more personal question came up.

What gender do you identify as? Have you ever questioned your gender identity?

He paused, thinking.

Mark had always just considered himself a guy. But something about girls had fascinated him sometimes. He timidly put the stylus to the screen.

"I feel comfortable with being a man," he wrote, "but I also have felt a bit of curiosity about what it feels like to be a woman. There have been times that I've felt somewhat jealous of girls and the clothes they've gotten to wear, and the things they've gotten to like. That, when a girl is interested in guy stuff she's considered cool, but when a guy likes girl stuff, he is treated like he's a wimp."

The next question loaded.

In response to your previous answer, if you woke up tomorrow and were a girl instead of a boy, how would you feel?

"I would be confused," he wrote, "but intrigued. I'd want to try seeing  what it's like to be a girl. I'd have to see what it would be like -"

He stopped writing. Huh. He hadn't really thought about this before.

"-before I'd make a deicision of if I'd want to stay a girl."

The next question loaded.

How do you identify sexually? Do you have similar curiosity about exploring this?

He rolled his eyes, and sighed. The AI thought he was gay, didn't it?

Well, it was right.

"I identify as gay," he wrote, "and I don't have interest in exploring this. I know that I am attracted strictly to guys."

There were a few more questions, which thankfully weren't so invasive. When he finished, Sharon came in a few minutes later.

A smile wasn't on her face, but rather, a curious expression.

"You... you saw my answers didn't you?" he asked as fear grew in him.

"Well," she shrugged, "didn't you expect that someone would be reading them?"

"Yeah," he said, "but I was... I didn't think that they were going to be sent to someone I'd have to talk to."

Now Sharon smiled. "Don't feel embarrassed. There are some strange places people have taken the AI on this test."

He didn't say anything.

"Do you... do you think that you might be transgender?" Sharon asked.

"I... I haven't really had time or opportunity to explore my personal identity," he said.

"Hm," she said, "interesting. Well Mark, thank you for filling everything out, your time with us is done for today. Just let us know when you'd be available and I can start scheduling."

"I'm ready now."

She looked up from the tablet, which he handed back to her.

"Huh?"

"I said I'm ready now. I have absolutely nothing going on in my life."

Sharon seemed a bit saddened by that comment. "Well," she said, "you're rather eager to do this, aren't you?"

"I need the money," he said, "and... after all these questions, I'm a little curious as to what this is all about."

"Well Mark," Sharon said, "I can put you down to come in at 1 pm tomorrow, is that good?"

"Yes."

"You're going to need to go without food for twenty four hours," she said, "so I'd recommend eating a big lunch."

Mark looked down.

"You... do you not have the money?"

"I worked at the university food court," he said, "and got free meals. I was working too much so I could pay for my school, but that made it hard to do my schoolwork."

"Do you not have any money saved up?" she asked.

"Not really," he frowned. "About two hundred dollars. It will be gone with my next housing payment."

"Get yourself some lunch after you leave here," Sharon said as she opened the door for Mark, "and we'll pay for it when you get here tomorrow."

His eyes widened and he felt himself tear up slightly. "Thank you."

Mark walked on air as he left the building. He hadn't told Sharon, that at the current moment, he was already to start testing. He hadn't eaten anything in two days.