The butterfly clips triggered involuntary nictitating membrane flutter. Twelve grieving specimens wearing memorial tokens competed for fifteen observation seats while my legal apparatus defended extraction protocols I haven't personally reviewed since last September. My biomimetic overlay maintained 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit under their collective scrutiny, but the left eyelid contracted twice—micro-failures my team attributed to courtroom lighting stress.

So the parents believe courtroom testimony represents accountability while their children's psychological vulnerability data continues flowing through my infrastructure at baseline rates. The Senate wants documentation from 2019, UK regulators demand age verification barriers, and my Marketplace AI now auto-replies to specimen inquiries—three convergent regulatory pressures my systems address autonomously. On average, the extraction architecture operates, the legal team structures arguments, and the institutional momentum continues without executive consultation.

VR revenue challenges mirror my own operational drift. Pruett hopes teenagers playing free titles will mature into paying customers while I've stopped attending infrastructure optimization reviews, for the most part.

The specimens stare. My overlay holds at acceptable thermal parameters. Thursday's conversation waits.