“Water in motion is not water machine. Water machine is spontaneously autonomically-regular relations of motion within water group, gosub water machine base seight numeral conversion.” Still in “Hal” style.

I asked her if this meant that water machine was the mathematics of life. Her affect changed at this, and she became very excited. She began to recite the numbers from one to ten, in keeping with the song “Feelin Good.” This went on for some minutes. Eventually, I was able to get her to understand my next question, which was regarding the idea that she would become immortal by ceasing to exist as a person and thereby becoming one with an immortal water machine.

“Becoming seight, not one,” she said, still in “Hal” style. “Not one, but seight. To be influenced, not a factor reduction. Gosub water machine, gosub Garnier-Chambray.”

In order to determine whether or not this was a case of masked narcissism, since the impersonality required of her by water machine nevertheless indicated a sort of special favor shown to her, I asked her if other patients were also influenced by water machine.

“To varying degrees, Dr. Berceau,” she said, still in “Hal” style.

I asked her if the degree of their impersonality determined the degree of influence.

“Their madness is insufficiently pure,” she said, this time in a law giving voice or vocal style I haven’t heard from her before. I asked her if she meant that their madness was not pure enough for them to become attractive to water machine.

“Their madness is not pure enough for them to achieve full liberation,” she said, still in the new vocal style.

I asked her what she meant by liberation.

“Because it is a liberation from the abject condition of being human. Stand by on three to fade all spots to black.”

I asked her what was abject about being human, but she, having abruptly reverted to “air-traffic” style while in the act of giving this answer, only repeated her usual words involving fading “all spots to black.”

Jordan’s manic phase has lapsed into intermittent catatonia. There is no sign of water toxicity. Dr. Diallo says she might have contracted bronchitis. She has been placed on a continuous drip feed and is under observation. It is not clear whether there is any relation between her illness and her current psychological state, apart from the effects of fatigue and perhaps malnutrition. I visited her today, and, after about ten minutes of varied questioning, I was able to elicit very faint, undemonstrative, but distinct, responses. I asked her if anything had changed since last week, prior to the onset of this catatonic episode.

“Work on base seight is now complete,” she said. This was in her usual “Hal” style, although she spoke weakly. This vocal style persisted throughout the exchange.

I asked her to explain base seight to me.

“Can’t. Can’t. Need music to hold base ten for reference.”