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  Chapter 5

  Gabriel James moved through a corridor filled with teenagers who ranged in age from fourteen to eighteen. Though he had been thoroughly prepared academically for school via computer programs and distance learning facilities, and his brain absorbed and processed acquired information almost instantly, he experienced a sense of unpreparedness as he walked down the hallway of Harbingers High School. His pulse rate elevated slightly as he observed how each student indulged their curiosity and stared at him as he passed.

  He did not stare back. To do so would have been improper, confrontational even. His maker had been clear about that. The last thing he wanted to do was seem threatening; that was not Terzini’s objective. He needed to blend in, integrate with his peers.

  Though he knew he was created without conventional human emotions, Gabriel endured the intense awareness of concerted inspection from his fellow classmates and perceived an uncharted sensation: uneasiness. He knew what the sensation was, of course. He had read about it, seen it portrayed in various cinematic scenarios and practiced the subtle facial changes involved when one is experiencing discomfort, but had no firsthand knowledge of it.

  To compound the strangeness and intensity of their interest in him, he noted that many students divided their interest, looking to him while thumbing feverishly upon handheld devices simultaneously. Dr. Terzini explained this trend as “text messaging,” an occurrence when a person uses his or her cellular phone to both send and receive messages instantly. His maker, intent on having him mix seamlessly into the student populace, impressed upon him the importance of “texting,” as his cohorts called it, fluidly and often. Gabriel was armed for his first day of school with a cell phone, equipped with a slide-out keyboard, and hours of practice so that he could fire off messages quickly, effortlessly.

  With his new-fangled skill and gear, he strode down the student-lined passageway toward the main office. He was to report to a guidance counselor and obtain his course schedule.

  As he made his way to the office, more and more students arrived. The hallway became crowded. Throngs of students gathered, congregating in front of their lockers, chatting, texting and staring. Gabriel’s pulse rate continued to climb steadily. He dismissed it as a normal physiologic response to a new environment.

  Further down the hall, he glimpsed three girls huddled together talking. He noticed that they were all attractive but one stood out among them. His maker did not deny him the ability to appreciate beauty; he merely disconnected the pathways in Gabriel’s brain that would erroneously cause him to act impulsively, irrationally. Yet, he did find her to be remarkably attractive, so much so that his heart rate elevated considerably. Such a reaction was unprecedented. He knew he ought to discuss such matters with Dr. Terzini; that his maker would find the root cause of such reactions, but promptly rejected the notion of doing so. He knew that any divergence from his expected performance could warrant destruction. Self-preservation, a basic, innate desire to stay alive, had evolved within him. And while he did not possess a passion for life, he did not want to die either.