The air became a thick, invisible cloud of tension, and everyone in the room could feel the suspense behind the words of Professor Gerald. After years of study, analysis, and experimentation, SciLab's greatest work had finally been complete. Even so, no one took the incentive to interact with the creature. Then, when no one else had the courage, Maria, of all people, rose to the occasion and approached Shadow.
"S-Shadow?" Her head was tilted downwards, so as to avoid eye contact. She did not wish to gaze once more into the emptiness of this android.
But it did not answer. In fact, it seemed unresponsive. She blinked at the reactionless creature, and she slowly walked herself closer to him. Still, nothing. Gerald lightly tugged on his shoulders.
"Come on, my boy. It's all right. You can talk to your friend, Maria."
"What?" She seemed somewhat offended by his comment. She did not feel a friendly attraction to this creature. Honestly, she did not intend to, either.
But suddenly, the android moved forward, walking slowly over to Maria. He did not blink, and he seemed to have a silent respiration cycle. It stopped moving when it reached about five feet away from Maria, which she thought was already too close to her.
"S...Shadow?"
All drew closer to see what would happen. Sure enough, it was proven that this creation was not lifeless, afer all.
"F...Friend," he stuttered. It was proof that he could communicate with others.
"Huzzah!" cried Gerald. "There it is! Scientific evolution!"
"Grandfather!" shouted Maria. "Please! Not so loud!"
Suddenly, Shadow started to turn to face Gerald, and he walked back over to him, glancing up at him. Gerald's face was consumed with a warm smile.
"Grand...father...not so loud," he echoed, hearing the words from Maria and repeating them.
The professor's heart leapt higher than the stars upon hearing him form a full sentence. "Stupendous! He's starting to process so much so quickly! This is turning out to be MORE than just a success!"
"Professor, do you think we should show him his home?"
"Why, that sounds like a wonderful idea! Shadow, how would you like a complete tour of SciLab?"
The android glanced back up at Gerald, attempting to open his mouth to speak.
"I would like that very much, Professor."
"Incredible! It seems that his installed vocabulary is starting to take effect, as well!"
"Installed vocabulary?" questioned Maria.
"Yes. You see, when in the production stage, I installed a number of things into Shadow, giving him easily accessed abilities and skills before he was even truly finished. The power of speech, pronunciation, and vocabulary are just a few of them. In other words, he was given a preset vocabulary before he was even born. He knows more words and languages than most of us do."
"I have to admit...that's incredible," said Maria, honestly baffled by her grandfather's creative genius.
"Maria, would you like to come along with the tour?"
"Huh? Oh...No, thanks. I'll just be up in my room." She ran quickly out of the room and to her quarters. But Gerald was a little too clever to let such an act slide past him.
It was painfully obvious to him that Maria did not want to be around Shadow.
Shadow's tour lasted for a little more than an hour, but only because during the tour, he would continuously ask questions about his current surroundings, whether it be the ridiculously sophisticated and complex machinery that was contained in numerous different facilities and laboratories, or even if it was just seeing a small, elegant flower sitting indifferently on the lush green grass, picking it up, and asking what it was and why it was there to begin with. Whatever the case, Shadow was truly learning everything he needed to learn, and he was doing so far more quickly than anyone-even Professor Gerald, himself-had widely anticipated. The tour had finally ended when Shadow and Gerald retreated alone to Maria's room. He knocked slightly on the door, watching as the young woman in question opened it.
"Grandfather? Shadow?"
"Shadow, this is Maria's room." He tapped him on the shoulder, and Shadow glanced at Gerald. "Now, I don't want you coming in here without Maria's permission. Understood?"
The android nodded his head. "Yes, Professor."
"Excellent! Now, Maria, would you mind if Shadow came in for a brief moment?"
"What? Yes! Yes, I would!"
"Hmm? Why is that?"
"Because I...I..."
She felt the sudden touch of an arm on her shoulder, and without a second thought, she glanced up, only to see the eyes of void red that were on Shadow's face. In a sudden impulsive manner, she quickly raised her right hand and violently slapped him across the face, causing him to plummet to the ground due to the shock. Her legs dashed her out of her room and swiftly down the stairs, descending them and eventually running outside. Gerald's heart sank slightly when she shouted the words that were really directed at his new creation:
"I don't want anything to do with him!"
Shadow slowly rose back to his feet, and he glanced over at Gerald.
"Professor, is she all right?"
He nodded slowly, sighing in disappointment. "Yes, my boy. Everything...will be all right."
"Will be, sir?"
"That's enough, Shadow. Come on. Are you hungry?"
"Yes, sir. My stomach exudes a rumbling noise. Is this hunger?"
He laughed hoarsely. "Yes, m'boy. That means you're hungry. Come on, then. Down to the cafeteria to get you something to eat."
Descending the stairs from Maria's room, Gerald and Shadow traveled to SciLab's cafeteria, which was its primary source of cullinary delights. Regardless of such a facility, there were plentiful amounts of vending machines and water fountains scattered across the entirety of SciLab, but when the buds of taste pegged the human senses once more, most would journey the distant walk to the cafeteria, located directly in the center of the gargantuan, colossal facility.
After a simple process, Shadow had learned how to order food from the cafeteria, should he ever be hungry when no one is around. The two sat independently from the small crowd of people who were already there, on a table in the right corner. Shadow glanced down at his food, which consisted of a cheeseburger and fries. The bun seemed slightly burnt, but surprisingly, it would add to the flavor of the premium beef used to make the burger. It was drenched in a small coat of ketchup, topped with a few onions and tomatoes, as well as a couple leaves of lettuce. As Shadow picked up the burger to eat it, he felt a sudden chill run down his back, paining his spinal cord.
Something was definitely amiss. Trouble, no doubt.
Without hesitation, Shadow followed his instincts out of the cafeteria, leaving Gerald baffled and confused. Even he could only guess as to where he was going and what he would be doing.
"Oh, well. Nature calls, I suppose."
His legs dashed him at blinding speeds down the halls of SciLab, rushing to the main entrance. As she went outside, he started to dash to the east, eventually running into a group of large, disgusting street thugs. They were laughing and grinning, and one of them had pinned Maria down, a right hand placed firmly over her mouth. The other two thugs had started to reach for her lower clothes, and they swiftly pulled them off, leaving Maria's lower body nearly completely revealed. All that she wore underneath was a thin pair of blue panties, and it was only seconds after her real clothes were removed that the thugs started to reach for them. Two of the thugs had already exposed themselves, getting ready to do their worst to her.
But before they got the chance, the thugs were suddenly swept off their feet, falling harshly on the concrete below them. As Maria rose up in the air, she felt someone grab her, embracing her in their arms. She took a moment to glance up at her savior, only to see that it was, indeed, Shadow.
"Shadow...?"
He released Maria and readied himself for the thugs, for they had already rose back to their feet and pulled out numerous types of dangerous, sharp weapons. Knives, iron poles, baseball bats-anything imaginable for a street rat. They all charged at Shadow without an intellectual thought, and that, truly, was their worst mistake. Within the span of five seconds, Shadow had dashed at lightning speed towards his enemies, knocking them in their pressure points and vital spots, rendering them all unconscious and motionless. Even more outstanding, he managed to do so without even touching the ground again.
When he finally planted his feet to the ground, Shadow reached over for the clothes Maria was stripped of. He closed his eyes and stood back up on his feet, turning to her and blindly giving her the clothes. She took them slowly, and she even found herself giving him a smile.
"Thank you, Shadow."
He opened his eyes to see her safe and sound, but it was also this act that caused him to suddenly enter a sort of spasm. His body was shaking and trembling, and a few electronic short circuits exited his brain. Small bolts of electricity spat out from him. It appeared that he was malfunctioning.
"Shadow? Shadow! Are you all right?"
Eventually, after a few moments, he fell to the ground, unconscious and unresponsive. Maria kneeled down to the ground and attempted to wake him. She tugged on him lightly, then became more aggressive after a few times. Still, she was unsuccessful in bringing him back to life. She reached into the pocket of her blouse and pulled out a small, sky-blue cell phone, dialing the number to contact Gerald.
"Grandfather! Are you there?"
"Maria? What is it?"
"I can't explain! Come quick! Shadow's collapsed!"
"What? Where are you?"
"About ten blocks east of SciLab! Hurry! Please!"
"I'm sending a team immediately! Stay where you are!"
"Okay!"
About thirty minutes passed since the events that took place. Maria and Gerald were standing impatiently outside of the infirmary door, waiting for some kind of news pertaining to Shadow. Shortly afterwards, a nurse-who looked no more than 20-came through the automatic door. They approached her impulsively.
"Is Shadow all right?" asked a concerned Maria. "What's wrong with him?"
The nurse shook her head. "I...I couldn't tell you. I have no idea what's wrong with him."
"No..."
"Now, now, calm down. Why don't you tell me what happened?"
"Well..." she exhaled heavily. "I stormed out of SciLab when Shadow and Grandfather came to my room and asked me to let Shadow in my room to look around. It was part of the tour he went on. When I did, I bumped into a group of gangsters about ten blocks away from SciLab. They started messing with me, and...they..."
"They what?" asked Gerald, concerned.
"They...tried to rape me."
"Those bastards!" scouled Gerald. "Did they...?"
"N-No, they didn't get the chance to. That's when...Shadow came and helped me."
"Ahh! So, that's where he went..."
"Then, he handed me my clothes and looked at me...and that's when this happened."
"He...looked at you? That's all? You didn't do anything to him?"
"Well...I smiled at him, since he probably saved my life."
His eyes widened, and his jaw dropped slightly. "That's it..."
"What is, Grandfather?"
"One of the other things I installed into Shadow was a program that would give him the human senses, but not only that, it would give him many other senses that we, as humans, find hard to feel. For example, a literal sense of danger."
"Oh...Is that how Shadow knew I was in trouble?"
"Yes, no doubt about it. But, not only did the program give him all of these senses, it also multiplied them by about twenty times higher than that of an average human. Effectively, Shadow could sense danger from miles and miles away, should he choose to."
"That's incredible, Professor!" exclaimed the nurse.
"But Grandfather, that still doesn't explain why Shadow is sick!"
"He's not 'sick,' per se. He's just...sleeping."
"Well, yes, I can see that, Grandfather, but-"
"No, no, it's a term I use. It means he's rewriting himself."
"What...does that mean?"
"When you smiled at Shadow, and he saw it, a trigger in his internal memory switched on. See, I gave him a photographic memory of you in case you would ever be in trouble. That way, he would always know when you needed something."
"Well, what does that have to do with anything?"
"Your smile must have been different than what he was accustomed to seeing. Yes, in all of your photographs, you're smiling. But not the way you did to him."
"So, wait...my smile made Shadow like this?"
"The emotions behind your smile did this to him."
"E...Emotions?"
"Yes. Photographs may be forever, but they lose emotion or feeling when they become as such. He was unable to process the emotion of your smile, even though it's installed in his memory."
"The emotions...of my smile?"
"Yes."
"So, the only reason Shadow acts like an android..."
"Is because I failed to install a sense of emotion in him. Yes."
"My god...I had no idea..."
"Maria?"
"All this time...I thought Shadow was just a lifeless android you all created to be the perfect machine for war and destruction. But now...I think I understand him a little better."
"Maria..."
"It's not his fault he's like this...It's ours. Isn't it?"
"No, dear. It's mine. I was unable to find a way to give him a sense of emotion. Now..."
"Kathy! Come quick!"
The nurse turned swiftly to face the door, and she gestured for Gerald and Maria to follow her. "What's going on?"
"The one in this bed-Shadow-woke up, and he's over there on the balcony!" The voice was that of a young woman, who was an assistant to the main nurse for the infirmary. Her hair was a short-cut style, tinted with a shining, radiant brown. Her eyes were of a mahogany color, and the gleam in them seemed to dance when staring at her from a certain distance and position.
"The balcony? Thank you, Sarah."
"Yes, ma'am!" She returned to the back room to continue her clinical duties.
"Shadow's awake, now?" asked Maria.
"Yes, dear, it would seem so," said Kathy, turning to face her.
"Do you mind...if I talk to him?"
"I certainly don't mind. Just be careful, okay?"
"Yes, ma'am. I will." She ran out to the balcony to find Shadow, leaving Gerald and Kathy to watch her leave.
The balcony was almost the perfect spot to go with the infirmary; normally, however, it was only used for nurses and assistants who were pressured with the influence of smoking and dipping, and as such, numerous ash trays were scattered across the garden, placed conveniently next to chairs and wooden benches that granted a nice spot to sit and enjoy the day. It was a perfect view of the city upon the horizon, as well, and the wind would always blow through this place, regardless of the weather. Maria's search lead her to the end of the balcony, in a circular garden where a grand statue of one of the establisher's of SciLab was crafted. Shadow, the one she searched for, was standing alone near the edge of the balcony. She approached him slowly, hoping they could learn to start anew.
"Shadow?" She slowly walked forward a little more, trying her best not to startle him.
He turned to face her, his physical attributes showing no change whatsoever. "Hello..." he said, a dull and lifeless tone in his voice.
"How are you feeling?" It seemed she was losing the fear she once had of looking into his eyes. Now that she understood why they were empty, she did not find it appropriate to think of him as nothing more than a lifeless android.
"I'm...fine..." he said, his thoughts seeming to trail him off somewhere else.
"You sure? You sound a little...troubled."
"I...No...I am fine...You don't need to concern yourself...with my problems..."
"What? Of course I do!"
"Why...?"
Slowly but surely, she started to walk closer to him, and she looked right into his eyes. Her face lit with a warm smile. "Because...you're my friend."
"Friend..."
"Yeah. I'm really sorry about before. I didn't know about all of this...I'm really sorry, Shadow."
"Sorry..."
"Yeah...Can you forgive me, Shadow?"
"Yes..."
"Really?"
"Yes..."
"Thank you!" She giggled, and her smile grew bigger.
He stared at her smile, enticed in a cycle of thoughts.
"S...Shadow?" She glanced at him, and she gasped slightly when she saw what was happening. She watched, her heart pounding and beating as swift as a mouse, as Shadow's facial expression slowly yet surely started to change. She glanced up at his eyes, and her mouth hung open, a smile still on her face. An iris and eye ball started to form in his eyes, and they gained a brilliant shine that resembled that of any other living being. What's more, his mouth had finally stopped trembling, and it turned into a gentle smile. His eyebrows rose to show an expression of happiness. Something had happened that not even her own Grandfather, and his own creator, could ever expect, something that he was not necessarily created to have.
Shadow could feel. He could smile. He could show emotion.