Free Alex Armstrong: Awakening by Hayes Farley Page A

side effects. And at the time, he was right. Thankfully, though, it now looks as if all of us unnatural telekins are healthy.” He looked down and patted his stomach. “Well, relatively healthy.
    “Chris also argued that it would be hard to police all of these newly developed telekins—that their powers must be cultivated in a controlled environment. And that’s why, if any of you looked ahead in your course catalog, you saw a variety of philosophy and ethics courses in your junior and senior years.
    “The government—specifically the military—wasn’t in love with the idea of giving up Pregnacal. But they knew having Chris involved was the only way this project would work, and they wanted access to these kids as quickly as possible, so they compromised and fast-tracked the college. Pal Tech was born. That brick campus with the two guards? That was the first campus. This one was built some years later.”
    Professor Startsman made his way back to the desk. He faced the class and placed both palms on the desktop and with a grunt of effort lifted himself to a sitting position. “Pregnacal was removed from store shelves quickly, as promised. However, online merchants continued selling the medication. We believe it was completely eradicated from society a few years later. The year of your births marked the final year newborns were tested for telekin genetic markers.” He stopped here, seeing the obvious question form on everyone’s lips. He squinted. “Yes, you represent the final freshmen class at Pal Tech.”

9 - Pill Poppers
    9
    Pill Poppers
    Professor Startsman grabbed his tablet and began reading with the blissful detachment usually reserved for the toilet. He seemed to ignore the restless silence taking hold of the room.
    Not that it lasted long. Only minutes went by before a few of the bolder students made their presence known with a timely zipper pull, the opening of a carbonated drink, or maybe just an extra-loud yawn. This emboldened others, leading to a few whispered comments, which in turn led to a few whispered conversations. Voices rose beyond whispers, and soon even the most timid students offered their two cents to the nearest discussion. Now Blue101 had the steady din of a bistro.
    Startsman slid his tablet into his briefcase and got to his feet. He wedged his hands down his pants and tucked in his shirt tails, never taking his eyes off the class. “Settle down, everyone. Settle down. Okay, now that you’ve had time to talk for a few minutes…‌are there any questions?”
    Alex looked around and saw that most of the students were avoiding eye contact.
    “ No one? My God, did I just give the perfect lecture? Hold on a second.” He pulled out his phone. “I need to call Chris. He won’t believe it.”
    Alex raised his hand.
    “Well, damn, I thought I just made history. Looks like someone wants to pull the rug out from under me.” Professor Startsman turned to Alex and his crow’s feet softened and his voice became a little less piercing. “I’m kidding, of course. Go ahead, son. Ask your question.”
    Alex could feel eyes on him from all corners of the classroom. He immediately regretted raising his hand. He hated speaking in front of large groups of people. “You mentioned that the scientists developed a pill all those years ago for students like us. Do we still take the same pill? Are there…‌injections of any kind?” Alex couldn’t shake the image of being probed and prodded on some alien spaceship.
    “Essentially, yes,” answered the professor. “You’ll still take a pill, although we’ve tweaked the formula and the dosage over the years. I think what you really wanted to ask, though, is if there are any procedures beyond the pill. And the answer to that is no. I assure you; we will not be poking you with needles or drilling into your brains. Good question. Next?” he asked, scanning the room.
    “Are there side effects with the pill?” said a voice from the back.
    “You