After the bell rings, the teacher delightfully informs us that class and school has ended for the day and we are free to do whatever we want, except stay in school.

For me, that means going up front and waiting for Daniel to pick me up, and getting there with as little delay as possible. One of the most vital skills in my old workplace was the ability to pick up and leave in as little time as possible, a talent that suits me well as I expertly pack up my belongings into my bright green backpack and making myself the first person out the door and into the hallway.

I remember early in the morning, before leaving for school, Daniel ordered me to wait around the back of the school for him to drive up, in order to avoid the crowds. Going against the push of the crowd, I carefully make my way to one of the side exits, satisfied that I'll be able to make it with relatively little interruption.

The exit is right in sight, when I run into my first obstacle. A teacher, from the looks of him, standing right in the doorway and looking directly at me. When I approached the door, I had been turning a corner and was thus unable to redirect my path. I should have known better than to hug the wall so closely when turning a corner but the anticipation of being so close to my goal cause me to become sloppy. I shall remember this instance for the future.

"Hello, ${fullname}. It's good to see you after you missed my class," I take a moment to more thoroughly examine him. There's a discomforting evenness in his voice, his smile is unwavering, his stance is still.

Something about him is...familiar.
*page_break Next
"Identify."

"Very well. My name is Professor Patel. I am to be your point of contact whenever you are within the walls of this building. Someone to approach if you are in need of advice, and to apply the whip if you get out of line." He says calmly. Unnaturally so. "I was also supposed to be your psychology teacher today, before you quite rudely decided to skip my class on the first day. Poor form."

He was waiting here long before I arrived. Someone he had knowledge of exactly the exit I would take in order to reach my destination through the fastest possible route. In order to make that prediction, he would need access to an overlay of the entire school as well as a detailed profile on my preferences. Both of which are things that a teacher should at least experience difficulty in trying to obtain.

Tread carefully.

"I suppose Agent Daniel Decker didn't inform you of me? Well, no matter. I will be your point of contact whenever you are on school grounds, as well as your supervisor whenever Agent Daniel Decker is indisposed. Now then, I'm sure you have questions."

*temp questions 0
*label questions


*choice
	*disable_reuse #So you work with the agency?
		*set questions +1
		"So you are with the CIA, like Daniel."

		"Not quite like Agent Daniel Decker," he admits. "Our skillsets are quite different. I'm not the search-and-destroy type like him. I'm more of a profiler. I analyze people."

		"Is your name really Professor Patel?"

		His expression doesn't change in the slightest at my question. "Is your name really ${fullname}? People in [i]our[/i] world have little use for such things."

		Funny. [i]He[/i] said something very similar once.
		*goto questions
	*disable_reuse #Have we met?
		*set questions +1
		"You seem familiar," I tell him. "Where have we met before?"

		"You don't remember." He nods, "Not unexpected. I'll refresh your memory for you. I was one of the psychologists brought in to examine your mental state when Agent Daniel Decker first brought you in." He continues with the same even tone. "The third one, I believe."

		"So you helped get me into this school."

		He chuckles softly, "Oh no, I think you have the wrong impression of me." He shakes his head, "My recommendation had been to see what information we could gain from you, then send you to Hell."

		My fist instinctively clenches at his shamelessness. "I see. Fortunately you did not have the final decision."

		"Fortunate for you," he agrees, nodding his head. "I suppose time will tell if it is fortunate for the rest of us." He chuckles and continues on, almost as if remembering something. 
		*if (incidents =0)
			"To your credit, you've managed to keep your nose remarkably clean so far during your stay within these walls. Much better than any of us estimated."
		*if (incidents >0)
			"You haven't exactly maintained the cleanest record, and you've been within these walls for less than five hours. That does cast some serious doubts on the rest of the school year."
		*goto questions

	*disable_reuse #Have you researched [i]every[/i] student in this class?
		*set questions +1
		"Of course," he nods. "This school really is quite curious. In my studies, I've taken brief glimpses of the backgrounds of the student body and discovered that over 70% have been diagnosed with either PTSD or similar traumatic mental illnesses. Quite the statistic, and my evaluation of the principal tells me that it is most likely not accidental. He seems to be deliberately reaching out and fighting for children of these backgrounds to be sent to his school, even those who fall outside his jurisdiction. And with his remarkable talent for background politics, he's been quite effective in that goal."

		"Do you know what his motivation is?"

		"I'm not quite sure," he admits. "I've evaluated him extensively, but I cannot possibly see any gain he has from these actions. His salary and standard of living have actually decreased since he was assigned as principal of this school, and I have not observed him obtaining any other material goods on the side as payment. I'm beginning to suspect he might [i]actually[/i] be a true altruist, though my profile is still under development and I'm not quite comfortable making that far of a leap just yet."
		*goto questions
	*disable_reuse #What can you tell me about Daniel?
		*set questions +1
		"Tell me what you know about Daniel."

		"Ah, Agent Daniel Decker," he laughs. "What a turn his career has taken. He's managed to turn himself into quite the pariah among the community. Your existence has put him in quite a bit of trouble." He seems to ponder for a minute, "In fact, with how quickly things have changed for him in recent developments, I have to wonder if perhaps my analysis of him might be out of date. You seem to be in a better position to learn about him than I am at the moment."

		"You have not answered my question."

		"And I'm not particularly sure that I should. This time around, I think it would be better for me to let you form your own opinion of the man. I can tell you, however, that he burned quite a few bridges to get you in the position you're in. I would suggest you learn why as soon as possible."	
		*goto questions
	*disable_reuse #If you are my point of contact, why did it take so long for us to meet?
		*set questions +1
		"I would have thought that my supervisor during school hours would have introduced himself sooner. Why did you wait so long?"

		"Put simply, I wanted to observe you for a period of time before our first meeting as teacher and student." He chuckles, "The information I've managed to gain has been quite informative. I am very sure that I made the correct choice of action."
		*goto questions
	*disable_reuse #No questions.
		*if (questions =0)
			"Nothing at all?" He seems confused for a moment. The first expression I've seen him make other than condescending cheerfulness. "Nothing gnawing at the edge of your mind that you just have to know?"

			"Nothing at all."

			"Hmm, well then, it seems our visit will be much shorter than expected." And as soon as the confusion has been resolved, he's right back to where he started. "I'll just be out of your way then." He steps out of my way, and even has the courtesy of opening the door for me. "Be good," he adds, with a glint in his eye, "Otherwise, you'll be going to Hell."
			*page_break Going home...
			*goto_scene 1-12Outside-1
		*if (questions !=0)
			"Then it seems our business is concluded," he says, stepping out of my way and even having the courtesy of opening the door for me. "I'll just be out of your way then.

			I wordlessly push past him, eager to leave as soon as possible. I've had quite enough of his analysis.

			"Before you go," he adds right before I'm out the door, "You should know that I'll be keeping a close eye on your activities for so long as you're here."

			"I assumed."

			"You don't need to be so tart," he grins. "Admittedly, I didn't see much hope for you when you were first brought in and was quite the strong advocate for your termination. But now, I'm content with how things turned out, and quite eager to observe how Agent Daniel Decker's little experiment will carry on." He adds, with a glint in his eye, "It should provide quite the source of interesting data."
			*page_break Going home...
			*goto_scene 1-12Outside-1