He itched. Like a thousand tiny creatures burrowing beneath his skin, moving around with no thought to the discomfort they caused their host. Of course this was not far from the truth, although the magnitudes were a little out. As his father had explained to him, inside his body millions of tiny machines were at work preparing him for what lay ahead. That they had chosen this moment was not mere chance; it was time.

It had taken hours for the sensation to breach his conscious mind and he knew that this must have started days ago. He would be ready soon. Too soon perhaps since his father was across the city in the clinch meeting for a multi-billion dollar contract. Soon his father would know that the time had come.

He lay on his bed having made his way home from the school where his lessons had to end abruptly as he could no longer bear to sit. Fortunately his bed was comfortable; yet, as the sensations became more and more intense, he could not stifle a sob as something clicked within and began to warm up.