Intertwined
Intertwined
Table of Contents
Prologue: Uh oh
Chapter 1: A.S.T.A.
Chapter 2: Simulator
Chapter 3: The Devil’s Game
Chapter 4: Asking for Trouble
Chapter 5: Pool Party
Chapter 6: Cheater
Chapter 7: The Climb
Chapter 8: Digging
Chapter 9: Sudden Death
Chapter 10: The Enemy of my Enemy is my Friend
Chapter 11: SWIPE
Chapter 12: Lost Memories
Chapter 13: Trying to Remember
Chapter 14: Fight, Fight, Fight
Chapter 15: Journey
Chapter 16: Diving for Answers
Chapter 17: The Return
Chapter 18: Final Mission
Chapter 19: Hello Mr. Dark
Chapter 20: Who are You Guys
Chapter 21: Game Time
Chapter 22: Wrapping Things Up
Prologue: Uh oh
The man remembered all of our names and all of the little facts about us that we shared and the night actually turned into a very good one.
We were all dying with laughter over Jack’s misfortune of texting his mom that he wanted to kiss her instead of his girlfriend when sirens began to blare! The man jumped out of his chair suddenly young again, looking to and fro as if someone would burst through his front door any second! “Where are you boys from exactly?” The man shouted with an outburst of anger. His face turned from a scared to crazed in a moment! “You’re from the castle aren’t you? They won’t ever mess with my head again! Get out of here, you fools, you fools, you’ve doomed us all!” The man sank to his knees cursing us.
I felt cold, icy fear run through my body.
“Guys lets go, I know the way, Follow me!” Chris shouted as he burst out the door!
We sprinted hard! Branches whipped me in the face with sharp and painful stings! Adrenaline was running me, but I could feel my legs start to go!
I didn’t think I was gonna make it, and then it appeared! The giant fence looked very menacing with the red lights on top spinning, revealing the devastatingly sharp barbed wire that slithered beneath!
I was falling behind now; I couldn’t keep up! What am I going to do!
“This is it, here’s the hole! William, over here!” Jack was calling to me, but I couldn’t see him. Where is he?
The fence had disappeared now, and I was running blind through giant bushes when it appeared again! “BOOM!” I slammed face first into the electric monster!
The shock was life-shattering! A million volts of electricity slammed into me like a supersonic jet on a suicide mission!
Chapter 1: A.S.T.A.
The gate appeared. Its wrought iron bars curved slightly, shaping the magnificent barrier before me. In the middle of the gate the bars curved making a circle. Inside the circle were the letters A.S.T.A. Wrapped around the words was a snake. Its iron face smiled back, it’s lifeless eyes stared right past me.
The gate slid open, and we once again began to move. The bot didn’t talk much. It seemed to be a good driver, but beyond that it was useless. It refrained from talking, and so, I’d been secluded in silence for the past 4 hours.
As we glided forward, the bot kept the hoverer low to the ground. We followed a small gravel path that wound its way amongst a never ending forest of trees.
The trees stretched up into the sky towering above us. I tried to see past them but to no avail. The thickness of the shrubbery surprised me. How do they have this many trees, and this big? Where am I?
As the hoverer looped around a seemingly unimportant bend, it came into view! A castle! WHOA! Can it really be? Did I step into another world?
As we approached, gliding over the downward sloped path, the castle grew in size! It was real, and it was enormous! The bot stopped the transportation, before turning to speak to me. “This is as far as I can take you. Thank you for choosing auto travel, and please, have a nice day. With that, my door automatically popped open.
We were still 50 ft. from the door, but I gladly stepped from the old box I’d been confined in. This was it, I was here! It had been three weeks since I received the invitation, but I was finally at the test.
Sitting in front of me was the most astonishing sight I’d ever seen. It wasn’t really a castle, but it resembled one. It was made from strange transparent panels. The castle had an unorthodox feel, but who cared!
I grabbed my luggage turning to make my way towards the testing center, when I saw her! Whoa!
She’d been hidden by her hoverer’s privacy shield. As she walked from its seclusion, making her way towards the front doors and I was suddenly unable to breath!
She is beautiful!
She was more than beautiful, she was gorgeous! Her long blonde curls bounced happily off her shoulders as she moved forward! I wanted to follow and possibly catch up, but I couldn’t make my legs work! She had to be the prettiest girl I’d ever seen!
Her tanned legs and arms moved with rhythm and grace! I was so enamored that I didn’t even realize my bot driver had gotten out of the hoverer.
“Is everything alright, sir? Do you need help with your bags?”
“No, no, I’m fine. Thanks.” I quickly snatched my bags from where they’d fallen, and began walking down the path. As I got closer I saw a sign on the side of the building with giant lettering that spelled A.S.T.A. To the right of the sign there was a small trickling of water that resembled a waterfall. It ran down the wall and into a small creek that went off in the direction of a pond glimmering in the distance. Beyond the pond there was a fence line of trees that helped seclude the castle.
A large man came running up to me and snatched my luggage right out of my hands!
“Please follow me sir, right this way.” He boomed.
I complied. The girl had disappeared, but I was no longer focused on her. Our shoes crunched against gravel as we moved forward. However, with the beautiful scenery, looking where I was going no longer seemed important. Instead, I tried to memorize the heart stopping scenery I was now surrounded by. The sky was an intense blue and the grass was an almost emerald green. My nostrils were overwhelmed with the sweet smells that were so foreign to me. It was as if I’d entered heaven when I’d crossed through that gate!
I didn’t want to leave the warmth of the sunshine, but I knew why I was here. The man opened one of the two massive oak doors and ushered me in.
Stepping inside, the smells abruptly stopped. But the scenery was no less amazing. I couldn’t believe my eyes! Instead of an old, dusty interior, the hallway was very modern. The corridor curved gently showing off the expansiveness that awaited us. The floor consisted of cool tiles that made unique patterns. The walls varied in color, but all of them were very soft.
One side of the hallway consisted mainly of windows. Outside the windows, you could see that the castle wrapped around on itself concealing the hidden gem of water. What the heck, a pool? This is awesome!
The man I was with seemed unaffected by the sights and continued forward. Together our shoes made a strange melodic clapping sound against the tile as we moved harmonically through the hallway.
We came around a corner and into a strange hallway. I saw the girl from outside being led through a doorway that was immediately shut upon her entry.
“What’s happening?” I asked trying to get closer to the large man.
“You’ll find out soon enough.”
We passed the doorway the girl had taken and stopped at the one immediately following it. The man opened the thin door and once again ushered me in. “Right in here young sir. Further direction will be given shortly. Please, feel free to relax in
side until the good doctor comes.”
I walked past him into the small starkly white room. “What about-”
“Whoosh, thud. Click.” The door closed abruptly followed by the clear sound of a lock being engaged.
“Hey, what the heck!” I ran to the door trying to open in. “Boom, boom, boom!” I pounded on the door that was now my prison.
Why would they lock me up? This can’t be part of the test, can it? Maybe it is! Should I wait?
With that in mind I laid on the small bed propped up in the corner. The bed was old, and the springs reached through the padding to poke me in the back. There was something about this room, it seemed familiar, but what was it?
I continued to think as time slowly ticked by. I wonder what Mom and Dad are doing right now? I hope Mom isn’t too worried, because I think I’m worried enough for the both of us.
It was only three weeks ago that I’d first gotten the letter asking me if I would like to participate in a test for the Agency of Science and Technology Advancement. It had said that in return for my participation, I would be well compensated. And seeing as how I’d hadn’t passed my higher learning test and had no chance to become an elite, I’d decided, along with my parents, that this would be the best option. Although now, I wasn’t so sure I’d made the right decision.
“Click. Woosh.” The lock disengaged, and the door once again opened!
Standing there was an older man. He had to be at least in his 60’s. He was followed by a middle aged women who was quite good looking.
“Hello Mr. Rose.” he said looking down at a techno board. “How are you?”
“What’s going on, what is happening?” I asked standing.
“Nothing, nothing at all. There is no need to be alarmed. My name is Dr. Madstein, and I am here to help you.”
“What do you mean?”
“I am here on behalf of ASTA. This is the first part of the test. Before you can participate in the test we need to do a small procedure on you.”
“What do you mean? Like make sure I’m physically fit?”
“Did you read the release paper before you signed it? The paper clearly stated that certain technical operations would be done before you could participate and be eligible for compensation. I assure you Mr. Rose that this procedure is completely safe. You’ll be asleep for a very brief period. Everything we’ll be doing is completely harmless. Please cooperate.”
“Why should I trust you?”
“I don’t think you have any other option. If you don’t let us do this, you’ll be sent home. Is that what you want?”
“No… I guess you can do what you have to do, but be careful.”
“Alright, thank you. I promise you have nothing to worry about. We’ll be done in no time. If you’ll please lay down on the bed in the corner, we’ll get started.”
Complying, I shakily walked back to the bed and laid down. Now the room’s familiarity clicked. It was an operating room!
The small black haired nurse that’d hung back until now, approached. “Please roll up your sleeve sir.” She instructed. I complied and she quickly jabbed me with the needle!
“OWWWWW! STOP, THIS HURTS!”
“Please stay calm sir.” She asked sounding very much like a bot.
She pulled the needle out just as quickly as she had stabbed it in, and blood began to rush freely from the small prick she had left. “Thank you for your patience sir.” She said staring straight ahead. With that, she turned and walked away.
Dr. Madstein turned to me and began to speak as the world around him began to lose focus. “We’ve just introduced an anesthetic to your body. You’ll be falling asleep shortly. You have nothing to worry about; we’ll be in and out in no time. Sweet dreams.” And with that, the world went black.
It seemed like no time at all when my eyelids once again fluttered open. But this time the scene was different. Where are Dr. Madstein and his nurse? Where am I?
The room was the same, but there was no one around me! I stood after determining I wasn’t hooked up to any tubes. I experienced no loss of balance or black spots. Did they actually operate on me? I feel fine.
I moved forward, reaching towards the door handle, but I couldn’t grasp it! Moving my hand back and forth the only thing that I accomplished was reaching through the door. I no longer had physical limitations! In fact, everything felt different! Looking down, I realized that my body was no longer there! When I moved, instead of walking I floated. What is happening?
I leaned forward and began to drift through the closed door when suddenly I was pulled backwards. Something had me! It pulled extremely fast! I had no control!
It pulled me back to the bed and slammed me down! Just as quickly as the sensation had started it was over! Suddenly, my vision blurred and the world was blotted out with black!
Everything went completely blank for a moment and then as if I’d been restarted, my brain engaged and my eyes flew open!
“You alright buddy? Everything okay?” Dr. Madstein asked slightly nervous. “Thought we might have lost you for a moment there.”
What is he talking about? Where am I? And then I remembered. I was at the ASTA testing center. Where had I just been? Had I died?
“Did I die?” I mumbled, my mouth dry.
“No, you didn’t die. But something did happen. We lost track of you for a moment.”¶“What?”
“Nothing, nothing. You’re fine now. Mr. Blackwood will explain everything in a short time. All you need to know is that you’re fine. If you’ll follow Ms. Decks, she’ll lead you to meet the rest of the testers.”
I stood, but this time I did get a little woozy. I steadied myself with the help of the doctor and after a moment of stabilization, I was able to follow Ms. Decks, the nurse, from the room. As we left the room, I heard Dr. Madstein talking into his holo watch. The only words I managed to get were, “He may have it, we’ll have to wait and see.”
Ms. Decks led me to the end of the hallway and to a set of double doors. Upon opening them I was shown into a room filled with at least a 100 other 16 year olds. Looking around, I realized I’d entered a spacious dining room. There had to be at least a dozen long tables made from wood that looked centuries old. The room was lit with giant chandeliers that hung looking like giant wales.
I was slowly moving forward amongst the crowd of other testers, when a bot’s voice sounded over the intercom. “Please sit and enjoy the food that is being brought out. In a few minutes you will be further directed. For now, please enjoy yourselves and eat all you like.”
I looked at a large clock hanging overhead, and realized for the first time that it was late! It couldn’t have been more than 12 o’clock when I’d arrived! 5 hours had passed! What did they do to me that had taken so long?
“You gonna eat?” Came a voice from beside me.
Turning, I was met with the stare of a boy slightly shorter than me. “The food’s free, you don’t have to worry.”
“Haha, yeah I know. I was just thinking.”
“Thinking is always good. What would you think about sitting by each other? I don’t know anyone here. How about we sit together so we look sociable.”
“Alright, sure. Sounds good” I said, following him to a nearby table.
He was about my size, had brown hair, and was pretty well built.
We sat far enough away from another group, so that we didn’t seem awkward, but so we wouldn’t have to talk to them. Looking down the table, everyone seemed to be pretty spaced out. Why so many testers? What exactly are we here for?
Side doors opened, and out came waiters interrupting my thoughts. They piled platters of food in front of us in a matter of seconds. I had never seen so much food in my life!
Steam wafted above the hot platters, lighting my nose afire with their sweet scents! This was going to be incredible!
“So, what’s your name?” The boy asked.
“William. What’s yours?”
“Chris, Chris Levinsworth. I’m from North Greenshire. Where are you from?”
“Nexington, it’s a small town next to-”
“Hey guys, mind if we sit here?” Two boys approached and sat down before we could answer.
“Hey, I’m Jack and this is my twin, Steven.” He motioned to a boy that smiled at me, and offered his hand. I took it and muttered my name through my food filled mouth.
“William.”
“That’s nice William, do you have a last name” Jack joked.
“I’d tell you, but then I’d have to kill you.”
Everyone chuckled.
“Well, one word is more than Jack could say for most of his childhood.” Steven poked at his skinny twin.
Everyone laughed.
“So, what are you guys doing here?” Chris asked.
“Nothing much, except getting free surgeries.” I joked, but then added, “Speaking of which, what was that all about today. What did they do to us?”
“I don’t know, it was so weird. Why didn’t they tell us about it before we got here?” Jack was clearly peeved.
Steven interrupted him. “Did they operate on your necks?”
I quickly reached back and felt along my neck. There seemed to be nothing, and just as I was about to pull my hand away, I felt it! There, at the base of my skull was something!
I felt closer, as did the boys around me. “What are they?” Chris said with a catch in his voice.
“I don’t know, but it wasn’t there when I went to sleep, and when I awoke it was-”
Steven continued to talk, but I wasn’t listening. What is it? Ash, it kinda hurts. Oh no, Mom’s gonna kill me for this. I should have been more careful.
Whatever it was, touching it sent a shiver up and down me. It hugged the base of my skull wrapping around it slightly. It jutted out, giving my skin a ridge where none had been before!
“Do you think they’re tracking us? Is it an explosive? Guys, what are they!?” Chris’s voice raised, as he flipped out slightly.
“Dude, be quiet, you’re attracting attention.” Jack shut him up.