This choice: Hank and Steve wake up together • Go Back... “Hello gentlemen” a soft female voice rang out. Hank was groggy, and felt as if he had been asleep for a long time. He slowly opened his eyes and tried to take in his new surroundings, “What the fuck just happened?” Hank muttered as he tried to gain his wits.
“I’m sorry for any inconvenience” the female voice rang out “we simply wanted to transport you here to Newtown to begin your membership. Welcome Hank Smits and Steve Phillips.”
“Newtown? How the hell did we get to Miami so fast?” Hank heard Steve inquire to his right. Hank tried to turn his head to look over at Steve, but oddly couldn’t move. Hank tried to move his arms and legs, but oddly couldn’t feel anything.
“Why the fuck can’t I move? What have you don to me?” Hank cried out. He looked around him and saw that he was now in a small white room and was in front of a flat window that did not have any sort of reflection.
“Gentlemen…please calm down. You are both at Newtown, here in Miami, and we are preparing both of you for insertion.”
“Insertion?” Hank heard Steve call out.
“Yes…Soon you both will be inserted onto one of the fifty thousand bodies and lives we have here at Newtown.”
Suddenly, the screen in front of Hank turned transparent and Hank was absolutely horrified at what he saw. Standing on the other side of the screen was his body, dressed in his construction vest, Carhart jacket, jeans and boots. Standing next to his body was Steve’s short pudgy body in matching construction gear. However shockingly, both bodies were missing a very important detail: their heads!
“Wha….what…what have you done to us?” Hank heard Steve cry out.
“We have prepared you both for insertion. Soon your heads, via our nanobot technology, will be attached to one of the fifty thousand bodies we have here at Newtown. Once attached to your new bodies, you will be tasked with living out the body’s assigned life and role for a period of thirty days. After thirty days, everyone at Newtown will have their heads removed from their then current body and live, and placed onto a different body and life. This was all detailed in the terms and conditions” the bodiless voice cooly replied.
“You honestly can’t believe that people read that, do you?” Hank cried out.
“Many of our clients do. That or their lawyers do. They are rather important after all. Especially given you will spend the rest of your lives here.”
“You’ve got to get me out of here. I didn’t sign up for this. I’ve got a wife…kids…please I don’t want to do this anymore.” Steve started begging through intermittent sobs.
“I see you didn’t read section two of our terms and conditions. Once someone has affirmed their decision to join us here at Newtown, the decision is irreversible. We have found that many of our members get cold feet when they are given the same briefing I am giving you right now. The sight of your headless body tends to do that.” The voice calmly replied.
“Well why can’t you just put us back on our bodies and let us go on our way?” Hank desperately tried to reason.
Suddenly, without warning, Hank’s headless body and Steve’s headless bodies were consumed by fire spurting from an unknown source behind the screen.
“NO!” Steve screamed at the horror of watching his body be disintegrated in front of him. Hank was at a loss of words seeing his all too familiar body turn to nothing but ash.
“Why…why did you do that?” Hank asked in a somber tone.
“Membership at Newtown requires a certain mindset. You must be willing and able to completely submerse yourself into a new body and a new life. We have found that the incineration of one’s former self is an important step into acceptance of this mindset. For all intents and purposes, Hank Smits and Steve Phillips are both now dead. Don’t worry, your next of kin will be informed of your “passing.” We have informed them that both of you died in a work related incident. Not all that surprising given the line of work you were both in. This is an opportunity that people would pay millions of dollars for. You two were lucky enough to win a free spot.”
“This is unbelievable” Hank muttered “how can you expect someone to just be someone else? I’m Hank Smits god damnit.”
“Well you are right now I suppose” the voice responded. “But in a few short moments, you will be someone else. Don’t worry. We have made sure to provide all members with a detailed accounting of their new body and life once they are placed onto a new one. There will be a detailed summary of your new life available to you via a tablet. Please consult this tablet if you have any questions about your new life and your new role. Additionally, you will come to see that each body will help you stay on track with your new life. Now…are you both ready to be inserted into Newtown? We have a few moments before the next monthly switch.”
“Please…please…don’t do this.” Hank could hear Steve whimper.
“Will…will Steve and I still be able to see each other?” Hank tried to inquire, coming to terms with everything that was happening and growing concerned about the mental state of his friend.
“Well…potentially. Odds are you will eventually come into contact with one another. However…it is unlikely that either of you will be friends with one another again. But you never know. Like I said, there are fifty thousand bodies and lives here at Newlife. Theoretically it is possible. For all I know you could end up being related to one another…you could be next door neighbors with each other…you could be each other’s lover. Only time will tell. Now, we have about thirty seconds until the monthly switch. Good luck in your new lives.”
“Hank…Hank I can’t do this man. This is so fucked.” Steve cried out.
Hank tried to reassure his friend, “We will find a way out of this Steve. Whatever you do, lets promise one another that we will always try to find each other, ok? No matter what happens.”
“Ok…I’m scared Hank.”
“Me too man…me too.”
Suddenly, the screen in front of them began to count down from ten…nine…eight…seven…six…five…four…three…two…one…
Hank vision immediately was filled with light and then went dark once again.
Whose life is Hank going to fill for the next thirty days?
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