Nine Lives (Chapter 1)

The tires of my car screeched as I made it up my driveway. I turned the car off and jumped out as soon as I was sure it was off, slamming the door. I went up the wooden steps to my side door. I fumbled with my keys, cursing, as I attempted to open the door. Once it opened, I ran inside and slammed it, hoping that perhaps they would stay away for a while. I threw my suit jacket on the sofa and went straight to the bathroom. I flicked on the light, leaned on the sink and stared into the mirror. Brown, sleek hair, falling in front of amber eyes obscured the frowning face, in which there was a hidden worry of what would happen. I rolled the sleeves of my creased, white shirt, turned on the cold water and washed my face. I pulled off my suffocating striped tie, and walked towards my room to throw it onto the bed.

That was when there was a knock on the door.

I considered not answering it. I knew well who it was, and I'd no desire to speak to them. However, there was no avoiding them. I would never be able to avoid them forever, and the longer I stayed away, the greater my punishment would be once they finally caught up with me. Still, I yelled,

"Who's there?"
"You know who it is."

True enough. I threw my tie onto the bed and walked towards the door to let them in.

Not long later, I was sitting on the couch, with two suited men standing before me. One had introduced himself as Carter. Whether that was his first or last name I didn't know, and I didn't really care, nor did I think he'd tell me. The other man didn't introduce himself. They both wore sunglasses and had perfectly combed black hair. Carter spoke:

"Now, Mr. Sharp, I believe you are aware why we have the... unfortunate duty of showing up to your residence."
"Yes, but you don't understand! It wasn't my fault, I merely thought--"
"That will do. While we pity your position," he remarked in a voice that made it clear he had no pity for me, "you know that this defiance cannot go unchecked."
"I tell you, I had no way of knowing that--"
"You knew. There is no question about that."
"Well perhaps, but I was excited the latest developments, who could bear to keep them to themselves?"
"We were excited too, Mr. Sharp. Yet we didn't betray the corporation. As we speak, it is in damage control, and you are the culprit. Thus, they have decided your fate."

My mouth felt dry as I tried to formulate words to express the idea I had be carrying around in my head for a while, but that had suddenly become a serious possibility.

"You're going to kill me?"
"If it was up to me, the answer would be yes."

An uneasy silence fell in the room.

"But I don't make that decision, and the Executives have decided you might be worth a second chance."

My heart leapt as I heard this, but yet I watched with caution as he reached into his pocket and pulled out and envelope. He flicked it open and pulled out the letter inside it. Clearing his throat, he began to read:

"'By the order of the Executives in the case of Aaron Connor Sharp.'"

I flinched as he read off my entire name. Barely anyone knew it, and as far as I could recollect, I hadn't told the corporation it. Carter continued reading.

"'We have found him to be held in contempt of the corporation on the charges of betraying secrets of the corporation. Thus, we must pronounce his sentence:
We hired Mr. Sharp because of his resourcefulness. We believe he should prove it again to us to show he is worthy of staying with the corporation.'"

After a few seconds of silence, I looked up and saw Carter putting the envelope back inside his suit jacket. I risked talking to say what was on my mind.

"That's it?"

He nodded.

"What do I have to do to prove my resourcefulness?"

His faced change did into a slightly twisted smile.

"Now that, I am able to show you."
"Er, you mean tell me?"

The twisted smile remained on his face as he snapped his fingers and my world descended into darkness.

I awoke with a start and grasped the table in front of me. I immediately knew I was no longer in my home. I looked around and recognized the room, though I hadn't been there for years. My eyes rested back on the table, and I saw a envelope that wasn't there before. I expected it to be the memo that had started all this. In anger, I ripped the envelope open and pulled out the letter. It wasn't a memo. It contained only two words:

Nine lives.

"'Nine lives'?" I muttered. "What kind of twisted reality am I in?"
I can answer that, and many other questions you doubtless have, echoed an ethereal voice. There wasn't no definable source of it, but I recognized it. After all, I had had this same feeling of confusion and fear the only other time I had been in conversation with the head of the corporation. It was a difficult experience to forget, and I hadn't.

"Hawkins," I said, trying to keep from yelling, "where am I? What's happening?"
Your punishment is happening, he replied. Actually no, don't think of it as a punishment. Think of it as more of a... reeducation.
"So why am I here?"
Well, the answer to that question depends on the connotation of which you meant to ask it with.
"Well, where am I?"
I actually don't know to be completely honest. The simulation dropped you in a place you had a large emotional connection with. That that place was, I didn't and still don't know.

I took the opportunity to look around. In recognized the pattern of where the table were, the doors, the computers, and the dead giveaway, the green screen.

"This is my school. I'm in the media production room. But an emotional connection...?"
Interesting, Hawkins' voice remarked with note of humour, as if he had almost been surprised. Many people may subconsciously choose their school as the place they have the biggest emotional connection with. When you think of it, didn't you spend almost the same amount of time there as at your house?
"Great. So, my 'reeducation'. Why did you bring me here for it?"
After Carter activated the simulation, he injected you with a slow-acting poison. Even now, it's coursing through your veins, though you probably don't feel it. There is an antidote hidden somewhere in the simulator. Once you find it and drink it, Carter will inject you with the real antidote. Once that's complete, you will have proven your resourcefulness and may continue your work.
"And that 'nine lives' letter? What was that about?"
Well, we can't make it too easy. You will have nine chances to find the antidote. If you can't within those nine chances, the poison will take effect.
"And what determines when I 'lose' a life?"

At this point, my breath suddenly felt constricted. The room spun and my vision blurred. My vision darkened, with red numbers on a black background flashing in front of me, counting down. In part of my brain that was still working despite this, I heard Hawkins speak once more, and there was definitely some humour in his voice.

Each life lasts 5 minutes, so use that time wisely. And by the way, I'm not sure if the information you got was worth that first life, but making bad decisions is the reason you're here, isn't it?

My vision finally faded completely as I slipped away.

Suddenly, I jerked up in my seat as if I had awoken from a nightmare. I was still in the media room, and there was a new envelope in front of me on the table. I opened it and read the letter inside.

Eight lives.

I jumped up from the table and let the letter flutter to the floor. If the antidote was somewhere in the school and I had only 40 minutes to find it, I had to hurry. I ran out of the class room and immediately tried to get my bearings about me. It had been years since I had been in the school, and it wasn't exactly small. Where was I in relation to where I should start? To answer that question, I knew that I'd need to find a place to start. Where would they put the antidote? I decided that there was no way they'd put it in anywhere too obvious, but that's when what they were looking for kicked in. My instincts told me that it was more likely than not they wouldn't hide it in the last place I would look, as that would be too obvious. But my resourcefulness told me they'd be expecting me to take into consideration the possibility of reverse psychology and indeed put it in the place that I wouldn't look because I thought it be too obvious.

Whoa. That confused even me. Suffice to say, I went to look in the last place I'd look.

I ran down the hall towards the mechanical wing of the school, somewhere I had spend almost no time. I figured if there was anywhere they thought I wouldn't have looked, it would be there.

As I walked through the hallway, I saw my old friend Lucas Bradley. We had been best friends since middle school and all the way to graduation, but after that he moved to Los Angeles to get a start on a career as a software developer and I hadn't spoken to him since. I was wondering if I could somehow avoid telling him the complete truth to get him to help me out when time suddenly slowed. I heard Hawkins' voice float through the school once more:

Be careful, Aaron. There was a definite note of caution in his voice. You can use your former classmates to help you in this search. They will believe whatever you tell them, no questions asked. Doubtless they could be of great assistance in this search. However, if you are to fail your attempts, they will share your fate.
My blood ran cold. "My fate is death. Surely your judgement isn't that cruel?"

I got no answer in return, just the vague feeling of satisfaction. I looked after Lucas and considered my options. At this point, he'd know the school better than me, and having 2 minds at the task would make it considerably easier. But is it worth the risk of having him killed? I hesitated a second, then made my choice.

"Lucas!"

He turned and smiled.

"Aaron! How are you doing? Hey, about the math homework, what did you do for--"
"No time for that, Lucas. I need your help to find something."
A light flashed in his eyes for a second, and then he responded:
"I know what it is you seek."
"Do you know where it is?"
"In the school."
"The specifics?"
"I don't know anymore than you do."

Of course not. Hawkins wouldn't make it that easy.

"I'm on my way to the mechanical wing. You know, electronics, the shops?"

He nodded.

"Will you help me?"
"Of course. Lead the way."

We ran off down the hall in what I hoped was pursuit of the antidote.