Chapter 1

My mom drove Matt, Alan, and me to the mall like she did every Saturday morning. My name is Alexander Nathaniel Wilson Hollister, and I am thirteen. More about my background and family later. My friends and I go to the mall gaming center every Saturday to meet with friends and play games all day. It gives our parents time to take care of things without us around. But unfortunately, Matt thinks it’s so they can have hot monkey sex, and Alan and I didn’t want to think about it.

We arrived at the mall and played games at the center until lunchtime. Then we went to the food court, ate lunch, and watched all the hot chicks shopping. We learned most of the information on girls from Matt’s older brother, a high school senior, and rated them from one to ten. After finishing lunch, we walked the mall, stopping at the Victoria’s Secret shop to girl watch. Finally, we got up to return to the game center, and Alex went to the trash can to throw away his soda. That was the last thing he remembered.

Alex woke up in the hospital with all kinds of machines around me. He screamed for someone to turn off the lights and passed out again. When Alex woke again, it was dark, and he saw my mom sitting next to my bed. Alex croaked out water, and she screamed, then ran into the hall. The nurse came back with a cup of ice chips and a spoon. The nurse gave me some ice chips and said Let them melt in your mouth. Alex did as instructed, and then a doctor showed up and ran some tests on him. When the doctor put a light in my eyes, I screamed in pain and then passed out. When Alex awoke, the doctor and the nurse were still at his bedside, and if he weren’t restrained, Alex would have killed them.

The doctor finished his exam and told his mom that I had a grade 3 concussion. Other than some bruising, Alex would be fine. Alex found out he was in a medically induced coma for a week to let his brain swelling go down. As a precaution, the doctor said we would keep him for a few more days. He left, and Alex asked his Mom what had happened. The last thing he remembered was throwing away my soda.

She said he was hit by a man running through the mall and knocked unconscious. According to Matt and Alan, the man who hit you was chased by six men. He was struck by a truck while leaving the mall. According to the news, he escaped the mental hospital and died at the scene. Alex asked why he was restrained, and his Mom said he would start shaking while in the medically induced coma, so the doctors feared he would hurt himself. Mom left after Alex ate his liquid dinner.

That night, Alex dreamed that his body was being internally transformed. He woke up when the nurse came in to check on him, and then, when she left, a voice in Alex’s head said to remain calm. The voice said he received a gift from the man who hit him, and if I allowed it to help me, I would be greatly rewarded. Not having anything to do at the moment, Alex said Go ahead. The voice said, You are calm and level-headed, so I will tell you what happened. The man who hit you in the mall was a time traveler and a renowned scientist in nanotechnology. His name, which you couldn’t pronounce, so let’s call him Ari, developed a process that was a significant breakthrough in the nano field. Before Ari’s discovery, nanotechnology was used only for medical purposes. He discovered that nanos could alter the brain and adjust DNA. When he presented his findings, the military forced him to develop a super soldier formula. They moved him and his research to a restricted lab where only classified projects were developed.

Upset, his research was hijacked, and Ari played along and refined his process. While working at the lab, Ari made friends with the other scientists, and they talked about each other’s projects. Unfortunately, they were in the same situation he was in, so getting outside wasn’t allowed. Ari finished his work on the Nanos, but not what the military wanted. He installed a virus in his computer, inserted his altered nanos in a syringe, and waited until everyone left for the evening. Then Ari entered the time travel lab, programmed the machine, and stepped into the chamber. The voice said he received the altered Nanos when Ari collided with him, which was the end of Ari’s thoughts, other than getting killed. The voice wished Alex good luck and told him to be careful because people would be watching him.

Alex lay in bed thinking about what was told him and wondered what changes were coming. Finally, he was able to go back to sleep. The nurse woke him up at 6 a.m. to take his temperature and blood pressure, and then breakfast came. He got toast, oatmeal, milk, and OJ. It was better than his liquid dinner, but not by much. Alex was starved and knew he wouldn’t get fed there.

It was time to tell you about Alex’s life at home and family. He was the youngest in his family. His older brother, David, was a junior at the University of Missouri on a football scholarship. David wasn’t highly recruited or had good grades, so the University of Missouri was the only Division 1 school that offered him a scholarship. Then, his older sister, Stephanie, was a freshman at the University of Southern California. She received a full scholarship and claimed to be the family’s brains. Alex was the baby of the family and an unplanned addition. His Dad was a jock in high school and college and was VP of Sales for a Pharmaceutical company. He travels extensively and is home one week a month on average. Then there is his mom, and what could he say? She tries to hold the family together, but that’s mission impossible.

The doctor came into Alex’s room just after his mom arrived. He checked Alex over and said he could go home if he limited his activity and stayed off his feet. We agreed, and he was discharged and had Mom stop by an In-N-Out Burger for some real food. She was shocked when he ordered two double-double burgers, fries, and a drink. Alex forgot to mention that they lived in Laguna Hills, just south of Newport Beach. Daddy makes very good money, allowing us to live in a nice area. Alex ate lunch, lay down, and fell asleep when he got home. He woke up just before dinner and ran to the bathroom. The crap that came from him was gross, and he almost puked. Alex opened the bathroom window, showered, and started feeling better. Then his Mom called him for dinner, and we ate Chinese takeout. When they finished, his Mom gave Alex the schoolwork he had missed the past week and smiled.

His mom told Alex to start his homework first thing in the morning. She had a tennis lesson and yoga class in the morning, so there was no slacking off, Alexander. She laughed, going to bed. Mom always said my full first name when she was serious. When Mom was pissed off at me, it was Alexander Nathaniel Wilson Hollister. But Mom was in a good mood most of the time, and he could joke with her about anything. Her maiden name is Wilson, and her grandfather founded Wilson Sports. One time, Alex asked his Mom how much he would inherit, and she said I’m taking all to the grave with me. So, Alex said, at least he inherited the Wilson bat and balls. Mom spits her drink across the table, then almost falls out of her chair, laughing.

Alex went to his room and texted his friends Matt and Alan. The message was What happened to the pussies that went to the mall with me? Matt responded first by calling him, and Alan joined our call. Matt said dude, that whole thing was weird. The guy who hit you came out of nowhere, running at full speed. He tackles you like a linebacker, and then six guys show up chasing him. Alex said it felt like a linebacker hit me, and now he has over a week’s worth of homework. Alan said Alex, you were lucky that guy didn’t kill you. You flew over 15 feet in the air and hit a planter. We talked about school, and they promised to stop by this weekend. Alex was tired, so he lay down and went to sleep.