Chapter 1

Will was awakened with the blood pounding in his head. He tried to move but he found that he was strapped down on a metal surgical table. Slowly opening his eyes, he saw in front of him a strange machine that came straight out of a bad sci-fi movie. Upon closer examination he saw that the machine, whatever it was, was pointed at him. He tried to break free, pulling and twisting against his bonds, but to no avail. Exhausted he tried to remember just how he came to be in this predicament.

Will Anderson was walking home from school that day. His life seemed to just follow a schedule of waking up, school, and sleep intermixed with eating. Because of his shyness he didn't participate in extra-curricular activities, and didn't have many friends. But on that day things decided to deviate from the ordinary. A black van suddenly appeared out of nowhere and stopped beside him. Within the blink of an eye he was dragged inside the van and held down as another guy injected him with something. Then suddenly he became dizzy and the world seemed to fade away into darkness.

Will was startled from his reverie when a man dressed in a lab gown came into his view. He squirmed at his bonds, trying to get as far away from the man and his smell as possible. Clearly this guy needed a shower.

"So you are awake. Good! Now we can start." the man said.

"Where am I? What do u want from me?" Will shouted.

"You, my young friend, will assist me with my experiment." the man answered. He stopped to check the alignment of the machine, making sure it was pointed directly at Will's chest.

"I am Doctor Ludwig Von Stein, soon to be the greatest scientist who ever lived."

He then pulled a red crystal from his pocket and held it against the light. "This is my greatest discovery. This is the legendary philosopher's stone that was said to change lead into pure gold. Yet no one has any success except me. This is a very rare crystal that changes white light into a red beam that has very special properties. This focused beam can split or stabilize an atom.

"I once came across a scroll that told how King Midas also discovered the crystal. This was the source of his golden touch. So I deduced that a human element is needed for the crystal's beam to work. This is where you are needed."

Opening a panel in the machine that is pointing at me he places the crystal in a specially designed holder and then closes it. He then took an apple from his other pocket and placed it in the palm of my hand, securing it to make sure that I wouldn't drop it.

"I spent years of experimenting and missing the occasional bath or two I have perfected my gold machine! This will show those who ridiculed me, and those who make fun of my work."

He then went behind a panel of switches and began flipping them one by one. The faint sound from the machine became louder and louder.

"This may sting a little," he commented as he opened a glass cover protecting a single red button and then pushed it. A red glow suddenly appeared in front of the nozzle of the machine and then it unleashed a ray that enveloped Will's body as the ray penetrated the very depths of his being.

Noticing that the apple is still not changing to gold, Ludwig turned a knob, increasing the power of the beam, consequently increasing the pain Will felt. Will begins to thrash in his bonds in an attempt to escape and alleviate the pain. Again Ludwig turned the knob to a higher setting, then higher and finally to it's highest setting. Will was screaming in pain by this point, but Ludwig didn't care, all he wanted was to have his machine work. He did, however, fail to notice the thin wisp of smoke that was escaping from the back of the machine until it was too late. The machine sparked and then exploded hurtling the "Doctor" to the other side of the room, with a cylindrical piece of metal embedded in his skull pinning him to the wall. He remained pinned there as the last signs of life left him.

Will, also thrown by the explosion, lay in a pool of blood. He was about to loose consciousness when the most beautiful girl he had ever seen appeared before his eyes. "Are you an angel?" he managed to say before closing his eyes. The girl tried to see the extent of his injury then placed her hands above Will and closed her eyes. A white glow appeared on her palms and surrounded Will as his tissues started to heal. She stayed until she knew he would be fine and then ran off before the fire trucks arrive.

Will regained consciousness and saw that he was in a white room with a single door. He touched his forehead and felt the bandage at his right temple. Before he could think about doing anything else, the door opened and a nurse came inside.

"So you are awake." The nurse said as a feeling of deja-vu washed over him.

The nurse took a clipboard attached on the foot of the bed and read the information regarding him. "You are very lucky to have not been injured by the explosion at the laboratory," the nurse said without looking at him. "You must have been knocked out by that explosion. The firefighters found you unconscious outside the building."

Will though he must have looked silly with his jaw hanging open looking at her because she turned around to try and stifle a giggle. God she's gorgeous. I must have died and gone to heaven he thought as he tried to hide his now bulging erection.

"I'll inform the doctor that you're awake." She said as she replaced the clipboard at the foot of the bed and walked towards the door swinging her hips a bit more than normal.

What would it be like to touch those soft buns of hers? He thought as he imagined a hand caressing her. She then whirled around holding her palm up to strike. There was a look of confusion on her face when she found that she was the only one around and that Will was 10 ft away from her, lying on the bed. She then continued to go out of the room silently whispering "it must have been my imagination."

The nurse's actions had not escaped Will's attention. What just happened? It must just be a coincidence, he thought. He continued to ponder this as the door opened. This time his older sister came in, followed by a doctor.

"My god what happened to you? Where does it hurt?" his sister rushed to him trying to determine the extent of his injuries.

"Sis I'm okay. Jeez! You'd think I was about to die," he replied trying to squirm away from his sister's inspections.

"Your brother has not sustained any apparent injury. The fact that he was found very near the burning laboratory is baffling. We would want to keep him overnight for observation, just to make sure." The doctor said as he checked Will's vitals and wrote them on a clipboard. He turned to Will, "If all goes well you may leave tomorrow."

"Thank you doctor," my sister said wiping away her tears. "I thought I lost you. I don't want to feel that way again."

Will's parents had died a year ago in a tragic car accident. An unmanned truck had come rolling downhill as their parents were driving along. Before they had a chance to turn, the truck collided head-on with their car. Fortunately, death was instantaneous. Since then, Alex, Will's sister, took care of him. The Truck Company's compensation plus his sister's working as a waitress at local diner helped him to stay in school. He studied hard, as a scholarship was his only way to get into college.

"Let's leave him for now so he can get some rest," the doctor said as he lead Will's worried sister out of the room.

"Goodnight Will, see you tomorrow" his sister said. She then let the doctor lead her out the room.