When Jason woke up, he immediately knew something was terribly wrong. His entire body ached, and his head was pounding more fiercely than it had during his first ever hangover. He gritted his teeth and tried to look around, only to realize that he was strapped down. People were shouting around him and everything was blurry in his vision. He couldn't remember what had happened, or how long he had been here. He was in so much pain. It was terrible.
Jason didn't remember blacking out, or otherwise being asleep, but he knew when he woke up. The pain had finally begun to recede. His head was no longer strapped in place, so he looked around. He saw a man in a suit and tie with shades on. "Wh-what the hell happened to me?" his voice was barely a whisper, but it got the man's attention.
"Ah, you're awake. Good. You've really been through the ringer, kid. When they pulled you out of that car, the entire right side of your body was broken. They honestly thought you were going to die." The man smiled politely and sat quietly as though waiting for something.
Jason stared at the man. His voice was getting stronger, but it was still only a hoarse rasp. "So, how long have I been out. And how do the Feds fit into all this?"
The man must've blinked in surprise several times, but Jason couldn't tell because of the sunglasses. "You've been in a comatose state for 21 months and 15 days. As for me, I'm not with the Feds. I'm with the company that created the serum that saved your life. Don't worry, it's completely safe and FDA approved. You may notice some small physiological changes, and there are some psychological side-effects, but none of the psychological effects are long term, and the physiological stuff is actually more helpful than harmful."
Jason sighed. "Alright. What's the catch? I get the whole 'benevolent corporation' act. It makes you seem friendly and like you're just doing what you can to preserve a dying man's life, but there's always a catch."
The man chuckled. "Straight to the point then. That's refreshing. Better than coffee at midday. Here's the deal: Morningstar has had an eye on you for quite some time. In the 2 years since you turned 18, you've gathered quite a case for proving, once and for all, the existence of alternate dimensions, even going so far as to build a prototype of a machine which could, in theory, transport somebody to an alternate universe. We want that tech, because this world is doomed."
Jason stared at him. "What happens if I say no?"
The man's eyebrows rose extremely high. "You'd just go back to your normal life, with no memory of this conversation, or the machine you built."
Jason didn't move a muscle on the outside, but inwardly, he smiled. 'This man doesn't know about protocol 52. That's good.' He sighed. "I think that would be for the best, then. Oh, and don't try reverse-engineering my prototype. I've had it set to self destruct if the proper codes aren't put in before pulling it apart."
Jason awoke for the first time since the agonizing pain had nearly shattered him. He felt like something was off, though, as if there was something itching at the back of his head, almost like he'd forgotten something incredibly important. He glared around him. "Initiate protocol 52."