In preparation for moving him from prison to their underground complex, where the beta testing would take place, Tristan sat by himself in an empty room.
His hands were restrained behind his back, and a chain running from them to a device fastened to the side of his head made it impossible for him to flee or resist the guards when they would accompany him out of the room without facing the risk of significant harm or death.
Two more guards stood by the doorway leading out of the room, and another guard stood alongside Tristan, keeping an eye on him with emotionless, cold eyes.
Footsteps resonated along the hallway outside before coming to a halt at the room's entrance.
The huge metal doors slowly opened before Agent Smith entered, followed by two other men and a lady dressed in black suits; all four wore sunglasses even though they were indoors.
They approached Tristan's table and stood calmly in front of him for a few seconds until Agent Smith spoke first. "Tristan," he called out quietly. "I'd like to introduce you to your team."
"I don't do teams," Tristan snarled, "because they never survive."
Agent Smith shook his head and motioned to each person standing next to him, introducing them one by one. "This is Dr. Kowalski, our lead programmer; Mr. Dugan, our head tester; and Miss Williams, our project manager."
"It's a pleasure to meet two fools and a beauty. I hope you all live long enough to see me get my freedom!" Tristan chuckled sarcastically.
"He's a psycho," Mr. Dugan sneered at the smirking Tristan. "Why the fuck do we need this piece of shit?"
"That beats me, man." Tristan shrugged and motioned with his chin to Agent Smith, "How about questioning the dark knight in training?"
"We're going to need more than jokes if we want to get this game out in time for the big day," Dr. Kowalski stated dryly. He was tall and slender, with blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail. His face was pale yet pleasant, and his eyes were bright beneath his glasses.
Despite his appearance, he appeared friendly but stern as he smiled down at Tristan from across the room.
Tristan laughed quietly, trying not to show how uncomfortable he felt in the presence of these people, who now had entire authority over him because he had signed their non-disclosure agreement and had a device strapped to his head.
Before proceeding, Agent Smith cleared his throat loudly. "Now that the introductions are out of the way, we'll get right to testing soon! We have a tight deadline approaching, so there is no time to waste."
Dr. Kowalski gave them both a quick nod before moving away. He walked quickly past Tristan and out the door that led him outside. The rest followed suit and went without saying anything or even looking at Tristan.
Tristan sat there watching them leave, sighing heavily in relief at being alone again, until a guard walked in and motioned for him to rise. "Time to go, prisoner," the guard gruffly ordered.
Tristan took his time standing up, feeling the weight of the cuffs and the gadget on his head. He gave the empty chamber one more look before following the guard out into the hallway. Tristan leaned in closer to the guard beside him as they walked. "What kind of girls do you like?" he said quietly.
The guard didn't answer straight away, instead looking sideways at Tristan with a blank expression. He spoke in hushed whispers after a few seconds. "I shouldn't be talking to a creepy weirdo like you," he said.
Tristan shrugged. "I'm just curious," he clarified.
As they descended a long staircase, Tristan couldn't help but wonder what kind of underground complex awaited him. Would it be a high-tech facility with cutting-edge technology or a dark and dreary prison with no windows or fresh air? As they approached the bottom of the stairway, his imagination raced wild with possibilities.
"You proceed on your own through there, then turn left and follow the corridors until the end. On the other side of the building, there is a room. Best of luck!" Before leaving Tristan standing alone, the guard informed him.
Tristan had just taken a step backward in an attempt to flee when he heard footsteps behind him. He spun back to be faced with darkness from a black bag over his head before feeling a needle stab his shoulder blade. A split second later, his vision blurred, and he felt an excruciating burning sensation sweep across his body.
"What the fuck was thaaaa…" Tristan's muffled voice trailed off as he struggled to stay awake.
His legs gave way, forcing him to the ground, where he collapsed in agony and lost control of his body.
*****
Tristan awoke groggily in bed, in strange circumstances. It took several minutes for the fog in his mind to clear sufficiently for him to remember how he got here. He touched his bloodied wrists, which had been shackled too firmly by the cuffs.
'At least those filthy metals are gone.' He thought with a grin.
He sat up gradually on the comfortable mattress beneath him, stretching his arms above him as much as he could to relieve some of the strain that had built up during his imprisonment.
Tristan glanced around the dimly lit area, which had overhead recessed lighting. The walls were white, with a wide window on one wall facing a city skyline at night; he could see lights twinkling in buildings all across the horizon.
He stared into space, attempting to figure out where he was.
After a few moments, Tristan concluded that this had to be the infamous 'Elysium Harrison Base,' not the one reported to be in the prison. The base is considerably greater than he expected.
Tristan jumped back and fell off his bed as his heart hammered loudly inside his chest when the door unexpectedly opened.
He attempted to stand up again but failed due to his confusion from the injection. "Who's there?" he asked suspiciously.
"How could you possibly have forgotten about me so quickly? I'm upset." From the doorway, a familiar voice replied.
Tristan turned to face the lady standing in the open doorway, hands on her hips. She was tall and wore a tight black dress underneath an overcoat and black heels. Her eyes were as cold as ice behind the glasses she wore, glaring down at him menacingly.
"Alise?!" Tristan was taken aback.
She grinned slightly before stepping forward. Tristan backed away until he met the wall, his breath coming in quick gasps as he battled to remain cool.
"You're still alive," he said quietly.
*****
A/N
¶ What sort of relationship do you think Alise has with Tristan?
I would really appreciate your comments and support of this novel with your power stones. Your active comments would motivate me to write more chapters.