Oh my God. This is the fastest I have run in my life. As I round another curve, I see the dust cloud behind me. It's amazing that I can even hold my grip on all this dirt. And this funky skin-tight suit they have me squeezed into is unbelievably comfortable. Must be some new age material or something. Oh hell, I think they're seducing me into what ever experiment this is. I've gotta quit enjoying these...amazing skills I've got now. Well, I guess it is better than being dead.

"OK, take a break and let the dust cloud you're sirring settle back to the ground. I hate this part of the job. I hate dust landing all over my body," My new constant companion, Morgan, says.

I stop on a dime. I'm not even out of breath. I walk to her and sit beside her on their makeshift bench, which consists of a couple of milk crates.

"Where am I, Morgan?"

"All that you need to know right now is that you're on a limited trial run. The only way you keep your current life is to pass all of these tests with flying colors."

"No problem. Just give me my old life back."

Morgan locks her warm eyes with mine. Then her eyes turn ice cold. "You will never be going back to your old life. You're dead to your old life. As far as everyone you knew, they all believe you're dead, because you are. You belong to us now. This is your new life. Take advantage of it. You won't have another second chance. One last thing. Your name is now John Millstone. Because you will become the millstone that sinks our enemies.

"What if I don't pass your tests with flying colors?"

"There is no other option." Suddenly, I see passion fire behind those icy eyes. "But don't worry, we've never had a test subject run around our course in excess of 50 miles per hour."

"Course? This is open dessert."

She looks back at her data. "Don't ever let me hear you disrespect a military installation again, Mr. Millstone. This is what most people think of when you talk about Area 51. If only the people knew the full truth of this place. This is only what's above ground. The bed you woke up on is six stories underneath us. Now, run again."

"Run again? What?"

"You were given an order, Mr. Millstone. I'd suggest you obey it."

 
The beep of the monitor travels weakly through my ears to my brain. The glass pane shattering isn't so weak as it smashes through my ears and slams into my brain.

Before my brain can even send a signal to my body to move, or my mouth to speak, I somehow spring straight up in the bed, almost popping down to the floor in the process. My feet are hanging off the end. I look down, my body is wrapped in a white gown. A very loose one at that. If I'd hit the floor, it likely would have dropped as well.

"Well, hope that was a good 72 hour nap," a vaguely familiar female voice says.

My eyes are amazingly focused already, I realize, as I look straight into her eyes. She has raven black hair pulled together in a pony tail that extends to the mid-point of her back. Her shirt is black and shiny and very form fitting. It's obvious she works out. Her pants are the same type of material.

"It wasn't easy. My partners and I had to sneak you out of the morgue. We've never had a project like this, but I can't wait to see the results. You're our first real life test subject. My name is Morgan, by the way." She gave me a warm smile.

"This test subject better show results worth the risk we just took," a man's voice, commanding as it fills the room.

I turn that way and lock eyes with his. He has an icy stare, military hair cut, stars and stripes on his shoulders, and a crisp pressed green suit.

"I believe they will be, sir. To bring this man back from the dead and have his body heal as if nothing happened, you can't tell me that won't carry a lot of weight."

Back from the dead? Heal? What the hell are they talking about?

"If this one falls through the cracks, I'm pulling the plug on our little project. Then I'll pull the plug on our relationship. I've had enough. Of both," Icy eyes said.

 
As I fight to catch my breath, I open my eyes and see people in blue uniforms, instrument clusters, bags of...saline?

I look down and see clear plastic tubes running out of both arms. My legs are strapped to this gurney that I now realize I'm strapped to. I have a hose taped to my face, with shoots of it invading my nose.

One of the uniformed females holds a needle in her left hand, while flicking it in her right hand. Immediately after, she inserts it into my left leg. The thing is about six inches long. There's no way I'm not feeling that...but strangely, I don't feel a thing.

What the hell happened to me?

"Just gave him the epinephrine!" She yells.

"Pulling in now," someone up front yells back.

I feel the ambulance shift. She holds on to the bed and the side of the ambulance.

The ride stops. The back doors fly open. More uniformed people race in, grab my bed, and like a well-oiled machine, they have me out before I can raise my head to say hi.

Lights whiz over head. Things buzz and chirp as they race me down the hall.

"There's someone in that room with a cut in their finger, you can't go in there," someone tells this crack team that's rushing me in.

I can't feel my body and they are worried about a cut in their finger???

"We need a room, now!" The lady that stuck the six inch needle yells.

"It'll be ten minutes," A lady off to my side says. 

I can't see anyone other than those that brought me in.

"Oh, he doesn't look good. What are his chances, like ten percent?" The same voice that said a room will be ten minutes.

"I'm filing a formal complaint against you personally if you don't get me a room...NOW!" The lady that stuck me. I'd love to know her name for going to bat for me.

Before I hear anything else, everything goes black...