Experimentation: The GAME, #2

By Tuff Gartin

Immediately after Zeke (M7) watches his best friend, Stone (M13), vanish to safety through a portal, he and his new allies take Stryker (K42) as a prisoner, hoping to gain critical information that will help overturn The GAME's oppressive regime. With no time to waste, Zeke experiments with the boundaries of his magical abilities and stamina.

Meanwhile, Stone finds himself navigating LONE, Land Of Necromancy & Experimentation, all while fighting an internal battle between dark and light magic.

Will self-confident Zeke go too far with his newfound magic? Will Stone make it out of LONE, where he is desperately wanted for experimentation because of his unique combination of dark and light magic? Or does it all even matter since The GAME is too big and about to tilt the balance of power in their favor?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tuff Gartin
• Release date: Jun 21, 2019
• ISBN: 9781947903029

Tuff Gartin

Tuff Gartin lives in the Nashville, Tennessee area. He has a wonderful and supporting family that encourages him always, despite what they may be thinking about crazy authorpreneurs. Tuff enjoys spending time with his family and, otherwise, writing for his Tuff Readers and watching sports. As long as there are Tuff Readers out there, Tuff will stay committed to giving his readers the best reading experiences he and his Muse can create. Are you a Tuff Reader? Visit www.tuffgartin.com/myreaders.html to find out. If you are, please sign up for Tuff’s email list to get the latest info on Tuff and his books. Author website: www.tuffgartin.com

Book preview

Experimentation

The GAME Episode 2

TUFF GARTIN

Acknowledgments

I must thank my lovely wife, Jeanne. From discussing ideas about the story to taking valuable time editing the story to encouraging me throughout the entire process, she made this a better story. Thank you so much, honey.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Stone - Day 83 - 3pm

Zeke - Day 83 - 3pm

Stone - Day 84 - 4am

Zeke - Day 84 - 6am

Stone - Day 84 - 6am

Zeke - Day 84 - 7pm

Stone - Day 85 - 5:30am

Zeke - Day 85 - 6am

Stone - Day 85 - 6am

Zeke - Day 85 - 8am

Stone - Day 85 - 9am

Alpha 49 - Day 85 - 10am

Excerpt Episode 3

Afterword

About the Author

Published by Tuff Gartin

Cover design: Tuff Gartin

Copyright © 2019 by Tuff Gartin

ISBN: 978-1-947903-02-9

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by United States of America copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed Attention: Permissions Coordinator, at the address below.

Tuff Gartin

P.O. Box 973

Brentwood, TN 37024-0973

PUBLISHER'S NOTICE

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Stone - DAY 83 - 3PM

The first thing I noticed when I touched the ground after exiting the tunnel was, well, I touched the ground...not my bed back at home like M7 had told me. I was in the middle of a wooded area. Part of me wondered if something hadn't gone wrong and I simply exited back into the woods outside the tower where I entered the portal. But this was not the same woods for sure. It was much denser. Much wetter. Much greener. Scents of mint filled the air, which did not exist in the woods outside The GAME Headquarters. Maybe it was the fact that I had just escaped potential death, or that my best friend may have been killed, but these woods gave off a bad vibe to me. I sensed danger.

Had my pal, M7, messed up? Doubtful. That would not be like him. So, that left only two other viable options. The first: I could be in the woods near my home. Maybe the portals were not that precise, or maybe M7 hadn't perfected the usage of portals enough to target such a precise landing as a specific bed, in a specific bedroom, in a specific house —my family's house, a family that I love dearly and miss terribly. So, it was at least plausible that I was back in my own society of Ashen in some woods near my home.

But the other option seemed much more likely. M7 lied and intentionally sent me to another destination. The more I considered that possibility, the angrier I got. I had sensed that he was very worried about my injuries a lot more than he had intimated. He wouldn't send me back to Ashen because I'd be a danger to my family, and possibly even the entire society. He knew I was infested with dark magic and believed I would eventually be more of a threat to his goal—no, our goal—of bringing down The GAME. He could no longer afford to keep me as his partner. I was no longer an asset but a danger. As I stewed over that scenario for several minutes, thoughts entered my mind about getting revenge on M7 for losing faith in me. We had become best friends. Partners. Allies. Supposedly to the end! But now that I was tainted, he decided to get rid of me and move on to other allies. He had used me. Well if his loyalty was that finicky, then I would get revenge on him and his new allies. If I was turning dark, I would use my newfound dark powers to destroy the person that sent me to die! Actually, I knew I was turning dark. It was the dark magic allowing me to sense danger here.

I was about to attempt to walk back into the portal to go after him when I heard an intercom announcement. It sent shivers through my entire body. I grew weak in the knees.

All Elite Personnel to Pod 1. Subject Paul Pearson is back alive. I repeat. All Elite Personal to Pod 1. Subject Paul Pearson is back alive.

That name triggered deep emotions inside me. Paul Pearson was my brother! I was sure of it. What did they mean that he was back alive? I was compelled to go check on Paul. Why?

Then the dark magic told me the answer. Or allowed that part of my brain to overcome the spell The GAME had placed on me to forget my real name. Or maybe something else. I don't know. But it was the dark magic no doubt. It told me with certainty