Chapter One

In the heart of Bryan, Texas, where the sprawling campus of Texas A&M University nestles between tradition and innovation, an odd occurrence unfolded. Professor Dr. Ralph Oppenheimer, a well-respected scientist known for his research in biochemistry, was approached one afternoon by a man who seemed to exist at the periphery of normalcy. This man, Mike Johnson, appeared out of the shadows of the college’s arboretum, his demeanor casting an aura of unease. Dr. Oppenheimer, accustomed to the unexpected paths of academia, was intrigued when Johnson offered him a curious proposal.

“Find me ten students willing to become Hollow Men and Hollow Women,” Johnson said cryptically.

“What does that even mean?” Oppenheimer replied, the question echoing in his mind.

Yet, there was no further explanation; Johnson merely smiled an enigmatic smile before leaving. Intrigued, Oppenheimer contacted his colleague and close friend, Dr. Sally Humphrey, a psychologist specializing in human behavior. The two Professors deliberated over the proposition, the air saturated with questions, anticipation, and a sense of impeding adventure.

Over the following days, word spread around campus. Students were sought, looked upon with both curiosity and skepticism. Their willingness to participate varied significantly—some saw it as an adventure, while others viewed it as an oddity too bizarre to consider. After much deliberation, ten students gathered, each harboring their unique reasons for joining this peculiar experiment—but none truly understood what being a Hollow Man or Woman would entail.

Finally, they gathered at Gibbons Creek Lake, chosen for its haunting beauty and unsettling reputation. Upon arriving, the students were met by the imposing figure of Mike Johnson once again, his seriousness amplified by the setting sun casting long shadows across the water.

Dressed in strange swimwear designed to leave the middle of their bodies exposed, the students stood awkwardly, the swimsuits feeling more like a costume than appropriate attire. Johnson handed out two peculiar objects: a flat circle about 24 inches in diameter and what appeared to be the inner section of a truck inner tube, lacking any semblance of utilization.

“Now, into the water,” Johnson instructed, his voice steady and commanding yet somehow threaded with anticipation.

Once in the water, the students felt the coolness embrace their skin, but tension bubbled beneath the surface. When they found themselves chest-deep, the strange man barked instructions on how to position the objects. Hesitantly, they complied, and the moment they did, surreal phenomena erupted. A sparkling light show danced below the water, intertwining with twisting currents that ensnared them. The world above ceased to exist as anxiety transformed into entrancing confusion.

After what felt like an eternity, everything suddenly halted. As they emerged, disoriented, and managed to conform to the shoreline, the shock of their new form settled in—where once were bellies, now existed mere openings.

“Um, what just happened?” whispered Sarah, one of the braver participants, her voice quivering with disbelief.

“I don’t think I can comprehend this,” replied Marcus, a physics major, attempting to process the impossibility of what they’d experienced. “Are we… hollow? Is this real?”

“It feels real!” protested Bob, a retired man among them, his gray hair contrasting with the youthful faces around him. “But I… I can’t see a way to explain what’s happened. How many fingers do I have? I can’t feel my stomach.”

“Stop poking at the hole!” said Lisa, a first-year student, who couldn’t help but giggle nervously. “This is so bizarre.”

“I think it’s best we contact the Professors,” suggested Tim, trying to retain some semblance of rationality. “They should know what the hell just happened.”

“Yeah, right,” Sarah scoffed, “Like they’ll be able to explain this?”

Meeting each other’s bewildered glances, the group piled onto the Aggie Transportation bus, still grappling with the reality of their alterations. With Johnson’s figure now a dim memory fading into the distance, questions surged like restless waves within each student.

“What were we even supposed to become?” asked Marcus, bemusement lingering in his voice.

“Maybe we’re supposed to embrace it? Whatever ‘it’ is,” suggested Sally, her academic curiosity piquing despite her shock.

Dr. Oppenheimer sat quietly, contemplating what he had witnessed—was this transformation merely a physical alteration or something deeper? His mind raced with hypotheses, probing thoughts, each opening a door to a multitude of possibilities.

“Do we still have to go to class?” Tim asked, a hint of humor attempting to diffuse the tension. Laughter erupted, nervous yet fateful, filling the bus with a peculiar camaraderie forged from their shared bewilderment.

“Class? I’m not sure what would happen if we walked into a lecture like this!” Bob chuckled, glancing at his now hollowed form.

As conversations sparkled with questions and laughter spiraled into the air, the bus rolled along the familiar paths back to Texas A&M University, a new layer of their identities beginning to take shape. But just like their mysterious experience at the lake, the limits of those identities remained uncured and undefined—adventures awaiting just beyond the horizon.

With the sun slipping away, casting a crimson hue across the landscape, the group prepared to face the uncertainty of their new existence. After all, what awaited them next was as unknown as the hollow cores they now embodied.

The next day, the mystery man appeared and gave the Professors a small dietary list for the Hollow Men and Hollow Women could or should eat. Meanwhile, both Professors were busy trying to figure out how these students no longer had a middle section. Where was their Spine? Their stomachs? How had this been done?

But more importantly, what was in that Lake? An Alien Spacecraft? Alien Underworld? Why Texas A&M University?