My body felt like it was scorching. I could feel the steam and smoke cooling off my body against the cold, hard ground. I got the sense of concrete or stone beneath my skin. Every inch of my skin stung intensely from the contrast of the temperature. My body spasmed and convoluted at the same time. I threw up everything in my stomach in a violent gagging reflex. Then, all I could do was curl up into a fetal position. Screams of others in distress and agony fill my ears. I couldn't see anything as my sight was white-washed still. Black patches in my eyes came and went, but mostly I saw blinding stars.
An authoritative voice raises over the cries and noisy chatter. I couldn't understand the words, but the deep voice repeated the phrase. My mind struggled to understand the terms, but I heard enough speeches to know this was a series of orders. Telling those in my condition what to expect. The problem was that the deep and stern voice wasn't kind. I knew enough to know this was a terrible situation. The sound of a whip came from somewhere around me. A man yelped in pain. Speaking yet another language that I didn't understand. At that moment, I realized that every sound of speech was different in some way from the others.
No one was speaking the same tongue. Some voices were men, others were women, yet more was that of children. All were very emotional and in a state of disarray. The oppressive voice becomes more stern and aggressive. Clashes of whips striking flesh erupted suddenly. The cacophony of weeping voices dies down abruptly. Even in my blinded state, I knew what that meant. So did the countless others in the same condition as me. In our instinctual human nature, we humans recognize power, authority, and, most importantly, fear due to millions of years of evolution.
Once again, the deep yet stern voice began the speech he attempted to convey to the captive masses surrounding me. Regardless of who this man was, he held considerable power over us. As my vision recovers from whatever that blinding light was, I listen intensely to the voice. White and black blotches turn to blurry and hazy images. The voice continues to repeat the same series of words. Over and over again, as if he was trying to drill them into everyone's head, so they would never forget them. Our drill instructors did this during training, just as many officers in the military did. I learned so many mottos and mantras during my time in the military. Finally, someone aggressively yanks me from the freezing floor to my feet.
My body groans in agony, still reeling from the ordeal I recently experienced. The rough hands around my arms bit into my still recovering forearms. It was only then I realized I was naked. In the midst of being dragged across the floor by my feet, I was powerless to do anything to stop myself. My knees and shins slam into solid blocks as I'm dragged up what feels like steps. The man's voice is much closer in front of me now. But all I could see was a distorted image of a bulky man. This wasn't the smiling being I talked to just minutes before. This was a human or a human-like being. I took as many notes as I could, remembering what I could do from his appearance and the words he was saying. I could tell he was bulky and burly. This man was either a hunter or a soldier, perhaps both. He seemed to look at me as he made his repetitive speech. Something sturdy hit my calves, stomach, arms, and back. The pain was significant, but I didn't flinch from the assault.
The man in charge waved his hand, and I was once again dragged away. Heading to the right, to somewhere unknown. My sight clears a bit, revealing dark and damp stone walls. Torches lined the wall every so often. I glanced at the two figures dragging me down the dimly lit corridor. They were towering brutes in every description, like barbarians from the movies I'd watched as a young boy. They wore iron armor of some kind that was reminiscent of medieval chainmail. The heavy clanging of their iron boots only now registered in my head. My senses were becoming more acute. The smell alone nearly triggered another bout of gagging. This seemed to be some dungeon or something. A prison, maybe, which only made me wonder even more. 'Where was I, and how did I get here? What did that smiling entity do to me? Was the figure even responsible for my current predicament?' Soon, my captures brought me to a cell, unlike a prison cell in any penitentiary. The two brutes tossed me in with little regard as I tumbled over the floor.
It wasn't long before the cell door opened again, and they threw a heavy bag inside the room before the door shut behind them. The brute I now knew was a guard then spoke the same language as the man in charge. I got the impression that I needed to comply. Then, a moment later, I was alone. I shifted through the bag and found primitive leather armor. Inside the bag were a chest piece, knee-high leather boots, gauntlets, and black leather pants. All are made from animal skins similar to reptiles. It didn't look like I had a choice on whether to wear this. I was completely nude, as it was.
Nevertheless, these garments were better than nothing. Any kind of protection was preferable to nothing at all. So I put the leather wears on individually, and they fit well enough.
As an elite shock trooper for the Coalition for most of my life, decades of rigorous training left me with an athletically gifted, lean, and muscular body. My height has also given me an advantage over most of my fellow soldiers at over six and a half feet. Shock troopers were required to be at least six feet tall for fear and intimidation. My rapid ascent through the ranks was made possible by decades of indoctrination, physical training, mental endurance tests, and, finally, thorough grooming, all of which helped me to quickly surpass my predecessors. The training beginning in early childhood was brutal and mind-numbing.
Having dressed myself, I did what any captured soldier would do if he were on his own. I examined my cell space for any weaknesses I could exploit to escape. The why and how I came here could wait until I had freedom. I know so far that people here speak a language I need to familiarize myself with. Many of the other captives spoke languages I had yet to hear of. I wasn't a linguistic expert, but I've listened to most languages spoken aloud during the many campaigns I served on. My capturers did not make escaping easy, as the cell walls that confine me are hard granite stone blocks and the ceiling. Aside from the heavy iron door and small barred window, there was little in the way of escaping. A simple cot is the only piece of furniture in the cell. Suddenly, the door swings open again, revealing four very imposing warriors. Their weapons included swords, maces, and large war hammers, and they wore armor. One of them beckoned me to leave the cell. I nod at them as I don't see a reason at the present time to resist them. Two of them stayed in front of me while the others positioned themselves behind me.
The warriors lead me through the stone wall corridor. I witnessed dozens of other cells identical to mine lining the wall, all filled with people. The chances of surviving this place were going down by the moment. This was, without a doubt, a dungeon in some nightmares land. I'd seen these people wearing garments of the medieval era or an equivalent. Finally, a pair of warriors wielding nasty-looking halberds pushed open a heavy door, war, letting in the scorching heat of the outside world. A loud roar of a crowd cheering came from beyond the door's threshold. I quickly glance over my shoulder before an overly aggressive push from behind forces me into the bright light, nearly blinding me as my eyes adjust to the bright light in a matter of seconds. A massive arena and colosseum greeted me, packed full of thousands of people, all cheering at the spectacle at the center of the great stadium. The architecture rivaled that of the Greeks and Romans. White marble, gold, and silver décor adorned every surface.
My eyes met the unreal truth in the sky. Not one, but three suns lit the sky. A triple star system, not unlike Alpha Centauri, that I read about as a teenager. A far different time for me, a more innocent time before the corporate wars. I haven't seen such clear and pristine skies in so long. 'Had I really ever seen a clear sky before, to be honest with myself?' My mind went back to the first day I met my first wife, not unlike how I met my second wife. The two days were similar in more ways than one. Both occurred under crystal clear skies. I can't remember their faces, nor the one of my third wife. It has been so long. Then, a violent push to my back got me moving again. I noticed more men being escorted to the center of the field from different entrances all over the arena.
Many of them were nothing but skinny men. Some were fitter than others. Only a handful would pose any remote threat to me. Unless they're augmented like I was, they stood no chance. It is fair to say that I am a product of the war machine of the Corporate Coalition. A genetically and cybernetically enhanced human being, built not just as a weapon of war but a weapon of terror. My employers gave me life, bred me through advanced scientific technology, and cultivated me into being the perfect brutal… Unrelenting… Killing machine, I am today. Programmed to do one thing… Kill the enemy.