Reclamation

Chapter 1

I fall out of the slime that I was suspended in a few seconds earlier. My vision is blurry and I let out a sickening wretch that turns into coughing as I try to stand. Panic strikes because I don't know where I am. The room is dimly lit with soft lights along the trim of the room. Looking around there is a closed door and a vertical container that hangs open. Where am I and how did I get here?

As my head swims I think hard. I don't even remember where I came from. A burning sensation consumes my mind as I remember talking to someone with my hands behind my back. We were dressed in boots, a jacket, and pants tucked into the boots. He tells me to leave our area and go find someone. I leave the tent to find some people to help me find that person. The rest is blurry and I can't focus any longer past the burning in my head.

The door silently opening startles me into an aggressive stance.

I hear a calm voice " Please follow the path illuminated in green". It seems to come from nowhere and everywhere at the same time. The lights around the door slowly pulse green. Cautiously I lurch forward still slightly off balance. As I approach the green lights trail away clinging to the edges of the pathway leading me out into a hallway that seems to go on forever into the shadowy distance. The sheer mystery of the situation forces me to speak out.

" Hello? Who are you? Where am I? " a dispassionate female voice replies back "Please save all inquiries for the briefing. Follow the illuminated path" she insists as the pulsing speeds up.

Fearing what would happen if the voice got more insistent I complied. As I progress down the white-grey hallway passing some barely recognizable doors, the light steadily falls away from me. Finally, after what seemed like forever there was a door.

Stepping through it gives way to a giant domed room that gives a view of the stars. There are odd looking chairs surrounding a raised platform. Standing on the platform is a tall man in the same kind of uniform that I remember being in. He had a dark complexion with sharp cut hair and no facial hair. His angled features make him seem angry.

As I made my way toward him, I could see a few others coming out of doors around the room. After I walked a little closer to the platform the man finally spoke.

"My name is Major Robinson. You will come to the front here, pick up a uniform off the seat and put it on" he said with unwavering firmness.

"You will then sit in the seats, filling them front to rear. Do not talk. MOVE!" he barked.

We all moved faster to comply, motivated by something familiar. I got the feeling that we were moving too slow as I got done donning my uniform. It felt right as I sat down. As soon as the last person sat down Major Robinson looked around him appraisingly. If I had to guess there are over a hundred of us. After looking around at us for a few minutes he finally spoke again.

"You all are here because you have failed to finish your contractual agreement. You signed up to fight in the Army, Marines, Navy, or Air force and died in that service in one way or another" as he said this I tried to remember, and my mind burned again worse than it did before.

"Do not try to remember your death. That will lead to dissociation and your insanity." He said plainly. As I was able to clear my mind and look around. I saw most others were wincing or had a look of relief on their faces. He waited a beat for people to recover and continued " In the next few minutes there will be a team lead by Staff Sergeant Moran coming to collect you by name. These names are now on your uniforms" as he said this we all reflexively looked down at our uniforms. Mine read 'REIGNS' and the other side showed 'US ARMY'.