Redemption Arena
Rex picked up a rock and hurled it at a graffiti covered wall with a feral like growl. If this year had been an English paper there would have been a big fat red 'F' stamped on it. Things were just not going his way… He had just been fired from his fifth job in the past five months, and this time it was not even his fault… mostly. So he spaced out for a little bit on the assembly line and caused a backup and five of the engines to fall off and broke. It wasn't like General Motors couldn't afford it. It was 2027, people were supposed to be more accepting and understanding of the ways non-neurotypicals, or non-normals as Rex liked to call them, operated, but guess not.
Stomping along the back alleys of Detroit, Rex was almost hoping that one or more of the local punks would try starting something with him today. A fight was always a good form of stress relief for him. He did not have to worry about spacing out during a fight. His instincts always seemed to guide him. He was twenty and two since coming here. Sadly none of the punks seemed to be around, so he decided to make a beeline for his apartment. If anything could cheer him up it would be his four-legged best friend, Gus. The one constant he had in his life now a days. He never had to worry about Gus backstabbing or judging him. The mutt just loved him for who he was.
When he got to his rundown apartment building he noticed that there where new holes in the wall. Rex just brushed it off; his apartment was home to many of Detroit's resident loons and felons after all, and so a few new holes wasn't anything to raise alarm about. However, from the bottom of the stairs he could see that the door to his apartment was wide open. Again, this wasn't really anything new. He would just throw who was ever in there out. He did not have any valuables in there. But then he heard a whimper that made his blood run cold.
Gus.
A second later Rex was in his apartment staring down a large bald man he had never seen before. In the man's hand was a butcher's knife, and at his feet was Gus… in a puddle of his own blood. Tears instantly came to Rex's eyes and he then…
Rex was awake but his eyes were still closed…
Where the hell am I, and where is Gus? he wondered. He was feeling disoriented and restrained, however, his fighting instincts told him to remain calm, so he kept his eyes closed and stayed still on whatever cushiony surface he seemed to be currently propped on and began to analyze the situation a little bit at a time using his other senses.
The first thing he noticed was that his 'boys' where hanging just a little bit too freely… Then that he couldn't move or feel either of his hands. He couldn't make two fists– how was he supposed to properly defend himself? Something leather was strapped against his legs, abdomen and both arms.
Rex then realized that there was nothing more that he could deduce about his current predicament without opening his eyes. Slowly, he opened them, one at time. His eyes quickly adjusted to the dim light of the room. The discombobulation had dispersed and Rex's analytical brain quickly took in his surroundings. The boring cream and gray colored walls, the big metal door. The partially opened blinds over the windows. Yup, he was in a hospital again. He also realized that he was currently on a bare hospital bed, and that he only had on his birthday suit under the one size to small hospital gown. There was a hulking black cast on his right arm, running from the tips of his fingers all the way up to his elbows. Next to his right elbow, an almost cartoonish looking red button sat that said in big bold letters: "PRESS FOR ASSISTANCE" so of course, using his elbow, that's what Rex did. He had to figure out what the hell was going on. Besides, who could resist pressing a big red button?
Rex stared at the big metal door, waiting. Then he realized that the big metal door seemed kind of out of place for a hospital, but he was soon distracted by who soon opened the door. In walked a red headed, glasses wearing, seeming perfectly proportioned woman, let alone nurse, that Rex had ever seen. He quickly tried to bring his knees together in order to hide his man hood, but the restraints prevented him. His face soon reddened and his palms grew sweaty. Talking to woman never was his strong suit…hell… he sucked at talking to people in general. To make matters worse, this was the first time in his twenty-three years that he's ever been partially naked in front of a woman, for Christ sake! Her named tag said: "Rebecca Wolf".
There's no way that is her real name, thought Rex.
"It most certainly is my real name, Mr. Rexxington Cunningham," said Rebecca.
"I said that instead of thinking it, didn't I?"
"Yup."
"Shit."
"Language, Please."
"Oh fuck, my bad," Rex said with a grin. He was not in the mood to be told what to do by some bimbo in a seemingly painted on nurse's outfit. His eyebrow raised when he saw Rebecca seemingly brush off his brash remark with a simple role of her eyes. "Where the hell am I? Actually first, where is Gus?!" he barked.
Rebecca ignored his question and said: "You have been passed out for two whole days Mr. Cunningham."
"That explains why I am so damn hungry…but can you please tell me what happened to my dog?" Rex pleaded. He was beginning to become impatient… this was evident by the sweat beginning to appear on his face.
"You also managed to somehow shatter your own knuckles, and fracture a carpal bone as well as your radius and ulna bones… on each of your arms."
"Ok, that explains why I got these blasted cast on both of my arms, but you once again failed to answer my question." Rex growled. "Maybe you didn't hear me, so I will say it louder this time: WHERE THE HELL IS MY DOG?" he yelled as spit flew from his mouth. The leather straps began grinding against his skin as he struggled to break free, but the straps showed no signs of breaking. The whole bed began to wiggle and grown from his effort.
There then was a loud crash. His thrashing about had caused the hospital bed to flip on to its side. Rex's full weight came down on his left arm causing him to moan in anguish yet he did not stop struggling. It was not his nature to give up anymore. Luckily the casts he had on where not just some ordinary cast, and were able to prevent any further damage to his wrists.
Rebecca's face soon softened at the sight of Rex's pain, but her words showed no signs of sympathy. "Tisk, tisk, Mr. Cunningham look at what you've done" she patronized. "Now I will have to go and get the guards to come flip you over".
"WHAT HAPPENED TO MY DOG?" said Rex yelled, but the nurse had already left.
Rex then wasted little time in going back to figuring out where on God's green earth he was. From his viewpoint on the floor, he deduced that the room he was in was actually pretty barren. He seemed too pay little attention the extreme discomfort he was in.
Rex began to piece together all the information he had out loud to himself. "Big ominous metal door, check. Pesky attractive nurse who won't answer my damn questions, check. Strapped down with no room to move, check. Practically empty ten by fifteen room, check. Are those bars on the window? Yup, well that ain't that just flipping lovely. What one earth kind of frecky-decky hospital is this," he moaned to himself. After wriggling against his binds once more, Rex realized that his struggle was futile, and it was better for him just to conserve energy for when those guards came in.
Two hours had passed before the before the big mental door more a creaking noise singling someone was entering. By this time, Rex's cheek had the marking of the cold tile floor imprinted against it from laying in that position for so long. Two tall muscular security guards walked into the room and grabbed on to either side of the bed Rex was strapped to and started to turn it over.
"Damn Titus, this psycho is a lot heavier than I thought" the first guard panted.
"Who you calling psycho? Also you, are the last person to be calling someone heavy there, Mr. Fatso. Now could one of you please tell me where my dog is?" Rex berated.
"You would think we would be used to dealing with these monstrosities by now. We have been working here eight years after all," said Titus.
After tipping the bed back over, Frank removed a syringe labeled knockout drug from the case in his back pocket. The moment Rex noticed the needle his eyes bulged and he once again began the struggle against his binds.
"If you think I am going to let you stick me with that thing, you are very sorely mistaken," However, there was little Rex could do with his limbs strapped in place. To prevent Rex from struggling, Titus held his neck in place while Frank injected him. It did not take too long for the drug to take effect. Rex's consciousness slowly began to fade, and his eyelids soon became too heavy to keep open.
When Rex awoke this time his back was against the wall. He was still in the one size to small hospital gown. His nose then picked up on something; across the room was some short of shake with a straw in it. It was not the best smelling concoction, but to Rex's famished stomach it looked as appetizing a gourmet meal. Standing up on wobbly legs, he moved across the room, to appease his growling stomach but when he was about four and a half feet from the food he felt, a yank on his ankle. Looking down he saw that attached to his leg was a chain of some kind. Grasping it firmly he noticed that it was only about three inches think and six feet long. It was welded into the wall, so there was no way he be able to pull it loose. He was not a bull. The chain was hooked to leg by some strange, thick lock that he would not be able to break unless he was some kind of super human. With a frustrated sigh, he sat down and began to think about what the guards had written on their uniforms.
"It started with an R and was two words. Ah Ha! Redemption Arena, that's what it was!" he exclaimed.
"I see you are talking to yourself. No wonder the guards were calling you a psycho, Mr. Cunningham," Rebecca said as she entered through the metal door. Picking up the shake, she walked towards him, stopping just outside the chains range. She held out the shake, and Rex quickly snatched it between his one good arm. "You must eat if you want the chance to fully heal before you enter the Arena," she said.
"And just where and what, pray tell, is Redemption Arena, and why the hell am I here and where is my dog?"
"Redemption Area is an arena for redemption…"
"NO SHIT SHERLOCK!" Rex interrupted.
"If you would let me finish Mr. Cunningham, I would explain. Redemption Arena is a place where trouble makers, convicts, and wannabe tough guys have an opportunity to find a purpose in life while offering entertainment" Rebecca stated.
Once again Rex interrupted: "And just how on earth do they do that?"
"You do this by competing in a no holds barred fighting tournament, and winning the entire thing. The winner receives a handsome reward, along with their records being wiped clean. A chance to start over in life."
"That sounds all well and good, but I could not help but notice that 'you' said you instead of 'they'. Are you trying to say that I need a chance for redemption? As far as I can remember, I am not a convict" Rex replied.
"I guess it is true about what they say about those with Autism: 'When a person with Autism has a blackout, they often times forget about the events that caused the blackout, especially if that event was of a very traumatic nature to the individual … This I why you seemed to be so oblivious this whole time, poor Mr. Cunningham… he has no idea what has happened" the last part Rebecca made sure that Rex could not hear.
"Are you saying that my anger got the best of me? That has not happened since I was sixteen years old... There is no way I could have blacked out. Nope. No way sister. You got the wrong guy," Rex blurted out.
"Is that so? Then can you explain to me why you don't have any recollection about what happened to your arms or how you got here?'
"I remember walking through town after a long day at work, and then I remember looking up. For some reason I cannot remember past that point. Uh, that must have been when you drugged me! Yah, that's it. You drugged me in order to make sure I did not remember," Rex stammered not believing the own words he said.
"You are not wrong" said Rebecca.
"See I knew it! I …" he replied.
"You did not let me finish again. You are not wrong when you said that we drugged you, but not because we wanted you to forget what happened, but rather in order to prevent you from waking up mid-surgery. I can show you the footage from that day at your apartment, but it may be traumatic for you to witness again. There may very well be a reason your brain is not letting you remember."
"I need to know now Rebecca. Where is my dog!" Rex sobbed.
"Very well" she sighed. Soon a video appeared on the screen.
Rex charged straight at Gus's assailant. The man tried to stab him, but Rex just knocked it aside, he speared the man out of the apartment window, the attackers' back smacking the concrete. But Rex was done yet, not by a long shot. Using one hand to hold him down by the throat, Rex used his other fist to batter the guys face. He never let up, refusing to adhere to the screams of agony coming for the man. The man's nose was demolished, but Rex still wasn't done yet. Standing up, he brought his boot up and crushed the man's skull. Rex then turned to run upstairs and checkup on Gus, but as he did, a tranquilizer hit him in the shoulder, rendering him unconscious. Then he was hit over the head by a policeman's flashlight, knocking him out cold.
"…" Rex's face was stone.
"Mr. Cunningham…?" Rebecca stuttered.
"Where is Gus…"
"He is no longer with us."
Rex crumpled toward the ground, passed out.
Rex was once again awake with his eyes closed. This time he was trying to figure out was smooth and cushiony thing his head was propped up on. He then heard a humming noise… it sounded feminine. Rex's eyes quickly burst open to see Rebecca staring down at him, his head on her lap. Like lighting Rex was on his feet again, the movement causing Rebecca to shriek.
"Would you people quit drugging me!" Rex roared.
"Rex… you passed out due to shock… it is completely understandable response to hearing the news of a loved one's death," Rebecca said calmly.
Like a tsunami, the recollection of his best friend's death smashed into Rex's mind. Falling onto his butt, he pulled knees to his chest and began to rock back and forth.
When Rebecca reached out to console him, he quickly snapped at her:
"Don't You Fucking Touch Me" he growled, an emptiness present in his eyes. He then stood up. "So let me get this straight: I kill the man who murder— no—destroys the one source of hope I have in this dark and cursed world, and I get thrown into this prison arena… okay." Rebecca stayed silent. "Screw it. I got nothing left to live for anymore, put me in your damn tournament. Fighting always been the only thing I have been good at anyways. Who knows… maybe I will be able to take out some more sadistic bastards on my way to meet up with Gus at the Rainbow Bridge," Rex growled.