Chapter 4: a begging, of sorts
WARNING, WARNING. CRITICAL SYSTEMS ACTIVATION, RELEASING ENVIRONMENTAL ADAPTATION LOCKS... ALL LOCKS DISSOLVED...
Vaughn awoke to a much nicer room, and no bonds. The walls were drab, dull gray, and it was still badly lit, but not as much so as the first room. He rolled to his side and sat up on the slightly more comfortable cot. He felt quite light-headed closed his eyes to try to stop the room from spinning. He opened them again and surveyed the new room. It had a high ceiling, with two big mirrored windows near the top, like an interrogation room. There was no medical equipment here, just the cot and three large, metal cylinders on the floor. He stood up and raised his finger to the mirrored window. He stopped though, when he noticed the taste in the air for the first time. An almost metallic, fume like thing. The air felt heavier too, like he was in some sort of strange pressure system. It didn't at all seem right to him, but at the same time it wasn't bothering at all. A static voice clicked on and the synthetic man followed it to a small speaker in on of the corners of the ceiling. "Ooman, you have passed your first test, I am very pleased. And some what surprised." Vaughn directed his talk to the windows. "What the hell is going on? What is this? And what do you mean I passed a test? I got rid of your damn chip!" The booming voice came on again. "Yes ooman, you have passed the first test. We do not wish weakness to be a part of any warrior, and submitting to another is weakness." "So you wanted me to take out the chip?" "Of course, if you had left it in, it would have killed you within the day. Ridding yourself of weakness is the first test ooman, both mental, and physical."
Vaughn sat back down on the cot. "So you rat bastards played me like a fool, a damn fool..." he spoke softly to himself. "Enough ooman, it is time for your second test, you should be proud, most die from the first test, even if they pass it, but you have healed quickly. So you shall begin the real testing immediately." Vaughn stood from the cot and screamed at the windows. "God dammit! What the hell are you talking about!? What am I being tested for?" The voice came back, not as patient as before. "You will be tested ooman, whether you want to be or not. If you fail or refuse, you die." The synthetic grew silent. He saw no way out of this situation; the best idea would be to play this little game until an opportunity arose. "Fine, tell me what to do..." the voice came back over the intercom a little more pleased that before.
"Good good, beside you ooman are storage containers, open them." Vaughn walked over to the metal cylinders and pressed the small button on the rim of one of them. He stood back and the top of the container-spun open like the iris of a camera. " Take the equipment out of the container ooman." Vaughn cautiously reached into the open container and pulled out a deep blue sleeveless tunic, faded and tore, seemingly quite old. He pulled out a belt made of leather and pants that looked much like the tunic. "What do you want me to do with these? Wear them?" "Of course ooman, those will be your new cloths, open the others." Vaughn did so, and pulled out two metal bracers and a pair of odd sandals out of the second. He started to take out a strange gas mask like item but the predator voice told him to put it back. "You are quite the specimen ooman, you have no need of this item, and you seem to be able to breathe our air just fine." Vaughn disregarded it and moved to the third container. He opens it and the predator spoke again. "That is your armaments ooman, take only one, and leave the others." He took all of them out and laid them out on the cot. A shaft about the size of a forearm with tiny buttons on it, a small-serrated sickle, and a pair of large bronze colored knives. "The one to your left ooman, is a spear, press the buttons on it and it will extend and retract. The one in the middle is a weapon used mostly by those who hunt dishonorably, but it is still suitable for an ooman. The knives are a pair, they don't have much range ooman, but in the hands of a skilled warrior, they could stand up to any longer blade." Vaughn grabbed the knives. "You are ready ooman, change, and you shall begin."
"Geez, give a guy a little privacy man... I mean, unless you guys are that way... in that case I think I might have to reconsider going along with this..." the predator voice comes back over the intercom in a confused manor. "I... am not sure what you mean by this ooman, but I assure you that you have your privacy." Vaughn reluctantly disrobed from his blood stained clothing, although he was happy to be out of them, he was quite dirty, and this brought forth-another opportunity to be grateful for his lack of smell. He put on the battered old clothing; at least it was clean. He snapped on the bracers and put on the sandals, and then he put on the leather belt and slid the knives in it. "Very well ooman, this is the second test, survive and you pass, go." "Wait you..." Vaughn stopped when the doors slid open.