*coup*
*coup*
*coup*
Several sounds similar to knocks resonate in my ear
*coup*
*coup*
*coup*
Voice 1: "Spill it all! The piece you were negotiating, who did you give it to?"
Voice 2: "If I'd known, I would have given it to her on... *cough*... a silver platter, but... *thump*"
Voice 1: "I think you didn't quite understand the subject matter, and I won't stop to explain it again. Tell me, the client."
Voice 2: "First I die... *gunshot*"
Voice 3: "Okay, okay, wake up Sleeping Beauty!"
After the last voice gave the order, I felt myself being lifted up by two people, and when I opened my eyes, there was nothing.
'I must have some kind of bag because...' - Immediately afterward, everything lit up again. After the last shot, I felt a shock through my body and I automatically fell asleep. I heard a third shot in addition to the two that were shooting at me, and then the lights went out completely.
Voice 3: "Welcome to the world of the living! I'm sorry to hear about my friends," he said, pointing to the trio in the background, dressed just as I remember them. Well, although I couldn't see them in detail like I can now. One case had a single red circle on the right side, the clothing was torn, and metal parts were scattered everywhere, decorating certain areas. There were even parts that looked like bullet holes where something must have passed through at some point... but it didn't seem serious since they were lying right in front of me.
There were other people in the room too: a big guy with bloody knuckles, a couple behind me, and another couple carrying a body towards the exit. I don't know if it's alive, but the last sound before I woke up was like a loud bang.
Voice 3: "As I was saying... my friends brought you here, but it seems one of the larger pyramids of the forgetful ones reacted to you, which is rare in itself, and brought us here," he said, taking out the weapon I grabbed from the many that were on the table at that moment when the pyramid's mechanical voice gave me the opportunity to defend myself. "Such an artifact, unfortunately, I don't think we can use it, but perhaps it will be of help to an awakened one of your," he said, pointing at me all over. "Characteristics, to say the least."
Figure 2: "We're giving what we promised, stop beating around the bush, we left like this with you"
Figure 1: "Sure, sure, it's not like we have that many..." - he was interrupted by the figure who I assume was the one who shot me; I no longer recognize their voice.
Figure 3: "As we said, you'd better pay a good price for this awakened being, unless you also want to recruit him."
Voice 3: "Thanks, Jeeze, I was just getting to that. Well, as my male partner just said, I require knowing everything you have about the moments leading up to your... awakening, as we call it."
"Why should I do that?"
Voice 3: "Oh, oh, what a fighter I have, well, that's to be expected from the first generation of invaders"
"Invaders?"
Voice 3: "So curious? Why should I do that?"
I win
"Well... I don't remember much of what happened, only that one moment everything was bright and the next it was depressing."
Voice 3: "It happens to the best of us"
Jeeze: "Shall I bring you a drink so you can get to know my side better?"
Voice 3: "Sure, sure, Magnum, please"
Then one of the big guys near the door approached a safe I hadn't noticed before, looking at all of us to get us to turn around, although of course, it wasn't like anyone was paying attention. He entered the correct combination and pulled out some bags of...locks? I mean, they're practical, they don't burn or get easily destroyed, and they last longer than money, but locks?
Magnum: Don't waste it all in an instant, it's not like those things grow on trees.
Voice 3: Please don't pay any attention to my friend, there's much more to it than that. I always pay my best employees' debts.
The group sighed, looked around the room one last time, grabbed the bags with the tags, and left automatically without a word. The men who had taken the body also entered and took a couple more. Now it was just Magnum, a burly man with keen eyesight who had spent a lot of time training and had years of experience, judging by the many scars on his body. Perhaps it wasn't the first time he'd paid such a sum.
Voice 3: "Very well, then, let's get down to business. I understand that the awakened remember some of their memories once they are animated, then"—he said, pointing to the weapon on the other table—"just try it and it'll be on the floor before you know it. That said, tell us everything you remember."
"Uhh... huh, I don't really remember... my memory is failing me, sometimes I see flashes of the past and..."
*click*
Voice 3: "Well, I suppose you're no use to me. Then, gentlemen, we have nothing more to say. Take him to the copper mines. At least he'll serve as a good addition; those scales don't make themselves."
Then the men who were around me approached and Magnum was the first to grab me by the shoulders, then the others held my arms and legs, lifting me into the air, making any means of successful struggle impossible.
I try to manipulate my tail, but it just hangs below me, barely strong enough to hit those holding my legs, but nothing they can't dodge or that would even make a difference
"WAIT A MINUTE, WAIT A MINUTE"
'Think of a quick lie... think, Jimmy, think...'
Then I feel my brain start working, layer upon layer of complex systems working together for the perfect lie, something even the leader could believe, something that… then the ideas connect and an explosion occurs inside my brain
"The pyramid circle is a transporter!" I managed to shout, already passing through the doorway, looking down the black and red corridor, windowless, with only several uniformed men in helmets whose expressions were hidden. "Wait a minute!" said the man who had been speaking earlier.
Then the men holding me up stop, lower me slowly, allowing my tail to touch the ground; it's cold.
They turn around again, waiting for orders. "Bring him here," that's how this group brought me back to the chair in front of the elegant man who is undoubtedly the boss of the place.
Boss: "Very well, you have my attention, last chance." - He takes the gun from the other table, it lights up. - "He starts talking."
"Of course... of course... my memory is terrible..."
'I'm screwed'
"Well... the pyramids are part of... uh... a transportation circuit, yes... to another world... yes?"
The boss didn't seem happy at all, but something in his eyes seemed to sparkle for a moment. He remained silent for a while, not a muscle moving, until he came to his senses, but his eyes no longer sparkled.
Boss: "What's your role in all this?"
'I'd better think carefully about what's next, my life is at risk of being extinguished!'
"I... hahaha... what a question, how could I forget... I'm... uh..."
Magnum: "Please don't believe a word this liar says." He grabs the back of my neck, and I slowly learn as his words radiate more and more hatred. "It's not like one less makes a difference."
Chief: "continue"
Magnum let go of my neck, moving away to his previous position with a noticeably displeased expression.
"Of course, of course, I'm a... first-generation soldier! Yes, how could I forget my time as a human, but the Circle needed me, and who was I to refuse the call of duty, of course, before..."
'MENTAL BLOCK, I HAVE NOTHING, I'm fried, I'll die here'
Then the boss's face suddenly changed, from being about to give an order that would end someone's life as if it were a matter of sunbathing or staying inside... although I don't remember how it felt; to a heart like family, as if we were lifelong friends
Boss: "Oh oh oh, hahahaha"
He suddenly started laughing frantically, as if he hadn't just held my life in his hands.
Along with him, the others also laughed without much to think about, except for Magnum, of course he didn't laugh at all, even I felt like it, but don't they really see that a moment ago the guy was about to literally kill me and now it turns out they're having the time of their lives laughing in my face.
Boss: "Okay, okay, let's drop the formalities. Allow me to make this a little more private. I need you to tell me a little more."
He makes a signal, and another Magnum approaches the safe and pulls out another bag of bottle caps, only these were in smaller quantities compared to what he had given to the trio who originally brought me.
After them, everyone except the boss left the room; it was then that the man's face suddenly changed from absolute seriousness to that of almost a child.
Chief: "So." - His expression didn't change; he was still dangerous. - "Which battalion were you in? Tell me, can you use your tail at will, or does it control itself?" This madman lunged at me as if he hadn't almost killed me five minutes ago.
"Uh... I guess I can move it at will...?"
I wiggle my tail a little like before when I was tied up, the "boss" jumps on it and starts looking at it, touching it, he even tries to remove one of my scales
Boss: "Okay, well, I think dismembering you would be going too far *laughs*. How many surgeries did they put you through? What kind of serum did they use on you? Was it type A or B?"
And I continued asking more and more questions; some I managed to answer, but others left me completely baffled and even made me doubt something I had taken for granted.
Boss: "Are you male or female? How do you go to the bathroom? Do you go to the bathroom?"
'Well... it has a point there' I look at my body again... scales... I feel like I'm a man... whatever
"I think we're going a little too fast...don't you think...?"
He stops mid-turn, inspecting my body for the fourteenth time since he started asking those questions about 30 minutes ago.
Boss: "Of course, I'm Jeffrey. Don't let my appearance fool you. I'm a maintenance engineer at the Alphine pyramid. I think you saw its remains in the control head..." - He moves his hand and a series of images appear out of nowhere, showing what happened after I was knocked out and before entering that... "control head."
Jeffrey: "Since you turned on the panel, the Andean pyramid's control head miraculously started working again, so I think we have a long friendship in progress here, of course, whenever you want."
"Well... it's a bit hasty, don't you think?"
Jeffrey: "Don't be so sure, my friend. We've been here a long time. Even though I'm a pyramid engineer, there are things that belong to us, don't you remember?"
'what?'
Jeffrey: "Oh, right, memory. Relax, it's not a problem, I can fix it. Don't worry, it's just a minor setback for the grand plan!"
"If I may ask... what is 'the grand plan'?"
Jeffrey: "I'm glad you asked, well..." - he gets up from his chair and goes to a nearby window - "Come on, I'll show you something that might blow your mind."
Then I get up too, I go to the window again, and again, that lost look with bright eyes that he had moments ago, but it doesn't last long because this time he comes to his senses much faster, only the screens that showed the video of what happened in the control head now disappear as quickly as they appeared, out of nowhere
Jeffrey: "Very well, look at them *opens the window revealing a mine where several figures are working* they are like ants, we are destined for more, to recover what was rightfully taken from us"
A silence fills the room once more
'What does he want to do? He seems easy to manipulate... maybe if I'
"HAHAHA, of course, these insects don't know what they're up against, we're superior in every way."
Then Jefrey turns around, somewhat confused by my explanation. He looks me up and down, scanning me, thinking about something, as if I were worth trusting. Now that I look at him, I'm taller than him. He has a slender figure and isn't as strong as he makes himself out to be. I think a couple of punches would be enough to knock him unconscious if that were the case. He wears large clothes, which, despite the ambient temperature, don't seem to bother him much. It's almost a full-body suit designed like impenetrable armor.
Jeffrey: "I knew you had something going on when we met. Oh, that reminds me. I'm sorry about earlier." He starts pacing around the table, gesturing. "You know, a person of my status has to be like this." *The window closes.* "Something strong, a bit of a bad person to make others work, one hint of weakness and they'll automatically put a knife to your back..."
Once again her eyes begin to shine and she comes to her senses
Jeffrey: "Correct..."
"But what about Magnum? He doesn't seem like the kind of person who would betray someone."
Jeffrey: "Anyway, there are cases like that."
Then he invites me to sit down, which I do, and goes back to the reverse side of the desk, taking something that protrudes from it, placing a tablet in front of me and some kind of letter in front of me
Jeffrey: "Well, let's get down to business. I'd like to continue investigating you. First-generation individuals usually commit suicide or become lost upon waking, according to reports. So you're special, or you don't remember what you did."
'what?'
Then the eyes shine once more...
'Fuck it, I'll ask'
"Why are your eyes shining?"
Jeffrey: "Oh, it's a system. When I woke up, it was there with me. I don't remember having it before, but it's helped me more than you can imagine. It's really useful. Anyway, let's get down to business." *He separates the bag of bottle caps and the items he previously took out.* "You are a first-generation soldier, assigned to protect the pyramids. You were given a mission of utmost importance, but before you could carry out your duty, what the locals call 'the half-sleep' occurred. It was a moment when the entire empire fell into a sleep that froze the world, so that the passage of time would end up destroying our legacy and these..."
I point to the now closed window
Jeffrey: "They'll take our place, you useless lot, so I'm giving you two options. You can leave and not know what happened to you. I have information, a lot of it, in fact, and I can make an exception and give it to you, of course, as long as you do a couple of jobs for me. Or... you can take the badges and deal with it on your own outside my protection and territory. Choose carefully; this might be the last time you have that choice."
information about me or see whatever the "half-sleep" did...
'What the hell is he asking me for!?'
Then I take the objects on the right; he shows a smile as soon as I take them, throwing the bag of bottle caps to one side and dropping it on the ground.
Jefrey: "Very well, they're waiting for you outside. Welcome to the family. Inside the tablet you have your information; it's connected to my system. Every job done will update it with information about the pyramids, you, and other things that might help clarify your past. The other thing is an identification card I just made. It gives you rights and voting rights within my territory, and of course, a little protection outside of it. Don't show it to everyone, though; some group might want you dead for one. Have a good trip."
Then the door opens again, the same group from before enters, but this time without Magnum. They all return to their previous positions, and one of them takes the bag with the badges and leaves with it. Then Jeffrey signals me to leave the room.
On the right you can see the man with the sack of corrugated iron sheets, on the right, more uniformed men, the same ones I saw a while ago when they were taking me out through the door frame towards who knows where
Soldier: "Please follow me! Your escort is waiting outside. The lord made it clear that we must protect you as best as possible while you are on the premises. You will be guided to your residence. Wait for further instructions after that. Understood?"
One of the soldiers approached me and said something like that, then went to the end of the corridor where a metal door was waiting for me. Of course, I wasn't going to wait around for him to yell at me, so I went towards it. We were both now inside the door. The small square reminds me of that elevator in the pyramid...
'Am I inside one?'
Although unlike the first one I mounted, this one was much smaller, just enough for the guard to be comfortable, but my horns touch the ceiling and I have to hunch over and hide my tails for him to be "comfortable," but I don't have much of a choice, it's all cramped
He spends some time descending in the elevator.
"So... where are we...?"
Soldier: "I'm restricted by the system from speaking," he said firmly. It hurt because he was shouting, and my ear was practically in his mouth at that point.
*believe*
The signal that we've arrived at a place sounds, and when the door opens, a new reddish environment is revealed before us. Several figures inside the structure move in all directions, some displaying different characteristics: some resembling birds, others wolves, others similar to me but with many more additions, such as wings, feathers, or all of the above, tails, some tall, some small—too much variety.
The soldier starts walking into the crowd, of course, with me by his side following him at all times, but something I can't help but notice is that I'm the tallest there and the one whose body makes the most sense; the others are a combination of everything...
"Was that a combination of a horse and a bird?"
Soldier: "Yes, we know them as 'centaurs,' or 'tauri' for short. They're more common than you think."
Then the entity stops and turns to look at me; it's tall enough to see my face, but not tall enough to be at eye level. Then it continues walking, only faster than before... was that a blush?
And there he is, Magnum, outside the building that looks incredibly gigantic
Magnum: "Please, the boss instructed us to take you to your place to rest," he said in a completely different tone; I'd even bet that the man I met inside that room wasn't the same one standing in front of me now.
Behind him, a four-wheeled carriage, quite large; at least I'll travel comfortably, I suppose.
Once inside, he closes the door, the interior... leaves much to be desired from the exterior. From the outside it seemed like an impenetrable and invisible fortress, but inside, well, it's a different story. It's broken, ruined, I can't find the words to describe the desolation inside.
Magnum: "Make yourself comfortable, my car is elegant and comfortable." I detect an air of irony in that... no wonder, and he was so kind at first.
Time passes and I see absolutely nothing, not even a window to look through, only the vibration and the sound of the car...
I guess it's time to think about what's coming, but I have nothing!
Oh, right, I woke up in a strange environment from one moment to the next. I went from being in high society to basically a desert where everything was dead or destroyed. A group of bounty hunters took me prisoner, then I was introduced to a super weird stranger who turns out to be the leader of a mining organization and something dangerous, not to mention he has a lot of influence. Besides, the new world is populated with different creatures of various kinds, sizes, and shapes. I think the variety falls short here, but that event, the "between sleep," sounds familiar somehow. Maybe the tablet holds the answers.
But before we can look at it in more detail, Magnum interrupts.
Magnum: "We're here! You'd better get out. I'll be turning on the automatic cleaner soon, and I don't want the boss to get dirty."
'Yes... thanks'
When I get off, I'm in the middle of the desert, well, not literally, a couple of houses in the distance, a road ahead, and further away, a crashed ship, those figures I had seen in the hologram of the control head and in my visions were there, shattered and fallen, only unlike those memories, in its ruins a city rises proudly among the ruins and embraces it
Magnum: "Make yourself comfortable! Enjoy! Oh! Here you go *throws some keys* the first door in front of you, come in and make yourself comfortable"
Then, as I picked up the keys, heat emanated from the car, and its interior was now clean, spotless. Some seats even appeared out of nowhere. I glanced at Magnum, who wore a proud expression. He even accelerated slightly so I could see what he'd done. It was clear: "I could have always cleaned it, but I didn't want to." The message
He then accelerated one last time and left the scene...
With nothing else to do, I see the house and go inside; I'm too tired to do anything or look beyond the obvious.
Once inside, the bed is all I can see. I throw myself onto it without looking around; exhaustion consumes me. And although the bed isn't that comfortable—something I can say for sure—it works as it should. But I can't get that hunter who caught me before out of my head... he knows something.