The Legion Program

Chapter 1- awakening

*What... Where am i... Why am I so cold...* I thought as I awoke from my death like sleep. All I could remember before going into the darkness was the men in yellow, holding me down with leather buckles and straps, trying to restrain me as I fought against them... Why couldn't I remember more?

Struggling to get up, finding those same restraints gone, I took a look at the world around me. Rusted and battered metal walls all around as I tried to focus on trying to get into a position where I could try stand up. "Where the hell... How long have I been in here? Where ever here is..."  Noticing a locked storage box, I looked around the room from where I was. "There must be a key or something that can open that box, unless..."

Slowly getting to my feet, and trying to balance without support, I slowly hobbled over to the storage box, holding my thumb to the lock, by which I was met with a harsh sound of grinding gears, and a surprisingly deafening buzz as the box literally popped open. "Well... That was very pleasant..."

Gently opening the box a little ways, in order to stop any other noise's, I curiously peered into it, finding a smaller brown box with a glass plate on top. *At least they gave me an silent box*. Lifting both the box and the glass onto the metal case I had arose from, I searched the larger container to see if any other prizes lay inside. *Whoever left me here could have given me more to go on then a glass sheet and a box...* Realization appeared on my face as I thought about how the box may have some clues as to what I was doing. Tearing away at the plastic seal that kept the box closed, the smell of clean air slowly wafted out as I opened the box further. Disappointment met my face as I saw the contents of the box was a show box and some clothes in sealed plastic bags... Wait was that a piece of paper in between those clothes? Throwing bags onto the floor I grabbed the paper and read it to myself.

'Well, it looks like you have completed the first step to finding a way out of here. Your probably wondering where here is, how you got there and why your there. Don't worry the other test subjects asked the same question... Except I actually wanted to meet them when they woke a few years before you. Yes there was others like you, all picked for the Legion Program, but why go into details if I'm ganna die anyway! If you decide that you want in on the Legion Program, just slide the glass plate across and you will find a digital map downloaded onto it. If not take the map if you ever change your mind. I know you will if your smarter then the other 17 test subjects that wanted to go out and live on the badlands like on big happy family. Any who, I'm running out of paper and have better things to do, hopefully you decide better then your fellow subjects. One last thing, when I said 17... Yeah that may have been those that I kidnapped before...'

The rest of the paper was gone. Damn it... I needed to know what this Legion Program was, and who these others where or what a 'badlands' was. Donning the clothes I had just thrown on the floor, a blue hoodie with yellow around the shoulders and a white U in the center of each shoulder, a pair of denim blue faded jeans, and a pair of yellow and blue trainers, I headed for the cell door and slowly pushed the handle down to find a pair of swords laid in a cross on the floor, one a black colour with a silver edge, the other silver with a black edge. They both looked identical other then the colour. Strewn aside from the sides of the swords lay a bulky looking rifle and a pistol, both looking fresh from the forge. But neither had ammo and from the looks this place had been ransacked by who ever wrote that letter. Oh well, guess I could take them anyway... Grabbing both swords and swing the sheaths over each shoulder, I looked around in a room that looked a bit like an army barracks and found a large duffle bag and a holster to put my pistol in. But no food from the looks of it, or water for that matter.

Just as I had holstered the pistol I heard an almost chocked out gargle as if it had come from a person suffocating on their own fluids. Turning to look down what seemed like an endless hallway, I noticed bodies pilled up along walls and doors, each with a bag over their backs and heads almost completely removed. But each slowly turned to look in my direction, sniffing the air and scrambling to rise. "What the hell is that thing?!" I heard myself say before thinking it. It looked dead but how could it still be alive?

Without thinking, I drew both swords and got into a fighting stance as the first living dead body shambled its way towards me. Walking slowly at first towards it, I pulled the sword up to take a quick slice at the head of this... Whatever it was! As its body collapsed I took its bag as a reward. 1 down about a dozen to go! After the first fell a rancid smell arose as the speed of decomposition suddenly increased twentyfold, making me want to vomit, and the walking corpse's want to hurt me more. Each attacked more viciously then the last, but none could lay a rotting hand on me as the swords reach overpowered their arms. About half an hour after the first body properly died, the hallway lay clear, well kinda clear if decomposing corpse's count as clear, as I claimed my prize from each rotten bag of flesh.

Walking to where a cold light shone under a bulky metal door, I looked for a control stand and pressed a big grey button to open the door... There was a tempting red button but it didn't seem right to press it. I mean come on, when did a red button mean good things right? Sighing, I walked back to the door and walked through to the dazzlingly bright but freezing light that was the portal to the badlands... Except this portal was not a transporting kinda portal... Just a door really but the light made it feel like a transportation from a dull world to a fantasy world of Knights and princesses. Yeah... That was not what this door was, more like a way to hell.