Lieutenant Samuel Pierce regarded his new companions in silence. A million thoughts swirled over in his head, fighting for dominance. There was a strange pounding in his head which was proving very distracting. He'd had to suppress a brief pang of panic earlier - what if all his efforts had been in vain, and he'd been caught and recycled? - but that was proving somewhat unlikely. He hadn't forgotten anything, he was still wearing the same clothes and the... people in the were a far cry from the nondescript mass of soldiers he had fought with.
Then what? He had little memory of how he came to his place. The others' reactions varied - some did not seem very surprised or worried about their newfound location. Perhaps he was dreaming - that would certainly explain the outlandish appearances of some of them - but he couldn't remember dreaming before. Or well, his memories told him he had slept and dreamt in the past, but he had long since stopped relying in them. Abandoning Charlotte and their child had been the hardest part. Her face and that beautiful, melodic voice he so loved still haunted his thoughts.
In the end, he came to the conclusion that they had been kidnapped, to fight in some arena like the gladiators of old. He wasn't sure, but it felt right, and the fragments of conversation he was picking up supported the claim. He frowned. From one kind of slavery to another. Was there no justice in this world?
No matter. He had escaped from his old life, if only briefly, and he would escape from this one as well. There was not enough data yet for him to make any sort of plan, but he was sure there'd be ample opportunity to do so in the future.
He was shaken out of these thoughts by one of his companions motioning frantically to him. Samuel looked him up and down briefly. A giant of a man, with legs of steel or some similar material. How strange. The Union Jack displayed prominently on his uniform calmed the Lieutenant somewhat. He knew how the British mind worked. Perhaps this fellow could be convinced to help him escape.
Samuel listened to the man introduce himself and throw a few half-hearted insults towards Orientals. He didn't need to hear his rank to know he wasn't an officer. No discipline, no knowledge of how to speak to a superior. He smiled politely.
'Lieutenant Samuel Pierce. You are somewhat correct in your assumption - I am indeed an officer of the Royal Navy, but I am afraid the world I hail from is an artificial construct, nothing more. Perhaps you would know something of that? I have gathered it was a place called New Hong Kong, a home of technologies and machinery beyond my understanding.'
He was interrupted by a youth in the corner. He listened to the confrontation between him and this Wesley King with interest. The strange youth could also be a valuable ally. Hopefully, there would be time to speak with all of them yet.
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Topic: The Heroic Clash: First Challenge, The Search for Water (Read 10609 times)