Committed

The first punch doesn't hurt.

There's too much adrenaline. Shock. It rushes through your body devouring you.

It's not the first punch that hurts.

It is the following punches that add up. Once the adrenaline wears off, that is when you feel them.

At least, that is what is happening to me.

My right eye is practically shut, just a sliver of light trickles in. My head beats like a war drum, throbbing with pain. I turn to my side. I am stiff. My neck aches.

"No," a man bellows. His voice echos. Filling the hazy darkness around me. A petite woman, dressed in dark gray coveralls places her hands to her sides. She relaxes. Her eyes are focused. They are brown.

"You are going to break your wrist," the man says. I hear the boot creak closer. He comes into view under a focused pale blue light. He towers over me.

Warmth drips from my face. I taste metal.

The man is in a similar style. His coveralls are also gray, but there are patches of white colored bands around his arms. He takes another step towards me.

I tense. I can't help it. My wrists sting as the zip ties cut. I can't break free.

I look down, following the trickle of blood from my mouth. A dull pain sends me straight down. My body smacks the floor, face first. It is cold and bare. I see a dust cloud in front of me.

Another pain added.

It's hard to keep my eyes open. I close them. Pain resonates throughout my body.

I feel a hand on my arm. I am picked up. My limbs dangle with the chair tied to me. My chair thuds on the floor as I am dropped back down. The clash of the metal chair on the floor echos.

"Did you see how I punched through?" The man is looking at the woman. His gray hair is a tight clean cut. He moves his body back into a striking position. He pulls his arm back. I tense.

He throws a punch. His fist stops short, grazing my cheek. He pulls his body back again.

"My core must be stable and the rest of my body must go through the point of contact," he says, looking at the woman. He turns back. He doesn't look me in the eyes. I do look into his. They are a bright almost fluorescent green. There are lined scars on his cheek.

"Yes, sir," the woman says. She copies his motion. She slowly goes through her punch.

"Now, when you make contact..." the man squares his body to me, he pulls his arm back and steps to my side. The punch sends me backwards in the chair. I see the ceiling. Then it goes dark.

My ears ring. I try to open my eyes. The light is blinding.

My right eye won't open.

I'm sitting back down.

My vision is clouded. The hum of the spotlight is all that I can hear. I blink, trying to get my vision to clear. It improves.

"Look at me," the woman says. She takes a step towards me. Her brown hair is pulled back into a tight bun. It reflects the pale blue light above me.

She takes another step. She smells of sweat and leather boots. Her forehead glistens with sweat.

"Where is Benjamin?" Her sky-blue eyes are focused on me. My vision is still cloudy.

"What?" I croak. A blunt pain smashes into my face. She flattens her uniform, settles herself, and looks at me again.

"Where is Benjamin?" she says. She is calm. My ears are ringing. She grabs my shirt and pulls my body upright. The zip ties are sharp around my wrists.

"I don't-"

She lets go of me and sends her elbow to my cheek. Blood and spit fly out of my mouth.

"I'm sick of this," she huffs. She pulls her arm back, ready to strike. "Where..s.Benjamin?' She says.

I don't know what to say. I don't say anything.

She grunts, then takes a deep breath. "Where is he?" she yells.

"Time!" the man yells. The woman turns around. I see her walk out of the light. She is just a silhouette.

"It can't be," she blurts.

"It is. You failed," he says. She doesn't move. I hear the sound of bootsteps. The man transcends the woman's frame. He is at least two heads taller than she.

I relax. The throbbing pain is too much. I close my eyes, knowing I'm done.

I think of the rewards. The fruit of my labor.

We can eat again. We get more food, water, and maybe a few extra rations.

Although the Retrieval happened a couple of years ago, opportunities came to us after the period of silence.

The woman yells. I open my eye.

The woman's boot crashes into my chest. All breath leaves my body. I can't breathe.

I feel a snap in my chest.

My body smacks the floor. The single light beams over me. I turn to the side and see the woman. She is. flailing her body and thrashing. Screaming as she is restrained. It echoes.

Then darkness.

I wake up. The room is blinding. It is white and sterile, almost glowing.

I can open both eyes now.

The cot is soft. Way softer in comparison to that stiff metal chair.

There's an IV line running into my arm and a shimmering orange liquid entering my arm.

It's at least warm this time.

My green coveralls are stained with blotches of dried blood.

A woman in white scrubs enters the room. She has a mask and a hat. Her shiny blue eyes are the only visible thing.

She walks past me. She doesn't look at me.

She walks to the wall and presses a button on a panel switchboard. A holographic screen appears covering one of the walls in front of me.

The numbers and symbols are foreign to me. I don't understand it.

She walks to the screen and taps it. Another screen pops up. She continues to do this, sometimes scrolling, and other times writing on the board. It is second nature to her.

She pushes another button on the screen, and the IV stops.

"Your minor breaks on your facial bones, and your broken ribs should be healed, "she states. She doesn't look at me. "As a common side effect of the medicine, you may or may not experience fatigue, a. faster heart rate, a lower heart rate, or discomfort and random pain. Those are some of the side effects, but not all." She taps some more on the screen. "The scars will remain despite the level of treatment due to contractual agreements stipulated in your commitment." She closes the screen, and it disappears. "If you feel discomfort or pain that makes it difficult to perform daily activities or serve your full commitment term length, please reach out to the Commitment Office." She walked out of the room. I am pinned to the IV machine.

I pull out the IV needle from my arm and bandage it myself. It is second nature to me now.

I lie down and wait.

I think of the interrogation sequence I was put in today. I haven't seen that one before.

I prefer land exploration technology sessions or combat training for new recruits.

In combat training, I can at least strike back.

But this was a different one.

Someone knocks at the door.

I look. It’s odd. They don’t usually knock.

”It’s good to see that you’re up,” a man says. His coveralls are a regal blue. His arms have silver sleeves with black patterns. They are detailed lines and markings that look a lot like random scratches.

“Who are you?” I ask. He ignores me.

“You’re healing up well.” He drags a chair that floats on the floor. He sits and holds out a tablet. He pushes a button and a holographic screen appears. It is as wide as his shoulders. He begins tapping on the screen and he scrolls.

“Let’s get down to it,” he stops scrolling. His face is cleanly shaved and carved with wrinkles. His brown eyes study the screen. He faces me. “As stated according to the contractual agreement, you have been wired the appropriate money stated in section two point C.” He scrolls some more. “As per section three of your commitment,” he clears his throat, “three months of food, medical, and housing allowances have been reinstated.” He scrolls and the screen stops. His hair is a soft white, buzzed down and almost bald.

“Since there were no corollaries based on your performance,” he looks at me, “you have the option to renew your Commitment for the following term beginning no earlier than two months time and no later than two and a half months.” He swipes the screen. It changes. He pushes and taps it. He pushes another button and the screen disappears. He rocks himself forward and grunts as he stands. “There was something however,” he glides the chair back to the corner. My heart sinks. “Since there was a violation on behalf of the Commitment operating party,” he settles the chair and walks towards the door. I take a deep breath. He stops and sees me. “You will be rewarded an extra month of food, medical, and housing allowances.” He smiles. “Thank you,” I whisper. I am stunned. “You will also receive a small bonus for that problem. When you are ready to sign up for your next Commitment, please reach out to your Commitment Officer at your Housing Tower.” He looks out the door, then back at me. “And as always, thank you for your selfless effort in helping us ensure the organization is safe.”

He walks away.