Gabriel woke up with a start. He quickly sat up and immediately regretted it, his body and head hurt and he felt weak. “Ugh, where the fuck am I this time?” he groaned.

“That’s an odd way to ask,” he heard a voice to his right. A female Roniean sat on the bed on the other side of the room. She had several scars on her exposed arms and legs. She wore shorts and a stretchy tank top. Gabriel looked down and after seeing he was wearing the same he concluded it was not because of a fashion trend.

“Yeah, so I’ve heard,” Gabriel grabbed his aching head. “Oh fuck, please tell me I haven't been in stasis again,” Gabriel said, half panicking and tried standing up, with somewhat good results.

“Stasis? no, I don’t think so”

Gabriel stumbled over to the door, the floor wobbling under his feet, or rather it was Gabriel that was doing the wobbling. The door had a small barred window which he felt was ominous, “How do you know?” he asked and rattled the door.

“Can you sit down before you fall over?”

Gabriel took a deep breath and after the room stopped spinning, mostly, he nodded slowly, “Yeah, that’s probably wise.” He stumbled back to the bed and sat down heavily. “So, not stasis?”

“Yeah, you have probably not been in stasis,” she said.

“Probably?” Gabriel asked.

“Yeah, I have been in stasis several times, over a few very long trips,” she said. “Why are you panicking over it?”

“Last and first time I was in stasis it was for over 100 years,” Gabriel said grimly.

Her eyes widened, “I see, well first of, what do you remember from before waking up here?”

“Breathing in a nice smelling gas that knocked me out,” he said and ran his tongue around his mouth. “Tastes of strawberries.”

She nodded, “Right I don’t know what that is but what did you remember after you woke up from stasis?”

“I...” Gabriel paused, he could not even remember the day it happened. “I don’t know...” He had to have been with Victoria as they were both kidnapped, and he had seen the clothes they wore so it was a sort of formal occasion. But they lived two hours apart. Maybe he had picked her up on their way to their parents. Considering the clothes that made sense. He faintly remembered that something was being celebrated, not a holiday or birthday though.

“It is standard procedure to remind the ones in stasis what they were doing before going in. For some reason a day or two before you go in gets lost, short term memory usually I think. And some lose more days than two, but with reminders, it comes back.” she said. "Procedure is to spend the last two days before stasis not doing anything important."

“Right...” Gabriel said slowly, “You said first of?”

“Yeah, waking up from stasis is like waking up from the dead, slow and calm. You have been mumbling and twisting in your sleep since you got here. Unless you were fully woken up after the stasis that won't happen.”

“But I taste the same fruit as I did after waking up from stasis,” Gabriel said.

“The same gas is used to tranq after stasis if needed,” she shrugged, accompanied by the weird Roniean head tilt. “Do you feel weak? like you’ve slept for way too long?”

“Yeah, headache and stiff muscles,” Gabriel confirmed.

“And any marks from needles where nutrients were put into your blood?”

Gabriel looked over his arms for IV marks, or some small puncture wounds at least, and found one at each wrist, “Yep,” he said.

“My best guess is that you’ve been out for a few days, at most a week but probably less,” she said.

“That’s a relief, I hope you’re right,” Gabriel said. “How do you know all this?”

She sighed, “I’ve been tranqed and transported around for a month, I think. And I was in stasis for a week or two before that.” She looked away and seemed lost in thought. Gabriel took that opportunity to finally look around the room. It was similar to the last cell he had been. In the same sense as a hotel and a prison were similar. They both had two beds and a door. This cell had grey metal walls, floor, and ceiling. A door with a barred window in it was on Gabriel’s left, the Roniean on a bed on the opposite wall, and at Gabriel’s right was a handle on a quite hidden door. He assumed.

“I’m Deana, what’s your name? and while I’m at it, what kind of Xeno are you?” she asked.

“My name is Gabriel, I’m a human,” he said, “Nice to meet you.”

“Human?” A voice sounded out from outside the door. Gabriel got up and walked over. On the other side of the corridor behind another cell door was an Igris. “Yes, I recognize you.”

“And who are you?”

“Sen’Chakar, You are the human that was on US 535 are you not?” he asked.

“Yep, that’s me,” Gabriel confirmed.

“Hm, good!” he said and walked away into his cell apparently satisfied with the conversation.

“Um,” Gabriel started but as Sen’Chakar didn’t return he instead walked over to the handle on the wall and pulled. There was a door but it didn’t budge. Pushing didn’t work either.

“It’s a sliding door,” Deana said.

“Oh, thanks,” Gabriel slid the door open to a small bathroom and shower. All clean but with a prison feel. He splashed his face with water and walked back to the bed. “I can’t believe this happened again,” he muttered. “So, Deana, where are we?”

“An arena, and what do you mean again?” she said.

“A few weeks ago, or maybe it’s over a month,” Gabriel said and tried to count the days. His head still hurt so he gave up. ”About a month ago I woke up after 100 years in stasis in a room like this, a bit nicer though, on a Quizeateran spaceship with a Zilgi female on the other bed,” Gabriel said and gestured towards Deana, “I was on that side though, and was less dressed...Anyway, where is this arena” he said, changing the subject.

“Dunno,” Deana said and paused looking at him with a quizzical expression. “A planet for sure, I’ve heard storms and the guards drag in dirt from time to time,” she added.

Gabriel frowned, “You guessed I’ve been out for at most a week right?” She nodded. “So, how far from an asteroid belt in Roniean IV’s system are we?”

She squinted, clearly thinking but leaned forward interested, “Well, a week from Roniean IV...first of, where were you? what kind of ship?”

“Um,” Gabriel said, wondering how much he should tell her. “A large mining ship converted into a mobile market,” he said.

“Ah, got ya,” she said, apparently familiar with the concept. “Then I suppose there were more customers there and no ship with an FTL drive can fit inside the ship. I don’t know how fast a large mining ship is through FTL or if they brought another but if we are not on Roniean IV I would think...Roniean III or Zov X1A”

“Uh, what’s that last one?”

“A barren planet with a few mines and research stations just inside union space,” she said. “My best guess is that we are still inside Roniean territories though.”

“So three or four?” Gabriel asked, “Not that it matters unless you happen to have a way of talking with the outside.” Gabriel asked with a friendly smirk

Deana chuckled, “No, but if I find one I’ll let you know.”

“Right, so what are we here for?” he asked.

“Fighting. What else are arenas for?”

“I would prefer music or sports,” Gabriel said. “But I suppose I should have expected that. What are we fighting? each other?”

“No, they wouldn't have put us in the same cell if that was the case, I think. Maybe against Sen’Chakar but we’ve fought together much in the past, usually against various animals and some cocky members of whatever group owns this place.”

“The syndicate!” came Sen’Chakar’s voice from the other cell.

Gabriel walked over to the door, “Who?”

“A rumor,” Deana said.

Sen’Chakar appeared at the other door, “A rumor I was investigating that has ties to a lot of shady things,” he said and started counting fingers. “First, they are,” he leaned close and raised his voice for Deana, “rumored!” Deana huffed. He turned back to Gabriel with a smirk, “A rumored syndicate of several different large gangs spanning every race in the union and outside. Well, maybe not Zilgi as they haven’t made it to space in full. But if they have crime the syndicate will come” He folded another finger, “The name is connected to smuggling, drugs, trafficking of exotic animals, and of course guns” he finished, closing his fist.

“The syndicate...” Gabriel said slowly.

Sen’Chakar adopted the Roniean shrug which included a tilt of his head. “Not the most catching name maybe, but more incognito right?”

“Sure...you wouldn’t happen to have heard of some alien trafficking?” Gabriel tried.

Sen’Chakar nodded, “I’ve heard of you. And that might confirm some theories I had. I mean not many can just find a planet and not report it in.”

“And you don’t know if anyone else was taken and sold?” Gabriel asked.

“No, do you think they took more humans?”

Gabriel shrugged, “Whoever took me had already made vaccines, It would make sense to take at least a few, I mean at least they had to have taken a few before me right?”

“That sounds very plausible. However I got taken here just a few days after your story went live, I don’t know anything about it,” he said and left the door.

“Well, thanks anyway,” Gabriel said and started pacing around the room, he stretched his stiff muscles mostly to avoid thinking about anything specific. Like how Cani had been the one answering Madeline’s phone. He had seen Madeline conscious after the blast but...He shook his head, “Deana do you know what a nano stim is?” he asked.

“Sure, why?”

“I formulated that badly, can you tell me how they work?” He asked.

“Yeah, they are very expensive military-grade stims. Oh, I’m not sure you are aware but when I say military-grade it does not mean it’s not available for civilians like in the Union, just that they are very expensive.” she paused and seemed to think for a moment. “They are used to stabilize patients with extensive or critical damage, you know, organ or artery damage I think.”

“And they work well?” Gabriel asked, somehow more worried and relieved at the same time.

“Yeah, they are programmed to repair the most critical damage first I believe, and allow the patient to be transported to a hospital for proper treatment.” She shrugged, “But I’ve never used one or been in the military so I’ve just seen commercials and heard people talking, neither source are facts.” she added.

“And I suppose both sources might be…?”

“Often exaggerated,” Deana finished, “Yeah, who knows, they have of course saved many lives but I don't know exactly how they work. There is a hospital variant but that one works slower but more efficient, less of a patch job, and more of a proper fix. I think” She smiled at Gabriel. “Sorry for rambling but Sen’Chakar keeps all his conversation short, I haven’t talked much to anyone for a month.”

“I don’t mind,” Gabriel said reassuringly, “Are nano stims that rare?”

“I don’t know, we haven’t been in war for several generations so I suppose...I think hospitals have some just in case of a severe accident or whatever.”

“Yeah, that makes sense,” Gabriel said. He stopped his pacing and sat down again, “Now, could you tell me about this place?”

“Sure, we along with Sen...”

“Chakar!” came Sen’Chakar’s voice from the other cell.

“Who hates that nickname, it's the same as a small sweet fruit in Igris,” Deana said grinning. “We are prisoners that, as I mentioned earlier, are forced to fight various creatures or syndicate members for sport. And only with ancient bladed weapons and metal armor, it’s very strange”

“It’s a gladiatorial arena then?” Gabriel asked.

Deana looked surprised, “How do you know that word?”

“What? Gladiatorial?” Gabriel asked, equally surprised.

“Yeah, that one, we have no translation for it but the ones running this arena calls it that,” Deana said leaning forwards and looking at him intently.

“I don’t suppose they could have visited Earth 2000 years ago?” Gabriel ventured. Deana shook her head. “Then I guess they have found history books or something.” He leaned back and sighed heavily, “A fucking gladiatorial arena...what’s next, chariot racing?” He glanced over at Deana who gave him a strange look. “What?”

“Sorry, just how can an arena be fucking?” she asked.

Gabriel chuckled, “It’s a human thing, we use that word in many different ways, just ignore it”

She twitched in a way Gabriel interpreted as dismissive, “I’ll do my best,” she said rolling her eyes. “Sen! what time is it?” she shouted. She waited for a moment to only silence and sighed. “Sen’Chakar, what time is it, please?” she asked.

“About two hours until the evening meal,” he said.

“Right, thanks Sen,” she said. Gabriel heard quiet grumbling from the other cell. “If they keep to the same schedule we have the first fight in two days. But these people are about half as smart as they look, and they don’t exactly look like professors, so who knows” Deana huffed. Gabriel squeezed his hands into fists, still weak from the lying down for days. He wondered if it was normal to be up and moving just after waking up or if he’d been injected with something, it’s not like he’d been in a coma before so he didn’t have anything to compare to. Would two days be enough to get back to full function?

“I hope you’re right, I don’t feel up to it right now,” he said. Then he frowned and shook his head. “Well, It's not like I would feel up to fight and kill wildlife in a few days either I suppose.”

“I feel the same,” Deana said and gave him a serious look. “But unless you have a way out we don’t have much of a choice.”

“I don’t, no,” Gabriel said and rubbed his temples. The headache was beginning to lessen slowly. He briefly wondered if the strawberry testing gas had some calming properties as he felt he should be more...well panicked and worried. As much as Madeline filled his thoughts he felt a little numb, like the ceiling of his emotions, had been lowered. Deana spent the following hour asking about Earth and the one after that taking a nap. Gabriel decided to get some thinking done, to lackluster results.

He needed to escape, that much he felt was clear. But before that, he needed a plan, and to know more about this place. The general layout and guard positions would be a start. Then he would try and find the closest way out, or the least fortified as there were bound to be locked doors in the way. But then he would be outside on an unfamiliar planet and likely not in earshot of a friendly police force, or security or whatever they were called on this planet. As Gabriel was trying to remember what little he knew about how the ancient arenas were built he heard movement outside the cell.

“Move back!” a Roniean shouted and unlocked the cell. Deana got off her bed and backed against the far wall. Gabriel decided it was probably a wise decision and joined her. The guard left a wooden tray with four bowls on the floor and quickly locked the door again.

“Dinner is served,” Deana sighed and walked over to the tray, handing Gabriel two bowls. “Stew and beans, what a surprise,” She said. Gabriel took a bite of both. The stew was criminally under seasoned and the beans were plain. He combined them both and found the flavor very slightly improved. Now it was just boring.

“It’s better than the blue slop I got on the Quizeateran ship,” He said and looked around for a mug of some kind.

“No cups, drink from the sink,” she said, mouth full of food. “You ate nutrient paste on the ship?” she asked as he returned.

“Is that what it was? Yeah, I suppose so, though I have to say this comes a close second. How did they manage to cook all the flavor out of this? Just throwing...four different kinds of vegetables in water should produce better results”

“Yeah, it should, but these are notorious for being tasteless. But they do provide good energy,” she said and scowled at the bowl. “You get sick of it immediately though.”

“Then I’m treating you to a meal spiced with fire-root when we get out,” Gabriel said after he was sure the guards were out of earshot.

She gave him a skeptic look, “I thought you didn’t have a way out.”

“I don’t, but there has to be one, or two, or more,” He said. “I honestly don’t remember much about gladiators but what are the odds we can earn our freedom through fighting?”

“None,” Deana said seriously.

“I thought so, so it’s better to try right? Not tonight of course but eventually. After we’ve eaten I would like you to tell me about the layout of this place.”

The arena was built like the ones on Earth, a replica Gabriel supposed. At least he thought it was, to be honest, it was not too far-fetched that Ronieans would come up with a similar design on their own. In any case, they were held in cells under the arena floor, two corridors led to the ends and circled back and up to the arena itself. To leave there was a guarded door at each end of the first corridor that held the cells, then another guarded door in the staging area. After that, they would have to travel through a corridor circling the arena to reach a door to the outside.

“So...out this first corridor. Into the staging area, then through another door, another corridor, and a final door.” Gabriel said nodding slowly, “How many guards?”

“Well, when they bring us to the staging area four guards escort us, and four more are inside the room. With you maybe more,” Deana said and hooked a thump towards Sen’Chakar’s cell. “I only know about the circling corridor because that’s how Sen was brought in. He remembers two guards at each door.”

“All armed with guns I suppose?”

“Yes,”

Gabriel “You wouldn't happen to know if the guns fire a round slug? The size of half of one of these beans?”

Deana nodded, “Yes, why?”

“I’ve been shot with those before, I can handle a few,” Gabriel said thinking, he looked over at Deana after a while and got another skeptic look. “I’m very dense,” he explained.

“How does that?...oh, physically,” She said, “Yeah the bed does complain every time you sit down.” She squinted and leaned forward a bit, “Are you really bulletproof? no offense but you look a bit squishy.”

“Thanks…” he said, not sure how to take that last comment, “not quite bulletproof, resistant might be more accurate. And I am stronger than I look,” He added.

“Well, If we’re not fighting tomorrow we should get access to the training area, as much as they want to see us ripped apart they seem to prefer a fight,” Deana said, her voice was a mix of anger and defeat. Gabriel leaned back against the wall and sighed, and followed the sigh with a yawn. “The drugs might not be out of your system, I’m a little surprised you’re still going,” Deana explained. “Go to sleep, you will need it.”

Gabriel nodded, sleep seemed like a good idea. “Yeah, goodnight,” He said and found the bed surprisingly comfortable now that he laid down. It was probably supposed to be stiff but with his heavier frame, it supported him quite well. And with those thoughts, he fell asleep.

His dreams were vague and confusing, he heard explosions and shouts but he seemed to be in a very large dark room and he could not make out any faces or specific shapes. Shadows moved around him and the explosions only made the space darker, muzzle flashes darkened space instead of lighting it up. He stumbled through the darkness without any goals and tripped over a form on the ground. The form shifted to show Victoria laying still on the ground. Then It shifted to Cani, then Alith, Taurana, Madeline, and almost everyone he knew in rapid succession.

Then a shadowy weapon was swung at his head and he jerked away and woke up. He opened his eyes staring at the ceiling. Almost instinctively he reached for a warm form that was not there. He had a brief moment of panic before remembering exactly where he was. He sat up and rubbed his face with his hands. Two nights of sleeping together with Madeline had made it seem like the most natural thing in the world and he already missed it.

“Calm down Gabriel, you have only been here one day, you will make it out and back to her.” He surprised himself with that last thought. But not really, he had just pushed the feelings aside while searching for Victoria. “I’m an idiot aren't I?” he mumbled softly to himself. He had ignored the feelings he knew he had for Madeline and maybe missed his chance. “No! I will get out!” He thought, determined to make the statement stick and laid back down. “And may whoever god they pray to help them if they stand in my way.”