MIA
This is just an experimental story I wrote. I will continue it if there is positive feedback on it and you all would like to see more.
MIA
Part 1
Things were starting to become clear as the haze wore off. Eli soon realized that he was laying on a concrete floor. The room, or whatever it was, didn't have the faintest glimmer of light anywhere which made him shiver slightly with fear, for he wondered if he were in a dream. Reality soon set in though as the pain in his head came into clarity, and then he knew he was definitely awake. He tried his best to recall what had happened, but his thoughts were still hazy. They probably gave him some form of tranquilizer to keep him out for a while, he thought. A more important question soon filled his head, why had he been drugged of all people? There had to be a reason, but he couldn't yet think clearly enough to put any pieces of this new puzzle together. The last thing he could remember was falling into formation for the mission briefing. Suddenly, Eli recalled a letter he found on his pack the last time he prepared his gear. It was the strangest thing, it had been some warning of a prison for MIAs. The most vivid image in Eli's head was the line that said " to your people, it doesn't exist " Which implied, that if you were captured, there was no hope for your safe return... " Could...Could this be the place I was warned about? The prison? But why n... " He stopped his rambling upon hearing what he perceived to be a soft chuckle. His large ears swiveled in all directions trying to determine where the sound had come from. It was a horrific thing to hear in his current situation, so he remained on the cold hard floor without so much as a twitch for what seemed to be an eternity. Not a sound came from any direction as he listened with great concentration. For a moment, it appeared the sound was nothing more than a figment of his ravenous imagination, probably brought on by the drugs. Though, before he could dismiss the thought, a deep and weakened voice came from behind him. " The prison? Yes it is, but you that's the last of your problems..." The voice talked as if a demon from hell, and the frightening message it sent was enough to make Eli lucid and realize he was still on the floor. He sprang up, fueled by fear. Confused and scared he ran as fast as he could in the opposite direction of the retched voice. This would soon prove to be a mistake however, as he felt the cold hard steel of metal bars against his face upon impact. He struck with such force that he soon found himself back on the cold of the floor again, hearing the echo of the crash and in agonizing pain. The haunting voice let out another chuckle, though seemingly stronger than the first, and less threatening in tone. " You'll soon find that those bars are like a mirror reflection, only with an opposite personality. " Eli staggering to his feet, senses now heightened by the pain he felt, processed what he had just heard for a moment. " Who are you? What the hell are you talking about? " The voice began again as if Eli had never spoken. " They, like you, are tools used to suppress others...Yet as you become weaker, they become stronger. " At this, Eli did not respond, but rather listened and tried his best to determine the distance to the unknown being. He could swear the voice was closer to him than before. Still confused, he decided to ask again " Who are you? Why am I here? " No response came, but now he could hear the sound of claws on concrete slowly moving in his direction. " Stop where you are! " He screamed into the blackness, as if it would do him any good. The sound persisted, making him tremble. At this point the being sounded only five feet away, but Eli was to scared to move from his spot, fearing what else the darkness could be hiding, and remembering the pain in his face. A strange scent similar to his own surrounded him as the figure closed the gap, and suddenly the sound of claws vanished from the air. Eli only able to think now, guessed that the figure was within three feet, and dead in front of him. " I can feel your fear " The voice said sounding almost full of emphasis. Shock quickly came over Eli as he made the realization that the voice had come from only a few inches from his muzzle. As the following moments passed, he decided he had to say something. " Why don't you answer my questions? " He was instantly disappointed that this was all he could come up with. Immediately though, the voice answered, " Simple, you question to much. One would think you would have learned not to do that by now. It's what got you in here, and it's why you'll soon die. " Frustrated by the answer, Eli commented. " From what I can tell, your going to share the same fate. " At that, the voice calmly replied. " Yes, but I've made it a few days at least. You on the other hand, won't be around for another 24 hours. " This answer only served to anger Eli. " If I'm going to die, then I might as well keep asking questions... Who the hell is going to kill me, and why!? " He growled. As soon as he had finished speaking, Eli made another realization. The scent he was smelling, was that of a fox just like him. When the unknown fox spoke again, Eli found that he had moved away, possibly afraid of Eli's newly found courage. " The enemy will kill you... For now you are a different soldier of sorts. " Unable to comprehend what the that meant, Eli simply remained quiet. He wondered if this was all just a game, and he an unknowing participant. " Surely you know what happens when someone begins questioning authority to much? They end up here, where they will soon be used to help sustain that very authority, by means of fighting for it against their will. An ironic yet fitting end if ever there was one. " The strange fox added, making sense for the first time. Eli could hardly believe what he was hearing. He had heard about prisoners being used in combat roles on different fronts than where they were taken since most enemies took no prisoners, making it almost impossible to escape death. Though, why would they have reduced him to this? He hadn't done anything that everyone else didn't do. Sure, he had listened in on a few " secret " things, and questioned it openly to others, but so did almost every soldier. Often times the Commander fully aware of them doing it. Besides, the only information he had gotten out of his time in the 7th brigade, was how the Commander would build the new armored personal carriers, which didn't seem worth killing someone over. As time moved on, Eli began to feel a sense of helplessness for his situation. The only thing he could resolve to do, was figure out more about his cell mate. " So why did they bring you here? " He said in more of a solemn tone than anything else. The stale air of the prison was quiet for a moment. After waiting several seconds, the ragged voice answered. " They said I was senile. Couldn't be trusted any longer. That's probably true..." Suddenly, Eli began to laugh softly as though he himself were senile. " It's almost to good to be true! " He exclaimed. " I'm locked in some cell with some crazy old fox who likes to play mind games all because I know how the new vehicles are to be built... What's better even, my own country apparently gave me up for it! " The ridiculous way he muttered these words scared even himself. It appeared that the seriousness of the situation was to much for him to handle. As Eli chuckled the inane old fox spoke again. " Of course, what do you think happens when they suspect you of knowing something of value? You're just a risk in their eyes. " Unsatisfied with this answer, Eli interjected " What a cliché, you're just insane... This is just a way to get kicks isn't it? " Before the older fox had time to respond, light flooded the cell. It's intensity was enough to make Eli's eyes tear as he covered them with his arm. After a few moments adjustment, he could see clearly now for the first time his cell mate. He was an almost elderly looking red fox, wearing BDUs and a white T-shirt. From the look of him, it seemed he had been in the service in a time when Eli was just a kit. After a few seconds of looking at the old fox, the sound of a door's lock being rattled could be heard. Eli quickly looked around realizing he had been so focused on the other inmate, that he hadn't even assessed his situation, a fatal mistake they had said in evasion and capture training. The room was in fact that, a large room with plain white walls. The only difference was that the two side and rearward walls were lined with the bars of the cell. On the front cell wall, sat a sliding door like the one used in most prisons. Beyond that was about five feet of nothing but empty space until it reached the last wall of the room where a basic white door was centered. If not for the cell, and concrete floor, it could pass for the inside of a house. As Eli processed the information, the sound of the door handle being turned became the center of his attention. As suddenly as the sound started, the sound stopped and the door swung open. As it crashed into the wall, a bulky white wolf dressed in what looked like a military style uniform appeared in the doorway, nothing but blackness behind him. He sat there and studied the two foxes for a moment making no indication of his emotions. After pulling a pen and a notepad from his front left pocket and scribbling something, he walked into the room and made his way to the front of the cell. His uniform was like nothing Eli had ever seen, light gray covered in little metals and ribbons it signified that he was someone of importance. As he watched the two foxes, he again began writing. This was starting to make Eli feel even more uncomfortable, as he wasn't sure what to do. He had never been trained on how to act toward someone just watching you and writing notes. Confused, he decided to give the basic information required of all MIAs in his unit. Going to the position of attention and staring straight past the wolf he began " Corporal Eli Williams, 7th brigade, number 55291...". The wolf was starring at him with a blank look. " I know who you are, so don't waste you're time trying to do everything by the book. We've got more information on you then even your Commander does. We even know where you were born...your mother's maiden name...oh and even your sexual orientation. " Eli could feel his ears growing warmer from embarrassment by the last statement. He eased himself out of attention and hoped that his cell mate didn't catch the wolf's remark with any importance. Just to be safe he didn't turn to look at him. " My name is simply sir. That is all you will refer to me as, is that clear? " Without waiting for an answer, the wolf continued in a monotone voice " Mr. Williams, I'm going to do you a great favor and tell you right now that if you fail to comply with any of our demands, the result will be death. We do not wish for any trouble from you, and if you do comply with us and cooperate fully on all assessments, you may come out of this as you are now, alive. " He said the last word with exaggerated emphasis. When he had finished, he looked Eli in the eyes and said " now just so you're sure of how serious we are..." the wolf produced an M9 pistol from the holster on his waist an pointed it at Eli's head then slowly moved the weapon away from the now shivering fox and fired one round past his right shoulder. The sound was intense, leaving Eli's ears ringing. The smell of blood became strong. It was then that Eli recalled once again of the older fox in the cell with him. Slowly turning his head, he could see the now lifeless body atop a crimson sea. The wolf holstered his weapon and spoke calmly " I've never liked foxes...remember that. " The wolf turned and walked out of the room shutting the door behind him, the sounds of locks being secured rang out, and then the flick of a switch. It was dark once more.