Elimination Exit

[Doomguy]

In the briefest of moments, in less time it took to notice that my head had been a few inches away from my neck, I found myself staring up at the ceiling of a sterile and lifeless room. There was a moment of complete of blank staring as I wondered just what had happened when logic finally stumbled back into the upright position and I figured it out: I died. In that rage filled fog of memory that was the last five minutes of consciousness, I remembered the climatic. The BFG that I used to destroy the world around me and the lighting hammer that I wielded when I went toe to toe with the remaining of Gil's cronies. A black haired teen held a sword of pure electricity, and when I was so close to to the end I, well, ended up here.

I looked down from the horizontal position and just wondered what happened between then and now. There was no steel bar through sticking out through my chest, nor was there much of anything except a light blue hospital gown. The cheap kind that you swore was made of paper, that restricted your movement and yet failed to cover your ass. Even my helmet was gone, although it had practically been in two pieces by the end. Diodes and needles were connected to almost every part of my body where there were once wounds, despite that I was in the same shape as I had left the dome sans that collar around my neck. Not that there weren't some phantom pain, with bothered me every time I move and my mind was still trying to juggle the sudden disparity between me in the throws of battle and half naked on a gurney. Enough that I would for hours be rubbing my neck as I half expected it to fall off.

Death was not an unpleasant experience, but I had no plan on doing so again any time soon.

By the time I managed to pull the IV needles out of my skin, a well dress lady with a brunette ponytail walked in, high heels and long skirt made her step carefully, half because of the waxy tiled floors and perhaps because she rather not be in arm's length of me. A rather needless precaution, as I was already focused in the process of summoning new clothing.

"Karl Jak would like to congratulate you on placing second in this year's Dante's Abyss" I rolled my eyes, the less I had to hear of that scum the better. Her words were shallow and the kind of corporate hollow response with no substance to it. The kind the UAC gave out all the time. "He had asked that all primes who have reached the Top 9 come to the VIP room"

"I want nothing to do with that snake. Go tell him to take a long walk out of a short airlock" I answered, the form of a pair of pants and a t-shirt started to take shape "And where the fuck is my stuff?"

"Can't you just summon more?" She asked innocently enough, but I still shot a glare at her that made her step back in fear. It seemed that the idea that primes could just make things out of thin air made people think that we couldn't possibly put sentimental value in something. She looks to the side to avoid my gaze, a small frown made her look somewhat guilty. But I doubted I was going to get an apology.

"I will have someone pick up your things. Either way, you will receive your prize at the VIP meeting."

I gave a sigh. I didn't want to be here any longer, but I wasn't about to turn my nose up at something after all the pain I've been through. A nod told her I would be there, and after she left I put my new set of clothing on. Blue jeans and an a green shirt with the United States Space Marine Corps logo on the front. With nothing else here for me, I left the room and walked over to this "VIP meeting".