CJ wakes up in a strange prison with no idea about what is going on. All he knows is that he has some interesting neighbors.

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The Chosen Ones

By Neopuc

Chapter 1

CJ tried to wake up, but his head felt weird. It was not quite like he had a headache, but there was a sense that something was wrong. As his eyes fluttered open, he was nearly blinded by an artificial light shining down on him. He winced and tried to block the light with his hand. CJ realized he was lying in a cot, one he had no memory of falling asleep in.

“You’re awake,” a voice CJ did not recognize stated, “Good. How are your memories?”

“My memories,” CJ said. He tried to remember what had happened the previous night but was drawing a blank. Had he gotten blackout drunk? His old man was going to kill him if he found out. Something about that last thought seemed wrong. CJ’s father had some pretty strict rules on drinking. His most clear memories were from when he was still living with his father. It was like those things were from just a day or two ago. But that did not feel right. His mind felt hazy when he tried to remember anything after that.

A part of him thought that he was 18 years old, but he had a vague sense that was wrong. He looked at his hands and noticed something was off almost right away. CJ had dark skin, but it was paler than it should have been. His family lived in a hot, arid, and sunny area. With as much time as he spent outside, he had a perpetual tan. But his skin looked like the sun had not touched it in months.

CJ looked over at the person who had spoken to him. He was a slender man with short, wavy brown hair and a boxed beard. The man looked to be in his mid-30s and wearing a form-fitting red one-piece outfit. When CJ looked down at himself, he found he was wearing something similar. CJ asked, “Who are you, Mister?”

“I’m Asher, Dr. Asher, but people just call me Ash,” the man said.”

“A doctor, huh? I don’t suppose you can explain why I think I’m having trouble with my memories,” CJ said.

Ash smiled, “I’m not that kind of doctor. But let me guess, you can’t remember much past the age of 18?”

“That’s right. How do you know that?”

“I’m the same way. Our…neighbors that have woken up here have all been the same. That goes for me, too.”

CJ cocked an eyebrow at Ash, “Then how do you remember being a doctor? Or is that a nickname?”

Ash smiled, “I earned my doctorate when I was 18.”

“Are you some kind of genius?”

“My mother tells me I am,” Ash laughed. “I could have gotten it earlier, but my family is very protective of me. They didn’t want me going off to college before my older brother could get in and make sure I was protected.”

“They sound nice,” CJ said. “I don’t suppose you have any idea how old I am?”

“You look like you’re in your mid-20s. You can check in the mirror over there if you want,” Ash pointed.

CJ looked over, cursing himself for not checking out the room as soon as possible. His old man had driven it into him to always be aware of his situation. For now, he chalked up the mistake to something being wrong with his head. He looked over to the mirror and saw someone familiar and yet unfamiliar looking back. His reflection looked a little older than he remembered, and his hair was different. It was shaved close on the sides, and he had a short flat top. That was the style he thought he wanted if he joined the military. CJ thought that was a clue about where he was in life, but that was certainly no confirmation.

That was all the things CJ was able to get from a glance. He took the time to take in the rest of the room before saying anything else. CJ and Ash were in a small room with two cots bolted into the wall, one above the other. He was currently sitting in the bottom cot. Besides that, all he could see in the room was the mirror, a toilet, and a sink. The beds were on one side of the room, opposite the other things. It reminded him more of a prison cell.

There were no bars, and both sides of the room looked open. But CJ saw a glowing blue light going completely around the entries to the room. He had no doubt there was some sort of shield there. Touching it to make sure was probably not the best idea. Some of those things delivered a strong enough shock to knock a person out.

A hallway lined with other cells was on one side of the room, just like CJs. Other people were in those cells, also wearing identical red suits. It gave him the distinct impression that he was in prison. He had never heard of a prison that could wipe a person’s memories like this, though. There was an odd mixture of people, too. Some of them definitely looked like they belonged here, but quite a few looked out of place. It was the haircuts combined with the way they moved. They looked military to CJ, but there was no way to tell that. It was not like he had seen many prisons outside of movies. They could all look like this for all he knew.

What CJ saw on the other side of the room was a bit more stunning. There was no hallway. In fact, there was a sheer dropoff into a room the size of a large storage bay. CJ could see that it was clearly not a storage bay. Like his room, it was a cell. And it was all for just two prisoners. CJ whistled in astonishment at the size of those prisoners.

“I see you’ve finally noticed our Goliath neighbors…uh, you never gave me your name,” Asher said.

“Calvin, Calvin Johnson. You can call me CJ,” he said absently, keeping his eye on the Goliaths. He was wondering how good the shields in his cell were. If those Goliaths were less than friendly and those shields sucked, he and Asher were going to be in for a bad time. Goliath was a term used to describe all sapient aliens humanity had encountered. As it turned out, all aliens humanity had encountered were giants. Humans were not even as tall as the toes of a small alien. All of these aliens were on the large size for what was typically portrayed in a giant monster movie.

Stranger still, all the Goliaths bore a strong resemblance to lifeforms from Earth, both past and present. For instance, their neighbors looked like a massive wolf and wolverine. The wolf was a male with mostly black fur and violet eyes. There were spots of more silver-like fur here and there, especially under his jaw. A slightly thicker splotch of fur at the tip of his snout made it almost look like he had a beard.

His cellmate was a female wolverine with red eyes. In CJ’s opinion, the fur pattern around her face was pretty lovely. It was black around her eyes, with a thin line of brown separating it from more black fur on her muzzle and white above her eyes and circling around to the side of her head. The fur on her head and going down her neck was not quite as black as the wolf’s, but it was dark and so thick that it looked like a mane.

As CJ stared at the wolverine woman, he felt something strange. It was hard to put a finger on what that feeling should be. All he could tell was that he felt like he should feel something about her, but without his memories, it was impossible to tell what. He could know her, but if he did, he had met her in the few years of his life that were now missing. There was no way of knowing if they were friends, enemies, or casual acquaintances. So, the only thing he really felt looking at her was frustration.

The wolverine noticed him looking at her. For a second, she did not seem to care. CJ could see the wall of the Goliaths’ cell was lined with a few floors of human-sized cells, most of which were occupied. CJ was not the only person staring at her. But the wolverine’s eyebrows twitched as she looked at him. There was a slightly confused look on her face, which turned into a frustrated frown. It was a frown that must have matched his own. CJ wondered if the Goliaths had the same memory issues as the humans.

The Goliath wolverine decided she wanted a closer look at CJ, so she leaned down for it. The human cells were about stomach level for the wolverine, so she did have to lean down quite a bit. That was quite intimidating. CJ had been to Earth a few times, visited the old Statue of Liberty. The wolverine was a little more than twice its size, pedestal included. She had to bend down just to look at someone who would have been above the torch level of that statue.

Her head was much larger than CJ’s cell, so her face filled the view like a billboard when she got up close. He heard her sniffing the air curiously. Then she said…something. CJ could not tell what that something was. For some reason, his translator was not working. What came out of her mouth was like a mix of a chirp and a growl. It was not quite as daunting as what he expected from a creature with claws and fangs like her. Still, it might have been enough to frighten most people, especially when they were getting as good a view as CJ was of those fangs of hers.

CJ would not let himself be intimidated. These aliens were called Goliaths for a reason. Sure, giants were big and strong, but David managed to take down Goliath in the end. Besides, CJ did not think she was trying to scare him. She looked like she wanted answers to what was happening as badly as he did. The two stared at each other for a while longer before the wolf placed a hand on her shoulder and gently pulled her away from CJ’s cell. She was reluctant to pull away at first, but she complied eventually.

The two Goliaths had a conversation that CJ could not understand. His gaze lingered on the wolverine for a little while longer before he was interrupted by Ash asking, “What was that all about?”

CJ shrugged, “I don’t know. There’s just this weird feeling I have. I guess she had it, too.”

“I hope you’re friends,” Ash chuckled.

“Would be nice if I was friends with that wolf, too. They’re both in great shape, but he’s built like a brick shithouse,” CJ said. It was not hard to tell that. The Goliaths were wearing the same form-fitting red outfits as the humans. That also meant that it was not easy for anyone to hide much. The wolverine was also a large and powerful-looking predator, but he thought many of the guys looking at her would be enjoying the view based on her looks.

“You’re one to be talking,” Ash smirked.

“What?”

“Look at yourself more carefully in that mirror.”

“My old man did always wanted me in fighting shape, even before I could walk,” CJ said as he turned back to the mirror, and even he was a little surprised. He had been in great shape from what he last remembered. Now, he looked like he had left his 18-year-old self in the dust. He had nothing to be ashamed of when comparing himself to the wolf.

“I’m the one hoping you’re friendly,” Ash said.

CJ said, “Well, I don’t know about present me, but mom and the old man didn’t raise any bullies. If they found out I went around picking on you for no reason, they would take me out of the world just as easily as they brought me into it.”

“You sound more scared of your parents than that wolverine,” Ash chuckled.

CJ smiled back, “It’s more respect than fear. Besides, this isn’t my first time being up close to a Goliath. My old man was a mercenary, so he had a few Goliath friends he used to work with. He introduced me to them, then had me spar with them.”

Ash raised an eyebrow, “A human wouldn’t last long against a Goliath, even with military-grade biological enhancements.”

“Don’t I know it,” CJ said, smiling ruefully as he remembered some painful lessons from the past. “My folks managed to get their hands on a few mechs and a titan tank that they maintained. Even with enhancements, being in a mech while it is suplexed by a Goliath will hurt.”

“I didn’t realize it was legal to own anything besides personal and cargo loader mechs,” Ash said.

“Things are different out in the colonies,” CJ shrugged. “And officially, our mechs are cargo loaders. They just have a few…modifications. The tank is also a museum piece that me, my father, and some of his merc buddies definitely did not spend a few summers bringing up to modern standards.”

“I see.”

“And I saw that you did not look that scared about the wolverine leaning in so close either,” CJ said.

It was Ash’s turn to shrug, “I went to a university with Goliaths. My parents also knew some Goliaths. So, I’ve had the enhancements that let them handle us without accidentally destroying us since I was young.”

“Your background doesn’t sound all that bad.”

“And?”

CJ said, “So why would you be here? I mean, I can understand why I’d be here. A lot of colonials rub the central government the wrong way, just like they rub us the wrong way. The authorities look for any reason to lock us up, try and show us who’s in charge. But you’re some sort of genius prodigy. I thought the government loved your types.”

“Well, I don’t know what the government thinks of me now that I’m missing a couple decades of my life. But I don’t think this is a normal prison. They certainly don’t mix humans and Goliaths in the same prison. There’s no way that would not lead to abuse,” Ash said.

“Well, this really looks like a prison. Maybe it’s a secret black site,” CJ said.

“If it were, I doubt they would have let me keep this,” Ash said, holding up his arm. Suddenly, a small compartment opened up in his forearm. Ash pulled a small cable out of the compartment and showed it to CJ.

“Looks like you’ve got some cybernetic implants too.”

“Yeah, and a prison would have gotten access to my medical records and had them removed before putting me in a cell,” Ash stated firmly.

CJ nodded, “I know. My old man had the whole family implanted with stuff to keep us from being monitored by anyone we did not want monitoring us. I know a prison would not want us keeping them from watching and listening to us.”

“A lot of people in here look like they would have similar implants,” Ash said. “It’s almost like we are war prisoners. A foreign government would be unable to access our medical records. They certainly would not know what implants we have and how to safely remove them, even if they did find them.”

CJ looked doubtful, “I wonder who we could be at war with. Most of the galaxy is unified under one government. Besides a few minor rogue states and pirate enclaves, there’s no one left to go to war with.”

“Maybe a civil war broke out in the time we are missing.”

“It’s possible, but I’m only missing a few years. I would think I would have heard rumblings of discontent,” CJ said. “Well, colonists always grumble, but we weren’t grumbling that bad. From what I can remember, the government was still pretty popular.”

Ash sighed, unable to think of what else could be going on. But he looked at the wire still in his hand, and an idea popped up. He said, “This cable looks like it’s meant to connect directly to computers and other cybernetics. I know we barely know each other, but would you mind me seeing if you have an access point I can connect to? Maybe I can find something out.”

CJ did look warily at Ash. Letting a genius plug directly into any cybernetics he might have could be a bad idea. And he did have a few that he knew of. If he knew himself, he might have added a few more over the years he could no longer remember. His father had made sure his implants were installed by the same trusted source that did his while working as a merc. The guy was supposed to be good, but there was no telling if he was better than the one sitting across from him in the cell.

Ash lacked a lot of experience, and his knowledge would be outdated by a few decades. So, CJ reasoned that it would take even a genius a while to hack into his cybernetics and do anything wrong. Then, a thought struck him. What if Ash was lying about losing his memories? Ash could have been an agent trying to trick him for all he knew. But that did not make much sense. Ash had already been awake when he came to. He had no idea how long he had been unconscious, but it had been long enough to mess with his memories and probably dress him in this outfit. Surely, they had enough time to search him for access points and do anything they wanted.

Giving someone direct access to your cybernetics was a risky prospect, but he thought he would need to take a few risks in a situation as strange as this. CJ sighed, “Go ahead, but if you try anything funny and I don’t die, I owe you a punch to the face.”

“If it can be helped, I won’t try anything funny,” Ash smiled.

“If it can be helped?”

“Well, it’s like I said. I’m missing my memories, too. This thing is something new to me,” Ash said, waving the cable coming out of his arm. “I think this is for accessing cybernetics, but I won’t know for sure until I try it on something.”

“And I have to be the guinea pig. Alright, let’s see what we can find out,” CJ said.

As CJ walked over to Ash, he noticed they had an audience. Not only was the wolverine staring into the cell this time, but so was the wolf. They kept a respectful distance but were obviously curious about what was happening in CJ’s cell. The shield between them seemed awfully inadequate if just one Goliath wanted to force its way in. Two of them made CJ feel like he was being protected by tissue paper. It would have been nice if he had a decent mech available. But he forced himself to smile, “If you try anything, I have those two as my witnesses.”

“Drat, my nefarious plan is foiled,” Ash laughed.

CJ snorted but sat in front of Ash. With his back to Ash, he touched the back of his neck, and an access port appeared for him to use. CJ tried to ready himself for whatever would happen next. If Ash turned out to be an amazing hacker, there might not be much he could do. His father made sure he never got the sort of implants that could let a hacker knock him out or kill him, but he might have done something foolish in his missing years. And even if he had not, Ash could do some things that would seriously inconvenience him, especially in this situation.

However, less than 10 seconds after Ash plugged into him, CJ felt an annoyingly painful shock from his neck. Ash quickly pulled the cord out as CJ yelped, “What the hell was that?”

“I was kicked out,” Ash said with a disappointed sigh. The Goliaths stirred as they watched but did not make any aggressive moves.

“By what?”

“Probably whatever is blocking our memories.”

“Well, that sucks. Did you find out anything?”

Ash grimaced, “A little bit. I had to fight whatever they’ve done to us and your counter-interrogation implants and training.”

“I have that?”

“Yeah,” Ash smiled, “So all I got was that you are Jefferson, Calvin. Sergeant. Oh crap, I forgot my serial number. I might have cleaned up that last part a bit.”

CJ smirked, “That sounds like me. But that means the memories are there, just blocked, not erased or something like that.”

“I’m fairly certain that’s the case,” Ash said.

“That’s a relief,” CJ said. Then he looked over at the Goliaths, who were still looking into the cell. He gave them a thumbs up. “Everything’s fine in here. And there’s some good news. We do still have our memories.”

To his surprise, the wolf returned the thumbs up before the two turned away from his cell. CJ said, “At least our giant neighbors seem friendly enough.”

“Most of them are,” Ash stated, “Despite their incredible size, they wouldn’t normally hurt a human.”

“Most of them aren’t prisoners in some weird prison,” CJ added.

“You have a point there.”

“So, think you should try that again,” CJ asked.

Ash shook his head, “I don’t think so. At least not with the knowledge I currently have. We may get more than a shock the next time I try something like that.”

“Alright, I suppose we have to wait until we can find out more,” CJ said. He could not just sit around doing nothing, though. So, he started a little workout routine. It was one he did often when he was in his teens. About halfway through it, he could feel that he was in better shape than he used to be. What he had seen in the mirror was not just for show. He felt the need to intensify his workout if he wanted to get anything out of it.

CJ was not the only one doing that. The Goliaths were both working out as well. Ash was lying back in one of the cots. CJ thought he would take a nap at first, but he looked thoughtful whenever he looked at the man. Hopefully, he was thinking of a way to get them out of this. CJ also heard activity from other cells. Most of it sounded peaceful enough, but he thought a few fights might have broken out.

It was hard not to take note when the Goliaths started talking again. This time, it was not just the two of them talking to each other. He heard giant voices coming from outside their cell. That was either guards or more prisoners. Since no one walked in front of their cell, he assumed it was other prisoners. It was hard to tell how their conversation was going. The wolverine’s language did not sound quite like a growl, but it was close enough to be a little threatening sounding and a little cute at the same time. That wolf was a different matter. His language was much more growls with a few other things mixed in. The result was that he always sounded angry, even if he looked more relaxed, at least at first.

CJ assumed the conversation took a bad turn when both Goliaths started to look more snarly. By the way they were baring their fangs and their fur was standing on end, he thought a fight might break out if they were not separated by their cells. CJ did not know what to make of it, so he could only shrug and continue working out.

Around the time his workout routine was coming to an end, CJ heard something interesting. Footsteps were coming down the hallway. It looked like he would finally get a good look at his captors. He hoped they would have some sort of identifying markers on their uniforms to tell who they were. Anything would help, really.

CJ stood up and walked to the side of the cell where the hallway was. Ash joined him, but they were only willing to get so close to the shield. Neither of them wanted to get knocked out by it before they could see who was coming. Having to stand back did prevent them from getting a good look down the hallway. Still, they were able to hear a stir from the other prisoners. From the muttering CJ heard, he could tell something was amiss, and that made him want to get a look at his captors even more.

When the ones walking down the hall finally appeared, CJ knew why there was so much murmuring. Three people were walking down the hall, two in full body armor and one in a white dress uniform. Even though the ones in armor did not show any skin, it was clear they were not human. And that was impossible. They were around human-sized, but they were not human. No other race in the galaxy was in the same size range as humans. Short to the other races was around 500 feet, 152 meters. Something the size of an office building could not have fit down that hallway.

The aliens were noticeably taller than a human but more slender. CJ thought he might have outweighed any of them. The skin was rough and light gray. Its eyes were a solid black. While the one in uniform wore gloves, he thought the tips of its three fingers looked like they had blunt claws. The face was flat like a human’s, maybe even flatter considering it did not have a nose, only slits where a nose would be.

Those aliens that should not exist stopped in front of CJ’s cell. They stared at CJ and Ash as they stared back. It was hard to read the body language of a race he had never seen before, but by how they stiffened, it was as if they did not like what they saw. Then, the one in the uniform gestured at CJ, saying only, “That one.”