Not On My Watch

So I was supposed to enlist in a limited tour of duty, then they surprised me with an additional amount of money, only if I decided to sign up for extra duty.

I was simply ok with this additional money, but it was fine print that I was not clear on. Very simply put, I was not sure what was supposed to happen, much less being involved in solving other people's or other countries' problems. This is not what I had signed up for.

I was unaware of what would happen if I backed out, or if I changed my mind, or worse yet was where they would place me or drop me off. Then reality snuck in, planted itself in my burnt-out brain cells, that this would be no ordinary enlistment. I was suckered into something that I may or may not return from.

It was when I was boarding, first the bus, then the train, then arriving at the airport, that I noticed it was a solo enlistment, a suicide mission that would have me risking my life, life, and limb or worse yet, death.

I had only read about these secret mercenary missions, going into places that were not on the map, or any map available to the public, much less having an easily accessible way to enter or exit if you were lucky enough to survive.

It would be so secretive, that nothing to leave a paper trail was even given or mentioned, not until you arrive at your destination, and even then, the government would deny any acknowledgement of you being there or being on their watch list.

It was easier to send in criminals or people who were considered undesirable who the government wanted to disappear or vanish. It was easier said and done for criminals, for they had a choice, either you do your duty, or you would go missing and would never be heard from again.

The undesirables were a whole difference all together. They had no choice. They were made to go and then even after they succeeded, they were then listed as a POW or MIA, all this for doing the government's dirty work. If you blinked, sneezed, exposed your poker face, or had odd body language, they may decide to end your life on the spot.

A sniper waited in the shadows or on a distant rooftop, all the while having an itchy trigger finger. Your life was in their hands from start to finish.

So back to my present dilemma. I was finally on this plane to nowhere, and right when I thought it could not get worse, was handed a parachute, told to stand up and the floor beneath my seat, gave way, opening to the sky below.

I was shoved into the accessible hole, clutching the parachute tightly against my chest, then hurriedly, I tried to put the parachute on. I was quickly falling towards Earth, in God only knows where.

I was screaming, or I was imaging this. The faster I fell the more I could see the clouds change into trees and grass. I brushed the treetops, hitting rocks and other sharp objects, almost hitting the ground. I was swallowed into an opening in the ground. I landed on a soft surface, not sure what happened from the moment I was pushed off the plane and to the moment I arrived.

A loud whirling crashing noise was heard in the distance, then several large, muscled men approached, guns drawn. One pointed his gun at me, nudging me forward. I moved slowly, after having the shock of my life presented to me.

I was not sure what to make of this, when we arrived at a large vault size door, it opened into a series of tunnels. I was directed to sit on one of the golf carts, at the entrance of this tunnel. It was then the people who I had thought were men, were nothing close to being men. These women were all identical. In every aspect of identical, from the faces to the jumpsuits they wore.

I was then rapidly whisked away and as we passed areas of labs and entrances to other tunnels and other labs, it was apparent that I was beginning to feel like an experiment, or worse, an undesirable or both.

When we entered a checkpoint, I was removed from the golf cart, thrown against the wall, and searched. All the things I was given or was wearing were removed. I was stripped to my birthday suit.

It was an embarrassing moment, lasting only what seemed like an eternity. I was thrown into a cell, sprayed for dust mites and lice. I was harshly spoken to and ordered to dress in a white colored suit, before I would be allowed to exit the cell. I assumed it was the procedure deemed necessary for all things here to run smoothly.

After dressing, I was removed from the cell, thrown onto another golf cart, and quickly transported to another series of tunnels, arriving within a few minutes, like being teleported. I was blindfolded, shackled, and placed in another cell with a phone for communication.

It was then I was introduced to the one person I never thought was to be my judge jury and hopefully not my executioner. I was staring at the one person, who would either give me false hope to truthfully lie to me, either way I was doomed.

I was coming face to face with my own accuser. It was not how I imagined it, yet I was nervous. I then rose up, to show respect, and then shoved back into a chair. I saw the mirror change into a viewing room. The one who was to judge me appeared behind a screen, then the screen rose up and the individual spoke.

I was being judged by myself, yes, the one who had stared back at me, was me. I was scared. I screamed loudly. I was filled with terror and went insane, grabbing my now falling hair that made me bald like a cancer patient.

I had loathed this moment, yet knowing how I was going to judge myself, I heard a thundering booming voice say, "Guilty". This was the one word I never wanted to hear, ever.