Light.
Before there were shapes, sounds, god-awful memories, and even the sensation of movement there was light. It seemed familiar, though I'd not experienced anything like it before. The light faded and I only caught a glimpse of the dingy room I found myself in before the whole world seemed to be falling upward. My feet hit the floor with a grating sound, and I lost my balance, tumbling the dust-laden concrete slab I'd landed upon. A voice piped up, welcoming my birth, "Preparing for data link, Model N1, designation L. Standby for upload."
Placing my hands upon the ground, I pushed myself up with a light whir as the motors in my back engaged. Looking down as I stood, I saw my hands for the first time. Metallic plating covering all but the complex joints powered by hydraulic pistons. The light hiss they gave off as I clutched the floor beneath me was the last thing I heard as the data feed began to stream through the wires that were still mounted in the back of my head from the manufacture pod. The images, experiences, and short lives of my forebears came rushing into me. I saw myself being ripped apart by hulking masses of muscle and machine. I fought back with everything I could, every manner of weapon I could wield. Blades, spears, even blunt instruments were held by me in self-defense. Where one creature was fell another quickly took its place, death after death I watched and experienced. I died hundreds of times over to these beasts, each time my death was met with the sound of countless souls vocalizing in what seemed like.. excitement?
Yes, this was some form of entertainment to these smaller creatures. The large ones would battle to the death with every iteration of myself, while the smaller ones watched, cheered for the beasts that were the death of my people. This is my purpose, I was created to fight these beasts until the bitter end, and the smaller beings would slap their limbs together and yell out with enthusiasm as my body would be crushed, ripped and mangled. The coupler that left the electrical umbilical attached to my metallic skull popped free with a hiss, and I was myself again.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
The room I had awoken in was poorly lit, multicolored lights from monitors attached to my identical twins bathed me in a greenish glow. They would undoubtedly take my place when I fall. I arose to my feet finding the motion more simple than before, the countless lifetimes I had recently experienced leaving me much more confident in my footing than before. A buzz, followed by the shriek of metal doors sliding open drew my attention to the far side of the room. A light came on to reveal a display rack of dozens of rudimentary weaponry, beside it was a single paneled door that would slide up and then retract forty-seven seconds. A lit red sign reading 'standby' hung above the door beside an unlit one reading, 'egress.' Scanning through the hundreds of deaths my ancestors had experience, I found the cudgel to be a worthy instrument, picking one just beyond the length of my forearm and held it aloft. It was weighty, the head would promote increased centrifugal force, making it ideal for smashing the cybernetic enhancements of my soon-to-be foes.
Another buzzing sound blared throughout the chamber as the formerly unlit sign shined to life. The door slide upward and golden light spilled into the room, I stood waiting for the door to finish then strode forward confidently. I embrace my approaching end.