I sit bolt up right from the recliner I'd fallen asleep on. with a groan I push myself up to check what has all the animals so riled up. I grab the AR10 I keep next to the door and don my helmet with its NVGs and turn them on. I gently push the door open easing out scanning the yard with my rifle at the low ready. I carefully stalk down steps from my porch moving across the gravel driveway toward the barn, chicken tractors and hog house. The cacophony of animal noises drowning out what the crunch of the gravel beneath my bare feet. Moving from door to door checking each stall, the various animals in an obvious panic for no apparent reason. With the barn, hog house, coop, and yard all cleared. I scratch my head in confusion standing alone in just a pair of American flag boxer briefs and a helmet with NVGs on. I chuckle softly to myself and walk back toward the house still scanning the tree line and the corners of buildings and my old truck, the animals still raising a fuss, but slowly calming down. Stopping half way in the door I scan the area one last time where I spot a strange light rapidly growing larger. The light goes from a spot no bigger than the stars around it to the size of the moon in a matter of seconds. I scramble back posting up in a kneeling position with my rifle at the low ready. My right eye closed to protect it from the growing light. My heart starts hammering in my chest I catch my breathing starting to change and make a conscious effort to make deep deliberate breaths. Suddenly a wreath of light shoots out from the now massive light. The ring of light explodes in size doubling each second. For a fraction of a second I see the trees bow down under a wave of pressure.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

"Fuck" I gasp out. rapidly doing a self check, no blood, minimal pain, pounding head ache. I look around and note the sterile environment. My mind immediately goes to the Kamino scenes from Star Wars. The strange sci-fi room with even cold lighting and no discernable point where the light is coming from, no shadows anywhere despite the cot I'm laying on and the desk and chair. The room has a single door leading to a small bathroom but no windows. looking in the mirror I see that I'm now dressed in a charcoal grey uniform similar to my dads old BDUs. Walking back into the main room I notice there's a package that looks very much like an MRE and what I can only call a canteen alongside a large book on the small desk. With nothing better to do I sit down and open the MRE pleased to find the instructions and labeling is all in English. "Simulated Pork Ribs" "Wheat Tortilla" "Artificial Maple Muffin Top" "Lime Electrolyte Drink Mix" all with the accompanying bag of cutlery chiclets, and coffee somehow all my favorite MRE parts in one meal. Lacking the customary heater pack and its infamous "rock or something" label. in its place is a metallic looking wrap around hot pocket type thing. the instructions read "Wrap heating sleeve around food pouch, wait 1 minute and enjoy." with pictures showing the same. I follow the instructions and let out a quite "huh" when the sleeve snaps together as if it has magnets to keep it closed. I set it to the side and mix the lime drink in the provided bag. by the time its all dissolved I can feel heat radiating off the meal pouch. I pull the food out of the sleeve and upon opening it I smile at how much easier it is to open than what I'm used to. I set to eating and open the book and start reading.