File: Clone.drone.in.the.danger.zone.v1.3.1.37.... -

By Wave 15, I didn't feel like a human anymore. I felt like a finely tuned instrument of death. I had acquired a bow, maximized my arrow deflection, and added a layer of heavy plating to my chassis. I needed it. The arena was now throwing MK-3 Swordsmen at me—heavy bots with armor that required multiple hits to break.

I looked up at the commentator ship. I wasn't just a clone fighting for amusement anymore. Every robot I destroyed, every arrow I deflected, was a middle finger to the Empire that had stolen my human life. File: Clone.Drone.in.the.Danger.Zone.v1.3.1.37....

"Welcome, Human 402, to your new life!" a booming, synthetic voice echoed from the massive floating screen above. It was the Emperor’s main commentator, a massive floating bot with a penchant for cruel sarcasm. "You have been upgraded! Try not to get sliced in half in the first ten seconds. The crowd hates a short show." By Wave 15, I didn't feel like a human anymore

Then, the floor shook. A massive door at the far end of the arena ground open. I needed it