I woke, the memory of that last bite, the gaping jaw of the male lion closing on my throat while its mates dragged on my legs causing an unconscious lurch upward.  My hand found my throat, and even as I knew, but my body was unsure of, I found my skin smooth, unmarked, and ready for any new form of abuse I chose to subject it to in this universe.

The metal grating under me vibrated at a frequency only attainable by a very hard working human pumping a machine, or by a machine.  This plus the fine regular gridwork let me conclude I was in a world with some technical sophistication.

Reasoning done, I jumped to my feet, and slipped into my pocket the dagger I had been given to defend myself with in the gladiatorial arena of the last world.  Because that metal floor was c-c-cold.  In the darkness, I felt about, hoping I did not find something inimical, and then my fingers hit a switch.

With a prayer, I flipped it.  Light flooded the small chamber of metal and glass I stood in.  It was some sort of passage between other areas, and sealed off.  I wondered why, but the sight of dangling electrical lines explained much.

The Cyrillic alphabet on the wall resolved to "Have papers ready for inspection."  which was a problem since I did not have any papers.

Looking for more information, I turned about, and looked out the glass window.  A frozen, snow-covered landscape hurtled past.  Dark forrests of dense pine, and covering snow gave way to pasture land covered chest-high with snow, and from thence back to pine.

Great.  I was in Siberia if this world’s geography parralled the design of my home world, which while probable was not certain.  And, by the smoothness and speed of the ride on the tracks, I would say we were on a magnetic levitation train.  Anything more advanced would have ceramic walls, instead of  metal walls.  The great Rennaissance of the early 22nd led to vast new technologies, and wars, of course.  But in those timelines, the wars were over pure beach sand as it was the integral component of walls stronger than steel, and far cheaper, and of transport systems whose math boggled my mind.  Possiblility Drives made my mind hurt.  Anything that moves because it could move, maybe just makes me want to whine like a confused puppy dog.

The train was going to fast for me to survive a jump, and so I turned off the light, and slipt out.  When I want to be, I am dreadfully silent.  So while, a railroad car doesn’t offer the best cover, I made it up four cars toward what I hoped was the front motive power force before I saw a curious hatch in the roof of a car.

This hatch was reinforced on all sides by steel I-beams which seemed utterly unreasonable.  So I slipped up the steps even as someone headed my way.  But, it was no problem.

I spun the hatch open, and after a quick peek, clambered inside.  All of this was Just-in-time to avoid the oncoming crew.

The hatch led me into a tank turret with what looked like an active 160 mm bore cannon cradled on the roof a passenger train car.  I had little time to further examine things as the rightful user came up the metal steps, and spun the door open.

He groused, and complained about his captain, and the stupid test procedures even as he retrieved a bottle of potato Vodka from a slot near his left hand.  He set about fighting off the bone-numbing child in the turret with the traditional means.  Meanwhile, I hid crunched up uncomfortably behind his chair.

Finally, an hour and a half later, he staggered out of his chair, and headed off to ….