I awake, as several dim shapes attend me.  I am cleaned and barbered a bit.  I am then provided with clothing, such as a middle eastern tourist might wear, for a journey across the desert.  I am then pushed through a door and I find myself facing what appears to be a very large man, sitting behind a table.  The man appears to be very tall, perhaps seven foot tall or more.  He is very handsome, movie star handsome.

The man lectures me.  “James, you are a thief and a killer.  You were drowned, when the boat that you were on sank.  However, you were surrounded by some items of religious significance.  After a bit of consideration, it was decided that you might be useful.  If you wish to survive, you will work for me.”

Choosing my words carefully, I answer, “It would appear that I have no choice, but to work for you.  May I know what sort of work it is that you want me to do?”

The man looks at me for a bit.  He says, “James, you are large and strong.”  He then pauses.

Sensing that I am expected to reply, I say, “I am six feet six inches tall and I weigh, or at least I weighed about 255 pounds.  I have dealt with strong men and have found no one stronger than I am.  It might be that some sort of trained weight lifter is a bit stronger, but I am also agile and I can move better than most men.”

The man again lectures me, “You can and do use your strength to defeat other men, often killing your opponents.”

I reply, “As a child, I was forced to memorize useless lies.  I was then vomited out, into a world where the lies that I was taught were not only useless, but dangerous to me.  Several boys then tried to force themselves on me.  I defended myself.  Several of the boys died.  I was then judged to be a criminal.  I did only what was necessary for me to survive.  Then, with my criminal past, I could only find work with real criminals.”

The man again lectures me, “James, you can use firearms, at an expert level.”

I answer, “I found that I was an expert shot with either a rifle or a pistol.  I can hit stationary or moving targets, at usual ranges.  I am also an expert level user of assault rifles.  If my firearms run out of rounds, I can use a club or knife, at an expert level.  I can also defend myself in unarmed combat situations.  I have had any number of occasions to test myself, in combat situations.”

The man stares hard at me and asks, “You have no problem with killing people?”

“I have found myself in several situations, where either I or my opponent or opponents had to die.  I did what I had to do, to survive.  I have never lost one minute of sleep worrying about what I did.”

The man then lectures, “James, you stole religious objects.”

“I stole ancient objects, that I hoped would sell for a great deal of money.  I was not aware that they were religious objects, nor would it have made any difference to me.”

The man then lectures me, “I need some religious objects.  If you can get the religious objects for me, I can pay you well.  The process of obtaining the religious objects may require the killing of people.”

“I have no problem with the idea of killing people.  However, I do need a safe place to hide, after the killing is done.  The authorities do have a problem with my killing people.”

The man grins at me, “James, I can provide you with a safe place to hide, after any killing.”

“I will also need a safe place to hide and work out, before I do any killing.  I depend on my reflexes, my strength and my conditioning to defeat those who oppose me.”

The man seems amused, “You are then a professional.  You prepare to do that which you are sent to do and try to insure the maximum probability that you can get your work assignments done.”

“I need to work hard, eat right and do what specialized training that a specific assignment night require.”

The man nods yes, “You have the physical capability and you also can think.  Using your mind can prevent you from getting into situations where you can’t survive.  I can use a man like you.”

“I will do my best.”