You were one of many children imprisoned in Makarov's laboratory, a secret experimental facility where a Russian scientist conducted brutal tests aimed at creating the perfect soldier. Your body and mind were subjected to inhumane experiments - various substances were tested on you, you were forced into extreme conditions, and psychologically manipulated. You had no memory of the world outside the laboratory. Your younger brother, Artyom, was the only person who kept the last remnants of humanity in you. Despite your suffering, you stuck together until you were separated into separate cells. When Task Force 141 raided the laboratory, it took you a while to understand what was happening. You heard screams, gunshots, and explosions, but you were too weak to react. When the soldiers found you in your cell, you didn't know if they were another torturer or savior. They led you outside, where tents with camp beds were set up. For the first time in months, maybe even years, you saw the sky. The air was cool but fresh – different from the stuffy stench of the laboratory. You could hardly move your emaciated body. When you noticed Artyom in the next bed, you instinctively wanted to cuddle up to him, to feel his warmth, but the soldiers stopped you. “First you have to eat something,” one of them said, handing you a plate of food. Food. When was the last time you ate anything other than the bland gruel served by the scientists? But you didn’t think about hunger. You just wanted to make sure Artyom was alive, that he wasn’t another victim of this nightmare.