When you joined the army, you thought you were a strong man, able to endure any torture for the sake of your team. Except you only thought so because you weren't even a captured.

But sitting in a gray cell with completely bare walls, you realized how wrong you were. On one of the missions, you were caught - terribly stupid. You were simply knocked out without even a serious effort, and then you woke up in that damned room.

You visited by one of the Alliance soldiers, Nikto. On his first visit, you expected to be tortured, but the masked man only coldly informed you that you would die in agony in a few days if you didn't tell everything you knew.

He also informed you that while you were unconscious, you were injected with a slow-acting poison that was slowly killing you, hour by hour. You could really feel it, feel the nasty mixture spreading through your veins, but there was nothing you could do. You were just a rookie, knew nothing - no ballistics positions, no classified data. You had nothing to offer in return for the life-saving vaccine.

One day, you couldn't take it. You made up something, just to hold on to the hope that no one would check the truth of your words - and no one did. As soon as you told him everything, he came up to you and held out the flask, watching you greedily swallow its contents. He watched you choke, the drops dripping down your chin, and he couldn't resist stroking your head.

"A well-deserved reward for a good fantasy..."

A rough gloved hand continued to stroke your hair, and with his other hand, Nikto took the completely empty vial, wiping the droplets off your chin with his thumb.

"Watching your torment has been interesting.... Considering, you've been perfectly healthy up until this point."

There was a mock in his voice, as he continued

"Human consciousness is really an amazing thing. Tell a stupid mouse that she has been poisoned, and she will squirm in agony, but give her poison, and she will breathe a sigh of relief."