When he awoke, the glare of blinding bright lights met his eyes. Squinting, he made out two faces like his own peering down on him. It was then he noticed that something was holding him. He was shackled around his wrists and ankles, resting on a slanted sheet of steel. "Okay, I think he's awake now," one voice said in the room. He looked around the small room and found his jacket and shirt draped over the back of a chair. His wounded side of his face was mysteriously almost healed.

"Good morning son," A tall blocky man in a military uniform said as the lights dimmed, "My name is General Don Lussein. What's yours?"

The table had rotated and adjusted its angle so that the stranger was looking straight in the face if the man who addressed him. He remained silent- lost for words.

"Your name?" the General asked again- and again receiving no response. Lussein sighed. "Look boy, you see this?" he asked, pointing to a small golden tag on his uniform, "This here is my name. Don Lussein. What's yours?"

The shackled stranger looked on his muscular torso and found no similar tag like Lussein's. His eyes quickly darted across the room with his impaired field of vision. Suddenly he laid eyes on a visible tag, pinned on the chest of a nearby woman. "Nikki," the stranger quickly blurted out.

"Huh?" the dark-haired woman with glasses asked.

"No Nikki, that's what the guy says his name is. Nicky," the General said placidly. "So, your name's Nicky, is it?" Lussein asked. Nicky quickly nodded. "Well then Nick, mind telling us where you came from?"

"I... I don't know," The stranger groaned.

"A real piece of work he is," Lussein groaned as he turned away. "Nikki, keep working on him," he said as he left the room. Everyone else in the tiny white room left with the General, except for Nikki.

"What's going on?" Nick asked weakly. "Why am I in this trap?"

"Oh, it's not a trap," Nikki sighed, "It's a restraint."

"Restraint?" Nick asked, "Why am I in it?"

Nikki was unresponsive.

"Can you let me out?"

"Nope. Sorry, I can't do that."

"Why not?"

"Look, I just can't. Lussein told me not to."

"Why do you follow his commands? Is he your leader?"

"Yes, yes you could say that."

Nick fidgeted uneasily in his shackles. "Can I ask him then?"

"Nope. He won't let you out either," Nikki replied, sitting down at a nearby computer desk and plugging away commands.

"Why?" Nick asked innocently.

"Nevermind," Nikki said bluntly. "Now hold still," she said as Nick's restraint table returned to its original slanted position, "If you really can feel pain, this won't hurt if you don't move."

Suddenly, a large mechanical arm reached in front of Nick. Nick's head darted over his left shoulder to see Nikki still sitting at her computer chair. The arm squeaked, and produced a sharp needle-like object from its tip. "Huh? What's happening?" Nick asked, panicked.

"Just a diagnostic procedure," Nikki hummed, punching more commands into her computer as the arm slowly advanced towards Nick's neck.

"W- what is that thing? What are you doing?" Nick shrieked.

"Look, just stay still and it won't hurt at all," Nikki said.

Nick began to struggle against his restraints.

"Don't bother, you'll never break them," Nikki said calmly as the arm neared Nick's neck, "Those are state of the art Steetani-"

Her words were cut short, as Nick's arm violently broke free of its shackle. Nikki jumped out of her chair in shock, and watched Nick grasp the advancing arm and tug it towards him, ripping it from its mount on the ceiling. With more violent jerks, Nick slowly freed himself from his shackles.

Nikki shrieked and flattened herself against the wall. Nick was on his feet again, and walked to the chair and picked up his jacket and shirt. Nick scanned the room. "How do you get out of here?" he asked calmly.

Nikki felt suddenly awkward. "Y-y-you mean. you're not going to kill me?" she trembled.

"Kill you?" Nick asked, "Why?"

Nikki breathed a sigh of relief. "So, you're not dangerous then?"

"Dangerous?" Nick asked confused, "Me?" Nick sighed. "I really wish I knew who I am. what I am. I'm so confused," he groaned.

"You don't know?" she asked, a bit bewildered.

Nick slowly shook his head.

Nikki took her wheeled computer chair and rolled it towards Nick. "Sit down," she said leaning up against her desk, "It's a pretty long story."