I sit in what feels and looks like a prison cell, staring at the floor. But I know what it really is. It's the start of a maze. I also know that at any moment the door in front of me will open, and I'll be sent out into that maze filled with terror and pain. Stryker had put me through this exercise plenty of times before. Right now, I'm just waiting for him to come and tell me what makes this maze different from all the others I've gone through.

"Ah, Luna." The door opens, I can hear Stryker's footsteps as he approaches me. "How are we feeling today?"

"Same as the last time you asked," I growl.

"You know what I meant, Luna," he snaps back at me, "The adamantium?"

I stand up. "I don't feel like my body is fighting off any infections, poisons or toxins," I sigh with disgust, "And if you want proof of how well I've regained my strength, check the gym."

"They've already let you in the gym?" he asks in surprise.

"Yeah. And a word of advice to you," I say while moving towards the door.

"What?"

"Metal punching bags."

Stryker raises an eyebrow, but just says, "I'll look into that."

I open the door and look out at the new maze that's been made to test me. It's mostly made of boxes from what I can see. "So this maze is different from the last one how?" I ask.

"Risk and reward," he says, "Are you familiar with the concept?"

"A gamble. You are given a reward to reach for, and if the task, or risk, is completed, you earn that reward."

"Excellent."

"I'm not a child," I growl, "and I don't like being treated as if I am," I turn to face him, "In fact, I'm a lot older than you think I am."

"Yes, well," Stryker clears his throat, "Since you are indeed familiar with the concept, allow me to explain how it correlates with the maze. The risk is rather obvious, make it out of the maze. However, this time," he walks towards me, "There is a twist."

"What?"

"You not only have to make it out, you have to survive the maze."

It's my turn to raise an eyebrow. "Survive? What, are there soldiers?"

"You'll find out," he tells me with a smirk.

"And the reward?" I ask with suspicion.

"If you survive and make it out of the maze, you get to go free."

"You're bluffing," I scoff, "I'm your 'favorite experiment', remember?"

He just walks past me and holds the door open. "Well, in that case, I should think the reward far exceeds the risk. Especially when the end of this maze is an open door to the outside." He grabs my arm and shoves me out into the maze. "By the way, two other things you need to know. If you use your claws, it will be over, and everything you did up to that point will be for nothing."

"No claws, got it," I say, "And the other thing?"

"When I say you have to 'survive' the maze, I mean that you don't get a single scratch on you. No healing factor will be involved."

"Got it."

Stryker nods. "Let the test begin," he says. I simply turn and enter the maze.

Several minutes later I had learned why Stryker's conditions were what they were. Making it out of the maze would have been easy, if not for the main part that I had to "survive".

"Janey…" a voice calls in mock sing-song.

I duck behind a corner and silence my breathing. 'Damn you, Stryker!' I think, 'I hope you burn in hell till your bones can't even be called ashes!'

"Janey?"

I freeze. The tone of my stalker's voice has just changed.

"J-Janey? Are you here? Is everything alright?"

I close my eyes and take a few breaths before dashing down the hallway to the next corner. There I turn sharply and duck behind a box. A set of footfalls follows me the entire way.

"Janey?! What's wrong?"

I wish he would just shut up, but he won't. And doubtless Stryker realizes this is a new way to torture me. I shudder as I realize how he'll probably use it.

Thinking quickly I look around me. Two feet away is a good-sized chunk of metal. I carefully slide one bare foot over to it and pull it back over to me.

"Janey?"

I poke my head quickly into the hallway, then throw the hunk of metal so that it lands at the opposite end of the hallway. Footsteps tell me my trick worked. I look out again and see the silhouette of my pursuer at the end of the hallway. I quickly dash to the other end and turn right, then two lefts and another right.

"Janey! Where are you?!"

The scents of worry and fear brushed past my nose. 'Please stop this!' I beg, 'Please just end it right now!'

"Janey, please come out. Please?" A footstep hits the floor, close to my hiding place. "You're starting to make me worry, Janey. Please, just come on out and tell me what's going on." I stay exactly where I am, barely breathing. "Janey?..."

That's the last straw, I can't take any more of this. I turn and rush towards my older brother. "Please, just stop this!" I beg, tears already falling down my cheeks.

Victor looks at me in surprise for a moment. "Janey, what are you talking about?" he asks as he steps forward and wraps his arms around me, "Stop what?"

The tears flood my cheeks as I look up at him. "This torture!" I finally yell, "This nightmare of a living hell that Stryker's putting me through!" I start sobbing against Victor's chest, "I just want it to end…"

"I can make it end, Luna," Stryker's voice come on over the PA system and I back away from my brother a little, "Is that what you want?" I stay silent as Victor throws looks of bewilderment at me and the speaker from which Stryker's voice is coming. "Tell you what, we'll just go ahead and call this a day…" His voice echoes as a click announces that the systems been shut off.

"There she is!" a voice yells. Before I can turn my head towards the sound a series of gunshots echoes down the corridor. I scream as a hail of bullets tears through me, spraying blood all over the nearby boxes and walls. Victor yells my name before something in him changes. The last thing that registers in my mind is my older brother charging towards me, claws bared, as another hail of bullets rips through my flesh.