* I apologize, but this is lowered to at least one or two times weekly as you may have noticed that I have another story that I am working on. Please be patient with me, and thank you all for checking out my other stories old and new. -Traveler.

(Logan's P.O.V.)

I saw the all too familiar rock walls of the Black Tent Mountain, and I realized I was in a group of horse riders, seeing Jason in the back, and I remembered this day too well. We were coming into a ambush of Iraqi rogue soldiers with guns and swords, and I remember shooting them back, but we were in a maze, unable to get a clear sight of any exit to freedom, and then they came out of nowhere from cave crevices, coming down to attack us.

I remember shouting and leading my squadron and I remember going to the right but it was a cul de sac aka a dead end. It was vicious, two sides fighting to live and survive, and it all too soon revealed that I and Jason was the only survivors left. I felt regret, guilt, anger, realizing that I led people to their deaths, and ever since then, I had nightmares of this day. Only Jason knew most of it, but not my innermost thoughts of thinking that it should have been me instead of my squadron.

I quickly looked over myself, vaguely recognizing that I was back in my old uniform, all the bells and whistles, and seeing grenades at my waist, a plan slowly formed in my mind as I half lent a ear to those familiar voices speaking and chuckling, and I looked up, watching for that glint of sword as my squadron only had guns and hidden knives.

A sliver of memory came through my mind, remembering what Pippa spoke about her tests, and that there are three attributes to those tests; physical, mental, and spiritual. I have clearly passed the physical test as running and killing those raptors sure was exhausting on my body, and now, this is the mental test for this must be some sort of virtual reality to the past, and I bet it's due to the Spirits' skill in magic.

I hear my second-in-command ask out loud in confusion and concern, "Captain Valkara? What is it?", and I spoke cautiously, "Something in the air. I have a bad feeling about it. Tell them to zip up and lock down.". I hear him speak in both loyalty and confusion, "Yes, Captain Valkara.", hearing him hiss loudly at the nearby horse riders, hearing the distinct sound of the safety feature of their guns clicking off, especially the familiar sound of Jason's sniper rifle.

I saw some landmarks that I vaguely remember from this day, and kept walking on, urging my horse a tad faster than I did this day, wanting all the lives of my squadron to be safe and alive including my brother, and sure enough, I saw the shine of a sword, and I shouted a order for them to keep going while shooting back, and I urged my horse on faster, searching for that fateful split, and saw it too quickly, stopping at once and turning around to point to the left, "Go, go!", seeing them head to the left instead of that damn right dead end.

I saw the rogue riders coming, and I narrowed my eyes, grabbing the grenades, and seeing Jason's horrified glance in the distance, hearing him shout, "Logan!", and I sent him a half-smirk, half-smile as I threw the grenades at the rocks on the upside, hearing explosions as the rocks fell, blocking the left turn completely, hearing the squadron's shouts on the other side, but I knew they were safe, and I turned my face at the rogues, "See if you can get me!".

I then urged my horse into a gallop at the rogues, seeing their faces grow shocked and confused yet I saw them pointing some of their guns at me as I shot back with my gun, feeling relief, determination, hope as my squadron is safe including Jason, and somehow, my guilt lessened to a ache instead of that damn scorching burn on my soul.

It was a blur, a darkness that came when I felt pain, and the next thing I knew, I flinched in confusion and pain as light blinded me, and I ducked my head down as I vaguely made out a strong headlight, and shadows of people around it. I hear distinct tongues of Arabic, Turkish, and Kurdish, and I realized that I was trapped to a chair, ropes around me, tight and sure that I couldn't escape from.

I heard rumors that bands of rogue Iraqi including the one I killed with my squadron that day, were able of great skills that are said to be torturing to enemies, and since I seemed to have averted their victory of taking my squadron's lives, I was a enemy to them this time.

Two of my torturers were translators, speaking English for their friends, asking questions like who am I, why was I and my squadron there, where is the base camp, plans of transportation, weapons, etc.. I refused most of them, only speaking my name, my rank, and my serial number.

The first few days were much of the same; throwing manmade salt water on my gunshot wounds which was on my shoulder and leg, isolation breaks, and interrogation repeats. Then it got worse...The days then blurred of them stripping me off, using hammers and bats to land hits on the wounds, and breaking my fingers and toes.

I kept repeating my name, my rank, my serial number all through, memories of Jason, my parents, my friends, Jasmine going through my mind, and I made sure I behaved when it came to brief reprieves of fresh water, realizing that they wanted me alive yet barely surviving as they must have known that a person couldn't survive without water after three days.

They must have gotten bored and frustrated as soon after I endured my very last toe being broken, through I don't know how long it has been as the room I was in has been dark so much, and I was pushed into the floor, exhausted and dazed as I felt ropes freeing from my body, yet as the chair moved from me, I felt my hands drawn back into ropes behind my back, and I then felt cloth go over my head as they roughly grabbed me up into standing and walking.

I felt changes in the air, the temperature, the environment as I was marched forcefully, and then I hear sounds. Sounds of more people, horses, sheep, metal, fireplaces reached my ears as I felt fresh air caress my skin, and I can smell smoke, ash, hay, wood, food through the hood, and I can see faint sunlight through it was weak.

Judging by the air, the light, the food, it must be close to late afternoon, and I felt my stomach growl at the sensation of food in the air, and I heard laughter aimed at me by my torturers and other people in the distance. I felt embarrassed, humiliated, and furious as I was full bared out in public despite the hood.

I then heard metal and wood at the same time, and I assumed that a door or a gate was being opened or closed as I was pushed into walking on some more. The ground is remaining the same, a grainy, dusty color that is warm to the touch, and then suddenly, a tad more warmer as I felt the sun on me, not the full sun per sec, but like one of the sunset beams.

I was then stopped roughly, and then I felt the clank of metal coming up to me, feeling the shadow of a person, and hands touched me with metal in the palms. I then felt someone behind me forcing my head back with his arm under my chin, and then I felt metal wrap around my neck, hearing the click of something meeting together.

I lagged under the weight of the metal, and realized that I was being chained like a dog! I hear people speaking harshly, and I then felt the rope around my hands being freed momentarily, moving them forward, hoping to land a hit on somebody before I felt them being grabbed, and pushed back together into a bind in front of me, and then I felt metal again around my wrists, hearing that click again, realizing that it is shackles, feeling the weight sag again.

I then felt a hand grab into my head, getting the hood off me, the light blinding me as I attempted to blink repeatedly before I then was able to take a clear look, hearing people laugh in the distance. I saw the chain long tied from a wooden and metal pole, and I looked down, seeing my shackles, saw that they and my neck shackle was somehow formed of the chain, like a y split.

I grunted as I pulled, walking back, shaking my head, but the chain was wrought up tight as I felt it rubbing against my skin on the neck and the wrists, and I panted heavily, hearing chortles in the distance, and I looked up, seeing that I was in a open-space fence of wood and metal, my torturers smirking and grinning smugly upon me with glee, lust in their eyes.

I then realized that I am nude before them, and I ran to the opposite direction, away from them, but to my horror and humiliation, it wasn't just the front, but all sides around the fence is more people, mostly men with a few women here and there, and I backed away, hearing their leers and laughter, and turned to the post, the chain shackling off in length but still so heavy as I sat against the pole, my back turned to my torturers and their people, hiding from them as I felt the sunbeams dim away over minutes and minutes, giving away to the beginning of night, and within night, I knew I was to endure the freezing cold.

I turned to my thoughts, my memories as I entirely ignored numbers of eyes upon me, and I remembered Jasmine telling me of her situations with men, and I realized that even if this is only virtual reality of sorts, I am to have the very same, if verily different situation.

After all, she once went through this, and came out free and safe, if changed somewhat, and I swore to do the same, not for me, but for my family, my friends, and especially her. I have to pass this test no matter what, to fight for what I live for, and I took a deep breath, preparing for what awaits me, knowing that I have to survive.