"Are you sure? This one's the most stable, they should be-"

"No, haven't you been listening? It's not about stability, it's about susceptibility. I nee-receptive, that can adapt. This one almo-ast time, you hav-east one!"

"There aren't that many-"

A tremendous burst of pain laced behind my eyes as I slammed my head on the table. A wordless scream escaped me, yet I could not hear it. An earsplitting, persistent ring echoed through my skull; coupled with the now increasing thud of pain, I felt my head was being ripped in two. Slowly, agonizingly, the pain subsided; all I could hear was a quiet panting. It took me a bit to realize that was me.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and flinched, pulling away, still breathing heavily. I looked around at the surprised faces around the table and realized I also had tears streaming down my face. Wonderful. No doubt they now though I was a nutcase as well. I abruptly stood up.

"It appears I need some time alone. If you will excuse me." And with that, I was out the door. I vaguely heard a commotion from the room and Cassandra calling out to me, but I couldn't make any of it out as the door closed.

I had to keep moving. Find a distraction, something to focus on, anything. Not paying attention to where I was going, I tripped over a row of seats and promptly fell into the row opposite. I forced my self to calm down. It could mean nothing, just a strange coincidence. Had to be. Nothing to do with him. Wouldn't be possible.

Deep breaths.

I had to analyze what just happened. It was a flash from the past, that I knew, but the last time that had happened was almost exactly two years ago in Russia. But something about this one was different. It felt, foreign. As if it didn't belong to me. That voice...

I heard a click, pulling me back to reality.

"Yeah, I found him. Idiot didn't make it very far."

I glanced up to see the Asian woman, Ingrid, eyes and handgun locked on me as if she was daring me to run. I ignored her and wiped away what tears were left. A few moments later I heard several pairs of footsteps approaching. Instinctively, I pressed myself deeper into the seat in a vain attempt to hide, but thankfully he wasn't there. Feeling utterly exhausted, I looked up at the four figures standing in front of me. I was distantly aware that Cassandra was the only one without a weapon out. She was the first one to speak.

"Hank, what the fuck were you thinking!?"

She reached out, but I pulled back from her. Squeezing my eyes shut, I vaguely hoped she would leave. I could feel myself drifting on the fringes of sleep. A hand rested on my shoulder, but I was too far gone to do anything about it.

Waking up always took me a while. Never knew why, never really cared. As my body started the process of waking up, I became aware of the couch I was laying on; the blanket draped over me; voices coming from another room. For a moment, I didn't move, listening to the conversation happening without me.

"You really think this is a good idea!? The guy's fucked up! There's something wrong with him! And then he just got up and left! You should be thankful I haven't fucking shot him yet!"

"Will, that's enough! You really believe someone who went through five years of being a human guinea pig would come out completely normal!? They did that to him! That's why he's here!"

"You have to admit he is a liability, Cassie. While I agree he can help us, I just don't agree with you on how. "

"If I may interrupt, I fear judgment is being passed without crucial information about this young man."

That voice... Oh no, don't let it happen again.

The door opened suddenly, causing me to start in surprise. Again, I was met with the unwavering stare of Ingrid, who must have heard me somehow. Immediately behind her was Cassandra, concern etched across every fiber of her being.

"Hank, are you alright? What happened?"

I started to reply but stopped abruptly as I caught sight of the old man soul gazing me. I blinked, but he was already moving away. Pulling myself together, I sat up and met her eyes.

"It's difficult to explain."

"Amazingly enough, we have all the time in the world right now," Ingrid said, glaring at Cassandra. "But if Cassie has to keep babysitting you, I guarantee you will not last long."

"I don't need anyone babysitting me, I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself." I stood up to meet Ingrid's judgment.

'Really? Forgive me, but after that little episode I don't quite believe you."

Cassandra intervened, both physically and verbally. "I don't think we should pass judgment without hearing his explanation."

This time it was Will who spoke up. "Oh please! You're starting to sound like old Dimitri! 'Let's see what he has to say before we do anything'. I've wasted enough of my time here. I have more pressing matters to attend to." He tried to leave but was stopped cold by an unwavering stare. He must have seen something there, because he turned right back into the room, crossing his arms in resignation. "I guess I could hear him out."

Cassandra nodded and turned to Grant, who was watching the scene unfold. He shrugged. "Doesn't look like I have much choice. Let him speak."

Cassandra started to speak but was interrupted by Ingrid. "If you don't mind, I'll be asking the questions." Without waiting, she locked eyes with me and began.

"Why did you attempt to leave federal custody?"

"I wasn't attempting to leave federal custody, as you put it, I was- I was overwhelmed and needed time alone."

"And that reaction had something to do with why you slammed your head into the table and screamed?"

"Did I scream?"

"Yes. Gave Cassandra quite a fright."

"I had a flash from the past...it usually comes with unbearable pain, hence the..."

"It's happened before?"

"...yes, but not for some time."

"And when was the last time?"

"Two years ago, right before I finally left Russia. It hasn't happened since. Well, until now."

"Do you know what caused it this time?"

Yes. "Not specifically, no."

Ingrid tilted her head as if she could sense I was hiding something, but she let it pass. "So, in this memory, can you hear voices?" I nodded. "What were they saying?"

"Fragmented sentences that didn't make sense, but-" I stopped myself, something nagging at the back of my mind. I didn't trust myself to look anywhere else but Ingrid. Taking a deep breath, I continued. "It was more of an echo than a..." I paused, reconsidering. "If it was a memory, it wasn't my own."

A dull thud came from the other room.

Ignoring it, Ingrid pressed on. "Something tells me this isn't normal."

"No, it's not."

She paused briefly to consider this, then asked, "Can you tell where this took place?"

"In their main facility. I recognized the room; I've been in it before, but I didn't see myself in it at that moment."

A moment of silence, then Grant spoke. "What I want is to see you do the telekinesis thing Cassie said you can do. Frankly, I don't believe it."

"Whoa, telekinesis? You're telling me this idiot can lift shit with his mind!?"

Cassandra smothered a laugh while Ingrid and Grant both shot Will an exasperated look. Grant put a hand to his face as Ingrid said, "You really didn't read Cassie's report, now did you?"

"I- skimmed it."

"You skimmed it?"

Will was now turning a slight shade of red, looking anywhere but at his teammates. Grant snorted and shook his head.

"No, I can't 'lift shit' with my mind. If you find something cracked or ripped, I can show you."

Grant pulled out his phone. "Dropped this a while back and the screen cracked. Would that work?"

"That should work, yes."

He handed me his phone and the others crowded around, making me feel a little claustrophobic. The screen did have a spiderweb crack on the bottom of the screen. A bit more complicated than a sheet of paper, but doable.

I held the phone out, making sure everyone could see, before placing my thumb on the worst of the crack. A small flash of pain laced down my arm, and I could feel the crack closing up. I moved my thumb across the rest of the fractured glass until the screen was whole again. I handed Grant back his phone and shook my arm, trying to get rid of the ache that inevitably grew.

The others were silent, watching Grant inspect the screen for cracks that were no longer there. He looked at me and said, "Well, I'm convinced. Thanks."

Ingrid noticed me holding my arm. "It causes pain to do that."

"Sometimes, depending on what material it is. It's also quite tiring." As I said that, I noticed I was swaying slightly. Ingrid noticed it as well.

"I see it does."

There was a brief knock on the door frame, and everyone turned to see Dimitri standing in the doorway. I flinched at the sight of him; in an attempt to back away, the backs of my knees hit the couch and I fell back onto it.

"I would like to talk to young Hank if you don't mind." When no one moved, he added, "Alone."

Cassandra flashed one last glance at me before leaving with the rest. When we were finally alone, he closed the door behind him. I watched him, wary of his every move. I was frozen in place, my heart rate increasing as my anxiety skyrocketed. For a moment, neither of us moved. Then he made a movement towards me, and that was enough for my fight or flight response to kick in; I was over the couch and against the back wall before he had taken a step.

"Well, that answers my first question. You do recognize me. But I have a few more if you don't mind?"

When I didn't respond, he gave a gentle smile. "I should have expected as much. You wouldn't have any fond memories of me, would you?" He paused, smile gone. "Actually that's what I wanted to ask you about. I couldn't help but overhear your earlier conversation, about the echo you described. I have a feeling you can help me understand something about it." He fixed me with a stare that stripped me away piece by piece.

"It was me you heard, wasn't it?"

Pain. My mind was splitting itself apart again and again. I couldn't move, try as I might to desperately to look away, close my eyes, anything. I was aware of the look of genuine shock on his face as I writhed in agony, fragments of voices-his voice-jumbled around my subconscious sending spikes of pain thundering through me every time they hit a wall.

The door crashed open and caught his attention, tearing his gaze from mine. In an instant, the pain vanished and I collapsed to the ground, gasping. I waited for unconsciousness to claim me, to fill the sudden void the pain had left, but it refused to come. I could dimly feel hands picking me up, anxious voices floating around as I was carried. As I drifted on the edges of semi-consciousness, I could make out snippets...

"What the hell happened in there?"

"-sure myself, but for his safety, I may have to stay awa-"

The conversation drifted off as I was carried away. Thinking was too much for the moment, so I focused on the footsteps of the person carrying me. Opening my eyes slightly, I could see it was Will who was carrying me. And he didn't look too happy about it.

Sometime later I was dumped unceremoniously onto another couch. Focusing on my breathing, I listened to what I could of the conversation the other agents were having. About me, of course.

"You think he's unconscious?" Ingrid.

"Unless he can open his eyes while he's knocked out, I doubt it." A pause. Will continued, "Do we even know the extent of what those fuckers did to him? This feels like some psychic PTSD shit to me."

"No; the extent of what we know is that he and hundreds of others were subjugated to intense human experimentation. For how long, we aren't sure."

"Five years." That was me, feeling I had to say something. Pushing through the exhaustion, I sat up and found their eyes on me.

Grant asked the question I'm sure they were all thinking, "Are you going to tell us, or what?"

I didn't dare tell them everything, only what I could bear. After all, some things were best forgotten.