The fog in his mind lifted. There were men in the room. He could not see them, but he could feel them. Just like he could feel the knot from the blindfold digging into the back of his head. Just like he could feel the gag in his mouth. Just like he could feel the cold, metal edges of the restraints cutting into his wrists.
Blindfolded, gagged, and restrained - stripped of sight, speech, and movement - Steve could still feel.
He felt each needle pierce his skin as they did their experiment.
He felt the stabbing pain of each broken rib as they pushed and prodded him.
He felt the fever that burned through his body; another infection they gave him.
Then he could see. The blindfold gone. The gag, too. The men were there; he could see them. But they were faceless, inhuman. Who were they? What did they want from him?
A guard entered. Steve knew him. He had broken Steve's ribs earlier for not moving fast enough. He had no face, but Steve knew him.
The guard was not alone. He dragged a prisoner - small, face covered, crying. Steve knew those cries. They pierced his heart.
"Kayla?"
No answer.
"Kayla!" Steve screamed. "Dammit, show me her face, you son of a bitch."
The guard laughed, pushed her forward, and pulled the hood off.
It was her. The golden hair that softly brushed his chest when he held her in his arms at night. The blue eyes that sparkled with light and love and that he swore could see inside his soul.
Kayla.
His Kayla.
She had found him.
Cold laughter from a faceless man silenced that joyful thought.
The blindfold returned. The knot dug into the back of his head and he could not see. He still felt her, and he cried out for her, but the gag was back too.
But he felt her. And he heard her. Screaming from across the room, too far to reach even as he strained against the binds that held him down. He had to get to her. He had to save her.
Steve ripped the blindfold off and stripped the gag away, but his hands were still bound. He could see her now. Her eyes - the eyes that gave him love and life - filled with pain
He strained against the restraints, but they wouldn't release. No matter how hard he tried, he could not move. Her screams and the cold laughter mixed, echoing around the room.
Then she was gone. The cries stopped. The laughter - the cold, empty laughter - continued.
Steve strained once more against the restraints. His arms seemed ready to pull free of their sockets. But that caused him no pain; the pain was already there as he screamed once more. Just one word.
"KAYLA!"