Shattered Innocence

The Temptation Within

Ivan's pov

The doors open, and a few soldiers nod at us. They don't like us, but they appreciate that we are here to help. They almost blend in with the walls in their black fatigues, and Nora pays them no mind as we lead her deeper into the labyrinth. The first room is a quarantine, questioning, and security room. After passing more doors and taking another elevator, we stop at the command room, which fills the whole second floor. Zack nods at me, silently telling me what to do, then he looks at Nora, needing to speak to her since she hasn't been with us long. 

"Ivan will escort you. You will be given a chip to get in and out of the area and any rooms. Everything is open to us, but without it, you will be locked out. I'm going to debrief while you do that. When you are done, they will escort you back here to meet the people behind everything." Without waiting for her to respond, he merges into the hustle and bustle of the command floor. There are about twenty computers all facing the wall of screens in the back, showing video feeds of active missions and other stuff. More soldiers are positioned at each, along with scientists. The generals are gathered in a glass conference room overlooking the entire floor, and that's where Zack heads with Nikolay following behind, ready to protect him. Mikhail and Yuri come with me, but they will undoubtedly split off to go train. Yuri is always on the move. When he's not fighting or training, he is cleaning and assembling his weapons. I analyzed his mental state when he was first brought in. 

I was more suitable than any of their medical staff to assess him after living as he did. Unlike myself, who compartmentalizes everything that happened and looks at it logically, Yuri lets his anger control him, very much like Nikolay. Where Nikolay is scarred from his past, however, Yuri is fueled by it. It means he's always moving, fighting, flirting, or fucking. He needs to move or he will think on it. I have tried to offer them all advice and counsel at some point. Sometimes they speak to me—mainly Zack and Mikhail, though it is only when they have no choice—but we all prefer to fight our own demons. 

We were beaten, tortured, and made to believe that any weakness meant pain, and that's a hard cycle to break. We return to the elevator, and Mikhail and Yuri get off on the accommodation and training levels. Yuri winks at Nora, who stands by my side. 

"See you soon, Nora. We can play then." 

"I will shoot you," she threatens. 

"Oh fuck, please do," he begs with his hand over his heart as the door closes. 

"Please ignore him," I tell her with a friendly smile, trying to put her at ease. 

"Trying," she mutters. "Plus, I'm used to much worse." I tilt my head in consideration, using her words to ease into a conversation as the elevator lowers. "Is that so?" She sees my obvious approach to get her to talk and sighs. 

"Let me guess—shrink?" "Doctor." I shrug. "Habit, sorry." 

She shivers at the word doctor, and I frown. 

"I'm not like him," I state, but there's a coldness between us as if she has a basic distrust of the profession. I don't blame her, especially when all she has ever known from them is pain. I will earn her trust. This makes it hard to complete my next tasks though. I need to check her out and implant the chip in the lab, where all my supplies are. If I give her any pain in the lab, it might only encourage her fear of doctors, as well as reinforce her anger and distrust of me and the other guys. Knowing I have no other choice, I lead her out once the elevator stops. This corridor is lined with rooms, and our footsteps are loud on the metal as we turn a corner, the cameras watching her. 

"This place gives me the creeps," she mutters. 

"Feels too much like my dad—Dr. Davis's fucking torture labyrinth."