"So, Nikolai, when do we get out? I assume you've been here before."

"A few days. They never keep us long for these things." He stated, leaning back against the cell wall, slouching on the metal framed bed with a mattress so thin that it was probably slept on by Henry VIII. I held onto the metal bars across the cell from Nikolai, the coldness sending relief through my burning hands as the heat from outside doubled in the building.

"Good, I have things to do."

"That's my boy." I glanced round to see Nikolai smirking and then winking at me, a glimmer of pride lining his pupils. "Never give up on what you believe in." I smiled briefly before looking back down the corridor, sliding my arms through the gaps between the bars and leaning on them. There was an office desk and chair at the start of the corridor with a clock above it, of which I could only just see the hands slowly ticking away along their journey, calling to each other every step they took. We had been here since last night and now it was late morning. A guard, or anyone to be honest, hadn't been down since we got here and that concerned me; why hadn't anyone checked on us?

I sighed, turning back around to face the inside of the cell. The grey paint peeled away from the walls; even the walls were disgusted by the colour. Dents and scratches and marks were scattered around the walls; numbers, tally charts, dates, names. Two beds lay either side of the cell with a sink in between them. Walking to the sink, I turned it on and began splashing cold water on my face, the coolness relaxing my tense muscles.

"Hey, it'll be alright mate." Nikolai said, shuffling to the edge of the bed and placing his hand on my shoulder. He reached into my jacket pocket, pulling out a small photo and handing it to me. It was a black and white image of a young lady with a tiny baby resting in her arms. The lady looked adoringly at the child, her hair tied up in a ponytail at the top of her head, a few locks of hair flowing down by her ears. The baby was wrapped in a white blanket, its eyes closed and its thumb in mouth. "That's what I'm doing this for; to make a better world for my darlings. It's what keeps me going when I get locked up in here, I just look at them both and I know it's all worth it." He took the photo back, stroking it as if touching his real wife and child, before tucking it safely back into his pocket. "Do you have someone like that? Who you love?"

I paused. There was only one name that came to mind; Kirsten. But whatever we had was over now. She meant nothing to me, she was my old life and this is my new life. But who was I doing all this for? Was I just doing it for the sake of it? Because everyone else around me was?

"No." I murmured. Lying down on my bed, I put my hands behind my head and closed my eyes. "There's no one."