When Lucas was left alone he waited a while. No one else came in making him sure they were waiting for him to wake up in order to gage his reaction.

I'll be an innocent in this, the boy decided. If it convinces them or not, it'll be enough to buy some time. His cover story flashed through his mind in mere seconds. Say it was a dare. Even if they ask the student body and the boys deny it they'll be unable to confirm. Especially since the boys here don't snitch about dares or pranks... He remembered sneaking into Bell High and how despite the entire student body knowing, none of them had spilt the beans. And who knows...maybe Nathan will somehow catch on and keep the story going. Though he doubted it. All I need is to make time for Amber to get me out.

With his decision being made, the emotions he needed to feel were thought through. Emotions – ECHO made sure they trained their agents in the. It took months, for some even more, to be able to learn to pull up an emotion at whim. Though Lucas had mastered it, and it had gotten him out of situations before, he had been deadened to his own emotions in the process. Then again...lately he had been feeling new things. The thought made him hesitate. It won't interfere...will it? Brushing it aside he turned his attention back to the task at hand.

First wake up... His eyelids fluttered and he shifted ever so slightly. He was one hundred percent sure that even if no one else was in the room, he was still being observed.

He let out a cough, one he had been holding in. It hurt his dry throat and he so he groaned.

Stage 1: Confusion.

He shook his head, eyes opening.

"Man..." he croaked. Even has he lifted his head he took in the area at a glance.

A bleak spotless room stared back at him. The only things that occupied the otherwise empty space were a steel table right before him, an empty chair facing him, and the chair he currently sat on. A large mirror showed his own wide-eyes staring back.

Questioning room. He knew that behind that mirror there were people watching. In both corners to the front cameras blinked as they faced down, catching every move he made. No doubt they were being fed to a computer that analyzed his facial muscles for any emotion to try and get an accurate reading. He wouldn't expect any less from government. He was also sure there would be two more behind him, not leaving a blind spot anywhere in the room.

"What the...?" He wheezed. No objects to use as a weapon... He tried to move his arms only to feel them constrict and hear the handcuffs rattle. Correction. Cuffs, fists and chairs.

Stage 2: think it's all part of a prank the guys are playing. He let his wide eyes relax somewhat and a nervous laugh slipped past his lips. "Very funny guys." He jerked his arms and the handcuffs cut into his flesh. A visible wince flashed across his face. "A question room, sure. But handcuffs?" He shook his head. "Also, was knocking me out necessary?" He paused, as though waiting for a reply. "Hello?"

Another pause.

"Ok...this may be taking it too far," he muttered as he rattled the metal constricting his movement. His gaze wandered around the room in a fashion of that of a curious teenager. "How did you get permission to use all of this anyway?"

He paused again.

"Ah...fine. I get it." Lucas slumped back. "Silent treatment. Is this a scare tactic?" He let out a sigh. "You guys planned this from the beginning, didn't you?" he grumbled. "I bet it wasn't even a real dare!" he added louder. He rattled the cuffs again. "Come on guys. Jokes over."

Stay with stage 2 for a while. Stage 3 doesn't hit until after denial.

"Not funny," Lucas grumbled.

He tipped his head back and let out another sigh as he closed his eyes. In the process he confirmed the two cameras behind him.

He was left along for another good twenty minutes. During this time Lucas complained a few times about how the situation was no longer funny. In the end he simply acted as though he resorted to the fate of his friends playing a bad joke on him. He was clucking his tongue as he stared at the ceiling, acting like a bored teenager.

No vents...the door or mirror are the only way in or out...no, only the door. He continued the clucking. The mirror will be reinforced...bullet proof most likely just in case.

The door opened.

Lucas' tongue stopped hitting the roof of his mouth and he jerked upright. The cuffs clanked. "Finally–" The words died on his lips as an unfamiliar man walked in. "Who're you?" The ECHO agent let confusion take over his facial features.

It took but a moment to measure the man before him. He was tall and wiry built. Dressed in a neat suit his eyes were covered by sunglasses. A folder was in one hand as he calmly pulled the empty chair back. Contrary to his looks, every move the man made portrayed one thing. He was tense, ready to jump into action at any moment.

Martial arts? Lucas considered, the confusion on his face not slipping once. Most likely.

"Lucas Johnson." The man dropped the file.

Lucas watched him.

A loud scraping sounded as the man sat down. A hand was placed on the file and the man slowly reached for his glasses. He took them off, revealing grey piercing eyes. As he folded the glasses and paced them down Lucas could only mentally shake his head.

And there comes another weapon. Two counting the folder. Yes, if used correctly anything could be turned into something deadly.

"We ran a background check," the man said.

Lucas' eyebrows rose. A moment later he let realization and disbelief take over. "Wow." He shook his head. "They seriously even hired someone to act this out?" He leaned forward, admiration flashing through his eyes. "They're taking this really far, aren't they? Are you a friend or relative?"

The man didn't flinch. "Your story...it all matches up." He folded his arms on the table. "However...it's all perfect." Those eyes burned into Lucas. "Too perfect."

"Ok, I think I get it now." Lucas nodded. "It ends when there's a confession or something...right?" He nodded his head around the room. "I confess, you all get a kick out of it and I can go back to the dorm?"

There was no reply and for a moment awkward silence took over.

"What were you doing in that room?"

Lucas opened his mouth before he froze. "Ohhhh!" He cocked his head to the side. "Is this like an initiation process or something?" He nodded his head. "Prove your loyalty, you're not a snitch...or something like that." He took a deep breath. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said boldly.

Those grey eyes bored into him. "This is not a game, young man. I think we both know that." The man leaned forward. "Who do you work with?"

"Ahhh...do I need like an organization name or something?"

The man didn't waver, his gaze remaining on Lucas. "Who, Lucas?"

"Hydra?" Lucas squeaked.

A patient sigh was let out. Closing the folder, the man raised a hand and made a motion. The door immediately opened and in walked a familiar person with black hair.

Dr. Jim. All of Lucas's suspicions about the doctor were confirmed.

"It seems," the man sitting before Lucas spoke without moving his eyes from the boy. "That out infiltrator here thinks he can play the part of innocent school boy."

Jim's eyes landed on Lucas.

Stage 3. Begin to realize it's not a game. "Doctor?" Lucas asked. "Wait..." he leaned back. "Are you in on this too?" His voice portrayed hesitation.

The seated man got up. He took his glasses but left the file. "I'll let you two have a chat for a few minutes." With that he left the room.

Jim stayed where he was, eyeing Lucas.

"This is just a prank...right?" the ECHO agent asked as he licked his lips.

A sigh escaped Jim's lips. "So young," he muttered before walking forward. He grabbed the backrest of the chair the other man had previously occupied. "You can stop the act. It's not going to get you anywhere."

They're convinced. This isn't going to change anything, Lucas realized. They have evidence. His face showed none of his thoughts. Still...I need to buy time.

"Stop what?" he asked.

"I suspected, but was hoping it wasn't true."

Lucas responded with a furrowed forehead and blank stare.

"Nothing was taken. But we both know what you were after." Jim's fingers tightened around the chair. "Doesn't look like you have anything on you either."

Realization hit Lucas. He knew why the men would not fall for his act. They had done a body search. While he could portray the emotions he wanted and convince any Hollywood producer that he was feeling something he was not, there was one thing he couldn't hide. His body had betrayed him. However, he was sure that despite the search they wouldn't have found what he had hidden with great care.

The doctor leaned forward. "Those scars, Lucas, they're not from a car crash."

Ahh... The sigh was a mental one for the boy. ECHO was working on a way to erase the tales of battle from their operatives' bodies. They weren't successful yet.

"There are bullet wounds involved," Jim continued. "One that's not that old."

Hmm... Lucas worked through his options as he continued to keep his face that of a confused teenager.

"If you remember...it happened a few weeks ago. Right around when we took blood samples." Jim watched for a reaction.

The game is only over when I stop playing. Lucas let a new wave of confusion wash over his face. "What are you talking about?" Stick with the choice you made. Playing the innocence card is the only way now. Let them arrive at whatever conclusion they decide...liar, brainwashed, innocent... "Bullets wounds?" His eyes widened. "Is this a joke?"

Jim let go of the chair. In a moment he was around the table. Grabbing a hold of Lucas' shirt he tugged it up to reveal the map of past wounds that covered the surface below. "This says everything," he hissed, his face so close to Lucas' that the boy felt the warmth of his breath.

Lucas opened his mouth, eyes shaking. "I-I got it from a car accident."

Dropping the shirt Jim whirled away. A hand went to his forehead. "How is someone so young so full of injuries?" He turned back around to stare at Lucas. "We train ours...but we don't give them life threatening missions at this age." His eyes pleaded with Lucas.

He's going for the nice approach. Trying to get me to feel comfortable.

"If you just answer the questions I have for you, I might be able to get you out of this with the least amount of legal action we would have to take." Jim put both hands on the desk and made eye contact. "We can start with two simple ones. Who are you working for? How many more of your organization have infiltrated the school?"

Lucas didn't reply for a moment as he let the confusion on his face slowly change to realization. "Shoot...how did it end up like this?" He whispered. "It was just a prank!" he added.

Seeming to realize that he wasn't getting anything, Jim let out a sigh. "Are they worth it, Lucas?" he asked softly. "The people who made you like that." He nodded to his chest. "Are they really worth it?"

"It was a car crash," Lucas whispered in the voice of a teenager scared out of his wits.

Jim didn't reply.

Are they worth it? The question flashed through Lucas' mind. He shoved it aside. ECHO was all he knew. ECHO was not to be questioned.

The door opened and the man from before entered. He was once again wearing his sunglasses. With him was another man, more bulky.

Lucas' eyes landed on the injection the latter was holding. The green liquid within made him take a mental breath. Looks like they're not going to drag this out.

"Sir," Jim protested as he, too, saw the injection.

"He leaves us no choice." The man with the glasses responded. Lucas was beginning to suspect that they had some form of technology within them for him to have them on in the room. "His emotions are flawless. No doubt they've trained him to pass a lie detector. It's the only way."

True, Lucas couldn't help but admire how quick they were to catch on. He'd been hoping for a lie detector test. However, the syringe was a whole different obstacle.

"He's a minor," Jim murmured.

"Would you rather we use the other method?"

The school doctor didn't reply.

The injection was brought closer as the man with it walked around.

Eying it, Lucas struggled. "What is that?"

There was no reply.

"Hey, I asked you what that is!"

The man with the need went behind him. A moment later there was a prick and the sharp tip was pushed directly into his veins where the liquid was deposited.

Shoot. This was a situation he had been hoping to avoid. Lucas had just been injected with a truth syringe. What now? His mind raced while it was still clear.

He knew at any moment he would begin to loose complete control of his thoughts. What worried him the most was which type of truth injection he had been given, for there were several forms that had been developed. ECHO agents had been injected with various ones at different times in order to try find a way around. It was possible to resist to some extent. However, it usually resulted in two things. Extreme pain and at some point the breaking of one's mind.

Lucas felt a stab in his head similar to that of a hot needle piercing flesh. Letting out a gasp he leaned forward and strained against his bonds. "What did you do to me?"

If there was a reply he didn't hear it as another shot of pain passed through him. He arched back, letting out another gasp.

You have no choice...even it breaks you. Resist. He could only hope that Amber would come through before that. In the last moments he had he mentally created a box and shoved away anything that would give ECHO away.

Another stab of pain was rapidly followed by another. His fingers clenched, nails digging into his skin and his teeth grit so hard he was sure they would grind down to nothing over the next few moments.

Whatever you do, you have to keep feeling the pain. Concentrate on it. Don't hear the questions...feel that pain! His mind clouded and Lucas slumped.

He was no longer fully aware of what was going on around him.

"Alright." The man with sunglasses sat down. He paused, as though listening to an ear piece. With a nod he placed his hands on the desk. "Let's begin."

Jim and the other man took a step back.

"What's your real name?" the first question was asked.

To Lucas is sounded as though he was under water and someone was speaking from the outside to him. He wasn't aware if his mouth opened or if he answered. His mind tried to retreat from the pain, a part of him clung to it, reasoning that it was the only way to not give anything away.

Give what away? A part of him asked as things became unclear. What's happening? His mind was straining.

It hurt. Everything hurt.

Lucas, a soft voice was calling him. A box in his mind rattled. Lucas.

The lid of the box slipped. Everything fell away and Lucas suddenly found himself standing in a large living room. Where am I? Panic set in. Who am I?

"Lucas."

He whirled only to find himself staring at the bottom of an emerald green dress. His eyes lifted and he found a beautiful woman staring down at him. Her green eyes sparkled and her brown hair fell in soft waves around her face.

"Are you almost ready?" she asked in a voice as silky as her dress.

Lucas blinked. Wasn't he supposed to be taller?

What is this? Pain tugged at his mind and yet somehow he wanted to stay here with this woman. She made him feel...warm. Not to mention that something about her was very familiar.

"Lea," a deeper voice called and footsteps echoed. A tall man with hair the same blonde as Lucas' walked into the room. On his shoulders bounced a giggling toddler. "Would you look at this." The man came to a stand beside the woman and stared down at Lucas with warm brown eyes. "Our little man looks quite grown up in a tux." A hand entwined with the woman's. "Don't you think?"

The woman's smile grew wider and Lucas felt the sudden urge to hug her.

"We're going to have trouble keeping the girls away when this one gets older," the man added. The toddler on his shoulder snatched a piece of his hair and jerked. "Ah!" the man let go of the woman's hand and swung the little boy down. "This one's also going to be a handful." He passed the beaming toddler to the woman "No how about we get going to the party? We're already running ..."

A loud knock on the door cut him off.

The couple exchanged a glance.

"I'll get it." The man headed from the room.

The woman turned back to Lucas. "As soon as Daddy's done we're got to..."

CRASH!

There was a yell. It was followed by a gunshot.

The pain was tugging at Lucas, pulling him from the scene. He didn't want to leave. Something told him he needed to stay. To see what happened. To answer a question...but what question?

The pain won and the scene fizzled away, leaving only the echo of another gunshot and a scream in Lucas' mind. Then, the pain took over completely.

The ECHO agent didn't know if it was minutes, hours, or days that passed. Time had ceased to exist in the realm of pain he was experiencing. However, as long as he was feeling the pain a small part of him remained conscious.

It was only when the fog began to clear and the pain became a dull throb that he once again became familiar of his surroundings. He was slumped forward, hands raw from the straining against the cuffs.

He panted, drenched in sweat. A scream echoed in his mind. What was that? A memory? Had the breaking of his mind brought back something he had forgotten. Had it opened one of the sealed boxes?

The thoughts were shoved aside as he became more aware of the situation. The table that had been before him was gone, as was the other chair. It meant that he and the chair he was currently bound to, were the lone objects left in the room.

Jim and the other men had left.

Did I say something? Lucas had no answer, and that left him uncomfortable. He knew that if he had even breathed a word of ECHO in his unconscious state then it was over for him. There would be no ECHO to return to.

He moved ever so slightly only to feel the pain pulsing through him as a result. Not good. He kept his head slumped forward and stayed in the same position, not wanting to feel anything for the moment.

Concentrating on his breathing he tried to calm his rapid heart rate down. Seems like I'm still sane. He looked at the bright side. Maybe... he lifted his head. A big mistake. At once pain flooded through him and blackness took over.

Through the darkness Lucas thought he heard footsteps. Something touched the cuffs. There was a click. Then, the footsteps disappeared and darkness took back over.

The next time Lucas drifted back to consciousness he instantly realized that someone had loosened the cuffs. His eyes flew open and caught sight of the door. It had been left ajar ever so slightly.