Erik's eyes narrowed at the masked man's explanation of the game he wanted to play. It was nothing new to him. It was why he was constantly taken inside to one of the labs, to be poked and prodded until he twisted up the piece of metal in the doctor's hands just like he had bent and twisted the gate when they had forcibly parted him from his mother. The sole difference was that the doctor was more direct with his intentions. So why the change?
He didn't bother to hide the look of suspicion on his face as he stayed stock still while the restraints were tightened around his arms. As if he was stupid enough to try to run from the room after he'd learned the hard way that the soldiers didn't have a problem with beating him half to death despite his age and size. He just had to endure, live long enough to find the right opportunity to leave this hellhole while he still had the strength. It was what kept him going, it was what his mother would have wanted. Though sometimes it was hard to remember why he didn't put up more of a fight at times like now, when he saw the syringe. The hitch in breath was impossible to hold back when he suddenly felt the phantom pain of dozens of needles in his skin while the doctor's voice taunted him.
Es ist sehr einfach, Erik. Ziehen Sie die Nadeln und der Schmerz wird aufhören. The smile on the doctor's face was somehow serene and sadistic all at once as he gazed down at Erik.
He whimpered and shook his head. How was he supposed to pull them out? His arms were tied down. Why didn't he understand? He didn't know how he pulled the gate practically apart, he hadn't even tried.
But as quick as the scene played out, it was over and he found himself staring at the masked man once more. His chest was heaving with gasping breaths, face covered with sweat, lips pulled tight at an obvious attempt to keep himself from crying out. He looked down at himself with a sense of urgency as if to reassure himself that he hadn't imagined the whole thing but there were no needles he could see.
His eyes widened in confusion. Was this what he meant by playing a game?
Erik was unnerved and he wasn't entirely certain that his cooperation was an option with the masked man. "I don't- I don't fear anything," he finally said with as much force as he could muster. "They already killed my mother, you have nothing I fear."
His chin jutted out as if he was daring the man to find something he was scared of. Pain eventually went away, and they couldn't kill his mother twice. What else could he lose?
Translation: It's very simple, Erik. Pull out the needles and the pain will stop.