In the pitch-black darkness of the cell, Alex awoke from an uneasy slumber. They were still tightly strapped to the bed, their arms and legs spread wide, held firm by the padded restraints that had become a constant presence over the night. Uncertainty hung heavy in the air, and the profound silence was interrupted only by the echo of their own breath.

Suddenly, the cell door creaked open. Light spilled in from the corridor outside, framing the silhouette of a guard. The guard steadily advanced towards Alex, rolling in a trolley carrying a simple breakfast of ham and eggs.

The sight of food ignited a spark of desire in Alex, they hadn't eaten anything since yesterday morning, yet they consciously held back, remembering what happened the day before, knowing they were at the mercy of their captor for even this most basic need.

"Morning," the guard said, their voice void of emotion. Yet, something raw and vulnerable laced the air. The guard moved closer.

Alex watched quietly as the guard settled beside the bed, carefully ladling a spoonful of eggs and handfeeding Alex in the dimly lit cell. Each bite, each spoon somehow seemed to bridge a barrier between captor and captive. There was an intriguing mixture of gentleness and decisiveness to the guard's movements, a hesitant connection emerging from the unlikely situation.

With each bite, Alex felt a strange warmth tingling within them, as if a dim spark had been kindled somewhere deep inside. The action of being hand-fed infused a sense of being cared for, of being seen, and strangely allowed - valued even. The restraints, once a symbol of their confinement, now felt more like a comforting and protective hug - a firm hold anchoring them in this whirlwind of an experiment.

"Thank...thank you," Alex managed to whisper, caught off guard by their own feelings. The guard merely nodded, their impassive facade unfaltering, yet their actions said more than words ever could, Alex thought.

As the guard spooned the last piece of ham onto Alex's tongue and then left the cell, locking the door behind them, Alex was left to contemplate the strange potential connection formed in that brief moment of shared vulnerability. Was it the start of something more? Or perhaps just a fragment of denial for the reality of their situation?

After the slight interruption offered by breakfast, Alex was abruptly hauled up from the bed and led back to the center of the cell. Firm hands guided them to the cold floor, their legs once again secured to the anchors maintaining their spread position. Their hands restrained behind their back, locked securely in the familiar strict cuffs.

The brief kindness of the morning was swiftly replaced by a more rigid reality. As Alex adjusted to the familiar restraints, the door of the cell opened again. A different guard entered, a hose in their hands. Alex’s heart began to flutter in apprehension.

Without a word, the guard turned on the hose, releasing a hard jet of cold water. It hit Alex’s bare skin with surprising force, sending a shiver of shock through their already chilled form. Driven by instinct seemingly formed by yesterdays experience, they bit their lip trying to endure, but the relentless cold was too much.

"PLEASE, can you make it just a LITTLE bit warmer?" escaped from their lips, a plea to the guard.

The hosing stopped momentarily, and the guard turned to them.

"The experimental protocol dictates that any complaint about to the cold water results in its immediate replacement with ice water, for the rest of the experiment," the guard explained, his voice void of feeling, matching their impassive expression. "Seems you couldn’t endure it even once."

Shock and anger welled up in Alex, their skin still tingling from the cold water. But they bit back a retort, remembering the pain from yesterday. As the hosing resumed, an icy stream of water replaced the cold stream from before, hitting Alex like an array of needles and sending shivers throughout their body. Alex bit back a scream at first, physically spinning from the cold and pain, but it was just too much, and a scream finally ripped through their clenched teeth attracting an immediate response.

Before they even had a chance to pant through the cold, the hosing stopped and the guard moved in swiftly, their hand armed with the familiar belt. Ten sharp, swift strikes echoed in the room, each hit bringing a fresh sting of pain, causing Alex to flinch and gasp at the force of the blows.

Wet, freezing, and in pain, Alex was left shivering in the center of the room. The biting cold water dripped down their exposed skin, and the echo of the guard's clinical voice seemed to reverberate around the cell hauntingly. It was but another day in the experiment, a chilling reminder of just how far they were expected to go.