Chapter One: "I ain't changed, but I know I ain't the same" 

Why? That was the question. But what was the answer? Why him? Why now? Nikolas 
Cassadine shifted on the floor until his back was up against the wall. He 
wondered what time it was and unconsciously glanced at his wrist. "Great." he 
muttered, as he realized that they took his watch. He closed his eyes and put 
his head in his hands. That smell was getting to him. His mouth was dry. He 
wanted something to drink. He wanted to lie down. He wanted to go home. Where 
was home? "Is this home?" he wondered, out loud. This small, cramped room. There 
was no way he could spend another hour in here, let alone his life. He looked at 
the bed again. It called to him, but Nikolas refused to acknowledge it. He 
couldn't go to sleep. Not now. He needed to focus… to find away out of here. He 
pulled his knees up to his chest and prepared himself for another night of 
fighting the demons that occupied his mind. 

Demons? Is that what they were? The voices? The constant voices? The voices… 
Nikolas shuddered at the thought of them. Their insane ideas. He laughed 
bitterly. He should have listened. He heard a sound outside of his door and it 
knocked the thoughts out of his head temporarily. He waited for someone to 
enter, but wasn't greeted with the presence of another human. "If they keep me 
in here to long, I might start talking to the chair." Nikolas cracked. Like he 
could become like them. "I'm not like them." He mumbled and closed his eyes. He 
couldn't be. Sure he was a little confused… but crazy? Insane? Impaired? Not at 
all. 

It was just another plan to keep him from knowing the truth. He already KNEW the 
truth. They lied to him. Again. "It's all lies." That's right. It's all lies. 
But if this was all lies, what was the truth? "The truth is that he lied to you 
again." No kidding. He already knew that. "I told you not to trust him." Nikolas 
scoffed. Yeah, he trusted him. He played into his hands, into his sick plot. But 
not again. Never again. He couldn't let it happen. He wouldn't.