[ WP ] Virtual Reality has become so advanced , it can alter your perception of time . Your entire life has been a 5 minute simulation . You 've just woken up .

`` Now, are you going to give us another reason to bring you back here?'' 
 
 I laid in a pool of my own sweat, cradling my feet in the fetal position. I had never felt so weak, or so broken. An entire lifetime in prison. An entire lifetime in five minutes. Years of solitary confinement, beatings, violations, cold tasteless food. I could n't speak. I could n't do anything but weep. 
 
 I had been in simulation so long I had forgotten why I had been taken for cleansing. As I climbed to my feet, I collected my affects from the arms of one of the members of The Veil. Their dark suits were layered with strips of Kevlar. Only their eyes could be seen through their helmets. They held assault rifles, and their eyes never shifted from me. I wondered what I had done to warrant such a long time in simulation, although I knew they would never tell me. The whole point of The Veil program was n't to educate you on your past mistakes. The only goal was punishment. The process was only ever intended to inspire fear and subservience. 
 
 The last item in my personal affects was a large buck knife. It looked different than I remembered. No wear-and-tear in the coloring. It seemed to shine in the light. I was also curious as to why they granted me this item back outside of the door, as if I were a dangerous animal. I left with no malicious intent. Only grief filled my heart. I promised myself that once i remembered, I would never forget. I left curious and determined, but far too bewildered to know if rage was a justifiable emotion. How severe could my crimes have been? Suddenly I realized I hardly remembered my life before the simulation. Had I even had one? I knew my age, 22, and my name, Ivan. 
 
 Suddenly, I did n't feel reformed. I felt provoked. I left with my identity restored.
