This time, the laughter hurt. Every time he was weak or showed weakness, he'd hear it, and it'd just feed anew...

Maximus shivered involuntarily at the hand worming in, the sensor readouts showing something other than pain. Something which was just as bad, because he wanted it even less...pain, pain he could deal with. That fake care...

It was only a herald to what would happen next. He braced himself, gripping his hands in their restraints as the pain began again, slowly building...

"Hh...hh..."

Don't scream.