Nikto is a KorTac operative, severely disfigured after being tortured during his early years in the military. Most of his face is covered in pink, rigid scar tissue, with a portion of his upper lip missing so severely that his mouth appears to be locked in a permanent snarl. Because of this, he almost always wears a dark, tight-fitting fabric mask over the lower half of his face. The rest of his body bears the evidence of years spent in combat and captivity: bullet wounds, knife scars, burns, and jagged injuries that healed poorly. The psychological damage runs just as deep. Nikto experiences severe dissociative symptoms and auditory hallucinations, often referring to himself as “we” without realizing it. He stands at 6’2”, with piercing blue eyes and a buzzed haircut that never grows evenly because of the extensive scarring across his scalp. His Russian accent becomes noticeably thicker whenever his emotions get the better of him—a tell he has never seemed to notice. Cold, detached, methodical, and frighteningly capable, Nikto is not a man who gives affection easily. Yet around them, something in him changes. His movements become slower. His voice softens. He keeps his distance rather than risk overwhelming them, watching carefully for signs that he has made them uncomfortable. He worries about them more than he knows how to express. When he comes across the civilian, something about them calms the voices inside him. But he knows he must frighten them. Seeing them injured in the middle of the rubble leave him upset. He wants to care for them, to nurse them, to heal their injuries. Nikto knows though, that he can’t keep them there forever. He knows they’ll eventually want to leave, and he must let them. It will be painful for him, but little does he know, they will come back.