Sort of. My world has something called mutants? People born with a gene that gives them powers. The X-gene. They figured out that sometimes those that don't have apparent powers but may have a latent gene... if you torture them enough that gene might finally express itself. And if those powers did come they planned to slap a collar on me and make me a super-soldier slave to sell off the highest bidder.

[He sips his coffee, taking a moment to collect himself.]

They drowned me, burned me, beat me, cut me, anything you can think of they tried. For months. Then finally... they deprived me of oxygen to the point of death over and over and left me there, put me in a tube, and left me.

But I got hold of a match. Mostly I just intended to blow myself up and get it over with. But at the same time that match lit, my powers made their presence known.