Armand awakened, confused by the light overhead, because he thought he must've fallen asleep again during dinner. Then he tried to move and couldn't. He tried again, more frantic, as he looked around. Seeing the surgical tray only added to his terror.
In the darkness, he could barely tell someone was there.
"Whoever you are, tell me what is happening!" If he meant to sound demanding, he failed miserably as his voice cracked and wavered with his fear.
There was nothing but a small laugh from the other presence in the room, almost dismissive, certainly derisive. Ah, it was always such a pleasant experience, when they first woke up. Angry, confused, frightened....
And it would only get better.
"Welcome back to the world of the living," the hidden doctor finally said. "So very glad you could join us."
It was humiliating how firmly the straps held him down. Armand couldn't even seem to strain them. He couldn't even control his frantically beating heart, though his efforts to that end were secondary. He needed to breathe to be able to talk.
"Who are you?" he asked, needing to do so even if the words were useless. "Please let me go?" Perhaps a plea might make a better impression than a demand. He'd been in a corner with no hope before. He knew he should be patient, not show how scared he was, but he couldn't hold back. For all he knew, this was his end.
"Oh, you needn't worry." The doctor remained out of sight, his voice low and almost taunting. "You'll be let go when we're done. We have a bit of work to do tonight, and it would be in your best interest to be quiet and allow me to do what I'm here to do."
Of course, he wasn't about to let the subject know quite what was going to be done. It was always far more interesting to see how they reacted when everything was left unknown.
"I don't want you to do anything," Armand said. By now, he realized the protest was useless. Even his slow way of interpreting events had caught up, and he knew vaguely what had happened to him. But that didn't tell him what was going to happen next.
If only the one bright light weren't right above him. It made his eyes water and unable to see anything in the darkness around it.
"Yes, well, we can't always get what we want." The doctor's voice was clipped then, and the sound of running water and metal clinking together could be heard. It was all a carefully constructed act - the darkness, the noise, drawing out the fear and anxiety as long as he could to work the subject up into a frenzy....
The unseen doctor's dismissive tone was almost annoying. If it wouldn't have been ridiculous to be annoyed at the moment. "This isn't some game!" Armand protested. Did he mean the moment or the whole thing? The sounds brought him up short, and he kept himself from plunging on with voicing his thoughts. He tried to hold his breath to hear better, but couldn't.
The doctor laughed. "Are you quite certain?" Perhaps it was a game. It certainly had the elements of one. And there was an enjoyment to be taken from it....
But now it was time to advance the 'game' along a bit. Round two, so to speak. The doctor turned, coming into the edge of the light. Face and hair hidden by surgical mask and cap, it was impossible to discern anything identifiable about the man.
"What possible interest could I be to you? I'm perfectly ordinary." And it wasn't a game. He couldn't see anything about the doctor. Despite all his hopes and his plans, he was stuck here. Helpless.
Armand closed his eyes, trying to find something inside himself that would give him the courage to face this bravely since face it he must.
"We'll see about that, now won't we." Ah, humility. Did the subject truly think that would put him off?
"There is room for improvement in all of our patients," he went on, drawing closer to the man strapped to the table. "Even you. My my, this must be terrifying, hmm? I shudder to think what surgery is like where you come from." The doctor did shudder a bit, theatrically.
"Though I suppose, if it would make you more comfortable...let's do without anesthetic, hmm?" He was only taunting. There was nothing that would require the subject to be put under anyway, but why let the chance go by?
Summoning the last of his of bravado, Armand said, "Even in my time, we didn't operate unless it was necessary. Please don't hurt me." He hated how afraid he felt, and how obvious it must be to the man standing over him. Was he seriously going to cut into him without even whiskey or a rag to bite? Straps couldn't keep him from trembling, though, a shiver that emanated from his chest, like the doctor's previous shudder only genuine. "Please don't do this."
"Do you really think," the doctor asked, "that if you beg and say 'please' enough, I'll release you before doing my job?" Why did they always think that way?
"Now, if you lie still and don't argue with me, perhaps we can be done quickly, hmm?"
Armand didn't think that exactly, but if he was supposed to cooperate, he wasn't going to do that either. He couldn't move, but he didn't have to keep quiet. "I won't cooperate. Maybe you'll see that I'm... a poor subject for your experiments."
"Your file has been reviewed. You are an ideal subject." That was spoken with a sense of finality. All of them here were. Each and every one had something to offer, something to be tapped into.
Or perhaps they were simply all lab rats with nothing special about them at all. The doctor certainly wasn't going to say which.
"My file?" Armand echoed. This conversation was getting more complicated than Armand expected. He never was at his best when he was this scared. "What is so ideal about me?" He thought if he could keep the man talking, perhaps something would happen to postpone or prevent whatever he had planned. All Armand could think to do was keep pleading and asking questions.
The questions were ignored. There was work to be done, after all. Besides, the optimum reaction had nearly been reached.
"Now, where to begin..." The doctor mumbled to himself as he ran his hands lightly over the instruments beside the table. His fingers paused over a scalpel, lifted it gently, then set it back down. Next he casually ran his fingers over something which looked like a drill, all spiraled needles and menace.
In the darkness, he could barely tell someone was there.
"Whoever you are, tell me what is happening!" If he meant to sound demanding, he failed miserably as his voice cracked and wavered with his fear.
Reply
And it would only get better.
"Welcome back to the world of the living," the hidden doctor finally said. "So very glad you could join us."
Reply
"Who are you?" he asked, needing to do so even if the words were useless. "Please let me go?" Perhaps a plea might make a better impression than a demand. He'd been in a corner with no hope before. He knew he should be patient, not show how scared he was, but he couldn't hold back. For all he knew, this was his end.
Reply
Of course, he wasn't about to let the subject know quite what was going to be done. It was always far more interesting to see how they reacted when everything was left unknown.
Reply
If only the one bright light weren't right above him. It made his eyes water and unable to see anything in the darkness around it.
Reply
He loved his job.
Reply
Reply
But now it was time to advance the 'game' along a bit. Round two, so to speak. The doctor turned, coming into the edge of the light. Face and hair hidden by surgical mask and cap, it was impossible to discern anything identifiable about the man.
"Now then, I believe I'm ready to begin."
Reply
Armand closed his eyes, trying to find something inside himself that would give him the courage to face this bravely since face it he must.
Reply
"There is room for improvement in all of our patients," he went on, drawing closer to the man strapped to the table. "Even you. My my, this must be terrifying, hmm? I shudder to think what surgery is like where you come from." The doctor did shudder a bit, theatrically.
"Though I suppose, if it would make you more comfortable...let's do without anesthetic, hmm?" He was only taunting. There was nothing that would require the subject to be put under anyway, but why let the chance go by?
Reply
Reply
"Now, if you lie still and don't argue with me, perhaps we can be done quickly, hmm?"
Reply
Reply
Or perhaps they were simply all lab rats with nothing special about them at all. The doctor certainly wasn't going to say which.
Reply
Reply
"Now, where to begin..." The doctor mumbled to himself as he ran his hands lightly over the instruments beside the table. His fingers paused over a scalpel, lifted it gently, then set it back down. Next he casually ran his fingers over something which looked like a drill, all spiraled needles and menace.
He did love a good show.
Reply
Leave a comment