Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.The sound of a monitor filtered in through the haze. The smell of disinfectant filled the air. Familiar things. Just as the pain was familiar--- the dull, persistent ache of it in his chest. His arm was cold, and he knew without having to feel for it that the IV was there, dripping chill into his veins. He took a deep breath just to test it, like a child probing at their stitches.
He broke out into a fit of coughing, which only petered out because he was too weak to sustain the effort. He slumped back into the pillows with a sigh, slowly opening his eyes.
The white of a hospital room greeted him. Not his home, then. Had he worsened--- had Rudy brought him here?
"Mr Wu," said a voice at the foot of his bed. He looked up. Observing him was a man in the white of a doctor's coat. His slicked-back hair was dark with just a hint of grey, and his eyes were a cold blue, the lines around his mouth stern. That mouth drew up into a thin smile as their gazes met. "A pleasure," he said, "though I suppose you may not feel the same way. I'm a fan of your work. It is a pity we couldn't meet under better circumstances."
Terrence blinked. This didn't feel right. Why did he remember...? Where was Rudy? His head felt so strange.
"Where am I?" he said. His voice came out a rasp. He struggled to sit up, but the doctor moved to his side and pushed down his chest with one long-fingered hand.
"No, please. Allow me." The doctor pressed a button on the bed, which tilted so Terrence could enjoy a sitting position. "There, is that better? Shall I adjust it?" When he received no reply, the doctor smiled again. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Doctor Ronan... with the Purine medical staff."
Purine. He drew a sharp breath at the word, and coughed again.
"Please, do not alarm yourself," said the doctor--- Ronan. "Terrence--- may I call you Terrence? Some time ago, you took in one of our former medics after a particularly traumatic incident... A most unfortunate turn of events. I heard he was a promising man, but the war was over, and the psychological evaluation recommended he be occupied by something that wouldn't remind him of it." Ronan eyed the monitor, frowning as he made a few adjustments, before continuing. "We were monitoring him... Just a precaution, you see, to make sure he didn't become unstable and pose a danger to the public."
A danger to the public, or to your interests? Terrence didn't say. He was tired--- so tired, but he had the sense that this wasn't the time. He had to focus. Rudy was still nowhere in sight, and he had a feeling he wasn't going to like where this was going.
"I assure you, we did our best to respect your privacy as well as we could within the scope of our duty. However, we couldn't help but take an interest in your... projects," the doctor said. "We've been trying to contact you, but I'm afraid your assistant has been most uncooperative. And there was, of course, the unfortunate matter of your deteriorating health."
As if to drive the point home, Terrence felt a surge of pain shoot through his chest. His hands trembled as he brought them to clutch feebly at himself, his breaths shallow and wheezing. "Yes... it really is a shame," said the doctor, watching him struggle. "But you know, this can be forestalled. It hasn't been approved for public use, but war medicine is truly an amazing field of research. We are working on the cutting edge... Just as you are."
"What do you want?" said Terrence.
The doctor smiled. It was a mirthless expression, devoid of warmth, which did not so much as reach his eyes. "We would like you to cooperate with us. We don't expect your help for free, of course. In exchange, we can devote the best of our medical staff to assisting you in your recovery---"
"No."
Terrence's voice was quiet, but it was enough. The doctor went silent, and the only sound left in the room was the rhythmic beeping of the monitor. Slowly, the smile faded from the doctor's face. His hands came to rest in his lap, atop the clipboard, fingers laced together.
"Very well," said Doctor Ronan. "If you do not wish to cooperate... other measures may be arranged." He pressed something on the monitor, and another lance of pain shot through Terrence's chest, leaving him wide-eyed and gasping. "It is a pity that you've no surviving family... But I trust that Rudy will be joining us very soon. Perhaps he can convince you to change your mind."