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 Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 3:09 pm
Okay, pig sounds good. I don't know anybody I hate enough to foist this fun times along. But that's beside the point...the big question is again, what is the damn thing?
Nines was keenly aware something heated was happening outside. He wasn't sure what, but he had a guess. This would require a conversation with Roan, one he wasn't sure how to engage.
I don't know how quite to comment on that, honestly. I think just getting this done and over with will be a good start.
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Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 3:33 pm
"The sooner the better. Lay down on the bed, if you please, spine up. We'll do this under local anaesthetic so we don't disturb the creature too much.
It should only be a minor procedure, and I'll have Maxwell bring in the cutting tool to finish the job all in one."
Standing up, the Professor poked his head out the door and briefly exchanged words with several people in the hall, then came back in to change into scrubs and get cleaned up for surgery.
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Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 3:37 pm
I thought you weren't a surgeon...
Nines only voiced apprehension. He wasn't bothered, frankly; he'd been under the knife before with far less skilled and trained hands, so he'd be fine. Still, the question rattling around his head remained: what the ******** was that thing?
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Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 3:42 pm
"I'm not, but I have studied anatomy as was necessary for what I DO do every day, and unlike most of the people in this building, I know what you are and thus have clearance to do this. I assure you, removing a parasite is well within my abilities, as is keeping your nervous system intact. I believe even if I didn't, it would only be a matter of time before you healed it anyway, yes?"
Hands orange with iodine solution, he nodded to Nines to lay down as he'd been instructed, so that he could get started removing the mystery animal.
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Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 3:50 pm
If you'll pardon my ******** it, you could do this with power tools in a garage. I've put myself back together from worse, as the pockmarked torso shows. Lets do this.
Nines needed no further cajoling to mount up the table and grit his teeth for the impending absence of pain.
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Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 11:21 pm
The procedure in total took up about an hour and a half of the night. Starting with injections to numb Nines' back, the Professor was soon engrossed in the careful process of cutting down to the location of the mystery creature, and then its removal.
When he found it, a sucking in of air was his only sign of surprise at what he found, before getting busy getting rid of it. Any questions were politely ignored as he concentrated on not damaging nerves or spinal discs.
Somewhen through the tie it took to do all this, two men arrived with a pig. Already sedated, it was brought in on a gurney and one man stayed to begin a similar procedure on the poor beast, readying it to be a new host. 45 minutes in, everything stopped to allow pictures to be taken and data recorded, and then the thing was finally disengaged from Nines, no doubt with a sharp stab of pain, and transferred to the pig, who twitched as it burrowed of its own accord towards the spine.
At some point, Roan had wordlessly come in to the room, and was stood by the door watching it all, arms folded and expression blank. Glasses his here eyes as she watched the two doctors sew up their respective patients, and then begin delicate cutting work to remove the metal bands on Nines' limbs. The pair cut carefully and skillfully, so that the removed bands could be snapped back together on the pig without needing welding.
Eventually, the task was done.
"Parasite fully removed, and successfully implanted. Electro-pulses confirmed between parasite and bio-chip in the bands, functioning as normal. You should be just fine now Nines. I'll want to run a check up every few days to ensure nothing is growing back or was damaged in the removal. How do you feel?"
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Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2012 10:29 am
Nines, for his part, just lay there and grumbled for much of the procedure, uttering profound things about the odd clicking he felt in his spine. Anesthetic was a peculiar thing, allowing him to still feel that something was happening even though he couldn't feel it directly.
When he was finally given leave to easy himself upright, he groaned as he did; his back was still numb, making keeping upright an irritation.
Uneasy. Until I'm sure what that thing is and that it won't come back to bite me in the a**, I'm not going to be particularly comfortable doing anything but pacing.
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Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2012 10:35 am
As Nines spoke, Roan silently left the room, following the doctor with the pig which was also being moved out, headed for other lodgings and study. The Professor however extended a hand to Nines to help him as he injected a little more of the reversal drug into the meat of his back to help wake the muscles back up fully.
"I took the liberty of acquiring a few more samples seeing as we had you on the table anyway, and with that in mind, I think some rest this evening would be best. While I appreciate fatigue doesn't necessarily effect you the way it would me in your position, it would be wise to allow the area some time to settle regardless.
I will contact you after I've done some tests on what we have, or if I learn anything new of use to you. Is that alright?"
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Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2012 10:38 am
Like I said, until I know what that damn thing is and does...
Nines shook his head as he accepted the doctor's hand to stand. He was steady on his feet, thankfully, though his posture had a more distinctive slouch while his back was under the influence.
Just...keep me posted, please. I suppose I'll be seeing you tomorrow.
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Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2012 10:40 am
"Yes please. Just for a check up. As soon as I know anything, I'll be in contact."
Shaking Nines' hand, the Professor showed him to the door, before he;d then return intently to his studies of everything he had encountered and documented. It was a lot to work on, especially as he didn't even understand Nines' physiology yet, let alone the weird critter.
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Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2012 11:02 am
Cool. Thanks, doc.
While genuinely grateful for the doctor's efforts, Nines couldn't shake a feeling of doom hanging over his shoulders. He was greatly concerned about this...thing, and the time it had spent in him. He didn't know what to make of it, but he certainly couldn't get over the thought that the worst had yet to be revealed.
That feeling failed to diminish as he walked through the halls, eventually reaching the exit and realizing that he wasn't fit to drive himself home...not since he was going to be on a motorcycle, not a car.
Well s**t.
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Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2012 12:08 pm
"Need a ride?"
The voice came form his left, the Lady well hidden within the shadows of the portico pillars by the door. Still as a statue, she was once again performing her masterpiece work of 'part of the scenery'.
As Nine's appeared, she deigned to move, tilting her head out of the darkness at least, and removing her glasses.
"Question is though... where to?"
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Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2012 12:32 pm
Nines literally jumped at the sudden question; he hadn't noticed Roan, and she spooked him enough that he jerked around to face her with a hand reaching for the waistband of his jeans, where his holdout was holstered. Fortunately, he could have disguised the motion as reaching for his pocket had it been anyone else. Equally fortunately, she wasn't who he'd been worried about.
Goddamn you just scared the s**t outta me.
Relaxing as the shock wore away, he eased his hands into his pockets.
A ride would be nice, and frankly, your place would probably be best, since I'm gonna need a ride back tomorrow, if you're willing.
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Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2012 12:37 pm
"I'm good at that."
Walking past him and down the steps, not reacting to nearly being drawn on, she led the way around the side of the building to her car. It was the Lotus, clearly a well loved machine as she stroked a hand down its side as she climbed in and nodded to Nines to do the same.
Silently, she turned the engine over and coaxed it into life, then heading back towards the mansion some way away. A flick of a finger over a button on the steering wheel set the radio on, music filling the quiet.
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Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2012 3:56 pm
There was a period of mildly awkward silence in the cab of the car, one that was not sufficiently filled by the radio. It took a few minutes before Nines reached for the dial and broke the cardinal rule of being the passenger: 'don't touch the damn radio if you aren't the driver.'
Thank you.
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