The tip of the needle slides silently into the vein in Will's arm. He gazes at the IV nervously, pulling against his restraints, but he is too tightly fastened to the gurney to move. He notices that there are no machines or electrodes within reach, fearful that this will be his first ECT treatment.
A shadow begins to loom, a hand rests next to his head. A lock of curls brushes against the cold, white skin.
"Why are you doing this to me?" Will asks, anger barely showing through his pain. "Is it because I know who you are?"
"Who am I?"
"You told me that I let killers into my head. But you let me into yours too."
"Who am I, Will?"
He feels his arm turn cold and numb, watches the clear liquid drip down the tube and into him. "What are you doing to me?" he asks breathlessly.
After Lecter tilts his head, watching him for a few moments, he exhales sharply and shakes his head ever so slightly. "Always thinking I'm trying to hurt you…you are dehydrated, Will. You don't take care of yourself. I want to teach you how to behave in a healthy way, but before I can do that, you need to be in a better state of mind. If you don't want injections like this, you need to drink enough water and eat each meal you are given. No exceptions. Can you do that?" he asks, leaning close.
Will's eyes become blurry and he suddenly can't feel his body, or the restraints for that matter. He feels like a cloud, floating near the sun. Hannibal grins to himself. He had given Will a potent drug which targeted the pleasure centers of the brain in order to relax him and make his mind more malleable to persuasion. His patient closes his eyes, a look of bliss dumbly painted on his face. "I like how Alana struts around…" he giggles, "You know, in those little pumps and silky dresses? And her hair…always smells like jasmine…" suddenly he stops smiling and presents a blank expression. He is lost in a trance.
"Can you hear me?" Hannibal asks, glad to see the drug begin to take full effect.
"Yes," Will barely whispers.
"What did you see, the night you tried to kill me?"
"I saw a monster," he answers immediately, devoid of emotion.
Hannibal hoped for something like this, but did not dream of getting his wish. So Will had seen him in another form…his true form? "What did I look like?"
"You were taller somehow. And blue, but dark. You had long antler horns sticking out of your head," he looks confused and then closes his eyes, losing consciousness. Hannibal places firm fingers on his cheeks and shakes him awake. He cannot stop asking now. Not when he has heard something this fascinating. He had always felt different…was Will confirming the suspicion he had since early childhood? He felt his birthright pulse in his cold veins.
"Who did you see, Will?"
"The Devil."
Hannibal smiled softly at him. "You have no reason to be afraid of me. You're one of the most interesting men I've ever met." He gently taps Will's forehead with his pointer finger. "Your imagination will take you places you've never dreamt of going. I'll help you find your way."
"Why?"
"One day you'll see that I only want what is best for you. Your mind will be put to good use," he answers, gazing so intently into Will's eyes that he can see his own reflection.