Author: drakensis
{oOo}
"...and when the patient woke up, his whole skeleton was gone and the Doctor was never heard from again." Fabius broke into cackling laughter.
Solomon paused and then also chuckled. It was a fairly amusing story, after all, gruesome though it was.
After a moment the Apothecary leant forwards on the operating table, holding Eidolon's primary heart in his free hand. "Anyway, that's how I lost my medical license."
The Sergeant's chuckle cut off but before he could enquire there was a chirping from inside his ribcage.
"Archimedes!" Fabius glared angrily at the servo skull. "No!" The semi-intelligent device lifted itself out of the wound and scooted away on its anti-gravity propulsion. "It's filthy in there," the apothecary shouted after the device. "Ugh. Machines!"
Solomon considered his fellow member of Legion III's bedside manner rather eccentric at best. But this was the first time he'd ever contemplated his chances of running away from him. They weren't good. His injuries were severe: a mere mortal would long since have died.
Jamming the heart onto a many-pronged cybernetic implant of some kind, Fabius reached for one of the many invasive looking medical contraptions above the table. "Now, most hearts couldn't withstand this voltage but I'm fairly certain yours -"
There was a sudden squelching sound and Fabius shut up.
"What was that noise?"
"The sound of progress, my friend," Fabius replied, turning around to a cabinet. "Ah, perfect." He returned with the heart - at least Solomon presumed it was the same heart. It looked... larger. "Where was I? Ah, there we go." He held it up again. "Come on... come on..." He burst out laughing as the organ began to beat in his hand.
"Oh. That looks good." Solomon was not happy at how surprised the Apothecary seemed to be to be saying that.
"Should I be awake for this?"
"Well... no. But as long as you are..." The Chief Apothecary dropped the heart back into the chest cavity and plunged his hands in after it. "Could you hold your ribcage open a bit? I can't seem..."
Solomon screamed as Fabius twisted the heart into position, less from that than the fact one of his ribs had come away in his hands.
"Oh don't be such a baby. Ribs grow back."
I'm never letting this lunatic treat me again, Solomon pledged privately to himself.
{oOo}