"Look, he's coming around."

"No, their eyes always do that."

"Did you shut off the optic nerve?"

"Of course I did."

Pressure. Right eye.

urk

"Fuck!"

"Get the-"

"Too late, forget it. Take it out."

"It's not too late. Hold him."

Smell of alcohol. Stale urine.

"Nick? Can you hear me?"

Pressure. Right eye.

"Get his-"

Fingers around wrist.

"Nick, it's important that you not touch your face."

"Why is he conscious?"

"I don't know."

"You fucked something up."

"No I didn't. Give me that."

hnnnnn hnn

"Stop moving."

Hot breath. Right ear.

"There is a needle in your eyeball. Do not move."

bip bip bip

"Shit. Shit."

"What?"

"They're here."

"Already?"

"Two of them it says. We need to go."

"I'm already in though."

"You can't do it when he's conscious anyway. You'll fry his brain."

"I mean, I probably won't."

Dry mouth.

"Pbbbbleeez duuu nt kllll meee."

snap snap

"I'm doing it."

"You can't do it when he's conscious, we're out of time, and he probably isn't even the guy."

"If you're not going to help, get out of the way."

Nose tickling.

"I... need... to... sneeze."

"Sneezing's looking like a bad move at this point, Nick."

Weight on chest. Eyeball rotating in socket.

"This might hurt."

snk whrrrrrrr CHNK

Screaming.

"You're toasting him."

"You're okay, Nick. You're okay."

"He's... gross, he's bleeding from his eye."

"Nick, I need you to answer a couple of important questions, okay? It's very important that you answer truthfully. Do you understand?"

AAAAAAAAAAA-

"First question. Would you say you're more of a cat person or a dog person?"

What-

"Come on, Nick. Dog or cat?"

Shit is this about the anime stuff I thought I cleared my hist-

"The fuck is that? I can't read this. This is why we don't do it when they're conscious."

Uhh dog i'm a dog person-

"Lying. See that there?"

CHNK

White hot pain. Screaming.

"Answer the questions, Nick. Truthfully. The pain stops when you answer the questions."

CAT CAT PLEASE CAT

"Was that cat?"

"Yeah. He tried to say cat."

"Good. Very good. One down. What's your favorite color?"

ping

"Oh, fuck!"

"What?"

"Wolf's here!"

"That can't be right."

"It says it right fucking here!"

"Show me. Come on, Nick, favorite color?"

Blue no yellow purple red RED RED AHHHH RED RED RED

"He responded. You see?"

"Yes, I saw! Who cares? We have to leave. We have to leave."

"Nick, I want you to think of a number between one and a hundred."

"Oh, Jesus."

"Any number you like. First one in that range that pops into your head. Go on."

"Concentrate, Nick."

"Wolf is coming and you're dicking around with a live probe on the wrong guy. Think about what you're doing."

Six six I choose six-

"Six."

"I saw it."

"That's good, Nick, very good. Only two questions left. Do you love your family?"

"Look, now you just triggered a song in his head. This is bullshit."

"Concentrate, Nick. Do you love your family?"

No what kind of a- I don't have a-

"Good enough, I'm seeing something. Christ, that's weird."

"One more question. Why did you do it?"