"Thank you Mr. Jackson." The doctor slipped a pen back into his pocket as he finished jotting something down, then made his way towards the door. "Someone'll check in on how you're doing in a little while."
Axel nodded as the man left the room. "Yeah, sure. Thanks." He had no idea if they (whoever they were) would be looking for him, but if they were, he wasn't about to help them by giving out his real name. With a sigh, Axel leaned back in the bed and pulled up his gown, revealing the wound in his thigh. It didn't look too bad now that they'd sewn it shut, and the morphine wasn't unwelcome. Still, it'd probably leave a scar. I just keep getting prettier.
He'd remembered to grab hold of his cell phone before his blood soaked jeans had been removed, and he turned to look at it now as it lay on the bedside table, turned off. Part of him felt the urge to try and call one of the others, to see if they'd made it out - but he knew how risky that could be.
Axel had no idea what he should do next. Would the Purifiers come after them because of what had happened? Would whoever they'd been looking for track them down? With the cops still after him, a future in Seryet City was looking increasingly bleak. His head hurting, Axel picked up the TV remote and hit the ON button. The TV mounted in the corner of the room flickered to life.
" -and in other news, the leader of Brennan Synthetics, Richard Brennan, has been reported missing." A reporter filled the screen, his expression solemn. "He was last seen two days ago leaving his residence in Upper Greenford at approximately 6 o'clock in the afternoon, alone. This news comes just days after Brennan Synthetics announced its closure, following the bizarre and tragic incident in which 78 people possessing Brennan Synthetic augmentations died, after the technology appeared to malfunction. Earlier this week, hospitals were flooded with citizens demanding their augmentations be removed. Many stated they didn't feel safe anymore, with this incident standing on the shoulders of the Lanthae massacre last year."
A female reporter sitting on the left spoke up. "Investigators have reported concerns regarding Richard Brennan's safety. Earlier this morning, Edward Coxon, the ex-owner of Focus Biological, a genetic augmentation company which closed its doors 40 years ago, and a close friend of Mr. Brennan, spoke to us to try and reach out to his missing friend."
The image changed to an old man. His wispy white hair looked disheveled, and his suit appeared as if he'd thrown it on quickly. His left hand trembled, and as Axel watched the screen, he thought the old man seemed so thin that a light breeze would blow him away like paper. Coxon cleared his throat and looked directly into the camera and spoke, his voice surprisingly clear in spite of his appearance.
"Richard, I beg you. Please, no matter how dark the situation seems, there is always hope. We can all recover from this. Seryet can recover, and to do this we all need to stand together, to work together. With this comes strength." He paused, blinking. "You are part of this strength, Richard."
Losing interest, Axel turned the TV off. He leaned back and gingerly probed his wound.
-----------------------------------------------
The car had stopped in the gravel driveway of a large, expensive-looking property. A guard stood to either side of the marble steps leading up to a set of imposing wooden doors, the main entrance. The long driveway stretched behind them, ending at a tall metal gate, hefty trees dotting either side of the path.
Metheun stepped out of the car, rolling his shoulders. As he adjusted his tie, he motioned towards the guard holding her arm. "Witness protection?" he smirked as the three of them made their way up the steps. "Sure. Whatever you say, honey." As they neared the entrance the doors swung open, revealing a nervous looking butler. They stepped through into an airy entrance hall. A carpeted stairway wound up to the second floor.
"Thank you, Felix. That cold sore's looking much better, by the way," Metheun said as the butler closed the doors behind them. He started for the stairway, speaking over his shoulder. "Take her into the meeting room. Make her comfortable, I'll be back soon. Felix, find toothpaste!"
Flora was led through a doorway to her left. A long table filled the next room, a fire crackling away on the far side. The guard led her down the room to the chair at the furthest end of the table and pushed her down into it, the fire warming her back pleasantly.
