Artifice - Man x Man - Book Six

Chapter 5

I see Dr.Tanya, standing with a clipboard. "He's hot," I tell her with a sigh, crossing my arms over my chest. As much as I don't want to admit her being right, their constant crowing about diseases and plagues coupled with the reading I've been doing has been enough to give me a healthy dose of caution.

"I heard. Good job trying to use Artifice. I was watching you, anyway, so." She slips into a white suit and slides on some gloves and a mask before entering the room through a sliding door that appears beside the glass. My bewildered expression must amuse her and she steps aside so I can take a look. 

The wall had seemed seamless and yet these entrances appeared out of nowhere. "Neat, right? It's easy to forget how incredible some of this technology is. A door that I take for granted probably looks rather odd to you."

"You'd think, I guess if I didn't know any better I'd say you were just doing magic and using a revealing spell but knowing it's technology..." I pull my lips into a thin line, it seems as though it's humanity's way of becoming more like us without living servants. The new servants were machines. "Our slaves revolted against us. It's just curious, I suppose."

She makes face, doing a double-take between me and the door. "There's no chance for revolt. It's a door, Nicolas."

I glance at the ceiling before I shrug. "Alright. Can you look at him please?" I'm not convinced that creating a device that talks back to you and naming it Artifice is the best option when it comes to predicting your own demise. I follow her closely as she walks over and picks up the remote, turning it sideways. 

She shows me how to run the sensor from his forehead to his temple to get a temperature. 104.5. "Lycan's run hot." I remind her. 

"Not that hot. Don't worry, we were prepared for this and he's already on antibiotics."

"I really feel fine." He retorts as she listens to his lungs. 

"I'd say that was a lie. It really is startling how much Legardo is like you." Her short nature could almost be misinterpreted as callous but by looking at her face, one can tell it's meant with no malicious intent. Her monotone voice suits me fine, I'm not one for big personalities with all I've endured in the past year.

I find that I'm ready for a dose of dullness. "We'll add a more aggressive dose of antibiotics and anti-inflammatories. Just stay in bed and you'll be better in no time." Her eyes avert down, not looking at him directly, not challenging him. It's almost as if she's suggesting it. I note that I had the same thought when we were in the main room. 

I resist the urge to touch her, keeping my hands firmly folded in front of me. "Excuse me. Tanya. If you say it like that, he's going to walk all over you. If you were his lessor, by all means, but here you are a doctor. I would rather not spend the next two weeks chasing him around this hospital room if it's not necessary, so, do tell him exactly what you intend for him to do." 

Her eyes widen slightly as she glances over at me from the corner of her eye as if she's afraid to move or respond. It's starting to insult me though I don't see it much bothering him. "Frankly, I don't need his ego to be any bigger."

It brings a scoff from him as he moves to sit up. "Oh please. How long do you expect me to sit in this bed? I've kept quiet. You're telling me I can't move for three weeks?" She peers over at him and lets her shoulders fall, repeating the breathing exercise I saw before. 

"Yes. She is." I tell him back firmly. "You're sick. You wouldn't be sick if you hadn't been thrown into that damned harbor." My fear for him makes me lash out. I have to fill the void that's left by our submissive doctor, tell him what he needs to do, assert that he needs to get better, and confirm that he's not allowed to die.