[ there on the floor, spots dancing across his vision, his lungs feeling both wet and burning at the same time, viktor manages one last message — spoken in a weak voice, interspersed with coughs, he sends it to octavian: the second theory... seems to be correct. do not let anyone near the hexcore. i will... see you in a week. i hope.
(the second theory, of course, is his hypothesizing about the way aldrip treats him: theory one is that it is keeping him alive, not letting his state worsen to the point of death; theory two is that it will let him die, only to bring him back, rinse and repeat.)
true to his word, exactly a week from that, he wakes in his laboratory again — and where once, he would have got up and gone back to work, there is something else to do, now. he grabs his cane and his coat, and walks the distance separating his workspace from octavian's, knocks on the door, three rapid taps once he makes it there. ]
CLOSED TO OCTAVIAN ❯
(the second theory, of course, is his hypothesizing about the way aldrip treats him: theory one is that it is keeping him alive, not letting his state worsen to the point of death; theory two is that it will let him die, only to bring him back, rinse and repeat.)
true to his word, exactly a week from that, he wakes in his laboratory again — and where once, he would have got up and gone back to work, there is something else to do, now. he grabs his cane and his coat, and walks the distance separating his workspace from octavian's, knocks on the door, three rapid taps once he makes it there. ]