Agony impaled him with red hot spikes! Fiery torches bludgeoned his senses! White masked faces hovered over him. Bright lights exploded in his face, blacking out the bodies that belonged to the masks. Voices murmured somewhere above him. One voice yelled, “Get those damned cameras out of here!” Another voice, softer: “Doctor, his eyes are open. He’s awake.” Pain! Erosive torture! A soldier doesn’t show pain, he reminded himself and clenched what he thought were his teeth. Someone bellowed, “Nurse! Morphine. STAT! More ether. Must have a constitution of iron. With these kinds of burns and injuries, he should be comatose just from the pain. Hell! He should be dead. I don’t know what’s keeping him alive.” My mission mates. Where are they? He tried to ask. The soft voice again, “Doctor, he ... he’s trying to say something.” “Nurse, get him back under. Now!” “Yes doctor. I’m trying.” He attempted to turn his head to find his mission mates. There! In the corner.
