Daniel arrived with the woman at what appeared to any other like a rusted out garage door chock full of ripped holes. She banged on the metal thrice in succinct order then hollered a whooping call. Daniel heard a lock from the other side clatter away just as the sheet metal came swooping up.
A burly man dressed in slacks while his wife beater tented over a hefty belly stuck inches away low over his belt's buckle. Further up, domed goggles welded to a larger cloth mask covered much of his face. He squinted his eyes at them coming to a rest on the woman. When he opened his mouth it surprisingly was high pitched as if the man sucked on helium. "Madame, why you be bringing to me two saps with one on death's door?" Just as he spoke, a wad of spittle mixed with blood dripped out of Kage's mouth. "Agh!" The man cried, lifting both hands to his face in shock.
The woman placed a hand on the man's muscled shoulder, almost producing a laugh from Daniel with her arm barely able to touch it. "You gonna work on them or just watch as the boy hacks up more than a lung onto your floor."
Not needing anymore persuasion the man shook his hands, erasing the indecisiveness from before. "Whatever, Madame. But someone better pay me this time. You've used up all your favors with these damned cats you bringing in."
The woman snarled at him, "Just get it done ya brat."
Pulling on a rope the man lifted open a hatch carved into the concrete floor. The man waved them to the opening. The woman grabbed onto the rungs of a ladder that descended into a deep darkness. As Daniel brushed past the man he felt a warm breeze covet his bod like a lost lamb remaining with the smell of antiseptic. The man was a developed Evolved with his own aura. Daniel could imagine the smile spreading across the man's face due to the boy's late realization.
The four of them soon found their way inside with the elderly woman aiding Daniel in carrying Kage. The man waddled in front, lighting a lamp. The walls were made of dirt with a plastic sheen over them, keeping the cave from collapsing.
"Yeah mah bud made these walls fo' me. Wasn't cheap as he could only spin so much at a time."
"Spin?" Daniel questioned.
Looking back the man spoke, "Yeah, he got this web like shit that comes from this stinger on his ass. Hurts like hell, he told me. Nearly cost a fortune but when yer the best-
"Only doctor!" corrected the woman.
Flexing his fist the man unpaused. "As I was saying, when yer the greatest goddam doctor to ever grace the planet, money isn't an issue." He said with a prideful smirk.
"Only becomes one when this hag comes around, doesn't it?" poked the woman.
"That it does, hag. That it does. Especially when yuh have nothin' to settle accounts with."
"Agh, go fuck yourself." She hacked dismissively.
"You too, Madame." They finally came upon a steel door graced by a lever of a handle akin to one found on a naval vessel. The man took hold with a single hand pulling it open, a feat no average man could produce.
Pointing at a sparkling clean table the man commanded, "Lie him down, then I'll see what the damage is."
Daniel did as told, finding that Kage's complexion was worse than ever with hints of blue now splattered about his skin. The man pushed him back and away from the observation table which allowed for him to take in the room in its entirety. Glimmering scalpels and weapons of surgery readied themselves in a steel tray beside a chair with a torn cushion and some stuffing leaking out from the side. I.V. drips flung on top of blood bags cooled themselves in an open refrigerator that also housed copious amounts of beer and jars of frozen insects. The floor was washed clean but the lingering scent of blood could not be mistaken.
The man poked then prodded at Kage's nearly lifeless form. Attaching a heartbeat monitor to his wrist simultaneously holding a hand to his mouth and nose just as the woman had done, all the while his eyes never strayed from a paper in front of him. Daniel thought he was simply lazy and going through the motions but that was far from the truth.
His moves were precise and accurate yet his eyes were able to observe multiple parts of Kage's body, not solely the paper. Minutes went by with no word from the man.
Daniel interrupted this silence, "Are you going to do something! He just keeps getting worse!" Removing his goggles the man dropped on the torn chair and swiveled toward Daniel provoking a gasp from him. He was caught off guard by the dozens of eyes that the goggles had covered. All were black and glossy like those of a spider.
"Just leave the work to the professional, kid." He turned back around then went about testing for minutes longer before gloving his hands and grabbing a suction tube that looked part vacuum cleaner but small like one of those that a dentist would use.
Calling out he said, "Time for yuh two to go on up and leave me to it. Can't have yuh infect the station."
Daniel opened his mouth only for the woman to take hold of him nudging onward toward the door. His complaints would only fall on deaf ears and endanger the life of his friend.
With them gone the doctor cracked his neck and opened up the wound in Kage's chest. "Well, yuh surely gonna feel some discomfort lad." The suction turned on being forced deep in the wound causing Kage to react by biting the flesh of his lower lip. "No anesthesia lad, just pain. Keep biting and if yuh do well I might just make this free."