Chapter 43. Recovery

Carlos was unconscious for a while. He was already so sick of sleeping. He woke up from time to time. The very first time he woke up, he saw a doctor who attempted to reassure him that he was healing well but was clearly appalled at the amount of damage his body had taken. The first few times after that, he was asked to give an account of his time away. He gave only vital details, mostly things the Torturer had said. Most of the other times, he was alone.

A few times, he woke up to find Alfred and Clark; they kept him up to date on some current events in the consortium and just generally in the world. Although he was never conscious for too long, his conscious periods were growing longer and longer. He even played a card game once, teaming up with Clark against Alfred. They won, and although Alfred was seemingly upset, he seemed okay with losing because Clark’s joy was infectious, and Carlos couldn’t resist smiling.

He woke up to find the Man in Black seated beside his