Free Eye of Ra by Kipjo Ewers

that state, since there wasn’t a window or device to update him on the time. He didn’t care. He lounged there gazing at the arm that had once been whittled down to nothing, riddled with calluses and sores from needle injections. Now it was strong and healthy, healthier than it had been in years. There wasn’t one scar left from the damage he had done to himself. On top of that, the craving to get high was gone, possibly forever. It was as if the four years had never happened. He however could find no joy in his new lease on life, due to its price being so heavy. Visions of Rosemary brought forth no more tears but left him in a numbed state that he refused to pull himself out of. His plan was to lay there in that pod at the bottom of the ocean and rot to make fair exchange.
     
    His eyes rolled in disgust as his ears picked up the sound of the mechanized serpent that constantly interrupted this plan. For the umpteenth time, it slithered back into the medical bay to check on him. It periodically came in and asked for verbal confirmation of his condition. When he did not respond, it would do some kind of scan to get the answer for itself. It would ask him if he required nourishment, to which he would give it his back letting it know he wanted it to leave him alone.
     
    This time it did not bother ask him how he felt and just went for the scan. While it was scanning him, he took the time through dismissive eyes to give it a good look over. It was large, the size of an Amazon jungle anaconda. Its golden scale hood was so large it appeared capable of flight. Its entire body was comprised of the gold metal that Pops had confirmed was not gold, yet when it slithered across the ground it made no scraping sound against the hard silver colored floor. Its beady eyes emitted a reddish glow but turned to blue when it scanned him. It also did not open its mouth when it spoke to him.
     
     “You have not ingested sustenance in over three days since your awakening,” the metal cobra stated after completing its scan. “Although you are now able to endure longer without food and liquids; you still must maintain a reasonable diet to stabilize your health.”
     
    Laurence rolled over giving it his back while continuing his silent treatment.
     
    “You will leave me no choice but to take measures to ensure that you maintain balanced nutrition.” It calmly warned.
     
    “I’d like to see you try that shit,” he snorted.
     
    The cushion he had been laying on sunk, knocking him out of his smug state dropping him on his back.
     
    “What the …?”
     
    Before he could sit up, parts of the cushion became malleable and wrapped around his arms and legs, securing him in the pod.
     
    “Fuck you doing yo?” He roared.
     
    “Your current fragile mental and emotional state is compromising your health,” stated the familiar. “I must take measures to maintain your physical form until your mind makes the proper adjustments.”
     
    “Let me go!” He barked. “I order you to let me go!”
     
    “I will not obey your commands if they violate set protocols,” it returned. “Self-endangerment of one’s own existence due to psychological issues is one of those protocols.”
     
    Enraged, Laurence growled as he fought with all of his strength to pull himself from the clutches of the cushion material holding him down.
     
    “It is useless to struggle, even with your upgraded physiology …”
     
    A furious Laurence ripped his right hand free of the cushion and pulled himself halfway to sitting.
     
    “I have miscalculated,” the familiar calmly observed.
     
    Before Laurence could get his left arm free, the cushion morphed into five lashing tendrils that wrapped around his arm, pulling it back down again. Additional tendrils formed from the cushion, further securing his limbs and upper torso.
     
    “Your enhanced strength is far greater than I calculated it to be.”
     
    Struggling and unable to move, Laurence nervously watched