Back at Mr. P's lab...
*It took him some time, but Hypno had finally regained enough strength to move about unaided. His left leg was terribly stiff, and he lifted it by cranking his lower back. Mr. P had intended for him to use the exercise equipment in order to regain his mobility, but Hypno didn't touch any of it. His therapy usually consisted of stretching exercises to prevent contracture deformities. If he used any regular exercise equipment, it was to improve his gait and stamina.*
*Dragging himself around the room, he looked at the workstations. Spread out on one of them were his plans for the brace-harness assembly. Beside them were modified plans that utilized his measurements. Mr. P must have measured him while he was unconscious.*
*Unable to keep his focus on one subject for very long, he resumed his wandering. Using the counters and the wall as a support, Hypno pulled himself around the darkened lab, dragging his stiff left leg. His left arm was equally useless, but he could at least support himself with it. He felt along the wall for a switch, but was unable to find one. Reaching a dark corner of the room, he moved unsteadily toward it, thinking that it was a door.*
*The darkness gave way to more darkness as he maneuvered through it in search of a light switch. The smells in that alcove were strong and stung the inside of his large nose and made his eyes water. He sniffed, rubbed at his nose with one hand, and then sneezed hard enough to send him stumbling. Throwing his arms out in front of him to catch his balance, Hypno hit a misplaced stool and tripped over it. He grabbed at anything in front of him and brought the contents of a desk down on top of him as he sprawled to the floor in a heap.*
*The fall stunned him momentarily, and the burning and itching in his nose caused him to sneeze loudly. His sneeze echoed in the darkened room, and he could have sworn that he heard a response.*
"He... Hel-lo...?"