"That person will answer for this," he said quietly.
No one responded.
They did not need to.
Inside the operating room, Elias continued the extraction while the physicians assisted him without interruption.
Nearly two hours passed before the final marked areas were examined, leaving only a handful of needles that required particularly careful removal.
By then, Cooper's condition remained stable, although his vital signs were still weaker than anyone in the observation room wanted to see.
Finally, Elias's voice came through the communication system again.
"That was the last one. We've removed every needle we've been able to locate."
The words seemed to release the tension that had filled the observation room for hours.
Elias continued, "There is still inflammation around several of the affected vessels, and his body has suffered considerable strain, but the foreign objects are gone. We're closing now."
For a moment, no one moved.
