"Sir, that will kill her."

"That's acceptable," Rick replies without hesitation. "We only need her alive long enough to reach seventy percent extraction. After that, the data will be complete enough to work with. Speed is more important than her survival at this point."

He increases the extraction rate himself. The machines hum louder. The blue light in the tubes intensifies.

Elena's roar becomes a shriek of pure agony. Her body thrashes so violently the operating table itself starts ...