The hum and click of the fluorescent light on its last legs overhead came into focus after the initial gasp of breath. Beneath the ammonia waved to bring him back to consciousness, the familiar mix of old meat and wet pavement clung in the back of his throat. Seated, he let his head drop toward his lap in an attempt to get his eyes to readjust or at least give him some clue as to what time it was by his own attire. Running shoes and dry wick joggers suggested that he'd been out for a run. It was the last thing that he could remember between the flicker of the light and the last time he'd been conscious.

"Welcome back."

The voice wasn't familiar to him but it still made him snap his eyes back toward the direction of the source. Feet spread in an attempt to bear weight but as Brandon jerked forward, the excruciating pain of his right shoulder out of socket knocked him back with a soft hiss.

"It's less painful if you stop struggling," the voice suggested.

Brandon squinted against the flicker of light to try and make out any distinguishing shapes but the only thing he saw was a withered hand and a concrete pillar. He moved his wrists in an attempt to gauge what he was constrained by. It bit into his skin like plastic rather than metal, which suggested a zip tie. Too tight, but in the moment he realized complaining about the numbness that he felt in his fingertips was the least of his worries.

"Are you ready to cooperate?" The voice with the hand that became more of a shape the longer Brandon looked. A small man with tall hair, definitely not the kind of man he'd easily be overpowered by. There was a faint cough to the left that caught his attention but he couldn't see anything further.

He took his time in answering. Heels dug against the concrete and scraped the chair back a couple inches. Metal and flimsy, he was certain it was only a temporary fix to the problem they were having, he just couldn't remember how he'd ended up there in the first place.

"Not sure what you want me to cooperate with," he said slowly as if testing his tongue for the first time.

"Then I guess we should refresh your memory. You've been out a little while."

"How long?"

"Half a day," the voice replied.