Old Man's War

Dr. Russell comes to John’s room and takes him for his physical examination. He is cold about Leon’s death, which annoys John, and unceremoniously removes Leon from his PDA appointments.

In the exam room, John is placed in a chair that molds itself to his body. Above him, John sees something that looks like a suction cup about the size of his head. In seconds, Dr. Russell informs him that the cup has already examined Leon’s entire body. John’s body is in great shape, other than a cancerous tumor that has begun to grow on his testicle. Again, Dr. Russell annoys John by being dismissive of the tumor and insisting that it’s not a concern. When John expresses discomfort, Dr. Russell insists that John will be getting an “overhaul” of his body in the next few days, so the cancer will be taken care of then.

After the exam, the cup moves down and suctions itself to John’s head. Dr. Russell tells him that he will now inject 20,000 “microsensors” into John’s skull that will track his brain activity. The pain shocks John and gets significantly worse when the sensors connect to each other. Again, Dr. Russell dismisses John’s concerns.

At lunch, John sits with Harry, Jesse, and the others.