The mighty GRU Colonel, bandaged and suspended like some pharaoh prepared for the Afterlife, groggily tilted a heavy head towards the sound of that voice.

There was a brightness in the weariness. The tiniest traces of a smile.

His words were only sounds, pleasant sounds he associated with the fondest things, the fondest moments, before their meaning sunk in.

His drug addled brain took a moment to process it.

The warmth faded. He frowned.

"What is it?" His powerful voice had been burned away into a gentle rasp.