Man or machine?

It probably only took a minute, but Rufus’s body twitched again and the heaving of his chest showed evidence of life. Had the machine miraculously restored life to the lifeless, given strength to the weak? Strength was evidenced by the leather straps restraining Rufus’s limbs being broken with a quartet of incredibly strong jerks. Rufus had broken loose, but what was he now? Was Rufus a thinking homo sapiens or had he become just a physical machine?

The answer came as he rose clumsily from the bed. He stepped towards Marcus.

His unblinking eyes proclaimed there was no-one inside.