Page 47 of Helsing: Demon Slayer
“We registered a geomagnetic flare more intense than ever recorded in human history, Demon Slayer. Blackbird has been trying to identify the precise cause. We’re still assessing the scope of the impact, but, so far, our network reports widespread power outages and everything that comes with that.”
Ryan swore under his breath. “What about the rest of the extraction team?” he asked, bracing himself for the worst. “It didn’t look good, Aerie Actual, but thezotiordered me to get your sister out of there.”
“Understood, Demon Slayer. It’s why I ordered the helo to evacuate him and Marta from the ambush site. I knew you would keep Dianne safe.”
Ryan squeezed his eyes shut and inhaled. He hadn’t known until just this moment that thezoti’s fate had weighed on him like a ton of bricks. Even so, he’d do it exactly the same way if he had to do it over again.
“Thank you, ma’am, for your faith in me.” He paused, afraid to ask the next question. He just prayed that Olivia knew what he really asked. “Casualties?”
“Barts and Markos didn’t make it.” She said this without inflection or explanation. It didn’t matter that they probably killed each other. “Dutchman managed to extract Germaine using the proto-Eaglet, but she’s in an induced harmonic coma to stem the damage from her possession. Marta has a dislocated collarbone and various bumps and bruises, but she’ll be back for light duty in a few days.”
When Olivia didn’t say more, Ryan forced himself to ask, “And thezoti?”
Olivia cleared her throat. “Mihàil suffered burns over three quarters of his body.” Her voice, normally so cool and confident, broke on the final three words. She paused before continuing in a near whisper. “He also lost an eye. We don’t know yet if he’ll be able to see from the other one.”
“Shit.” Ryan pulled away from Dianne and started pacing.
A waver moved through the comms’ harmonics that he imagined came from Olivia’s struggle with her emotions. Yet when she spoke, her voice had returned to its no-nonsense confidence.
“The flare grounded the AW139 and the vehicles we have on site. That’s why I need you to get my sister to the safehouse in Shkodër, Demon Slayer. I’m working on getting assets in the area to assist you, but for now, you’re on your own. Can you do it, soldier?”
Ryan answered without hesitation. “Hooah!”
“Tell her you’re injured!” said Dianne across from him. Ryan looked up, irritation washing through him as he took in her flashing gaze and raised chin. She only folded her arms and glared back at him. “Tell her,Demon Slayer.Or you’ll have to carry me out of this place. How’s that going to work for you?”
“Stand by,” said Olivia, who’d clearly heard Dianne’s interjection, “while I review your vitals.” Ryan didn’t have to detail what thedaemonhad done to him through Germaine. It was all there in his gear’s onboard diagnostics.
He continued glowering at Dianne and mouthedThanks for nothing.
Olivia returned a minute later.
“Helsing.” Now her voice sounded anguished. “Your system shows you received a physical and harmonic injury just before Willem got to you. You’ve lost a lot of blood, and your diagnostics show significant trauma to the peritoneum and internal bleeding. You won’t be able to make it to Shkodër without medical attention. In fact, I don’t know how you’re still conscious.”
“It’s nothing that your chocolate and some bandages can’t handle until we get to the safehouse,” he said, practically growling it. “In fact, the flare recharged me. Kicked me right back into the fight.”
“He’s in bad shape, Olivia,” said Dianne, riding over his last words. She’d moved up next to him while Olivia spoke and now aimed her voice at his ear. “He could hardly stand up twenty minutes ago.”
It seemed her efforts to speak to her sister directly worked. Another surprising ability conferred through their connected harmonics that he’d noted previously.
“Dianne?” Olivia asked in surprise. She sounded taken aback. “Can you hear me?”
“Yes.” Dianne shot Ryan a narrowed look. “I’ve been picking up on words here and there, but after that ‘flare’ you mentioned, I hear you loud and clear.”
Olivia was silent.
Tilting her head, Dianne continued. “Actually, now that I think about it, I hear you in my ear, like we’re on the phone. Is that how it sounds to you?”
“Yes,” said Olivia again. “What’s a mystery iswhyyou seem to be connected to our comms. That garment you wear was only calibrated as a local bodily defense againstdaemons, not as a means to receive and transmit audio data. But now that you have that capability, it’s clear it should have been included in the tactical design given the current circumstances.”
“What should we do?” asked Dianne. She looked over at Ryan, but she didn’t seem to see him.
Ryan crossed his arms, listening to this conversation between his commander and his principal. As he did, he scanned their environment. Despite no alarms sounding in his sensors, he couldn’t shake the feeling that they were being watched.
Olivia sighed. “As much as I hate to say it, Di, my orders to Ryan are the same. He needs to get you on the road to Shkodër. You two can’t stay in one place too long. The flare might have disrupted thedaemonsin its in path, but until we know more, we can’t take that risk.”
“But—” said Dianne.
“No buts,” said Olivia, injecting authority into her voice that Ryan had come to recognize as that of thezonjë, the lady wife of a powerfulzoti. While not impossible to resist, it warned of dire consequences if the target did. “Helsing is a former Army Ranger, little sis. That means he’s trained extensively for this kind of mission. If any human can do it, he can.”
