“Sir.” Another nurse approached. “His biometrics are flat. He’s doesn’t appear to be alive. It appears he’s dead, sir. I’m sorry.”
Rafael turned to Gan’s body and pointed to his chest. It rose and fell slowly with each breath.
“Does that look dead to you?” Rafael asked. “Get him prepped…now.”
The nurse rushed off.
A tall, statuesque woman approached Rafael. She wore a black pantsuit with an off-white blouse. Her thin glasses partially obscured her eyes. She wore her long hair in a tight bun. Everything about her expressed a barely contained lethality. She gave the nurse a glance, causing Rafael’s examination to be cut short.
“Stop scaring the staff, Pira,” Rafael said, unrolling his sleeves. “You know how they get.”
“I cannot be held responsible for their lack of nerve. Perhaps if I spoke to the—?”
“No. The last time you did that, most of them had to be relocated to other Regional sites. No more morale building conversations from you. Besides, we have more urgent matters.” Rafael turned to look at the unconscious form of his friend. “Gan needs assistance.”
“The nurse was right, sir,” Pira, the assistant Regional Director, said after looking at Gan for a moment. “He may be breathing, but his biometrics are flat. For all intents and purposes, Ganriel is dead.”
“No,” Rafael said. “It’s a failsafe. Part of his training. He can make his body go nearly catatonic when it suffers catastrophic damage. This time it wasn’t his body.”
“Not his body?”
“His mind was assaulted by an Akitsu—a Dragonfly. She hit him with a mindswipe.”
“Impossible,” Pira answered. “The last of the Akitsu were eliminated during the war. Are you certain it was an Akitsu?”
“Improbable, but not impossible,” Rafael said. “It was someone he knew. I didn’t think any of the Dragonflies survived the war. If Gan says she swiped him, I’m going to take his word for it.”
“Is it probable the Unholy hit him with something mind altering, sir?” Pira, answered, following his gaze. “I’m afraid a mindswipe is not possible. The last recorded victim of a mindswipe—”
“Is lying on that gurney,” Rafael answered curtly. “Get the swipe procedure in place. I will not have the Director of the Gray, my friend, fall victim to a psychotic break. Get it ready now.”
Pira checked her tablet again.
“Yes, sir,” Pira answered as she swiped her tablet. “The procedure is being readied. Is there anything else?”
Rafael traced a ward and created a tight sphere of silence around them, muffling every sound as they moved.
“The Nameless is in play,” Rafael answered, keeping his voice even. “We’re going to need to convene the Directive.”
Pira raised an eyebrow.
“It was my understanding the Nameless was hidden to prevent this from happening?”
“It was,” Rafael said with some frustration. “Seems it wasn’t hidden well enough.”
“May I inquire who is currently wielding the one blade designed to face all of the named blades? Do we know?”
“Velos.”
“Velos. That is…unfortunate.”
“Your skill for understatement is impressive,” Rafael said. “It’s an unmitigated disaster. He’s a madman and will destroy everything the Order has created. There’s only one blade that can stand against him now.”
“I thought the Nameless was the most powerful blade?”
“It is.”
“I don’t understand,” Pira answered. “What blade are you referring to, then?”
“The Jade Demon.”
“That’s not a blade, but rather an entity. One that is currently retired—or has that changed as well?”
“I have a feeling we’ll be seeing a new one…soon.”
“Are you referring to a new Jade Demon?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Did you happen to receive a head injury while you were out, sir?” Pira motioned to one of the nurses. “You’re not making any sense. The Jade Demon was killed by the Unholy decades ago.”
“I’m fine, Pira. I’ll explain once we secure Ganriel.”
“Of course, sir.” Pira glanced at the nurse, stopping her in her approach. “Just trying to make sure you are operationally sound.”
“That’s almost touching, coming from you,” Rafael replied. “I am in possession of my full mental faculties. Do not question me again.”
“Understood, sir.”
“Once Velos finds out about her, he’ll want to eliminate the only threat to his power,” Rafael answered. “Inform Regional I will oversee all Hand activities from this moment forward.”
“Her, sir?”
“The Jade Demon—or at least her daughter, Sepia Blue.”
“Who is currently in possession of a dark blade and the Unholy artifact?” Pira asked. “She is—was—a class-two Hunter. Are you now saying she is the Jade Demon?”
“The One and the same,” Rafael answered. “Inform Regional that all communications will now be handled by you and my office. We need to prevent any interference.”
“They won’t appreciate your interference,” Pira answered, touching her tablet. “This will appear like a dereliction of your other duties. Are you certain?”
“The Nameless is in play, and if I’m right, Fuma has unleashed the Jade Demon,” Rafael answered as they walked down a corridor. “There is nothing that is a higher priority right now. Besides, when have I worried about appearances?”
“Is that a rhetorical question?”
“Yes,” Rafael said, following the nurses who were pushing the gurney carrying Gan. “We’ll need a team. A hand.”
“Should I prep for the field?” she asked. “Or will we employ outside parties?”
“We’re going to need to get our hands dirty on this one. We can’t use any Regional assets. This one is Dark Protocol—no ties to the Order whatsoever.”
“That limits our options, sir.”
“I know, but we have options. The Sisters were recently attacked by Black Hunters. Their numbers were decimated from a recent attack. Contact Anna.”
“If they suffered an attack, will they be in any condition to assist us in this mission?”
“I know Anna,” Rafael said. “She’ll want to rebuild her Sisters after this. For her it will be a matter of pride…and revenge.”
“Revenge? Against whom?”
“Who else? The Order branch who issued her termination—Downtown. Specifically Overseer Marks, who has gone missing.”
“Right,” Pira said. “We want to employ a highly trained assassin bent on vengeance against the Order. Did you happen to forget that Regional is part of the Order?”
“Not at all,” Rafael said. “Like I said earlier, I know Anna. The Order needs the Sisters, even
