— Chief Doctor's POV"
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Chief Doctor Helena Blackwood-Gray stood still for a moment. The hum of medical machines filled the Imperial Medical Center, steady and unrelenting, like the pulse of the empire itself. Two rooms guarded by elite Black Axe Men. Two patients. Two legends.
Chris Blackwood.
Classic Blackwood.
Father and son. Silent. Unmoving. Fighting battles beneath skin and bone.
---
Helena ran a hand over her tablet, her brow furrowed.
Inner Monologue (Dr. Helena):
Their vitals are stable. Brain activity minimal, but present. The Emperor's heart… still strong. Classic's body is healing faster, but there's neural trauma. Every system is functioning. But they're not waking up. And every second they don't… this empire bleeds.
She walked into Chris's room first. The scent of sterilization, the low rhythmic beep of the monitor, and the weight of expectations pressed down like gravity.
Chris looked peaceful. Too peaceful for a man who had carried fire in his veins.
She glanced up at the B.A.M. soldier standing silently by the wall.
Dr. Helena:
"Any changes in his condition during the night?"
Soldier:
"No, ma'am. No movement. No noise. But… something odd happened at 3:13 a.m. The lights flickered. Once. Just once. Then stopped."
Helena's eyes narrowed.
Dr. Helena:
"Electromagnetic pulse? Power fluctuation?"
Soldier:
"Engineers said no. Everything else was fine. Just… that room."
She tapped her tablet, scribbled a note, and whispered under her breath:
Dr. Helena:
"Even unconscious, he shakes the system."
---
Next room. Classic. Her expression softened for a moment.
Inner Monologue (Dr. Helena):
The boy had promise. Rage. Vision. But unlike his father, he still carried pieces of innocence. That got him shot.
She adjusted his IV, watching the slow drip. Then her screen blinked. A small anomaly.
Pulse spike: 3:13 a.m.
Synaptic burst: 3:13 a.m.
Match.
She blinked.
Dr. Helena (softly):
"They reacted… together?"
---
Later in the War Room Medical Conference:
Helena stood at the head of a long table, facing top government health officials and imperial advisors.
Dr. Helena:
"Chris and Classic both had unusual spikes in brain and heart activity at the exact same moment. No external trigger. No medical explanation."
A murmuring broke out.
Advisor:
"Are you saying they're... communicating?"
Dr. Helena:
"I'm saying whatever connection they have—it's beyond medicine. And it's still alive. Do not declare either of them lost. Not yet."
---
After the briefing, she returned to her office, alone now, staring at the monitors again. A quiet knock at her door pulled her from the data.
It was Christiana.
Christiana (coldly):
"How long do I have to rule with their ghosts haunting every decision?"
Dr. Helena (calm):
"As long as it takes for one of them to return. Or neither."
---
As Christiana turned to leave, Helena called out:
Dr. Helena:
"But remember, Dictator… sometimes, ghosts don't return the same."