“His cortical field is flat. No synaptic cascade. No brainstem relay.”
The air left him.Brain dead.
Bishop grabbed Seer’s shoulders, trembling as he closed his eyes and pushed his architecture, his readings getting only static. He moved to his chest, getting the same thing. He grabbed his head, gripping tight, clenching his eyes. “Come on come on!” he roared, fighting to breathe. “I can’t feel anything, I can’t fucking feel him!”
“What’s happening?” Sinrik shot out, kneeling next to them.
They relayed the words to him while Bishop stared at Samuel’s face. Peaceful. His laughter filled Bishop’s head. Joking about Bacon’s biscuits. He’deatenthem. Because he was too kind not to.
“He needs fucking airlift!” Sinrik yelled behind him, then shouted coordinates to somebody.
…“Do whatever it takes to keep him alive.”
…“Morgue is already in route….”
….Refugees are safe and secured.”
“Talk to me, Brother,” Bullets implored suddenly next to him.
Bishop turned and looked at him.
The fear on his face, the threat of devastation, crushed Bishop’s chest. He grabbed his shirt in both fists, fighting to breathe. “He…” The word lodged in his throat and Bullets jerked him into a steel hug.
“He’s okay, he’ll be fucking okay!” Bullet’s swore as pain wrenched out of Bishop.
“He took all of it,” Bishop strained. “His brain is fucking dead, he’s dead, they fucking killed him!”
“He’s not dead, no, no, he’s not dead!”
“I don’twanthim to fucking die, Brother, I need him! God, I need him!”
Bullets pushed him back, holding his head in a tight grip. “He needs you more!” he swore to him. “He’s always there for us, always standing between us and the dark—it’s you now, he needsyouto stand forhimnow!”
****
Bishop held Samuel’s hand tight during transport, finding nothing in his upgraded bullshit to help him do the most important thing for another human being. Pray.
He was down to digging through past conversations, looking for what Samuel might say in his shoes.
“You know…even though terror rages in your bones, you’re still a fearless leader, brother….
“…Because it was out of fears that the man sitting before me was conceived….
“…Good news is…this terror you now face will be a sanctifying deliverance. For all of us…”
Bishop held on to that one. Because he was fucking terrified.
“….I sure as fuck wish I had your faith.”
“Oh, you do. What’s mine is yours. Always has been.”
“….You have to trust that everything the dark throws at you is lies.
….The darkness is always showing you this truth.”
“…I think I preferred when I was your son.”
“…You still are... You will always be seven years yonder to me.”