Linus Monfort had just finished his morning workout. He was still in his exercise clothes when his phone beeped.

He looked at the screen. It was unusual to receive a call this early. Every one of his employees knew not to disturb him before sunrise.

Unless it was absolutely necessary.

He grabbed the phone and saw Solarys General Hospital on the screen. His heart nearly stopped.

Despite his reputation as a cold and ruthless businessman, everyone who truly knew him also knew that he loved his family with a ferocity that had no off switch.

Every member of his family was accounted for. Every one but one.

Liam.

Which was why he almost had a heart attack right there in his home gym.

He answered the call. "Is he still alive?"

------------------------------

Dr. Bennett was stunned when she heard that.

It took her only a second to recover. "Yes, sir, he is. This is Dr..."

But Linus had already cut her off. "I’m on my way."

The line went dead.

Dr. Bennett stared at her phone.

A nearby nurse caught her expression. "Was he angry? Mr. Linus?"

Dr. Bennett shook her head slowly. "No. He just wanted to know if his son was dead or alive. I told him. And before I could say anything further, he said he was on his way and hung up."

"Wow." The nurse raised his eyebrows. "Definitely lives up to his reputation. Man of very few words. Why do you look surprised, Doctor?"

Dr. Bennett shrugged. "I expected him to want more information before coming in."

"Well, you had better prepare yourself then, Doctor."

"I suppose I had."

------------------------------

Linus drove fast, but responsibly. The fact that he could do it when the storm wasn’t helping with the visibility, was a feat of itself. He knew that if Liam’s condition had worsened, they would have called again.

He was on the phone with one of his assistants, Lockley, as he drove.

"What do you have?" He asked, making a right turn.

"The Rhaenas HQ has collapsed completely, sir. Nothing but rubble on the ground. And there are traces of fire. Some sections were burnt to a crisp, which should not have been possible given the rain and wind at the time."

Linus listened without interrupting. "You’re right. It shouldn’t have been possible. What else?"

"Something equally impossible, sir. The surrounding buildings are completely unaffected. Not a single burn mark. Not even a scratch, which frankly should have happened when the building came down."

Lockley took a breath. "None of it makes any sense, sir. I will keep investigating, but I may not have much to go on. Most people’s attention is on the snow right now, after the storm."

"Keep me updated."

"Yes, sir."

Linus ended the call. He frowned and clenched his jaw.

"Impossible things, Liam." He muttered, pressing down on the accelerator. "What exactly are you up to?"

------------------------------

Five minutes later, exactly eleven minutes after Linus had hung up on Dr. Bennett, he walked through the ER doors already scanning the room, searching for Liam.

"Mr. Linus." Dr. Bennett called out the moment he appeared. She had been ready. And she was slightly taken aback.

She had seen Linus Monfort a handful of times over the years she had worked at the hospital. He was always dressed perfectly for the occasion. Never overdressed, never underdressed. Just right. But this time he was in his gym clothes, and somehow they did not diminish his formidable aura in the slightest. If anything, they enhanced it.

"You’re the one who called me, Dr. Bennett?"

Dr. Bennett extended her hand, caught off guard. "You know me, Mr. Linus? I don’t think we have ever met in person. Only a few times over the phone."

"You are Dr. Maria Bennett, Chief of Staff of Solarys General." Linus shook her hand with a brief, curt smile.

"I appreciate that, Mr. Linus." Dr. Bennett said. "And I know you are anxious about your son. First, let me tell you that him and his friends are all alive..."

Linus was about to exhale in relief when he noticed Dr. Bennett wasn’t finished speaking.

He went slightly pale. "Who is it?"

He did not expect his voice to come out the way it did. Slightly unsteady. Just a little.

Dr. Bennett exhaled. "Arthur Montrose."

Linus went completely still.

Of all the names she could have said, he had not expected that one.

"Is he..." He took a breath. "Is he dead?"

Dr. Bennett’s expression shifted into something difficult to read.

Linus frowned. "What is it? It is a simple question, Doctor. The answer should only be yes or no."

Dr. Bennett took a long breath. "If you want to put it that way, then no. Arthur Montrose is not dead." She paused.

Linus scoffed. "That’s good news, isn’t it? So why are you hesitating?"

"Honestly, Mr. Linus, we do not fully understand what is happening with Arthur Montrose. The most accurate description we can give of his condition right now is..." She paused again. "Sleeping."

"What?" Linus was not a man who was ever at a loss for words. He had always known what to say in every situation he had ever faced. But nothing had prepared him for this.

"Arthur is sleeping?"

"Not the kind of sleep that can be disturbed, sir. Nothing we have done has been able to wake him." Dr. Bennett began to explain.

Linus’s mouth curved slightly. "This has happened before..." 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

"In Arvion. Yes, we already have his medical records from Arvion. But this is nothing like that, Mr. Linus." Dr. Bennett said, cutting him off gently.

Linus blinked. "Explain."

"From a medical standpoint, Arthur Montrose is asleep. A very deep sleep. Physically, his injuries are minor. A few cuts, nothing serious. All of his organs are functioning normally. His vitals are stable. We simply cannot wake him."

She exhaled. "Which means, by clinical definition, we have to classify him as being in a coma."

"What is the difference between his current condition and what happened to him in Arvion a few months ago?" Linus pressed. He was beginning to wonder whether Dr. Bennett was competent enough for this situation.

"There is a new piece of medical equipment that was impossible to build before the discovery of heartstones. Now, with heartstone technology, it can be manufactured. It is called BrainScan."

"As the name suggests, it scans the brain. In extraordinary detail. More detail than anything we have had access to before."

"Dr. Lucas Montgomery at Arvion General used BrainScan on Arthur during his previous episode and found that his brain was fully functioning. The scan indicated he was sleeping, not in a coma. We ran the same scan here, using the same settings, and then several of our own. Every single reading classifies him as comatose."

Linus crossed his arms. "And you have no explanation? No idea how long until he regains consciousness?"

Dr. Bennett nodded.

Linus fell silent. He knew all about BrainScan. Monfort Industries had built it. He knew exactly how sophisticated it was. And if it could not produce a plausible explanation, then whatever was happening to Arthur was most likely beyond explanation.

Another impossible thing. He filed it away quietly.

He took a breath. "Let’s talk about the other patients. Starting with my son."

"Liam Monfort is among the least injured. He suffered a broken lower arm on his right side, and minor cuts and bruises." Dr. Bennett answered without hesitation.

"Most of them have minor injuries, Mr. Linus. Julian Montrose, minor injuries, nothing broken. The same goes for Maeve Collins, Alicia Lutherford, and Sonia Hart."

"Who?" Linus stopped her.

"A woman by the name of Sonia Hart. Early thirties. Platinum blonde hair." Dr. Bennett described her.

Linus shook his head. "The name doesn’t ring a bell. She was among the patients brought in?"

"Yes, sir. She arrived in the same ambulance as your son and Julian Montrose. They were the last group to come in. The first arrivals were Arthur Montrose, Thea Montrose, Maeve Collins, Alicia Lutherford, and a bald man with no ID."

Linus frowned but said nothing about the bald man with no ID.

"How is Thea Montrose?" His focus had shifted.

"Thea Montrose was brought in unconscious. She has four puncture wounds on her chest. We managed to stop the bleeding. Other than that, her injuries are minor, consistent with the others. She is stable. However..." Dr. Bennett hesitated again.

"Dr. Bennett." Linus said, his patience wearing thin.

"I apologize, Mr. Linus. Thea Montrose has been fighting everyone who comes near her while unconscious. We had no choice but to restrain her. We cannot sedate her on top of an existing unconscious state, and we are concerned her wounds will reopen. Restraints were the safest option available to us."

"There is one thing they all have in common. Extreme exhaustion. Every single one of them was too exhausted to stand or walk properly when they came in. I believe Thea Montrose lost consciousness due to severe exhaustion. The same applies to the bald man."

"Is my son conscious?" Linus asked.

"Yes, sir. He is."

"Take me to him."

I need some answers.