Helena didn't notice; she simply twisted open a bottle of mineral water and drank. "Eddie, do you think we'll make it out?"
"Of course. Don't you want to take your little sister to the amusement park?" Eddie said with a grin.
The moment Deborah's name came up, Helena's eyes lit up. "Once this op is over, I should have some leave—then I'll go."
Helena didn't notice; she simply twisted open a bottle of mineral water and drank. "Eddie, do you think we'll make it out?"
"She's doing fine—don't worry. First rule: stay alive." Eddie lit a cigarette; only the smoke could settle his nerves.
"You really stayed behind instead of flying out just to save me?" Helena asked suddenly, her heartbeat picking up for no reason as she watched him smoke.
Eddie nodded. "I told you—Deborah asked me to get you out."
"If Deborah hadn't asked… would you still have come?" Helena pressed in a whisper only he could hear, half-testing, half-worried, half-curious.
"Yes." Eddie's answer was simple.
Hearing that, Helena beamed. "I knew you'd come for me."
Silence fell; one drank water, the other sipped from a flask.
Jessica and the two other women stood motionless nearby—if you weren't looking right at them, you'd swear they weren't even there.
Ten-odd minutes later, Helena's radio crackled.
"Helena, this is Leon. the President is secure. There are still family members of Senators and board directors scattered around the city. I'm sending coordinates—split up and extract them. Keep them safe; the military's rolling in, but Terrorists are everywhere, so watch yourselves." Leon's voice was heavy.
"Copy." Helena pulled the coordinates up on her laptop and let a Team Leader parcel them out.
"With the National Guard in the city, we just need to locate these relatives, keep them safe, and wait for the cavalry," the Team Leader said. He assigned two agents to each site, herding nearby civilians together for protection.
Helena headed for the Broadcast Booth on the Eighth Floor, calling for survivors to stay indoors—help was coming.
It wasn't far. She fought her way down, dropping prowling infected as she went.
She reached the booth, cleared out the Zombies and Creatures inside, and slammed the door.
Patricio trailed after her and found Eddie. "Doctor, could we speak in private?"
They stepped outside; Eddie lit up and leaned against the wall. "Spit it out."
"Please, Doctor—save my family. Simmons took them to the Church in the North District; the crypt beneath it holds our family tombs. He's forcing me to do things or he'll kill them. Help me." Patricio was almost sobbing.
"Is your wife pretty? How old?" Eddie asked the outrageous question.
The grief-stricken Patricio was stunned; the question felt downright feral. "Thirty-eight, very pretty, a White Woman. My son's fifteen—he's there too."
"Didn't ask about your boy. Show me a photo. Anyone else besides your wife and kid?" Eddie blew Smoke Rings; other men's wives always tasted better.
Patricio felt he'd invited a wolf home. "My parents as well. Please save them—I can't leave my post or I'll be court-martialed."
Eddie took the phone. Patricio's wife was indeed a looker. "Fine, I'll swing by."
"Thank you!" Patricio bowed, clearly desperate for his family's safety.
Whether the rescued wife would still be his wife afterward… well, that remained to be seen.
Chapter 608: Even Helena Can't Take It
Jessica leaned closer. "That man's lying—his wife and daughter aren't in the Church at all."
"I know, the goal is to lure me over—hah, such a cheap trick. Does he think I'm some kind of Saint? Psycho. Since he's playing that card, dig up his family background; I'll take my time with his loved ones." Eddie snorted, plainly furious. He rarely bullied anyone, yet someone dared scheme against him?
Jessica nodded. "Understood. Everyone who deceives you deserves to die." A flash of hatred sparked in her beautiful eyes.
Ever since Jessica became pregnant with Eddie's child, she'd grown extreme, unable to tolerate anyone slighting Eddie. The moment she saw it, murderous intent flared.
Eddie loved that about her—a Bodyguard Wife who obeyed his every word. Zero loyalty issues, right? Plus she had looks and a great figure.
In the Broadcast Booth, Helena patched into the Campus PA system, warning survivors to stay off the streets and wait for military rescue in a secure room.
Moments after the announcement crackled to life, it was blown apart; the speaker was attacked by a Mutated monster.
Helena soon stepped out. "The broadcast's dead. Where do we go now?"
The usually self-reliant Helena was out of ideas. Rescue people? She had no desire to. Those damned relatives weren't worth saving—either lawless or criminal, none of them innocent.
"How about the Church? What sort of man was Patricio before?" Eddie asked, slipping an arm around Helena's shoulders.
Helena frowned. "Patricio? He used to be a top-tier agent. Why? Lately he's seemed off."
"Nothing much. He claimed Simmons kidnapped his family to a the Church up north and asked me to help. But it was a lie—he wanted to bait me. I'm just curious. I never stole his wife or killed his father; why target me?" Eddie chuckled.
Stealing a man's wife or killing his father—both are irredeemable grudges.
Helena burst into laughter, then quickly caught herself. "I don't know. If it's a trap, we should stay away."
Eddie disagreed. "I want to go. This time I won't hold back; I'll slaughter them."
A trace of malice crept into his tone. He hated being manipulated. Since Patricio dared, he'd pay with his wife.
Helena didn't object; she'd never been the saintly type. For her sister, she would kill.
Eddie and Helena set off together, while Lisa used Ultrasound to scan the map and uploaded it to share.
Jessica radioed January on duty. If she skipped another shift she'd probably end up pregnant again—better to stay at work and reduce the risk; one child is enough. Look at Monica: about to have her fourth—what is she, a pig?
January and her daughter teamed up to dig into Patricio's file; via the upgraded Satellite they quickly located his family.
"Hon, the guy's wife and kid are in a Castle near the Church. Looks like hostages—hee-hee. Since when did you grow a conscience and want to rescue people?" January asked with a smile, sipping Red Wine in a Bikini at her computer, living the good life.
"I'm not going to rescue anyone; I'm going to kill. That bastard ganged up with Simmons to set me up. By the way, who hit Tall Oaks this time?" Eddie asked.
January tapped the keyboard. "Hold on, let me ask Sienna and Ada."
After a moment she answered, "Looks like Neo-Umbrella, led by Nikolai. He's turned into a monster, but he still seems rational."
On the big screen appeared an Elephant-like creature devouring C-Virus Zombies, specifically targeting the higher-grade mutations.
The Elephant's body was riddled with dense wounds; Parasites burst out periodically, and Ouroboros tentacles emerged.
How many viruses had to merge to create this thing? Hair-raising. What the hell is it?
Suzuki Yoko strolled into the Computer Room humming a tune and caught sight of the monster on the monitor. "Ugly creature!"
Eddie received the feed as well; using Satellite navigation he captured the street conditions in full detail, every detour mapped out.
This time Eddie didn't fly straight in—he advanced on foot.