The telephone rang insistently in the hall of the Drake mansion. Stanley Atkins, the Drake family's diligent valet, came to pick it up. After hearing the news from the person on the other end of the receiver, his face paled, the intercom slipped from his snowy-gloved fingers, slamming against the telephone table and falling to the carpet. At the sound of the crash, Patrice came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on a cloth.
- What happened Stanley? - she asked.
Stanley turned to her with a grimace of pain and sadness on his paper-white face. When Patrice received the news, she cried out in horror.
Ruslan and Abygaile came running down the stairs from the upper floor, while Catherine and Gregory came out of the living room, alarmed by the commotion. Patrice was crying, kneeling on the carpet, while Stanley tried to comfort her.
- What happened? - Ruslan asked.
- It's Mrs. Marion... - Stanley said with barely a whisper.
When he informed them of the situation Catherine burst into a cry of pain, tears began to well up in her eyes. Ruslan's fists clenched tightly, and he bolted for the door. Gaile followed instinctively and broke into a run after him.
William Drake rushed through the double doors of Drake Industries' Autolimb clinic, his son Jack trailing behind. Alexander came to greet him, trying to reassure him.
- Will...
- Where is Marion, Alexander? - William asked haphazardly.
- She was brought in a few minutes ago, - Alexander replied. - Frannie is taking care of her, she gave her a transfusion.
- Where? - William Drake implored in desperation.
- In operating room one - Alexander answered.
William rushed off, while his son Jack stayed behind for Alexander to update him on his mother's condition. When William reached his wife, he saw her lying on the operating room gurney, intubated and with a plasma bag connected to her left arm, a wide bandage covered her chest, with a large scarlet spot at the level of the heart. Frances approached him and escorted him out of the operating room.
- How is She? - William asked between tears and nerves.
- She's dying, William, - Frannie said sadly. - A shard of metal propelled by the explosion went through her rib cage and lodged in her heart. It has caused a severe haemorrhage and arrhythmia. We must operate now, but her heart has suffered a lot of damage. She needs a heart prosthesis.
- But they are still in the experimental stage. We haven't tested them on humans.
- If we don't, she'll die. She has no other options. The damage to his heart is too severe to be repaired even by surgery.
William burst into tears as he watched his wife struggle between life and death through the window in the operating room door.
- Let's do it, - William replied.
Ruslan rushed into the Autolimb clinic, barely out of breath after running from the Drake estate to the lab. He saw his brother Jack talking to Alexander and approached him.
- Jack! Where is mother? - he asked, holding his brother by the shoulders as he tried to catch his breath.
- Ruslan! - replied Jack Drake in surprise, and, laying a reassuring hand on his left arm, added. - She's in the operating room, father is with her. They're going to operate.
Ruslan went as white as a sheet. Jack was stunned by the sight, it was unusual for his older brother to lose his composure, he had always had nerves of steel.
Gaile ran into the laboratory, her hair sticking to her face covered with sweat and reddened by the effort of running. Bent over, resting her hands on her knees, she tried to catch her breath, while silently cursing her short stature, which had prevented her from keeping up with Ruslan. When she was finally able to take another deep breath, she straightened up and saw Ruslan and Jack, and approached them. Ruslan was paler than usual, his unhinged face a sight not at all usual, which left Gaile with her heart clenched in a fist. She laid her hand on his left arm gently. Ruslan startled a little, he hadn't seen Gaile approach him. She patted his arm a couple of times, a gesture that seemed to calm Ruslan's nerves a bit.
- How is your mother? - Gaile asked.
- They are operating on her, - Jack answered, Ruslan was unable to articulate a word. - Let's go to the waiting room.
The three of them together entered the antechamber of the operating room and sat down in the chairs for the patients' relatives. Ruslan buried his face in his hands, while Gaile put her hand on his shoulder, a gesture of support that Ruslan thanked with a silent look. Jack stood up and began pacing back and forth across the room.
At that moment Catherine and Gregory entered the room, followed by Stanley and Patrice. Connie and Alexandra appeared shortly after; Stanley had called the orphanage to let them know. Constance and Alex approached the Drake siblings and gave them each a hug. Gregory held Catherine's hand gently, while she continued to cry from nerves.
After three hours of waiting, the operating room door opened. Frances Solomon, the chief medical officer, and Oscar McBride, the chief engineer, emerged with an exhausted look on their faces and approached the family to inform them.
- We had to replace her heart with an experimental autolimb implant, - explained Frannie. - The operation was a success, but we still must keep her under observation for the next forty-eight hours to check that there is no rejection and that the implant is working properly. But for now, she is out of danger.
Everyone present relaxed, Ruslan sank back in his seat with a long sigh of relief. Catherine hugged Gregory, to Gregory's surprise, in an expression of relief. Connie patted Jack on the back.
Meanwhile, William Drake was still inside the operating room, holding his beloved's hand between his own tightly against his face, trying to push away the feeling of anguish at almost losing her.
After a few hours, the Drake Industries medical staff moved Marion to an observation room, awaiting her progress over the next two days. William Drake quietly said goodbye to his wife and went to the Drake Industries garden, where all the company's workers and members of the Drake family and their families had gathered. As he walked out of the laboratory doors, everyone turned their gazes toward him.
- She's fine for now, - he announced. - Thank you all for your support.
- We're here for you, William, - said Camille Vermont, Alexander's wife, who, like many of Marion's acquaintances, had come as soon as she heard what had happened.
- Thank you, really, thank you all for your support - replied William Drake.
At London's Metropolitan Hospital, Inspector Ernest Arlington was surrounded by those injured in the Burke Building explosion and the medical staff who were busy treating them. Arlington was trying to gain access to Vanessa Bancroft's room to question her about the explosion at the Drake Foundation offices, but the doctors kept refusing, claiming she was still in shock. As Ernest was about to give up and leave the medical centre, the doors opened, and a large number of medical personnel entered carrying medical supplies. Catherine Drake and her brothers entered the hospital reception area, accompanied by the Mackintosh siblings.
- Who's in charge? - asked Catherine Drake, making herself heard over the din in the emergency room.
- I am the medical director, Dr. Andrew Galveston, - a wiry man in a white coat with a stethoscope around his neck said. His pronounced baldness stood out against his bushy grey beard, and his thick glasses magnified his hazel irises.
- Dr. Galveston, my name is Catherine Drake, - Catherine introduced herself as she shook hands with Galveston. - We are here to help, this material and staff are from our Autolimb clinic at Drake Industries, they have volunteered to operate under your instructions and support your hospital staff.
- We appreciate it, - Galveston replied relieved. - The truth is that we can't cope with all the patients injured in the explosion. We welcome any help.
- We will also transfer in shifts those who need Autolimb treatment to our clinic, we have several medicalized vehicles ready outside - reported Catherine. - All expenses will be covered by Drake Industries.
Galveston and the rest of the staff began to work side by side with the members of Drake Industries, to save as many of the injured as possible.
Ernest Arlington approached Catherine Drake, but a giant stood in his way.
- What do you want with my sister? - Ruslan Drake asked.
- I need to speak to the heads of the Drake Foundation - Ernest said looking up. - This is Inspector Ernest Arlington, Metropolitan Armed Police. I was first on the scene and am therefore leading the investigation.
Suddenly Ernest noticed the red-haired man accompanying the Drakes.
- Mack? - he said looking at Gregory Mackintosh.
- Ernie, what are you doing here? - the elder of the Mackintosh brothers replied.
- Can you tell this giant to let me talk to Miss Drake? - Ernest implored, pointing to Ruslan.
- Ruslan, Ernest is a friend, let him in, - Greg asked kindly.
Ruslan stepped aside to make way for the police inspector, who approached.
After an hour, the hospital and Drake Industries staff had organized themselves into work groups and were hard at work. The Drakes, the Mackintoshes and Ernest Arlington had gathered in the room of Vanessa Bancroft, who had finally regained full consciousness.
- Do you remember what happened before the explosion? - Arlington asked as he pulled out a notebook and pencil to take notes.
- We had a meeting with a rather unpleasant individual, - Vanessa replied. - Vincent Trusk.
- Trusk? Are you sure? - Arlington asked with interest.
- Yes, he tried to extort money from us, - Vanessa said. - Apparently, he was quite exasperated that his men had been expelled from St. James' Orphanage.
Ruslan turned to Vanessa when he heard the reference to the incident with those thugs a few days ago.
- Who is this Trusk? - Ruslan asked Ernest.
- A very dangerous man, - the inspector answered. - In the underworld they call him the Duke. He's the head of the Iron Hand, a criminal organization with connections in high places. Even the police and the army. He is untouchable.
- Is he to blame for the explosion? - Gaile asked.
- I don't know for sure, but it's his usual modus operandi, - Ernest answered. - Anyone who doesn't submit to him, he wipes off the map, it wouldn't be the first time he has blown up a building for that purpose.
- Well, let's go after him, - Ruslan said decisively.
- No - Gregory interjected. - He has very powerful allies in government positions. We couldn't attack him, not without proof at least.
- I'm not going to let that thug get away with it - Ruslan argued angrily.
- Ruslan, listen to Gregory, - his sister Catherine urged.
Gaile grabbed his arm. Ruslan looked her in the eyes, and relaxed.
- Well, what do we do? - he asked.
- The police commanders are protecting him, - Ernest said. - If we want to catch him, we must gather overwhelming evidence against him and his organization. Would you be interested in working with me?
Ruslan and Gaile turned to look at the inspector.
- We are not policemen, - said Gaile.
- Never mind, we can register you as independent private investigators, - explained Arlington. - That way you will be authorized to carry weapons and work on the investigation, especially if I endorse you as the inspector in charge.
- Let's hunt that son of a bitch down, - Ruslan said, and held out his hand to Ernest, who shook it without hesitation.
- Let's do it, - he answered parsimoniously.
The Drakes had just accepted the declaration of war from the Iron Hand and its Duke, Vincent Trusk. The events that would unfold in the following weeks would shake London society, changing it permanently.