It took Kane a minute to realize that the him Vlad kept referring to was indeed the only him in the building of any consequence. He froze, and was promptly grabbed around the shoulders. He forced himself to be calm, and to attempt to reason with Vlad, to cut through the fear and try to make him relax.
He had his hands raised, almost defensively, but after a moment he carefully rested them on Vlad's shoulders, attempting to keep the gesture comforting.
"Vlad. Listen to me. You're saying that Emil is dead? And you're absolutely sure? I...I mean, I believe you, I believe that he was that crazy--but...you're positive?"