Consciousness returned far too slowly.
With it, a pulsing pain that was difficult to ignore.
Nothing compared to the raging fear that immediately flooded his system.
Cassandra.
That one word screamed through his mind, and Dragon jerked upright, his gaze immediately scanning the area for his team.
Thankfully, the night vision goggles were still on his head, and his weapon was strapped to his body, so he was armed and able to see around him.
It looked like the set of a bad action movie. Piles of rubble were littered about, the previously wide corridor was now mostly blocked, and he could see the bodies of his teammates strewn among the debris.
He ached to get to Cassandra, having no idea if she was injured or possibly even dead. The explosives could have beencloser to them or to the room where the two girls were hiding, there was no way to know until they got there, but he couldn’t go until he checked on his team.
They were family. The first one he’d ever had, and for all he knew, Cassandra was fine, that part of the building could be mostly undamaged. Even if she was injured, he would need his team to help dig through the rubble to get to her.
Still, he was torn as he shoved to his feet. The way his body weaved wasn't a good sign, but he wasn't going to waste time worrying about it. It didn’t matter if he was injured, he had to check on his team, had to get to Cassandra.
What if the person responsible for cleaning down the lab really was still there?
It didn't make sense because it would mean they’d kept themselves in the blast zone, but then again, maybe they hadn't expected his team to find this place so quickly. After all, if the smell of bleach had been that strong that it messed with his ability to scent anything else, it meant the place had been cleaned down a mere couple of hours before they got there.
Stumbling through the debris, Dragon found Blade first and dropped to his knees beside the far too still man. There was blood on his friend’s face, and Blade was lying awkwardly on his side, but the second he reached out and pressed his fingers to Blade’s neck to check for a pulse, the other man growled and snapped out a hand, closing it around his wrist.
“Good, you're alive,” he said, unfazed by the man’s weak attempt at an attack, and merely pulled his hand free, shoving back to his feet and searching for the next closest teammate.
No, not just teammates.
These menwerehis family, they were his brothers, they had been the only thing that kept him sane, as well as giving him his first sense of what it meant to have people who actually cared about him. He couldn’t imagine his life without every singleone of them in it. His future was with Cassandra, he was done pretending he could stay away from her, but that didn't mean he would ever leave his team. Maybe they weren't the monsters they feared they had been turned into, but they still battled rage, still had enhanced skills, still would never be normal.
“What the hell happened?” Blade asked from behind him. If his friend couldn’t remember what had happened, that didn't bode well for his mental state, he likely had a concussion, but at least he was still alive.
“Explosion. Smelled it too late,” Dragon muttered as he shoved some debris out of the way so he could get to Thunder. Seeing the man with enhanced speed so still was definitely unsettling. Even if they all survived this, and so far that was up for debate, there was no way he would forgive himself for this failure.
It didn’t matter if the bleach had impeded his abilities, he should have found a way to work around it. Hell, he should have known that if the smell of bleach was too strong, then there was a reason for it, and they needed to pull back and evaluate.
Still, there was no going back.
What was done was done, he just had to hope he hadn't lost any of the people he cared about.
Loved.
Although he wouldn't say that word aloud, wasn't in that place yet, it didn't change the facts.
“Not your fault. Couldn’t hear anything either,” Blade muttered, and he could hear his friend stumbling behind him.
Thunder was lying sprawled on his back, with what looked like a heavy piece of rubble pinning his legs in place.
Without exchanging a word, both he and Blade went to work removing the chunks of concrete. Thunder didn't stir, but this time around, Dragon didn't need to check if the man was alive, he could smell that he was. Blade, too, seemed to be able tohear the beating of Thunder’s heart because he didn't check for a pulse either.
They were about halfway through when he suddenly smelled something behind them.
Someone.
Already reaching for his weapon, he was spinning around right as a howl echoed through the hall.
Blade spun around, too, and they both moved so they were using their bodies as a shield for Thunder, who groaned behind them, obviously roused by the growl of fury.
