The Price We've Paid

Making Amends

Trigger Warning: Death

There's this moment...

When everything seems hopeless and your backs against a wall and you ask yourself...what are you doing?

How did you get here?

Some people crumble under the pressure of those moments; falling further into the abyss of endless self loathing and pity. And some people rise to the occasion; finding the silver lining or loophole that'll help them push themselves out.

Either way...that moment defines you...it sets the tone for who you are and who you can become. It's not set in stone...but it might as well be. It's rare that you see someone change their tone once it's set...

Rare...but not impossible.

...

Andy's heart dropped as soon as she heard those words.

She's not healing.

Her gaze quickly shot to you, her eyes widening with fear as she saw the bullet holes still bleeding in your chest and abdomen.

"No, no, no," Andy muttered as she frantically began searching for your arm for your watch.

"It's not there," you choked out as you looked at her, your eyes half closed.

"Dammit," she cried. She moved her hands to press on the wounds. She couldn't give them all pressure, so eventually she did the only thing she could think of, she laid her entire body overtop of yours, allowing her torso to provide the pressure. As she did that, she looked towards the rest of the team; they were still moving down the pipes as she had instructed.

"Serum!" She yelled, her pained scream echoing down the tunnel. She looked at your eyes struggling to stay open as tears began filling her. "Zo needs the serum!"

Andy's horror carried down the tunnel like a bullet down the barrel of a gun. It was loud and terrifying; because everyone on the team knew what it meant.

If you needed the serum...that meant you'd become mortal. And you'd been shot several times, which meant you were dying.

Nicky, Joe, Quynh, and Booker all stopped moving, looking at each other in shock as they all collectively realized the severity of what was happening. Even Tyler, Hunter, and Copley had frozen; completely horror-struck, unable to do anything to help.

Booker looked at the rest of the team. Quynh was finally walking on her own and Joe and Nicky were still starring in Andy's direction, utterly paralyzed. He moved his hand to his vest, checking to make sure all the vials were still intact. When he confirmed that they were, he grabbed Joe's shoulder, looking at him with an intense gaze. "Get out of here, I've got this."

Joe looked at him suspiciously for a moment, but when Booker reloaded his gun and took off toward you, Andy, and Nile, he grabbed Nicky and Quynh, corralling them toward the entrance to the sewer.

Nicky stopped, just short of the ladder that led back out to the street, straining his eyes to try and see what was happening. Andy and Nile were hovered over your motionless body. Booker was hauling ass towards you, and there were still a few guards working their way towards the group.

"Come on," Joe muttered softly as he laid his hand on Nicky's shoulder. Though neither of them truly wanted to leave, Nile, Andy, and Booker had it handled. The more people that were there when the building came down, the harder it would be to get out.

While the three of them moved toward the exit of the sewer, Booker ran faster than he thought humanly possible. He could tell by the tone of Andy's voice that you were likely fading fast, and there wouldn't be a huge window where this serum would work. As he got close to you, he pulled one of the immortal serums from his vest, unscrewing the lid. When he was only a few feet, he pushed himself to slide next to you, immediately lifting your head and forcing you to drink the serum.