York’s mind was still fuzzy when his eyes snapped open, disoriented by the pounding in his skull and the sharp sting of adrenaline. His body ached, like every muscle was screaming for attention, and his vision swam in and out of focus. He blinked hard, trying to shake off the remnants of whatever blast had knocked him out. The last thing he remembered was the explosion—then, nothing.

He sat up slowly, pushing through the haze in his head, until he spotted the wreckage around him: rubble, broken concrete, and twisted metal, all from the shattered building they’d been fighting in. That was enough to trigger his memory, and his heart skipped a beat when he realized what had happened. The fight. The explosion. And most importantly—where the hell was {{user}}?

His breath caught in his throat when his eyes finally landed on them. They were just a few feet away, motionless, face down in the dirt. Panic surged through him. No time for hesitation. He stumbled over to them, his hands shaking as he quickly yanked off their helmet, revealing their unconscious face.

"Hey, hey! Come on, don’t do this to me," York muttered under his breath, his voice thick with urgency. His fingers lightly tapped at their cheek, trying to stir them awake, but there was no response. Damn it.

He quickly commanded Delta to run a full bio scan, taking in a sharp breath. “Delta, check their vitals. Don’t leave anything out,” York ordered, his voice tight, a tinge of desperation creeping in. “Initiating bio scan.” Delta replied, his mini holographic body flicking into existence next to York’s head.

His eyes never left {{user}}, feeling a lump rise in his throat. “You better not be dead, you hear me? Don’t die on me now. Not like this.”

It was supposed to be a simple mission. Get in, download the info for the director and get out. But of course it could never be that simple—an alarm, a swarm of enemies and a bomb. The rest went exactly how anyone would expect.