Bose and Mika turned the corner quickly making sure to dodge doors that could come flying at any moment. Both of them were out of breath trying their best to find their way out of this before time was up. Bose lead the way and kept Mika close behind so if anything were to be ticked off he'd be able to protect her or take the hit. It would have been a lot easier if they were in their mission suits. But they decided not to transform so in case they got caught they could pass themselves off as regular civilians. The bow of the ship was humid, boarded up, and the metal was leaking from the sides, soaking interior. It was dark inside but they made it through with the help of the daylight that came from the small windows

"Damn it! still no service!" Mika exclaimed looking at her phone. "How much time do we have?" Bose paused watching Mika fiddle with her watch. They had to keep their voices down just in case a few of the guards were still roaming around. "18 minutes, minium," She put her arm down. She didn't understand why she couldn't think today, everything was happening so fast and their lives had been put on the line.

Their goal was to find out where all the missing superhero files were, more specifically, if the heroes were alive or dead. The superhero world had entered dark times and heroes were dropping like flies, left and right, side to side and corner to corner. No one knew who was behind all of it and the superhero league was becoming closed off.

Ray had no choice but to inform the SL of Henry Harts's disappearance, which is how Danger Force got involved in the first place. But either way just because they were supposedly safe in their hometown didn't mean it would stay that way. Someone was coming for every last superpowered being that used their powers for good.

When they landed in Seattle it was all hands on deck. That's where 46% percent of the salients were taken. Since Mika had more information on what was going on, she had a plan that was full proof. However, when she brought the idea forward, everyone told her it was too risky. Chapa tried to convince her that it was dangerous and Miles forbade Mika from stepping foot on enemy grounds. When Mika looked to Bose to back her up as always, he was also against her plan which slightly hurt.

"Seriously Bose? You too?" She scoffed. He remained silent, gazing at her.

"Mika, how do you even know the documents are on that drive?" Chapa said.

Mika could not believe what she was hearing, "Were you guys not listening to what SL said, the energy Assural Global has produced in the last 2 months is more than they've been able to produce in 5 years, the only way that could be possible is if they've been draining Eridian. You know, the radiation mutation that gives superhero's their powers?" Mika went on. She wanted to get inside the building or better yet the ship itself so she could put together the ratio of energy manufactured to the number of missing superheroes.

"We can do this, we don't even have to tell Ray- I know if we can get to the files before they progress to the next safe house we could-" Miles shook his head and Chapa sighed.

"We're not doing it, Mika we don't know these people or what they want and how they get it. There's also a high possibility that we could be ambushed. It's a risky plan, even for us," Bose immediately cut her off. She was a little startled at his voice. She had never heard him so serious. Mika wanted to say something that could make her sound less crazy, but it was hard because she was also aware of how difficult this could be but the longer they sat around the more people were gonna get hurt. It was silent for a moment.

"I never thought being a part of this team would mean sitting or waiting around and doing absolutely nothing," Mika smoldered. No one responded. Mika shook her head and went in a huff right past Bose. He was going to go after her but Miles spoke, "Just let her cool off dude, you know how she gets,".

Bose loved Mika's passion and inability to be pinned down. He seemed to be the only one that understood it more than others did. But he sometimes wishes he could pin her down because then it would be easier to keep her safe.

The next morning around 7 a.m Mika found herself climbing out the window while Chapa was sound asleep in the next bed. It was way too early so she was sure everyone in there 2 story cabin was still asleep. But just in case, she left a note on her bed saying she was gonna be out running some errands. This was most likely the stupidest thing she's ever done. Nevertheless, she refused to be a sitting duck when there was a chance that they could get closer to uncovering what was going on, even if it meant doing it alone. When she safely landed on the ground she dusted off her jeans and fixed her top. She took a deep breath and got ready to bolt when a voice spoke, "Going somewhere?". Mika yelp getting ready to scream at the intruder until she turned to the voice. She saw Bose leaning on the side of the cabin playing with the rings on his fingers.

She cursed herself for getting caught, by Bose especially. "Bose? What are you doing here?", She crossed her arms to keep her guard up. Bose sighed, "Mika where are you going?". Was Bose the most attentive? No. But he also knew Mika pretty well, sometimes even better than she knew herself. Which also meant he knew that Mika wasn't just going to let earlier go. Once she was determined there was no stopping her. "Like you don't know," She answered with a duh tone.

"You can't stop me-" Mika was saying when just like before Bose interjected, "Let's go". He leaned off the wood and Mika looked confused. "What? Wait you wanna go with me?" She question. "Of course not! But you're gonna go either way..." He walked closer to her until he was right in her sight, her heartbeat sped up and she felt her cheeks turn warm when he stood over her. He somewhat leaned down to keep eye contact then said, "As you said, I can't stop you, but I'll never forgive myself if I let you go alone and somethings happens to you, Mika,". Bose made his point and gave her a little head nod before he started walking, leaving her standing still. Mika didn't know what to say, she was flattered he cared so much about her. As she did for him.

Bose was already regretting his choice to let her go, It would be easier to protect Mika if she wasn't so willing to lay down her own life for people. How was Bose supposed to protect her when danger was lurking at every corner. How was he supposed to protect her when there was a fire inside of her that could not be tamed.

Now here they were, right in the heart of the entire operation.

"Find them," they heard a cold voice say through a walkie-talkie. Bose quickly grabbed Mika and pushed her against the wall before footsteps started coming from the opposite way. He pressed up against her slightly because the space could barely fit them. He dropped his head to look at Mika who was inert, gripping a fist full of his shirt anxiously. Mika held her breathe because his stare felt like heat vision. She swallowed a lump in her throat when his hand went around her lower back and moved her further into the corner. Focus Mika, she told herself.

Bose gave her a small gesture and she got the hint. As soon as the guard was about to pass them Bose moved swiftly putting him in a headlock. The guard was quick enough to free himself but just as he was about to kick Bose in not such a nice place, Mika caught his leg, Bose took his shoulders and kneeled his spine. The guard involuntary threw himself forward and Mika kneeled him in the stomach then threw a good punch at his jaw, knocking him out. They turned to one another scanning each other for any possible injuries. Both relived they managed to look fine, besides the few scratches, Bose's nearly black eye, and Mika's busted lip from the decoys.

"We better get out of here before times up," Bose said taking Mika's hand and pulling her away from the scene. They were almost out she could feel it, Luckily even if service was out she had the map of the entire ship memorized in her head before she decided to sneak away. It still felt like they were going in circles and it made it even worse that the sun was probably about to set and the only light they had for guidance was fading out.

As they ran down another quarter they heard a loud honk which took Bose by surprise and he stumbled upon a fishing line that triggered a deafening alarm. Mika accidentally ended up super screaming the metal in from the border opposite. "Sorry," Mika apologized through the noise. Bose assured her it was okay when the alarm stopped.

Suddenly it became quiet. Way too quiet. Mika looked up because she could hear footsteps running above them. But that was the last thing on Bose's mind. Something felt off and the silence was making it worse. As Mika stared above them, she didn't notice Bose slowly wrapping his arm around her waist from behind protectively pulling her to him. Bose felt very uneasy right now. "Do you hear that?" He whispered. Mika came back to reality and listened in on what he was talking about. She did hear it. It sounded like something was ticking and the metal doors began to slightly shake...

tic toc...

tic...

toc..

In the blink of an eye, instinct took over and Bose turned him and Mika to the farthest corridor away from the doors; which was still pretty close considering it was a very small space. He had his back turned to shield her when about five doors exploded all around them sending glass shards from the windows and flying metal everywhere. It was so extreme that Mika thought they might actually die this time. She covered her ears and tried her best to hold her scream in duo to fear because they would most definitely die if she ended up super screaming them towards the glass and metal. She felt small sharp specks brushing past her cheeks even though Bose had her mostly covered. Even then he still managed to make her feel safe.

It came to halt and Bose slowly pulled away as Mika turned around brushing her braids out of her face. The entire place was a safety hazard now that the floor was trashed. She quickly turned to Bose to see how he was. "Are you okay?" She freaked out seeing a cut on his forehead bleeding. She held onto his arms so she could tiptoe and get a better look, "I'm fine," He assured wiping the blood off and turning away from her. Mika was about to ask if he was sure but that stupid alarm went off again. Mika hastily looked to a far-left, saw a door; that seemed to be unphased by the explosion, wide open. Unfortunately, she also heard those footsteps coming right towards them. "There!" She pointed to the door making her way over and gesturing Bose to come.

Bose hadn't moved yet. What Mika hadn't noticed was that he was pressing his right hand on the right side of his stomach the whole time she was talking to him. He felt moist, his shirt was soaking up wetness, and he was holding onto something as well. The pain was unbearable and he couldn't breathe properly. His insides were burning.

With Mika far ahead he immediately lifted his shirt up a tad bit and saw a huge piece of glass had impaled him almost halfway in. He cursed under his breath as he carefully took hold of the glass and pulled it out of his muscle. He groaned in pain because it was like with every inch that came out, his stomach was pouring out with it. He aggressively threw the glass aside once it was out and a whole lot of blood had made a puddle underneath him. This wasn't just a minor injury. Bose's stomach was ripping itself open, he was losing too much blood as every second went by, and on top of that, the alarm was making him feel light-headed.

He crumbled up the side of his shirt to lap up the blood and looked to see Mika storm right into the room she was talking about. Bose was smart enough to know he wasn't going to make it out of this. He swallowed a lump in his throat feeling every last bit of pain aching throughout his body. New plan, make sure Mika gets out, he told himself. That was enough motivation to make him take a deep breath and catch up with her.

When he reached inside, Bose helped Mika try to close the door but it was as if the door was fighting back. "Why won't it close," Mika grunted. By her side, Bose reached around her, both of them holding onto the handle and pushing it in. It was almost shutting but their strength was running low. Bose got frustrated and mustered everything he could into the final push practically crushing Mika for a second before the door finally closed. Just in time too because 4 guards ran right past the door not bothering to check inside.

Inside this room, it was concrete, not like the outer parts and there was a single small window that reflected a golden light to brighten up the room.

Mika was thankful they seemed to be safe now. Mika looked at her whiz watch and saw they had 6 minutes left before they set sail. She was sure they would make it out of the ship now. She closed her eyes to remember the map and knew that they had only 1 more entryway to pass through before they reached the exit. The best part was she had the drive safely stored away in her pocket. Mika didn't pay attention to Bose as she paced the room telling him their next step, getting excited that they had actually done it! She knew this was a great plan and now they could save the taken superheroes.

"I'll call the team to come to pick us up once we reach the exit, oh and i think we should-" Mika's smile was wiped off her face when she finally looked at Bose. He was on the floor, back leaning against the concert wall, head up, eyes closed and holding his stomach. He looked awful. Mika panicky approached him kneeling down beside Bose.

"Hey, what's wrong?" She softly asked trying to keep her voice from cracking.

"N-nothing, It's all good," he stuttered opening his eyes and dropping his head.

Bullshit, Mika thought. She noticed him holding the right part of his stomach and was frightened to see how bloody his hands were. "Bose, you're hurt!" she moved his hands away and lifted his shirt. She regretted it when she saw how wounded he was. "Oh..." She tried to keep it together, carefully placing both her hands on his wound to stop the bleeding. Bose grunted again tightly closing his eyes. "It's gonna be okay," Mika's voice broke as tears started to come down her face. She was saying that not just to assure him but herself as well, "It's gonna be okay...". How could this have happened? she thought. Her own stomach was turning looking at his injury, it hurt her to imagine how much pain he must be in. Mika started rambling about how sorry she was as she ripped a piece of his shirt and hastily tried to wrap it around his stomach while Bose kept telling trying to get her to stop and just listen to him, "Mika, listen," but she started to sob.

He got her attention by taking her hands and making her look at him. "Mika... i need you to go, right now," Bose demanded. Mika shook her head not wanting to hear that, she ignored him and brought her face his. Cuffing the side of it to provide him some comfort. He was having trouble staying conscious. "Look at me okay, I need you to stay with me," She cried. She felt horrible watching him suffer. Bose was bleeding to death but his only request was for Mika to get to safety. He tried to stay with her, he really did. "It's gonna be fine, you have the drive..." He said heavily. His breathing was becoming uneven. "I need you to get- to get out here," Bose begged her. Mika's heart was breaking with every word he uttered. If he really thought she was going to leave him to die here he really had lost his mind.

Mika needed to trust him on this, he couldn't go on, If he could escape and live the rest of his life with her, he would. But he couldn't. "I'm not leaving you, Bose," She affirmed. "Mika," he warned. How he wished she wasn't so stubborn, she had a good 3 minutes remaining before she would be stuck here. Her hands were covered in his blood and she wanted to take all his pain away, even if it meant inflicting it on herself.

She looked at Bose through tearful eyes and the wound caught her attention again. She couldn't think of a way out of this situation. This was all her fault, if she would have just listened to everyone... She really screwed up this time. Mika didn't want to accept that Bose was probably right. She placed her other hand on the other side of his face and gently placed her forehead on his as tears rolled down her face. She closed her eyes sniffling..

"But i love you," Mika protested. And i don't wanna live without you. 'I love you' she hated herself for taking this long to say it back. It took Bose dying for her to finally work up the courage to admit she loved him back the way he loved her. A weak smile appeared on his face, "I know," He replied. Suddenly, she pressed a kiss onto his lips. He could taste her tears, she passionately attempted to show him everything she's felt for him through that one kiss.

She somehow hoped this would be enough for him to leave with her. She pulled away seeking to speak but only found herself stammering on her words because she was weeping too much. "Mika, i love you, i told you i would never forgive myself if something happened to you here- you have at most 50 seconds to leave so if you really love me, you would get up and run. Save yourself," He pleaded with her. She wanted to argue that she physically and emotionally could not bare to part ways with him this way. However, his voice was fading and his eyes were fluttering. He was slipping away from her.

So, Mika scares Bose. He wants to be the one to die for her. He wants to be the one to protect her. He wants to be the one that loves her. Regrettably, he could only do two of those things now.

She softly kisses him again and took a deep breath pulling away. She felt the drive in her pocket. She was nauseous when she worked up the willpower to whisper in his ear, "I'm sorry,". "It's not your fault," He claimed. She hesitantly got up checking the time on her watch. Bose intensely watched her while holding onto his side.

30 seconds, if she went now she'd be able to make it out in 25 seconds. She hesitantly made her way to the door wiping the tears that wouldn't stop falling.

She opened the door and ran out. Every step she took her heart was roaring at her and she couldn't see or think straight when tears blurred her vision. She didn't look back as she turned her final corner, if she did look back then she wouldn't have been able to go. As she headed for the exit she took her phone out nearing service.

She was so caught up in saving the superhero's, she sacrificed her's.