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At one moment, Tani was laughing with her friends, and a split second later, her body was jolted by a deafening explosion that rocked the ground with such violence that she thought she was dead.

A searing flash of heat roared over her backside, and amidst the flare, she felt a tiny razor shard of debris slice into her left shoulder. The fragment came to rest at the front of her deltoid, radiating a smoldering burn that spread through her entire body as she anticipated another explosion.

But it didn't come. The sound of the blast echoed across Hilton Hawaiian village, leaving in its wake a horrible chorus of agonized cries from the wounded. Sitting up, she looked up at Lou, who sat just inches away. The rest of her friends were nowhere to be seen.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

Lou's face was covered in dirt, and he wiped it off with his forearm. He nodded, his eyes wide. "Yeah. Are you?"

Tani didn't answer, looking instead to the sight around her–panicked masses of civilians, screaming and trampling one another to get away from a fresh crater in the earth. The beachside restaurant was ringed by motionless bodies, and an outer circumference of writhing people covered in blood.

She recognized the scope of carnage that lay right in front of her—half-charred people who were quite clearly dead, their sides and skulls torn open in an explosion whose source she couldn't place.

"Oh, God," she whispered, watching in horror and disbelief.

The damage was simply too severe, too all-encompassing to be the result of a random mishap, and she realized in one savage second that she'd been unwittingly thrust to the front lines of what might be a terrorist attack. It could have been a suicide vest, or a grenade, or some bomb whose origin she didn't have the background to identify—but she knew at once that the shrapnel wounds that had decimated the dead and survivors alike were no accident.

Lou's pained expression copied her own as he seemed to reach the same realization. "Where are–"

Tani looked around, looking for the rest of the team. She couldn't see them among the bodies, and panic began to creep into her veins.

"Junes!" she called out. "Adam?"

"Jerry?" Lou joined her. "Danny?"

"Over here." A bloodied hand lifted up from the ground not far away. It was Jerry.

She ran over to him and helped him sit up. "You hurt?" she asked.

Jerry didn't answer. His eyes were unfocused, and clearly, he was in shock.

"Jerry?"

"Huh?" He looked up from the carnage.

"Are you okay?"

It took Jerry a second to go through a quick scan of his body. "I… I think so."

"Come on," Lou said, helping Jerry up to his feet. "We have work to do."

Groans from the wounded permeated the high-pitched wails of panic, and Tani looked across those obviously dead, horrific as the sight was, to focus on the grievously injured, looking for someone who was in danger of imminent death within the minutes it would take the first medics to arrive.

She didn't have to look far.

Amidst the sea of injured people, her heart sank as she caught sight of Junior, slumped against a shattered wall. His face was pale, and blood stained his clothes. Panic surged through her veins as she rushed towards him.

"Junior!" she called out, her voice laced with concern. Kneeling beside him, she gently cradled his face, desperately seeking any signs of responsiveness. His eyelids fluttered weakly, and a flicker of recognition crossed his eyes.

Tani's voice quivered as she spoke, trying to keep her composure. "Junior, can you hear me? It's Tani."

Junior's gaze met hers, filled with pain and confusion. His voice was barely a whisper. "Tani... what happened?"

Tears welled up in her eyes, but she blinked them away, refusing to let them fall. "There was an explosion. We're going to get you out of here. Just hold on, okay?"

"I'm fine," Junior breathed out.

"Sure you are," Tani said, scanning him up and down.

"Over here!" Jerry called out from somewhere nearby. There was urgency in his voice.

She turned and saw Jerry and Lou crouching down to a still body. Her heart skipped a beat when she realized it was Adam.

"Go," Junior encouraged her. He sat up higher, wincing in pain.

She shook her head, reluctant to leave him.

"I'm fine, really," he said. "Just a little banged up."

Tani's mind raced. "Don't you dare to move."

"Not going anywhere."

She gave him one more worried glance and rushed to the rest of the group. She crashed onto the ground next to them and had a better look.

Adam lay still in a pool of blood that mixed with dust underneath him. His previously white shirt was now crimson. His breathing was shallow and his face pale, a stark contrast to the vibrant energy that had filled the restaurant moments ago.

"He's alive but we need to stop the bleeding," Lou said, his voice steady despite the chaos unfolding around them.

He ripped off a piece of his shirt and pressed it against Adam's abdomen, while Tani used her belt to create a makeshift tourniquet for his leg, which was bleeding profusely. Not nearly enough, but it would buy Adam some time.

"I called for backup and medical assistance," Jerry said. "They're on their way."

Tani nodded, grateful for the support. They had to do everything they could to stabilize the wounded until help arrived. Junior and Adam weren't the only ones in need of help.

"Did anyone see Danny?" Tani asked.

Jerry and Lou both shook their heads. Then their eyes flicked behind her. She turned.

Junior limped toward them, his arm wrapped around his ribs, a painful expression on his face. His legs wobbled, and Lou and Tani both stood up to help him. It was a good thing they did, because just a second later, Junior's knees gave in and he collapsed to the ground.

They lowered him down carefully.

"I think I told you not to move," Tani said.

"Can't just sit there," Junior said, scanning the panicked crowd. "These people need help."

"Junes–"

"I'll stay with Adam," he interrupted. "You guys go and help the others."

Jerry looked at him, his voice wavering with worry. "Are you sure?"

Junior managed a half-hearted smile. "I can hold my own for now. You can make a bigger difference out there. I'll do what I can here."

Tani hesitated, torn between her duty and her desire to stay by her injured friends' side. But Junior was right. Every second counted, and they had to do something. They all exchanged a silent glance, and Lou nodded in agreement.

With that, Lou, Jerry, and Tani hurriedly rose to their feet and rushed toward the other victims scattered across the restaurant. The sounds of sirens in the distance offered a glimmer of hope, but she knew they had to act fast.

As they worked to save lives amidst the devastation, her mind raced. Who could have orchestrated this attack? Why target a peaceful restaurant in Waikiki? And where the hell was Danny? Did he make it out before the explosion?

She couldn't shake off the worry that gnawed at her. Danny was nowhere to be found, and the weight of uncertainty settled heavily on her shoulders. But now wasn't the time to dwell on her concerns. Lives were at stake, and she had a duty to fulfill.

With each passing moment, the injured filled her field of vision, their cries for help echoing in her ears. She focused on one person at a time, doing her best to provide aid and reassurance in the chaos.

Time seemed to blur, and then, finally, the paramedics started to arrive. Tani's eyes darted around, searching for whoever could use her help. She turned, and there, lying on the ground, was Danny.

His body lay limp and motionless, his skin pale and bruised. Blood seeped through a deep gash on his hairline.

"Danny!" she called out as she rushed toward him.

She dropped to the ground, and her trembling hands reached out to touch his carotid artery, praying for any sign of life. The heartbeat was there. Strong and steady.

She let out a relieved breath. "Danny, are you with me?"

No response.

"Danny, come on! Wake up." She tapped his cheek in the hope to rouse him. It didn't do a thing.

A pair of paramedics rushed past her.

"Hey!" she called out. "Over here."

They didn't even turn their heads.

She wanted to scream in frustration. There was no way there'd be enough of them to help everyone in need. With panic seizing her throat, she turned back to Danny, who remained stubbornly still.

*to be continued*

I'm not sure I like this chapter. It kinda looked better in my head but I didn't want to be too graphic with this.

Also, I'm thinking about bringing Kono and Chin back for this fic later on.

Let me know what you think. Your opinions are always appreciated.