Someone nearby muttered softly, "He saved over six hundred people. Only thirteen were lost… but if he's gone too…"
The words stabbed deeper than any blade.
Selene took a step back. "No," she whispered with her lips quivering. "He said he'd come back."
Her laugh came out broken, trembling like glass. "He said nothing would go wrong. Liar..."
Danny turned sharply toward her with bloodshot eyes. "Don't talk like that. He's not dead. You hear me?!"
His voice echoed through the docks, drawing the attention of everyone nearby.
Kairo placed a hand on Danny's shoulder but even his usual composure faltered.
"Danny," an instructor said quietly, "none of the tracking beacons in his uniform show any signal from him. We already checked."
"I don't care!" Danny shouted while shrugging Kairo off. "You think a damn signal means anything when it's Victor we're talking about?! He's survived worse! He's—he's probably laughing right now, finding some stupid way to scare us when he comes back!"
