Lucian held Cate with one arm and Annie with the other. The newly regrown flesh on his chest was squeezed between their soft bodies, making the corner of his mouth twitch in pain.
"You can still smile?"
Cate looked up, her eyes still red.
"I nearly died. Of course I have to smile while I can." Lucian looked down at her. "Otherwise, what a waste."
Annie said nothing. She simply reached around his wounds and gently supported his waist.
Surviving was already a miracle.
That explosion had nearly blown her away even from several kilometers out. Yet Lucian had been lying at its center, his flesh burned away, and now he could still stand up and hold them.
What exactly did this guy think he was?
"All right, stop looking like I'm about to die." Lucian reached up and ruffled Annie's hair. "Time to wrap things up."
Homelander had already escaped.
Hadn't he come here for these big prize packages?
"Cate." Lucian let go of Annie, leaning on them to steady himself. "Have A-Train find Butcher and bring him back."
A-Train's body immediately tensed.
"Find Butcher and bring him back." Cate stared into his eyes. "Be quick."
"Understood."
A-Train turned and shot away.
He went at full speed, blasting a ring of dirt out of the ground.
"Annie, scout from the air and confirm everyone else's locations."
"What about you?"
"I'll recover for a bit."
Lucian sat cross-legged, his injuries still healing rapidly. Though his super healing was strong enough, that last Stellar Collapse had nearly burned through his body,
but dealing with Black Noir and Mother's Milk wouldn't be much of a problem.
"I'll be right back." Annie glanced at Cate, then lifted off the ground and shot into the air.
Cate didn't follow.
She crouched beside Lucian and