After-Action Report (Part Four)

"Have you ever known that you're my hero?"

I sighed as I got comfortable at the desk in college biology class, surrounded by Eddie, David, Josh, and Sooraya, "I swear to God, Eddie, if you start singing 'Wind Beneath My Wings', I'll kill us both," Aside from the embarrassment, it also doubled as a pun worthy of being executed over.

Eddie didn't press his luck, but he didn't let go of the point behind his good mood, "Seriously, after what Cess told me you did yesterday, I don't know how you can fit at that tiny desk, what with the size of your balls and everything."

I took a half-hearted swing in his general direction, "Dude, language. There's a woman of religion around," I said, gesturing to Sooraya, who didn't seem to care.

David rolled his eyes, "I think she'd be used to it by now. You say worse things than that around her all the time. "

"Do as I say, not as I do," I replied referring to the niqab-clad young lady, "Also, I apologize for that, and I try to tone it down around her."

"Because she's religious?" Josh asked.

I scoffed. As if I cared about something like that. I dropped F-bombs and killed people in a church not too long ago, "No dummy, because she's a better person than me, and I have a corrupting presence. Mark my words, you will all become worse people from spending time with me."

Eddie nodded in agreement, "Believe it or not, Hisako used to be way nicer before she met Bel. Then she got all stressed and started calling us idiots all the time."

Josh didn't seem very concerned, "Meh, how much worse could we get? We already got sent to Hell."

"Is Limbo Hell?" I asked, bringing up the same question I asked while we were there, "I swear, I thought Hell was supposed to be way hotter," And speaking of the elephant in the room, "...By the way, I still have to check on all of you jerks and make sure you're all good after what we did there."

Eddie and I had talked about Limbo extensively, but I hadn't brought it up with much of anyone else. David, Josh, and Sooraya all looked a bit pensive at first.

David was the first willing to say anything, "I don't like thinking about it, but out of sight out of mind, I guess. We all made it without too many permanent issues."

"-Other than Megan losing a part of her soul," Sooraya reminded us. Such a thing was hard to forget when I watched it happen firsthand.

Josh scowled, thinking about everything, "Ugh. I'd rather not remember all of what went down in that suckhole. I spent way too much time putting you all back together to keep fighting Belasco."

I wasn't sure if he meant that literally or not. Knowing how overpowered his healing abilities could be, and how vicious everything we came across in Limbo was, there was every chance that he'd meant it.

"I get it," I said, "Hey, if any of you want out of the team, I totally get it."

All four of them looked at each other as if I'd grown a second head, "Want out? No way!" Eddie exclaimed, "Dude, we did one thing. And it wasn't even a real mission. It was just some guy with a hard-on for Colossus's sister."

"None of us ever thought this was going to be easy," David said, adjusting his glasses, "I'm with Eddie. I don't plan on going anywhere until at least graduation."

Josh snickered at his friend, "Yeah, David with his big Harvard dreams," He said before turning to me, "I'm definitely not going anywhere. I've personally put the X-Men back together after something tore them apart, you included. I shudder to think of what'll happen if I'm not around."

Sooraya's answer was markedly more reserved, "I feel like it is the right thing to do. I plan to keep going."

I couldn't help but smile. I should have known better. I knew Eddie would be too hard-headed to give up, but the rest were all made of tougher stuff than I was afraid they were, "I just figured I'd bring it up. I don't know if Laurie told some of you already, but she had a bit of a moment earlier where she talked about quitting. She's not-," I quickly added, "-But I wanted to make sure that everyone knew they could drop out if they wanted."

"Laurie thought about quitting?" Sooraya thought to herself, before asking generally, "Has she been alright ever since we got back?"

David seemed thoughtful, "I haven't noticed anything off. Josh? How about you?"

Josh frowned and took a moment to consider it, "I don't know, man. You think something might be wrong?"

I shrugged. He and David would know better than I did, "You tell me. I saw a lot of fucked up stuff happen in Limbo, but I'm used to seeing fucked up stuff. You guys aren't. She seemed a bit hesitant to go see Dr. Garrison."

"She's never gone to see him," Josh told me, "Even when we were all supposed to, she just skipped it."

Seriously? This was getting weird now. Did I have to get involved in this somehow?