By the time Zoe got to her feet, Luke and Kane were already up.
"Cracked skulls!" She cursed, clenching her fist. It had been a long time since she had been hit like that. She maybe could've stood through it with some warning, but the strike was quick and brutal. No mercy, and yet they had survived.
Even if the monster was strong and fast, it wasn't smart. It hadn't stopped to check if they were dead. It was likely used to people being taken down on one hit.
But where had it come from? The way Michael had been talking about it, it had seemed like something as strong as this would only come around later. He had assured them of that.
Zoe opened her mouth wide, and a translucent black foam flowed out.
"Cracked skulls!" she swore again, once it had stopped coming and she had wiped off the rest of it with a small cloth that absorbed it quite handily.
Staring at the puddle that refused to soak into the grass, she muttered on more time,
"Cracked skulls."
It had been a long, long time. She was reviled by the hideous semi-liquid substance, more so than ever before. Before it had been training. She had never truly been defeated before, by someone that didn't have decades of practice and muscle development over her. So it stung in her heart, for both reasons.
Luckily, she didn't completely break down. She was too numb.
Zoe raised her head and met Kane's eyes.
Nothing.
Blue, silent orbs. No reflection of emotion, whether inside or out. In them, she saw nothing of him. It made her feel betrayed. No pity, no affection, not even frustration with himself, which would have done much, but it would've helped just a little bit to know that he was also stunned.
But there was nothing of her, either. No trace of recognition for her plight at all.
And more importantly, no trace of recognition for her failure.
If he didn't see it, then it didn't matter. Kane the Invincible disregarded her loss.
There was no higher praise.
In this silent, unspoken truth, she stood. Away from the darkness, leaving the black waste on the floor beneath her, she rose.
It would dissolve or be slurped up by the grass eventually.
Zoe turned around. Michael had already guessed she was a leader, from the way she had acted. Well, she wasn't being much of a leader now. So it was time to start acting like it.
First thing to do was always to take count of assets, so she did.
Luke. Kane. Herself. She had already confirmed their presence and well-being, but a more detailed check couldn't hurt.
Zoe patted herself down, ensuring there were no bruises or other injuries. No pain, so it was probably fine. Normally she would remove her jacket and pants and give everything a once-over with her eyes, but she absolutely refused to do that in front of Luke. Even her militaristic mind wouldn't allow that.
Kane was fine. Eve was a little weird, but she was also a girl, so it was much less awkward. Michael... She wouldn't like it, but she could live with Michael seeing under her outer layer of clothing. But Luke?
Absolutely not.
After making that decision, she stepped over and ran her hands down Kane's chest, searching for something. After pressing on every inch of his upper body, she stepped back, barely keeping in a sigh.
Of course he wouldn't show any sign of pain.
"Are you hurt?" Zoe asked, clipping her words to a sharp point. If she didn't keep a firm tone of voice, she would lose it doing this.
"Slight cracking of ribs, section 4,[1] left side," Kane responded immediately.
Zoe but her lip. And he knew exactly what it was.
"Did it at least help you determine the proper area?" Zoe asked hesitantly. Although she was trying to be a leader like she was supposed to, it was hard around Kane. He was just so cracked fists perfect.
Kane shook his head decisively, offering a small condescending smile. Zoe huffed.
"But you at least did the right thing," Luke noted from behind her.
Zoe turned around, then crossed her arms.
No, she would not do it. If she did, she would end up strangling him.
"Aren't you going to check my wounds?" He said teasingly. He was grinning.
"Not for all the cosmos," Zoe muttered. Then the turned towards the other two.
The other... one.
Where was Michael?
And why was Eve on the ground?
[1] He's got a different physiology, so the notation is different. If you're wondering exactly where that is, it's around the area of the 9th, 10th, and 11th posterior ribs.