Avoiding Past And Future

9

"All is as it should be."

Yeah, that ended up being everything having been taken away from Danny yet again.

He wasn't in time to stop the Nasty Burger from exploding.

Nor was he fast enough to save everybody.

Sam, Tucker, his foster family, and so many others. Even his cute little clone he only just met.

They were all gone.

The explosion was horrific. He doesn't know how he survived. Maybe an instinctual shield, but he didn't feel like he deserved it. Even with how far the burger joint was removed from the city center, it still took half of it down. The surrounding buildings that did make it through looked like they were ready to collapse. The schools were gone. His house was gone. His family was gone.

Again.

If there was anything he would be grateful for, is that the explosion took Dan with it.

There was still chaos all around him as he regained consciousness somewhere in the night. He laid there lifelessly as he stared up at the stars. Not like he could move much anyway, he had a few too many broken bones for that.

All of this was his fault.

His older self.

His powers.

His decisions.

Had he not gone into that portal, not even bothered to try and fix it, then this wouldn't have happened.

He wondered if that cursed thing even survived. He knew the basement acted as a bunker as well so the chances it is still somewhat protected were high. Danny made a mental note to go check on it later. First he had to set his broken bones back before they healed wrong. If he had learned one thing over the few months he had his powers, it's that his new healing speed is not something to underestimate. Though he did have to be somewhat thankful for it. He honestly didn't know how he would have been able to hide all the bruises and injuries from the fighting without it.

He laid there until the sun had started to rise. He wasn't sure whether it was a curse or a blessing, but his bones had healed enough for him to move again. He tested out his stiff muscles by stretching out. Loud cracks and pops echoed between the crumbled buildings. Reluctantly he got up and groaned at the pain that shot through his entire body. He tried to force his transformation, but outside of a spark or two nothing happened. Focusing on his core, he could feel that the fight and the healing took more out of him than he thought. Cursing his luck, he set out to what remained of the building.

Most of it was gone. Pieces of it were scattered around and mixed in with the other buildings. The ops center that was on top of the building was nothing more than scrap metal. He sighed softly as he climbed through the rubble. Most of the family's stuff was either gone or out of sight. Though the loss was hurting him deeply, at least he didn't have to be confronted by family pictures and the smiling faces of the dead. Death that he had caused.

Danny found some of the outer traces of the basement's protective casing. He mustered up all the energy he could as he felt himself pass through the debris. He fell through the ceiling as he barely managed to break his fall with a roll. The lab had only taken slight damage as far as he could tell. The back up generators were still powering the portal, but cracks had formed in the supporting structure. Most of the emergency rations were still untouched. Danny made sure to force down a portion or two before he set to work. He really didn't want to eat. Had he not already taken more than enough from the family that had so graciously taken him in when nobody else wanted him? Had he not caused enough hurt?