Hakusan Angel by Alex Powell Read Free Book Online Page B

looked intact and undamaged. Even so, Mari was very gentle when removing them, not wanting to cause any more undue trauma and exacerbate Kaede's wounds.
    By the time she was done, she heard a clanking noise and voices indicating that someone had come to rescue them. Kaede was next to naked, so Mari covered her with her bomber jacket before lifting her up in her arms, careful not to damage or jostle her injuries.
    Someone in a metal suit poked their head in, their visor up so that she could see their eyes. It was a Level 9 Source in a power suit, one that had RESCUE stamped across the chest plate.
    "All right?" the source asked them in concern. "We're going to have to lower you out in a harness. I've already got a magnetic clamp and safety line set up for you."
    "I'm fine, but I'll need to be lowered down with her. She's not conscious enough to go down by herself, and she's got injuries."
    They were set up in a harness quickly and efficiently and attached to a rescue line so that they could be lowered out to safety. Mari cradled Kaede close as best she could, hoping that she felt secure. Kaede was drifting in and out of unconsciousness, so Mari wasn't sure if she knew what was happening. She stood on the edge of the portal and looked down. The ground was very very far away. Someone on the ground waved up at them, waiting for them to arrive.
    "Off you go," the rescue source gently pushed them away from the side of the machine so that they could start to be lowered down.
    The two of them drifted downward lightly and smoothly. Kaede's head was cushioned on Mari's shoulder, and Mari found her nose buried in Kaede's hair. She breathed in, and Kaede's soft, warm smell filled her senses. She had a sweet aroma in spite of the sweat, and it was very potent, especially behind her ear. It was ... nice. Soothing.
    It took the jolt of her feet touching the ground for her to realize that she'd spent the whole journey down smelling Kaede's hair.
    She didn't have long to ponder this, because not a moment later she was swarmed by source technicians and Kaede was carried off to medical for a check-up. It was just as well, because Mari was pretty damn certain that for all that sources were annoyingly aloof and condescending, they weren't meant to suffer in their work.
    This was a confusing set of emotions to deal with, but Mari was determined to sort them all out. Maybe she had judged Kaede a bit unfairly after all.
    *~*~*
    Kaede woke up facedown on a suspended medical bay table with her back exposed and her cheek pressed against soft padding. For a moment, she thought that she was fine, but then she shifted to try to turn on her side.
    Her back erupted in burning pain.
    She cried out and immediately stopped moving, trying to relax her back muscles, which had tensed at the sudden agony flooding her system. She breathed in deeply through her nose slowly and waited for the flaring pain to calm. Before it had entirely faded, a source technician rushed in.
    "You're awake," she said in surprise. "You weren't supposed to gain consciousness for two hours. There, now give me a moment and we'll give you some pain medication."
    Blessed relief came, and Kaede asked, "What happened to me?"
    "We're not sure, but we think that reforging the energy pathways to include the new ports had more serious consequences than we anticipated."
    "Did anyone come in to see me while I was asleep?"
    "Only your pilot. Your CO was sent the report of your injuries and he knows that you can't work for the time being, at least not until we've had a look at your energy web to see if it's aligned properly."
    "Will I be released soon?"
    "Once your ports stop bleeding."
    She shouldn't have been surprised that they hadn't allowed her parents to come see her. They probably hadn't told her parents anything at all, never mind that she'd been injured under her changed circumstances.
    The really surprising thing was that Mariko had visited her. She wasn't sure what to make of that, because