by Alex Powell
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 the last time they'd spoken they'd argued. Did pity negate anger in the world of pilots?
Of course, because she didn't know what was going on with Mariko, she chose that very moment to appear. At least, she thought it was Mariko, because the figure in front of her was wearing a pilot's combat pants along with a non-regulation belt and bomber jacket. She didn't feel like twisting her neck up in order to see whose face was above her. She'd settle with the view of the midriff and hips. With those hips, it was definitely a female pilot.
"You're awake."
"Yes," Kaede said, sighing as she was proven correct.
"Are you all right?"
"No," she grumbled pointedly. "My spine is bleeding."
"Right. Uh, so, you um, you going to be here awhile?"
"No idea."
"Okay. So ... did they tell you what happened?"
"No."
"Right. Okay. We ... kind of ran into the wall of the cavern."
"I hadn't noticed," Kaede replied scathingly.
"Yeah, well, that sort of caused part of the cavern to ... collapse. A bit." Mari sounded sheepish.
"A bit."
The hips in front of her face shifted guiltily. "Yes. Okay, fine, it collapsed a lot. Also, it caused a slight sink-hole on the surface of the base. People kind of noticed."
"Why do I have the feeling that the sink-hole was more of a big deal than you're letting on?"
The hips squirmed uncomfortably, and Mari's hands were twisted together. "Okay, so I know what you're going to say. It was a pretty big sink-hole, yes, I admit. And yes, a few buildings might have been slightly damaged in the aftermath ..."
"Mariko ..."
"Don't be mad!" Mariko visibly cringed. "We ... sort of destroyed the bar. And I mean that it sunk into the middle of the sink-hole and is completely non-salvageable."
Only a pilot would think that the bar was more important than the fact that all of the Level 3 Sources and pilots had solid evidence that there was something secret going on right under their feet.
"I knew you'd be angry."
Kaede sighed and closed her eyes. "So what you really mean by all that is that we are in even more trouble and that Commander Sano is going to yell at us when I'm better?"
"More or less. Yes."
"Great."
"Look on the bright side–"
"There is no bright side."
"–it's sort of their fault too, for trying to make us do everything right away and not considering the possibility that your new ports could be a problem."
That was true, but it wasn't as if High Command would see it that way. "Mariko, they don't care if their orders might injure me or that I might need time to adjust. They'll just keep poking at my limits, and it doesn't matter to them if they accidentally break me along the way. You said it yourself–I'm just a walking battery. I'm just an object, a part of their war machines that can be bought with money. I'm not a person."
"That's not true!"
"Disbelieve me all you want. I'm the one lying here bleeding."
Mariko didn't seem to have an answer for that one. Kaede could see her hands trembling, clenching slowly into fists. Mariko didn't say another word, turning on her heel and noisily marching out of the med bay.
Kaede waited for something to happen, but Mariko didn't come back. What did return was the throbbing pain in her back, although it had only been about fifteen minutes.
She summoned the tech and asked, "Can you just put me out again?"
Her countdown from one hundred trailed off into welcome, fuzzy darkness.
*~*~*
Mari was back to waiting around in their enormous, cushy suite alone and bored. She'd briefly considered tying the gauzy white curtains together to make an escape rope, but decided it would probably tear under her weight. She'd been training on the driving sim for hours and her eyes were starting to get dry from staring at the screen for so long.
Nothing ever happened in this place.
A knock on the door interrupted her gloomy train of thought, and she got up to answer it, lazily taking her time. The door had a stupid, ornate handle, and Mari was constantly afraid that she'd accidentally break it off and lock herself inside.
"
Ishigaki, how are you holding up?" CO Sano was on the other side, standing with his hands clasped behind his back and a thin smile on this face.
Mari fought down the sudden, strong urge to slam the door in his face. "I'm bored," she said bluntly.
"Not much I can do about that, now, is there?" Sano arched his brows.
"You could let me have some visitors," Mari said. "You know, the other Level 3 Pilots already know something is going on. First the power surge thing with Sae and then the sink-hole situation are kind of telling. Someone is going to figure it out eventually."
"It's better that they speculate than pass on something that's true."
"If I ask them not to, they won't talk," Mari said confidently. She knew they'd agree to almost anything if it meant getting out of the compound they were being held in.
"You seem so sure of their loyalty to you," Sano said, clearly sceptical.
"Pilots are, generally. Especially to a fellow pilot; we're loyal to a fault. You're just used to sources needing to be bribed and cajoled into doing as you say."
Sano didn't say anything for a moment, ponderously scratching his chin. "If I let them in to see you, can you persuade them to keep things quiet?"
"Absolutely."
"You're right," Sano said, tone coloured with resignation. "The Level 3 Pilots and sources are both in an uproar over this. I don't know what to do about the sources, but if you can calm your former comrades down, that would be helpful."
"They're still my comrades."
"You're a Level 1 Pilot now. The only one. Your only comrade now is Nomura."
"All pilots are my comrades, sir. We're all in this together, after all."
"Well said, Ishigaki. We'll let your pilots in to see you."
Unsurprisingly, Matsura was the first one through the door of the suite, and rushed to meet her as soon as he saw her. He lifted her up off her feet in a hard embrace and twirled her around before setting her back down. Then he spared a look for the rest of the room and whistled.
"Wow, Mari, what did you do to get all this? Does this mean I can take over your bunk?"
Mari smacked his arm and grinned. "You're ridiculous. Shouldn't you be more worried about all the inexplicable things that have been happening?"
"I would if it was any great mystery," Matsura said with a shrug as he glanced around at their comrades. "We think we figured it out though, especially after they took you."
The rest of the pilots all nodded in agreement while Mari surveyed them in shock.
"You know what's going on?"
"They may have hired us for our piloting abilities, but we're not stupid," Matsura scoffed, finding a plush seat and falling into it. "Level 1 Pilot is taken away, massive power outages followed by a sinkhole that destroyed our bar? Easy enough to figure out: one of those sources was a Level 1."
Mari found herself nodding, impressed. Here she'd thought she'd have to explain everything, but they already knew. Now all she had to do was try to persuade them to keep their mouths shut about that information.
"So, if I told you the higher-ups wanted you to keep quiet, would you be okay with that?" Mari asked, surveying her fellows, who had all settled onto couches and lounge chairs while she'd been listening to Matsura.
Matsura sighed and shook his head. "I think it's a bit too late to try and keep the secret. The Level 2 Sources have been up in arms all week and have been digging around looking for an explanation. If we figured it out, I'm sure they have too. We all know how good sources are at keeping gossip behind their teeth."
"Really, why don't you enlighten us?" a voice came from the doorway.
Mari's head whipped up, and her eyes found Kaede's from across the room. Kaede was looking around their chambers at the assembled pilots with an air of disdain, eyes coldly dismissing them. Her pilots all sat up, bristling at the intrusion into the conversation.
"If we sources are so terrible at keeping secrets, then why are you hosting all these pilots and letting them in on it?" Kaede continued. "Also, these are our shared quarters. You should have asked me before you invited them over."
"Sano said that I could bring them over," Mari argued, hands clenching. "I don't need your permission for anything, you know."
"If you can have the pilots over, well then I should be afforded the same courtesies," Kaede snapped, glaring.
"You shouldn't be afforded any courtesies after what you did," Mari shot back, teeth grinding hard enough that her jaw ached.
She couldn't believe it. Kaede was still acting as if she was above everything, even after the disaster with Hakusan. Mari could admit that yes, maybe she had made a mistake, but Kaede had also been partly to blame. In the back of her head, Mari knew she hadn't forgiven Kaede for hiding her power either.
Kaede didn't say anything, but the pilots around her flinched at her words. Kaede turned and left, as quiet as a ghost. Mari stared after her in surprise.
"A bit harsh, don't you think, Mari?" Matsura ventured to say.
"She deserves it," Mari waved her arms. "She betrayed the country by hiding her powers and not coming forward. She put us in danger with all those power failures. Come on, she's a source! You shouldn't feel sorry for her because she can't take advantage of the system anymore."
"Mari, you're basically saying that because she made her own choices and one mistake, that she should be treated like a slave of the military for the rest of her life," Matsura said quietly.
"What? No I'm not." That hadn't been what she meant at all. She just wanted Kaede to face the consequences of her actions. Was that too much to ask?
"You just said that she doesn't deserve to have rights."
"No, I ..." Mari desperately reviewed her previous words.
"Everyone deserves rights. Even sources. Even sources who you don't agree with."
Mari couldn't believe it. Matsura was usually so carefree that it surprised her every time he talked about something serious. Questioning morality was the kind of thing he usually avoided, especially if it brought him in confrontation with her.
"Do you all agree?" she asked the rest of the pilots helplessly.
They looked between themselves and shrugged.
"It's just that ..." One of the younger pilots said hesitantly. "Usually you don't say things like this. We look up to you because you try and do the right thing. We're not sure that what you're saying is. What made you change your mind?"
"I met Nomura, who is selfish beyond reason," Mari defended, uncertain of her stance, but not wanting to admit out loud that she had gone too far.
"Is she really, or do you just not understand her?" another new voice interrupted the conversation.
It was the source who had started the fight with her, Sae. She was standing in front of the open doors, back straight and chin raised. As she stood there, the rest of the sources filed in, arraying themselves on either side of her in a crane's wing formation. Kaede entered last and came to stand by Sae, shoulder to shoulder. They looked serene and immovable in their summer yukata.
The pilots all stood as one, warily watching the sources. They obviously remembered what happened the last time someone had riled them up and were looking to avoid a repeat. They looked suddenly unsure now that they were faced with actual sources, who Mari knew were often contrary just for the sake of disagreeing.
"How did you all get up here?" Mari asked sharply.
"It's not as if we would let our sister face off against all of you by herself. As soon as we realized where you were going, we demanded to see Kaede, and Sano could not disagree. Even he is not that unfair."
There was a long, tense silence as the sources and pilots looked between each other, eying up the other side.
"So," Sae began. "Maybe now we can have a long-needed discussion and finally come to some sort of agreement?"
The sources all tilted their heads down in a brief, somehow coordinated nod and settled into seats. The pilots slowly retook their own and waited.
It was time to talk.
<
br /> 4
Kaede hadn't been certain where exactly she was going to go after she'd fled her own chambers upon discovering it was overrun by hostile pilots. Going back to the medical bay wasn't really an option, but there wasn't anything else on this floor. The guards would probably stop her if she tried to take the elevator down.
She was standing alone in the cold hallway when the elevator light flicked on, indicating it was in use. She looked around, but the hall was completely empty. There were no doors or alcoves, just the flat grey of dull metal that barely reflected her face back at her. There was nowhere to hide and wait for whomever it was to go by.
She was still standing there, rooted to the spot when the doors opened.
"Kaede?"
Kaede couldn't believe her eyes. "Sae?"
Sae stepped swiftly out of the elevator, and she was followed by what looked like most of the Level 3 Sources.
"How did you get here?" Kaede had given up on being allowed to see any of her friends indefinitely, so it was a shock to see them here in front of her without any warning.
Sae smiled. "Did you think that we would just abandon you? We knew what had happened immediately. They questioned me about the incident. I was obviously not the Level 1 Source they were looking for, so it had to be you."
Kaede looked down at her toes peeking out from the hem of her yukata. "They're blaming me for everything, because I didn't tell them I was a Level 1."
Sae stepped forward and awkwardly put her arms around Kaede's shoulders. Displays of affection were not that common among sources, but Kaede appreciated the gesture, all the same. She allowed her forehead to rest against Sae's silk-clad shoulder and breathed in her lavender and rainwater scent.
"I'm sorry," Sae said softly against her ear. "I am also to blame for what happened. Are they ... are they treating you well?"
Kaede didn't answer and Sae's fingers tightened on her shoulders. She didn't need words; Sae knew how the military treated sources.
They returned to the room, and Kaede could only stand there in a daze as Sae took control of the situation and started up a conference right there in Kaede and Mariko's shared suite.
Sae pulled Kaede to the front to sit next to her, closest to the pilots arrayed across from them. She leaned forward so she could speak quietly in her ear, "I know you're not the type to want to talk or disagree with the pilots or make a big production, but this is about you. So please, I need your input."