Rebel Heart

She accepted it and activated her channel on the net, not surprised when she heard the general's voice.

"You gonna live?" he asked gruffly.

"Yes, sir," Lana said, lifting the bag to see the alert. The micro was finished decrypting the messages. Her head hurt too much to read, and she lowered the bag.

"We have another issue. Come to the hub."

"Yes, sir." She paused to rub her face hard with the meaty parts of her hands. She felt weak and tired. "Doc, I need to pick up my prescription for-"

"Heeeeeeeeell no."

She shook her head and walked out of the bay into the foyer, tucking the micro and vault into her pockets. Elise always had extra anti-sleepers.

Another wave of dizziness washed over her. Lana's head buzzed, and she staggered, leaning against a wall. She sank down against it when her vision grew narrow. The body heat of someone kneeling beside her made her blink, and she braced herself for the doc shooting her up again.

"Drink," Brady's rough voice instructed. She felt the pressure of a cup against her lips.

The cool liquid entered her mouth. She swallowed. Then coughed at the tart aftertaste. She drank more, forcing herself to swallow it. The tunnel vision receded.

"What is this?" she asked, blinking as her gaze cleared.

"Down South, we call this energy water," he said. He removed the cup. "It's a mix of high-potency vitamins, electrolytes, and herbs. It'll help you more than that shit the doc gave you."

Lana met his gaze, hearing his Southern drawl for the first time. His nearness was comforting, his body warmth making her feel a little less cold.

"You need to learn to shoot," he added.

"I tried. I'm no good at it."

"It's a good skill to have. You could've popped that maniac before he dragged you over the cliff."

It's a good skill to have. His use of Guardian's words confused her already drained mind. Maybe all regular army-types thought this way.

"Thank you, Brady," she said. While the night's events were still a bit hazy, her memory was clear enough to feel gratitude towards the man crouched beside her. "You saved me."

"I'm just happy you're alive," he said, touching her face in an unexpected display of tenderness Lana studied his chiseled features, which didn't seem capable of much emotion at all. His ragged voice held genuine warmth, though, so she took his words at face value. The large soldier made her feel tiny hunched next to the wall. His direct gaze made her overly self-conscious again. She wondered if her hair was as messy as she suspected.