For a long second, she worried about what would happen to the girl once she landed. She didn't have the training Kira did. She didn't know how to land properly, and while broken bones were preferable to death, it bothered her to be the cause.
Briefly, she considered softening the girl's landing, tapping into some of her innate abilities. It wouldn't take much, a simple rearranging of the density of the air molecules between the girl and the platform.
One thing stopped her. She hadn't used that power in all the time since she'd left the service. It was chancy; the power unpredictable. Furthermore, it could take a toll that cost her and the boy their lives. It also might bring Kira to the attention of people she had spent the time since the war avoiding.
The platform loomed closer. Twenty meters. Ten. The boy leaned over the edge, his words frantic as he barked instructions.
Kira ignored it all, waiting, her breathing slowing as she concentrated.
There.
She tossed the girl, aiming carefully. The girl plummeted.
Kira didn't wait to see if she landed. The ship was already picking up momentum as it glided over the platform. Delaying would mean death. She vaulted to her feet as she grabbed the boy up and powered for the opposite side of the sailboat. She hit the edge and leaped, the platform racing by under her.
She dropped. This landing was going to be brutal. She flipped midair, curling around the boy.
Together they hit. Pain from the impact shot through Kira's body. She didn't have time to be grateful before they rolled. The station careened around them. The edge dropped from under them. Kira's hand shot out, grasping at anything in reach, desperation lending her strength.
The sharp edges from the underside of the platform cut into her skin, ripping it open.
She caught a pipe, holding on with all her strength as they came to an abrupt stop. Her shoulder wrenched in protest as the boy slipped out of her grip. She clutched at him desperately, barely catching his shirt.
He stayed quiet as they dangled there, his back to her as he stared at the very long drop beneath them, only the thin fabric of his shirt standing between it and him.
"Don't move," Kira told him. "Don't breathe."
He remained very still, the only sign he'd heard and understood.
Kira looked around, noting their position. The edge of the platform was nearly a meter above them. Looked like swinging him to safety was out.
A small, white-blond head appeared above them, the little girl peering down with eyes of the deepest blue.
Kira gave her a small, reassuring smile—at least one thing had gone right.
"Jin, I could use a little help," Kira said, her voice utterly calm, no hint of stress in it.
"Of course, you can, but I'm a little busy right now," he said. "Someone has to push this thing to where it won't endanger the station or human lives."
"You gonna be done soon?"
"A few minutes." There was a brief crackle of silence. "Are you in immediate danger?"
"Not immediate," Kira said. At least not yet.
She didn't bother explaining her predicament. If Jin had taken it upon himself to redirect the sailboat, it meant it carried the potential to cause significant harm to the station, resulting in a high loss of life. She knew he'd drop what he was doing if he got one whiff of how dire her situation was. To him, their friendship trumped everything else. She couldn't risk so many others paying the price.
She hung there, sifting through different scenarios and discarding them all. Alone, she could have escaped this situation pretty easily. The boy complicated matters. Dropping him wasn't an option either.
She shifted her grip on the boy, bringing him closer and wrapping her legs around him. The pipe creaked above her, giving a small bit.
The boy bobbed, his shirt tearing slightly. Only her legs and luck kept him from falling.
Kira's pulse pounded, adrenaline flooding her system. It had been a long time since she felt like this. Like she was balancing on a precarious wire and the one thing keeping her from falling was her peculiar set of skills and dumb luck.
The boy clutched at her thigh but otherwise didn't make a sound. He didn't move. For someone so young, he was incredibly poised.
Shouts and the sound of people running came from above. Kira craned her neck as the girl was jerked away from the edge and several men peered over it.
