"They bombed the station security building," he managed to tell her. "Are you ok?"
She nodded, then paused, her eyes growing wide. With a gasp she sat up, reaching for the cloth at her shoulders and trying topull it across her face as she scrambled away from him. "Don't look at me!"
Sin grabbed her arm, preventing her retreat. "You're beautiful, Rissa. I already saw your face, and you have nothing to worry about, ok?"
"You're lying."
He shook his head, realizing they had bigger problems. "Fourth precept. I can't intentionally deceive you. Are you hurt?"
Clutching a wad of cloth before her mouth, she shook her head timidly. "Nothing significant. I have a few minor abrasions, some bruises, but nothing is broken or damaged."
"Thank you, God," Sin muttered as he pulled himself to his feet. "Ok. We have to go. Emergency services will be here soon, and there's a few men with bullets in them over there. Shit, and the train's not an option. Means we can't get to the fucking safe house!"
"But OutLink won't look for me until tomorrow," she pointed out.
"What?" He shook his head, trying to get rid of the last of this disorientation.
"When we left," she reminded him, "the technician said he would clock me back in on time—in case you were moving slowly."
Shit, was that today? It felt like a lifetime ago, but she was right. It also gave him a few more options. He quickly began checking his weapons, making sure he had them all, because right now, they needed to vanish, which meant being anything but an Ingénue and a Legate.
"Ok, so as far as anyone knows, Ingénue R1554-9370S-02K16 is safe at OutLink. I'd like to keep it that way for as long as possible, so we need to change." He rubbed at his head, thinking quickly. "What's under your robe?"
"Nothing." When he looked at her in shock, she added. "Undergarments."
"Fuck. Ok, stay here."
Because he knew one thing that would cover her, but everything had shifted in the blast. Looking around, he tried to find the man who'd given his life for them, but it took a while. Eventually, he spotted a leg. That had to be him.
Sin pushed to his feet, thankful he was finally stable, and headed to Caleb. A small hole between the man's eyes was the first thing Sin saw, but Caleb's trench coat was functional. Sin manhandled the body, removing the coat, whispering his apologies the whole time. When it was finally free, he hurried back to Rissa.
"Put this on. Make sure your robes are completely hidden beneath it," he ordered. "No signs of blue, Riss."
"Where did you get this?" she asked, lowering the cloth from her face.
He held it out to her. "Don't ask, just put it on. We have to move."
She shoved her arms into the sleeves and started buttoning it while Sin worked on getting out of his armor. The damned stuff clung to him, and all he had on under it were a pair of tight pants and a tee that might as well be painted on. And yet, when Rissa's eyes ran across him, he decided it was good enough.
Once they both looked like nothing more than normal people, he stood and helped her up. Tucking the pile of his armor under his arm, he hoped it looked like nothing more than a package he was carrying. Then, wrapping an arm around Rissa's shoulders, he guided her towards the exit.
She kept her head down, her hands fumbling with the belt on Caleb's coat while they walked. Sin was pretty sure she recognized it, but the girl didn't say a thing. She just kept pace with him, stretching her legs as much as she could.
And she left her face uncovered.
Twice, he glanced over, needing to convince himself she was real. For a woman who feared being disgusting, she was not what he'd expected. Yes, she was covered in cybernetics, but elegantly. If she'd had a few piercings or neon hair, he would've assumed she was any typical neurojock, although typical was the wrong word.
Gorgeous. Stunning. Beautiful. Amazing. Those were the words he wanted to use, but they weren't right. Rissa was so much more than her appearance. He'd grown attached to her mind and personality, but seeing her? The word that fit best wasangel.
They'd barely left the station and crossed the street when the sound of sirens pierced the air. He turned again, guiding her along the shadows of another building until they were a block over. The whole time, his eyes scanned everything, waiting for more of those punks to appear.
"We need to walk back to the Consumer District," he told her. "Riss, it's not close, but the train isn't running. I know a lot has happened, but I need you to hold it together a little longer. Can you handle this?"
"Yes, Legate," she whispered meekly.
"It's still Sin," he told her. "Right now, I need you tonotcall me Legate or Brother. If anyone asks, you are my dear friend, and we're buying you new clothes because you got a stain on yours when one of the bombs went off. We were not in the middle of one. We have not been to the Market District today, ok? We've been over in the Consumer District this whole time. We'll get a single outfit at the first store, discard your robes and the coat, then purchase Stabiltrol and additional clothing. Think you can do that?"
"Ok."
