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There's always let-down after a mission. As soon as the slime or ooze has been sluiced off and the Artifact has been safely housed, the adrenaline fades and everyone is left feeling a little flat. When there's been a close call, the process of winding down becomes disjointed. Claudia's jokes take on a edgy, defensive note, and Artie's admonitions are more pointed.
Today, Pete's the one covered in slime and ooze, and Myka has a broken toe. The Artifact is safe, nobody died, but in the Warehouse there's a feeling of releasing a breath held too long. Back in her room, Myka bundles up her suit for the incinerator – whatever that stuff is, it's not going to launder out – and tapes her broken toe in position. She's itching with spent energy. Sleep is going to be a long time coming. She wanders through the kitchen, collects a mug of tea that Leena pushes into her hands, and finds Helena in the library.
Helena is curled on one of the sofas, with a pile of books on the table beside her – Heinlein, Butler, Le Guin – a century of science fiction for her to catch up on. She looks up from her book, shifts her legs, and holds out an arm to make a perfect space for Myka.
Myka nestles in beside her, balancing her mug of tea while she finds the most comfortable way to lie against Helena's body. When she's settled, Helena's arm is around her, and Myka's head is resting in the crook of Helena's shoulder. Helena gives her a tight squeeze then her attention is back on Neuromancer. There's nothing to say: Myka survived. For now, the best place to be is pressed against Helena's body.
Myka breathes in the familiar smell of tea and books. She watches Helena's eyes move hungrily over the text. The sound of pages turning and the crackle of the fire, the weight of that arm around her shoulder, these things lull her into the sleep she could not find before. She wakes, once, when Helena takes the mug of tea from her hands and presses a kiss to her temple. Then she's deeply asleep in the safest place she knows.