After about fifteen minutes of Angel's departure, Sophie and Lila watched as the survivors tried to regroup.
The healers who had been safeguarded thoroughly emerged to help the wounded. Their hands glowed with healing energy as they moved between bodies, checking pulses, assessing injuries, making quick decisions about who could be saved and who was already gone. The sounds were worse than the fighting had been. Crying. Moaning. Someone screaming Kowalski's name over and over until their voice broke.
Sophie stood near the camp's center, both plasma blades deactivated now, clipped to her tactical vest. Her muscles ached from sustained combat, from the boost Noah had provided wearing off and leaving her feeling heavy, slow, normal. The adrenaline was fading too, which meant her brain was starting to process what they'd just survived.
