Dimension Fracture by Corinn Heathers

at healing magic.
    Star squeezed my shoulder. “It matters to me. You two… you two really got to me, you know that? None of my other contractors ever cared about me as a person.”
    I somehow managed to smile a little, but my ears wouldn't perk up. “I wasn't trying to diminish you. Our confrontation with this mage was inevitable from the moment she invaded Karin's dreams.”
    “You're right. Karin never would have been able to leave it alone.”
    “What are we going to do, Star?” I wondered, trying hard to keep the rising note of fear and worry from coloring my tone too much. I suspected it didn't matter, though; it was obvious to Star that my brave front was just that, a front.
    “Backup's on the way,” she informed me. “An AEGIS unit should be here soon with medical personnel to take care of Renne and Karin both—ah, that's probably them now. Wait here.”
    My ears swiveled toward the sound. I frowned as I recognized the throaty roar of diesel-burning military humvees. It seemed unusual to me, but by the very nature of our occupation we were not privy to many of the organization's secrets. Perhaps the use of these vehicles was common; I couldn't say.
    I took Karin's right hand in my own and stroked it softly. Her skin felt warm and I could detect the pulse of life and mana continue to sing through her body. It felt subtly different than before, but it was still there and she was still alive. Most importantly, the regular and unimpeded flow of mana within her body gave me hope that she would make a full recovery.
    I could hear Star talking to the AEGIS people who had just arrived, but she was far enough away that the conversation sounded disjointed at best. I looked around, not particularly surprised to see three matte-black humvees and a nondescript medical transport parked nearby. What did surprise me was the appearance of the people who emerged from those humvees.
    There was no mistaking it: they were soldiers, clearly of the sort that were used to fight secret battles that were destined to be left out of history. In my six centuries of life, I had fought both with and against such secret warriors often enough that I could identify them easily. These particular warriors wore black combat fatigues without any visible insignia, making it impossible to tell which banner they fought for. All of them were armed with assault rifles and they were all headed directly for the crater where Karin lay.
    Star walked beside them. My eyes narrowed and my ears flattened back against my head as I noticed the soldier nearest her tilted his rifle threateningly at her as she tried to walk past him.
    “What's going on?” I glanced at Star, unable to keep my ears and tail from telegraphing my uneasiness. Her face was drawn and pale, almost as empty of expression as the mysterious mage we fought.
    “The situation is out of my hands,” she said, her voice as shaken as I'd ever heard it. “I'll do as much as I can for you. Please, Misaki, you need to step away from Karin's body immediately.”
    My eyes widened and my tail froze in mid-swish. “What?”
    “Please, Misaki. That's an order. Step away from Karin's body.”
    “Why? What are these soldiers doing here? What's going on, Star?” I felt the dread slowly growing in my chest to increase tenfold as my reluctance provoked a response. The four soldiers flanking Star all leveled their weapons directly at me.
    The soldier nearest Star glared at me. “Step away, now!”
    A single, solitary gunshot rang out in the parking lot and I nearly leaped a meter into the air. For a moment I thought the soldiers near Star had fired at me to punctuate the command, but they were all still staring at me from beneath their shielded helmets. I couldn't perceive any increase in heat from the barrels of their rifles.
    I stood up slowly and turned toward the pylon where Renne lay, hoping that my instincts were wrong, but knowing that I would be disappointed. One soldier stood over Renne, an