Cold Bomb, Warm Hugs

The blue dome around us began to crack. My magic was failing. I wasn't sure how long I could keep it up.

I had my hands stretched out over my head, touching the roof of the barrier and feeding it more mana. It was taking everything I had just to keep the thing from collapsing. Sweat was dripping down my face, and my breathing was coming out in short, ragged gasps. But I had to keep it up. If the shield fell, we were all dead.

"Boss!" Miko called out, standing in front of me as she stared up at my face. "You gotta manipulate your shield and pop open a hatch for me and Aki to shoot."

"What?" I asked. I wasn't hearing her properly. I was starting to feel light-headed. The little gremlin monsters outside weren't helping. They repeatedly slammed themselves against the barrier, cracking it further and pushing me to my limit.

"Yes, captain," Aki joined in. "Friend Miko is right. You cannot zu zis forever. Let us help."

I could still feel the blood seeping from my wound, tracing a warm path down my arm inside my sleeve. It was a good thing Aki hadn't seen or smelled it yet. The little monsters were a problem enough. Having her turn into an uncontrollable fire demon right now would guarantee the robber's escape, and will Doom the rest of the mission. We could not let that happen.

"Alright," I responded, finally understanding their plan.

I gently released my grip on the spell, creating small pockets wide enough for both Miko and Aki to point their guns through.

"Go! Now!" I yelled, mustering every ounce of strength left in my body to keep the magic from collapsing.

Both girls instantly sprang into action, aiming their weapons through the gaps and opening fire on the horde of stone gremlins. Concussive ice rounds flew in all directions, slamming into the monsters and freezing them solid. The entire room was a mess of swinging flashlights and sporadic shooting, but somehow, they were getting the job done. However...

"Ah, boss? I think we have a problem."

"Yes, captain. Ze monsters, zey're..."

I followed their panicked gazes. Through the barrier, their flashlights lit up a bunch of the creatures already shaking off the ice. Because the blasters were operating at reduced output to minimise collateral damage, the freeze rays weren't strong enough.

"Boss, orders?" Miko shouted as they both kept shooting. It was no use. The monsters weren't slowing down. They'd freeze, shatter the ice a few seconds later, and then immediately rush back to hammer the dome shield.

I wasn't clear on what to do. I couldn't even think straight. The strain of holding the protection magic was taking its toll. Forget the wound on my wrist. Something warm was gently flowing from my nose.

I quickly wiped my face with my sleeve before the girls could see. We needed a way out.

"Miko. Do you have any of those flash-bangs left? The same ones you used back at the Shinomia office building." I kept my voice low, measured. Even talking felt like a chore.

Miko briefly stopped shooting to gaze at me with astonishment. "Of course, why didn't I think of that? I'll do you one better, boss. Just buy me some time. I have an idea."

At Miko's suggestion, Aki continued to keep the monsters occupied. I somehow managed to hold the barrier together, despite feeling like I'd pass out any second. My plan was for Miko to use a flash-bang to buy us enough time to regroup. But I had no idea what she was doing.

"Miko... you wanna hurry up?" I asked, my voice strained, my arms still stretched over my head, feeding the last of my mana into the shield.

"Almost done, boss," Miko replied, having emptied her backpack on the floor as she took apart and reassembled a few pieces of equipment. "Alright," she said, suddenly jumping to her feet and clutching what looked like one of her grenades. Wait, was she trying to blow us up?

"Fire in the hole!"

"Dang it, Miko, what the hell do you think you're...?"

A sudden ringing filled my ears as I slowly fell toward the ground. A long, drawn-out beep. I couldn't see or hear anything else. I could feel my consciousness rapidly fading. What was happening? Was I... dying?

"Boss! Boss!"

I wasn't sure how long I was out. When I opened my eyes, it took a few blinks for my vision to adjust to the now-bright room. Two faces stared down at me. One was Miko, with her short brown hair and police hat. The other was a girl I didn't recognize, but the red cross on her uniform told me all I needed to know. A medic. A healer.

"Boss, you're awake. Whoa, relax boss, take it easy."

"Please, sir, your agent is right. You've been under a lot of physical stress from using so much mana. You need to rest."

Both Miko and the nurse forced me back down when I tried to get up. I didn't protest. They were right. My head still felt like it was swimming. I settled for sitting on the ground.

"What happened?" I asked. "What about the museum, the monsters, Aki?"

"Oh! We're still in the museum," Miko replied. "And about the monsters, take a look around, boss."

I did as she suggested, glancing around my immediate surroundings.

"What the...?" I said in disbelief.

The entire room was frozen solid. From top to bottom, everything was covered in a sheet of ice. The paintings, ornaments, sculptures, and most importantly, the stone gremlins. They were all trapped beneath the frost.

"That wasn't a normal grenade, was it?" I asked, turning to Miko.

"Nah, it was a Miko specialty," the shorter girl said, puffing out her flat chest in pride. "I figured the only way to stop these guys was with some good old Miko mayhem. But since I'm not allowed to use my plasma gear, I came up with a different solution. Overwhelming ice power using a quickly hobbled-together cryo bomb. Took a lot of my mana crystals though."

I glanced around the room once more in astonishment. How many times had these girls indirectly saved my life now?

"Thanks," I said to Miko. "You really bailed us out of a tight spot back there. That was some top-class ingenuity, officer. Good work."

"Just doing my duty, boss," Miko responded, snapping a salute. "Nothing special."

I smiled at her selfless attitude. She was a good kid.

While I waited for the throbbing in my head to stop, Miko briefed me on everything that had occurred while I was unconscious. A team of medical personnel had arrived and were administering first aid to the injured guards down on the ground.

A hacker from HQ had also figured out how to tap into the museum's grid and restore power. Apparently, I'd been out for five minutes.

"Aki," I asked. "What about her? Where is she?"

***

I found my half-Japanese agent sitting on the steps just outside the museum. Her back was to me, her ponytail loose from its knot. Even from a distance, I could feel the temperature spike, the heat wave coming off her. She was rocking back and forth with her hands around her knees, rapidly mumbling something to herself.

Miko had also filled me in on Aki's situation. After seeing my unconscious, bleeding body, instead of letting the shorter girl stun her, the blonde girl had run outside to try to control herself. The demon was trying to force its way out, and from the looks of it, she was losing.

"Hey," I said as I sat next to her on the steps. This close, I actually welcomed the heat she was generating. It was a cozy change from the chilly winter air that had been plaguing me all night.

"Captain?" she said, turning to face me, her eyes full of tears. My breathing momentarily stopped. Why was she... Crying...?

"Oof."

It happened so fast. She rushed me with a hug. A tight one. Face buried in my neck and everything.

My brain instantly short-circuited as it searched for the appropriate response. Her scent. The feel of her body against mine. The heat, both literal and metaphorical. I didn't know how to process any of it.

I wasn't sure whether to hug her back, so I just kept my hands by my sides. At least Miko wouldn't call me a creep if she were to see us like this.

"I'm glad you are awake, captain," Aki said as she finally pulled back, wiping away her tears. She sniffled. "I thought something bad must have happened to you. You used up all your mana, zid you not?"

"Yes, but..."

I wanted to answer, however, something else caught my attention. Her eyes. They were rapidly switching between their normal violet and a bright, fiery orange.

"Are you... okay?" I asked.

Aki blinked, wiped away more tears, then looked away, choosing to stare straight ahead.

"Ze zemon is almost free, Captain," she said in resignation, lowering her gaze. "And I zon't know if I can hold it back much longer."

She lifted her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. Then she took a deep breath.

"I told friend Miko not to shoot me because I know you zon't like zhat, and because I vont to help catch ze robber and complete ze mission. I vont to be useful, Captain. Because if I'm not useful anymore, zen you vill have no reason to keep me around."

She clutched her knees tighter, sniffled, then nearly tumbled over as she winced in pain.

"Hey-hey-hey," I quickly reached out and grabbed her before she could fall, briefly pulling her close to my chest. I hadn't meant for us to end up hugging again, but it sort of just happened.

This time, instead of feeling awkward, I leaned in. Whatever was happening was draining her, mentally and physically, and I just wanted her to know I was here. I still didn't know how to help her; I still didn't fully understand her condition. But if this was all I could do for now, then so be it.

"Listen," I said after nearly a full minute of silence. "As long as I'm captain, none of you girls are getting benched." Her body was so warm, I almost selfishly didn't want to let go. The weather was cold, and she was like a living, breathing, soft blonde furnace. But she eventually pulled away to look up at me.

"How zu you mean, captain?" she asked. "Vith ze zemon inside me, ze risk is just too much. Zis vill always happen. I vill always jeopardize ze mission."

"Like I said, you let me worry about it when that happens. For now, we have a task to complete. Try to keep the demon at bay as long as you can while we head back in and catch the thief. But the second you feel like you can't continue, I'll personally give Miko the order to put you on ice. I still don't like that plan, but it's the only one we've got. Don't worry about future complications now. We'll deal with them when they arise. Tonight, let's just focus on rescuing the people, stopping the heist, and completing the operation. Understand?"

Aki wiped away her remaining tears and looked up at me. Her eyes had settled on their usual violet. There was still a slight hint of orange around her corneas, but for the most part, she seemed back in control. Finally, she nodded.

"Good. Now let's go back in there and catch this guy before he escapes."

***

"HQ says we're possibly dealing with a shapeshifting magical creature," Miko announced as Aki and I stepped back into the museum. The now-illuminated room was still full of stone gremlins frozen in ice, but from the quickly puddling liquid on the ground, that wasn't going to last.

"Target is currently on the roof, possibly trying to escape," Miko continued, her walkie-talkie crackling with chatter from HQ. "Hostages are up there with them. So, what's the play, Boss? We go in guns blazing?"

Before answering Miko, I turned to the first responder standing beside her, the medic who had healed me.

"Thank you," I said. "But these monsters might start breaking out any moment now. I need you to evacuate to where it's safe, alright?"

"Y-yes, captain," the girl replied, bowing her head a little before rushing out the front door. Then I turned back to my agents.

"Alright girls," I said, flexing my now-bandaged wrist and hoping I had enough mana left for the coming fight.

"Let's go end this."