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sighed lightly against her skin. “Right now, it doesn’t seem that way to me either.”
     

Chapter Six
     
     
    Nanette knew she was going to end up naked when she crept into the rubble to rescue a survivor.
    The moment that the wrap snagged, she heated the fabric to weaken the weld. Nude and vulnerable, she eased through the stone caverns to find the survivor. She was shocked to find two.
    The grime-smeared grey faces looked at her with shock. The male blinked in surprise. “Who are you?”
    Nanette looked down and confirmed that she was hidden in shadow and stone. “I am the repair specialist, and I will be rescuing you today. Can she move?”
    The woman moaned and her skin was a strange chalky colour.
    “I think she has internal bleeding, but there is nothing on the outside. She has ceased speaking.”
    Nanette frowned and nodded. “Right. We are going to have to lift you up. Stay here and I will make a hole for more retrieval personnel.”
    “What are you going to do?”
    “Something stupid.”
    Nanette focussed on fire and worked her way up through the stone, one handhold at a time. They had plenty of air; they just couldn’t get out. She ignored her modesty and bored her way upward by climbing and heating her body to melt all stone in her path while recycling the heat back through her limbs after taking it from the melted stone.
    Twenty minutes passed as she worked upward until she broke out into daylight. Rand was the first one to see her, and he sprinted up the collapsed building with a rope draped over his shoulder. Other rescuers followed, several stared at her with definite interest and a little bit of fear.
    She crossed her arms and nodded to the hole. “There are two of them down there. He suspects that his female companion has internal bleeding. She has ceased responding to his conversation, so I can’t say what her condition is.”
    The rescuers nodded and looked down the hole.
    “I made hand holds on the tunnel, but I really need to go cool off now.”
    Rand nodded and he anchored the rope. “Go and find your clothing, Nanette.”
    She laughed and headed down the hill, getting less and less covered in flame as she approached the initial hole.
    Her gown was only ten feet inside the forty that she had crawled. It was an easy in and easy out.
    She could hear the rescue efforts and the soothing tones of the rescuers as they spoke with the survivors and worked to get them up and out. Nanette had tried to make the hole as large as she could without burning anyone, but it had taken a lot out of her. She was exhausted and there was still more to do.
    A skimmer set down in the nearest clear space, and to Nanette’s surprise, Beryl and Wren emerged.
    Nanette wrapped the dress back in place and used the welding trick to seal it against her body.
    She walked over to the other Terrans and smiled. “Hello, ladies.”
    Beryl caught her as she pitched forward. “It looks like someone needs a nap.”
    Wren sighed and took Nanette in her arms, lifting her and settling her in the skimmer, whipping out a scanner and running checks before Nanette could even focus.
    “You are exhausted, dehydrated and you need to eat. Your biological energy is haywire and your hormones are exceptionally active.” Wren was muttering her diagnosis as she went.
    “That sounds delightful, but there is still a lot to do.”
    Wren leaned back and gave her a calculating look. She reached over, grabbed a bag and handed over what looked like an oatmeal bar and a bottle of water.
    “Eat and drink. When you have recharged a little, I will let you go out to work at saving people again.”
    Beryl nodded. “I will be right back. I have to stop some looting.”
    Wren looked conflicted.
    Nanette waved her off. “I won’t go anywhere until I eat and drink. Promise.”
    The other woman took off after Beryl, and Nanette ate the bar she had been handed. It tasted like candy-coated peanuts. The water washed it down, and she felt much better