Aftermath

The gravity along the transit tube surged back up to a steady comfortable one G, and every floating droplet of Ren's blood dropped out of the air at once.

PATTER-PATTER-PATTER!

It hit the deck in one soft collective shower, like the first drops of rain on a tin roof.

Harper set the pistol down on the shattered console and went down the row with shaking hands, untying the last of the ropes from Elena, Camila, Jin-Ah and Sensei.

Nobody spoke at all.

Aoi pulled herself up by the pipe with her legs trembling so violently she had to lean her whole weight on Harper's shoulder. 

Elena got up after her with both hands clutching her torn collar and her eyes fixed straight ahead, refusing to look at what was floating near the dais, while Camila wiped her mouth with the back of her wrist. Jin-Ah stood very straight and very still, the way she always did when she was holding herself together by force.