at the lighting fixtures.
The boots slammed into the lights. Sparks rained down on the advancing enemy. Celene seized the distraction, just as hed hoped. She sprinted forward and kicked the gun out of a guards hand, then spun to ram her elbow into another guards shoulder, forcing him to drop his weapon.
Nils leaped into the fray, feeling the hard concrete floor beneath his feet and trying not to feel too vulnerable without his boots. He tackled the third guard. They rolled on the floor, fighting for the gun. Blocking the enemys blows, he shoved his forearm under the guards chin, forcing his head back and cutting off his air. Choking, enraged, the guard fought hard. Nils pried the gun from his hand. Using the butt of the weapon, he struck the guard across the face. His assailant went limp, unconscious.
Tucking the blaster into his belt, Nils rolled to his feet and saw Celene battling with the other guards. His mouth hung open. She was as ferocious and beautiful as a Samalian lightning wolf, nothing but speed and deadly intent. Though two guards kept charging at her, she held them back with kicks and punches, almost dance-like in her movements.
But this was no solo performance. She had a partner, and he needed to prove that he deserved on the mission. He couldnt shoot, not without risking hitting her, leaving him with just one option.
One of the guards stumbled back, repelled by her kick. Nils launched himself at the enemy. He traded blows with the guard and then fought for breath when the enemys fist connected with his ribs. He remembered the countless hours he spent training and launched into a combination he had practiced so often it became instinct. A kick, two jabs, an uppercut. The guard dodged some of his strikes, but the others hit home. With a final hit to the jaw, the enemy went down.
He spun when he heard a groan. Celene stood over the prone body of a guard, her hands still raised in a defensive position, her body poised and ready. When the enemy stirred, she dropped to a knee and slammed her fist into his face. He twitched, then went still.
Panting, she glanced up to find Nils watching her. Her gaze slid to the two other guards, also unconscious. When she looked back at him, there was no mistaking the approval in her expression. Approval, and something else. Awareness of him as more than NerdWorks. She actually looked at him as if he werea man.
Which he most assuredly was. As Celene rose to standing, he became acutely conscious of a very unwanted sensation pulsing through his body. Arousal.
Watching Celene in combat mightve been the most alluring thing he had ever seen, and hed watched more than a few sex vids on late, lonely nights. Seeing her in action, with his own blood high from combat, Nils had the strongest urge to stride to her, haul her against him and kiss them both into antigrav.
A number of reasons why he couldnt do that: they still had to complete SimCom, and she would likely kick him in a very important, very precious place. You didnt kiss a legend without suffering the consequences.
He turned so she couldnt see exactly how intriguing his body had found the demonstration of her combat skills. One level left.
Holstering the fallen guards weapons, she nodded. Ill take point. You watch my ass.
As they slowly edged their way up the stairs, he tried not to watch her ass, but it was a feat even an android couldnt have accomplished.
Careful, NerdWorks, she said over her shoulder. Youll get your dick shot off.
But whether the enemy or she would do the shooting, she didnt specify. He kept his gaze focused on anything but the sweet curve of her butt. There had been no time to put his boots back on, so he moved quietly up the stairs.
Two more guards waited for them on the second floor. The enemy stood outside a metal-walled enclosure, with a control panel securing the gate. With their commandeered weapons, Nils took down one of the guards, and Celene made fast work of the other.
He reached the control panel before she did. The code took only microseconds to break. Clanging, the bolts within the enclosure released. He pulled the gate open, revealing their objective sitting on a pedestal.
An antique toy blaster.
Chuckling, she strode forward and picked up the toy. She aimed it at Nils and pulled the trigger.
Zap! read the tiny flag that popped out of the barrel.
Got you. She smiled and set the toy back down.
As soon as she did, the scene shifted. The storage facility disappeared, as did the fallen guards, the blasters he and Celene had taken from the enemy and everything else. All that remained was him, Celene and his boots lying on the other side of the empty chamber.
She
glanced down at his sock-covered feet. You could crush whole stellar settlements with those things.
He fought to keep from blushing. Gods, of all things to talk about, and now, the last thing he wanted to discuss was the size of his feet.
The door to the SimCom chamber slid open. Admiral Gamlyn, Commander Frayne and Ensign Skiren walked into the room.