Legion of Lawndale Heroes Minis

 

 

'Sparring Session'

 

 

 

Kyle Armalin parried Cecelia's punch and slipped past a trio of rapid blows, and then jerked his right leg forward to catch the female android off balance. He followed through with a pair of hard blows to the side, distracting her long enough so that he could pin her to the exercise mat...

 

"Give?"

 

"I give."

 

Kyle relaxed his grip, and Cecilia rolled on top of him. "I see Weyland Industries is getting its money's worth."

 

"So is 'Bio-Lab, out in Silver Hills," she retorted, her breathing slowing as she let her gaze move across his face. "The Collins family is making billions from the government by being the exclusive supplier of their biochemical solutions – Flush, the Overthrust Solution, and another formula we both know all about..."

 

"Cecilia... get off me."

 

"Does Stacy Rowe even know what she really is, now?"

 

"She knows enough."

 

"She's an Omega – and by the way, she should beaten the hell out of me in the simulation. You saw the power level transcript from the modulator bands – even with my enhanced nature and adaptive tactical operations suite, it should have been at least a draw."

 

Kyle sat up, trying not to react to the way Cecilia's body moved against his as he reached for a towel. "She's okay in hand-to-hand – more than okay... but it's as if ground combat's not her forte," she continued. "Tell me – about that flight ability of hers... just how good is she in the air?"

 

"Incredibly fast and agile – she can actively engage at Mach Four, and her situational awareness is just as active in the air as on the ground. Anyone going air-to-air with her is not going to enjoy the experience."

 

"Exactly." Cecilia stood up and walked over to a small table, downing a bottle of water she retrieved from a tiny ice chest before turning back. "You saw some of the readings on her transcript – she's got a high-level energy emission potential. Class Two, maybe Class Three, and several of her physical adaptations are more suited for aerial than ground combat... when's the last time you've seen a feral with a nictitating membrane that can act to protect the vision from a nuclear flash or direct viewing of the Sun, or allow her to see perfectly at trans-sonic speeds?"

 

"You're saying her powers are geared for aerial combat."

 

"Air superiority, without a doubt. She can breathe normally at high speeds, and her body can adapt itself to the rigors of high-speed flight. I took it upon myself to run a couple of extra tests on Miss Rowe – she can withstand twenty G's as if it were nothing. You said that she could fly at Mach Five-"

 

"No, I said that she could keep up with me at Mach Five. I think that she's much faster, and that she's got a far, far greater range and surface ceiling than I do. If she had a force field emitter and an oxygen supply, Rowe could probably go exo-atmospheric on her own. As it is, she's easily the fastest Legionnaire, and the best flier. She can easily reach any point on Earth on her own, and still have more than enough steam to bring the fire on anyone she needs to."

 

"So, the rumors are true – you are training them for combat."

 

"No – just enhanced self-defense. They're more into 'first responder' tactics – fire suppression, rescue in different environments... New Orleans put the fear of God into Morgendorffer. She snuck down there, and saw for herself that with the level of training they had at the time, they would have just gotten in the way."

 

"Yeah, your teen-queen leader. Word is out that she and Cadet Carlyle had words, and your kid nearly blew Zero Area in half just to show her that she needs to stay out of her face."

 

Kyle rose to his feet. "Forbes' little girl is here?"

 

"You have been out of circulation – she's what the kids call a 'lifer' – the full eleven-year stretch. She'll get her FBI badge next month at Commencement, and she's been assigned to the New York branch. Apparently, the Director wants a few more enhanced agents in house to deal with the influx of specials moving into the Exclusion Zone – not that there's been a lot of trouble, but he feel that making sure that the right people know that he's got the hammers to nail down troublemakers."

 

The image of a little girl with dark red hair and an imperial bearing went through Kyle's mind. "She's got her own mind, hmn?"

 

"You could say that – and you might want to put your kids on leashes. The Admiral's doing the same."

 

"I'll remember that." Kyle walked up to Cecilia, and the two shared a slow, deep kiss. "Still 'fully functional', hmn?" he asked as they moved apart.

 

"In every way that counts," she replied, smiling as she followed his gaze downward to see how her body had responded to him. "That's the best thing about Wesen bioshell technology... 'More human than humans themselves.' The only difference is that we can't have children – and apparently, the series-wide upgrades they have for 2009 will offer that option, if we want it."

 

"So, are you saying that you want a baby?" Kyle's voice was surprisingly playful and teasing.

 

"One can be curious - but I just remember what Rodney Dangerfield said on the subject. The best thing about kids... is making them."

 

Cecilia Foley wrapped her arms around Kyle. "I'm sorry that I paged you out of that meeting, by the way... but you did promise me a sparring match."

 

"Why are you doing combat drills with my kid, anyway - I thought you were the chief Metapsionics instructor here?"

 

"I am – but a girl needs to keep limber; one never knows who's going to show up and surprise her." She pulled him close for another kiss. "You aren't busy for a while this afternoon, are you?"

 

"I think the Legionnaires can get along by themselves for a bit," he replied. "There are other children for them to play with."

 

 

-END-

 

 

 

3 February 2008