The toe of Amy's stupid high-heeled boot slammed into the side of the Blaster's armored head with a satisfying thump, putting him down for the count. Cat crawled out from beneath the man a moment later, wiggling her way free just before his Changer overloaded.
That should be it for this group, she thought to herself. I wonder how Ryan and Syd are doing?
"Thanks for the assist, love," Cat said. Accepting Amy's offered hand, she rose smoothly to her feet, then started flicking out the clumps of dirt that had caught in the joints of her suit's plates as she and the Enforcer rolled around on the ground. "As usual, your timing is impeccable."
"Aww, I don't think you really needed my help," Amy replied with a dismissive gesture. "As far as I could tell, you had everything under control."
"Hm... I suppose. These Enforcers don't know the first thing about fighting in the clinch, but the armor they're wearing makes it tricky to get a good grip on them. When your opponent has shoulderplates, a lot of holds don't work the way you'd expect." She laughed. "I owe somebody a thank-you for giving me an opportunity to experiment on her beforehand."
Amy shared the laugh, then shook her head fondly.
"Well, I'm just glad you're still in practice after all this time. That was a textbook kimura lock. To be honest, when Ryan invited you to join our little team, I was worried that you'd be rusty."
"I am rusty," Cat complained. Pressing a hand to her side, she muttered, "Accelerate Recovery. Mm, that's better. Back when we were in competition form, a light workout like this wouldn't have even been enough to make us break a sweat. Oh, do you need a top-up too, sweetheart?"
"Yes, please."
"Accelerate Recovery."
"Ah!" A tingling, pins-and-needles sensation ran down Amy's spine as the healing Ability took effect. The red bar at the top of her vision representing her Health, which had dropped to the three-quarters mark during the fight, began to creep back towards full. She shuddered. "That feels so weird. How are you doing on transformation time?"
Cat's dark eyes glanced up at the interface projected onto her visor.
"Nine minutes left," she said.
Amy gave her an acknowledging thumbs-up, then checked her own display, confirming that she had roughly the same amount remaining.
So far, everything seemed to be going quite nicely.
We took care of all the Blasters, Ryan, she sent. The Enforcers with Mark-II Changers are still out there, but we pulled them a mile or so away from the dig site, then shook them off and broke contact. That'll keep them out of your hair for a while.
Silence answered her.
Ryan? What's your status? Syd? Hello?
There was no response.
Maybe they're too busy to talk, Amy told herself. Or there could be something blocking our communications. I'm sure they're fine...
Right. They're fine, she repeated more firmly. Insufferable personality aside, Syd is as good as she claims to be at getting into places she doesn't belong, and Ryan is... Ryan. Whatever they run into in there, they'll be able to handle it.
We just need to keep up our end.
Amy blew out the breath she'd been holding, then said, "Let's get a move on before the rest of their team catches up."
"Which direction, do you think?"
"South," she decided. "We'll head back towards those big concrete buildings that we passed earlier. Last time, we were able to lose them by ducking inside, so –"
The snap-hiss of a plasma beam interrupted their deliberations. A thundering boom followed when the eye-wateringly bright lance of orange energy burrowed into the ground between them, throwing up a geyser of rock and soil.
"Chale!" Cat swore as the debris pattered off their armor, the surprise causing her friend to slip back into her native Spanish in a way that Amy had always found endearing.
She could scold her for the profanity some other time.
Moving with all the speed their enhanced Attributes could provide, the two women bolted for the nearby treeline, leaving the most recent group of Enforcers that they'd ambushed behind.
Syd is going to be so upset when she finds out that we didn't grab all of their Changers. Maybe we can circle back to get the ones we missed later?
"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Cat accused as they ran.
"Oh, absolutely," Amy admitted. She jumped, then slid down a short slope, Cat following close on her heels. "I'm having a great time right now. So are you, you know."
"Me? No," she flatly denied. "No way. You're the adrenaline junkie, hon, not me."
"Cat, you've got the biggest grin on your face right now."
"I do not..." Cat denied. Her words trailed away as hands came up, fingers slipping under the visor of her half-helmet to touch her dimpled cheeks. "Huh. I'll be."
Amy led them around a tall, free-standing smokestack, a few steps ahead of another Energy Beam that smashed against the structure. The whole thing wobbled alarmingly, shedding loose bricks, but thankfully it didn't immediately collapse on top of them.
"In there?" Cat asked, pointing at an open doorway.
"Sounds good," Amy said, just as a voice to their right bellowed, "Intercept!"
Whirling to face the new threat, Amy shouted "Energy Shield!", the transparent golden barrier springing into place a moment before the enemy Juggernaut's shoulder crashed against it.
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The jarring impact sent her skidding backwards, nearly pushing her off her feet. Cat grabbed her by the shoulders, bracing her and keeping her upright.
"Bolster!"
A now-familiar glow filled her view, brilliant azure ribbons spreading out in intricate patterns across the armor plates on her arms and chest.
Active Effects:
Energy Shield (Rank 3)
Bolster (Rank 1)
Appreciate it, Cat, she sent, switching back to the neural network for communications now that they were engaged.
There was no sense in letting the bad guys eavesdrop on them, after all.
"Power Stance!"
Strength flooded into her limbs. With a loud crunch, her boots sunk an inch into the floor.
"Bolster!"
"Momentum!"
A shimmering haze surrounded her arms, spreading to cover the shield hovering between her and her opponent.
Active Effects:
Energy Shield (Rank 3)
Power Stance (Rank 2*)
Momentum (Rank 2*) (0)
Go get him, sugar.
This Enforcer, Amy noted with amusement, was shorter than her, and not only because the soles of his footwear lacked the six-inch lift that hers provided. He threw a heavy punch that rebounded harmlessly off her Energy Shield, and she responded with a short jab that glanced off his upper arm.
Momentum (Rank 2*) (1)
Dropping low, the Juggernaut fired a kick at her exposed knee. Amy brought her shield down on his ankle, staggering him, then caught him with a pair of quick retaliatory kicks before he could stagger away.
Momentum (Rank 2*) (4)
"Intercept!"
Another enemy Juggernaut joined the first, and Amy twisted her upper body to receive the incoming attack. With Power Stance active this time, the collision failed to budge her from her chosen spot, although it did give her other opponent a chance to circle around to the side the shield couldn't cover. She feinted a lunge in his direction, forcing the man to skip out of her reach, then punched her Energy Shield into the new arrival's face when he tried to take advantage of what he thought was an opening in her defenses.
Momentum (Rank 2*) (5)
Served him right for butting in, the jerk. Hadn't anyone ever told him that two's company but three's a crowd?
Between the improved Rank 2 Power Stance and her building Momentum streak, the hit connected with far more force than it otherwise would have, sending the man tumbling away to crash against the concrete wall of the nearby building. Before he could recover from his half-seated position, Cat caught him with a brutal knee to the chin that took him out of action.
Hah! Good shot, Cat.
Oh, it was a team effort – watch out!
Another too-close-for-comfort blast from the concealed Marksman forced her to abandon her attack on the first enemy Juggernaut. Switching off her... toggles, she grabbed Cat by the arm and then used an Intercept of her own to launch them through the abandoned factory's entrance. She used a second Intercept to redirect them in mid-flight, carrying them into the building's rusting iron rafters.
Her passenger let out a squeak that might have been fright or excitement.
One-handed, Amy hauled herself onto the wide beam, then used her grip on Cat's wrist to effortlessly pull the smaller woman up behind her.
I guess that's 14 Strength for you, she marveled, amazed by how easily she'd been able to complete the maneuver. She had at least a hundred pounds of armor on, and Cat (lovely though she was) wasn't exactly light, either. Doing weighted, one-armed pullups sounded like it would be a good way to hurt yourself showing off in the gym. Ryan said humans only go up to 10, didn't he? Doesn't that mean I'm forty percent stronger than the strongest human on the planet right now?
Whew. Do you think they'll follow us in here? Cat asked, interrupting her contemplation.
The Marksman won't, Amy confidently predicted. He's been trying to keep his distance from us this whole time... not that I blame him, after what we did to those Blasters. Still, there's the other Juggernaut out there, and Ryan said that they had an Assassin with them, too...
So... what, we just wait and see?
Exactly. This is a level playing field. If they want to come in and fight, we'll fight. If they want to wait outside for us, we'll wait. Either way, we're doing our part as long as they stay focused on us, and that'll give Syd and Ryan more time to do their thing.
With a bit of jostling, they found a position where both of them could perch somewhat comfortably atop the girder without risk of falling off.
Then, they waited.
So... Cat began, as the seconds stretched into minutes with no sign of the enemy. Syd and Ryan. They seemed... close. She shot a sidelong glance at Amy. I know it's really none of my business, but... is there something going on between those two?
Amy felt the warmth of a blush rising to her cheeks.
Stupid cheeks. Covering them with her hands, she turned away from Cat's knowing gaze.
Ah. You noticed that, she finally said. Yes, they're dating.
Dating? Cat's tone was faintly surprised. I've got to admit, babe, from the way you two were getting along back at the clinic, I was sure you would be the one to snap him up first.
Yeah, about that... Ryan and I are... also dating, Amy admitted. I think?
Cat blinked.
Also dating? You think? she repeated. The two of you sharing the same man... hm. That's a very... modern arrangement. Seeing the scathing look Amy was giving her, she raised her hands and quickly added, Not that there's anything wrong with that! I'm not trying to criticize your life choices, dear, it's just... an unexpected development, that's all. Sliding over, she rested her armored shoulder against Amy's, then gave her a winning smile. I can't wait to hear the story behind it.
Well, we're not dating-dating, Amy said defensively. Or at least we've never said that we were. But we've, ah... She fidgeted, touching the tips of her index fingers together. We've done some of the... things that people who are dating do...
Hah! Well, it's about time. I do hope you're using protection, darling.
Amy's face went from tomato-red to fire-engine-red.
Cat!
And I suppose I'll have to give Syd the talk, too –
CAT!
Yes?
You don't need to... Syd and I are both on... anyway, it's not like that!
Mhm. So, what is it like?
It's –
A door on the far side of the building blew inwards, falling to the cement floor with a ringing crash. Behind it, the Juggernaut stepped into the room, Energy Shield held out before him. The blurred purple figure of an Assassin followed.
Oh, gosh darn it! Despite her words, the pure relief in Amy's voice was obvious. More Enforcers trying to kill us! Sorry, Cat... I hate to say it, but we're going to have to table this conversation for some other time.