recovered? The cut on her face had already vanished. Annie breathed deeply, centering herself, acknowledging her fear. Using it.
The whistle blew and they closed, and Annie was the aggressor this time. She kicked low, attacking the other fighter’s good leg, targeting hamstrings and shins, going for maximum pain. When Sophia gathered herself and tackled, Annie threw herself backward, just barely missing being pinned by the enraged woman. She went for Sophia’s injured thigh again, and was rewarded when Sophia’s leg gave out completely.
Sophia struggled up once more, and this time, Annie allowed her too close. They crashed to the filthy floor and grappled. Annie scissored to the top and clasped the woman’s hand in a screaming nerve pinch, slowly manipulating her to a face down position. She rose to her feet, keeping the other woman stationary on the floor, part of her mind hearing the slow countdown from five to one. The screaming around the ring ascended to a fever pitch, and she glanced up, looking for Aiden.
Instead, an angry gaze caught hers, held hers, black and hard and angry. She didn’t see a face, only eyes.
She staggered back, letting the other woman free, backing away from those eyes, completely stricken with terror as the cage opened and Aiden pulled her to safety. He slammed the door and barred it, giving Sophia time to cool down from her fury. All Annie could think about was escape.
She fled. As soon as Aiden’s hand slipped free of hers she ran, dodging into foggy alleys, racing up ramps and ladders, and then coming to a sudden and abrupt halt, feet teetering over the edge of a narrow precipice.
She wasn’t high, only two or three levels up so she could see the water, see the waste that floated on the dirty surface. There was no trash pick-up in Wharf. They were low tech all the way. What couldn’t be recycled was hauled to the landfills. Food waste went into the water. Most sewage was crudely piped west to the City’s system. That was a fairly recent development. Annie could remember when human waste fouled the water. She’d once nearly drowned in it.
Food drew the fish, and in turn, residents dined well.
Down below, the dark water was still and serene. She breathed, allowing the panic to flow through her body. Slowly, she took control of her mind.
Panic was not an option. It was acceptable to be afraid, but not to run. She wouldn’t give the creature that power over her.
Resolutely, she turned back. It was there, somewhere in the crowd. It wasn’t hunting her. It would be more likely to target Aiden Chen. There’d been other Nanos in the crowd, but to return to his loft, Aiden would be isolated and in the darkness. He’d be a target.
Annie lightly ran along the length of the building, staying on the narrow lip that jutted out from the surface of the structure. These apartments hadn’t been built to any code; hell, they’d probably been built without plans. But there was an eccentric logic to their design. The lower streets were often so narrow that a person could stretch out and brush their fingers against the walls on either side.
On the outside of the city, the building surfaces were sleek; an intruder had little chance of scaling the walls. But inside, pathways abounded.
She jogged lightly, hopping from ledge to ledge, ignoring the addicts shooting up in the alleys, the occasional couple fucking in the darkness. She crept back to the scene of the fight.
From above, it was easy to see. Lights blazed and a new pair of combatants were inside the mesh cage. The noise was muted by fog and buildings, but she heard voices shouting and calling.
Off to one side Aiden stood peering into the darkness, looking for her. The blonde was still at his side. Yards away, partially hidden in the shadows, a man stood still and quiet, almost invisible. Her skin pebbled with goosebumps.
“Aiden.” She spoke in a normal tone of voice, betting that he’d hear her over the crowd. He didn’t
The whistle blew and they closed, and Annie was the aggressor this time. She kicked low, attacking the other fighter’s good leg, targeting hamstrings and shins, going for maximum pain. When Sophia gathered herself and tackled, Annie threw herself backward, just barely missing being pinned by the enraged woman. She went for Sophia’s injured thigh again, and was rewarded when Sophia’s leg gave out completely.
Sophia struggled up once more, and this time, Annie allowed her too close. They crashed to the filthy floor and grappled. Annie scissored to the top and clasped the woman’s hand in a screaming nerve pinch, slowly manipulating her to a face down position. She rose to her feet, keeping the other woman stationary on the floor, part of her mind hearing the slow countdown from five to one. The screaming around the ring ascended to a fever pitch, and she glanced up, looking for Aiden.
Instead, an angry gaze caught hers, held hers, black and hard and angry. She didn’t see a face, only eyes.
She staggered back, letting the other woman free, backing away from those eyes, completely stricken with terror as the cage opened and Aiden pulled her to safety. He slammed the door and barred it, giving Sophia time to cool down from her fury. All Annie could think about was escape.
She fled. As soon as Aiden’s hand slipped free of hers she ran, dodging into foggy alleys, racing up ramps and ladders, and then coming to a sudden and abrupt halt, feet teetering over the edge of a narrow precipice.
She wasn’t high, only two or three levels up so she could see the water, see the waste that floated on the dirty surface. There was no trash pick-up in Wharf. They were low tech all the way. What couldn’t be recycled was hauled to the landfills. Food waste went into the water. Most sewage was crudely piped west to the City’s system. That was a fairly recent development. Annie could remember when human waste fouled the water. She’d once nearly drowned in it.
Food drew the fish, and in turn, residents dined well.
Down below, the dark water was still and serene. She breathed, allowing the panic to flow through her body. Slowly, she took control of her mind.
Panic was not an option. It was acceptable to be afraid, but not to run. She wouldn’t give the creature that power over her.
Resolutely, she turned back. It was there, somewhere in the crowd. It wasn’t hunting her. It would be more likely to target Aiden Chen. There’d been other Nanos in the crowd, but to return to his loft, Aiden would be isolated and in the darkness. He’d be a target.
Annie lightly ran along the length of the building, staying on the narrow lip that jutted out from the surface of the structure. These apartments hadn’t been built to any code; hell, they’d probably been built without plans. But there was an eccentric logic to their design. The lower streets were often so narrow that a person could stretch out and brush their fingers against the walls on either side.
On the outside of the city, the building surfaces were sleek; an intruder had little chance of scaling the walls. But inside, pathways abounded.
She jogged lightly, hopping from ledge to ledge, ignoring the addicts shooting up in the alleys, the occasional couple fucking in the darkness. She crept back to the scene of the fight.
From above, it was easy to see. Lights blazed and a new pair of combatants were inside the mesh cage. The noise was muted by fog and buildings, but she heard voices shouting and calling.
Off to one side Aiden stood peering into the darkness, looking for her. The blonde was still at his side. Yards away, partially hidden in the shadows, a man stood still and quiet, almost invisible. Her skin pebbled with goosebumps.
“Aiden.” She spoke in a normal tone of voice, betting that he’d hear her over the crowd. He didn’t
Similar Books
