building.
Shamira got a rush of excitement. Valens held out his hand. “Ready?”
“All my life.” Shamira smacked his hand. “Beat yah!” She dodged past him and jumped on the outer brick wall of the ten-story building. Totally trusting any of Valens’ creations, she scrambled up the side like a spider. It was amazing. She held in a snicker. Her grin widened, she couldn’t believe she was actually able to climb a building.
Dion and Hedi had a good lead on her so she cheated. Mentally, she pulled from the simmering energy in her gut. The power was born from her brush with death when she was a baby. It bubbled up to give her extra strength that surpassed the enhanced strength given to them from their technosuits. She practically leaped several feet higher. With a giggle, she pulled herself up by her hands, barely using the tags on the tips of her shoes. Sticking out her tongue, she passed Dion and Hedi.
“Hey, you’re cheating! No sneaking strength the rest of us don’t have,” Hedi called with a laugh.
Shamira was the first to make it to the top. She tugged herself up and slid her foot over the ledge and onto the roof. Dropping to one knee, she yanked Hedi up by the hand while Dion flipped over the ledge. The others followed, seemingly trying to outdo each other on their various flips over the rooftop.
Shamira smiled. “Showoffs!”
“Skill babe, plain and simple skill.” Anthony slapped hands with Mitch and Dion.
Valens slid over beside her and put his hand on the small of her back. He leaned over and whispered in her ear, “Don’t let them fool you. They’ve been practicing with me while I tried out these babies.”
She stared at him with awe. “How do you get them to be the guinea pigs for your prototypes?”
With a cocky grin, Valens shrugged. “Mitch asked me to create something like this for them. Kurt and Dion have been teaching them some of the slick techniques from their old days as Assassins with Monev. Both could climb without this device. Mitch and Anthony just wanted some help to keep up.”
“No fair you guys didn’t ask us to come along.” Shamira’s eyebrow lifted.
“You were too busy shadowing Cal and learning to be the next Security Force Leader to have time to goof off with us. And Hedi was training with the Computer Security Team.”
Dion came up beside them. “Ready to fly?”
Hedi’s eyes bulged at Dion like he was insane. “Fly? How? You’re kidding, right?”
Mitch lopsided grin got wider. “Naw, we’ve been doing this ancient art of hopping buildings called Free Running. These new toys Valens made for us will help you girls hang. The rest of us have been doing it without the prototypes for weeks.”
Hedi pointed her finger at Dion’s chest. “So that’s where you boys have been sneaking off to at night. You too, Valens?”
Valens smiled sheepishly at Shamira, then Hedi. “Someone had to go along to keep them out of trouble. Besides I had to study what they were doing to find a way to perfect it.”
“I so can’t wait to try this.” Shamira eyed the ledge of the building. Her eyebrow wrinkled while she tried to guess the distance to the next building.
Hedi shook her head nervously. “You would. You’re worse than the rest of them. Can I remind ya’ll that I’m not in training for this.” She stepped back. “I’m the inside computer geek.”
Shamira gawked at Hedi dumbfounded. “You look and act nothing like a geek. And you know you like it. You just need us to give you a little push.”
“Yeah, like this.” Mitch pushed Dion forward.
Hedi yelled in fear. Dion ran then made a laughing leap through the air and over the side of the building out of sight.
Hedi’s hand came up and punched Mitch in the arm. “Are you crazy!”
Mitch laughed. “He loves it when I do that.” He hopped then vaulted into a run behind Dion. Arms opened wide, he flew over the side of the building.
Shamira was itching to try, but she saw the fear in Hedi’s
Shamira got a rush of excitement. Valens held out his hand. “Ready?”
“All my life.” Shamira smacked his hand. “Beat yah!” She dodged past him and jumped on the outer brick wall of the ten-story building. Totally trusting any of Valens’ creations, she scrambled up the side like a spider. It was amazing. She held in a snicker. Her grin widened, she couldn’t believe she was actually able to climb a building.
Dion and Hedi had a good lead on her so she cheated. Mentally, she pulled from the simmering energy in her gut. The power was born from her brush with death when she was a baby. It bubbled up to give her extra strength that surpassed the enhanced strength given to them from their technosuits. She practically leaped several feet higher. With a giggle, she pulled herself up by her hands, barely using the tags on the tips of her shoes. Sticking out her tongue, she passed Dion and Hedi.
“Hey, you’re cheating! No sneaking strength the rest of us don’t have,” Hedi called with a laugh.
Shamira was the first to make it to the top. She tugged herself up and slid her foot over the ledge and onto the roof. Dropping to one knee, she yanked Hedi up by the hand while Dion flipped over the ledge. The others followed, seemingly trying to outdo each other on their various flips over the rooftop.
Shamira smiled. “Showoffs!”
“Skill babe, plain and simple skill.” Anthony slapped hands with Mitch and Dion.
Valens slid over beside her and put his hand on the small of her back. He leaned over and whispered in her ear, “Don’t let them fool you. They’ve been practicing with me while I tried out these babies.”
She stared at him with awe. “How do you get them to be the guinea pigs for your prototypes?”
With a cocky grin, Valens shrugged. “Mitch asked me to create something like this for them. Kurt and Dion have been teaching them some of the slick techniques from their old days as Assassins with Monev. Both could climb without this device. Mitch and Anthony just wanted some help to keep up.”
“No fair you guys didn’t ask us to come along.” Shamira’s eyebrow lifted.
“You were too busy shadowing Cal and learning to be the next Security Force Leader to have time to goof off with us. And Hedi was training with the Computer Security Team.”
Dion came up beside them. “Ready to fly?”
Hedi’s eyes bulged at Dion like he was insane. “Fly? How? You’re kidding, right?”
Mitch lopsided grin got wider. “Naw, we’ve been doing this ancient art of hopping buildings called Free Running. These new toys Valens made for us will help you girls hang. The rest of us have been doing it without the prototypes for weeks.”
Hedi pointed her finger at Dion’s chest. “So that’s where you boys have been sneaking off to at night. You too, Valens?”
Valens smiled sheepishly at Shamira, then Hedi. “Someone had to go along to keep them out of trouble. Besides I had to study what they were doing to find a way to perfect it.”
“I so can’t wait to try this.” Shamira eyed the ledge of the building. Her eyebrow wrinkled while she tried to guess the distance to the next building.
Hedi shook her head nervously. “You would. You’re worse than the rest of them. Can I remind ya’ll that I’m not in training for this.” She stepped back. “I’m the inside computer geek.”
Shamira gawked at Hedi dumbfounded. “You look and act nothing like a geek. And you know you like it. You just need us to give you a little push.”
“Yeah, like this.” Mitch pushed Dion forward.
Hedi yelled in fear. Dion ran then made a laughing leap through the air and over the side of the building out of sight.
Hedi’s hand came up and punched Mitch in the arm. “Are you crazy!”
Mitch laughed. “He loves it when I do that.” He hopped then vaulted into a run behind Dion. Arms opened wide, he flew over the side of the building.
Shamira was itching to try, but she saw the fear in Hedi’s
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