Page 19 of Stalker
The smooth exterior was nearly the same color as grass with a matte finish.
“We also have a holographic cloaking system and shields.”
“That’s reassuring… But how would anyone even find this place?”
“They would need the coordinates. The AI surveillance system will activate cloaking if anything other than wildlife breaches our perimeter.”
“I’ve never been this deep into a forest before. It would be easy to get lost if I left the property.”
“I would find you,” Stalker assured her. “Otherwise, take your com-tablet with you. It is synced with the house AI, and it would guide you back. The commlink in your armor would do the same, and it would guide you back to me if we were separated.”
“Okay, then… Maybe we should start with the body armor. How soon do you plan for us to go to L.A.?”
“Not for a few days at least. I want to evaluate your skills before I take you out in the field.” Stalker turned and started walking back to the house with her hand still in his. “Let’s go get out your armor belt so you can see how it works, then try some sparring so I can evaluate your skills.”
“In armor?”
“Yes, I don’t want to accidentally hurt you. This armor is made from a nanite laced material that assembles on command from your weapons belt. It forms in two layers with a cushion of air sealed between them,” he explained as they strolled back across the meadow. “We normally don’t wear anything under it, but mine is integrated into my skin.”
“But mine comes with an undergarment, they said.”
“You may as well be naked. It fits like a second skin.”
Chapter Eleven
A few minutes later, Neely took the undergarment from the plastic case containing her combination weapon’s belt and armor storage. It came in two pieces and looked barely big enough to fit a baby. Constructed of smart fabric, the tank top stretched easily as she slipped her hands through the armholes and pulled it on.
She saw Stalker watching with interest as she pulled it down over her breasts. Though very thin, the black material was fully opaque and molded to her breasts, supporting them. However, it didn’t hide her nipples as they tightened in response to Stalker’s heated gaze.
Not now!She admonished her body as her core fluttered. It didn’t help that Stalker was naked to activate his armor. She turned her back to him and pulled on the skin-tight shorts, which were snug but not binding.
Next, she fastened the belt on to ride just above her hipbones. Pressing the button on the front, she waited while a dark gray liquid expanded until her entire body was encased. It felt like a swarm of bugs slithering over her body and made her shiver with the crawling feeling creeping over her.
Once she was encased, there was no other sensation of movement over her skin. She found the armor flexed with movement by doing some stretches, bending, and moving her limbs.
“Wow, this is a lot more comfortable than I expected,” she said through the face shield.
“It’s better than our earlier armor. We didn’t get this until the last few years of the war. Let’s go to the garage, and you can show me what you can do.”
They went into the gym and faced off on the mat.
“We’re going to do this light contact. I don’t want to hurt you; I just want to see what moves you have.” Stalker took a martial arts pose, and Neely took her favorite stance, waiting for him to make the first move.
He feigned a punch at her face, and Neely ducked, raising her leg to kick him in the chest. Stalker grabbed her ankle. She used his hold as leverage to drive her knee into his abdomen and her ankle against his crotch.
Before she lost balance, she managed to bring her fist to his throat. Although he could have easily stopped her, Stalker wanted to see what she would do. He released her ankle, gripped her waist, and set her on her feet.
“Again.” Stalker backed off and resumed his start position.
They danced around each other for a minute while Stalker continued throwing punches that Neely dodged or blocked. She mimed a few of her own, then he mimed a hit that would have knocked her on her ass. Neely blocked and might have flipped an ordinary man onto his back. But cyborgs were a hundred pounds heavier than a normal man of the same size. An unenhanced male, his size, would still outweigh her by close to a hundred pounds.
“That’ll do for now,” Stalker told her, retracting his tinted faceplate and helmet.
“Let’s go to the weapons room, and I’ll show you what we have available. Then we’ll take some out and see how your aim is.”
The weapons room was the size of a walk-in closet with an array of rifles, handheld laser-blasters, knives, and even a rocket launcher.
“There.” Neely pointed to a combo pistol-type laser-blaster. “That’s like the one I had.”
