P R O X I M O

"Another fucking spineless moron." I stated over the comm link.

"You say that about everyone working for us." Scorpion drawled into my wrist with a smirk.

"Well he won't think of leaving his post ever again." I responded darkly.

There was a pause and I took my eyes off cleaning my plasma rifle to see a curious look cross her golden eyes.

"Ask."

"Is that a new look?" She questioned, eyeing my hairline–marginally grown out from the harsh buzz cut into my skull.

I ignored her and continued polishing the titanium alloy.

"It's none of my business but–"

"Let's end that sentence while it is still truthful." I deadpanned.

She chuckled lightly, leaning back in her chair. A modest hotel they were furnished in. I could have them in the best Naxos possessed overnight but she had insisted...

"How is Miss Xavier's training?" I kept my voice level despite inching towards irony.

"Well, there wasn't much to work with in the first place–"

I heard some colourful cursing in the background and watched her dodge a flying projectile. I grinned as I worked on the gun in my hands.

"That is also an insult to my own training." I noted.

"You didn't really train her now did you, Proximo." Scorpion, stated dryly.

I levelled her with an empty look.

"So I assume she can swing a real punch now." I said in a bored tone.

"Throw in three engaging hostiles and sub zero temperatures and you're getting closer." She answered, glancing up as if to catch her eyes in the room just then.

I smirked back at the holo. "Perhaps she can fly by next week and display her new skill in our base of operations. We have an outstanding new combat facility." I told her with dark promise.

"Your attempts to get me back are so subtle." She said sweetly–with nothing sweet in it.

I grunted and pushed the gun away, giving her my full attention. "It's not a case of attempt it's a case of when." I sat more prominently in my chair. "You have new friends in low places wanting that seat on the table."

She drummed her fingers against a desk as she listened to me. It was like she had the conversation in her head already a thousand times. I waited patiently watching every detail of her sharply defined features.

"Soon."

I released my breath. "I don't suppose anything specific?"

She stared at me flatly and I nodded my head. "That is good news, Scorpion. I only look to discourage our enemies."

"As you should. The weeks that we have been away have been invaluable–for both of us." She added finally, looking off to something else.

I met her eyes in the hologram and nodded. "I understand."

"Good. Now stop wasting both our time and take care of my sectors." She ended bluntly.

I grinned with a tip of an invisible hat. "Always."

The comm died and she vanished from the glass room. The glass around me unclouded and the fire pit brightened slightly. I pushed back from the long desk and the holo screens neatly fitted themselves back into the desk as I moved away.

When I was down the steps a few techies quickly avoided my eyes and busied themselves. The place had really come together now. The only differences from the old keep was the modernity. It was a simple case of practicality and security now.

"Scorpion!"

I paused my long stride and turned. Kartuga jogged over to me down the hallway of glass and stone. He slicked his black mullet out of his eyes and matched my walk.

"I do not hold that title." I remarked in lethal quiet.

Kartuga gave me a questioning look before nodding. "Apologies, it only seemed—"

"What is it you need, Kartuga."

He cleared his throat and adjusted his black jacket. "We have movement from the rebels I've been tracing." He murmured.

"Sector?"

"Mostly 45 to 50. They keep nearing our–"

"Weapons routes. What else moves so much out there." I grunted, scanning the faces of the guards that dropped us nods.

"Yeah but it's targeted precisely. It's like they know the pathways and exactly what they're lookin' for."

My eyes flashed to his with a glare. "Inside information?"

"No doubt."

I let a sigh go through my nose harshly. How many times would I need to dig out and make an example of fucking traitors. The one cost of being in bed with the Underworld was the clientele.

"Keep this top shelf. I don't want anymore eyes knowing about this. I want you, Octavius and Maccenzie. Fit yourselves for covert." I ended with emphasis. "Meet me in the craft hanger in 20. No more."

He nodded quickly and ran off in the opposite direction.

"Xafra."

"Comm link requested." A robotic voice sang in my ear.

"Proximo, what a pleasure–"

"My rifle. Is it ready?"

He switched into a business tone with the skilled efficiency of a professional. "It can be with you in the next hour."

"Then get me something with range and silence in the mean time. I need it in 15 minutes. Can you make it happen?"

"Consider it done."

"My thanks. You know where to send the bill." I finished terminating comm.



M A K A Y L A



Whenever we had to begin training Alex would steal herself into something much darker. It used to scare me. She became something else. Something in her mind would fill those golden eyes with power and darkness and she could then unleash herself at whatever threat faced her.

I watched her now as she paced before me in a stone room.

We had wrapped our hands in dark material. That never softened the blows it merely stopped your skin from tearing on impact.

I watched the way her toned arms flexed and tensed as her fists clenched. The faint scars that cut her skin in places and the way her–

"Makayla, focus." She growled, sending a shiver up my spine.

"I'm sorry–"

"Stop apologising and learn." She stated, closing her eyes briefly. "I can't treat you like an enemy when you look at me like that."

I fought everything to keep the smirk from touching my face. It always reminded me of the time we had clashed swords in her old keep. Fighting with fire until she disarmed me and things had gotten heated...

"I'm ready." I breathed. Willing some form of that darkness she showed into myself.

She launched herself at me with a high jab that quickly morphed into a knee kick. I stepped quickly and avoided both only for her to chase me with more viscous attacks. I took a hit to my ribs before blocking a fist to the jaw. The onslaught was so fast and it took so much to defend myself that I didn't have time to create or think of attack–

Her leg kicked mine out and her shoulder hit me hard in the chest sending me to the ground with a groan.

"You've played chess correct?" she demanded, pacing back to her side of the room.

I took in a harsh breath and got to my feet. "Yes."

"Can you win by only playing defensively?" She demanded, as she dropped into a crouch and watched across the stone.

"Obviously not." I grunted.

"Then what the fuck are you doing only blocking my attacks?"

Again I fought away a smirk that would cost me a really harsh attack. But when she swore at me like that... I don't know it just made me want to giggle uncontrollably. Frustrating Alex was all too natural.

"Makayla. I swear to god if you start laughing I will make you regret it."

I turned my back on her and pretended to even my breathing with my hands on my hips so I could grin. She was silent behind me. So silent that I didn't know she was upon me before it was too late. A blade pressed against my throat and I stopped breathing.

Instead of the lecture I acted fast.

I brought my forearm between hers and leveraged a leg behind her throwing her weight over me entirely. A move courtesy of Proximo. She rolled out from the ground and dropped the dagger.

"Finally." She muttered, before lunging at me.

I kicked out a leg in a front kick making her throw herself to the side and readjust her attack. But I used the time to roll forward and pick up the blade. I spun it in my hand and watched her. She appraised me with obvious shock now but I could see it had pleased her.

She slowly pulled a dagger from her forearm and twisted it effortlessly in her fingers a few times. This was her giving in and finally, finally training with a weapon. I had to wonder how much she would commit.

We circled each other for a few seconds taking in information. Weight balance and angles.

She shot forward faster than I had seen her move before. The blade was even faster. Thank god I had expected it. Her fist went for my throat while the metal glinted in her other hand going for my stomach.

I made the target smaller and ducked low, missing her fist and slashing in an upward arch. She dismissed it with the dagger and twisted a sharp kick to my ribs. I caught it heavily and danced away from the blade she whipped back at my arms. I tried to measure my breathing but she didn't let me.

She attacked again and again. Harsher and faster. If I tried to match the speed she would just increase it like some sort of psychological nightmare.

When I made my mistake I noticed too late. Her blade cut a thin line across my forearm and I dropped my blade. I was sure she had pulled out the force at the last second and expected me to stop but I used it to my advantage. I threw myself at her waist when the blood started and took us both off our feet. The blades scattered and I pressed my knee against her chest that heaved now.

She grit her teeth and tried to manoeuvre her legs to twist us but I knew that move too.

I pinned one of them with both my legs stopping it and pressed my undamaged forearm against her throat. She watched me intently under the pressure and smiled slowly. The dark promise in it distracted me for all the time she needed to free her leg and roll me under her.

"Game over, Xavier." She murmured, close to my face.

We were breathing heavily and the warmth of our bodies mingled relentless.

"Do all your enemies get this much intimacy from you?" I said breathless.

"Maybe." She answered, enjoying the look on my face.

"If you wanted jealousy it's working." I breathed back.

She dipped her face low and I felt her lips press against my collarbone. I sighed loudly, trying to regain my regular breathing–that she wasn't helping.

"You surprised me. Where did you learn the move with the blade?" She asked against my skin.

"Which one? I was kicking your ass for some time."

She raised her head and smirked at me. I missed her lips the moment she left my skin so I cut off her response and grabbed the back of her neck to pull her lips down to mine. The kiss was soft and slow and everything the fighting wasn't. She claimed my lower lip in hers and broke it only to breathe again.

"When I look at you. I have to try and forget you, to train like this." She murmured. "I don't think I ever fully do... before you I was so effective at taking lives, Makayla. I could become a monster so easily."

I tucked my hand under her chin and looked at her intently. Those beautiful gold eyes watched me back.

"You used to scare me. I could see the darkness a mile away. But when I see it fill you now... See how difficult it is for you to become that. It doesn't scare me."

She traced my lip with her thumb and watched it part slightly. I wasn't sure what she read in my mind. I knew she worried how much of her darkness would pass onto me. But I loved her for her honesty of it. She controlled and admitted her demons. Not many people ever did.

She couldn't help lowering to meet my lips again and I had no argument. We kissed more intently and deliberately. The fire quickly wrapping itself around my skin as her lips matched mine and her other hand ran a smooth line along my hip.

I shivered under her the way her hips pressed into mine and her hand roamed up to my chest. She smiled into my lips as my breathing became more erratic.

"Is this–part of–the training?" I got out. "Because Proximo–never took it–this far."

She bit my lip hard and I suppressed a moan.

"If he touched you–like this–he wouldn't be my second–very long."

I smiled too and dropped my hand down her back and under her black t-shirt. Her breath caught when my nails started teasing lines across her skin. There was something she loved when I did it. It only made her kiss me harder and forget the training room entirely. But the way her hand was now moving across my breast–

I took a sharp breath when she moved under my bra entirely–I threw her shoulders back and shook my head. She looked at me innocently.

"What do you think you're doing, Scorpion?"

"Having a great training session–"

I shoved her shoulders again and adjusted my loose fitting top. In hind sight I'd probably find something less loose in future... I started getting to my feet trying to clear my head from the feel of crime lord's skin and heat.

"You told Proximo we'd be back in Meridian soon and you're..." I trailed off.

"I'm what, Makayla?" She smirked darkly as she got to her feet and stepped closer.

"Impossible. Distracting. Incorrigible."

"Such big words." She mocked, trailing closer. "Can you blame me though?"

I eyed her crossing my arms. Her skin tight combat trousers with weapons at her hips and a skin tight top were hardly helping–in fact seeing the weapons hang off her hips and sheathed on her arms sort of turned me on.

"Alex, go have a cold shower."

She laughed loudly and relaxed instantly. I smiled at her and she wrapped an arm around my waist shaking her head.

"You're joining me." She stated, moving in the direction of the exit and my heart fell into my stomach thinking about it.