Self Help Lockette
Lockette took a step back, squaring up her fists, and Gris closed the gap. His scaled knuckles hit like a hammer blow, sliding her a foot back from the impact, but Lockette focused on her sheath array, allowing some of the damage to pass through her. The nanites in her body swarmed and coalesced around the next blow, and Gris growled in annoyance, his elbow practically phasing through her, despite a solid aim. She used the opening to return the favor, but it was like punching a wall -- this new body wasn't yet practiced at physical combat. Lockette hopped back, shaking her hand, and Gris stepped up again.
Lockette: "Brigh's bones! Are you sure your armor's off?"
Gris: "Focus, Lockette." Mu cheered them on from the corner, while Dr. Lebowitz took notes in the back. Although she wasn't visible, Lockette knew Ghost was watching from the security cameras. She was overly protective of Gris, even in sparring matches... Lockette grunted as Gris dropped to one knee, and sucker punched her right in the stomach. She retched a little, getting focus back just in time for Gris to sweep her legs, only for the blow to slide through a silver swarm. Lockette: "That wasn't very sportsmanlike."
Gris: "I don't play sports."
Dr. Lebowitz: "Lockette, your numbers are getting low!"
Lockette: "Right, right." Lockette hit Gris in the clavicle, and earned a shocking pain all the way up her arm. The Solarion was bloody dense, but thankfully so was this new body. It was stronger, and far more solid. That gut punch would've winded her a few months ago -- now it was a minor inconvenience. But that didn't counter years of hand-to-hand training and actual combat, on top of her atrophied muscles. Gris blocked the next few blows easily, and then grappled her to the ground. Lockette tried to break free, using both mundane abilities and her swarm defenses, but Gris had too good of a hold. She tapped the mat, and the bout ended. Her opponent helped her up, and Lebowitz ran them both through the report. Her muscles were still too weak, her arrays too simplistic, her vitals too high. It was a long way to the top, but she was closer to the end than she was to the beginning. Dr. Lebowitz: "--regardless, I think we can move on to the next exercise?"
Lockette: "What? That was the last exercise on schedule."
Gris: "I made an addition..." The door to the training room opened, and an engineer wheeled in a storage crate, nearly as tall and wide as she was. Gris punched it open, revealing her old armor, a wicked-looking blade, several smaller weapons, and her trusty molecular borer. Lockette: "I suppose you're expecting me to ask -- 'what's all that for?'" Gris grinned, and his solarion armor flared to life. Mu cocked her injector pistol, and a turret fell out of the ceiling, guided by Ghost's interference. Dr. Lebowitz made a beeline for the blast shield, and the engineer quickly shut the door behind him. Gris: "It's time for something a little more... Practical." Lockette put her armor on, and brought up all of her arrays. Then everyone started shooting her. It was a long way to the top.
Gris: "Focus, Lockette." Mu cheered them on from the corner, while Dr. Lebowitz took notes in the back. Although she wasn't visible, Lockette knew Ghost was watching from the security cameras. She was overly protective of Gris, even in sparring matches... Lockette grunted as Gris dropped to one knee, and sucker punched her right in the stomach. She retched a little, getting focus back just in time for Gris to sweep her legs, only for the blow to slide through a silver swarm. Lockette: "That wasn't very sportsmanlike."
Gris: "I don't play sports."
Dr. Lebowitz: "Lockette, your numbers are getting low!"
Lockette: "Right, right." Lockette hit Gris in the clavicle, and earned a shocking pain all the way up her arm. The Solarion was bloody dense, but thankfully so was this new body. It was stronger, and far more solid. That gut punch would've winded her a few months ago -- now it was a minor inconvenience. But that didn't counter years of hand-to-hand training and actual combat, on top of her atrophied muscles. Gris blocked the next few blows easily, and then grappled her to the ground. Lockette tried to break free, using both mundane abilities and her swarm defenses, but Gris had too good of a hold. She tapped the mat, and the bout ended. Her opponent helped her up, and Lebowitz ran them both through the report. Her muscles were still too weak, her arrays too simplistic, her vitals too high. It was a long way to the top, but she was closer to the end than she was to the beginning. Dr. Lebowitz: "--regardless, I think we can move on to the next exercise?"
Lockette: "What? That was the last exercise on schedule."
Gris: "I made an addition..." The door to the training room opened, and an engineer wheeled in a storage crate, nearly as tall and wide as she was. Gris punched it open, revealing her old armor, a wicked-looking blade, several smaller weapons, and her trusty molecular borer. Lockette: "I suppose you're expecting me to ask -- 'what's all that for?'" Gris grinned, and his solarion armor flared to life. Mu cocked her injector pistol, and a turret fell out of the ceiling, guided by Ghost's interference. Dr. Lebowitz made a beeline for the blast shield, and the engineer quickly shut the door behind him. Gris: "It's time for something a little more... Practical." Lockette put her armor on, and brought up all of her arrays. Then everyone started shooting her. It was a long way to the top.
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