BDP45
Ian stood over Casca's prone form with a strong sense of satisfaction. He had vanquished the other male quite easily. He couldn't remember why he had ever been afraid of the grey-eyed German. The older man was past his prime, and slow with it. Ian didn't think that Casca had even seen the blow that had knocked him out.
He was only vaguely aware of the brunette leaving the room; his total focus now belonged to Moira. She was moving toward him, her eyes holding his. The sapphire orbs were filled with a strange light, making Ian wonder if she was mad at him for not letting her be the one to hit Casca.
Perhaps Ian should have let Moira do it, she'd certainly been angry enough. He hadn't considered that before he moved. Well, truthfully he hadn't been thinking much at all. All he'd known was that his mate was in danger, and he'd acted to negate the threat. No, he hadn't even been thinking that much. The first thing he knew, he was standing over Casca, waiting to see if he was going to get up.
Sensei Myamoto, the crotchety old man he'd learned kempo from, had always spoken of achieving the state of 'No Mind', where the body acted without conscious direction. It was what made it possible to dodge the unseen and the unseeable. It was also called nerve launching by the Shotokan master he had studied with later, and he had likened it to the way the body will instantly jerk the hand back when it encounters something hot. Because the body does not wait the time it takes the brain to receive input and send out orders, it makes an adept faster than thought. .
Ian had thought himself a good student, but he had never achieved the kind of reaction under their tutelage that he had demonstrated today. He found it very interesting, and could see where it would be useful in his line of work. Nottingham did wonder what its limits were. Was he faster than, say, a speeding bullet? He would have to find a way to begin testing this improved skill away from the prying eyes of the rest of the scientists. It was an ability he'd like to keep to himself until he had to use it.
"While I appreciate the chivalric thought behind the action, we are now in a bit of a pickle. The personnel watching the monitors had to have seen you take Casca down." Moira said as she drew even with Ian.
"Perhaps not. I have been in the control room during my nocturnal wanderings. The recorder is set for the standard three-second interval. It is possible that, if they were not watching the monitors, they will not know what happened. Nor will there be video of the event, for I doubt that it took longer than three seconds for me to strike." Ian said softly.
"And now?" Moira asked as one eyebrow rose toward the cameras in question.
"Given the maturity level of your average PFC, I would say they're too busy watching the other monitors right about now to notice." Nottingham grinned unrepentantly and leaned over to pick up Casca.
"Too busy." Moira trailed off as she finally realized what he was implying. The small exam rooms that had been converted for tonight's activities also had surveillance cameras inside. No one was watching the common area with THAT going on.
Burke moved aside as Nottingham lugged Casca to the couch. "With any luck, we can skate completely on this. When Casca wakes, we tell him that we suspect he suffered a mild cardiac infarction from elevated blood pressure."
"It is possible. He was exhibiting all the signs. Hmmm." Moira gave a wicked little chuckle. "I think I should have him moved up to the base hospital for observation."
Nottingham paused with Casca halfway lowered, "Did you want me to carry him further?"
"If you don't mind. I really don't think Dr. Pym would thank me for bringing paramedics in here. Let's take him as far as the entrance to the complex and have Casca picked up there." Moira watched as Ian nodded his consent and slung Casca over his shoulder in a fireman's carry.
Moira paused to call the paramedics while Ian waited for the elevator. She relayed a very edited version of events, careful to emphasize his color while adding a little fib, saying he had clutched his arm before collapsing. They came to exactly the conclusion Burke desired, and promised to meet her at the address she gave them. In fact, they were already coming in the doors as they were exiting the elevators.
Casca was hustled out on a gurney, leaving Moira and Ian alone in the building atrium. Moira cocked her head to the side and said, "Let's follow them and see how Casca's doing."
While Ian doubted they were going to do any such thing, at least not if he had anything to say about it, he just nodded in agreement. There was every probability that this area was also under surveillance. Nottingham maintained a suitably concerned expression as they followed the emergency service technicians out the door.
Once they were in the lot, Moira started walking toward the hospital at a leisurely pace. A few blocks later, she shot around the corner, pulling Ian with her. The street was dimly lit, and she led him to a shadowed corner before speaking, "This is the perfect opportunity to raid Casca's office. I want the data he's concealing from us, and I want it now. Think you can handle it?"
"I will do my best, but I suspect any data I find will be encrypted." Ian warned her.
"Did I ever tell you I have a lot of cousins? Well I do. Don't worry, I've got it covered." Moira smiled up at him mischievously.
Ian found the smile irresistible, and kissed her gently. The feel of her in his arms brought him to deepen the embrace. Moira moaned softly at the intensity of the kiss, her hands coming up to lock around his neck. They were panting and flushed when they came up for air.
"Did you really want me to break into Casca's office right now?" Ian asked as he nibbled on Moira's ear.
What he was doing was making little shivers run down her neck. "Unfortunately, yes. We'll never have a better or safer time. I can get that Bronte woman off the base while you're at it. Then you can meet me back at the apartment for," Moira couldn't stop the small giggle that escaped her, "de-briefing."
"Hmm, I like the sound of that." Ian purred into her ear, even though he would have preferred the evening's events to occur in a different order.
"You'd better get to it before I forget myself and debrief you right here." Moira gasped as Ian's velvet voice wrapped around her.
"I, and my briefs, are at your command," Ian chuckled against her hair.
"Oh really?" Moira was torn between laughter and smacking him. Even his laughter was sexy. It just wasn't fair. Everything about Ian turned her on.
"Really. Can't you tell? I've been saluting since you walked in the room." Ian's voice was filled with innuendo.
Moira, no stranger to penile references, got that one right away. This time she smacked him on the arm while laughing. "You're so bad."
"Actually, I'm evil. Remember?" Ian looked down at her face, which was glowing with a combination of amusement and desire.
"How could I possibly forget?" Moira gave up on being responsible and pulled him down for another kiss. This time she dominated the exchange, letting him know how much she desired him.
For long moments they were melded together, casting one shadow in the dim light. Reluctantly Moira pulled back, aware that they were in a public place. To do more was to risk being caught. "Let's go. The sooner we finish, the sooner we can go back to my place."
Ian knew Moira was right, however much he would rather that she wasn't. With a sigh of regret he stepped away from her. "As you wish."
"What I wish is that we had a hotel room where I could be as noisy as I wanted. Preferably one with a hot tub and room service." Moira gave a little sigh of her own. It sounded like heaven.
Ian gave her a considering look, it sounded like a wonderful idea to him. He would have to see what he could arrange. In the meantime, he had an office to burgle.
Ian stood over Casca's prone form with a strong sense of satisfaction. He had vanquished the other male quite easily. He couldn't remember why he had ever been afraid of the grey-eyed German. The older man was past his prime, and slow with it. Ian didn't think that Casca had even seen the blow that had knocked him out.
He was only vaguely aware of the brunette leaving the room; his total focus now belonged to Moira. She was moving toward him, her eyes holding his. The sapphire orbs were filled with a strange light, making Ian wonder if she was mad at him for not letting her be the one to hit Casca.
Perhaps Ian should have let Moira do it, she'd certainly been angry enough. He hadn't considered that before he moved. Well, truthfully he hadn't been thinking much at all. All he'd known was that his mate was in danger, and he'd acted to negate the threat. No, he hadn't even been thinking that much. The first thing he knew, he was standing over Casca, waiting to see if he was going to get up.
Sensei Myamoto, the crotchety old man he'd learned kempo from, had always spoken of achieving the state of 'No Mind', where the body acted without conscious direction. It was what made it possible to dodge the unseen and the unseeable. It was also called nerve launching by the Shotokan master he had studied with later, and he had likened it to the way the body will instantly jerk the hand back when it encounters something hot. Because the body does not wait the time it takes the brain to receive input and send out orders, it makes an adept faster than thought. .
Ian had thought himself a good student, but he had never achieved the kind of reaction under their tutelage that he had demonstrated today. He found it very interesting, and could see where it would be useful in his line of work. Nottingham did wonder what its limits were. Was he faster than, say, a speeding bullet? He would have to find a way to begin testing this improved skill away from the prying eyes of the rest of the scientists. It was an ability he'd like to keep to himself until he had to use it.
"While I appreciate the chivalric thought behind the action, we are now in a bit of a pickle. The personnel watching the monitors had to have seen you take Casca down." Moira said as she drew even with Ian.
"Perhaps not. I have been in the control room during my nocturnal wanderings. The recorder is set for the standard three-second interval. It is possible that, if they were not watching the monitors, they will not know what happened. Nor will there be video of the event, for I doubt that it took longer than three seconds for me to strike." Ian said softly.
"And now?" Moira asked as one eyebrow rose toward the cameras in question.
"Given the maturity level of your average PFC, I would say they're too busy watching the other monitors right about now to notice." Nottingham grinned unrepentantly and leaned over to pick up Casca.
"Too busy." Moira trailed off as she finally realized what he was implying. The small exam rooms that had been converted for tonight's activities also had surveillance cameras inside. No one was watching the common area with THAT going on.
Burke moved aside as Nottingham lugged Casca to the couch. "With any luck, we can skate completely on this. When Casca wakes, we tell him that we suspect he suffered a mild cardiac infarction from elevated blood pressure."
"It is possible. He was exhibiting all the signs. Hmmm." Moira gave a wicked little chuckle. "I think I should have him moved up to the base hospital for observation."
Nottingham paused with Casca halfway lowered, "Did you want me to carry him further?"
"If you don't mind. I really don't think Dr. Pym would thank me for bringing paramedics in here. Let's take him as far as the entrance to the complex and have Casca picked up there." Moira watched as Ian nodded his consent and slung Casca over his shoulder in a fireman's carry.
Moira paused to call the paramedics while Ian waited for the elevator. She relayed a very edited version of events, careful to emphasize his color while adding a little fib, saying he had clutched his arm before collapsing. They came to exactly the conclusion Burke desired, and promised to meet her at the address she gave them. In fact, they were already coming in the doors as they were exiting the elevators.
Casca was hustled out on a gurney, leaving Moira and Ian alone in the building atrium. Moira cocked her head to the side and said, "Let's follow them and see how Casca's doing."
While Ian doubted they were going to do any such thing, at least not if he had anything to say about it, he just nodded in agreement. There was every probability that this area was also under surveillance. Nottingham maintained a suitably concerned expression as they followed the emergency service technicians out the door.
Once they were in the lot, Moira started walking toward the hospital at a leisurely pace. A few blocks later, she shot around the corner, pulling Ian with her. The street was dimly lit, and she led him to a shadowed corner before speaking, "This is the perfect opportunity to raid Casca's office. I want the data he's concealing from us, and I want it now. Think you can handle it?"
"I will do my best, but I suspect any data I find will be encrypted." Ian warned her.
"Did I ever tell you I have a lot of cousins? Well I do. Don't worry, I've got it covered." Moira smiled up at him mischievously.
Ian found the smile irresistible, and kissed her gently. The feel of her in his arms brought him to deepen the embrace. Moira moaned softly at the intensity of the kiss, her hands coming up to lock around his neck. They were panting and flushed when they came up for air.
"Did you really want me to break into Casca's office right now?" Ian asked as he nibbled on Moira's ear.
What he was doing was making little shivers run down her neck. "Unfortunately, yes. We'll never have a better or safer time. I can get that Bronte woman off the base while you're at it. Then you can meet me back at the apartment for," Moira couldn't stop the small giggle that escaped her, "de-briefing."
"Hmm, I like the sound of that." Ian purred into her ear, even though he would have preferred the evening's events to occur in a different order.
"You'd better get to it before I forget myself and debrief you right here." Moira gasped as Ian's velvet voice wrapped around her.
"I, and my briefs, are at your command," Ian chuckled against her hair.
"Oh really?" Moira was torn between laughter and smacking him. Even his laughter was sexy. It just wasn't fair. Everything about Ian turned her on.
"Really. Can't you tell? I've been saluting since you walked in the room." Ian's voice was filled with innuendo.
Moira, no stranger to penile references, got that one right away. This time she smacked him on the arm while laughing. "You're so bad."
"Actually, I'm evil. Remember?" Ian looked down at her face, which was glowing with a combination of amusement and desire.
"How could I possibly forget?" Moira gave up on being responsible and pulled him down for another kiss. This time she dominated the exchange, letting him know how much she desired him.
For long moments they were melded together, casting one shadow in the dim light. Reluctantly Moira pulled back, aware that they were in a public place. To do more was to risk being caught. "Let's go. The sooner we finish, the sooner we can go back to my place."
Ian knew Moira was right, however much he would rather that she wasn't. With a sigh of regret he stepped away from her. "As you wish."
"What I wish is that we had a hotel room where I could be as noisy as I wanted. Preferably one with a hot tub and room service." Moira gave a little sigh of her own. It sounded like heaven.
Ian gave her a considering look, it sounded like a wonderful idea to him. He would have to see what he could arrange. In the meantime, he had an office to burgle.