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The villain inside the shack let out an ugly chuckle.
“Two,” Gage said.
Silence.
“Three,” Gage yelled, stepping behind a tree.
The predictable flash of blaster fire told him that their target had come out weapons blazing.
Of course, Gage had baited him into it, so it wasn’t unexpected in the least. Although this was a potentially dangerous situation, it was all planned.
“Where are you?” the target yelled out.
The blaster flared again.
Gage peeked out and saw the man had only one weapon. He was tromping through the woods toward him.
“Now,” Gage yelled.
The man spun toward his voice as Athena bounded out from behind the shack.
Gage sprinted for him, praying that the element of surprise would save him. Even non-lethal training blasters hurt when you took a direct hit.
The man’s face went slack with shock.
But Athena was on his back before he could pull the trigger, and his hands went up slightly, taking Gage out of the immediate line of fire.
Gage wrestled the blaster out of his hands as Athena growled in his ear.
The target fell to his knees.
“On the ground, hands over your head,” Gage said in his best bored voice.
He secured the man’s hands behind his back, then hauled him up to a seated position.
“Good work,” he told Athena. “Relax.”
Athena knew this word released her from active duty. She leaped and cavorted around the trees and the target, delighted with herself, and at the feeling of a job well done.
“Incredible,” Oberon’s voice rang out. “You two are an amazing team.”
“Thank you,” Gage said, feeling a burst of pride in his chest. “We’ve been working together a long time.”
“You completed the training session with flying colors,” Oberon said. “And you took about half the time I thought you would need. You now have time to shower and rest before your date tonight.”
“Excellent,” Gage said.
“You can either walk back to the house to cool down, or I can send a hover unit,” Oberon said.
“We’ll walk,” Gage told him.
“Very well,” Oberon said. “Just follow the path.”
A purple butterfly fluttered just in front of them and then led off between the trees. It hovered in the air, as if waiting for Gage.
“Let’s go for a walk,” he told Athena.
She scampered over to his side in a puppyish way, and he couldn’t resist smiling at her.
