Dashing devil 5 bold beg.., p.30
Dashing Devil 5: Bold Beginnings, page 30
“True enough. But either way, the sooner you get started, the sooner you will be done. Sort of like this obstacle course.” She scanned it one more time. “I’m going to walk it once before I run it.”
“No reason not to,” Boyd agreed.
He gestured to a desk set up with several monitors meant to monitor the general-purpose room. It would serve well enough for him to complete some of the basic planning for the upcoming mission while she checked things out. “I’ll be over there. You are welcome to run any ideas related to your Power or how to complete any particular obstacle past me.”
“Sounds good,” she called back over her shoulder with a wave as she walked past him towards the obstacle course. When she thought she was out of range, she added under her breath, “Yeah, you’ll be over there whenever an unknown threat isn’t hunting me.”
Boyd still heard her. He resisted the urge to chuckle ominously as he moved to the desk and set up the terminal. After setting the cameras up to track her movement, he ensured they gave him multiple angles so he could ensure Hope got to her quickly if she fell and broke her neck. Then, he began pulling up what he could on their next mission’s location on another display.
The big event would occur at a decommissioned facility that was built in an age when Hero Duels were more common. It was an arena designed specifically to allow spectators to safely enjoy Powered combat. It had officially been abandoned almost two hundred years ago, so he didn’t trust the details he had. It was too likely that changes had been made over the centuries, but it did serve to provide him a general layout—at least enough to begin planning.
After about forty-five minutes of bouncing general ideas around, Laura was on her third round. He figured that was the perfect time to throw in a surprise. He waited for her back to be to his side of the room before he leaped up onto a walking path that the bright lights hid by being below it. The big demon strode up until he had a good angle on her and Laura was distracted by getting a good running start on the ten-foot wall.
Boyd dropped from above just as she went over the wall, landing right in front of where she would roll back up to her feet. He snapped out a jab that ended only four inches from her nose and growled, “You’re dead… start over.”
Her eyes were wide as she stumbled back, falling on her ass.
Boyd leaped up into the air and sent himself back towards his desk with a flap of his massive wings. She was off to a good start, but the path to becoming a Hero was long and winding. And there were always bumps in the road.
Chapter 31
Their upcoming mission had hit a snag. After reviewing the systems that they needed to access the target database and the most recent schematics of the facility Granny was able to get her digital hands on, Tinker concluded that she couldn’t get in remotely. She’d stated that signal jammers would block anything she could use to transfer large packets of data.
That had been yesterday after breakfast. Today she had a solution—which was good because they had only five days until the event.
“Okay Tink, what do you have for me?” Boyd asked as he entered her lab, having come from just down the hall where he’d set Laura up with her day three training videos.
Tinker spun on her stool to face him, a nervous smile on her face. “First, I wanted to go over the improvements I made to the latest iteration of everyone’s suits. Silvie’s now incorporates strands of her hair, which makes her suit as tough as the rest of her. People won’t be able to blast holes in it now, and it will give her just a bit more extra protection. Well, it’s only a little boost if you compare it to her standard durability. For anyone else, it would be a major upgrade—which is why it will now be incorporated into everyone else’s suits.”
“You know… no one thought of that before you did,” Boyd rumbled with a smile as he sank into his favorite stool beside his little inventor. “Even before I Enhanced her, Silvie’s hair was nearly indestructible. I’m sure other Powered have similar traits like that. Silvie isn’t the first with hair that couldn’t be cut. You would think that someone would consider incorporating it into something—even if it wasn’t Hero suits. I imagine it could be useful for many things.”
“Well, yes and no.” Tinker hedged her agreement as she waggled a hand back and forth. “Unfortunately, it doesn’t gather energy or work, really, unless it is in contact with a Powered. If it isn’t gathering energy, it isn’t indestructible. Remember all those tests we did where I had Silvie, Raev, and Mindy pick up various bolts of fabric and you told me when they reacted under your Black Flame Vision?”
Boyd nodded.
“That was me figuring out how to code synthetic Silvie hair so it responded to the others. Silvie was the control. The stuff I made for Raev’s suit would have the same genetic heritage as the hair of Raev and Silvie’s genetic child… if they could have children.”
“The world is not ready for a mix of Silvie and Raev,” Boyd replied solemnly. He shook his head. “No male would stand a chance. That child would be just too beautiful and charming.”
“He-he,” Tinker giggled.
She smirked at him, amusement dancing in her hazel eyes. “Imagine if it were your child with either of them, though. We’d have to invent a new word for beautiful, because ‘stunning’ or ‘gorgeous’ just wouldn’t cut it. The kid would break the beauty scale before even hitting preschool.”
Boyd laughed softly, the sound rumbling through the lab, before he shook his head ruefully. “I’m still getting used to thinking of myself as good-looking. Of course, if we really want to turn the world on its head, all we have to do is have a child of our own. Imagine that combination. Your adorableness and technical knowledge combined with my charm and mind for strategy? Our kids will end up ruling the world if we aren’t careful.”
Tinker’s face was beet red by the time he was finished, her mouth dropping open and closing rhythmically in a display of speechless shock. Her always big hazel eyes had opened as wide as he had ever seen them as she stared up at him. He sensed a whirl of emotions over their Bond, but both excitement and terror were the strongest.
Boyd recognized the source of the terror and smiled reassuringly at her. “I suppose I’ll have to legally register a last name at some point, so if you do decide to have a child they don’t have to be a Bell—at least not if you don’t want them to be. Of course, you could also take my name if we get legally married.” He suspected that she was dead set against bringing another child into her mess of a family.
The terror didn’t leave her completely, but the excitement he sensed grew stronger. “We can talk about it later,” he rumbled. “No life-altering decisions need to be made today.”
“Did someone mention great grand-babies?”
Granny appeared on the big screen. And given that she was a digital being, the fire that burned in her eyes was quite literal in this case. “A decision should absolutely be made right away! You should start trying right now. I can be Granny the Great instead of Great Granny!”
“Granny, I swear if you pressure her into having kids when I’m not around I’ll figure out how to fill your data banks with videos of people popping zits and animals with explosive diarrhea,” Boyd grumbled at the screen with a glare.
Granny scowled at him and crossed her arms over her chest before scolding him. “Tut-tut. There is no cause for threats, young man.”
Boyd's scowl deepened, mirroring the intensity of the conversation. "Yes, there is," he retorted with firm conviction. "That we are discussing this stems from it being mentioned in jest. Choosing to have a child isn't a matter to be taken lightly—it's a lifelong commitment. Those not fully prepared for such a monumental responsibility should not be swayed into making that decision."
It was an admittedly touchy subject for the big demon who had been abandoned to whatever fate The Authority had decided for him.
“No pressuring Tink. Got it? Besides, even if she decides she doesn’t want to have kids, one of the others will. Raev isn’t just teasing me when she brings it up; I know for a fact that she wants at least three. Silvie wants two, a boy and a girl. Hope wants, and I quote ‘to be surrounded by the laughter and joy of many little ones.’ Mindy is undecided, but I think she just wants to wait and see what the world is like after our job is done. Which is where I am right now, too, if I’m being honest—no kids until the world is safer for them. On that note, let’s get back on topic so we can create that world.”
Boyd sensed relief pass through his little inventor at the reminder that she didn’t need to have kids with Boyd, who was clearly interested in making that life-long commitment, to mother them. It was one of the perks of having a harem. If one woman wasn’t interested in something, another probably was.
“The others should be ready, so let me just tell them to come in.” Tink summoned her floating pink holographic input and tapped out a quick message. “I was supposed to stall for long enough for the others to change in the next room, but the kid talk did that for me. Thanks for not pressuring me, by the way. It isn’t that I’m completely disinterested, just that…” She trailed off as she tried to figure out how to put it.
Boyd smiled warmly at her and filled in the gap, “…just that until recently, the idea of having kids meant them dealing with the same issues you did growing up. It makes sense that you would be hesitant. There is no rush to decide, Tink. I’m nowhere near ready to be a father.”
“Yes, that’s it! Thank you, again. Ooh,” she pulled his head down for a quick kiss, “I love you so much. You make everything so much easier than other people.” Tinker pulled back and grinned up at him.
“No problem, Tink,” Boyd grinned back down at her. “You’re pretty easy to get along with, yourself.”
Just then, the doors slid open for Silvie to enter—or float in, really—and Boyd swiveled his stool around to watch. She was in her new suit, which was mostly unchanged except for the material that provided her with very limited coverage being even thinner than before. It still had the sheer half-skirt but she had done away with the cape. She floated into the room, gracefully twirling through the air like an exotic dancer to make sure he took it all in.
“What do you think Darling?” his silver-haired love bubbled as her impromptu gravity-defying dance ended and she floated towards him. “I know it’s pretty much the same as before, but I had Tink get rid of the cape since my hair covers it these days, anyway.”
“It looks fantastic on you.” Boyd smiled as he drank her in. He stood before she reached him and wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing herself into him.
She stole a brief kiss.
He had worried that the thinness of the material would allow those she might have to fight to get a better feel for her body than they should, but it felt sturdier than the last one did—even if it looked even more painted on than before.
“The cape was redundant at this point. Your beautiful hair looks better than it ever did.” Boyd placed a peck on her lips once he was done admiring her.
“I’m glad you like it, Darling.” She smiled before floating around to take up a position near his right arm. “Raev is next.”
On cue, Raev strutted through the still-open door, all six tails fanned out proudly behind her. Her suit was also similar to her last one, mostly white with some red detailing at her hips, chest, arms, and legs. The thicker armored sections were gone. Instead, the whole suit clung to her shapely frame like a second skin. She did a little spin as she approached to show that the clingy design displayed her splendid ass to perfection.
While his vixen was almost completely covered, very little was left to the imagination.
“I can see in your eyes that you approve,” Raev purred as she closed the distance between them before climbing up him to steal a kiss of her own. “It’s even more comfortable, too. The last one was nice, but it did limit my movement just a bit. Now that Tink figured out how to work Silvie’s hair into other people's suits I can ditch the extra armor, which will facilitate my full range of motion.”
To demonstrate, she stepped back and performed a high kick aimed at an imaginary foe directly above her then whirled around to kick low and then high again before leaping up and spinning to snap out two more kicks at his head level all inside of a few seconds. Her tails curled around her or flared out with each motion to assist with her momentum and balance.
It was a sight to behold.
“Very nice,” Boyd smirked, admiringly. “White really is your color, and it accentuates your favorite feature in the most flattering way.” His eyes sparkled with a mix of affection and cheekiness. “It’s no secret your butt has my heart.”
She turned around and presented it, fanning her trails out so she could look at him over her shoulder. “Does it look spank-able? I was aiming for spank-able,” she purred.
“Very,” Boyd chuckled, grinning at his vixen. “I’ll have to see just how spank-able later.”
“Good,” Raev wiggled it at him before spinning around and strutting over to stand on his left side. “Mindy, you’re up,” she called a little louder than Silvie had, though she really only needed to think it.
His gothic love swayed into the room next. Her suit was also very similar to her previous model, the only difference he could see being that large purple gems had been set into the sleeves along the back of her forearms and the long skirt that was open in the front flowed a bit easier, moving more than the previous one had done with each step, drawing the eye to the sway of her hips. She kept her modeling simpler, just working a single spin in her tall boots before she reached him.
She was already on the tall side for a woman, and the heels put her in head tilting distance when she leaned up to kiss him.
“Show him,” Tinker said impatiently when their kiss lingered for a moment too long.
“Kuh-he,” Mindy let out her little laugh as she broke the kiss and stepped back. “Sorry, he just really likes the way we look in our suits and he distracted me.”
“Can you blame him?” Raev let out her velvet chuckle. “You’re wearing thigh highs and garters that do that little divot thing. Who wouldn’t like that?”
“Please show him?” Tinker tried asking politely this time. Her tone still contained just a hint of impatient whine.
Mindy smiled, stepped back away from Boyd, and held up her right arm. A second later a purple shield similar to the pink one Boyd had employed against Blast Front appeared in front of her arm. It covered her from ankle to shoulder and she demonstrated how she could easily duck behind it. “Not only did our resident genius work Silvie’s hair into my suit, but she also gave me a shield generator. She knows how much you worry about how ‘squishy’ I am.”
‘Of course, I know how much you also love how squishy I am,’ the Mindy in his head added.
“Both of their suits also have weak grav drives,” Tinker added excitedly. “It’s not enough to fly or even hover with, because that would take a lot of training, but it’s just enough to help them jump a little higher and run a bit faster with some practice. They could also use them to slow a fall in a pinch.” She frowned. “I couldn’t pack a lot of power into them because neither Mindy or Raev would let me add packs, so there is only so much I could do... Mindy’s shields can operate to stop either C-Ranked or B-Ranked energy projections. But they’ll only last for about a minute when stopping B-Ranked impacts. She does have two of them, though.”
“I might have agreed to a compact pack, but the smallest design you showed me was too bulky. It would have thrown my movements off,” Raev replied.
“I have enough of a hard time squeezing through tight spaces with these,” Mindy waved a hand at the impressive bust enclosed tightly in a black, leather-like bustier. “Adding a pack would make that problem that much more difficult. Besides, you said the suit itself can take a B-Ranked hit now, so the shields are just for extra protection.”
“I know, I know,” Tinker sounded exasperated. “You’ve both said so already, but the power limitations are annoying and I just wanted to complain. Besides, the suit can only protects what it covers.” The little inventor pursed her lips, staring at the mass of pale cleavage and the tops of her thighs obviously on display.
“That’s fine, Tink.” Boyd chuckled. “What you’ve made is really impressive. And if Mindy is subject to a B-Ranked attack for more than a minute, then things have gone terribly wrong.”
“Thank you.” He heard the smile in Tinker’s voice.
“Alright, honey buns, you’re up,” Silvie called out.
Hope came in next, a big smile on her face as her cerulean eyes locked onto his golden orbs. Her new suit was still white with gold accents. And while it still covered most of her, it was now unique to her—instead of alluding to her former team captain’s armored design. The white material had been switched out for supple white leather, with a gold belt that matched the curve of her hips and dipped to a point in the front.
More gold rose from it in arches that followed the line of her ribs and curved around her sides to subtly draw attention to the curve of her narrow waist. A gold-edged window had been added to her chest to show off her glorious cleavage with a zipper that went all the way down to where the belt dipped lowest. Small pauldrons had been added and she had vambraces, both in gold with stylized carvings of much simpler feathers than she once wore.
The major difference was the way the material clung to her and the shine of the leather. Well, that and the way the gold accents now accentuated her amazing figure. Her prior suits, while they were form-fitting, had carried a sense of chastity that was difficult to explain. This new suit still carried some of that, but it also displayed a woman who was confident in her appearance. She spread her wings just a bit and spun as she walked to show him the back, where he noticed that the gold belt followed the line of her heart-shaped ass, causing the white leather to cling to it perfectly.
