I'm still working on my Veterans series blog, but in the meantime, please enjoy one of the amazing action sequences of Prime Time Spies. Just after loosing her best lead to these two female assassins, Victoria pursues them through the streets of Vegas to get some answers. But who has who cornered?
“Give up!” snarled Victoria. “You’ve got nowhere to run!”
The redhead caught up to her partner at a trot and burst out laughing at
Victoria’s words. Her green eyes burned with fury, her laugh manic like a rapid
hyena. Fukazashi’s betrothed stepped forward and waved her partner back as if
she were ordering a guard dog to stay. She kept her tone casual as she
addressed Victoria, speaking as if she were at a dinner party.
“Oh my dear Miss . . .” She cocked her head. “Kingsley is it? We wouldn’t
dream of running. You’ve caught us. But first . . .”
The blonde surprised Victoria by undoing her belt and letting it crash to
the ground, complete with useful items such as pepper spray, club, and
handcuffs. Then she turned away and began dancing as if performing a strip-tease,
slowly peeling down her pants before letting them fall. Victoria wasn’t sure if
she was relieved to find she wasn’t suddenly staring at a lacy thong or bare
ass, but the bottom of a one piece cat suit, complete with leg garments housing
what looked like several throwing knives.
“Sister, don’t tease her,” cackled the redhead.
“Oh, I’m not teasing her, Mila. I’m just getting comfortable before we
are apprehended.”
“Fine, you get comfortable, Jess. I’m going to kill her. I’m going to
wring the bitch’s scrawny little neck until her pretty little head pops right
off!”
Mila gave her weapon a sharp twist and the two sections split. One end
was covered in a ball of sharp, nasty looking plastic spikes, a detail Victoria
had missed before. One hit with this weapon would end her. Mila held the spiked
end low and the other end high, the transparent chord bisecting her diagonally
as she crouched into a fighting stance. Victoria assumed a cat stance, her
hands splayed in front of her in a knife-edge guard.
“Why Miss Kinglsly you seem to have upset my sister. I have to tell you
that isn’t wise.”
“Sisters?” Victoria asked skeptically. “You don’t look it. She doesn’t
quite share your brand of ugly. Who are you two supposed to be anyway? Let me
guess. Carlo’s Angels?”
“We prefer Devils, certainly not Carlo’s, and our odd little family is
not of blood but of spirit.” Jess finished removing the tan button-up shirt as
she talked. She held her arms open as if asking for an embrace, and with a
reptilian smile she purred, “I’m ready now. Shall we dance?”
Victoria cracked her knuckles as she curled her hands into fists in front
of her face, then relaxed back to knife edges. Mila swung her weapon, the
deadly spiked end screamed toward Victoria’s head. She sidestepped and bent
backward, advancing on Mila and closing the distance while the weapon made its return
trip.
Victoria snapped a swift toe kick at Mila’s gut, and the redhead blocked
with her free hand. This left an opening
for Victoria’s backfist and uppercutting elbow combo, the latter of which
caught Mila just under the chin. Mila staggered backward and spat blood from a
busted lip. She retaliated with a sharp cry of fury. Her powerful diagonal
swing forced Victoria to retreat . . . and barely twist out of the way of a
throwing knife. A flash of moonlight on steel was her only warning as the blade
zipped past her ear. She studied both opponents for a few seconds as dark hairs
floated to the ground between her and Mila.
Can’t let her sit back there and
chuck those things at me. Attack!
Victoria cartwheeled by Mila,
dodging a downward swing from her mace. Face to face with Jess, Victoria
unleashed a furious combo—knee, hand, elbow, foot, knee in succession. Jess
effortlessly blocked or parried every strike.
“Really Miss Kingsley?” Jess
taunted. “Muay Thai? How quaint.”
“Zen do Kai,” Victoria spat. “I’ll show you quaint you—”
A side kick doubled an encroaching Mila over, but Jess used the opening
to land a clawed hand in Victoria’s throat, followed closely by a fist near her
kidney. Victoria choked, tasting bile as she clutched at her side and retreated
several steps.
“Ah,” Jess said as she kept coming. “The Australian art of ‘whatever
works, use it.’”
Lighting flashed through Victoria’s vision as a booted roundhouse caught
her on the side of the head, nearly knocking her over. The descending claw hand
that followed sent her sprawling and tore her blouse open, scattering buttons.
“Doesn’t seem to be working for you now, does it?”
Her chest burning with fire and her head ringing, Victoria barely had the
coherence to roll out of the way of a thrown knife, which clanged loudly
against the blacktop. Jess pounced on her, the other knife flashing in her hand
as she drove it toward Victoria’s heart.
Victoria got her feet up in time to land them in Jess’ stomach and send
the blonde sailing over her, then placed her hands on the ground and scissor
her legs to sweep Mila off her feet. Victoria stood slowly, clutching at her
chest as she crouched into a new fighting stance. She began to bob and weave on
springy legs, her stance mimicking a Kangaroo. Her body protested the bouncing,
screaming in pain from multiple places. Jess may be familiar with Zen do Kai,
but few knew of the nearly extinct Aboriginal art of Koonomon Togip Baip.
Victoria was in bad shape, her legs threatened to buckle and it was hard to breathe.
I can’t show weakness.
“That all you bitches got?” She taunted, keeping a wary eye on both women
as they stood and began to circle her.
“I’ll kill you!” Mila snarled, whirling her weapon above her head as she
circled left.
Jess gave her partner an amused glance then drew another knife from her thigh
holster. She bowed low, then held the knives out to in front of her in an
inverted grip.
“You dance well, Kingsley,” she said. “I’m curious what that ridiculous
stance is all about, but I’m afraid it’s time to end this little party. We do have
such nice men waiting on us.”
Mila bellowed and charged, her weapon whistled low as it angled for
Victoria’s knees. Victoria jumped over the mace and kicked with both feet, but
Mila ducked under her, landing a hard punch in Victoria’s gut. She grunted as
air fled from her body, but managed to follow through and bring her elbow down
on Mila’s head. She was rewarded with a pained snarl as Mila fell face first to
the blacktop of the roof.
Victoria landed in a crouch and sprang at a forty five degree angle
toward Jess, who did a back handspring to gain distance. Jess crossed her arms
in front of her, one knife over each shoulder, and uncrossing her arms in a
flash sent two knives at Victoria.
Shit! Victoria tried to twist,
to roll out of the way, the high knife went whizzing over her shoulder, but the
other sank deep into her right thigh. Victoria screeched in pain and dropped to
her knees. She quickly pulled the knife free and held it out in defense. Jess
was in the middle of drawing the last two of her blades. Victoria lunged off
her good leg.
And was ensnared by a length of chord wrapping tightly around her throat.
Victoria ground her teeth and
struggled as she was yanked off her feet. The throwing knife slipped from her
grasp as she was dragged backwards. She felt the two short poles locking behind
her head. She clawed at the cord in a vain effort to release the pressure. The
cord tightened like a vice and Victoria’s eyes bulged. Her lungs demanded air,
but her throat sent a nauseous rejection down to her stomach. She fought
through the dry heave and elbowed at Mila, tried to trip her, but the powerful
woman stood humming some obnoxious children’s song above her, forcing Victoria
to her knees as slowly the energy drained from her, as slowly the world grew
darker . . . darker.
