Chapter 25
In the end, Oliver flatly refused Nina’s invitation to sneak out for pizza. Disappointed but not disheartened, Nina decided Oliver wasn’t half bad–at least he didn’t rat her out.
What Nina didn’t know was that Oliver was secretly curious to see if she could actually pull it off.
Dodging past cameras and patrols, Nina crept toward the wall. Just as her fingers brushed the top edge, her phone buzzed in her pocket, startling her.
Not now! If someone heard her ringtone, her pizza dreams would go up in smoke.
Seeing the call was from Clifford, she ducked into the nearest bush and whispered into the phone, “What?”
A familiar, teasing voice came through. “Why are you skulking by the wall in the middle of the night, hmm?”
Nina froze, heart pounding. She quickly scanned the area–no guards, no cameras in sight. Lowering her voice, she asked, “Clifford, how do you know where I am? Did you activate wall hacks? I’m reporting you for cheating!”
“Too much gaming, kid.” He chuckled. “Get to Training Room 301. Now. I’ve got a task for you.”
“Task?”
As much as Nina loved pizza, a mission always took priority. Her face lit up, and she took off running. “Three minutes, tops!”
*****
When she arrived at the training room, she was greeted by Clifford and a group of high–ranking officers.
“Mr. Snee, what’s the mission?” she asked, bounding up to him.
Clifford motioned toward the officers. “You’re sparring with them tonight. Three minutes. Think you can handle it?”
The officers exchanged looks of disbelief. “Three minutes? Is he serious?‘
These weren’t just any soldiers–they were the best, handpicked and trained under Clifford’s own guidance. And now he wanted them to spar with a rookie like Nina? Worse, he thought she could take them all in under three minutes?
‘Fine. If this girl is Clifford’s prized recruit, we’ll show her some skills, they thought.
Nina gave them a once–over, then turned back to Clifford with a sly grin. “Mr. Snee, if I take them down in one minute, will you take me out for pizza?”
“Pizza?” Clifford raised an eyebrow.
“Yep! I saw a place six miles from the base earlier. I’ve been craving it all day!” Her eyes sparkled like a kid begging for ice
cream.
Clifford laughed softly, brushing a stray lock of hair from her forehead. “If you want pizza, I’ll take you. But judging by their expressions, you might not get it done in a minute. I think you’ve made them mad.”
Sure enough, the officers were bristling.
“Three minutes was insulting enough, they fumed. ‘Now she’s bragging about one?‘
The officers were dead set on teaching that girl a lesson, no matter who she thought she was. It was time she learned a hard knock or two.
“Mr. Snée,” one officer asked his tone clipped, “are we allowed to attack as a group?”
Clifford’s calm smile didn’t waver. “Any method you want.”
4
The officers exchanged knowing nods, quickly strategizing. This girl might be fast, but if they overwhelmed her before she could react, it’d be game over.
Nina, hands casually tucked in her pockets, stepped onto the training platform. “Whenever you’re ready. Go ahead.”
The officers didn’t hesitate. They surrounded her, attacking from all four sides. With numbers and coordination on their side, there was no way she could escape.
From the sidelines, Clifford watched, his expression unreadable. Against anyone else, this plan might’ve worked. But Nina? She played by her own rules.
“Ready?” he asked.
“Ready, sir!” the officers shouted.
“Good.” Clifford raised his hand, pausing for a beat before dropping it. “Begin.”
The instant his command echoed, chaos erupted.
Just as they lunged, Nina closed the distance between them in a blink.
“What the…”
Before they could react, she struck.
Four bodies hit the ground in rapid succession.
Time elapsed? Less than ten seconds.
- 2.
“Done.” Nina dusted off her hands, grinning as if she’d just finished tying her shoes.
One officer groaned, glaring at the others. “What the hell happened? How did we all go down so fast?”
Another officer, still winded, coughed. “She was in my face before I even saw her move!”
“You said one minute!” another growled. “You undersold yourself!”
Nina tilted her head, feigning innocence. “If I told you I’d finish in ten seconds, wouldn’t that have been a little too embarrassing for you?”
‘Oh, how thoughtful. We should thank her for sparing our dignity, they thought bitterly.
Clifford, clapping slowly, approached her with a smile. “Impressive, But why the rush?”
Nina beamed, practically bouncing in place. “I wanted to finish quickly so we could get pizza! So, did I pass? Can we go now?”
His gaze softened, indulgence flickering in his eyes. “You passed
Turning to the officers still sprawled on the ground, he added, “I trust you’ve gotten a sense of her abilities. Use this as motivation–figure out how to beat her next time.”
Once Nina and Clifford were gone, the officers slowly picked themselves up, exchanging shell–shocked looks.
“She’s a monster,” one muttered. “Do you really think anyone in the unit can beat her?”
Another sighed heavily. “Feels unlikely.”
“Still,” a third officer said, straightening up, “those cocky recruits have been running their mouths lately. Let her knock them down a peg.”
“How long do you think it’ll take her to wipe the floor with them”
“If they go in groups of twenty, maybe six or seven minutes?”
“Ha! How sweet. I’ll wager ten dollars she finishes in five minutes flat.”
“You clearly don’t know her. I’ll bet twenty bucks she’ll be done in three, mark my words.”
The officer who was keeping quiet just shook his head as he watched his buddies argue their heads off and start making bets. ‘What a bunch of losers,’ he thought. “They’re ready to give up before we’ve even started. Where’s their confidence.ur men?‘
“Alright, let’s put our money where our mouths are. Anyone else in?” They all looked at the guy who hadn’t said a word.
He snapped out of it, “Count me in! A hundred bucks, one minute!”
“What?” Everyone turned to stare, stunned.
“Well,” someone muttered, “looks like someone’s playing high stakes tonight.”
