Cathay
Solaris City
Solaris VII
17 April 3061
The two laughed and had a good time on the ride from the arena to Lin Ming's apartment in Cathay. Nicky pulled the car up to the curb.
"You did a great job out there. I've never been one for the arena circuit, but I've never had skin in the game either, so this was kind of a new thing for me. Thanks, Lin."
Lin pulled in a deep breath. "Look, I'm all juiced up from the fight and all, there's no way I'll get a lick of sleep or anything, you want to come up and hang out for a while?"
Nicky leaned back in her seat. "I probably shouldn't....but yeah, why not. We can see what's on for coverage of your big fight."
Lin retrieved her bag from the back, and the two of them made their way up to Lin's fourth floor apartment. Lin was about to give Nicky the tour of the small place, when she suddenly realized that the detective had been here before, their first meeting. "I don't have any good liquor or anything, just some soft drinks and a cheap bottle of wine that's been staring me in the face for the three months I've been here."
Nicky tossed her jacket over the kitchen island, and took off her service weapon, laying it on top. "Cheap wine is perfect."
Lin flipped on the tri-vid and searched through the channels to see what was on.
"Is your fight on replay yet? It should be." Nicky asked
Lin sat on the sofa and put two glasses on the table before opening the bottle of wine. She poured each of them a glass and leaned back. "You really want to watch that? You've already seen the fight."
Nicky took her glass and sat at the other end of the sofa. "Hell yeah. Live is one thing, but you have to see what they're saying about you on the vids, right?"
"You asked for it." Lin searched through the channels until she caught the one that was showing the replay of her fight in Hartford Gardens. Watching the match on replay was almost surreal. She walked Nicky through all of the things that were going on in her head, careful still to avoid mentioning the stealth system, as the fight unfolded. She cringed at her mistakes and was almost embarrassed by the bravado that she had shown during the match.
By the time the fight had ended, they were halfway through the bottle of wine. On the screen, Tim Franks could be seen calling her out in all his anger. "I don't know what kind of crap you pulled, but that was humiliating. To lose to an Urbanmech? You better watch yourself, hotshot."
"He seemed really pissed at you. You think anything will come of it?"
Lin shrugged. "I doubt it. It's all heat of the moment. Adrenaline, pride, all that mixed together can be volatile I guess. But he seems harmless enough."
Nicky nodded. "Most of it is for the camera, you're right. And you did a great job in front of the camera. You've got the skill and the knack to make it here I think if you want to."
"Yeah, but I can't win them all. I had an edge here, and a rode it for all it was worth. That won't always be the case. I know I've got the skills, but this fight circuit can be grim business."
"An edge? What are you talking about? No, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked. I know you're sworn to secrecy and all that."
Lin was suddenly aware that the two of them had moved closer to each other on the sofa as the fight had unfolded, and she was now dangerously close to the other woman. "No, it's ok. I feel like I can trust you. Maybe it's the wine, maybe it's the adrenaline, but why not? The project they're working on at Red Dragon is a kind of stealth system. It's how I managed to get so close to him without him being able to lock onto me."
Nicky leaned in. "Do you think it could have anything to do with the murder of the last guy?"
Lin paused, unsure of herself.
Finally Nicky broke the silence. "I'm sorry, that wasn't fair, I shouldn't be going all detective on you. This is a big night for you, you should enjoy it without worrying about other stuff.
Lin reached out and touched Nicky's arm. "I am enjoying it. This has been a great night, and I don't just mean about the fight."
Nicky and Lin locked eyes. "I should probably get going. I'm sure you have a lot on your plate for tomorrow.
Lin leaned closer in towards Nicky. "You don't have to. I mean...you could stay a while."
Nicky sighed. "And do what?"
"This." Lin leaned in and kissed Nicky. She didn't know why. Maybe it was the wine. Maybe it was the post-fight adrenaline come down. But for the first time on Solaris, she felt connected to someone else.
She waited for Nicky to recoil and pull back, but she didn't. The kiss lasted several long seconds before breaking.
Nicky was flushed. "That was..."
"Unexpected?"
"Incredible. I mean..."
Lin put her finger on Nicky's lips. "Be quiet, detective."
"I told you, call me Nicky. You sure about this?"
Lin smiled. "I just rode a multi-ton fusion reactor into combat. I think I know what I'm doing."
The two kissed again. This time longer. And again. Before long, their hands were all over each other. Lin playfully pulled Nicky along into the bedroom. By the time they reached the bed, both of them were topless, locked in each other's embrace.
Not long after that, all their clothes were gone, and they were entwined in happy exploration for hours. Finally, they stopped, snuggled into each other and just relaxed.
"I thought you said you weren't going to get a lick of sleep?"
Lin smiled and closed her eyes. "I hadn't planned on this. This helps with sleep."
Nicky ran a finger along Lin's arm. "You want me to stay?"
"Very much so, detective."
I told you, call me Nicky."
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