Metamorphosis - Jean Lorrah [61]
It did seem that his muscles stretched, and soon he was able to put his palms flat on the floor.
“Excellent!” Dare told him. “Up slowly, now-don’t lose your balance.”
Data straightened, feeling the slight disorientation of changing pressure in his head, but he was not dizzy. He found Dare studying him with a frown.
“Did I do something wrong?”
“No-but you mustn’t let yourself lose that flexibility, Data. Children are born with it, but almost every human loses it by age twenty. It’s one advantage a smaller man has over opponents with greater strength and weight.” He glanced upward.
“Computer: padding on floor and walls, and a safety field.” The padding appeared immediately; the safety field would activate only if either of them were thrown so hard as to suffer injury despite the pads. “All right, Data, let’s start by finding out what you already know.” And Dare lunged for Data’s throat.
Automatically, Data brought both hands up inside the other man’s forearms, and struck them aside. That did not stop the mercenary, however, he twisted a shoulder into Data’s chest. Data went down with the impact, too stunned at how easily he had been bowled over to recover before Dare had bounced to his feet and planted one boot on Data’s Adam’s apple. Dismayed, Data simply lay there, realizing for the first time how helpless he was against anyone who knew what he was doing. Dare removed his foot, and offered a hand up.
“Analyze,” he instructed. “I-I never learned that kind of combat. I had no need of it.”
“Negatives won’t help,” Dare said. “Your first move was right. What was wrong with your second move was that you didn’t make it.”
“I … beg your pardon?”
“Attacking an android the way I just did you, I would have sprained, perhaps broken my shoulder, while the most I might have accomplished was to stagger you.
Right?”
“That is correct. Worf could probably, have knocked me over, but even he might have injured himself” “But now we’re both flesh and blood, and pretty well matched in size. Come at me the same way,” Dare instructed.
Data did so, expecting the first move, turning slightly when his hands were knocked apart just as Dare had done, and trying to ram the man-But Dare simply turned aside and let Data becarried on several steps by his own momentum!
“That works once, was Dare warned him.
“Unless your opponent is drunk or very stupid, don’t try it a second time. Come at me again.”
This time Dare moved only slightly to one side, grasped Data’s arm, and tossed him over his hip.
The safety field caught him and provided a soft landing.
Data climbed to his feet, feeling exactly where Dare’s hands had gripped him. “Let me try that.”
The first time, he succeeded only in bringing the two of them to the mat in a tangle; Dare twisted and had him pinned. The mercenary let him up, saying, “Spread your feet to keep a solid base for your own balance-was On the second try, Data threw Dare, who got up, laughing. “You’re a natural, Data. If you had to trade that finely honed machinery for flesh and blood, at least you got good resilient flesh and blood.”
“Dr. Pulaski says I am in perfect health.”
“I don’t doubt it. But it will be up to you to stay that way. Let’s see you do that a few more times, until it feels natural.”
Twice more Data threw Dare, but on the third try Dare suddenly swerved and kicked his legs out from under him. Data found himself on the mat agbut Dare was down, too. Data bounced up and dived for him, only to get two feet in the chest and be tossed with such force that the safety field had to catch him before he hit the wall.
Nonetheless, Dare was saying, “Good instinct, Data. Always take advantage of a weak moment.
Now let me show you the right way to do it.” The hour sped quickly. It seemed no matter what move Data learned, though, Dare always had a counter move. So would Worf, he was sure. “Of course he will,” Dare agreed. “That’s his job, Data, but it isn’t yours. It could be, but I know you science-minded types. You’ll settle