Both men looked at each other and shared a wordless conversation. Their eyebrows knotted together as if neither of them were happy about whatever they silently discussed, but once they turned back to face Claire, their expressions seemed more determined than before.
The people around them were visibly spooked by the intense atmosphere surrounding Cameron and the still nameless man. Both men's eyes were fierce as they stared down at the petite woman who was confidently meeting their gaze. Slowly, they began to take steps around her sides as if they were stalking their prey. Their bare feet left large imprints on the soft dirt as they stared to circle around, waiting for the moment to strike.
Claire caught sight of the look in their eyes during their barely noticeable exchange and smiled. She had finally accomplished what she was aiming for. There was no doubt in her mind that her initial thought about the men currently studying her was indeed correct. Regardless of the menacing vibes presently oozing out of them, she was thrilled by how much they had progressed in such little time.
A minute passed, but nobody made any sudden movements. The air around the three was tense and the silence had started to feel deafening to those watching them. And although common combat knowledge would predict that either Cameron or the other man circling around Claire would be the first to make a move, the She Devil wasted no time in shattering their expectations.
In what felt like a split second, Claire burst into a full sprint towards Cameron once he was standing directly in front of her. This caused the man behind her to charge at her while Cameron took a fighting stance. Thinking that she would make use of her momentum and tackle him to the ground in an attempt to take him down and even the playing field for herself, he squatted a bit and parted his legs enough to be able to resist the impact and subsequently take advantage of their difference in size to hold her in a lock. The other man, being twice her size as well, had already managed to catch up to her thanks to his speed and planned on acting as backup if she decided to run in another direction or avoid Cameron's grip.
Being but an arms length away from both men, everybody knew that the odds weren't in her favor. Yet for some reason, the concentrated expression Claire sported as she dashed in Cameron's direction, turned into an evil grin as soon as he reached out to grab her.
Instead of using her momentum to tackle Cameron to the ground, like many had assumed she would do, Claire stopped running and used the force of her sudden stop to glide over the soft dirt while she slightly turned her body and avoided the hand from the man reaching to grab her from behind. Unbeknownst to them, having them both so close in range gave her the opportunity she needed.
Cameron threw a right hook forward while the other man bent down to do a leg sweep expecting to hit her with one or the other. But little did they know that's exactly what she wanted. Claire swiftly dodged the punch coming at her by bending her back a bit while simultaneously jumping just enough to avoid her feet touching the man's leg. It was an odd movement to make as it would leave her vulnerable in the air between them, but she didn't give them the chance to act.
As quickly as she had dodged both of their attempts to strike her, she held on to Cameron's arm with both hands and lifted herself up enough to bend her abdomen over it as if it were a gymnastics pole. Since he used his full force, and Claire was very light in weight, she easily used his arm as a base to momentarily help her shift her hips and lock his neck with the same move she had used on her other sparing partner the night her family was attacked. Knowing that she would strangle him, like he had seen her do to the man who was now helping him fight her, Cameron immediately wedged his free arm between his neck and her thigh before she could completely finish her hold on him.
A grave mistake on his part.
She used the opportunity to tighten her lock around his neck making him now unable to use either of his hands. She was wrapped around him like a snake. Thanks to the original forward lunge he had done when trying to hit her and the added weight of her upper body over his extended arm, his balance was compromised. Making him unwillingly bend forward towards the man who was now starting to come back up from his failed attempt of knocking her over.
Seeing as she was coming down with him, Claire briskly let go of Cameron's arm and landed with both of her hands on the floor. Giving herself just enough time to yank her legs down to the ground with all of her core strength and cause whatever little balance Cameron had left to be lost. The first things that crashed into each other were the man's and Cameron's faces. This gave Claire the chance to pull her legs out of the mix before they completely collapsed on top of one another.
While the two full grown men groaned in pain toppled over each other, Claire ended up gracefully still in a yoga crane pose. Her legs were beautifully tucked behind her knees as she balanced her entire body weight on the palms of her hands.
With elegance, she slowly lowered her legs until her feet were placed gently on the ground. After standing straight, she turned around and looked down at the two men who had given up on the floor beside her. They were now laying on their backs as they stared up at her with obvious defeat in their eyes.
"Like I said my sweet Pups." Claire said to them as she lifted the palms of her hands for them to see. "You've simply dirtied them."
She winked at them and then offered each a hand to help them stand. After a few seconds of thought, they both sighed at the same time and accepted her help.
As soon as they did, everybody started cheering and clapping. It all went down in mere minutes, but what they had witnessed would last them a lifetime. Their boss had personally beat down two of the biggest men in the entire base without even breaking a sweat. It wasn't everyday they had the chance to witness something that great happen.
"Alright, that wraps up today's training Pups!" A man's voice cut through the room calling everyone's attention towards him. "Hit the showers. Supper's served at eight."
As the majority of the people started to leave the training room, Claire stayed behind while talking to the men she had just spared with. If it could be called that.
"Next time, make the decision of working together earlier on." She said while looking up at them. "Don't forget, your enemy's enemy is your friend. Both of you knew I had a physical disadvantage yet chose to focus on each other instead of trying to overpower me from the beginning." Claire lifted her hand and gently grabbed the nameless man's chin to better look at it. His upper lip was split. "Have the medic take a look at it. It'll take forever to heal on it's own."
Before the man could respond, another person was heard.
"I gotta say." Aiden's deep voice spoke behind Claire making her jolt in surprise. "It was quite the show."
Cameron slightly lowered his head in form of greeting as Claire turned to face him with a small smile on her face. Instantly making his heart skip a beat.
"You're here." She said as she looked up at him with a happy expression.
"Of course I am." He replied as he took a step closer to her. Standing but a few inches away with his hands inside his pant pockets, he looked down at her tenderly.
"Anything else I can do before I leave Boss?" Anna said as she passed her a clean towel.
"Thanks and yes there is." While wiping her face Claire responded. "Take the boys to the tech team after they clean up. Have them added into the system." Looking back at them she grinned. Staring directly at the man besides Cameron she continued. "Although you still don't have a name, I'm sure we can work something out."
"Of course. Let's go boys." Anna said as she started to leave. Both men started to follow her when the man suddenly stopped and turned to his side. Looking at Claire he talked.
"Drew." He said in a low voice. "You can call me Drew."
Claire's lips stretched into a sincere smile. The kind that actually reached her eyes. "Drew it is then."