The Duellist

Goliath screamed, stepping back, waving the pole above his head in triumph. "Spaceman die soon, me get woman..."

Jay grinned, staggering back to his feet, lifting the katana slowly into guard, his breath wheezing in his chest. "Not yet, big guy."

Goliath yelled, leaping in with the same overhand blow. Again Jay caught it, dropping to his knees, grunting loudly, his katana drooping. For a few seconds after Goliath stepped back he gasped for breath, remaining on his knees.

"Soon, spaceman. Soon die."

Jay struggled to his feet, standing uncertainly. His katana, shaking. "Not yet, big guy."

Goliath hooted. He slashed another savage overhead cut, Jay barely managed to get the katana up in time and this time the impact sent it flying through the air to clatter to the floor a short distance away. He didn't move, following the sword with his eyes.

Behind him he could hear the crowd laughing, the sound barely recognisable as human. Goliath hooted, screamed, "Die now, spaceman. Die now, woman mine."

With a savage roar he hefted his pole, raising it high above his head, his face twisted into a rictus of hate.

Jay reached for the fusion torch in his boot.

Goliath yelled in fury, for a second he glanced back at Niamh, triumphantly, then his chest exploded all over Jayden, a shower of blood and tissue, as Niamh shot him in the back - the boom of the pistol ringing around the room.

For a moment, Goliath stared at his chest, dull incomprehension written on his face.

Jay took his chance, pulling the fusion torch from his boot, he lunged forward, pressing it against Goliath's groin. The torch hummed to life, the welding blade flashing out into his body and the room was suddenly thick with the sweet cooking smell of meat. For a second Goliath looked shocked, his head swivelling to look at the new source of the sudden pain. Jay pulled the torch sideways through his body, cutting his leg free at the hip before the blade sputtered out.

Goliath blinked twice. Slowly he slid to side, falling gradually like a felled tree, his body crashing wetly to the ground next to his own severed leg.

For a second there was a stunned silence. Then all hell broke loose.

Jay dived for the katana and kept going, picking it up on the roll. Behind the crowd he could hear a new yelling, a war cry that could only be Stanislav. He came upright, katana in hand, felt a sudden pain, a searing heat in his shoulder. He shrieked, saw his attacker disappear in a blast of blood, the sound of Niamh's other duelling pistol following immediately behind. The knife remained standing in his shoulder.

A face loomed at him, blade in hand - he slashed one handed, slicing into the face, backing up, trying to create space. More faces, barking and yelling. Another explosion and he felt someone behind him drop to the ground. He slashed, cut down another figure. Nothing could be seen clearly, the open space was full of movement, the flickering fire adding to the confusion, the chaos. Something hit him on the helmet and he staggered, almost losing his footing. A figure rushed past and he slashed at it, feeling the sword bite into something solid with a scream. Felt a flash of pain in his back that dropped him to his knees.

Then Niamh was there, standing over him, cutting and stabbing with her assegai. She was screaming something and in the distance he could hear another voice, screaming back, but he couldn't seem to understand what was being said.

Then bright lights were cutting the air, the sound of gunshots, shouts of 'Police' and then nothing.

******

He came around slowly. At first it was an awareness of brightness, a presence of light that made him realise that something was different. He opened his eyes, shut them immediately, pain lancing through his head from the brightness. For that brief instant he had the impression of clinical whiteness, his vision slowly gelling with the clean, antiseptic smell, to indicate a hospital room.

He groaned.

"So, you're awake then, Carney?" Niamh said.

He tried to speak, found his mouth was too dry. Niamh handed him a glass. He swallowed a mouthful of liquid, water, tried again. "I may be dead," he said, his voice little more than a husk of a whisper.

"No such luck."

He chuckled hoarsely. "Where?"

"New York Memorial Hospital, New York Orbital," she said. He felt the bed shift, felt her sit next to him, the smell of her perfume. "Docs reckon you'll be okay in a week or so."

"So, who won?"

"Called off. There'll need to be a new duel."

He nodded.

For a moment Niamh remained silent. He felt her hand touch his on the top of the sheet. "Look, I won't fight you again, Carney," she said. "If I agree to what you want, if we give Wim whatever you promised him, will you withdraw the challenge?"

"That easy?" he said.

"After what everyone saw down there, Achilles has found a sudden new interest in environmental protection."

"You mean the public relations side is good?"

She chuckled softly. "Yeah. But everyone's happy for now, even Wim."

"So what? I go back to work for you?"

"Yes," she said combatively. "Is that so bad?"

"The fringe benefits were good."

She laughed. "They're yours for the claiming, Jay." A pause. "I've left Conor." A further pause. "Actually it was mutual... I think he figured it out after watching our little show on Earth."

"Good. I always hated getting kicked out afterwards..."

She squeezed his hand. "So, about the challenge..."

"I'll withdraw it. I never wanted to fight you anyway, Niamh."

"Good."

"How did help get there so quickly?"

"UN troops working in Washington."

Silence. She shifted on the bed, pushing him over with her body until she was lying next to him. "Fancy some company, Jay?" she said quietly. "I've got nowhere I need to be anytime soon."

He took her hand, holding it gently, felt her snuggle against him. "Me neither."