After the Second Fall Pt. 01.3

Emotions warred on the newcomer's face, and though it took a hundred beats, his posture eventually relaxed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be disrespectful to you or your colleagues."

John picked up his food and casually flicked away the offense with his hand. "Forgotten." He took a bite, swallowed, and started again. "Loren -- actually, why do you still let people call you that? I read that it's a pejorative where you come from."

Loren tilted his head back and forth, weighing options, then replied, "Not really. The other fighters started calling me that, trying to get under my skin, since they couldn't actually beat me when we sparred. After all this time, it feels natural."

"Wait, you were never beaten? Why weren't you their number one fighter then?"

"Well," said Loren evasively, "I never actually won either."

"Ahhh," said John understanding, looking to Pip, who nodded in answer to John's unvoiced question. "So you're that fast." Loren shrugged, but sat up a little straighter. "Listen, eat your food -- it's amazing -- and while you do, I'm going to start talking. Just nod or shake your head to let me know how I'm doing, okay?" Loren picked up his food and nodded, making John smile. "Perfect.

"So you're too small to be an Arena fighter, which means you're either a runt like Pip, or mixed like me." Loren nodded at the second option. "Okay, now in a larger city like Rieckenburg where Adams are segregated from day one, nothing would have come of it, but maybe in a smaller city all of the kids are lumped together." Loren made a 'kinda-sorta' motion with his hand since his mouth was full. "Okay, we'll call that 'Close enough'. So at some point, rather than getting beat down by the gene-mod kids, you hold your ground and they see some promise. You probably won't end up being big enough, and your bones are definitely too brittle to fight Arena matches, but maybe they can at least use you as a punching dummy for the next decade."

Loren's face fell and he looked down at his plate. Seeing his distress, Pip interjected, "Seems an awful lot like my story, wouldn't you say, John?"

"I would, Pip. For what it's worth, Loren, those same fighters that beat up on you for so long are in the same position here, and I really don't think any of them will last more than a couple months. They're too small to square off against our Adams, and too convinced of their superiority and skill to adapt to something else." He shook his head sadly. "I hope the same isn't true for you."

Realizing that they had come to the point, Loren set down his food, looking between the two other men. "So what is it you want me to do?"

"I don't honestly know," replied John while holding out his arms. "Pip tells me that you have the same... talent that he does, or at least something similar. I think we could put you to excellent use, helping Pip and the other Adams train, without actually having you fight. Lord, you could even do what I do and become a handler. With your inside knowledge of fighter development, maybe it would be an easy transition. Regardless, you're apparently the second quickest man in the world, and it would be a shame to throw that away."

Loren picked up his burrito again and finished it in silence. When done, he took a deep breath and started talking. "So, I guess I have two main thoughts," he began. "First, whatever I just ate was really good." John gave him an 'I told you so' smile, but was obviously more interested in the next point. "Second, I never really wanted to be a fighter, so I'm not opposed to giving it up. The problem is that I don't know how to do anything else, so what I think you're saying sounds like an awfully good solution to me."

"Good," John said, sounding a bit relieved. "You might know that Pip's trainer was killed before this last fight, and we haven't named an official replacement yet. This means you will be working with me to get him prepped for the next match."

"Okay," replied Loren, sounding more positive than Pip had yet heard him. "How long do we have?"

Pip smiled. "A day shy of two weeks, with Northumberland."

"What?" Loren exclaimed. "You can't be serious."

Pip grinned back ferally. "Absolutely serious. You saw just a little bit of what I can do, and soon they will, too."

Loren's eyes narrowed. "Payback for your trainer?" Pip nodded and Loren stared off into space. Standing up, he cracked his neck in both directions, then clapped his hands. "I think it's likely this is a bad idea, but you can count me in."

Chapter 22

Looking lovely as always and now released from bed rest, even with both arms in slings, Maggie walked slowly alongside John through the courtyard. "Sure thing, Mr. Rogers, just let me know what you need."

"Well, it's not exactly something I need, but I do have a couple topics for you."

The young woman smiled amiably.

"You know how we had some people come over from Brock-Loren about a week ago?" Maggie nodded. "Most of them aren't going to find a place here, but there's a fighter they call Loren that has some real potential. His file says he's thirty-one years old, but to look at him you'd think he was ten more. His nose is crooked, he's missing part of an ear, and his face is covered in scars -- what the rest of him looks like I don't want to know, but I assume it's more of the same. Suffice it to say, life hasn't been easy for him.

"Not surprisingly, he's jumpy, rude, and arrogant, and his attitude is getting in the way of some of the things we're trying to do. I would like to work with him like I did with Pip when he was younger, but I simply don't have time, and neither does he, for that matter. We have about a week until Pip's fight, and we need to see a dramatic improvement, or I'll have to cut him loose."

"I think I understand," said Maggie. "I will talk with Madame Bower about it as soon as we're done. Is there some reason you wanted to speak with me specifically about him?"

"Well..." John said slowly, "that actually has more to do with the second topic." He paused, gathering courage. "Are you and Pip okay? I haven't seen you around like before the rally, so I assume something has changed."

Maggie sighed. "Yeah, that's really my doing. Just before the last fight Pip and I had a long talk, and I told him that I... well, made a mistake is too strong, but..." She sighed again. "We decided that it was better if we are friends."

John stopped and looked down at Maggie, trying to read her expression closely. Maggie made eye contact, then looked away, only to look back again. John nodded and started walking again. "Are you okay with how things ended up?"

She nodded sadly. "Yes. It was my choice and Pip was wonderful -- is wonderful. I just can't be there for him the way he needs me to be."

"Are you sure?" he asked gently.

"Yes, I think." They walked in silence for a while. "How can you compare yourself to someone like him? He's, like, the perfect person. He's beautiful, and sweet, and amazingly strong, and scary, but in a sexy way. I just don't... fit."

"What about the other two?"

"The girls? What do you mean?"

"I mean," said John, "how do they feel about the outcome of your conversation?"

Maggie shrugged, looking down as they walked. "Rosie's sad. She's told me that they miss me, and I believe her, I guess. I don't know."

"What about the other one?"

Maggie grinned to herself. "She just smiles and kisses my cheek, tells me they'll be patient. I don't even know what that means." She looked up at him. "That woman can be infuriating. Sometimes it's like she knows what is going to happen and is just waiting for the rest of the world to catch up."

"Do you miss them?"

Maggie stopped again and closed her eyes as a tear rolled down her cheek. "So much," she whispered. "All three of them."

John pulled her against his side, rubbing her shoulder gently so as not to cause pain to the still-healing clavicle. "I can't tell you what to do, but I would suggest that you really examine your emotions. Pip is going to be fighting in a week, and if he really is the best fighter in the world, his opponent is a close second. This is likely to be the most dangerous fight he will ever be in, so if you have something to say to him, say it soon."

Across the Complex in a training room, the two subjects of conversation sat together, also talking. "I told you, I don't control it, but I can feel when it is going to happen," said Loren sharply. Pip made a calming gesture with his hands and Loren took a deep breath. "Man, I'm trying not to get angry, but we've been through this."

"I know, but it's really important. If there are two of us that perceive time differently, there are probably more, so the better we understand the Effect, the better we can make it work for us."

"You mean the better it will work for you."

"Same thing, Loren. Remember, we're on the same team here."

The smaller man let out an exasperated sigh. "Yeah, I know." He looked away and when he turned back he was calmer. "Okay, let's try again."

"Good," said Pip, pleased that the exchange hadn't led to a full blowup like some of their previous had. "Maybe we start with something easier. If somebody tries to punch you, time will slow down, right?"

"Depends."

"It does? I thought that would be a sure thing."

Loren shrugged. "If it's a little guy, I just knock him out of the way."

"And if he pulls out a knife?"

"Well then it would probably slow down, but who would pull out a knife in the middle of a fight?"

"Actually," Pip said raising his finger, then stopped. "Never mind. What if I were to throw a punch?"

"Nothing."

"Why not?"

"Because we're on the same team, like you said. Why would you try to hurt me?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right. You know what, I'm beginning to see why John was so frustrated with me." Loren gave him a questioning look, but Pip waved it away. "Listen, have you seen the women walking around in blue shirts and tan skirts?" After receiving an affirmative nod, Pip continued, "Let's take a walk. I want to show you a part of the Complex you probably haven't seen yet."

Loren rolled his eyes, but complied anyway. As they approached the Lounge's main entrance, Pip rang the announcement bell. After only a moment, a young woman with pale blonde hair and striking brown eyes walked through the door, smiling broadly when she saw who had rang. "Hi, Pip. I don't think Maggie's here at the moment."

"Hello, Irena. I was hoping I could speak to Madam Bower for a moment."

"Oh, okay. I'll go get her right now."

"Actually," Pip interjected, motioning to Loren with his eyes, "I was hoping we could step inside."

Irena, being the bright young lady that she was, smiled even more broadly. Of course. Just let me make sure everyone is decent and I'll be right back." As she turned and walked back through the door, she made sure to emphasize every movement.

As the door closed, Pip looked down to his companion, and saw that Loren was barely breathing. "Did time slow down for you?" When he didn't get a response, he poked Loren in the shoulder and asked again.

Loren snapped out of his daze and responded to an altogether different, unasked question. "That was, without doubt, the most beautiful woman I have ever seen."

Pip nodded. "She's a very nice girl, but answer my question: did time slow down?"

Thinking about it for a short while, Loren finally answered, "Yeah, I guess it did, although I didn't really notice."

"Good, I thought this might work."

"Why?"

"Just a hunch," said Pip with a grin. "Once we're inside, concentrate on the passage of time and see if you can manipulate it." Pip turned back to face the door, then added in a whisper out of the corner of his mouth, "And be nice. The women here are one of the main reasons that the Adams stay sane."

The door soon opened and Irena strutted out with a bright smile, again showing off her physical charms to their fullest. "Madam Bower is ready, Pip. If it's okay with you, I'll show your friend around a little bit, introduce him to some of the girls." When she took hold of Loren's hand and led him toward the open door, he threw an almost scared look back at Pip over his shoulder. Pip just grinned and headed over to where the departmental matriarch was waiting.

Their discussion was brief, but easy. Ruth understood the situation immediately when Pip told her about Loren's past and his barely constrained anger. Looking across the large room at his would be trainer, the two of them saw three -- and then four -- women talking with him. Irena was still holding his hand, and another was slowly rubbing his other arm in a comforting way. As Pip was saying his goodbye to Madam Bower, Maggie came in one of the back doors, fresh from her conversation with John.

Seeing Pip, she abruptly came to a stop and her expression wavered. Pip assumed it was just the surprise of seeing him unexpectedly, but Ruth immediately realized there was something going on within Maggie's head. Since she had come to see her supervisor anyway, Maggie continued on and approached the pair. "Hi, Pip," she said a bit awkwardly. "I didn't expect to see you here."

Pip shrugged. "It wasn't a planned thing. I was just talking to Madam Bower about Loren over there," he said, motioning with a nod of his head.

Maggie turned to look and saw the other man being fawned over by her PET sisters. "Well that's kind of funny. I was just talking with Mr. Rogers about him. He thought that we might be able to help," she said, briefly recapping that portion of the conversation in the courtyard.

"You know, he's not nearly as ugly as Mr. Rogers made him sound. I mean, to hear him talk, you would think Loren was hit by a truck and sewed back together by Fourth Quarter surgeons."

"Certainly nowhere near as ugly as Max," said Ruth fondly. Maggie moved to her mentor and leaned into her, her current equivalent of a hug.

Pip was going to say something, but Ruth stopped him with a look. "No more apologies, Pip. Max was happy to have a real purpose again, and he really liked you, in his own way. With your gift, well, he was sure you could be the best Adam Rieckenburg ever had." Pip flinched and Maggie noticed.

"What gift?" she said, asking them both. When neither answered, Maggie cocked her hip and adopted her best 'annoyed parent' pose with expression to match.

Ruth smiled and patted the younger woman on the back as she began to walk toward Loren. "You kids have some things to discuss. I'll make sure Loren gets back to where he's supposed to be when he's done here."

With Ruth gone, Pip was left to weather Maggie's glare alone. "You know, I think she did that on purpose."

Confusion overcame annoyance and Maggie dropped her affected scowl. She shook her head. "Pip, please tell me what you two are talking about -- I'm so lost." Pip smiled down at her and placed his hand on the small of her back.

"Okay," he acquiesced. "Let's head to my room and I'll fill in the missing parts."

To say that Maggie was upset at being left out of Pip's confidence regarding the Effect would be an understatement. Pip wisely remained silent while she raged. If her arms had been fully healed, she likely would have been throwing furniture, oversized though it was.

Eventually, her anger was spent and she sat on Pip's lap, snuggling into his chest. "Why didn't you tell me, Pip?"

Pip let out a deep breath, having known this question was coming. "The simple answer is that you didn't need to know. It doesn't really change anything about our relationship -- it's just something that helps me when I fight."

Maggie shook her head. "That's not true. Don't you think it would have been nice for me to know when you went to fight? Do you have any idea how worried I was? I was a blubbering idiot for more than a week.

"Wait," she said, sitting up suddenly. "Does Rosie know?"

Pip nodded. "She was the one that helped me figure it out."

"And Rachel?"

"Actually," said Pip slowly, "I'm not really sure. We've never discussed it, and I'm certain that John wouldn't have mentioned it to her, but she has so much confidence in me, like I'm the second-coming of Gerald Snowden. To be honest, it wouldn't surprise me if she knows all of our secrets."

Maggie nodded seriously. "Scary, right?"

Pip agreed with a head bob. "Yeah, maybe. She's still pretty great, though."

"She is," replied Maggie, snuggling back into Pip's chest.

"Pip, if we're going to be together -- I mean the four of us -- we can't have secrets."

"Wait, what?" he said, dumbfounded. "I thought there wasn't going to be 'the four of us' anymore."

Maggie burrowed in closer and said something that was lost in his chest. "What?" he asked. Her second response was just as garbled, so he poked her in the ribs and made her pop up with a squeak. She didn't want to look him in the eyes, so he gently raised her head with a finger under the chin. "What did you say?"

"I made a mistake, Pip. I'm so, so scared that you won't come back one day. I'm scared that I'm not good enough for you -- that you'll get bored of me. I'm scared that I don't measure up to Rosie or Rachel, and that I'm holding you all back." She had been looking away, anywhere but his eyes, but now she looked at him directly. "But I don't care. I want to be with you. I missed the other PET girls, my friends, but not seeing the three of you every day -- it was like having my heart torn out over and over again. Can you forgive me?"

Pip immediately released her chin and leaned down to kiss her deeply. When they broke apart her eyes were wet, but she was smiling. "Maggie, it really hurt to not have you with me anymore, but there's nothing to forgive. You were just trying to figure things out, the same as all of us." He sighed. "Truthfully, I don't know what I'm doing most of the time. The only real exception is when I'm trying to punch somebody in the head. At least that is straightforward most of the time."

"Thank you, Pip."

"You're welcome, but I should also apologize. I should have seen that you were missing something.

"You know, you don't have to spend all your time with us. Talk with Madam Bower -- I have a strong suspicion she already knows what you need, even if you're still figuring it out." Maggie snuggled back into him. "Should we go find the other two and tell them?"

Maggie shook her head. "I don't think we need to -- knowing Rachel, she'll be here with Rosie in a quarter bell anyway." Pip smiled at the thought, then pulled a blanket from his bed onto both of them. When Rachel and Rosie did arrive, they found the couple sleeping peacefully, and quietly crawled onto the bed themselves for a midday nap.

The reunion was loud and happy, but Pip only saw the first part, because he was quickly kicked out of the room and told to find something productive to do while the girls talked.

Without anything planned, Pip headed toward the Courtyard and was pleased to find Loren, who was sitting alone, as always. Approaching slowly to avoid surprising his trainer-in-training, Pip seated himself next to to the man. Loren seemed to be completely consumed by his own thoughts, so Pip laid back to look up at the gray sky, resting his head on laced fingers. His mind was somewhere up there, among the indistinct clouds, when Loren spoke.

"I have some thoughts about that experience."

Pip smiled to himself. "I bet they involved ladies in blue and the passage of time."

Loren turned and stared down at Pip, giving him a dirty look. "Smart ass. I bet you want to talk about the second thing."

"Sure, but I'm not in any rush. The women that run my life told me to find something to do, so I have nothing but time."

"No training with John?"

Pip shook his head, or tried to do so while laying down. "Just some light cardio today: tapering down for the fight. That's why I've been able to spend some time with you these last few days."