After the Second Fall Pt. 01.3

"Lucky me."

Pip found shrugging was also difficult in his current position. "You could go hang out with your Brock-Loren friends. There are still two or three of them around, right?"

"Two, and no thank you." Loren laid back himself, his hands folded on his stomach. "I don't mean to be such a shit, Pip. I'm not used to having people to talk to -- I hope you'll be patient with me."

"Sure." They let the silence settle for a hundred heartbeats, then another. "You know, though..."

"Yes?" said Loren, rolling his head sideways to look at Pip.

"You really are a pain."

"Um huh," grinned Loren as he looked back to the sky. "It's one of my defining characteristics."

"Don't worry. Madam Bower's girls will fix that."

"Fine by me. Anything at all they want to do is fine by mean." Pip chuckled softly and Loren turned to look at him again. "Pip, every single one of those women is... Damn, I don't even have a word for it. Smart, beautiful, kind. If I wouldn't have been able to process things slower, I think something in my brain would have burned out."

"I usually use the word 'lovely,' because it shows appreciation for them without focusing just on the physical aspects of what they do."

"You know," said Loren thoughtfully, "I doubt I've said that word in my entire life."

Pip let out a quick burst of laughter. "No doubt. You don't strike me as a 'lovely' kind of guy." After a pause, he continued, "Did I understand right that you figured out how the Effect works?"

Loren nodded. "I think so." He was quiet a moment before continuing. "There was this time when I was... oh, maybe twenty-three or twenty-four years old. I wasn't as quick as I am now, but was still faster than any of the other fighters. There was a big match coming up, so they wanted me to spar with the Brock. Not just once or twice, but every single day for the entire lead-up. Of course he caught me -- just once -- and shattered my hip. I was in traction for three months while the bones mended. When I was finally able to stand, I couldn't really remember how to make the muscles work.

"Once I knew what to look for when we were in with the ladies, it was a bit like that. I have so much experience with what you call 'the Effect' that parts of it seemed completely natural, but at the same time there was no muscle memory, or whatever the equivalent would be, so I could barely influence it. I assume that part gets easier?"

Pip tried to nod. "When those bullets were coming toward me at the rally, I was able to slow them down so that they were moving two or three hand spans for every beat of my time. My guess is that you could get to that point with practice."

Loren frowned. "How fast does a bullet actually move?"

"No idea," replied Pip, "but it's fast. When I fight with people, their bodies barely move, so I have all the time I need to figure things out. I could make a hundred small changes in the time it takes an opponent to make one. There are still limits, but there is a much bigger margin for error."

As he finished, a form walked up to stand over them. Back lit by the sky, Pip had to form blinders with his hands to recognize his handler. "Hey, John. Wanna Join us?"

John immediately laid down on Pip's other side, even though he was wearing his formal work attire. "What are we doing?"

"Aside from the obvious, we were just talking. It seems Loren has started to gain some measure of control over the Effect."

John got up on an elbow and looked across Pip to the other man. "Good for you. How did you do it?"

"That was the other thing we were discussing," Pip answered. "I took him to see Madam Bower's girls."

"In the Lounge?" asked John, clearly surprised. "Loren, my friend, you're lucky they didn't eat you alive."

Loren smiled timidly. "Not such a bad way to go, really," he said, making the other two laugh.

They continued on, amiably chatting about nothing in particular. For Loren, the experience was novel, and he seemed to be progressively more relaxed as time passed. The dynamic changed somewhat when three young ladies walked into their line of sight, smiling and waving. Pip smiled in return while Loren openly gawped. "Hi, girls. This is Loren, new here from Brock-Loren," he said before introducing Maggie, Rosie, and Rachel. They wanted to know what the three men were doing, and decided that laying in the fresh air sounded pretty good. Rather than finding their own spots, Rosie and Rachel each took one of Pip's arms, while Maggie gingerly lowered herself onto his chest, once again snuggling in close. When Pip snuck a look at Loren, it looked like the new guy's eyes were about to jump out of his head.

Casual conversation continued, except for Maggie, who had quickly fallen into a light sleep, snoring softly.

It wasn't long until a couple walked over, asking to join them. Pip didn't immediately recognize either of them until the man started talking, at which point he realized it was Doug from the lunch crew, minus his beard. The woman holding his hand was apparently from the same department, as she was also wearing a white labcoat, which set off her black hair. The pair laid down in the vicinity of John's head and general, inconsequential but enjoyable conversation resumed. By the time the top of the bell chimed, two more couples had joined them -- along with Irena, the blonde PET girl, who decided to lay next to Loren -- and two or three conversations were going simultaneously. For his part, Pip was quiet, just enjoying being surrounded by people he liked, even if he didn't know all of them very well.

When Director Collins walked over, looking stern, conversation slowed and then stopped. She looked down at them, clearly confused. "What on earth is going on?" she asked.

Rather than answer, John, who was still lying on his back, of course, reached out his arms and smiled. In response, Lilith held up a warning finger and shook her head vehemently. A fiercely contested non-verbal battle of wills ensued, which was ultimately won through cunning use of John's 'sad eyes.' Rolling her own eyes in exasperation, Lilith kicked off her shoes, comfortable as they were, and laid down on his chest. "Cheater," she stated flatly. John just laughed and wrapped his arms around her.

At the dinner bell, Pip gently displaced the girls and sat up. To his right, Lilith and John were asleep, and on his left, Irena was curled up on Loren's shoulder while he gently rubbed her back. Pip patted the man's other shoulder with a smile and stood, joined by Maggie and Rachel, who had just woken. After bending to take a still dozing Rosie in his arms, they walked off toward the cafeteria to get dinner.

Chapter 23

Once again doing his extended stretching routine, Pip reflected on the previous week. Following his conversation with Maggie, their relationship had become better. And easier. Maggie was more open with him, and they were working toward finding a new normal. Rosie was thrilled to have her best friend back in the fold, and Rachel was Rachel. All in all, that side of his life was going very well.

As far as preparation for the fight, that had also gone smoothly. Loren was still short tempered, but his interpersonal skills appeared to be improving, thanks in no small part to a particular buxom blonde. Even better was that Loren could now slow time at will, although he couldn't yet control the rate of time progression. This made it possible for he and Pip to spar again, and both had improved as a result. A spectator watching the duo practice could be excused for thinking they were doing some sort of highly specific, choreographed dance, as there was only the occasional light touch when Pip got past his trainer's guard. On Loren's side, he had not yet managed to slip through Pip's defense, but he had gotten close several times and was certain it would eventually happen. Even in the presence of a clearly superior opponent, Loren was always self-confident to the point of arrogance, challenging Pip again and again. Pip loved his resolve, and began to think that the two might be friends after all.

At the end of the first day, Pip stumbled back to his room, almost too tired to walk. He and Loren has dueled for almost the entire day, only stopping briefly for lunch and refueling breaks. While the physical stress was high, the mental toll was what really wiped him out. The second day was better for Pip, but he still fell asleep with his workout clothes on, which made Rosie laugh and Maggie wrinkle her nose. The third was better still, and Pip actually managed a shower before bed. On the fourth day, Pip woke up feeling rested and ready, but Loren didn't show. When he had gone to Loren's room and knocked, an irritated and tired Irena opened the door. "Please, Pip," she said, "take it a little easier. I think you're pushing him too hard."

Pip leaned his head back and laughed, then struggled to quiet himself so as not to wake the sleeping man. "I'm sorry, Irena -- I'll try to back it off a little. Tell your sleeping prince I came by and that he can find me when he's ready."

With only three days until the fight, they didn't actually spar anymore, but they did talk well into the afternoon with John, discussing the Effect, tactics, and even future opponents. Pip spent the entire following day with his girls. They couldn't lay in the Courtyard again because of rain, but Pip enjoyed the time all the same, and again felt ready when he boarded the transport.

Just before the final time ticked away, Pip slowed time to a crawl: a suggestion from John. As the door slowly slid open, Pip moved through in a crouch and surged forward with a burst of speed, intending to startle or at least unnerve his opponent. After all, Presto was a veteran of nine fights, the most in the history of the Arena. When the opposite door cleared his opponent's head, Pip was already a third of the way across the room.

The man was professional, so if he was surprised at Pip's charge, he didn't show it. The man also wasn't Presto. Rather than send their Number One, Northumberland had entered their Number Two. Timber had won three fights, all against smaller cities, and was impressive in his own right. Standing two full hands taller than Pip, the man was bald and blocky, with his entire left arm covered in tattoos. As the two neared, Pip abruptly checked his run and jumped to his right, sending a spray of sand into the other's face. Timber had set his weight forward to meet Pip, and thus needed a half step to keep from toppling forward. While he righted himself, which only took two beats, Pip closed the distance and slammed his elbow into the man's ribs from behind. The resulting crack was not what Pip expected, and he leaped backward, exerting full control of the effect to clear a distance longer than he was tall. Backing up to assess the situation, he saw his opponent right himself and stalk forward again.

The blow Pip delivered had been thrown with force and landed solidly; while he didn't expect it to be fatal, he did expect it to hinder the big man by making it difficult to breathe. Assessing the situation while backpedaling in slow time, Pip realized that something was off, and it had to involve his opponents skeletal system.

Given the circumstances, the only important aspect of this realization was to find a way to overcome whatever competitive advantage his opponent had. If his ribs were strong enough to ward off a direct strike, his legs were almost certainly a no-go, unless he could find an unprotected joint, which was unlikely given the guy's skill. Body blows would be better if there were enough of them, but the man's long arms made this dangerous, and getting near his head was going to be difficult.

Pip continued to stay away from Timber while he searched for a solution. Given his recent training with Loren, holding time for long periods was easier than it had ever been. Thinking of Loren reminded Pip of the man's story, which was the genesis for an idea that developed into a plan, all while the larger man took two steps toward Pip.

Moving quickly once again, Pip faced up to his adversary and threw a left jab, aiming at the man's right side. As Pip expected, rather than dropping his arm to protect his side, Timber threw his own left hand, which Pip easily avoided by abandoning his punch and stepping aside. With his suspicion confirmed, Pip began to methodically fire off jabs and snap kicks at different targets, never actually making it possible to get hit. The response was always the same: a willingness to absorb a strike if it meant a chance to hit Pip in return. That was, until Pip threw and overhand right at Timber's lead left shoulder. Rather than throw an answering right cross, the larger man rolled his shoulder to block the strike in what was clearly a conditioned response.

Smiling inwardly at the irony of what he was about to do, Pip fired two more snap kicks at the other's lead leg, then stepped forward with his best hammer strike, directed at Timer's left collar bone. Timber had clearly been paying attention as well, and as he once again rolled his shoulder, stepped forward simultaneously to close the gap. Pip had nowhere to go, but fortunately didn't need it. As his arm had come up for the strike, Pip had also surreptitiously raised his lead leg, so when Timber's arm came forward, Pip stamped down directly on the side of Timber's knee, which buckled immediately.

While Timber flailed and fell in slow time, Pip's second leg was already moving forward. An instant after the bigger man's body hit the ground, Pip's heel connected with the edge of his pelvis right behind the femoral head, snapping off bone and dislodging the thigh bone entirely. As the downed man howled in pain and bent to grab his shattered hip, Pip brought his hands together and then down onto the side of his opponent's head; Pip was rewarded with the sound of snapping vertebrae and then silence.

Stepping back, Pip looked around him. The walls and dome were still white, meaning that the fight, while intense, had again been brief. In front of him, Timber was crumpled in a heap, and for the first time, such a site disturbed Pip. It wasn't the unnatural angle of the man's head, or the way his leg faced the wrong way on the sand: it was that idea that such a skilled opponent shouldn't be left in such an undignified state.

When the doors opened, Doc and Stitches started to rush in to the arena, only to be stopped short by a body lying across the front of the door. Timber's head and leg had been repositioned so that they looked natural, and his arms were clasped in front of him; his eyes were closed. Standing next to the wall, Pip had his arms crossed, waiting for the scene about to play out.

Two Northumberland doctors were now in the arena, looking confused and then angry. Behind them was an enormous man, the biggest that Pip had ever seen.

Seeing Pip next to Timber's body, the third man strode forward confidently, ready for an altercation if there was to be one. When he stopped half a dozen paces from Pip, the two looked each other up and down. It was Pip that broke the silence. "I don't approve of what your city did. They killed a friend of mine, and others. I won't let that go." He looked down at the body. "But I doubt this man had anything to do with those plans. Tell his friends -- his family if he had one -- that he earned my respect."

The other man, who Pip had immediately recognized as Presto, gave him a slow, cautious nod. "I will."

Pip nodded and stepped over the corpse. As he passed through the door, he paused and turned. "I'll be back here in two weeks. I hope it's you standing across from me."

Presto grinned viciously. "That, I can guarantee." Pip nodded, satisfied, and continued out of the building.

In the transport back, Pip again recapped the fight in general terms. When he got to the end, he held out his closed fist, palm facing upward.

"What do you have?" asked Stitches, leaning forward to look.

Pip made them wait a few heartbeats, enjoying being just a little dramatic, then opened his hand to reveal a finger. Stitches gasped in shock and sat back quickly; the doctor immediately reached forward and took it out of Pip's hand. "Your opponent's?"

Pip nodded. "The last finger from his left hand."

Recovering, Stitches sat forward again. "Is that why you positioned him like you did?"

"One of the reasons," Pip replied.

"Well done, Pip," said Doctor Shepard. "We'll start tests as soon as we get back and figure out what they did to the bone."

"Thanks, Doc -- that was just what I had in mind. You have two weeks to get it done."

The old man raised his eyebrows, but didn't say anything as he flexed the finger back and forth.

Northerumberland lodged a formal complaint with the Arena Board about the missing finger, but it amounted to nothing in the end. Arena lore was rich in history, including one particularly infamous fighter who removed an ear from each defeated opponent, before eventually suffering the same fate. When pressed why the finger was so important, Northumberland dropped the complaint.

The finger itself was split into its three component bones, the first of which was analyzed using a battery of tests. Within three days, the Complex's scientists knew that the bones, while still a calcium and phosphate matrix, had been largely filled in with calcium carbonate and small amounts of iron. In essence, the bones were partially fossilized.

While the increased density added significant strength -- almost fifty percent, as shown by testing the second bone -- it also meant that they were heavier. Consequently, movement would necessarily be slower, as muscles could only compensate so much. So said the folks in the white lab coats.

Pip wasn't convinced. He had seen the way Timber moved, and it had been plenty quick enough to do real damage. Presto was even larger, and the way he walked across the Arena floor made Pip think of a trained dancer: powerful with perfectly controlled movements. All together, fighting Presto looked like an absolute nightmare.

The oddity of the situation was that both sides were now scrambling to develop new measures and countermeasures. For Northumberland, the increased bone density had clearly been a State secret, and upon finding bones missing, had to know this was no longer the case. Furthermore, Pip had identified weak points during the fight, striking the knee hard enough to rupture ligaments and the hip hard enough to fracture bone. How could they compensate for an opponent with such speed, as also demonstrated on the rally video.

On the other side, Rieckenburg now knew what to expect, but surely Northumberland would change tactics. A skilled fighter could protect his legs if he had to, and Presto was probably too tall for Pip to hit in the head or neck. Even with his speed advantage, the available targets open to Pip would be few.

With two days remaining and all training complete, Pip decided not too worry about it anymore. John wanted to talk fight strategy, but Pip was more interested in the big picture. "Listen, John, I will have to see how it goes. I may be up against an opponent with no weaknesses, and if that's the case, I'll lose. If he does have a weak point, then it's my job to find it. Talking about hypotheticals isn't going to help -- it just wears me out. What I'm more interested in is why Presto didn't fight last week."

Seeing he wasn't going to get anywhere with his preferred topic, John gave in. "I would call it something like managing risk. I talked it over with Director Humbolt and he agrees. Essentially, they send in an opponent that might not be able to beat you, but can at least keep you from fighting for a while by beating you up. In reserve they have their champion, which means we won't be in a hurry to schedule more fights, because we don't want to send Stash against him. If they would have sent Presto at you and he lost, even if you were out of the picture for a while, we still have a legitimate Lead Adam that can go immediately."