After the Second Fall

John whistled theatrically, inadvertently rousing a couple they were walking past. John stopped walking and looked up at Pip seriously. "All joking aside, Pip, are you happy with how things are going? I know all three of those girls are wonderful, but you need to keep in mind that Rosie and Rachel are coming from really rough places. If this isn't a real, permanent thing, you need to figure out how to end it soon, before it goes too far to avoid deep, lasting hurt. Do you know what I'm saying?"

Pip nodded. "Thanks, John, I appreciate your advice. This is all new to me, and it's happening really fast. I've been going along with it, trusting Rosie and Maggie, but you're probably right that the four of us need to sit down and talk."

"Just talk?" asked John teasingly.

Pip shrugged exasperatedly. "I have no idea. It feels like anytime one of them is around I'm just another passenger on the train."

John reached up and clapped Pip on his back. "If it makes you feel any better, I feel exactly the same way when I'm with Lilith.

"By the way, my shoulder is still sore, and it's been almost two days," said John as they resumed their walk.

Pip smiled but didn't look at his mentor. "I figured."

John just shook his head. "So, the fight..."

As the two continued their stroll, Pip gave John a concise recap of the fight, answering the older man's questions along the way.

"So it all went according to plan," John said aloud, mostly to himself. "Do you think you could have beat him without the Effect?"

Pip shook his head. "Not very likely. The guy was even bigger than Max, and moved unbelievably fast. If he would have caught me with his dive, I don't think I could have gotten away without taking a pounding. And I have a feeling that if I get in a fight of attrition, I'm going to end up on the losing side, the same as I did in all those training fights. Well, until the last couple, anyway."

"What about hitting him in the ribs, in that special spot?"

"Actually," Pip said, considering, "I don't think that is so important. There are a lot of places I could hit an opponent and cause significant damage, like the liver, or the spine. It worked out this time because his arms were stretched out and I was right there to hit him, but I wouldn't say that it's crucial."

John nodded pensively. "Pip, I want to keep knowledge of the Effect to ourselves. That's five people so far: us, Lilith, Max, and Rosie. The Council will chalk up this easy victory -- no offense -- to you hitting that spot, and I think that's for the best. It probably means all of the Adams will continue to be trained to hit it, not preferentially, but when the opportunity arises. That also means that the other cities will learn of it."

Pip gave John a questioning look.

"There are always spies, Pip. Traitors. They feed information to Marbelo or Gracia or whoever for money. That's why I want to keep the Effect to ourselves. I don't know if there is a way to counter it, but it seems to be crucial to our success, so I'll talk with Lilith and Max, and you can talk with Rosie."

Pip nodded.

"And anyway," John continued, "the doctors will probably figure out how whats-his-name died when they do the autopsy. Having our competitors spend a lot of time talking, developing countermeasures, training -- it's good for us so they aren't working on something more useful instead."

"Sven Kobin was his name."

John stopped walking and closed his eyes. "Broad, blonde, one blue eye and one brown?"

"That was him."

John whistled appreciatively, this time completely without theatrics. "Not bad, Pip, not bad."

The two once again resumed their walk toward the executive conference room where the debriefing would take place.

Having gone through the details once, the post fight assessment went smoothly, with Pip explaining most details before the directors needed to ask questions. As John anticipated, there was much excitement about the magic bullet that had now been unequivocally confirmed. Director Baker, the head of Special Projects, was especially pleased that his support for this approach had been justified, and he smiled broadly at John and Pip throughout the meeting.

Director Collins, on the other hand, was uncharacteristically quiet. When the meeting concluded, she and John had a brief whispered conversation, after which they left the room together. As the rest of the participants filed out, the Executive Director said, "Pip, please stay for a few moments. I would like to speak with you."

When the room was clear and the door shut, the Executive Director stated directly, "Pip, I know there is something different about you. I don't know what it is exactly, but I am going to use it to make this city prosper. Does that bother you?"

"No ma'am," Pip replied immediately, looking back at her with a blank expression. "That is what I was born to do."

The Executive Director paused, waiting for Pip to say more, and when he didn't, she asked her next question. "Did you enjoy winning your first fight?"

"It was better than the alternative, of course, but I did not enjoy the process."

"Did you enjoy the celebration last night? It is not so common that an Adam is in shape to participate after a fight, and certainly never after a fight with one of our main adversaries."

"No, ma'am. I didn't see any reason to celebrate." She gave him a questioning look, so Pip continued. "It was just another day, with a lot of waiting by myself beforehand."

The Executive Director sat back, staring hard at the young man. "Is it remorse?"

"No, ma'am. I did my job, and my opponent did his. I was successful and he was not." Pip shrugged. "That's it."

"You're not relieved to be alive?"

Pip shook his head. "No, ma'am. I'm glad, but not actually relieved."

"Explain."

Pip broke eye contact for the first time, considering how to phrase his response. "Every day, going back more than... well, at least five years, there was a fair chance I would be killed, always increasing as the other Adams got bigger and stronger. I killed two Adams in fights, who were both trying to do the same to me. When I spar with Max, he doesn't pull his punches any more, and if he were to hit me squarely, there is a good likelihood that would be the end.

"People kept asking me before the fight if I was scared, and the answer really is 'no'. It was just another day, and just another fight."

The woman across from Pip looked at him without changing expression for some time, while he again returned her gaze. "Pip, that may be simultaneously the saddest, and most inspiring thing I have ever heard. Are you content with your situation?"

"Yes, ma'am. I have friends who care for me, and colleagues who make sure I am doing the right things. I've already achieved more than I expected, so every new day is a bonus."

After another silence, this one stretching for some time, the Executive Director spoke again. "Thank you, Pip. That will be all for now."

As Pip left the room, John fell into step with him. "So, how did it go?"

Pip shrugged. "Fine, I guess. She asked if I was happy."

"And?"

"And I am," said Pip.

"That's all?"

"Pretty much."

They walked quietly for a while. "I guess that means she likes you," John said. Pip shrugged noncommittally. "It also probably means that she is going to keep sending you into the Arena."

As they approached the hallway where they would separate, John stopped. "I talked with Director Collins about my decision not to be completely open about the, uh, mechanics of the fight." Pip nodded his understanding. "There was a little debate, but she's on-board. I'm heading to see Max now. Remember that you have today and tomorrow completely off for rest, so give my best to your three lady friends, and I'll see you all tomorrow at lunch."

"Not today?"

John shook his head. "I don't think I'll be eating any time soon: still feeling a bit queasy." Pip smiled and the two parted, with Pip heading back to his room where the girls were waiting.

"So?" Rosie asked.

"Was fine," Pip replied. "Not a big deal, really. I went over the fight and then stayed after to talk with the Executive Director."

"What?" exclaimed Maggie. Rachel and Rosie both gave their friend questioning looks. "She's like the scariest person in the whole Complex. She's famous for staring people down. Did she do that to you?"

Pip shrugged. "Yeah, I guess."

Maggie's eyes got big. "What did you do?"

"I stared back."

Maggie clearly wasn't expecting this answer and it took her aback. "That's it?" Pip nodded. "Pip -- please understand that I mean this is the nicest way possible -- sometimes I'm pretty sure there's something different about you."

Pip grinned. "That's what she said." Maggie made a show of throwing up her hands in disbelief, looking to the other two women for support.

"I don't even know who you're talking about," said Rosie. Then she grinned, "But I do know Pip is different." Rachel agreed with a smile.

Maggie turned and flopped dramatically onto the Pip-sized bed, planting her face in a giant pillow. "Sometimes I forget you're both so new here," she complained, which sounded something like "mmmfmffmmf mmfmmf mffmmfmf" to the others in the room. As she continued to rant to the bed, Pip raised a finger to his lips and then motioned to the bed. He pantomimed his plan, which had Rosie grinning wickedly, while Rachel's eyebrows raised. Pip nodded and smiled again, squeezing her hand briefly and then counting down from three with his fingers.

When Pip's uncasted hand pushed down on her hips from behind, Maggie squealed in surprise, and tried to push herself up, only to have the wind knocked out of her as one of the girls landed on top of her. In the same motion, the attacker grabbed her left wrist and pinned her right arm to her waste, effectively immobilizing her. With some aggressive squirming, Maggie was able to flip her hair out of her face enough to see Rosie grinning down at her suggestively. Maggie gave her a dirty look in return, but couldn't do much else.

"Come on, Rachel, you know what to do," Rosie said while looking down at Maggie.

Maggie's eyes went wide and she renewed her struggle with even more vigor, but Pip's force was too much, and all of Rosie's weight was pinning her upper half down. It quickly became evident that she was stuck, and Maggie stopped struggling again. The moments stretched and Maggie had just started to relax when she felt the mattress shift as someone crawled up on her right side.

With some additional bucking, Maggie turned her head enough to look through her hair to the other side, finding Rachel looking down at her uncertainly. Rachel's hand came up and reached toward Maggie's exposed side where her shirt had ridden up. The first touch was tentative and Maggie barely felt it, but Rachel grew more confident quickly, and the initial touches became caresses. Maggie closed her eyes and let out a sigh of contentment, relaxing again.

"Nope!" called Rosie loudly while simultaneously poking Maggie in the soft spot below her ribs. Maggie bucked strongly, but Rosie continued to prod her, knowing from previous experience how ticklish Maggie was in this particular place. Maggie was soon screaming, crying, and laughing simultaneously, all while begging Rosie to stop. Without warning, Maggie's legs were released and her wild motions tossed Rosie off to the side.

Maggie didn't pause for a moment and tackled Rosie before she could get away, pinning the lighter girl. Maggie's hand immediately went to Rosie's weak spot at the top, innermost part of her thigh, where she pressed relentlessly, now causing Rosie to howl with laughter. The pair continued to wrestle, but Maggie's heavier body kept her in the superior position.

Pip stood smiling next to Rachel, who was resting on her knees "Are they always like this?" she asked.

Back at the scene of the struggle, Maggie's hand had been pushed higher, quickly finding its way under her panties, and Rosie's scream turned into a drawn out moan. Maggie continued her manual manipulation while Rosie's hands grabbed her friend for a kiss.

"Pretty much," Pip replied. "Too much for you?"

Rachel took a deep breath. "I... don't know. I have a lot of... issues about... physical things." Pip placed his hand on her back, rubbing gently.

"Do you want to stay?" After a pause, Rachel nodded.

Pip sat down in the large chair next to the bed, motioning Rachel to join him. Once she was seated comfortably on his leg and reclining against his chest, they looked back to the other two, who had managed to become thoroughly entangled in each others' clothing. Undeterred, the pair were progressing quickly to increasingly intimate activities.

While Rachel's eyes never left her friends, Pip's attention was divided, alternately looking at the girls and then down at Rachel. He moved his arm around Rachel and laid his hand on her leg, reaching all the way to her knee, in what he hoped was a comforting gesture. Without breaking her concentration, Rachel reciprocated, placing her hand on his thigh and then tracing a line back and forth. Not wanting to disrupt the unexpected contact, Pip held back his own moan and closed his eyes.

By the time the girls were reaching the finale of their session, Rachel was exploring freely with her hand. Pip had given up trying to be quiet and had laid his head against the back of the chair, enjoying the intimacy and trust Rachel was sharing with him.

When Rachel's hand abruptly stopped in his lap, Pip opened his eyes to find all three girls looking at him. Maggie and Rosie, now fully undressed, were standing directly in front of him, stunning in their contrast.

Maggie, voluptuous, with her dark curly hair and dark eyes, stood with her hand on her hip. Rosie, lean and fair complected, had her arms folded, emphasizing her bust. As often occurred in similar situations -- which seemed to be happening with increasing frequency -- Pip couldn't form words.

Maggie narrowed her eyes. "This is all your fault, you know."

"Um huh," agreed Rosie.

"I think you owe us," said Maggie, stepping forward with Rosie.

"Uh huh," confirmed Rosie again as the pair climbed into his lab next to Rachel, whose eyes went wide at this newest development. Rachel shifted her hips and started to slide off Pip's knee when Rosie put her hand on the woman's hip. What followed was an entirely silent conversation between the two.

Pip's eyes flicked back and forth, waiting to see what would happen. Just when he had worked up the courage to say something on Rachel's behalf, Rosie smiled and leaned forward, planting a brief kiss on the other's lips. Rachel smiled in return, then focused her attention to Pip, turning in place so that all three women were looking up at him.

"Oh, shit," he breathed out, and without even meaning to, Pip slowed time more than he ever had before.

Chapter 18

"So, what do you think?" Lilith asked John.

They were sitting in her office, having just come from a Council meeting. "Honestly, Babe, I don't know.

"Babe?"

"Just trying it out," John said with a half grin, which quickly disappeared. "The truth is, there isn't much risk, relatively speaking anyway, and the upside is pretty big. My issue with the idea is that Adams rarely fight more than once a cycle, and we're talking about Pip fighting twice in a half cycle. The precedent isn't good, but what worries me the most is his hand. It should be healed in time for the fight, but 'should' is different than 'will be', and you know we can't pin bones because they will show up in the pre-fight x-rays. Is it even enough time for your marketing blitz?"

Lilith leaned back in her chair, her fingers drumming on the armrest. "Actually, for my purposes, the situation is pretty close to ideal." John was a bit surprised, but didn't say anything, so she continued. "Pip is just coming off a victory against one of our primary rivals, where he beat an accomplished opponent with multiple victories. That's point one. What's more, he did it convincingly. I didn't even have to push that information out there; the people at the party saw that he was fine and did it for me. That's point two. Next, we didn't really do much marketing pre-fight, because there was so little notice, which means people in the city won't be burned out when we really hype him up. Point four in favor is that Pip was already becoming a folk hero, and this is a chance to really cement him in peoples' minds: to make him the face of the program, like we discussed when we first started.

"Think about it: in less than a hundred days, the city learned about him dramatically with your motorcycle stunt, then saw how dangerous he is when he killed more than half a dozen men in an exhibition game -- I mean match. Then he beats one of the big three with barely a scratch on him, and if he follows this up with a second victory in as many months..." Lilith paused for effect, letting John consider her arguments.

"But perhaps the biggest factor is that, as you said, the risk to Pip is low. Brock-Loren's program is just not as good as ours, and having a chance to annex the remainder of their city -- well, it just doesn't happen very often."

John sighed. "I know. Your arguments are well laid out, and I don't really find fault in any of them. It's just..." John shook his head. "It just seems too easy." Lilith raised her eyebrows questioningly.

John stood and started to pace around Lilith's office, which was actually only big enough for him to take two and a half steps before he had to turn around. "These fights are brutal in the strictest sense of the word. Every one of our Adams, or of the fighters from the other cities, they're all trained from birth -- from birth! -- to be killers. And not just that, they're genetically engineered to be as lethal as possible.

"Lilith, there isn't a man in this entire city that could touch me in a mostly-fair fight, and in the same way, I wouldn't stand a chance in the Arena, regardless of the opponent."

"So you're worried about Pip?"

"No! That's the thing. I should be worried, but I'm not. I should be concerned that something bad is going to happen. Instead, I have full faith that Pip will walk out of the Arena, probably in even better shape than the last time. What worries me is that I'm taking this as a given: that we're missing something. Do you understand?

"What Pip did against Kobin should not have been possible. The man was skilled, ruthless, and the best fighter in the Marbelo stable. It's likely that his loss will set them back for some time, possibly several years. Did you hear that Northumberland already challenged them?"

Lilith nodded. "Two of the smaller cities as well."

"See? This is a vicious world, and yet, I couldn't be more confident in Pip."

John took a deep breath, calming himself, and sat down again. "Did you know Pip is getting even better at controlling the Effect?"

'Oh really', said Lilith's look, but she remained silent.

John nodded. "His control is strong enough now that he can slow the passage of time so that it is barely perceptible to him." Lilith didn't look as impressed as John expected. "Which means, that his ability to influence his own body is also improving."

Now Lilith's expression changed. "Is the change significant?"

John nodded. "Max has been using a standing jump as a barometer, like we did in his room. His normal jump is right around a meter and a half, which is almost enough to clear your head. When we first started checking, he could sometimes pass two meters using the Effect, which is already unbelievable. Now, he's almost to two and a half meters, which means he can jump over me. Lilith, that isn't with a running start; that is with him starting next to me, and just jumping up."