After the Second Fall

"Uh huh, whatever," Director Collins replied, smiling.

In the practice arena, Max and Ranger's handler were stepping out of the sand, joining the ring of observers. Ranger had calmed down some, but still looked like he was ready to charge; Pip was focusing intently on his opponent. For the first time, John saw something beyond cold professionalism in Pip -- it looked like he actually wanted to kill the Adam across the arena.

The first ring sounded and the two Adams closed on each other, Ranger approaching quickly, but in a controlled manner. Pip allowed time to move normally, saving his strength for the few heartbeats it took Ranger to come within striking distance, then squeezed the Effect.

Ranger had rolled his shoulder, making it look like he was going to throw his right hand, but instead shot forward a short left jab. Had time not been moving slowly, it may have caught Pip off-guard, not particularly hurting him, but giving Ranger the upper hand. Instead, Pip stepped right, caught Ranger's wrist in his left hand, and yanked it upward in a single motion. By the time Pip's right foot touched the ground, he was already in the midst of a straight overhand right with the full power of his shoulder, chest, back, and leg behind it.

Pip's fist connected with his target, below and slightly in front of Ranger's left armpit, with dramatic effect. Pip felt ribs break and move inward, even as his own second and third fingers cracked, to be followed by the duller sensation of muscle giving way -- almost certainly the lung and heart.

Time resumed its standard progression and Ranger dropped to the ground, already dead. Pip stood over the body, his adrenaline still spooling up due to the shortness of the fight. The second ring sounded and the medical staff rushed into the arena, but as with Pip's previous fight, there was no need. Pip walked back to his starting point without a backward glance at his opponent, receiving a stoic nod from Max for a job well done.

John walked up soon afterward with Directors Humbolt and Collins trailing behind. "Alright, Pip?"

Pip had to take a deep breath before speaking, still trying to get control of residual energy. "Yeah, thanks. I'm pretty sure I broke my hand, but not badly -- probably just cracked a finger or something."

"Glad to hear it," said his handler. "Want me to send for Doc, or would you prefer your friends in blue?"

"Just Doc tonight, John -- I'm not going to be very good company," replied Pip, heading to his room.

After he had disappeared from sight, Director Collins turned to John. "What's wrong with him? I would have expected he'd be thrilled to win so easily."

"I think that's just it, Director," said John, "it shouldn't have been that easy. The truth is, Ranger never really stood a chance, and I think that bothers Pip."

"So he'd rather it have been closer?"

"No, but Pip's inherently a good guy. That probably felt a bit like being the playground bully. He'll get used to it, but it will take some time."

John took a deep breath and looked at his companions for the fight. "Directors -- thank you for joining me, and for supporting Pip. It means a lot to him, although that might not be obvious. Now, if you'll please excuse me, I'm going to go find Doc and have him check Pip's hand."

As he expected, John found Dr. Shepard in Surgery-One, examining Ranger. "Same thing as last time, Doc?"

"What? Oh, hello, Mr. Rogers. Not quite, actually." John raised an eyebrow, indicating his surprise. "The force was so hard this time that the heart actually exploded; the walls were blown out in all four chambers. I don't think you could do more damage than this if you jumped on a heart lying on the floor."

"Huh. Well, as lovely as that picture is, I was hoping you'd head over and see Pip -- he said he thinks his hand is broken."

"Not really that surprising given the forces involved. When you think about the thickness of a finger bone compared to a rib, it's entirely possible he has multiple fractures. I'll go there straightaway."

"Thanks, Doc. I'll walk with you, if you don't mind -- I would appreciate the opportunity to pick your brain."

"Of course," said the doctor as he gathered his field bag and walked with John out the door. "What is on your mind?"

"Actually, that's not too far off -- the mind, I mean. Have you seen anything different in any of Pip's scans? I was thinking that there might be something that could explain the way he seems to move faster than everyone else."

"No, I don't think so, but I generally look for big issues such as malformations, signs of trauma, and the like. I can go back over them and look for smaller differences -- would that help?"

"Thanks, Doc, that's exactly what I was hoping for. If you do find something, please talk with me first."

The doctor smiled at John's overprotectiveness. "Of course. Is there something in particular that I should be looking to find?"

"Not exactly," said John, hesitating slightly. "I suspect that Pip processes information faster -- maybe much faster -- than the rest of us, but I don't know what that would look like on a scan."

Nodding, Dr. Shepard said, "That's alright. A few possibilities come immediately to mind that should be relatively easy to check. I'll come see you in a few days with the results. Is that acceptable?"

"Perfect, Doc."

The two finished their walk in silence, arriving at Pip's room a short time later. John knocked and stepped inside, seeing that Pip was lying on his bed, still in his fighting clothes, right arm propped on a pillow. "Ready to see Doc?" Pip nodded, briefly making eye contact, and then went back to staring at the ceiling.

"All yours, Doc -- see you around."

This task done, John went in search of Madame Bower.

Before the next bell sounded, Ruth was walking quickly down a different hallway in the area of the Adams' dormitories with one of her most experienced ladies. Knocking gently on the door she sought, she slowly opened it a crack, waiting. A short while later, a slightly disheveled Maggie opened it further and looked out. Seeing her supervisor, Maggie was somewhat taken aback. "Is Pip okay?" she whispered, more loudly than she intended.

"He's fine, Honey, but he does need some cheering up." Maggie smiled hungrily, but Ruth shook her head. "Not that kind. He's a bit shaken and needs some company. Hold his hand, rub his forehead -- that kind of thing.

"If you can break away, Jules here can take over for you."

"Okay -- that should be fine -- we were just getting started."

Maggie soon emerged, having made her excuses to the Adam inside; she hugged her substitute and walked back down the hall with Ruth.

"You'll need to find Rosie -- she isn't on rounds and I'm not sure where to find her, but she should definitely go with you."

"No problem," said Maggie smiling. "Whenever she's feeling stressed, Rosie likes to go to the showers -- I think it helps her deal with the trauma from before she got here. I know she was a little nervous about today's fight, even if she said she wasn't. If I wasn't on rounds, I would have stayed with her."

"That's fine, just get over to Pip's room as quickly as you can. So you know, he didn't ask for you -- the opposite, actually. You may need to take a firm hand." Maggie's hungry smile was back. "I was speaking metaphorically, you little minx. Go get Rosie." Maggie giggled as she jogged off down the hall, her skirt swishing wildly, quickly disappearing around the next corner.

The reunion in the shower was brief. When Rosie saw her friend, she quickly hopped to her feet, turned off the water, and ran over, skidding slightly in her rush to see what was wrong. "He's okay, Rosie," Maggie soothed, "just banged up a little. Let's go see him."

Rosie hurriedly dried off and was soon standing next to Maggie outside Pip's door, hair still dripping slightly. "What do I do?" she asked.

Maggie shrugged. "I'm not exactly sure: comfort him, give him what he needs. I've seen you with him the last several days -- you get him -- just follow your instincts."

Rosie was unconvinced. "That sounds awfully cliche -- I thought a Second was supposed to give helpful advice."

Maggie considered for a moment. "How about: don't take 'no' for an answer."

"Hm, that is better. Thanks, Mags."

"No problem -- that's what I'm here for," she replied cheerfully.

Steeling her nerve, Rosie knocked on the door. When no response came, she knocked again, harder. When the silence lingered, she gave Maggie an unimpressed look and opened the door, her annoyance overcoming her anxiety.

Pip was lying on the bed, his arm elevated and hand wrapped; otherwise, he looked fine physically. Emotionally, he looked drained, and when he saw who it was, his head dropped back onto his pillow. "Dammit, Rosie -- did John tell you to come? I told him I didn't want company tonight." Pip sighed. "You might as well come in, too, Maggie -- no sense standing in the hall."

"Hi, Pip," she said happily, bounding into the room animatedly.

Rosie still had her arms folded, giving him a stern look. "Not even going to invite us in, huh?" she said.

Pip took his time replying. "Ladies, you know how much I care about you. Please go away."

Rosie didn't even hesitate. "Sorry, can't. My Second told me not to take 'no' for an answer, and I have to do what she says."

Pip raised his head again, looking from Rosie to Maggie.

"Yep," Maggie said with enthusiasm, "them's the rules."

"Why would you tell her that, Maggie? Surely you know I want to be left alone tonight."

"Because I have to do what's best for my Adam, right Rosie?"

"Yep," Rosie replied, still acting stern. "Them's the rules."

Pip groaned and let his head drop again. "You two can be infuriating. It's like you rehearse things just to torment me."

"Who says we don't?" challenged Maggie.

"You see?" he asked the room. "What am I supposed to do with them?"

"Easy, Pip," replied Rosie, softening her voice. "Let us take care of you."

"Do I have a choice?"

"Nope," the women chorused.

"Oh, good -- so long as we're clear," he said sarcastically, still looking at the ceiling.

"Shut the door, Maggie. I think we need to give our Adam a little attention." Without waiting for her instruction to be carried out, Rosie shucked her shirt and dropped her skirt. Now wearing only her underclothes, she climbed carefully onto the bed, and then up onto Pip's chest, settling her head against his right shoulder, careful not to bump his hand. Moments later Maggie joined them, head on Pip's left shoulder. "Is this really that bad?"

"No, of course it's not. You both know how much I enjoy being with you, but I killed an Adam today. That's enough to make me a little... morose. But to know that Ranger never really had a chance -- that's what is eating at me."

"Was it a fair fight?" Maggie asked softly, all traces of the bubbly happiness gone.

"More or less. I didn't cheat, if that's what you mean."

"Would he have killed you if he could have?"

"Ha!" he snorted. "He certainly wanted to. I don't think I've ever seen anybody that mad."

"Then let it go, Pip. This is who you are -- what you are. Your whole purpose is to be your very best. Anything less than that is going to get you killed, and I don't think Rosie or I could take that."

The three were quiet for a long while. Rosie enjoyed feeling Pip's enormous chest rise and fall; Maggie was slowly drifting to sleep listening to the bass beat of his heart.

"Thank you, Rosie, for not going away."

"Of course, Pip. I'll always be here for you."

"And thank you, too, Maggie, for making her stay."

"No problem, Pip -- that's what a Second is for," she said sleepily.

"Okay, now, seriously," he said rising up on his elbows, displacing both women. "You two might not leave when I tell you, but one of you better tell me what this Second business is all about, and I mean right now. The last time I asked you both giggled and avoided answering, but if it's going to keep me from throwing you out of my room, I want to know what's going on."

"Go ahead, Rosie -- you explain it to him," said Maggie, scooting down and putting her head on Pip's thigh. "I'm just going to close my eyes for a moment."

Now sitting, Rosie smiled at Maggie, not sure if she was putting on another show. "Alright, Pip. It's actually not that complicated.

"You know that sometimes an Adam clicks with somebody, right?"

"Like us?" he asked.

"Good boy," said Rosie, beaming. "Well, when that... attraction? Yeah, that'll work -- when that attraction is strong enough, that person can register as the Adam's First. This is usually one of the PETs because our job is to be around the Adams. In these cases, she still does rounds, taking care of other Adams, but her primary responsibility is to her Adam. Following so far?" Pip nodded. "Good. The reason they allow this, even encourage it, is they've found that Adams perform better when they have someone for whom they're fighting. Still make sense?"

"Sure, but what does this have to do with a Second?"

"Well, it's even rarer, but sometimes a second PET, or whoever, feels the same way about the Adam, and he about her." Pip reached down and stroked Maggie's hair, who purred in response.

"The issue is that women can be catty, for lack of a better word, so there has to be one PET primarily responsible for the Adam's welfare. The second PET becomes the Second -- her role is to make sure that the first is living up to expectations, and help any way she can. This could be anything, and includes giving advice, like Maggie did earlier."

"I see... sorta," Pip said. "Thanks for clarifying it for me. But Rosie, how do we make this thing we have official? How do you become my PET?"

"Oh, Honey," said Rosie smiling, "I did it right after the first time Maggie joined us. Ruth could see it in me as soon as I walked back into the Lounge."

"And Maggie?"

"Yep, she's official, too. We're all yours."

"So you don't need my permission, or whatever?" asked Pip.

"Not really," answered Rosie. "From the way you looked at me, and held me, I knew you felt it, too."

"But what if I wanted to meet some of the other PETs?"

"Do you?" challenged Rosie, still smiling.

"Well, no -- but I might have."

"Sure, Pip," she said, patting his cheek. "Sure you could have."

"You're impossible, you know that?"

"Uh huh. You in the mood for a kiss yet?" Pip groaned again and flopped backward. Rosie, undeterred, climbed up his torso and began planting kisses on his neck, working slowly toward his mouth. They were soon sharing gentle, loving kisses. Still lying on his thigh, half forgotten, Maggie started to gently, rhythmically squeeze Pip through his pants. Pip groaned into Rosie's mouth, luxuriating in the sensation.

The trio continued until Maggie actually did fall asleep, making Rosie and Pip giggle with her soft snoring. Settling onto his chest, Rosie reached up and played with his hair until she, too, drifted off to sleep. For Pip, sleep didn't come as easily, but he was no longer melancholy; rather, he was feeling particularly fortunate that the two women had become an apparently permanent part of his life.

Chapter 9

"So, Doc, did you find anything on the scans?"

"Huh? Oh, hello again, Mr. Rogers. To be honest, I'm a little reluctant to say. I did find an anomaly, but haven't been able to confirm it yet. I was hoping to do so after today's Council meeting."

"Actually, Doc, that's why I stopped by early: I would like to have an answer in case the topic comes up. It doesn't have to be definitive, but I've found that it always helps to have a plausible explanation in my back pocket."

"As you like. Would you like the detailed explanation, or the layman's version?"

"Simple is fine for now -- I'll get the details later," said John with a trace of sarcasm, which was entirely lost on the doctor.

"In the simplest terms, we can measure electrical pulses in the brain. The quantity of these pulses in Pip's brain is larger than typical."

When the doctor didn't say anything else, John prompted him, "That's it?"

"Yes, but that is quite something. More pulses may mean that he perceives events more quickly; it could certainly explain his improved reaction time, although it is only a hypothesis at this point."

"Okay, I guess that makes sense to me. How many more pulses are we talking, Doc?"

"That would be very hard to say. An educated guess would be a one or two percent improvement over Adam standard, which is already significantly better than a typical man."

"Huh," grunted John, disappointed. "Any idea what causes it?"

"Unfortunately not. It's not likely to be a brain chemistry effect; more likely it is something structural, but without physically examining the brain itself, I won't be able to say with certainty."

"Alright, Doc, thanks. If some of this comes up at the Council, will it put you in a bad position?"

The doctor thought about it and then shook his head, "Not likely."

"Thanks again, Doc -- see you there."

Walking out the door he motioned to Max, and the two walked toward John's office. "What did he say?"

"Pip's brain is more active than normal; Doc thinks that could account for a couple percent improvement, but that certainly doesn't explain the entire Effect."

"Agreed. Nothing else then?"

"He also said it's probably structural. My interpretation is that means genetic, rather than environmental. In other words, it was something the R&D guys did round about nineteen batches ago, but I doubt it was intentional -- probably a side effect of their experimentation."

"Do you think it has something to do with Pip's size?"

John paused before he replied. "If I had to guess, I would say 'yes,' the two are related, but who knows? The real question is how much to share with the Council."

"You're still planning on hiding this, then?"

"Not hiding, but definitely being circumspect for now, at least in front of the full Council."

"What are you afraid they'll do?"

"For starters," replied John, "cut Pip into pieces to see what exactly is different. From a program perspective, we've been moderately successful in recent matches, so we don't need to make huge strides. It might be the prudent path to risk Pip the individual to replicate results for the next generation."

"I'll agree that the Council doesn't care about individual Adams, but you think they would give up such a short-term advantage? I'm not convinced. My four consecutive wins increased the area of Rieckenburg by ten percent; with Pip's abilities, we could be looking at expansion beyond what's been seen in the last four or five decades."

"Maybe you're right. Tell me, Max -- is it wrong that I'm hoping that the Council are more greedy than they are patient?"

"Not wrong necessarily, but perhaps a bit unconventional. So what's your plan? You always seem to have one."

John shrugged. "I have a couple ideas, but I won't really know until I see which way the discussion goes. I just hope Pip has other friends in the room."

John's concern for Pip's immediate future, it turned out, was largely unnecessary. Discussion in the Council meeting focused on Dr. Shepard's autopsy report, the repeated killing strike, and not at all on Pip himself. Director Jacobs talked about a research project on how to increase bone strength, while Director Richards argued for a research study to pinpoint as many fatal strike points as possible; both proposals were accepted without serious opposition, although each had been tried before.

As the Council meeting was dismissed, John's retreat was halted when the Executive Director called out to him. "Mr. Rogers, stay and talk with me for a moment."

When the room cleared, John sat down at the Executive Director's right hand. "Hello, John. How have you been?"