by Gavin Magson
“What are these augments I keep on hearing about?”
“Jeez, where have you been living?” chided Aiko. “You must have seen someone with an augment before. Your average augment is a mechanical addition or replacement to the human body, the most common ones are replacement limbs. It's not unknown for the more expensive versions to have a real living skin exterior, grown from the hosts own cells. I suppose you won't see many in this part of Sector Four, perhaps I can dismiss your ignorance. They can be pretty pricey, and the cheap ones have such high rejection rates they really aren't worth the risk.”
A loud cheer came from the crowd outside, as one of the men took a tumble outside of the circle. The bell rang and men came to his aide, a stretcher carried the limp body away. Ajax didn't know what to think about these strange devices Aiko was talking about, he would have to see one for himself to truly understand their worth.
“So what kind of augments has this guy had? What am I up against?” he asked.
Her face paled, the horrid memory of his last fight surfaced in her mind. “The man he fought was a real monster, perhaps worse than Kayne is now. He broke Kayne's back, they had to replace his entire spine with a cybernetic implant. You'll see the scar for yourself, you can't miss it. They used nano machines similar to these,” she said, shaking the jar of salve in her hands, “but they can't have been programmed correctly. I think they attacked his brain, left him insane. Literally, he is fucking insane.”
The second fight had barely begun before it finished, the winner broke her opponents jaw with a vicious scissor kick. Ajax only saw the aftermath, he turned back to look as the crowd simultaneously groaned and cheered. It was his time to fight again.
“Look, I don't care who or what this guy is. He sounds more machine than man but I can beat anything that breathes. I have to repay the captain's debt; I will win, anyway I can.”
He stood up from the bench, a little shaken by Aiko's words. He may have only met her a few hours ago but he was sure the woman did not spook easily. She had been cool and calm, had shown little emotion before now, barely even a smile. This Kayne really had her shook up, scared even; perhaps he should be worried as well?
“You don't have to do this. To pay off this debt you have to win fights, and you can't win fights from the grave. This guy will not hesitate to kill you in the ring, he doesn't think like you and I. If he is in a fight it is always to the death, his opponents only survive if they are dragged out before he can kill them. I can cancel the fight, I'll just talk to the organisers; they will understand.”
“No. I can do this, you don't know just how much more I can give. I need to win fights to pay off the debt, the sooner the better. I don't want to fight long enough to become a monster like this Kayne.”
Ajax shrugged off her objections and headed for the circle. Around him the crowds were quiet again as the fighters names were called out. He could see more than a few looks of sympathy, pity surrounded him wherever he turned. He was going to show them, all these doubters. Ajax could beat any man in that ring.
He stood still on the discoloured sands, still rubbing his knuckles, more out of habit than need. There were two men raking the sand around him, trying to even out the spilt blood and at the same time sift for any dislodged gold teeth. The crowd began to part as a monstrosity strutted past, walking into the circle whilst silence rippled through the crowd around him.
Aiko had not lied. This wasn't a man before him, it couldn't be. What entered the ring was covered in more scars than he could count, at least a head taller than Ajax and packing more muscle than seemed possible. Kayne turned to face the crowd and they cheered as he show boated, tensing biceps like rock filled sacks. A hideous scar ran the full length of Kayne's back, from the base of his bald skull past his waistband. When he turned once more to face Ajax all he could look at were those insane, demonic eyes and the smile of a madman.
The bell sounded, instantly hushing the excited crowd; they did not want to miss any of this. Ajax watched as Kayne advanced, shaking his giant arms to either loosen the muscles or try and intimidate his opponent.
The first punch came fast, almost too fast for Ajax to dodge. Shame he didn't see the knee that followed. The blow threw him off balance and he hit the sands, quickly rolling to miss the following kick. When he rose back to his feet Kayne was advancing again, throwing punch after punch that connected with increasing force. Ajax managed to strafe out of Kayne's reach, sending his own kick at a kneecap to try and down his opponent. Ajax wasn't as lucky. He was going to need something special to beat this guy.
Ajax ducked under another swing, stepping in to throw as many punches as he could into Kayne's torso. It was like punching reinforced concrete, his blows barely even got a grunt out of the man. Ajax blocked an elbow with his skull, causing large black spots to cloud his vision. He was sure some of his teeth had been loosened by the force, he staggered backwards as it left him barely able to comprehend what was happening.
Ajax realised too late that he had sunk to his knees as Kayne's shin connected, catching him on the side of his head. He almost flew across the sands, his light body like a doll as it bounced across the grainy surface.
This time Ajax struggled back to his feet, shaken by every blow he could not avoid. A huge hand gripped his left shoulder, the other grabbed his arm and twisted it back. He looked up into those ferocious eyes as Kayne pulled until his arm left the socket with a sickening, wet thump. The crowd groaned, the first noise they had made during the fight. The pain was incredible, unbearable as Kayne now punched the empty socket. Ajax could only cry out as the onslaught continued, feeling the rage build within him as pain threatened to render him unconscious.
Ajax braced, expecting the next blow to be his finish; it never came. He opened his eyes to see Kayne strutting around the circles circumference, again basking in the fear and awe of the crowd. Ajax was stunned that the berserker had left his quarry unwatched; he needed no second invitation to take the first opportunity presented to him in the whole fight.
He grabbed his loose shoulder and inexpertly relocated it into the socket with an agonising snap lost in the crowds roar. He gritted his teeth, it was all he could do not to cry out and alert Kayne. Ajax could feel himself on the verge of passing out, the pain was on the threshold of what he could take, and left him nauseous as his shoulder burned with pain.
His opponent, finally done with show boating, turned back to Ajax; except he wasn't there. Ajax connected with the fighters back, both feet driving into his horrendous scar and sending Kayne face down into the sands. Ajax landed on top of the felled giant, scrabbling to slide one arm under his throat and grabbing the arm with his free hand, pulling back to increase pressure on the thick neck.
Kayne clawed at Ajax's flesh, his thick fingers flailing as they tried to grab anything to pull his assailant off. Kayne manage to rise to his feet, still failing to suck air through his closed throat, all the time trying to shake Ajax off. The giant dove backwards, landing on top of Ajax and driving his head backwards into his attacker.
Still Ajax hung on, blood streaming down his face from a cut above his eye, never relenting in his attempt to choke out this abomination. The pain in his shoulder was unbelievable, it felt like a fire within his body that some asshole kept adding more coals to. His right eye was already beginning to swell where Kayne had struck it with his scarred skull. Soon he would lose sight in it, one more disadvantage against the brute.
Kayne was done, his body loosened, releasing the vice like grip his huge hands had on Ajax's arm and filling him with relief. When he managed to push the dead weight off him Ajax was greeted by a stunned crowd, immobilised by their shock. Before them this runt of a man had managed to subdue Kayne, destroyer of countless men. He had done the impossible and won.
Aiko dashed into the ring, grabbing Ajax's face and looking into his empty eyes. He was lost in thought: should I have held out longer, should I have killed him? He knew what that man was capable of, he had loo
ked into the eyes of a killer and lived. Someone who did not distinguish between right and wrong, who could kill on a whim and feel no remorse for his actions, perhaps he should have done the world a favour. Ajax knew he couldn't have done it, not in this circle where the stipulation did not call for victory by death. Unlike Kayne he had a conscience.
He became aware of a single voice, it called his name repeatedly yet sounding distant. Ajax finally snapped out of his trance and looked up into Aiko's face, it was contorted with fear and came as a surprise to him; she had been concerned for his safety.
“What were you thinking, you idiot! Are you okay? Can you move the arm at least, he could have torn it off.” her voice was a lot softer than he expected, yet it didn't help the pain.
“It hurts, like really bad. I'll mend, at least I'm not-,” he said, cut off as Aiko was flung aside, helpless against the brute force of Kayne's rage.
The man screamed a guttural, pain filled cry as he wrapped both hands around Ajax's throat and lifted him from the sands. His grip tightened by the second as Ajax kicked out at the demon before him. How had he recovered so fast?
Ajax slipped both arms between Kayne's, grabbing them for balance as he kicked off the man's chest and managed to break free from the hold. Kayne charged as Ajax landed, luckily he managed to land on his feet this time. He dove out of the way just before Kayne connected, quickly rolling upright and landing a combination of blows into Kayne's kidneys.
His opponent turned, too slow as Ajax paced back to tackle him around the chest, landing on top of Kayne as they fell to the ground. Ajax gripped Kayne's head and plunged both thumbs into the man's eyes, relishing the screams as he felt both eyeballs burst under the piercing pressure.
He was lost in his own world, he didn't hear the shocked screams of the crowd, didn't see the look of horror on Aiko's bloodied face as she scrabbled to get out of the ring. No one could close their eyes as they saw Kayne buck the skeleton off him and begin to swing both arms out to try and grab at his unseen foe. Blood dribbled out of his ruined sockets, flecks of ruptured eyeballs covered Kayne's face. The man did not stop screaming his pain, his rage, his desire for blood.
Ajax ducked under the man's reach easily, throwing more punches into his gut, side and back; Ajax waited for the opening he needed. As Kayne turned Ajax brought his foot down hard on his opponents shin, breaking bone which erupted through skin in a satisfying spray of blood. His cry was music to Ajax's ears, who did not relent for a second.
Ajax wrapped his arm around Kayne's throat once again, except he was back to back with the tall man, Kayne now forced to kneel on his good leg. With a sudden burst of strength Ajax drove up and forward, lifting his opponent off the ground by the neck. Kayne had little fight left in him, his slick fingers struggled at Ajax's grip as much as he could until, SNAP! Ajax looked up at the crowd, taking in their reactions to the death of this monster, savouring the stunned expressions.
He knew they would all have betted on the man, he couldn't blame them for that. The body fell to the floor, limp and lifeless yet even more terrifying than before, now for entirely different reasons. The neck was distended, the ruined eyes a mess that covered most of Kayne's horrifying face.
Ajax looked down at his hands and saw the evidence of his actions, blood and fragments of eye covered his skin. He felt so weary as his heartbeat slowed from the excitement, his exertion taking its toll on his body. Aiko was in front of him again, shaking him to get a response.
“Are you with me, Ajax? Snap out of it for fucks sake, we have to go; now!” she screamed, finally getting something close to recognition from Ajax.
He nodded and looked back at the corpse once more. It seemed so easy now, simple even. Without hesitation he had killed, he felt no regret for his actions. Kayne had been so blinded by his rage that he did not know he was beaten. Ajax knew he could call on his brutal skills again, whenever it was needed of him. He didn't even realise he was grinning.
Chapter 10
Aiko clasped Ajax's arm hard enough to turn her knuckles white and escorted him out of the building, keeping him moving through the crowd that tried to close in on them. When they were finally outside and back in the alley she pulled out his clothes from the bag slung over her shoulders and held them out for him.
“Did he hurt you back there?” asked Ajax, pulling his vest over his head, relishing its protection from the night’s breeze.
“No, I'm all right. Just a small knock to my head really,” answered Aiko, indicating the small, bloodied graze on her forehead.
Aiko pulled out her tablet and held down a small button until it fired into life. They walked slowly back to the street as she tapped on the screen, cursing quietly under her breath. With the adrenaline leaving his system Ajax realised that the woman before him was much younger than her demeanour suggested, behind her hard stare and scowl was a face of unconventional beauty. In her way Aiko was quite pretty, even if she was a little intimidating at times.
“Okay, there should be a taxi along in a few moments. Step under that light, I need to get a better look at your wounds.” she ordered.
Ajax followed her until they stood under one of the few working street lights, outside a closed bakers. He lowered himself onto its steps, tilting his head back to look up at Aiko. She had the jar out yet again, this time scooping a handful and seemingly smearing it on his whole face.
“This stuff cannot do anything for your swollen eye, but at least these cuts will heal cleanly. What are you made of, those punches should have cracked your skull at the very least. I cannot believe you are still alive.”
“What can I say, I'm made of hard stuff. It'll take more than that thug just to keep me down.” he looked at his dirtied hands, still coated in the dead man's blood. “At least I'm alive, that is more than can be said for him.”
His words hung in the air, unanswered as Aiko paused in her work. When she did speak it was soft, almost at a whisper. “You could have killed him the first time, if you had just held on a little longer with that choke hold. Why didn't you?”
“Because he wasn't trying to kill me, not then at least. It was just a fight and you said it yourself, the rules don't call for a death. Until I met him in the ring I couldn't be certain everything you told me was the truth. Now that I've seen first-hand his thirst for violence I know what the man truly was; I looked into his eyes and all I saw was death.” said Ajax. He kept his head turned from Aiko, the wound on her forehead filled him with guilt; his compassion could have seen the woman maimed, or worse, killed.
Two lights turned around a corner onto the street, heading their way, followed by the noise of an engine. Ajax quickly wiped his hands on the back of his trousers as he stood up from the step, a real effort as his body was now running on empty; he desired his bed more than anything.
As the hover came to a smooth stop its doors opened automatically, still something Ajax had yet to get used to. He clambered onto the back seat and scooted over to allow Aiko somewhere to sit. When Aiko sat down next to him she held the intercom, instructing the driver to take them to the Haven Inn.
“We will be outside the tavern in a few minutes, so I don't have much time. This is for you,” she said, pulling out a thin plastic disk from her bag. “It's preloaded with two hundred credits, the chip is as good as a replacement for credits on your implant. It's a lot harder to trace where it came from this way, trust me when I say that being connected to these fights can, and will, see your freedom removed.”
“Not being a part of these fights will see my oxygen dependency removed. Besides, I can't take this, I'm only fighting in that ring to pay off Duke's debt. Put that money towards it.”
Aiko smiled, the only positive emotion she had shown since his first fight. “You think two hundred will make a difference? This money is for you to buy clothes, food and pay your rent; how can you recover with no roof over your head or food in your stomach? I need you fighting fit for the next bout. There will be a lot more fights ahead and you
need to bulk up, because now that you've killed Kayne in the ring the competitors you'll be pitted against will be mean sons of bitches. Kayne had brute force on his side, no real technique behind him though; wait until next time and you will thank me that you have a bit more muscle behind you.”
The taxi began to slow, Ajax could now see the familiar front of the tavern out of the tinted windows. He imagined the fires warmth that would greet him and longed to be stood in front of it.
“Fine,” he said, pocketing the credit chip, “but I'm only taking this so I can increase my strength. I definitely need some stamina, those fights have left me drained. Before I go, I just want to say thank you; that salve really helped keep my good looks.”
Aiko laughed at his poor joke and watched him slowly ease out of the taxi. Ajax turned to wave as the hover sped out of the courtyard, not seeing whether Aiko returned the gesture. Within seconds the lights disappeared and he was alone once more.
With Aiko gone he let out a low groan, the pain in his shoulder had been a constant since the adrenaline stopped an age ago. He shuffled over to the tavern and stood under a dim light at its entrance. He gripped the door with his good hand and tried with all the strength left in his body to open it; it did not budge. He had no choice but to hammer on the door, hoping that someone was still awake to open it for him.
What seemed like an eternity passed before he finally heard signs of life coming from inside. He could hear faint curses growing louder as its owner reached the door, and he stepped back with a second to spare. Sal swung the door open with a kick of his boot, brandishing a metal club in one hand and an oil lamp in the other. The landlord was ready for action, instead shocked to a standstill by the sight before him.
“What the hell happened to you, kid? You look like something that's managed to crawl free from the gutter.”