Wasteland Rules: A New Dawn (The World After Book 3)

by J. G. Martin

  “How did you get those and why do you have them?” She asked with concern.

  “I got them off of a drug dealing scumbag I collected a bounty on, I’ve been saving them ever since.” Derek informed her. “Rule #15, always be prepared.”

  She sighed and took the bag. “Hold on a minute. I have to wear a cocktail waitress outfit? Aren’t those pretty skimpy?”

  “I don’t think it would fit me.” Derek joked.

  “Somehow your plans always seem to revolve around me showing off my assets…” Rora pointed out caustically.

  “That’s the world we live in, I’m afraid.” Derek said with a grin. “Now let’s go get me a fight.”

  That task proved easier than she expected. They had gone back into the casino and asked the concierge if they could speak with the person who ran the fights. The concierge looked Derek over and nodded.

  “Now that seems more fitting for you.” He had sniffed.

  A young man wearing a toga had escorted them into a gym area where a number of fighters were working out or sparring. They had been led to an older man with a slightly sagging beer belly and gray hair shaved into a short Mohawk, who was barking at one of the fighters to keep his hands up. The man was in halfway decent shape and looked like he had once been a fighter himself. He ignored them until the sparring match was over and then turned to regard them.

  “What? I’m busy.” The man asked angrily.

  “My girlfriend and I, we’re down on our luck and I was looking to make some money.” Derek said, trying to sound desperate.

  “And you want a fight. Why does every big guy think he can fight?” The man lamented. “Look pal, these are trained fighters. It takes more than size and strength to win in the cage. You need training and experience. You can’t just walk in off the street and demand a fight.”

  “How about a tryout at least?” Derek insisted.

  “Fine, Mikey here can get you some gear and I’ll grab a fighter to spar with you.” The man said with a sigh as he pointed to a young man nearby.

  Derek went with Mikey and disappeared into a locker room for a few minutes. When he came out, he was wearing shorts and gloves and she could tell he had a mouthpiece in. After a few seconds she realized that he was wearing shorts that had “Born to Fight” on the front and “Die Fighting” on the back. It matched the now visible tattoos he had on his chest and back. Where did he get this stuff?

  When the fight manager saw him, the man stopped short and stared at Derek. “Whoa, you have got a lot of scars. Is that all from one fight?”

  “No that’s twenty years of battles all over the world.” Derek replied.

  “You don’t look that old.” The man said with a thoughtful look on his face. “And where did you get those shorts? I haven’t seen those in years.”

  “These? I’ve had them for a while.” Derek told him. “I’m ready, let’s do this.”

  “Okay, get in the cage with Kevin. He’s one of my up and comers. This will be a full speed match; he isn’t going to hold back.” The man warned Derek.

  “Good.” Derek said as he entered the cage.

  The other fighters started to gather around the cage and Rora noticed they were all grinning. They obviously expected Kevin to teach Derek a painful lesson.

  “When the bell rings you fight.” The fight manager announced. “No time limit. No groin or eye strikes, no fish hooking, no holding the cage, no small joint manipulation, and no holding the shorts or gloves. Other than that, all strikes are legal including knees or kicks to a downed opponent. Fight until your opponent taps or the bell rings. Got it?”

  Derek gave a thumbs up and focused on his opponent. Kevin was young, in his early twenties, and he was heavily muscled. Derek was in great shape, but he didn’t have a weightlifter’s physique. This kid looked capable of wrestling a bull, and he had an angry intensity in his eyes. Rora didn’t doubt Derek, but she hadn’t seen him face as well-trained and as physical a specimen as the man in the cage.

  She shouldn’t have doubted him, because the fight was over so quickly if you blinked you might have missed it. When the bell rang, Derek swarmed the poor kid with punches and kicks. The kid was caught off guard and could barely defend himself. A vicious uppercut actually lifted the young fighter off of his feet, and he was out cold when he hit the canvas. A collective “OOOOH!” was uttered by the onlookers, followed by stunned silence.

  Derek looked over at the fight manager, who was simply staring at him in open mouthed amazement. It took the man a moment and he gathered himself enough to ring the bell signifying the end of the fight. Two of the other fighters and Mikey rushed into the ring to check on Kevin. The fight manager slowly entered and stood in front of Derek, considering him thoughtfully. Finally, he put his hand out.

  “Charles Slidell. Fight Manager for the Maximus.”

  “Derek Storm. Currently unemployed.” Derek said smartly.

  “Not anymore. We pay one thousand in chips for every fight, plus another three thousand for a win. You get more after you win a few fights. Free room and board, but you have to live here. You in?” Slidell asked.

  “I’m really only looking for a couple of fights to get us back on our feet.” Derek lied.

  “Pretty much all of them said the same thing.” Slidell said as he gestured towards the other fighters. “If you are good, and I think you are, this can be the easy life.”

  “We’ll see.” Derek offered. “How soon can I fight? I saw you have fights tomorrow night.”

  The man glanced over at the still unconscious Kevin. “I do have an opening.”

  “I’ll take it.” Derek said quickly.

  “Don’t you even want to know who the opponent is?” Slidell asked in surprise.

  “Doesn’t matter to me.” Derek informed him.

  “Really?” Slidell said with raised eyebrows. “You are that confident?”

  “You saw what I did to Kevin, and that was without warming up.” Derek stated confidently. “Put me in against someone who I can put on a show with.”

  “Hmmm. I might have a possible opponent for you. But no one has been willing to fight this guy for a year now. Are you sure you still want the fight.” Slidell asked cautiously.

  “He sounds like the perfect opponent.” Derek agreed.

  “Okay, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Slidell said with a chuckle. “Mikey, get this man some sparring partners. He’s fighting Hercules tomorrow night.”

  The collective gasp that met that statement worried Rora, but didn’t seem to faze Derek. He merely watched, slightly disinterested, as they carried Kevin out of the cage and into a training room. She found a seat and watched as Derek grappled and sparred with several men over the next few hours. She noticed Slidell nodding his head as Derek worked through some of the maneuvers and holds.

  “Does your boyfriend train at home?” He finally asked her.

  “He’s not…not that I know of. But we’ve only been together for about four months.” She replied with a little hesitation.

  “He’s pretty good for somebody who doesn’t fight regularly. He reminds me of a guy that used to fight years ago before the Collapse, but he’s too young to be the same guy. Same tattoos and last name though, I wonder if they’re related?” Slidell mused.

  “I don’t know. I don’t ask a lot of questions about his past. None of my business.”

  “Always a good rule to follow, especially around here.” The fight manager told her.

  “Hey, what about his opponent?” Rora asked, curious and slightly worried.

  “Hercules? He’s the current champ of the Strip. Undefeated. No one wants to fight him, so he wasn’t schedule to fight tomorrow night. But he has an open challenge, so I know he will take the fight, even on short notice.” Slidell explained. “Which reminds me, I need to go set that up and start promoting it. It will be a huge draw.”

  Rora could see from the gleam in the man’s eye that he was anticipating a huge payday from the fight. He didn�
�t care about Derek’s welfare one bit. She knew Derek was a great fighter, but a fighter so good that no one wanted to fight him? In a city full of fighters? That didn’t sound good. She hoped Derek knew what he was doing.

  When he finished his sparring she pulled him aside. “Slidell told me about your opponent, and I’m worried.”

  “Yeah, the other fighters talked about him. They actually seem slightly in awe of him, and they are all afraid to fight him. Kevin was working his way towards that fight, but he wasn’t ready yet.” Derek told her.

  “That’s what I’m worried about. This guy has never lost a fight. He must be good.” Rora said worriedly.

  “He’s never fought anyone like me. I’ll be fine.” Derek said reassuringly.

  “If you say so. I need your help to get the ARK, so don’t go getting crippled or killed in the cage.” She said affectionately.

  “I won’t. I can only keep the fight going so long before people start to question if I am dogging it, so make sure you get into the office and get what we need as quick as possible.”

  “I will. Did you find anything else out from the other fighters?”

  “I did. It turns out that every casino has a stable of fighters that they employ. Winning fighters are a huge draw and are treated very well. The champion of each casino lives like a king. They also use the fighters to settle disputes between the casinos. The two champions fight and the winning fighter ‘wins’ the argument for the casino. It’s like something out of a gladiator movie. I may move here after we are done and live the champion’s life.” Derek said with a laugh.

  “How about you win tomorrow first before you start planning your championship reign, okay?” Rora reminded him.

  “Don’t worry. I have it covered.” He replied confidently.

  Chapter 18

  September 5, 2029

  Maximus Casino Arena, Las Vegas Strip, Nevada

  The casino’s arena was filled to capacity. From Rora’s viewpoint in the owner’s box all she could see was a swarming mass of humanity as people tried to find their seats. Allegedly the interest in the fights, really the fight between Derek and Hercules, had been so great that they had sold standing room tickets in the aisles and crammed an extra row of seats in at ringside. The other casinos had also bought the rights for a closed circuit feed and were selling seats in their arenas for people to watch on the Jumbotron. The excitement and anticipation of the crowd was palpable, and the arena literally vibrated from everyone moving around and the heavy music pounding from the speakers.

  She tried to make herself as inconspicuous as possible and kept near the door. While everyone else was watching the fight she would slip out and get the cocktail waitress outfit and drinks, then head to the security office. As drunk as the people in the box were, it wouldn’t be too hard to slip out unnoticed. People were already slurring their words and having trouble standing. Most of the people in the box were either very wealthy high rollers or politically connected, which meant they were probably wealthy too. It was disgusting to her, but according to Derek this is how it had always been.

  There were a few warm-up fights prior to Derek’s fight. The champion, Hercules, had accepted the challenge immediately and it of course would be the main event. It turned out the champion hadn’t fought in over a year because everyone was too scared to fight him. The last opponent was permanently injured in the fight when the champ snapped his arm. Rora could tell no one believed Derek would win, but they were expecting another brutal finish by the champ.

  The other fights finished and then the fanfare began for the main event. Derek walked out to the strains of “American Badass” by Kid Rock. He seemed totally focused and virtually ignored the crowd, causing them to boo him. The champion followed him out to the cage shortly after, making his entrance to “I’m the Man” by Aloe Blacc. The champion was the exact opposite of Derek, playing to the crowd and getting a huge reception. The cheers were almost deafening, even inside the luxury box.

  Everyone in the box had moved to stand at the window and they were all totally transfixed by the impending fight. While they were distracted, Rora quietly slipped out of the box. She walked down the hallway, passing a cocktail waitress on her way to the bar from one of the boxes. Rora waited until the waitress passed by and then choked her unconscious from behind with a rear naked choke. She quickly dragged the unconscious girl into a nearby service closet and took her outfit. Grabbing the serving tray Rora headed down to the bar area and collected some drinks.

  No one questioned her or paid her any heed. They were all watching TV monitors showing the pre-fight activities. All the people booed when Derek was introduced and cheered for the hometown favorite, Hercules. Rora had also heard that opponents had been brought in from around the country to try to beat him, but he had defeated all comers. Vegas considered him a hero and had been waiting for another chance to see him fight. They were going to get that opportunity, but she was pretty sure it wouldn’t turn out the way they thought.

  After she got the drinks she moved to a secluded spot near one of the steel doors that led into the secure part of the casino. At some point in the near future, a security guard would leave to make his rounds and she could slide in before the door closed. Once she got inside, the guards would hopefully be so distracted they wouldn’t notice her ID badge didn’t exactly match her face and she could get into the main security office. All she had to do was wait for the right moment.

  Meanwhile, Derek was pacing his side of the cage like a wild animal. The champion, Hercules, had made his way to the cage while Derek waited inside. The man had played to the crowd and seemed quite vain. He wore a lion skin over his fight gear like the legendary Hercules was reputed to do, and he was escorted by beautiful women dressed in slave girl outfits. Derek looked him over as he entered the cage.

  The man was much younger than Derek, probably in his late twenties, and was very well built. He was nearly as tall as Derek, but much heavier muscled. His blond hair was long and braided into corn rows, and he had a burned in tan that was probably fake. He flexed as he entered the cage and winked at Derek. He seemed to be taking the whole event as a big joke. Derek figured the man had become so used to winning that he wasn’t taking this fight seriously. That would be a huge mistake, but it worked further in Derek’s favor.

  They were called to the center of the ring for final instructions and stood eye to eye. The man gave him another wink and blew him a kiss as Derek stared at him. Derek had to give it to him, the man was confident. Maybe the champ was exceedingly talented, but Derek had the SuPERHUMAAN edge and he plenty of previous experience from his youth. The real challenge would be drawing out the fight without being obvious.

  He noticed the casino head of security, Jonas Blackmon, at ringside. The man was eyeing him suspiciously, probably wondering why the same man who had tried to scam his way into the vault a day earlier was in this cage. Derek would have to keep an eye on him, to make sure he didn’t get up and leave to go check out the security office. The referee had kept talking while Derek was thinking and then sent them back to their corners. Derek waited anxiously, he was ready to fight. That little warm-up the day before had gotten his competitive juices flowing.

  The bell rang and the two men met in the center of the cage. They began circling and studying each other. Derek didn’t want to blitz him like he had Kevin during the tryout because he needed the match to go much longer. So he threw a few jabs to find his range and test his opponent. The champ responded in kind. Derek decided to hit the man with a hard shot to the head and rattle him, so that he could control the remainder of the fight.

  Derek threw a punch at half speed at the champ’s ear with that intent. He was stunned when the man caught his punch easily. Even at half speed the punch should have connected easily. Instead Derek’s fist smacked into the champ’s palm with a meaty smack and stopped. No man had ever caught one of his punches, let alone stopped it cold. The force behind the blow should have knocked the man’s hand
back. The champ smile and leaned in close.

  “You didn’t think you were the only one? Did you Storm?” He sneered.

  The crowd screamed with excitement as their champion caught the challengers punch and then shoved Storm back. Derek eyed the man with renewed interest. Was it possible this man had also undergone the SuPERHUMAAN treatment? Derek had assumed he was the only one because he hadn’t heard of anyone else, but that had been short sighted and egotistical. That put a whole new twist on this fight. Here was someone of equal physical prowess, maybe more since he looked younger, who possibly had more training and mixed martial arts experience than he did. That made them the favorite on paper.

  Of course Derek had a lot more actual combat experience and was a lot more used to withstanding pain and injuries. He was hoping the man had gotten soft from always beating his opponents so easily. While this man had been living the high life in Vegas, Derek had been fighting monsters of all kinds across the country. That should give him the edge, he hoped. If nothing else it would mean a good fight and he wouldn’t have to sandbag. It had been a while since he had been equally matched in a straight up fight, man to man with no armor.

  The champ smiled and launched a barrage of punches and kicks causing the crowd to scream even louder. Derek weathered the attacks and circled away. The champ smiled even wider as he saw that Derek was unscathed. He was probably relishing the prospect of a real fight, and a chance to really prove himself. Years of easy fights had probably grown old quickly, but like most people he would have been loath to give up the easy life in Vegas.

  They nodded to each other and began to fight in earnest. The two fighters came to the center of the cage and exchanged punches and kicks. Striking and counter striking without holding anything back, their exchanges getting faster and faster until they were literally a blur. Neither man could gain advantage but they were both landing good shots. The crowd had reached a feverish pitch and their screams had become a continuous roar that drowned everything out. The arena shook from the jumping up and down and stomping of feet.