by Gavin Magson
Ilya opened the door and left the room without a backwards glance at either men. Outside in the corridor there were only a few windows to let in light, through one she stared into the dim courtyard. There was a couple sat on the fountains ledge, sharing a passionate kiss; Ilya felt a pang of jealousy towards them.
Ilya tore her gaze away from the scene and walked around the corner that lead towards Ajax's room. Almost immediately she stopped in her tracks, quickly moving back to hide herself from view. Sarah had just stepped out of Ajax's room, stopping momentarily to run her fingers through messed up hair and to straighten out her dress. When Sarah left, walking downstairs towards the dining room, Ilya sank to the floor.
How could she be so stupid as to think he liked her back? In her mind Ilya cursed her own naivety, she loathed herself for finding that bastard attractive. She had been so foolish, he was just the latest man to let her down.
It took Ilya a few moments to calm down, the sharp ringing in her ears caused by her rising blood finally subsided, as did the overwhelming urge to cry. She picked herself up from the dusty carpet and walked around the corner, pausing for a second outside Ajax's door. Ilya hesitantly rapped her knuckles on the tarnished wood.
When the door opened it was to a topless Ajax, a towel wrapped around his shoulders as he paused from drying his hair. To her annoyance Ilya couldn't help herself, her eyes were instinctively drawn towards the defined muscles and interspersed scars. She was reminded of the faint white scars that were barely visible on Ajax's body the first time she had studied him, back on the Illicit Jane. These were fresh, mostly jagged and pink, littering his visible skin. The wound in his shoulder was almost as big as her palm, dark red with a hue of bruising all around it. She was amazed that it had not become infected, or that the healing appeared to be so clean.
“Good afternoon, Ilya, what do I owe this pleasure to?” asked Ajax, flashing a grin that only caused her anger to double.
“Lev came to see me and the captain about this job Rine has offered you, when you are dressed can you come to his room? It's the second to last door around the corner.” Ilya had to resist the urge to vent out her rage in front of Ajax; he was not worth her time.
“Sure thing, I'll be there in five minutes. Are you all right, you seem a little flustered?”
“I'm fine, see you in five.” she said, before turning on her heel and disappearing from sight. She hid the single tear that fell from her eye.
Ajax was confused, which since there was a woman involved came as no surprise to him; it was becoming a recurring theme for him. He closed the door and finished towelling his wet body. He dressed himself in the same clothes as earlier and headed for the captains room.
By the time Ajax was knocking on Duke's door Ilya had managed to suppress her feelings, a blank expression worn like armour on her face when she opened the door. Duke's room was a little bigger than Ajax's, though even sparser in furnishings. Duke enjoyed living a simple life, which might explain his lack of wife, though Ajax had never thought to broach the subject.
“What was it that you wanted to discuss with me?” asked Ajax, having to stand for lack of seating in the room.
Duke was sat at his table with Lev, a tray between them on which three cups sat. “Lev has told Ilya and I all about your meeting earlier with Rine. He seemed quite focused on the one million credits part, but eventually divulged the more important details. I want to know why you are even considering such a dangerous job?” asked Duke.
As Ajax struggled to think of a sensible answer Ilya laid down on Duke's bed, trying to ensure she was not joined. Despite her protests the captain asked her to move up, she allowed Ajax to sit on the end of the mattress but kept her expression impassive. The bed seemed to be a lot softer than his own, something he might have to bring up with Sal.
“You need another reason, other than the unbelievable reward on offer? You said it yourself that the ship would need to be sold,” a sharp intake of breath behind him distracted Ajax momentarily. “A million credits could turn your business around, perhaps afford upgrades and repairs that the ship is in dire need of. I want to help and the only skills I possess are unsuitable for mining ore. You tell me how else I could help you and the business?”
Duke's shoulders sagged, his face flashed an expression of sadness before he could compose himself. “I'm sorry I did not tell you sooner, Ilya, but it is true. Ajax, you have done more than I could ever ask for to help me, I do not want you accepting such a dangerous job to save my business. I will find some employment in the city, hopefully something we can all do; there will always be work for people with our skills.”
“I think he should accept,” said Ilya, contributing for the first time. “He is a grown man and can make his own decisions, whether right or wrong, and will have to live with the consequences.”
Ajax was stunned by her words, they were entirely unexpected by him; he failed to pick up on her hidden meaning. Duke looked solemn in his chair, he was shocked that he had so little support from Ilya and had no idea what could have caused her about face.
“You can't stop me taking this job, if Greg comes back and says he can repair the camouflage system then I will be accepting it. I don't want to have to beat up inexperienced fighters for a living, this one job could open all sorts of doors for me, for all of us. I don't know if I could ever thank you enough for saving me from that stasis chamber, I will always feel indebted to you, Duke. You can reject the money if you want, but it is offered freely if I succeed.” said Ajax. As he sat waiting for a reply from Duke Ajax felt a familiar vibration from his pocket.
“I don't think you can convince him not to do this, captain,” said Lev, looking at the hard expression on Ajax's face. “You know we could really do with the money, no one wants to work in this dump when we can be soaring through space. At least think about it.”
Ajax barely heard a word Lev had said, he had enthusiastically pulled out the tablet, hoping that Greg had finally sent a message. He was a little disappointed to find out that it was Aiko.
I'm on my way over now, should be there in 10 minutes. Make sure you don't leave me waiting this time - Aiko
“I will think on it. That doesn't mean I approve of you risking your neck out there, Ajax; once this debt is paid off I would love for nothing more than you to cease all contact with Rine, retire your guns and lead a humble life farming grass, as long as it kept you out of danger.” said Duke.
“Acknowledged, dad,” said Ajax, not even attempting to hide the smirk on his face. “I've just received a message off Aiko, if you guys still want to come to the fight I am meeting her outside in ten minutes. I'll wait for you downstairs.”
Ajax, Lev and Ilya all left the captain's room to return to their own, Ajax only momentarily as he grabbed his knife and sheath. With the blade strapped and concealed Ajax headed downstairs and ordered a drink at the bar whilst he waited for the crew to show up.
Chapter 17
The air was cool tonight, considerably colder than the afternoon and strangely refreshing on Ajax's skin. The tavern seemed to only have two temperatures, freezing and boiling; anything between them was a welcome change. Duke and Lev had taken no time at all to get ready, both donned their jackets and joined Ajax for a quick drink whilst they waited for Ilya.
When Ilya had walked down the stairs and into view Ajax's breath was taken away. The dress hugged her slim figure, accentuating her small breasts and narrow waist, leaving just enough to the imagination to leave his heart hammering against his ribs. Ajax had to rearrange himself to make sure his excitement wasn't known to a room full of people.
Now that all of them were stood outside Ajax could not help but internally curse Aiko for making him wait this time. It did not help that Ilya's choice of attire was causing the three men to look away for decency's sake. It was either that or risk her wrath, and the embarrassment of being caught ogling her body. Lev didn't suffer the same predicament as the other men, but knew it best to avoid eye contact.
Ajax took off his jacket and offered it to the evidently shivering Ilya whilst trying to maintain eye contact; she really should have worn a bra tonight. Ilya took the jacket and said her thanks, meaning it despite still seething about his choice in partner.
A hover finally showed up in the courtyard, pulling up in front of the huddled group. Without need to confer the men stepped aside and allowed Ilya to step inside first before she succumbed to hypothermia, or them to a stroke. Ajax was unsurprised that Aiko had gone for her predictable clothing, the long coat that hid her figure and stopped any weather seeping through, her jet black hair tied up in a tight bun, minimal make-up that hinted at the beauty she seemed to try and hide.
“If I knew you were bringing so many I would have organised a bigger ride,” said Aiko, smirking as the group struggled to find space in the cramped taxi. “Thankfully it is only a short ride by hover. I hope that you all won't be too uncomfortable for the journey.”
“Do you know who the fight is against tonight, Aiko? Normally you would have told me by now.” said Ajax.
“I know it's been narrowed down to two fighters, it's unlikely you would have heard of either. One is quite experienced, he'll be slower than you but very underhand, the other has only been on the circuit a couple of weeks, I haven't seen him fight yet but have been informed he shows a lot of promise.” came her reply.
He wasn't happy that Aiko did not have at least some useful information for him, this was a bit unusual for their pre-fight talk. By now he would normally know the ins and outs of his opponents, strengths and weaknesses, past or current injuries. He imagined he could see some apprehension on her face as Aiko avoided his stare for the remainder of their short journey. He chalked it up to nerves, everyone seemed to be tense tonight.
When the hover pulled up next to Rine's slaughterhouse it was hard for Ajax or Duke to hide their surprise, mixed in with a bit of fear. The hover touched down at the buildings rear, its door automatically opened and the cramped group disembarked. There were several heavyset men guarding the warehouse's entrance, a queue of people trying to gain admittance trailed away from the doormen.
Ajax could see Arnold, Rine's monstrous brute of a bodyguard, checking each person as he let them in, probably for known agents of the city. Aiko headed the group, walking straight up to the bouncers. Arnold recognised them instantly and pulled back a rope, then ushered them inside.
As Ajax walked past the hulking figure he heard Arnold say, “Good luck.” the man's voice deep and barely audible over the crowd.
The slaughterhouse was empty, not a soul in sight. The group followed a twin trail of lights that lead them past a long walk-in freezer and to the basement entrance. There was a loud rumbling from underneath that grew stronger as they approached the silver entrance door, which was bathed in strong artificial light.
Another bodyguard stood watch over the entrance door, when they came into view he pressed a button at his side that caused it to slide open. Any noise the door might make was certainly drowned out by the roaring crowd below, a crashing sound wave that almost deafened them all.
There was only a dozen steps leading down to the basement, its ceiling shallow and the background smell overpowering, body odour and smoke mixed with industrial disinfectant. Ajax had mentally assessed Rine to be a man who was strict about organisation and cleanliness, after all he was an advert for professionalism; it was a surprise that the man would allow this many unclean people in his building. When Ajax saw several patrons that had decided queuing for the makeshift toilets was not for them he knew Rine's cool demeanour would finally crack upon finding out. He let out a grin at the thought.
The basement had not been designed to house such an event, unlike the majority of locations Ajax had fought in. Aiko had once told him that a long time ago an organisation had been created, carrying out secret constructions all across the city in a bid to start an underground fighting network. Many suspected the sector mayors of knowing about these builds, perhaps having been bought by those on the organisations board. For decades men and women had fought and died as their peers bet on the outcome of countless fights; very rarely were these fights raided by the authorities, and only ever in those sectors outside of the slums.
Inside the basement there was no elevated viewing area for the wealthier spectators, instead they had a section cordoned off at the circle's edge. Changing rooms had been hastily erected at the rear of the long, narrow room, their appearance shoddy even at this distance. Ajax and Aiko left the others to find a good spot to watch from, heading for the rooms rear.
The changing room was little more than three wooden boards and a curtain, two folding chairs were the only furnishings. Ajax took a seat and began to undress, not waiting for Aiko to turn away.
“Have you ever been to one of these underground fights, captain?” asked Ilya, doing her best to avoid bumping into fellow spectators.
“I've seen some, been involved in a few, bet on too many to remember. There was a lot of stuff I did in my youth which I probably shouldn't have, god knows I have enough aches and pains to remind myself of that every day. I knew a lot of people who would rather have these pains than be rotting in the ground, so I suppose I can't complain too much. I would ask you the same thing but you look like Ajax back on the space docks.” he said, laughing as Ilya pulled a face at him.
Lev waded through the crowd, easily a head taller than anyone else surrounding him, carrying three drinks in his oversized hands. Ilya and Duke accepted their bottles gratefully, neither were surprised at how the crowd practically parted to let the tall man pass.
They managed to filter through the crowd, using Lev as a human icebreaker, until the crew stood a few rows back from the fighters circle. Even Ilya as the shortest had found a good vantage point to see the violence unfold.
In front of the crew two men entered the ring, both beginning their own stretching routines. The previous bout had come to a bloody close moments before their arrival. Judging by the splattering of red liquid on the sand underfoot there had been several fights so far, even a thorough raking could not cover up the evidence.
A thundering right cross started the bout, Ilya was surprised to see so much power from the shorter man. There was already blood coming from his opponent’s mouth and at least a few teeth were dislodged by the blow.
As the tempo increased more and more wounds opened up on the men's exposed flesh and Ilya, unexpectedly, found herself enjoying the spectacle. She had always opposed events such as this, claiming them barbaric and exploitive, but she began to cheer as blow after blow connected, until one man finally sunk to the sands and did not get back up.
“If you are going to cheer that loud in the next fight could you not stand so close to my ear?” came the jovial tones of her captain, rubbing at the offended ear.
Ilya gave him a playful slap on the shoulder, both laughing at his outburst. An announcement of the next fighters interrupted their laughter, Ilya heard Ajax's name and turned, trying to find him in the crowd.
“I'm sure they just called out Ajax, but there are already two fighters in the ring.” she said, her brow wrinkled in confusion.
Lev scanned above the heads of the crowd and looked back down at Ilya with a shocked expression on his face. “They did not make a mistake, Ajax is heading to the ring now.”
“Why are you only telling me this now? I hope you are fucking joking, there is no way I can win this fight without resorting to lethal tactics.” came Ajax's outburst, his anger no longer contained.
“I'm sorry, Ajax, it was the only way to find someone to fight you. I knew it was important to you that the debt was cleared as soon as possible; trust me, this was the only way. You've beaten some of the best in such a short time, it was this or wait for a challenger to come forward. Your name is known to every fighter this city has to offer, they aren't stupid enough to take you on in a one on one bout.” said Aiko.
“I understand your reasoning behind organising this fight
; that does not mean I agree with it. I have to fight two guys at the same time! If it were two separate fights we would not be having this conversation, I've won more than that on a single night.” he sat down, placing his head in both hands. “Do you not understand the logistics behind fighting against more than one attacker? The only sensible course is to permanently disable one, and fast, then focus on the other. I don't want to kill unnecessarily.”
A lot of thoughts were running through Ajax's mind, all focused on his previous fights. His record wins in one night was four, and that's only because the last fighter entered the bout worse off than him. Even then he had managed to keep any anger in check, fighting coolly and without killing any competitor. Unfortunately Kayne was not the only combatant to die by Ajax's hands in the circle.
One of tonight's competitors was an unknown, the other skilled and dangerous, even if he was considerably older that Ajax. There was no way to prepare himself for this, he had not seen either fight before. How could he fend off two attackers and not at least cripple one? The debt was all he cared about before tonight, now he had to worry about the lives of two strangers.
No words of encouragement came to her, so Aiko left Ajax to his thoughts. It seemed like no time had passed at all before the curtain was drawn back and a young woman told both he and Aiko that his fight was about to start.
Ajax stood up, shaking his arms and legs to try and loosen his tight muscles. When Aiko moved to massage his shoulders he bucked her hands off, keeping the anger bubbling at the surface. They walked in silence as far as the rear row of people, before the chants started to spring up.
A multitude if supporters swarmed around Ajax, slowing his approach to the ring. It seemed as if an age had passed before his bare feet stepped onto the soft sands, it was noticeably finer than the grit he was used to fighting on. Two men stood opposite him, both appeared calm and relaxed. He always found this moment in a fight to be surreal, when the fighters hid their bestial natures until the bell would ring. Odds were being called out all around him, only a handful were slightly in his favour, the remainder mostly even. It seemed even the bookies knew the task before him was looking grim.