See You On The Battlefield

Chapter Six

She was gone when he woke. Duncan blinked his eyes, momentarily forgetting she was ever there at all. The light through the dusty truck window showed she had made the bed and left without waking Duncan. There was no note, not that he should have suspected one.

Rubbing his face, Duncan rolled off the work bench and into the floor. He used his foot to kick the bed back into the wall, not having any use for it now. He took a look around, his blue eyes gazing over the emptiness that was his home. Not that Duncan was used to company, he was almost always on his own, but the truck felt empty after being with Courtney for so long last night.

Pulling his phone from the top shelf he saw he had three new messages. Two from Gwen, just asking for confirmation he would show up and school today, and one from an unknown number. Clicking it open he read, 'I didn't want to wake up, you look cute when you sleep ;) I had to get to school, can't be late. Thank you for letting me stay last night, see you Saturday? Courtney xx'

Without thinking, a small smile tugged at Duncan's lips.

"I promise," Gwen said, holding one hand in the air while the other rested in her heart. "That I will be at your match on Saturday. Main event or not, I swear that as your best friend I will be there for you." Duncan laughed, shaking his head at Gwen. She was determined to get back into her streak of attending his matches. "Now let me tell you about my date!"

"No."

Duncan ran a shaky hand through his hair. He had left Stone at Underworld for safe keeping. It was easier to have him charging in a spare room than in his truck. The teen boy tossed his phone into the air, skillfully catching it one handedly. Courtney had not contacted him since that first text. Though, Duncan hadn't actually replied to her, either. Saturday night was only 24 hours away. Surely Courtney wanted to work on some sort of plan; Duncan thought it seemed like something she would want to do. Courtney was obviously a planner. But no. No contact. Duncan didn't know why it bothered him so much.

Tossing and turning throughout the night was not unusual to Duncan. The sounds of the nearby highway were hard to sleep with. Horns beeping, engines revving, the occasional faint yell of 'asshole' drifting their way towards Duncan's truck that remained parked in the parking lot of Underworld.

Duncan felt almost lonely. It was the first time he had left Stone at Underworld for more than one night. He was so used to having the company of his only family member that he had forgotten how alone he truly was.

Sometime around 6AM, Duncan found himself driving towards Gwen's. Her mother would have already left for work and Gwen would no doubt still be in bed, so he let himself in with the spare key. Showering and dressing in clean clothes, Duncan snuck into his friend's bedroom. There was no shower in Duncan's truck; his only way to keep up hygiene was to use his friends' bathrooms. When he travelled he usually spent a little on a hotel room for the night, but it always made Duncan feel uncomfortable. His truck was his home, and been for almost three years. This was the way he chose to live.

"Gwenny, wake up," Duncan chimed in the Goth girl's ear. He gently shook her shoulder. "Gwen!"

"What?" Gwen snapped to attention in a sleep filled haze. She jolted into a sitting position and her drooping eyes scanned the room. Duncan was sat beside her on the bed. Knowing that he only came here to freshen up, she slammed her face back into the pillow. Her hair may have been sticking up at all ends and she looked different without the layers of make-up on her face, but Duncan had seen her during worse times. Gwen didn't really care if he saw her like this.

"You still coming to my match tonight?" Duncan questioned with eagerness. "It's not the main event, just a side match on the West wing." Gwen mumbled something incoherently into the mattress, but Duncan took it as a yes.

Rolling into bed beside his best friend, Duncan pulled out his phone once again. He started reading over the text from Courtney for the eightieth time since she had sent it, as Gwen's snores lightly filled the room. There was just something about it that made his stomach knot up. There was a wonky face and two kisses involved; what did that mean? Duncan had never looked deeply into the meaning behind girls' texts to him, they were attracted to him and that was all he cared about. Getting girls into bed was an easy task. But Courtney wasn't like that. She didn't care about getting into his pants, she cared about his robot. She cared about taking him away.

'I don't want him anymore.'

That was what she had said, but Duncan wasn't sure if that was the truth. Her father no doubt still wanted Stone. Stone was unique in everything he did. He had been a league fighter at the beginning of his time, designed by a now dead artist. Stone was one of a kind; no newer bot could ever live up to him. Duncan could easily see why anyone would be interested, but it was Duncan who was not interested and he wished people would start respecting that. Of course, the worried teenage boy was not going to address the situation to Courtney. He'd let her come to him.

And she did.

That evening, Gwen and Duncan hopped into the truck and drove to Underworld for Stone's fight. Duncan knew he had a lot to lose on this match. No doubt everyone had heard about his failed match on Wednesday; news travelled like a bullet in the Underworld community. Duncan knew he had to win this match.

As the pair entered the back room where Stone was stored, they found an almost sweating Courtney already working on him. She was dressed to impress that night: tight black dress, similar to the one she had worn before, with black wedges that gave her the boosted height she so desperately needed. It was a change from the sweatpants she had been sporting the last time Duncan had seen her.

"What are you doing?" He asked, tossing his keys onto the nearby table as he approached his robot. Gwen stopped in the doorway, not knowing who this girl thought she was.

"I thought I'd just exercise Stone out a bit, make sure nothing had fallen apart yet." She replied without a care, "I got bored while waiting for you." Courtney made a show of looking at the clock on the wall. "You're late."

Duncan rolled his eyes, leaning himself against the work bench. He watched Courtney with timid eyes as she continued to use the controller to make his do simple moves. There was no need to tire out had battery with heavier ones. Duncan noted that Courtney really was an expert. She hadn't used Stone properly before, only on Thursday night, but that was barely anything. This time she was holding the controls with confidence, knowing exactly what button did what. She must have studied a lot because Duncan the kind of robots her father fought did not have these kinds of controls; they were far too advanced bots for this kind of system.

Gwen gave a dry cough, hoping Duncan would remember her existence. She still didn't know who this girl was, but there was something about the way she thought she owned the room that made Gwen take an instant disliking.

"At least come in the room," Duncan smirked, sensing Gwen's uneasiness. Courtney gave the girl a quick up-and-down over her shoulder before returning to the robot. She decoded everything was in working order and handed the controls over to the rightful owner. "Gwen, this is Courtney Beaumont. Courtney, Gwen Simmons." The girls both gave a curt nod. "Court's been helping me with Stone this week," Duncan explained. "He got in a bad way after his last fight and Courtney here fixed him up." Gwen said nothing, just took a seat beside Duncan on the workbench.

"Is everything okay with him?" Duncan asked, nodding his head at Stone. Courtney bit her lower lip, moving her gaze from the two other teenagers and back to the robot she was supposed to be focusing on. She nodded her head. Everything seemed to be okay with Stone, as far as she could tell. Courtney didn't feel like cracking open his head or chest just minutes before his match, so there was no definite on how well Stone would perform in the ring tonight. "I guess we'd better get going, then." Duncan turned to his best friend. "DJ said he'd meet you at the seats. I'll catch you later, 'kay?"

"You owe me a ride home, anyway," Gwen replied as she loosely wrapped her arms around Duncan. He returned the gesture, not seeing the venomous looks the girls exchanged over his shoulder. The Goth girl disappeared from the room, leaving her heavy perfumed scent on Duncan's clothes.

Courtney didn't look at him. She simply took a few deep breaths and started towards the door. Duncan didn't see anything wrong, so he started moving Stone after her. Unlike league fights, there were no paparazzi photos to be published, no mad fans screaming as the robots walked from corridor to corridor, nearing the arena. It felt odd to Courtney, but she knew this world was different than the one she had grown up in. This was the way Duncan had grown up.

"Your girlfriend seems nice," she said in a deep monotone, her eyes not moving from the space in front of her as they continued their way to the ring.

Duncan was going to correct her, but there was something about the way Courtney held herself that Duncan found amusing. "Are you...jealous?" He asked with mock surprise. Courtney gave him a venomous stare. "I know it's hard to resist me, babe, but-"

"You disgust me." Courtney spat. "I'm only interested in your robot; not you." She snapped her head forward again, her demeanor unwavering. Duncan snickered to himself. No one was this interested in robots. Even Duncan knew to have fun with the opposite sex sometimes.

The two made it to the ringside without saying another word to each other. Duncan was smirking, Courtney was scowling, but they both managed to pull a poker face just as the crowd saw them coming. The audience went wild when Duncan stepped Stone into the arena. Courtney took her place at the outer corner of the ring, tugging on a strand of brunette hair. She looked nervous, Duncan noted as he jumped down beside her.

"Just for the record," Duncan spoke in her ear. "Gwen isn't my girlfriend." His eyes scanned the crowd for his friends, who he saw were talking back and forth. No doubt DJ had noticed who was stood ringside with him. It was a good thing his eyes weren't on Courtney, or he could have taken her sudden relief the wrong way.

Stryker-tonight's opponent-was bigger and sturdier than Stone. The odds did not look good. But Duncan wasn't cowering. He was determined to win this match, at any cost. Courtney was analyzing the robot, noting he was rusting around the edges, which was a sign he was decaying and not as strong as he appeared.

As soon as the bell rang and the blows started, Courtney's theory was proven to be correct. Stryker moved in slow motion compared to Stone. Courtney started yelling commands at Duncan; left, right-no, your other right! Duncan tried to keep up with the commands, but Courtney was steps ahead of him. Duncan had never entered a match with any sort of plan before, Courtney, however, didn't believe in not having a plan.

"Start listening to me, Duncan!" Courtney yelled over the eager crowd.

"I am!"

Courtney huffed. She did not like being on the sidelines, she preferred to be up front. When she fought at her father's side she could yell commands at the men he hired to control Con in the ring. Duncan, however, was under no obligation to listen to a word Courtney said. He was doing his best, but there was no way he was able to keep up.

Wiping the sweat from her brow with the back of her hand, Courtney stared up at Stone. He was doing well. Better than what he had in his previous fight, but nowhere near good enough to win. Every punch that was thrown, every dirty trick that was played, these two robots were evenly matched.

The end of round one bell rang and the crowd started screaming more obscurities. Duncan hopped onto the canvas propping Stone in the corner. He hadn't taken any bad beatings; he was in good enough shape to keep going. Courtney looked up, thinking the same thing. She bit her lip again, waiting for Duncan to join her on the floor before striking up conversation.

"Let me control him this round."

Duncan blinked.

Was Courtney demanding this from him?

"Duncan, I know what I'm doing," she almost pleaded. "You couldn't keep up with me, let me do this."

"Why should I?"

"Because you want to win, don't you?" Courtney was on the brink of yelling at Duncan. Did he really need her to spell it out for him? They were possibly going to lose if Courtney didn't take control. "Just for one round, you can have control after that, I promise!" The brunette looked at Duncan with guilt-tripping eyes. She wanted the chance to show him what she could do.

Hesitating for a moment, Duncan reluctantly handed over the control panel. Courtney slung the rope around her neck and held the panel in her hands. She instantly started programming her settings, knowing that she could win this thing and gain Duncan's trust. She knew he didn't want her too close to Stone because of Mr. Beaumont's offer; this was Courtney's chance to prove that she wasn't her father.

The round two bell rang and Stone danced. Swinging his fists before Stryker even stepped forward. Courtney was forcing moves from Stone that Duncan had never seen before. This was professional stuff.

Duncan screamed encouragement, but Courtney didn't need it. She knew what she was doing and she was doing it well. Stryker's controller did not know what had come his way. Stone was a fiery tornado of electronic limbs. He had Stryker on the mat before the thirty second mark was up. Duncan held his hands to face, his eyes bulging as Stryker tried to get back up, but his opponent had finished him. The rust on the robots body was stopping the proper movements of his limbs, Courtney noted, therefore he looked like a turtle on his back.

The bell rang and the referee announced the winner, the audience going wild. It wasn't a main event, but enough people had turned out. They all loved Stone: he was a local celebrity.

Courtney's grin lit up her face, turning to Duncan and handing him back full control of his robot. He smiled widely at her, accepting the controller and slinging it over his neck. Duncan's eyes darted through the crowd, spying Gwen and DJ jumping around on their feet. At least they had been here to witness the triumphant win; even if it was really Courtney who had won it for him.

By the time the crowd had disappeared and Stryker had been removed, Courtney had come down from her giddy highness and was casually leaning against the side of the canvas, scrolling through her phone. Duncan, tinkering on Stone behind her, still couldn't wipe the smile off his face. It only grew wider when Gwen came running through the back doors. She was so proud of Duncan and Stone. She was every time he won.

Gwen dived into Duncan's arms and he swung her around, promising to meet her out by the truck. She took his keys from his back pocket, not even bothering to acknowledge Courtney who was doing the same thing to her. The Goth girl practically skipped out of the room.

There was a lot of silence to follow; Duncan and Courtney were reverting to the awkward stage again. There wasn't much they could say to each other now, and Duncan most certainly wasn't going to thank Courtney for her help.

"I've been thinking," Courtney managed to say as Duncan locked Stone up at Underworld for the night. He had decided he would pick him up in the morning, save walking him all the way to the truck this late at night. "What are your plans this summer?"

"Summer?"

"Yes, summer, that month where the temperature gets just a little hotter and you no doubtedly go shirtless in an attempt to get girls to swoon over you." Courtney scoffed in reply while Duncan smirked. "So you have any plans?"

Duncan shrugged, "Just fighting every other night or so." That was all Duncan did during summer break. He could fight to his heart's content, working on Stone all day every day because he had no school to distract him. It gave him practice for when he graduated in a years' time. Duncan was going to go into fighting full time.

Courtney bit her lip, something, Duncan noted, she did when nervous. She had been doing it all night. Courtney wasn't someone who made light conversation; everything had a purpose. So Duncan knew she had a reason for wanting to know his summer plans, whatever they may be. He continued to look at her from across the room. She was standing with erect posture in the doorway. Courtney wasn't one to slouch. She did everything correctly, which made her stand out amongst the other attendees to Underworld. She was the only person here from the posh side of town.

"I think we should travel." It wasn't an opinion, it was a statement. Duncan raised his eyebrow. "You and I should travel this summer across New America. We can fight Stone and get some recognition across the country."

"We?"

"I want to be your partner." Another statement. "You have seen what I can do in and out of the ring. I have seen what you can do in and out of the ring. We've lost a match together; we've won a match together. We work well as a team-"

"That doesn't mean I'd be willing to actually become a team with you."

"Why not?" Courtney replied hastily.

"Because we are from two completely separate worlds here, Court," Duncan answered. He was right. Courtney's idea of traveling for the summer was completely different to his. Duncan, at most, would go to the next town over. Courtney was used to working on the opposite side of the world. She would travel through different continents, while Duncan had never left the province.

"It would only be for the summer. Just think about it." And with that, she left. At almost two AM, it was far past her curfew.

Duncan groaned inwardly, rubbing his face with his hand. His head was killing and Courtney Beaumont was still torturing his thoughts. All he wanted to do was crawl into bed and sleep the rest of Sunday away. He managed to get back to his truck without falling over. Climbing into the driver's seat he found Gwen waiting on the passenger side of the bench. Her face was illuminated by her phone screen. Her feet were curled up under her, her head resting on the backrest as if it was a pillow.

"Enjoy the fight?" Duncan mumbled. He was too tired to even try a proper conversation. Gwen didn't reply. Duncan knew something was wrong. "Did I do something?"

"If you needed help with Stone you could have asked me."

"What?"

"You didn't have to ask Courtney Beaumont. I would have done it," she told him. "For free, too." Gwen locked her phone and the two were thrown into darkness. Duncan was still staring at his best friend in disbelief.

"Gwen," he sighed, running a hand through his now limp Mohawk. "I didn't ask Courtney to help me. She came to me one day and decided that she wanted to help me." Duncan purposely left out the part where he actually did need the help. "Besides, you were sick last week, remember?" Duncan started the engine, Gwen looked up at him. He was right.

A/N: Well then.

I realise it has been almost 4 weeks since I last updated this...But I hope this extra-long chapter makes up for it!
I've been going through a rough patch with my writing recently due to my depression. Just bear with me and stay tuned because I refuse to give up!

You guys now see where this plot is going?

I WAS WONDERING!

Would you like to see part of Courtney's world in the next chapter? Or just stick to Duncan's? I wrote this in third person so that ya'll could have the choice on seeing opposite sides of the spectrum if you wanted to, or are you happy just with Duncan's? Do tell! I write for ya'll and want to know what you want to see!

Basically what's happened with my writing since last update:

I completed Of Cogs and Teenage Boys.

I wrote two Hunger Games oneshots; one for Valentine's day, one to try and write an extra-long oneshot.

I hope ya'll will check out everything!

Thank you to;

acosta perez jose ramiro: I'm glad you like this. I'm trying my best (: Thank you :D

ThatSuperHotSexyBookWorm: Our party was awesome XD Should do it again sometime (: Thanks :D

Love you guys!

Thanks for reading, please review (:

Love, ChloeRhiannonX