Valentine strode into the club, lights flashing over her head and music blaring at insane volumes. Not that I can actually hear it, but whatever. Val thought gruffly, striding towards one of the club's hostesses. Hot pink hair had been pulled into a pony tail, and purple lips pouted as she turned away from the guy she'd been talking to.
"Can I help you?" The hostess sighed, almost demanding.
"Lookin' for D, he in?" Val shot out, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning into a stance.
"Ugh, like he ever leaves." The hostess snorted, rolling purple eyes in annoyance. "Back door, says Management, but whatever, can you go now?" She sighed, and turned away to sparkle and giggle under the guy's gaze.
"This way." Val told the four cloaked guys behind her, nodding her way to the back of the club. Walking around the ring of dancers, Val smiled as she remembered her first time in Club Underground, she had been young, a lot younger than legal club goer age. Club Underground wasn't just named that for no apparent reason, there was a purpose, but not everybody got to find out why.
"I like the music, we should come back next time. You know, when we're not trying to solve a kidnapping." Mikey said enthusiastically from beneath his hood.
"Sure, I bet they're always letting mutant turtles into their club." Raph replied sourly.
"Lighten up, Raph." Donny sighed.
"Okay guys, I don't want any of you making a peep. Go that? D knows me, we go back, and he doesn't always play nice with strangers." Val spoke up, getting the guys attention. "So shut up, kay?" Val smiled with a nod, and tapped on the door.
"Enter at your expense." A voice called back, and Valentine twisted the knob. Inside sat a man leaning back in a leather chair, his inky black hair disappearing in the leather. A bored look was on his tanned face, but it perked up seeing Valentine walk through the door. Brown eyes lit up excitedly, and took his legs off the desk as the group entered and stood up.
"Yo, D, sup?" Val smiled with a nod.
"My main girl, waz been happenin V? They told me you and yours but the dust. I shoulda guessed you were like your name, keep coming back to bite me. Aw, looks like I lost the pool too." He sighed, sitting down in his chair and looking up at his visitors eagerly.
"So sorry I couldn't have died. You know that whole survival thing, pretty pesky huh?" Val replied drily.
"I get your beat." D nodded wisely. "What can I hook you up with? I already have my matches set, but I can take out a contender to put you in the ring. Circuit hasn't been good since you moved out, got lots of wannabees with no real talent."
"Us Aldrin's spice things up wherever we go. Coulda told you the circuit would fall without me as the main man." Val smirked, but the turtles were lost on the whole conversation.
"Yeah." D sighed, shaking his head. "But if you didn't tap my door to fight, waz it you want?" He asked, getting down to business as he looked at the girl curiously.
"Info, D, what everyone wants." Valentine replied, plopping herself down in a seat.
"Info's pricy these days. What could I get in return for such valuable intel?" D asked, smirking in business mode.
"How 'bout I let ya keep your head?" Raph asked grimly, a small smile on his face as his sai glinted in the light.
"Raph, tone it out, dial it down, and back off." Val replied forcefully. Raph just grumbled and leaned against the wall menacingly. "What would ya like?" Val asked, turning back to D Simon, the owner of Underground and it's illegal fighting circuit that took place beneath it, the Underground Circuit.
"The old stakes, you know the drill. Fight for what you want, easy if you're still as good as what ya used to be. Before ya left my circuit to go legal. I heard ya turned some heads, Deaf Girl Wins National Sparring Competition Four Times In A Row, a little wordy, but it caught my attention. My, my V, ya've been a busy little bee haven't you?" He nodded with a knowing smile.
"Maybe I have." Val shrugged non commitedly.
"You won nationals four times in a row?" Mikey yelped shocked.
"Shut it." Valentine hissed.
"So you're consorting with fellows who don't even know your background, I'm surprised V, it took me a while to get on your good side." D said surprised.
"You had something I wanted, what did you think I would do?" Val shrugged again.
"Respect." D nodded. "So, what da ya want to know, I'll set the match and we can set everything else up."
"Who am I facin'?" Val asked first, cautious.
"Whoever I want, you know how I deal." D replied cryptically, a smirk on his lips.
"Fair." Val nodded in agreement. "Where's the purple dragons? Why'd they disappear?" Valentine asked immediately.
"That's two questions V, ya willing to take on two matches?"
"Nah, just tell me where I can find the leaders." Valentine replied, watching the ring master carefully.
"How would little ol me know anything? I don't know everything that goes on in the underground." D shrugged with a carefree look.
"And my hair's green." Valentine snorted. "Please, you know everything that takes place on the back streets, in the alleys, where no one could possibly find out, you always find out."
"Careful where you step, V, the dragons are getting pretty powerful." D told her seriously, lowering his voice and looking at her urgently.
"The dragons took my mom, D, and they took Zee, I have to get them back." Val replied solemnly. D didn't say anything for a moment, but finally he sighed and nodded resigned.
"One match, if you win I'll tell ya what I know, but if you don't..." He trailed off, and V nodded.
"I don't get squat. I know the drill, put me in the circuit tonight." She nodded.
"V Aldrin, back on the black circuit." D nodded deviously. "This will be fun, follow me." Standing up he opened a trap door in front of his bookshelf and gesturing for them to go through, Val headed down into the darkness.
~(0)~
Val breathed out, rolling her shoulders and hopping from foot to foot expectantly. It had been almost two years since she had been on the Underground Circuit, but that didn't make her any less ready. The Underground Circuit was basically a branch of Fight Club, except D owned everything and everybody down here. He placed matches, took bets, and brought in some of the best talent you could never find outside the circuit. Valentine had come on the scene when she was ten, taking on opponents right and left and barely breaking a sweat half the time. Her age took people off their guard, and when she took them down, they were down. She was the best, mini sized but had the punch and kick of a strong man. When her mom had found out she had joined the circuit at age thirteen, she had sent Val onto the legal circuit above, which had been the fast track to Sparring Nationals, which were just fancy words for the best fighters (legitly) in the U.S. fighting it out to find out who was the best. Sparrers were awarded with gold (#1), silver (#2), and bronze (#3), and her first year there Valentine had taken the gold. She had gone back three more times, always getting gold and continuing her streak.
Now she was back, back in the Underground, the place she had learned to fight dirty, and learned some lifelong skills, some you probably shouldn't teach a twelve year old, but whatever. The circuit hadn't changed much in her time away. There was still the crowd of blood thirsty spectators, cheering always except when it was over, the walls were still a grimy gray covered in graffiti shouting out in bold colors the matches for that night and the circuit's name in bright bold red on the far wall, making sure no one could forget where they were, and the ring itself was doused with sand, just in case someone should fall. D was such a sweetheart. Val thought drily.
"You sure about this, Valentine? It doesn't look..." Leo trailed off, not exactly sure how to phrase everything that he was thinking.
"What are ya talking about? This is my kind of place!" Raph cheered happily, loving the violence.
"Should've known." Donny sighed. "You ready Val?" He asked her as she dropped to the floor to do some leg stretches.
"Wasn't ready when I was ten, still not ready now." Val mumbled into the floor. "But the thing about those two dates?" She said switching legs. "I won both of them." She said smugly.
"But you haven't fought...oh, I get it." Mikey said slowly, realizing her words belatedly. Valentine stood up smiling, stretching her arms over head with a sigh. Her shorts were red, matching Underground's theme, and her sports bra was the same red. Standing tall, lean, mean, and proud, Val was ready to take on anybody. Turning her head to the ring, she smiled softly, and then nodded as the two fighters in the ring finally knocked each other unconscious.
"It's time." She said ominously. "Wish me luck." She finished brightly, and walked towards the ring, her bare feet barely making a sound on the floor.
"So, no one wins." D called out sadly as he jumped into the ring. "What a pity, but here comes the main event, the reason you all journeyed into the Underground." D said theatrically, lowering his voice in suspense. "The challenger, an old fighter who left to go topside and taking that world by storm has finally come home to the Circuit." Cheers went up and Val held her head high. "Without further ado, the queen of the ring, the master of fighters, the cha ching for my bling, V Aldrin!" He called out with a whoop, and V ran flipping into the ring. "Here she is, ready to fight again for your pleasure, welcome her back ya'll, she might be gone before you can say, fight!" D laughed, and V replied with a pose and blowing him a kiss. "The real Queen of the Underground shall now grace you with her presence!" D continued and V leaned in her corner pretending to be bored as she listened to her opponent's description. "You love her, you hate her, you all know her, fiery bombshell Sammi King!" D called out, and a blond woman about twenty came traipsing down and into the ring. Wearing a frilly pink sports bra and a short pink skirt, mesmerizing swirled tattoos all over her exposed stomach and back, she was the tantalizing bombshell D had described.
"So you're the girl that used to dominate the circuit. Such a shame you left. there wasn't much competition after you disappeared, and I never got to crush you." Sammi pouted, full red lips adding to the 'Queen's' beauty. "Time to destroy the legend and make up for old time." She continued brightly.
"Oh you wish." V retorted, running her fingers through her hair with a sigh. Never let them know what you think of them, never, got that? V blinked as the advice came back, and she sighed again.
"You two ready? Let's do this Circuit style!" D called out, and chains dropped down from the ceiling enclosing the two fighters.
"What?" Someone asked surprised.
"Cool!" Someone else breathed, but V didn't hear them and waited for her opponent to attack. And waited. The girl wasn't going for her, and V slid her gaze over to D and he pointed at his watch. Let's do this. V grinned, and ran at her opponent. She had done this a million times, but there was just one rule: Never run directly at the other guy. When she was almost in kicking range, she slid onto her knees, sliding at Sammi and ducking under her kick and then knocking her off balance at the knees. The girl stumbled forward, and V popped back up onto her feet, kicking the Queen across the ring with a smirk.
"Is that all you can do? Pity, I thought you'd actually try. D, did you give me a softy?" She called out, and turning to look at the owner Sammi bowled her over. Jumping on V's prone form, she went for a strangle hold, something not legal up top but was perfectly acceptable in this Circuit. Her Tae Kwon Do training kicking in, she pushed Sammi's arm's off her neck and flipped Sammi over, rolling with her and ending up on top of her. Popping up and kicking Sammi, V crossed her arms over her chest and waited for Sammi to get up. The girl got up with a growl, her pretty green eyes narrowing in anger. Sammi nodded with a glare, and the two circled each other. Sammi moved first, and sliding sideways and kicking she got the edge on V, and then let loose a series of fast paced punches and violent kicks, pushing V into the defensive and leaving her slightly shocked.
Only slightly.
"You're not the only one who played nice on the top circuits." Sammi smiled, a bounce in her step and V ground her teeth together. Dropping to the floor, V ran her fingers over the ground, picking up sand with a smile before popping back up. "Need a water break?" Sammi snorted, but then let out a cry as sand flew into her eyes and an upper cut bruised her jaw. Sammi went down, and V waited for her to get up. Once she was up, she was down again, and then again, and again, and then sand flew into her face and Sammi was down again.
~(0)~
"The dragons are all uptown, the bosses are having a get together. Something 'bout the Princess being back." D sighed shaking his head after Valentine had won her match.
"Thanks D, you're the best." Val smiled.
"Just...be careful, okay? I don't want you to put yourself in danger."
"Like I just did with Sammi?" Val scoffed. "Seriously, you thought a has been National girl could take me down? Please."
"Two Nationals were good for business. The house made some money tonight." D shrugged.
"Yeah, good luck D, I'm heading uptown it seems."
"Good luck V."
