Okay, back again, I am thinking the last chapter was a good transition…so back into the world of the Underground….dun dun dun…heehee
Deep in the city of beautiful Berlin, there is a neighborhood, and deep in this neighborhood is Adalie Street, though this street is far from noble. Trashcans littered the sides of the abused asphalt; the trees were overgrown and might have looked nice, if there weren't electrical cords and other pieces of garbage strewn around and over them. Most houses on the street were shabby but looked…decently shabby…except the one house on the corner, that looked like it should be condemned. It was rundown, kind of like a three star shack. But to the dark figure that had just darted out the back door, it was a fragment of a broken dream.
Not that she would admit that to you. Hell, she would probably gargle barbed wire before she admitted it. Because people like her don't get to have nice lives like that. People like her aren't allowed to go to balls and be pretty ladies dancing with rich men. People like her are supposed to have ice water flow through their veins. People like her are meant to be feared. People like her are supposed to only care about being the top dog of the Underground. People like her don't get to dream.
Because Fighters aren't dreamers.
And that is what this darting, whirling shadow was. And she was darting and whirling her shadow over to her addiction. Dodging busy streets, and nosy pedestrians, she was running to an alley in the fast approaching Berlin night. Rushing past fancy nightclubs, family friendly restaurants, and overall cheery places, she swerved into a dark hallway of nightmarish aura. Breathing hard she walked farther into the alley before looking back to see if anyone had followed. Finding no one she turned around and picked her way across the neglected looking alley way.
But the neglected look was an illusion. Dozens of cold blooded meanies walked through this very alley to get underground. The Underground. This shadow was no exception.
Now knocking on a nearly invisible door, this was not a shadow. Now walking through the door this was nothing like a shadow, this was the Unknown. A fierce force in the growing Underground world. The best fighter for miles around, the best in the biggest community in Europe. But she didn't flaunt it out right; she kept herself in shadows, always bordering the spotlight unless she was thrust into it. But she was fine walking in the dark, she could see things from the outside that you could never see from the inside, and that was how she liked it.
A scientist studying rats from the outside in.
Staying true to her point of view, she stepped into the big arena where a fight was going on, her breathing rate went up. It had been so long since she had been here, so long since she could smell the adrenaline, since she could feel every strategy every move in the ring. She had missed her addiction, and she sure as hell would never abandon it again.
Staying to the shadows along the ring she sat down in a cheap steel chair, and placing her legs up on the table she reveled in the familiar position. Studying the people in the arena, she picked out familiar faces, Roger yelling the shit out of a new employee, a group of fighters who called themselves the 'Preps' were having a drinking match with another group called the 'Capes'. There where also new people, most likely fighters who where just checking out the arena, wondering if it was worth the risk of dirtying their reputation.
Smirking at the pitiful new comers she wondered if there would ever be a new generation. A new generation that truly knew how to fight. A new generation that would carry on the legacy of the -.
"Lizzy~?" A familiar voice sounded, tinged with disbelief.
Whirling around the figure shrouded in black looked up at another experienced fighter with intimidating green eyes.
Biting her lip against all the things that wanted to come up, she gave a little nod before gesturing to the seat in front of her. The fighter opposite stared down in disbelief, but not shock. Gears in his mind turning fast he sat down quickly and figured she was trying to decipher something that happened recently. Eliza was like that, willing to shut off the world if it meant quiet and peace.
Sighing quietly, he sat for a few minutes, stiff and rigid unwilling to be the one to break the silence, determined to punish her for not being around in forever. The man's name was Feliks. A Polish man who had moved to Germany to escape his life and fall into the beauty of fighting.
The lady across from him was named as Elizaveta, a woman born and bred a Hungarian, ready to lay down her life for what was right. Scratch that, willing to lay her life down for the art of Underground Fighting. These two very different people were brought together by a deadly obsession. But neither cared…in the solemn silence that wove around them, all Eliza could see was the burning disapproval in her friend's eyes. She wanted to shrink away and hide; she wanted to return to Ludwig's arms.
That thought is what slapped her back into life.
Crawling back to a man's arms. Never. Just…never…what was she?
I don't know Eliza dear what are you? The Unknown asked, back again after being snuffed out during the party, and it was back with a damn good vengeance, so watcha gonna do? Sit on your scared ass and watch wannabes roll over your wannabe fighters? Or are you gonna get up and fight like you usually do? Oh wait that's too much to hope for, because the old Eliza is back somewhere sleeping next to a man and acting out the docile aristocratic wife.
No! Eliza protested, I'm here, and I'm not scared to go onstage, this is my fighting community why should I be afraid?
No clue I was just asking why you're not up there fighting.
I…I didn't have a scheduled fight…
Just the very words lack the dignity for me to scold you.
Its true, Eliza thought halfheartedly I really don't have a fight.
Since when has that stopped you?
Since I have realized that everyone else doesn't do that, and everyone else doesn't have their alter ego trying to take over their mind! Because everyone else doesn't have a psychotic bitch in their head trying to gain dominance and be the fighter every living moment! Eliza growled into her mind, determined to make the voice inside shut the fuck up.
Since when were you everybody?
And the voice was gone.
Silence reined her mind. A silence she had thought she wanted. But now without it her mind was empty. A silence she did not want. A silence that was suffocating. A silence that taunted her with images of what she had been.
What I had been? Eliza thought incredulously, I barely left for a week!
Disgust and disbelief at her own dramatic self coursed through her, and suddenly looking on at the stage she was nearly overcome with desire to be on the ring. To be the one sweating and bleeding, to be the one thinking on adrenaline rushes, to be the one with strategies running circles in her head over and over and eliminating them one at a time in a mere matter of seconds.
It was…a fatal attraction. And it had Eliza in its grip, or she had it in hers, it didn't matter the relationship was a circle, her and fighting, fighting and her. An endless cycle most likely to keep revolving until Underground fighting ended or until Eliza's descendants died out. Neither likely, not that Eliza knew that she would prove the start of a long line of champion, secretive, top of the world fighters.
But that is fate's secret, and this is a story about Eliza, the start. So on with her story.
Feliks was busy studying his friend, and smiling smugly to himself, he knew she was ripping herself up inside. But this was his friend and the only person allowed to pick on her was him…and Roger for fifteen dollars and hour.
"Lizzy dear, wake up from your night dream, are you going to fight today or what?" Feliks asked shaking her arm rudely, casting aside her dirty look.
"I don't have a scheduled fight." Eliza said, before looking down at the steel table, her lips barely hinting at a small smile.
"Yeah, yeah okay, when do you wanna go?" Feliks asked.
The common passerby would assume that he was asking his friend if she wanted to leave. But if you were somehow a duplicate of Eliza or Feliks, you would know that he was asking a question of entirely different meaning. No not that kind of meaning, you dirty minds. A more…devious meaning.
Eliza who was now feeling the beginnings of a blood rush pushed back her chair abruptly and nodded down at Feliks, and although the Knifeman couldn't see it he knew she was smiling. Oh it was so good to have Lizzy dear back.
Pushing his hands inside his pockets casually, Feliks strutted out of the dark and onto the smoky floor of the fighting arena; Eliza smirking at her friend's boldness disappeared into the shadows, and reduced herself to mere pinpricks of green orbs; eerie representatives of her normally huge eyes.
Feliks slowly made his way around the first table of fighters, a few of them nodding their respect towards the notorious knife thrower. Raising his hand back in a mixed gesture of crudeness and greeting he wove his way around countless tables, his head in the clouds. Literally, the smoke from the countless cigars formed a sort of cloud covering the tables up to the ring. Smirking delightedly he wondered how he would enter the stage, the fog would make his entrance much more fantastic. Glancing to the shadows on the borders of the arena he caught sight of two emerald specks, and he knew Eliza was matching his pace. Nodding his head slightly the blond man walked over causally to the tables on the far left and disappeared behind the ring. To anyone who had been watching, it would seem like coincidence that the two spots of green on the right side disappeared at the same time to, behind the fighting ring as well. It would also have been coincidence that the bartender Roger laughed something mighty, before bellowing out across the room, "You two give them something to open their mouths over! God knows we need a good fight! Hey watch where you're putting that money! Traci's not the best! Kayla over there is!" The last part was directed to neither Feliks nor Eliza, who both snorted at the idiot who gave his money to the prostitute Traci. If you believed the rumors in the Underground, and usually these rumors were true, or they were made true by the rumored, than Traci sucked and Kayla was the best.
But no one wants to know about Traci's skills or Kayla's and if you do, feel free to fly to Berlin, you have to find the alleyway though, info like that isn't handed out on invitations.
Back to Feliks and Eliza, who had now met behind the stage, under the thick overhead of smoke. Both remained silent, waiting for the announcer to welcome two new fighters to the ring. Both of their breathing hitched when the announcer came on after the blood was cleaned up.
"Now, Fighters, ladies, and Roger, please welcome the 'Envelope, rank 37 out of 100, and rookie fighter C.D. who will be making his final sure ranking after taking tenth place in his first fight, have fun falling into your rank…or below them," Laughter erupted after this, "Please welcome, them as they fight till blood…or death, which ever you want boys." And just as the announcer was about to step off, Feliks launched himself into the ring, and snatching the microphone from the announcer he spoke into it, "Change of plans, my criminal friends, tonight we will be performing a double fight, Mr. mailbox and c.d. no body over there, against Knifeman, and the one the only…"
Eliza cracked her neck, this was it, her passion her obsession her attraction whatever the hell it was it was now, and she was read to kill someone.
"…Unknown…" Feliks whispered into the mic. Before throwing it at the announcer and stepping aside for the Unknown who had appeared from nowhere in the center of the ring.
A soft rumble filled the room…than a low roar…and then the deafening sound of hundreds of people sounding their bloodlust and excitement as the Unknown came back to the Underground. It was a nice sound to everyone except the two opponents of Eliza and Feliks…and their supporters who were few and bordered the back of the arena.
"They're upstarts after you left usually work as a tem don't know why they're fighting each other now, probably some disagreement, don't underestimate C.D, he's good, Romanian lineage, known for being excellent at weaponry, he is no exception." Feliks told Eliza muttering out of the side of his mouth.
"Stalker." Eliza chuckled.
"I do my research."
"One on the right is Knifeman, throws everything, has small knives under his sleeves, dangerous, get under his blows and empty knife compressions. One on the left is a woman. The Unknown. Dangerous overall, deadly, take her out doing whatever you can. Kill her maim her whatever, she needs to be out of the fight or we have no chance." The 'Envelope' murmured in C.D's direction.
"Obsessed much?"
"I do my research."
"Is she Hungarian?"
"Why?"
"She stands like one."
And the fight began.
Feliks stepped in front of Eliza and about a dozen knives flew out, test knives, the throws were designed to see the opponent's agility. C.D. easily dodged but his partner barely made it from having his nose pierced. Eliza went to worked, using the overhang of smoke as a cover she slid to the frown and at a half crouch she dove for C.D.'s ankles but was stopped by a silver knife.
"Nice try iubire." Looking down on her with red eyes, she was vaguely reminded of Gilbert, but seeing now white blonde hair under the fighter's tasseled hat, she dismissed the frightening possibility.
Eliza smirked and leaning down on her hands she quickly extended her left leg to knock the knife away and her right left snapped up to kick him in the chest, the Romanian nearly fell out of the ring and Eliza held her breath, it was a ring fight, get thrown out, step out, whatever, if you got out of the ring you couldn't go back in.
The man regained balance, and went under the cover of smoke as well. Sensing a presence nearing her legs she brought them back to her body, somersaulting backwards she laid her back down and lifting her legs and abdomen swung them up over her head, a deadly rap dancing killer machine. Her legs served their purpose and kicked the envelope down, Feliks rushed in flipping over on his hands he brought his legs down to slam into…the floor or the ring. C.D. was grasping his partner by the neck before discarding him and pulling out a wicked blade advanced on Knifeman, who flicked his hands and three knifes flew out of his left sleeve grazing the C.D.'s, shoulder small lines of blood flew off with the knives but before Feliks could smile Eliza took his legs out from under him. Landing hard on his butt he turned to growl at her but saw that she had saved him from the dumb mailman who had a metal chair in his hands. Jumping up he felt hard hands pummel his back, flying forward he twisted to land on his knuckles and feet, facing the C.D.
"You're a tiresome little upstart aren't you?" Feliks asked the man.
"Yes, yes I am." And he sent a couple thick knives flying, Feliks was shocked no one dared to use his strategy against him even Eliza respected knife throwing as his turf. He would have been impaled had Eliza not pulled him out of the way.
Laughing, Eliza told him,"Let's switch I don't want to bail your ass out of jail."
Growling Feliks turned to take on the 'Envelope', "Ok mailman come over here so I can deliver your ass out of my ring."
"Fuck you!" the mailman retorted before charging, an elementary move.
Feliks happy to make a fool out of the man bought his hands up in standard boxing form. Fist covering his face, another near his chin and shoulder he slid his legs into defensive stance, and then waiting for the man to come within half a foot he swung. A move only deadly precision could mark. Feliks's left hand pulverized the man's temple and stepping into the hit his right fist smashed its fist into the man's jaw. A beautiful hit, many fighters nodded their head in approval, Roger in the back behind the bar, chose to voice his, "Damn good hit, about fucking time that you did something worth while, now stop playing around with the rookies, kick 'em out!"
Chuckling his mirth, Feliks whipped around the idiot opponent, his body moving fluidly that even a cheerleader could appreciate. However, while he was doing his fancy dance turn out of his peripheral vision he saw a fan of the opponents slip a couple of folded bills into the announcer's outstretched palms. Opening his mouth in anger he slapped the mailman for good measure and straightening his arms he pounded the man in the chest pushing him out. This move was precarious, you had to move into the after stance, your arms had to be straight and your muscles contracted to give full power, you had to place your hands on an exact spot equal to the other to push the man back with full force. Moving into the after stance meant that you had to push your entire body into your arms for maximum strength and that is just what Feliks did. However in a last minute attempt to stop himself from flying out of the ring, the mailman grabbed Feliks's sleeve dragging him towards the edge as he fell. Feliks expected this and purposely fell to flatten himself to the ground, completely parallel to the ground he allowed the mailman to drag him a couple of inches before he felt hands grab his calves, and sending three knives into each of the mailman's shoulder he felt himself being yanked up.
Eliza had flipped over her opponent to grab Feliks and pull him back in, a good move. After successfully setting Feliks up right, she turned around to kick her opponents head when a whistle sounded.
"OUT!" the announcer yelled pointing at Feliks and the 'envelope'.
"WHAT!" Feliks roared, "What the fuck do you mean OUT!"
"You are out!" the announcer replied before backing away, "Get out before I…I eliminate you from fighting!"
"You can't eliminate me! DAMMIT! Fucking ref the game! I am not out!" Feliks yelled flicking his wrists restlessly.
"Youre…toe was out of the ring!"
"My toe? My toe? My fucking toe!" Feliks shouted in aggravation ,"Come over here so I can fucking beat your ass! My TOE!"
"You are OUT!" the announcer yelled back.
"Feliks!" Roger's voice filled the stadium, "Feliks, leave it, just get out, and fight this one another time." And giving Feliks a meaningful glance at the 'envelope' he returned to distributing sake (imported from the Underground community under Tokyo), to a group of hooded figures.
"I'll kill you." Feliks told the 'envelope' who smirked in response.
"I guess it's just me and you, iubire." The man in front of Eliza said. Man? This guy was barely a teen.
"How old are you?" Eliza asked solemnly, searching the young mans face, his peach fuzz hadn't even grown all the way our yet.
"…Thirteen, not that's its any of your business." The man – boy, answered.
"Oh…I'm so sorry." Eliza said, not the Unknown, Elizaveta said it, and with utmost sincerity, she could fell where this boy was coming from, it sucked to be so young and pushed so early into adulthood.
"For what?" he sneered.
"For this…and everything else." Eliza replied before her eyes were jaded over with ice, result of the Unknown coming back in for dominance. And with that, she quickly squatted down and before the boy could react, she kicked her legs in a sweeping motion, leaving the boy suspended in air for about thirty seconds, before she got back and up and round housed kicked him out of the ring. In that moment she was not human, she was an arc of power, sinew, muscle, and raw strength in one. What every fighter in the world strived to be.
The crowd was shocked, in less than a minute the Unknown had eliminated the rookie who had ranked tenth on his first fight. Had she just been playing with them? If you had asked Feliks he wouldn't answer just smile at your audacity of asking him. If you asked Eliza, she would say the 'Envelope' sucked but she hadn't been playing with the C.D. after talking with him briefly, not that she would admit she talked to anyone. Still, only Feliks and Eliza would know that it had indeed been a cat and mouse game.
The crowd rose from silence to a deafening roar that people up top in Berlin heard. The crowd rose as one to scream and stomp their feet then rush to the bar.
Animals Eliza thought, before turning around and running at a half crouch under the smoke she went to find the kid she had pulverized. Finding him leaning against a dented chair, bleeding from a cut on his cheek.
The Romanian boy blinked and when he opened his eyes again he nearly screamed, kneeling before him was the black figure of the Unknown.
"Listen kid, tell anyone I spoke to you and you'll die. The same way that announcer will." Eliza said before ripping a piece of cloth from her torso and wiping his cheek.
"What are you doing?" the boy asked, bewildered.
"I'm honestly sorry, for kicking you, for whatever it is that you're down here, I'm sorry." Eliza said, wondering if she could help him get out of the hell she was introduced to. The same hell, mind you, that was her obsession.
"It's not your problem." The boy tried to growl.
"I'm making it mine, meet me at the Diner on Abe street, four o'clock, don't be late or you're paying for your breakfast." Eliza replied shortly before handing the cloth to him.
"What if I'm not there? What if I let it slip?" the boy asked rebelliously.
"I'll destroy the evidence."
"What?"
"I'll kill you." And with that the boy blinked in surprise and again upon opening his eyes, the Unknown was gone. Searching the cloudy arena, the boy stole out of the stadium into the cold Berlin night.
Eliza was walking towards Feliks who was sitting in a corner.
"Hey." She said lamely.
"Hey yourself." Feliks replied.
"You okay?"
"The Underground is growing."
"What?"
"The. Underground. Is. Growing."
"I…I uh know."
"Who told you?"
"The redheaded Italian…" She heard Feliks inhale sharply.
"Are you like attracted to danger? You crazy ass woman!"
"I know Feliks!" Eliza growled back, "I KNOW. But, maybe getting to know them will help us."
"US? How will it help us? I'm not screwing the lot of them with my awesome man screwing skills."
Eliza gaped in shock and laughed. Feliks smiled and getting out of his chair he gestured for Eliza to follow him. Following Feliks led them down the hall leading to the exit.
"The Underground is growing." Feliks stated.
"You, uh said that already." Eliza said dodging cobwebs.
"With a bigger Underground, a bigger figure of power will be needed."
"Fighters, Liaisons, and assassins." Eliza said, "The most deadly and useful. The top –"
"Three of each category will be chosen to act as a peacemaker of sorts."
"I thought it was two?"
"No, three now, rumors are floating around that it will be the top five, that's what they're doing in Sri Lanka. There will also be a council, neutral, one from each group and more."
"Which groups?"
"Smugglers, alcohol majors the criminal stuff."
"Interesting." Eliza would have said more but standing, or hanging, in front of her was the decapitated body of the announcer for her and Feliks's match. A rope wrapped around his purple neck.
"I figured the mailman I'll meet in the ring again, but as far as anyone will say, I had nothing to do with this." Feliks said breaking the silence.
Eliza nodded than giving her friend a smile, she walked up the stairs and out the door.
Sometimes I forget how dangerous the Underground is. She thought, that boy shouldn't be here, referring to the Romanian child in the ring.
So? Why not? The Unknown demanded.
He is too young to be in this place it's a dangerous world. Eliza declared inside her head.
The same world you lived in.
Eliza didn't reply.
AHHHH thank you so much! To:
Windsofdreams: I am so glad that you think the fight was good! Thank you for reviewing!
Disturbed Nord: Ayayay sorry for the wait :( really sorry but thanks for reading and reviewing!
Island-Muse93: I don't think I'll abandon this story, ever…even though I'm really bad and stop updating for gigantic periods of time. - . - (shame on me) And thank you for reading and reviewing!
Kigaroo: Eee! Sorry for the huge, big, ginormous wait. Very sorry :(. You think it was worth the wait! Ahg! Thank you! So very grateful. Thanks so much for reading and reviewing!
Alexanimelvr: Ooo you think so? Hmm even thought it was really really long? Thank you! Ahh thank you for thinking so! Thanks so much for reviewing and reading!
Ok, even though I have put a lot of thank you's I really mean each and every one of them, also thank you to those who are reading even if you're not reviewing (even though I would like more reviews =D) I appreciate you for reading and I understand because I have been an irresponsible person and not update for my most wonderful reviewers.
Thank you to those who are reading and double thank you to those who reviewed~!
~P.W.