Author's Note:

I've been working on this scene for quite some time, and came up with three or four different versions. I have to admit, this is my favorite.

However, it is rather violent, and I do believe it stretches the boundaries of what could be considered T. Therefore, fair warning beforehand. This chapter has abusive language and descriptive violence in it.

Lily's eyes fluttered open, but it was her ears that first warned her that something was up. She'd gotten used to the solitude of her room, with only the muffled cries of raiders to occasionally disturb her peace. But now, those cries were a roaring, incoherent cacophony of noise that made her palms sweat and her stomach churn.

The bloodthirsty cries of the raiders of the Combat zone were as much a trial as the opponent one would face in the ring. And her eyes confirmed it; she was in the ring.

Lily leapt to her feet, eliciting a raucous cheer from the crowd. She felt nauseous, and the horde of raiders in a rabid frenzy did little to settle her stomach. As her eyes adjusted to the bright stadium lights, she spotted a figure lurking in the shadows, just outside the cage.

"Tommy!" She yelled, her voice barely audible among the whoops and cheers.

"Hey, what's she doing in there? Tell her to go fight!" one man complained to the guy next to him.

"Holy crap, that's Lily Tourette in there!" another exclaimed.

"Bullshit. I heard Tower Tom capped her ass."

"I'm telling you, that's her!"

"Tommy must have put down the big bucks to get her in the ring."

Oh he's going to need big bucks. Lily thought to herself, grinding her teeth in between shouts. He'll need every cap in this dump to pay his medical bills.

While Lily continued to yell, raiders slowly began to slink towards the betting table with fistfuls of caps.

"Thirty caps on the redhead." A man slurred, placing a pouch of caps on the table.

"Fifty for the Tourette."

"Seventeen on Cait!"

Tommy's excitement over the crowd forming at the betting table was short lived; rumors were spreading. A general unease seemed to have infected the raiders; worried glances and nervous tics were affecting even the raider bosses. Of course, it wasn't out of pity for the wide-eyed teenager, caged in with the fiercest fighter the Combat Zone had ever seen.

Red Tourette was by far one of the most unstable, vengeful gang leaders in the Commonwealth. And anyone who knew the first two things about her, also knew that she loved her sister above anything else. Enough to start a war to get her back.

Slowly, one by one, the raiders stopped jeering and cackling. Some did so out of fear, while others were simply curious. But they shut up just the same, leaving a flabbergasted Tommy scratching what remained of his nose.

"Get me out of here. Now!" Lily cried, her voice strained and her throat aching. Now that she had everyone's attention, she couldn't show any sign of weakness.

"Of course, dear. I wouldn't want to mess with Red Tourette's sister, would I?" Tommy asked with a shrug. The raider bosses relaxed somewhat as Tommy fished for the keys to the cage.

You've already more than messed with me, you ghoul bastard. Lily thought, grinding her teeth impatiently as Tommy slowly made his way towards the door. She had only now looked down at her clothes, and the wave of anger and embarrassment that washed over her threatened to drown out any semblance of 3rational thought. She was wearing a curiously fashionable leather jacket, along with a leather halter top that ended far too close to her chest, and a pair of black jeans. While the clothing itself was comfortable enough, the thought of someone undressing her and dressing her up as a Combat Zone showpiece was enough to get her blood boiling. She wasn't sure if she would be able to stop herself from strangling Tommy on the spot once he opened the cage.

Something was wrong. Tommy had stopped moving and was looking pointedly behind her instead.

Lily turned just in time to see a blur of red flying in her direction.

Instinctively she ducked, but it was the wrong move. There was a collective groan among the raiders as Lily was tackled into the cage wall. Many of them came from people who'd thrown down caps the moment they heard the name Tourette.

It was starting to look like another Cait blowout.

Cait was frothing at the mouth, looking more like a wild mongrel than a human. Not that anyone cared; the audience loved to watch the redhead lose control in the ring. And she was more than happy to oblige them, especially when that meant getting her fix of psycho and a bunch of caps to stuff under her pillow. As she held the surprised woman in place with her shoulders, she began pummeling her stomach with her fists. Her bare knuckles hit leather at first, but she corrected her aim and soon they were digging into flesh. No matter how many fights she won, she still reveled in the primal thrill of fist meeting tissue. Or perhaps that was the psycho egging her on.

Lily was no stranger to wasteland scraps, but she'd never gone up against an opponent this ferocious. Even as she hammered down on the creature's exposed back, the beast was rearranging her intestines with every punch. Red had always been a harsh teacher, but even she'd only ever pushed Lily to her limit. This opponent wasn't interested in teaching her, she wasn't worried about keeping her intact. She certainly didn't care if she lived or died. This was a true fight to the death, and the thought of losing terrified Lily.

All the emotions that she'd carefully buried over the last two weeks were threatening to resurface, sapping what little control she still had over her weakening limbs. A paralyzing fear was starting to seep into her bones, followed shortly by a flood of shame and guilt. Even now, she was still searching, clawing, for a way out. Looking for any opportunity to escape death, no matter how cowardly.

Spineless. Gutless. I should have fed you to the molerats. Red's snake-like voice slithered through the cracks in her defenses. Her sister had returned.

Lily moaned in pain, her stomach heaving and spit flying from her lips. Her hands scrabbled for purchase as she fell to her knees, pinned up against the cage wall by her unrelenting opponent. Cait's grunts, Lily's cries and Tommy's vivid commentary were drowned out by a surge of booing and jeering.

"Tourette bitch!"

"Get up you worthless whore!"

Die on your feet, you pathetic girl.

Lily curled into a ball, hiding her shameful, tear-stricken face from the raiders and the soulless bitch that kept kicking her while she begged and pleaded.

Please Red, make it stop. Please. Please. She sobbed as she rocked back and forth. Please, I can't take this. I'm not as strong as you.

And just like that, the kicking stopped.

Too afraid to look up, too injured to move, Lily froze in place. She was too far gone, her mind steeped in an all-consuming, paralyzing fear. The raiders were no longer jeering her; instead, they were chanting.

"Cait. Cait. Cait. CAIT." The cries grew louder, drowning out all other noise in the arena.

One of Lily's eyes was nearly swollen shut, but one eye was enough to see what the crowd was riled up about. A red-haired figure stood, highlighted in the stadium lights, a baseball bat on her shoulder.

For a moment, she fantasized that her sister had really come, against all odds, to save her. After all, nobody could stand between Red and her little sister, not even this beast.

Her hopes were crushed when the redhead turned and spat on her. The cries of the crowd were deafening now, growing in intensity and volume as Cait approached her victim.

"Crush her Cait!"

"FINISH HER!"

"Stay away from the face!"

"Cait! Don't!"

That last voice was so unlike any of the others, in tone, pitch and accent? A faint spark of recognition jolted Cait's chem-addled mind, and she took her eyes off of Lily to scan the crowd.

Get up.

It wasn't a request, or a plea. It wasn't even a demand. Her sister was commanding her to rise; her voice taking control of Lily's weak, frail body and infusing it with a life of its own. For just a moment, Lily could have sworn she felt her sister's warm breath against her cheek; was that Red's hand running through her hair?

Cait's eyes were still urgently drifting through the crowd, apparently oblivious to the raiders screaming for blood.

It was her only chance. Her one-second window.

Before Cait could return to her prey, Lily fired every functioning muscle in her body, willing them to propel her forward. Using the cage wall as a springboard, she launched herself at Cait.

She didn't start punching or kicking.

She didn't scratch.

She didn't grab at Cait's hair.

Instead, Lily bared her teeth like a wild mongrel and bit deep into Cait's exposed neck.

Cait's sharp, piercing cry silenced the cheering crowd. Even the toughest raiders were watching in awe at the raw, primal battle taking place in the ring. This was beyond even their wildest expectations.

The raucous, rowdy Combat Zone had gone silent. Lily's feral snarls and Cait's shrieks of pain were the only sounds left, competing with each other for dominance as Lily and Cait struggled in the ring.

Cait's howls were horrific, a mangled rendition of rage, agony and even despair. For the seasoned veterans of the Combat Zone, her cries were nerve-wracking.

But for Lily, there could be no better music to die to.

Cait bucked and flailed wildly, desperately trying to get the Tourette off of her. With every movement, Lily's teeth sunk further into her skin, tearing at the flesh and muscle underneath.

The metallic taste of blood filled Lily's mouth as she ground further through human flesh. All her energy went into maintaining her vicelike grip on Cait; both hunter and prey were locked in a life-and-death struggle.

Just moments ago, the roles had been clear. Lily had been battered and bruised, brought to the brink by the Combat Zone's toughest. As scary as the Tourette name was, Cait had ripped it to shreds and pounded it into the ground.

And now, even as Cait roared like a wounded Deathclaw, raiders were hastening back to the betting table in droves, hoping to recast their bets. The tables had turned, and those who could see that nearly tipped over the betting table in their eagerness.

The baseball bat flew out of Cait's hands, as she tried to pry open Lily's jaw. But her blows were weakening, and Lily's jaw was locked tight.

After a few seconds, Lily's teeth clicked together. She released her grip on Cait and spat chunks of blood and flesh onto the arena floor. Lily fought the urge to vomit at the taste in her mouth. Cait was wailing in pain, clutching at the gaping wound as she tried to stem the blood.

While Cait rolled around the arena floor, the audience watched with bated breath.

Lily, now framed by the spotlights, was an unforgettable sight. Her short hair was matted with blood, deepening its already deep-red color. Although one eye was forced shut by a massive bruise, her other eye glittered with malice. Her pretty features were completely obscured; coated in blood below, and marred by bruises and cuts above, her nose. Despite the beating she'd taken her leather outfit was still intact, her purpling, bruised stomach visible to all.

Most importantly, her blood-soaked hands now hefted Cait's baseball bat.

"Fuck. You."

Lily brought the bat down with all her remaining strength.

The swing connected solidly with Cait's abdomen, shattering her ribcage.

The fighter gasped for air, mouthing soundless screams of agony as bright-red blood spluttered out of her ruby-red lips.

"-and give it up for your winner! Lily Tourette!" Tommy's voice called on the speakers, to a mostly ecstatic crowd.

The world was spinning around Lily Tourette. The stunned raiders, Tommy's boisterous announcements, the arena floor, layered in red. Her hands, the floor, the cage walls.

Red, Red, Red.

Lily hit the ground before the first claps reached her ears.