The clamor of the audience sometimes made it difficult for Rio to relax
into the right mindset for fighting. On such occasions, like this evening,
she retreated into an empty corner as far behind the scenes as possible,
and ran through her exercises. She was just finishing her final movement
when she heard the program director shriek her name.
"Angel! Where the hell are you?" he demanded, rubbing a greasy hand over his thinned black hair. He peered around the dark space with squinted eyes.
Rio muttered an obscenity under her breath, then answered in a flawless Russian accent. "It is ahn-zel, Jack. I am right here."
He turned his portly body in her direction. "Ah, there you are. I was afraid you'd changed your mind and weren't going to show."
"You mean Henry was afraid, do you not?" Rio retorted. Henry, her slimy employer, made his doubts about her abilities in a man's game well known. He said it was only a matter of time before she bit off more than she could chew and turned on her heels. She loved continuously disappointing him. "One of these days that asshole is going to have to admit he is wrong," Rio continued. "I will wait patiently in the meantime."
Jack raised a derisive eyebrow, but gave her wide berth when she strode past him.
Rio took her place upon the top of ramp, waiting for the crew to hit her music. Her opponent, affectionately known as The Psychotic Sasquatch, waited below in the ring. Rio flexed her fingers inside of her gloves and adjusted the strap of black sports bra. Suddenly, Duran Duran blasted through the speakers.
Her name is Rio and she dances on the sand.
One of these days, she would make Henry pick a different song. This one was becoming nauseating. But when she complained to him, all he would say is, "I'm the boss and this is the tune I want." As long as he paid well, however, she would allow him this act of annoyance.
With one more shoulder stretch, Rio launched herself down the short aisle and into the ring. Sasquatch glared at her in utter contempt. Rio ignored him, facing the crowd instead. She gave them her widest golden grin and stretched out her arms, leaning into her customary bow.
"Now you finally get what's coming to you, bitch!" her opponent snarled.
Rio turned to him and cocked her head to one side. He was even bigger than she expected. She'd never stood this close to him before now. Still, she felt no fear. There was only a sense of calm resignation.
"What'sa matta," he taunted. "You getting' pissed?"
Rio grinned widely again. "I rarely get pissed," she said smoothly. "If I did, the bodies that I have left behind me would be cold."
The crowd cheered loudly at their banter. They couldn't hear what was said, but knew it wasn't a friendly conversation.
"There are some things worse than death, ya know," Sasquatch sneered at her. "Just ask Steele Deal."
"Ah yes," Rio sighed. "I have been meaning to talk to you about that."
"Oh really?"
"Yes," she said, circling to Sasquatch's left. "I think you need to understand something."
"And what would that be," Sasquatch asked, craning his head to look at her.
"Pain should not be doled out without caution," Rio hissed, suddenly dropping to the floor and taking the giant down with a swift kick to the back of his left knee. He went down easily with a loud grunt.
And so it began. Every time Sasquatch got up, she took him down again. Her skills stemmed from a mixture of several martial arts disciplines and good, old fashioned street fighting. Unlike many of the other fighters, she never brought a weapon into the ring. She knew she didn't need one, as she herself was her most lethal tool. Her speed was unparalleled. Her ability to sense her opponent's next move, uncanny.
Finally, after almost forty-five minutes of parrying and attacking, Rio tired of the game. She'd drawn it out for the audience long enough. She grabbed hold of Sasquatch's left ankle and gave it a sharp twist. He screamed in pain, as the bone cracked easily.
"Now, we would have ended this here, if it were not for your sadistic handling of Steele last week," Rio said without any show of emotion.
"What's that got to do with this," Sasquatch gritted through his teeth.
"A lot," Rio said as she placed his uninjured leg carefully of the mat and stood. "You not only ended his career, you took away his ability to walk. He will never be the same again."
Sasquatch's eyes widened in alarm. "So?" he demanded as he desperately tried to move himself out of the middle of the ring. "He knew the risks when he signed on, just like the rest of us!"
"Ah, yes, there is that," Rio answered as she tracked his movements from behind her mirrored glasses. "But you know the one rule of this game, don't you?"
"There are no rules," he spat.
"There is one," Rio said patiently, as if she speaking to a child. "When one opponent surrenders, the match is over."
"Damn you, bitch, I surrender!"
"So did he," Rio said softly, then dropped and drove her weight onto his right knee.
"You fucking bitch!" Sasquatch screamed again in pain.
The crowd roared in triumph. Rio knew they would always love an underdog. The staff medical team loaded a grumbling Sasquatch onto a gurney as Rio again bowed for them. This time Henry would not be able to deny her ability. This time he would have to seriously consider her value.
Rio waved one last time before gliding back up the ramp.
--------------------------------------
"Holy SHIT!" exclaimed a man with long, lanky brown hair from his seat in the second row. He smacked the shoulder of a well-built man to his right and demanded, "Did you SEE that?"
The man didn't answer immediately. He merely stared at the now-empty ring in shock. Then he turned slowly to his friend. "We have GOT to tell the rest of the boys about this."
"Angel! Where the hell are you?" he demanded, rubbing a greasy hand over his thinned black hair. He peered around the dark space with squinted eyes.
Rio muttered an obscenity under her breath, then answered in a flawless Russian accent. "It is ahn-zel, Jack. I am right here."
He turned his portly body in her direction. "Ah, there you are. I was afraid you'd changed your mind and weren't going to show."
"You mean Henry was afraid, do you not?" Rio retorted. Henry, her slimy employer, made his doubts about her abilities in a man's game well known. He said it was only a matter of time before she bit off more than she could chew and turned on her heels. She loved continuously disappointing him. "One of these days that asshole is going to have to admit he is wrong," Rio continued. "I will wait patiently in the meantime."
Jack raised a derisive eyebrow, but gave her wide berth when she strode past him.
Rio took her place upon the top of ramp, waiting for the crew to hit her music. Her opponent, affectionately known as The Psychotic Sasquatch, waited below in the ring. Rio flexed her fingers inside of her gloves and adjusted the strap of black sports bra. Suddenly, Duran Duran blasted through the speakers.
Her name is Rio and she dances on the sand.
One of these days, she would make Henry pick a different song. This one was becoming nauseating. But when she complained to him, all he would say is, "I'm the boss and this is the tune I want." As long as he paid well, however, she would allow him this act of annoyance.
With one more shoulder stretch, Rio launched herself down the short aisle and into the ring. Sasquatch glared at her in utter contempt. Rio ignored him, facing the crowd instead. She gave them her widest golden grin and stretched out her arms, leaning into her customary bow.
"Now you finally get what's coming to you, bitch!" her opponent snarled.
Rio turned to him and cocked her head to one side. He was even bigger than she expected. She'd never stood this close to him before now. Still, she felt no fear. There was only a sense of calm resignation.
"What'sa matta," he taunted. "You getting' pissed?"
Rio grinned widely again. "I rarely get pissed," she said smoothly. "If I did, the bodies that I have left behind me would be cold."
The crowd cheered loudly at their banter. They couldn't hear what was said, but knew it wasn't a friendly conversation.
"There are some things worse than death, ya know," Sasquatch sneered at her. "Just ask Steele Deal."
"Ah yes," Rio sighed. "I have been meaning to talk to you about that."
"Oh really?"
"Yes," she said, circling to Sasquatch's left. "I think you need to understand something."
"And what would that be," Sasquatch asked, craning his head to look at her.
"Pain should not be doled out without caution," Rio hissed, suddenly dropping to the floor and taking the giant down with a swift kick to the back of his left knee. He went down easily with a loud grunt.
And so it began. Every time Sasquatch got up, she took him down again. Her skills stemmed from a mixture of several martial arts disciplines and good, old fashioned street fighting. Unlike many of the other fighters, she never brought a weapon into the ring. She knew she didn't need one, as she herself was her most lethal tool. Her speed was unparalleled. Her ability to sense her opponent's next move, uncanny.
Finally, after almost forty-five minutes of parrying and attacking, Rio tired of the game. She'd drawn it out for the audience long enough. She grabbed hold of Sasquatch's left ankle and gave it a sharp twist. He screamed in pain, as the bone cracked easily.
"Now, we would have ended this here, if it were not for your sadistic handling of Steele last week," Rio said without any show of emotion.
"What's that got to do with this," Sasquatch gritted through his teeth.
"A lot," Rio said as she placed his uninjured leg carefully of the mat and stood. "You not only ended his career, you took away his ability to walk. He will never be the same again."
Sasquatch's eyes widened in alarm. "So?" he demanded as he desperately tried to move himself out of the middle of the ring. "He knew the risks when he signed on, just like the rest of us!"
"Ah, yes, there is that," Rio answered as she tracked his movements from behind her mirrored glasses. "But you know the one rule of this game, don't you?"
"There are no rules," he spat.
"There is one," Rio said patiently, as if she speaking to a child. "When one opponent surrenders, the match is over."
"Damn you, bitch, I surrender!"
"So did he," Rio said softly, then dropped and drove her weight onto his right knee.
"You fucking bitch!" Sasquatch screamed again in pain.
The crowd roared in triumph. Rio knew they would always love an underdog. The staff medical team loaded a grumbling Sasquatch onto a gurney as Rio again bowed for them. This time Henry would not be able to deny her ability. This time he would have to seriously consider her value.
Rio waved one last time before gliding back up the ramp.
--------------------------------------
"Holy SHIT!" exclaimed a man with long, lanky brown hair from his seat in the second row. He smacked the shoulder of a well-built man to his right and demanded, "Did you SEE that?"
The man didn't answer immediately. He merely stared at the now-empty ring in shock. Then he turned slowly to his friend. "We have GOT to tell the rest of the boys about this."