After wandering the halls for a few minutes Ryan found the locker room designated for the Raging Dragons. Inside he found several members of the team scattered about. Ben and Kar going over strategy and both were already in their fighting attire-black shorts that had dragon on one pant leg and their names printed across the rear in red. Across the aisle from them Eric and Nick were talking, both in only their fighting gear, while they oiled up for their matches. Ryan smirked as he thought about all the women who would have loved to see that sight.
His thoughts stuttered to a stop as he saw what was near the back of the locker room...a shirtless Speed. Like many of the other fighters Speed shaved his chest hair and was in the process of oiling his arms. Ryan couldn't even think to wonder why the oil. He couldn't think of anything. All he could do was stare oh so obviously at the dark haired beauty.
"You'd be safer taking a picture."
Ryan jerked out of his stupor at the voice in his ear. He spun to face the speaker and felt his face grow hot at the knowing smirk he found on Tom's face. The last thing he wanted to do was give Tom ammunition to humiliate him. Tom's smirk grew at the blush on Ryan's face, but he didn't say anything. He simply waved a hand toward one of the lockers.
"Your competition gear is inside," Tom explained. The smirk never left his face and Ryan was sure he was going to hear about it later.
Ryan nodded and took a step toward his locker, but paused. "What's the oil for?"
"Makes it hard for the opponent to get a grip on you," Tom replied.
"And it makes all the female fans drool," Temple added as he walked by.
Tom followed his partner while Ryan stepped up to his locker. He pulled up on the handle and swung it open. Inside he found a pair of shorts like the ones the other Dragons were wearing with a dragon on one leg and 'Wolfe' across the rear. It was then that he hesitated. Should he change and warm up before his match like Battle and Funsch suggested or go back out and snoop around more.
"I hear you've got a match tonight, Wolfe," Danny said, catching Ryan's attention. Ryan looked to see the older man stroll into the locker room like he owned the place. "You should warm up for it. Grant Morgan is going to give you hell."
"Grant Morgan? That's his opponent?" Nick demanded.
"Yup. You should probably give him some tips Nicky. Boy'll need it against that ass," Danny suggested.
Ryan knew from Nick's profile that he had a long time feud with Grant Morgan. They had fought numerous times since Nick entered the League. They knew each other's fighting styles perfectly and there was no one better to coach Ryan than Nick. Nick came to the same conclusion as he took a seat on the bench facing Ryan. Ryan leaned back against his locker and listened.
"First and foremost. Morgan loves cheap shots. Strikes below the belt are against the rules, but if he can get one in without the ref seeing he will," Nick said, his voice taking on a no nonsense tone. "Second, he has a nasty uppercut that he follows with a kick to the ribs. It's like a finishing move because once that kick connects you're out."
"I felt a punch already," Ryan mused. "If he kicks harder than that..."
"If he connects with a kick to the head, and gets it just right, he could snap your neck," Nick warned. "Your best bet is to get in close, crowd his space so he can't get a kick, or stay out of his range."
"Anything else?" Ryan asked. He genuinely appreciated the advice.
"Yeah, good luck. Mobley was a real ass to schedule you against Morgan for your first match."
"Why does everyone make it sound like I don't have a chance?" Ryan demanded, mildly insulted.
"Because we don't know how good of a fighter you are and Grant is a vicious competitor who has killed more men in the Lightweight division than anyone else," Nick replied.
Ryan absorbed that little piece of information with growing apprehension. They were making Grant Morgan sound like a monster. Ryan's on brief encounter with the man supported that. He hit like a sledgehammer and Ryan knew that he wouldn't be able to take too many hits like that.
Ryan's thoughts were interrupted as the door to the locker room opened and an official stuck his head in. "McGewen brothers, you're up."
Ryan watched with mild fascination as the rest of the team wished them good luck in their own ways. The twins pulled on their gloves and headed out. Eric patted Ben's back as they passed, telling him to be careful. Ben threw him a smirk and then the twins were gone. Ryan half wanted to go watch their match, but he knew he needed to warm up and get ready for his match. He grabbed his gear and went into the bathroom attached to the locker room and got changed. When he came out several of his teammates shot him amused looks at his modesty, but it was Speed's unflinching stare that really caught his attention. Ryan blushed and looked away, completely missing the knowing smirks Tom and Temple exchanged behind his back.
"The gym is right down the hall. Want someone to show you?" Eric asked as Ryan put his neatly folded clothes in his locker.
"No thanks, I'm sure I can find it," Ryan replied.
Before anyone could push the issue Ryan made his exit. He waited until the door swung shut behind him before he headed off in the direction he'd seen the gym in his earlier wandering. Inside he found everything one would expect a gym to have including a padded area for sparring. The room wasn't empty and in fact Ryan was mildly surprised to find his partner in there working over the punching bag. Ryan knew they needed to talk, but John subtly scratched his ear-the signal for surveillance.
"You got a staring problem?" John demanded.
Ryan narrowed his eyes and played along. "No, but you've got an attitude problem."
"Yeah? What are you going to do about it?"
"Give it an adjustment."
John smirked, nodding his head toward the mats. "You think so? Let's go then."
The two men took their places on the mats and fell into fighting stances. In reality a fight between them would never go anywhere. They knew each other's moves inside and out. They trained intensely together to be ready for the assignment. Not that any amount of training could really prepare a person for a fight that could be a life or death matter.
"You're awfully scrawny to be so cocky," John sneered. Anyone listening in on the conversation was going to hear nothing but the two trying to outwit each other in an immature verbal duel, but over the years the two had worked out their own code for undercover work.
"Yeah, well I may be scrawny but I can still kick your ass," Ryan retorted. "You can't be that good anyway, you're not a part of a team."
"I don't need anyone to watch my back," John said. "I can do just fine on my own. I'm not a pussy like some people in this room."
They were the only two people in the gym.
That started the fight. Ryan faked a left hook and as John ducked he swung his right fist into an uppercut. The blow snapped John's head backwards and Ryan jabbed him in the ribs. John lashed out with a kick meant to get Ryan to back off, but Ryan absorbed the blow with his thigh and swung another punch at John's face. John blocked and jabbed at Ryan's midsection, which was blocked as the two backed away from one another.
"You messed up my hair," John snarled.
Ryan smirked. "Messed up your face too...oh wait...you're just naturally that ugly."
John growled and lunged, but Ryan sidestepped and swung a fist at the back of John's head. His partner spun and caught his fist and jerked him into a punch to the gut. Ryan barely got his arm up in time to block the blow and gave his partner a look meant to tell him not to do that again. He shoved John backwards and kicked him solidly in the chest. John went down and didn't get back up again. That was John's signal to Ryan to stop.
Ryan backed away from his partner and watched him for a moment before he turned away. He went over to the punching bag John had abandoned and began to throw punches and kicks at it. At the same time he thought about what he'd just learned from John, which admittedly wasn't much. John was okay on his own, probably staying in an apartment close by, but he hadn't managed to make contact with any of the drug dealers yet.
A sudden shove from behind caught him off guard. He stumbled forward and used the punching bag to regain his balance. He spun quickly and glared at John, playing his part perfectly.
"You may have won this time, but watch your back." John warned with a menacing glare.
"You don't scare me." Ryan snapped back.
John growled, but in the end just turned and stalked out of the gym. John's warning to Ryan to watch his back would have sounded like a threat to anyone listening it, but Ryan heard it for what it really was. They both knew the danger they were putting themselves in to bust up the drug ring, but Ryan knew that John was more worried about him than he was about himself. That's how John had always been. He looked out for Ryan before he looked out for himself and the truth was that Ryan did the same thing. It was part of what made them such a successful team. When the going got tough they could count on each other.
VVVV
Ryan felt he was as prepared for his match as he was going to be. He didn't think anything would really prepare him for a fight for his life, but he was confident. He knew he had to be confident he would win or he would never step into the cage. He was confident he could at least give Grant Morgan a run for his money.
Eric's match was scheduled right before his, so Ryan decided to go with some of the other guys to watch. He sat between Temple and Tom, wondering just how safe that really was, and waited for the match to begin. A bruised and battered Ben took a seat in front of Ryan just before the lights dimmed. The crowd roared with anticipation and hard rock music began to pound through the arena. Ryan couldn't understand the words of the song because the lead singer was screaming like a banshee, but even then the ring announcer's voice cut over the music and crowd alike.
"Coming into the cage first, standing 6'1 at 185 lbs. Trent "the Crusher" Walker!"
The crowd roared their approval as a tall man entered the cage through the only door. He was wearing green trunks with his nickname "the Crusher" printed across the rear. Ryan wondered how he had missed that when he was watching the match earlier, but quickly dismissed it. It had been the first fight he'd seen and he was occupied with watching the actual fight.
Walker's music cut out and a new song started. Again it was rock music, but this time the lead singer was understandable. Ryan actually recognized the song from his previous undercover job. The song was One Step Closer, but the band name still eluded him. Something Park. The lyrics made sense, but it didn't seem like a song Eric would have picked out.
"Mobley and the higher ups assign theme songs," Temple said. Ryan gave him a startled look.
"Are you reading my mind?" Ryan asked before he could stop himself.
Temple snorted. "No, it was something about the look on your face when the song started."
"Oh, gotcha."
Both men fell silent as the ring announcer started speaking again. "Now coming to the cage at 6'1 and 180 lbs. Eric Delko!"
Again the crowd roared and so did Eric's teammates, except for a startled Ryan who hadn't expected it. The music faded and the lights around the cage grew brighter so that the crowd was still mostly in darkness, but the fight within the cage could be easily seen. The referee entered the cage and the ring announcer left.
"Ah bastard, Eric had to get that corrupt asshole for his ref," Tom grumbled. "Henderson never calls cheap shots."
"Well, at least we know Ryan will either get Dawson or Tripp," Temple replied.
Ryan blocked them out as he watched the cage. The two fighters were circling the cage. Eric's eyes were intense and focused, not even distracted by the shouts of the crowd. His muscles looked relaxed, but ready to spring into action. The ref called them to the middle and said something that wasn't loud enough for Ryan to hear. Eric held out his fist to bump gloves, a traditional sign of respect between fighters, but Crusher snubbed him by backing away with a mocking smirk.
"Oh Eric will make him pay for that one," Ryan heard Ben say.
At the ref's signal the fight officially started and immediately Crusher went right at Eric. Eric ducked and danced back, allowing Crusher to expend his energy as he waited for a good opening. Ryan watched with baited breath as one of Crusher's punches flew inches from Eric's head. Eric retaliated with two quick, hard jabs to the ribs. Crusher instinctively protected his ribs and Eric swung a punishing blow right to the bigger man's jaw. Crusher's head snapped back and he stumbled as Eric ruthlessly took advantage of the opening. The ref shoved Eric back as Crusher hit the mat and Ryan listened as Temple and Tom cheered.
"Get him, Eric! Don't let the bastard recover!" Temple yelled.
"C'mon Eric, you can take his pussy!" Tom added his encouragement.
Ryan turned his attention back to the cage and saw Crusher getting to his feet. As soon as he was up Eric pounced. Crush anticipated the move and ducked, coming back up with a hard uppercut. Eric reeled and Crusher followed with two jabs to the gut and a kick to the sternum that knocked Eric off his feet, but as he fell he used the momentum to roll backwards and sprang to his feet again. Crusher lunged and for a moment the two exchanged punches fast and brutal before Eric stumbled back, stunned by a blow to the temple. Crusher followed and forced Eric all the way back to the side of the cage where he continued to batter him.
"C'mon Eric! Don't let him muscle you around!" Ben shouted over the roaring approval of the crowd.
As if hearing his teammate's encouragement, Eric lashed out and shoved Crusher away form him. Crusher came at him again, but Eric dodged and twisted around so that their positions were reversed. With Crusher against the side of the cage Eric began to pummel the bigger guy with absolutely no mercy. Suddenly Crusher went limp and the ref shoved Eric away, allowing Crusher to fall to the mat. Eric backed off and watched as the ref did a check to see if Crusher was conscious. It only took a moment before the ref straightened up, grabbed Eric's arm and lifted it in the air.
"Winner by knockout, Eric Delko!"
Ryan got to his feet at the same times as his teammates around him and cheered at Eric's victory. He followed Temple down the aisle and down the steps to meet Eric as he exited the cage. Eric looked like he'd picked a fight with a meat cleaver and lost, but he was still grinning happily. The medics tried to get to him, but Temple assured them Eric would be taken care of and the team ushered him away. Ryan was swept up in the excitement and just went right along with it. Before he knew it they were in the locker room and everyone was congratulating Eric.
"You should have seen him Funsch, he pulled one of your bait and switch moves," Temple said.
Ryan stood back slightly from the celebration and for the first time really saw how much of a family the team was. He saw how much they cared about one another. It was a moment to see past the tough attitudes of Funsch and Battle and see the protectiveness Tyler had been talking about. If he wanted to be a part of the team Ryan knew he was going to have to get those two men on his side, no matter how hard it would be.
"Where's Speed?" Eric asked once the commotion died down.
"Oh you know, he was pissed about his match being canceled," Danny replied. "Quinton has been talking all kinds of smack and Speed was looking forward to setting him straight."
"So in other words Speed's probably at the bar drinking away his frustration."
"Or he's found himself a Companion and he's getting his frustration out a different way," Tom suggested. That earned him a smack on the shoulder from Temple. "What was that for?"
"I doubt Ben wants to hear about his brother's sexual habits," Temple retorted with a scolding tone.
"Brother?" Ryan repeated, surprised by this revelation.
"Yeah, Speed's dad adopted them to use them in the League." Danny explained as the group began to split up again. "Speed's closer to them than he is to his own brother."
"Matt is a jackass, that's why." Tom growled. "That asshole doesn't care about his blood brother or his adopted brothers. All he cares about is making a name for himself, money, sex, and drugs."
Drugs? That definitely got Ryan's attention. If Mathew Speedle was into drugs it was very likely he was a member of the drug ring. Ryan didn't look forward to that. Speed probably wouldn't be happy about his brother getting busted. And for some strange reason that Ryan didn't quite understand, the last thing he wanted to do was upset Speed.
"C'mon Delko, we better get you to Alexx before she comes to find you," Danny said, quickly taking the conversation away from Speed's family. "You know how she gets."
"Yeah, I know." Eric said with a sigh as he was reluctantly pulled from the room.
Ryan blocked all conversations from his mind. He sat on the bench, closed his eyes, and cleared his mind. After seeing one of his friends, another undercover cop, shot right in front of him Ryan had needed a way to relax and clear his mind of the nightmares that tormented him. He had learned a meditation technique from John and used it every time he needed to focus. And this one definitely a time he needed to focus.
VVVV
Ryan was growing increasingly nervous as it grew closer to time for his match. Meditating had helped a little at first, but as soon as he came back to himself and the situation he was in all calmness was gone. He knew he needed to win his first match if he was ever going to earn the respect of his teammates. It was the only thought in his head as he stretched and prepared. He had to have their respect.
The door to the locker room opened and a man stuck his head in. "Wolfe, you're up."
Ryan tried not to look at any of the men in the room as he headed out. He felt several pats on the back, but didn't look. He headed down the hall to the entrance area. As he neared he could hear hard rock music pounding inside the arena. The crowd was chanting and at first Ryan couldn't understand what they were saying. Then he came to the dark tunnel that led up to the arena and suddenly the chant was loud and unmistakable. They were chanting Grant Morgan's nickname, the walls ringing with cries of "Bloodlust" over and over again.
Morgan's theme song faded out, but the crowd's chants continued. Their chant could still be heard as a new song started. Ryan didn't recognize the song, but it was fast and angry just like the other themes. It wasn't his type of music, but it certainly fit the mood. With only a moment's hesitation he headed up the dark corridor and into the arena where a spotlight immediately fell on him. His blood was pumping hard and it was all he could hear as he walked the path up to the cage door. He knew he was being introduced by the ring announcer, but he couldn't hear any of it over the roaring in his ears. It was only when the ring announcer left and the referee for the match entered that Ryan remembered to focus and his heartbeat slowed enough to hear again.
"You both know the rules. Morgan, if I see one cheap shot from you I'll disqualify you immediately, got me?" The referee had a southern twang that was like Nick's, but also very different.
At Morgan's reluctant nod of understanding the ref took a step back and signaled for the fight to begin. Ryan took a step back and twisted to the left, having properly anticipated Morgan's aggressive charge. Ryan connected with a kick to Morgan's back and the slightly bigger man hit the cage with a clang. Ryan followed with another kick to the back, but Morgan rolled to the side and Ryan's foot connected with the cage.
"Get 'im Bloodlust! Knocking his fucking head off!" Someone in the crowd shouted.
Ryan backed away as Morgan came at him again. Ryan ducked a wild swing, but was caught full in the face by the other fist. The blow knocked him silly and he stumbled back as Morgan followed. A brutal jab to his already bruised stomach knocked the breath out of Ryan and an uppercut took him right off his feet. He vaguely heard the ref asking if he wanted to surrender, but for a few long minutes all Ryan could do was try and breathe. Suddenly he could breathe again and as he looked around he saw that Morgan was prancing around the cage riling up the crowd.
"Kid, either surrender or get up." The ref said.
Ryan flipped to his feet, much to the surprise of the crowd, and lunged for Morgan's back. It was a mistake, a gross misjudgment of his opponent's focus. Morgan threw out a kick that caught Ryan fully in the ribs. Ryan's momentum and the power behind Morgan's kick combined and he felt a few ribs give with a fiery pain. He stumbled back, dazed and in pain, but still had enough presence of mind to duck the next kick. Acting out of pure instinct, Ryan tackled his opponent, who was already off balance from missing the kick, and slammed them both to the mats hard.
"Get off him! Wolfe, back off!" The ref shouted.
Ryan allowed himself to be pulled away from Morgan as he struggled to catch his breath again. He bit down on his mouthpiece and clenched his fists as he watched Morgan get to his feet. The crowd was roaring for action as the two fighters lunged at each other again. Ryan blocked a punch and ducked the other fist and shoved Morgan backwards. He absorbed a kick with his thigh and faked a right hook at Morgan's head. Morgan moved his head to the left to dodge the blow and was caught with the full force of Ryan's left fist. Morgan stumbled and Ryan followed with a vicious cycle of punches to his opponent's head and a few to the ribs. One particularly powerful jab to the ribs felt like it might have snapped something, but Ryan didn't stop to consider it as he backed Morgan right into the side of the cage.
"Get 'em Ryan!" A voice yelled from the crowd. Ryan recognized it, but didn't take the time to try and place it.
Ryan dropped his fists to throw a few punches at Morgan's stomach and ribs, but Morgan lashed out. A backhanded punch knocked Ryan away from the more experienced fighter and gave Morgan the chance he needed to recover. With a roar muffled by his mouthpiece, Morgan attacked like a lion that had been poked too many times with a stick. It was a fury Ryan had never encountered before and could only defend himself from half the blows. A jab to his already abused ribs tore a cry of agony from him and he instinctively bent to protect his injury. The uppercut snapped his head backwards and lifted him off his feet. Everything grayed out for several seconds and when things came back to focus he was on his back with the ref bent over him checking him out.
"Wolfe, you conscious kid? Wolfe?" The ref called, patting his face.
Ryan's mouthpiece prevented him from speaking, but he nodded his head in answer. It took him a moment longer before he was able to get to his feet. Morgan was riling up the crowd again and they were once more chanting "Bloodlust" as the rowdy fighter circle the cage. Ryan didn't make the mistake of charging Morgan's back and instead waited until the bigger man turned and faced him. At that moment there was one thing that Ryan knew for damn sure. Whether he won or lost the match he was going to knock that god-awful smirk off Grant Morgan's face.
Morgan made a "come get some" motion with his hand, but Ryan didn't fall for it. He wanted his foe to come to him. After a few moments of circling each other looking for openings, Morgan lost his patience and attacked. Ryan caught the kick thrown at his side and used the strength given to him by adrenaline to lift Morgan off his feet and then body slammed him to the ground. The breath whooshed out of both of them, but Morgan's was laced with a shriek of agony as Ryan landed on his knee. Again the ref pulled Ryan to his feet and away from his opponent as Morgan clutched his injured appendage.
"Morgan, can you continue?" The ref asked in his sweet southern twang.
Morgan gave a growl of rage before stumbling to his feet. The smirk was gone from his face. Hatred sparked from furious black eyes as Morgan was forced to put all his weight on one leg. Ryan saw the light at the end of the tunnel and knew that Morgan's injury was the opening he needed. Ryan attacked, but Morgan was an experienced warrior and he was not done fighting yet. Ryan's right hook was caught and with a snarl of rage, Morgan twisted hard. Ryan gasped as he felt something in his wrist give and white-hot agony burned up his arm and down his fingers. Morgan used his hold to swing Ryan into the side of the cage and then began to pummel him with one fist as the other continued to twist the wrist. Ryan collapsed as the pain became too great and he felt the ref force Morgan to release his unbreakable hold and back off.
"You're done Wolfe, if you keep going he'll kill ya," The ref said softly. "I've watched that scumbag kill enough men to know. You've gotta surrender or you're gonna die."
Surrender? Surrender was absolutely not an option. If he surrendered in his first match he would never gain that back. No one in the League would respect him. If he gave up the fight he'd have to give up the assignment because there was no way he'd get close enough to anyone to find the evidence he needed. Still, he'd taken too much of a beating. He barely had any strength left to fight with. But fighting was the only option he had. He had to finish the fight or die trying.
"C'mon Ryan! Get up!" A shout from the audience spurred Ryan. He knew it was one of his teammates. He glanced to the section designated for fighters and was a little surprised to see the whole team, even the previously missing Speed, watching his fight.
Ryan bit down on his mouthpiece to muffle his grunt of pain as he forced himself to his feet. He swayed and grabbed the cage to balance himself as he glared at Morgan's back. That was it. Morgan had turned his back to him for the last time. With a roar of determination Ryan charged Morgan's back. Morgan, who had expected Ryan to stay down, spun at the sound of his approaching enemy. It was too late for a defensive or offensive move. Ryan tackled Morgan at full speed with all his weight and strength behind it. Morgan's grunt of surprise was the last thing Ryan knew before darkness claimed him.
VVVV
"...month at least."
Ryan groaned as he came back to consciousness. His whole body ached with a deep and terrible pain. Each breath brought sharp agony from his ribs. Fire pulsed continuously in his wrist in time with each beat of his heart. It had been a long, long time since he felt this kind of pain.
"Ryan, are you with me honey?" A gentle female voice questioned.
He didn't want to be, but Ryan was definitely alive and regrettably conscious. He grunted in reply, but didn't open his eyes. There was one thing he knew with undeniable certainty. Wherever he was it was brightly lit and opening his eyes was only going to add to his pain. When a hand touched his arm he jerked and was tempted to open his eyes to see who it was, but managed to contain himself.
"Honey, I need you to open your eyes for me. I have to check your pupils," the gentle voice persisted.
"If you don't open them yourself, Alexx'll open them for you," Danny's unmistakable voice warned.
Ryan groaned in response, but obediently opened his eyes. He winced as the standard pupil check was performed, but kept his eyes open despite his instincts to shut them. He blinked a few times before he looked around. Horatio, Danny, and Eric were to one side and to his other side stood a smiling dark skinned woman who was obviously the doctor taking care of him. Her smile was warm and comforting and she surprised Ryan by reaching out and tenderly stroking his cheek.
"You're going to be alright Ryan. I'm going to take good care of you," she said soothingly. "Go back to sleep."
Ryan blinked tiredly and yawned uncontrollably. He heard Danny and Eric snicker before his mind drifted away and he was asleep.
VVVV
The next time Ryan came around someone was gently trying to wake him. He mumbled something about not going to school today and tried to go back to sleep. There was a not so soft laugh and the hands and voice became more insistent. Against his own will his mind began to clear as the shroud of sleep fell away. He slowly opened his eyes and cautiously opened his eyes.
"Hey Sleeping Beauty, ready to go home?" asked a grinning Eric.
"Ugh," Ryan grunted.
Eric laughed, "Yeah, I can understand that, but I think you'll be more comfortable sleeping in your own bed."
Ryan went along with Eric's gentle coaxing and first sat up and then slid off the bed. The sudden change made his head swim and he leaned heavily against Eric for a moment. He vaguely heard the door open and then there was another set of hands helping him. Ryan was too disoriented to see who the other person helping was. He just allowed them to help him all the way out of the building and into a waiting cab. Exhaustion pulled at him again and he slowly drifted to sleep on Eric's shoulder.
The next time Ryan woke up he was being lifted out of the cab and carried. He sleepily looked up at Battle as the big man carried him into the Lair. Battle looked down at him and even half-asleep Ryan could see the gleam of respect in those dark eyes. He had earned their respect. He once more fell asleep content with the knowledge that he had taken a step in the right direction.