"Computer," Benjamin called. It chimed in response.
"End program and return gravity to normal."
The ground, rocks, trees, and even the sky dissolved around Spike, leaving only a brightly lit room with metallic walls behind. He looked around, trying to get his bearings. The sensation was very disorienting, like suddenly being sucked through a portal.
"Computer," The big one, Siegel, commanded, "Create a sparring ring."
"There are one thousand fifty-eight kinds of sparring ring in the database," the female voice responded, "Please specify type."
"Twenty-first century Earth martial arts competition style," He said.
The air in the room rippled and the metallic walls dissolved, revealing stands with several hundred people sitting in them. The floor had become a large, square, raised platform with a slightly smaller circle inside. Spike spun in surprise. The whole place had changed on the command of this man. Spike decided that he could get used to this, but only of he were the one giving the commands.
"Ladies and Gentlemen!" A booming voice announced, "Please help me in welcoming our combatants. First, hailing from the pleasure city of Las Vegas on planet Earth, JAMES BEEEEENJAAAAAMIIIIIIN!"
About half of the crowd stood and cheered madly. The other half booed and hurled insults. Benjamin and Siegel looked at each other and both shook their heads, laughing.
"And his opponent, the mysterious SPIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIKE!"
This time the half that had cheered began to boo and hiss, while the rest went wild at the name. Spike looked around again, still confused. He decided that if they were going to cheer, he was going to give them a show. He pumped his fist in the air and the crowd cheered even louder. The Doctor rolled his eyes. Siegel and Benjamin stood across the ring still shaking their heads.
After turning in a slow circle once, Spike grabbed the his coat and pulled it off, taking his red button up with it, so that he only wore his black t-shirt and jeans. He handed them to the Doctor, who took them with reluctance.
"You need to be careful, Spike," the Doctor said over the sound of the crowd, "Captain Benjamin is renowned for his hand to hand combat prowess. Rumor has it he was trained in an ancient style of combat by a master on Earth."
"Doc, it's okay," Spike said, smirking, "Vampire, remember?"
Spike walked backward to the ring, grinning. He turned after he'd crossed the threshold of the ring to see a shirtless Benjamin in a ready fighting stance. The man was very fit, tight cords of muscle running over his chest and arms. Spike would never had guessed the man was that cut from seeing him in the loose shirt he had been wearing. Something about the way he stood tickled Spike's memory. He recognized something about it, but he couldn't place where he had seen it before.
A lanky man with brown hair stepped up onto the ring and motioned for the two to step forward. Spike saw that when Benjamin moved, he didn't relax at all. It was like watching a coiled snake walk up to you.
"Rules are simple," the man said over the noise, "Shots between the waist and one inch above the knee are off limits, as is hitting while your opponent is down. Hits to the limbs are worth no points, the torso is one point and the head is two points. A knock down is worth three points. First to five wins the round. Two rounds wins the match. Understand?"
Both men nodded.
"Great, to your marks."
Benjamin walked to a mark near the center of the circle and got into a fight stance again. Spike took the hint and moved to the other one.
"Ready? FIGHT!"
Benjamin launched at Spike much faster than expected. He only just managed to knock the fist away from his face. He his leg come out from underneath him as Benjamin swept it with his foot. The other fist hit square in his chest right where his ribs met, knocking the wind from his lungs.
Spike was only vaguely aware of the fact that he had hit the ground. The crowd's cheers and boos rung in his ears. The referee and the Doctor were over him, asking him if was okay. The referee pressed him to continue, while the Doctor told him he needed to stop.
"A nice sweep-punch combo from Benjamin," the announcer said with enthusiasm, "The body shot is worth one point and the knockdown is worth three, giving Benjamin a total of four points. A fantastic start for the Starfleet Captain."
Spike stood up, shaking off the dizziness and the two men over him. The referee ask him if he was going to continue, and he nodded. The referee signaled and the crowd cheered again, louder that Spike had thought possible.
"It looks as though Spike is ready to continue," The announcer said, a little too surprised for Spike's liking.
The two combatants stood at their marks. The signal came and Benjamin launched his attack. This time, however, Spike was ready for it. He blocked the fists and side stepped the sweep. The kick came for his chest, but he caught it with both hands. He intended to throw the small man, but Benjamin jumped, coiled his free leg and released it with the force of a battering ram. The foot hit Spike in the same spot as had the fist and he felt the air leave his lungs again.
He dropped the foot, but rushed forward with the intention of throttling the little prick. The referee stood in his way, saying something about the round being over, but Spike didn't care. The lanky man was stronger than Spike expect though, and managed to hold him back.
"And that's the round folks," the announcer said, "With that kick, Benjamin landed himself the last point he needed. If the mysterious Spike doesn't do something in the next round, we might have a complete shut out."
Spike finally walked willingly back to his corner. The Doctor was waiting for him.
"Are you sure you're up to this?" he asked, "You've been frozen for a long time."
"It's okay Doc," Spike said, "I was just getting warmed up. I know what I'm facing now. It's time for me to make my presence known."
"By getting kicked repeatedly?" The Doctor asked.
"Very funny," Spike said, "But I recognize his fighting style. It's called kung-fu. I took down a Chinese slayer who fought like that. He's no slayer."
The Doctor cocked an eyebrow, "Slayer?"
"It's a long story," Spike answered as he was climbing back into the ring.
The referee motioned them both to the center, "It's one round to nothing. Spike, you must win this round or you lose the match, do you understand?"
"Yeah, I bloody got it," Spike answered.
"Alright," the referee said, "To your marks."
The two men moved to the lines in the floor. Benjamin assumed his fighting stance, while Spike casually shifted his weight and put his hands in his pockets.
"Ready," the referee shouted, "FIGHT!"
This time Benjamin opened with a kick to the face. Spike moved slightly, allowing it to go wide. Benjamin pulled his leg back and launched his other one from the side. Spike stepped back, allowing the kick to barely pass in front of his stomach. Benjamin used the momentum of his missed kick to bring his other foot around, aiming it right at Spike's head.
With one hand, he caught the foot. Before Benjamin could react, the vampire grabbed is leg just above the knee and lifted the man up, casually tossing him over his shoulder. Spike heard the man land on his feet and the sudden movement as he charged. Spiked turned just in time to catch the man's fist with his left hand. Then he let the mask slip.
The blond's face twisted into something inhuman. Benjamin had encountered hundreds of alien species in his time in Starfleet, but he decided instantly that nothing quite compared to this thing. Something ancient, something primeval stirred in Benjamin's mind. It told him to run, to flee, to hide. It told him that this was not a fight he could win and his only chance of survival was to get away.
The thing hit him in the ribs twice, kneed him in the gut, the punched him in the face. Light exploded in a thousand tiny stars behind his eyes, and then the ground came up to greet him.
Spike turned and raised his fists for the screaming crowed. His half were screaming like wild animals, drowning out the boos, hisses, and insults of the other half.
"Well folks," the announcer said, clearly stunned, "I haven't seen a turn around like that in all my years in this business. Spike seems to have decided to bring his inner warrior out to play. In a single combo, Spike has pulled out the five points he needed to win this round. It looks like were going to see a third round today."
At hearing that. The whole audience began cheering at a fevered pitch. Spike gave one last fist pump before walking over to his corner. The Doctor was staring at him in utter shock.
"I call it my 'game face'" Spike said, answering the Doctor's unspoken question, "This is how I drink blood. Otherwise, my fangs are hidden."
The Doctor still seemed at a loss for words when the referee began signaling for Spike to come back. He stepped up into the platform and moved to the center. Benjamin stood on his mark, coiled as tight as spun steel.
"Ready, FIGHT!"
Benjamin brought out his left fist at an awkward angle. Spike caught it, but missed the move it had covered. Benjamin's foot came down onto Spike's leg, just behind the knee. His knee bent involuntarily, causing him to kneel as Benjamin brought his other fist up and punched Spike in the face. He raised it again and brought it down harder this time. He raised it a third time, but Spike's other hand caught it. He exploded back onto his feet, knocking both of Benjamin's arms back. His fist launched like a cannon ball right for the smaller man's face. He connected at the cheek bone just below the right eye.
Spike could tell by the way his eyes glazed and his head jiggled that he had knocked the man out. Benjamin dropped to his knees, then fell forward onto the mat.
"Ladies and Gentlemen," The announcer shouted, "I don't believe I'm about to say this, but your winner is Spike!"
Spike raised his hands over his head and turned in a slow circle as the whole crowd cheered. The noise was defining, but after a minute or two, the crowd began a coherent chant, "SPIKE, SPIKE, SPIKE, SPIKE!"
Spike looked over to his corner to see that the Doctor wasn't there. He looked over his shoulder and saw him and Siegel tending to Benjamin, who was seated in a chair looking dazed, but awake. The big man had a bucket that the smaller man was spitting blood into. The Doctor lifted his eyelids, looking at him for a moment longer.
Spike put his game face away. Apparently deciding Benjamin was okay, the Doctor stepped up onto the ring and marched up to Spike.
"Computer, delete audience," He ordered curtly.
"Hey," Spike said indignantly as the audience disappeared, "I was enjoying that."
"And just what the hell was that all about?" The Doctor asked hotly, indicating the Spike's dazed opponent.
"He's the one who wanted to play," Spike defended, "Besides, he went balls out first. I just wanted to show him proper who he was dealing with."
"You nearly killed him. If you had punched him any harder, I'd be explaining his death to the captain right now."
Spike put a finger to the other man's chest, "Let's get things one hundred percent crystal, Doc. If I wanted him to kill him, you'd be explaining his death to captain right now. He challenged me, he started it off by knocking me on my ass, and he asked for it. In fact, I'd be willing to wager that if we asked him, he'd probably thank me for wiping the floor with him."
"He's right, Doctor," Benjamin said. He seemed slightly unsteady as he walked, but he did so without aid. "I haven't had a fight like that in years, not since before I joined the academy."
He held out his hand to Spike for a second time. This time, he took it and gave it a hard shake.
Benjamin released his hand. "Computer, time." He ordered.
"The time is fourteen hundred and forty-eight hours."
Benjamin sighed, "Well, it looks like we have to go. We have an appointment with Admiral Picard in a little over an hour and I want to get cleaned up."
Spike had fought various creatures using the program the Doctor had started for him for more than an hour. After that, Spiked asked about getting a drink, something that wasn't blood. The Doctor suggested a place called "Vogan's" and led him there.
Sitting at a table, Spike drank his fake beer, something called synthal, and the Doctor sat with him.
"What was with Captain Hits-a-lot and Commander Very-big-man?" Spike asked, "He said formally of the Davenport. What did that mean?"
"His ship was destroyed in an attack a few days ago," The Doctor answered, "The Enterprise was called back to Earth to decide the best course of action. Good thing, for you I mean. We wouldn't have found you if we hadn't been on our way back."
"That's bullocks," Spike said, "What attacked you?"
The Doctor squinted, "Not sure, some kind of cybernetic organism. They were pretending to be Romulans."
Spike's eyebrows shot up, "Cyborgs? Like robots?"
The Doctor nodded, "I suppose that's a simplistic way of putting, yes. But there-"
"And the Romulans," Spike interrupted, "They're the ones you've been fighting with for a couple hundred years, yeah?"
"Not quite, Spike." The Doctor answered, shaking his head, "We've had a kind of uneasy truce for-"
"I need to talk to your captain right now," Spike said urgently.
"Spike what are you-"
"Please, just trust me," Spike implored.
The Doctor considered for a moment. Finally he nodded and tapped his badge.
"Doctor to Captain Riker," he said
"Riker here," the captain's voice came of the comm.
"Captain, Spike says he needs to speak with you immediately. He says it's urgent."