In honor of Bucky's birthday on the 10th, here's another chapter! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ;*:･ﾟ✧
Chapter Seventeen: 3, 2, 1...Fight!
The tournament, it turned out, forced each unit in the camp to volunteer three soldiers to compete. Hundreds of soldiers would compete in the tournament, so not all the nurses picked a soldier to keep the tournament within a month. Commanding officers refereed each fight that occurred on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. The select few nurses who picked the soldiers "sponsored" the soldier and took care of any injuries. The randomized tournament brackets spread the men throughout the units.
The three soldiers in Suzie's unit were Miguel Vazquez, Walter Lemay, and Suzie. When they heard the selection, Garcia caught Suzie's eye and sent her a death glare. Lemay, ever-present beside his friend, dragged a finger across his throat and grinned at Suzie over Garcia's shoulder.
At least Alice gave her a heads-up about the tournament. Chances are, the men Suzie competed against would not be as savage as Lemay and Garcia.
"I wish Bucky was here," Suzie lamented. They were in groups of two learning hand-to-hand combat. The first set of drills two days ago focused on breaking grips and chokeholds. The second set of drills yesterday went over how to flip someone. Today, they learned how to dodge attacks and flip their opponent.
"Your brother?" Richard asked from the ground. He scrambled to his feet and took a swipe at Suzie. She blocked his attack, grabbed his wrist, hooked a foot behind his, and swept his leg out from under him. He fell with an "oomph" and rubbed his backside.
"Yeah." Suzie extended a hand to help Richard to his feet. "He used to do boxing in high school."
"Was he good at it?" Richard spread his feet to a fighting stance and waited for Suzie to attack. He copied the motion Suzie did to him and sent Suzie tumbling to the ground.
"He did win three championship titles."
Impressed, Richard whistled low and helped Suzie to her feet. "You'd probably make a good boxer, too; you fight kinda dirty. Did you do any sports in high school?"
"Not really." Sure, Suzie practiced copying Bucky's moves whenever he trained for his fights. That only happened when they had the gym to themselves. She also practiced fighting with the pocket knife that she bought on her fifteenth birthday. She focused on her fighting skills. It made more sense to learn something practical instead of playing organized sports. Although, Lemay and Garcia's strength overpowered any of the skills she learned.
She did not look forward to this tournament.
"What about you?" Suzie asked. She flipped Richard over and waited for his response after he landed.
"I was on the debate team if that counts." Richard wheezed and rolled onto his stomach to push himself up with his hands. He braced himself for Suzie's attack and held his breath as he went flying over Suzie's shoulder. "I'd lose in the first fight if I was in the tournament. Besides, I'm not much of a fighter, as you can see." He gestured at himself sitting on the ground again.
The sullen expression on Suzie's face must have caught Richard's attention because he stood up, clapped her on her shoulder, and gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, pal. You'll do great!"
The first match-up did not look…terrible, she had to give it that.
The man paired against Suzie stood only two inches taller than herself and did not appear as strong as she expected. Like fighting Travis instead of Bucky, she had a better chance of winning against the former. Her opponent matched Travis's height and weight more than Bucky. Not to put her brother down, but Suzie hoped that the man also matched Travis' skill set. Considering that Bucky won three championship titles in his high school career, Suzie did not want to face someone with Bucky's skill.
"Wear him out and use your speed against him," Alice coached. She stood in front of Suzie, wrapping white gauze around Suzie's hands to protect her knuckles. "Use your legs and elbows; they're the strongest part of your body."
Dressed in a light tank top and shorts, Suzie hopped from one foot to the other and shook out her arms like Bucky before his fights. Across the designated fighting area, Suzie squinted against the sun toward her opponent.
The man, someone from another unit, removed his shirt and flexed his shoulders. The dark-haired nurse, who must sponsor him, massaged his tense muscles. The spectators on the man's side outnumbered the half dozen men from Suzie's unit standing behind her. Lemay and Garcia watched from the other man's side, making their point clear. They cheered for her opponent, so they did not count toward Suzie's unit. They never contributed much to their team-based exercises anyway.
About twenty feet away, Suzie could see the other man did not have much muscle definition. She always joked that she looked like a rectangle, yet her form gave her a sturdier base and an athletic build. The tournament did not follow standard boxing rules and allowed any type of fighting as long as it did not damage anything. That meant Suzie could get a little scrappy, which she used to her advantage when fighting bullies. Her unpredictableness usually helped her win fights or scare away bullies. Most of her fighting experiences occurred at school. The fight against Lemay and Garcia and that one Hydra guy she still had no answers about did not add much fighting knowledge.
Her fingers twitched at her side where she usually kept her pocket knife. When all else failed, once she pulled out her trusty pocket knife, street bullies would turn tail and flee. She couldn't use it now, not that she needed to. This fight did not mean a life-or-death situation. As much as she wanted to hide in the barracks, she could handle this fight against a random man.
If the man standing across the dusty square forfeited, Suzie would still take the win without complaining. She only cared about ending the fight as soon as possible. If she progressed to a rank in the middle of the tournament, then so be it. Win or lose, none of it mattered as long as she never had to face Lemay. If that happened, she would keep her pocket knife on her in case the fight got out of hand.
"You got this, Barnes," Richard said beside Suzie, shaking Suzie from her pre-fight worries. He patted her back and flashed her a smile that did not mirror Suzie's mood.
Let him do the work first, Bucky's voice in her head spoke. Fighting is a dance. There's a certain rhythm to it. All you gotta do is break that rhythm; the least predictable fighters are the best.
"Wish you can see me now, Buck," Suzie whispered to herself and stepped into the square.
Take your time, you know your strengths but you don't know his.
Suzie's opponent joined her in the square and rolled his neck in a circle. The pop of him cracking his knuckles filled the tense air.
On the other side of the square, Lemay and Garcia jeered at Suzie. Garcia flipped her the bird and Lemay dragged his finger across his throat and grinned like a wild beast.
"Kick his ass, Cody!" Garcia shouted and slapped the man on the shoulder, pushing him further into the square.
Cody brought his fists up in front of his face, hunched over in an amateur position that cost many of Bucky's boxing opponents a win. His eyes were wide and fixed on Suzie.
"Knock him out right away," Alice said behind Suzie. "The sooner it's over with, the sooner you can leave."
Copying Bucky's fighting stance, Suzie stood up straight with her feet shoulder-width apart. She dragged her right foot a few inches behind her left to maintain her balance. With her palms open and facing toward each other, she brought her left hand in front of her right and lined both sets of fingers up with her nose.
Following Bucky's voice, Suzie prowled around the square, scrutinizing Cody like a cat on the hunt. Unlike her, Cody shuffled his feet where hers slid against the ground. The crowd cheered and taunted to incite the two on.
Once they reached halfway around the square and faced the opposite side they had started on, Cody lunged forward with a sloppy punch. With her hands already in front of her face, Suzie pushed his hand to the side with her left. She brought her right hand underneath and back, directing Cody's fist to the right side of her head. A quick twist of her arm let her curl her fingers around Cody's sweaty wrist and pull him toward herself. Shifting the weight onto her left leg and grabbing hold of his upper arm with her left hand, Suzie raised her knee and drove it into Cody's stomach.
The crowd winced, Lemay and Garcia cursed and booed, and Alice let out a whoop that sparked a fire of excitement racing along Suzie's nerves. As Cody wheezed, Suzie kept her grip, slid her right leg to latch behind Cody's, and swept his leg out. Letting go, Suzie let Cody drop to the ground with a surprised cry.
Dancing out of the way, Suzie dodged Cody's flailing. She took a moment to glance up at the crowd. Across the cleared square, Richard's face matched his hair color from his jumping up and down in delight. A rare grin plastered on Alice's face matched Richard's enthusiasm. Even Stone, who stood behind Alice, had a ghost of amusement cross his stoic expression.
"Get up!" Garcia shouted behind Suzie. Cody, who still sat on the ground, winced as he hauled himself to his feet.
"Flip him!" Richard yelled, referencing the training that he and Suzie partook in earlier that week. He cupped his hands over his mouth to amplify his words and repeated the advice.
"Go for the knockout!" Alice cheered and mimed a punch.
He's dazed, Bucky's voice echoed. Show no mercy—finish it now.
All her senses narrowed, the voices drowned out, and Suzie dodged a wild punch from an angry Cody. Dust swirled up from their feet kicking up dirt as they moved.
Do it now.
Again, Suzie grabbed Cody under the armpit. In one fluid motion, she pressed her back against him, braced herself, and rolled Cody over her shoulder. Before he could get up, Suzie latched her arms around his neck and locked him into a sleeper hold.
It only took a second for Cody to tap his hand against Suzie's arm, signaling the end of the fight. Letting go, Suzie bounced to her feet and offered a hand to Cody. He slapped her hand away and glared at her as he slunk over to where Garcia and Lemay stood fuming.
Stone marched over and gave Suzie a firm handshake, confirming the win. After that, Alice and Richard rushed over and swarmed Suzie with whoops and cheers.
"That was amazing!" Richard's arms went flying everywhere as he gestured in a wild reenactment. "He didn't even touch you!"
"Not bad, Barnes. Not bad," Stone said. He nodded in approval and stepped away to let the crowd surround Suzie.
Alice flashed Suzie a bright smile and blocked a few soldiers from cramming in too close. "The first one's always the hardest, but you made that look easy. You've got talent, pal. I hope you use it for good."
Reveling in the compliments and cheers, Suzie grinned and let herself soak in the moment. The adrenaline finally wore off into a soothing calm as a buzz of exhausted delight washed over her.
Don't let it get to your head, Bucky reminded. You've still got a long way to go.
Craning her neck to peer over the group surrounding her, she locked eyes with Garcia. He glared back, murderous. His expression should have scared her. It didn't.
Instead, she nodded toward Lemay, brought two fingers to her eyes, and flicked them around to point at Lemay. Then she flipped them off.
You're in for it—I'm coming for you.
I've taken a self-defense class, so some of the moves, like the stance and flipping someone over your shoulder, are things I've learned. It's fun and also a nice thing to learn. Be like Suzie, and take learn how to protect yourself.
I have Spring break this week, so I plan to post another chapter sometime soon. See you then! :)