“Why do you all like this again?” she asks. Is it something she should be concerned about? The stagnant smell from the tightly packed spectators certainly is. Sweat and something metallic—blood. Her nose wrinkles as she stares down at the red splatter in the center ring, where workers are actively cleaning. If only she had a perfume-scented scarf to tie around her face.
“I like it because of the Blackmarks,” Sable says, pointing to the climbing wagers.
Her new friend has a point. Those figures would go well with her Worldbank account. And keep her from the chastisement her purchases have surely earned her.
An hour goes by before their first manupartner enters the ring. Thankfully, it’s the twitching one. Better to get it out of the way first before things get worse.
It steps into the ring clad in the shortest pink-and-black-spotted one-shoulder tunic she’s ever seen. It’s wearing a scruffy-looking shoulder-length wig, a matching headband, and a pair of boxing bootsthat resemble gladiator sandals. A detail only the most fashionable during her time would note.
“What is he wearing?” James asks.
“It’s supposed to be a cave dweller costume,” she says, pointing to the particle pane displaying a picture of the manupartner along with the words “Stone Man.” The crowd goes wild as the manupartner walks to its corner.
Jett nods to the manupartner in the ring. “Stone Man’s face is twitching in rhythm with the clapping. Should we be concerned?”
Sable’s lips purse as her eyes narrow on the manupartner. “He’ll last through the fight.” She pats her breast pocket. “I can decommission him after if needed. Hopefully, it won’t come to that, because I don’t know how we would get his limp body back to GROW for recycling without being noticed.”
Butterflies erupt in K8’s stomach. That doesn’t sound good. James must notice her newly erupted nerves because he reaches over, takes her hand, and squeezes. “It will be fine. She’s being cautious.”
James enters a large sum into the betting platform for Stone Man’s opponent. K8 glances at the smaller contestant, who’s listed as “Boxer Yoorl.” By the anxious glances he’s giving his stocky manupartner opponent, he must be human.
“In my time, boxers were categorized by weight, but it seems now they’re organized by the potential for spectacle,” James tells her. Maybe that means she’ll finally get to see the unbeaten Lizard Man. That would be one amusing positive for coming.
The bell rings and the first round starts. The crowd gasps as Stone Man misses three jabs in a row before landing a poorly placed uppercut. It’s enough to send Boxer Yoorl stumbling back. The crowd cheers. Loudly. The raucous noise makes K8 grateful she’s never attended one of these events before. Between the smell, the violence, and her already-aching feet, she can confidently say she is not a fan of boxing.But James is wearing a fiercely attractive grin, which makes it worth it—at least for this one night. Though she isn’t sure if it’s the boxing he’s enjoying or the prospect of making unicoin.
Boxer Yoorl rallies, but not before the wagers for Stone Man skyrocket. The seconds drag on with Stone Man landing two more hooks, only taking one himself. The bell rings, ending round one.
It’s not looking good. K8 leans over to James. “He’s going to win.” As the fighters get to their feet, she buries her face in James’s shoulder. “I can’t watch.”
“No, he’s not. Look.” James takes hold of her shoulders, turning her toward the center ring.
She peeks open an eye in time to see Boxer Yoorl land a precisely executed right hook on Stone Man’s inconspicuously presented jaw. He goes down.
The ring master rushes forward. “Ten, nine, eight . . .”
Stone Man stirs but doesn’t rise to its feet. Unlike the crowd, she knows it is a carefully planned act.
“Four, three, two . . .”
K8 glances up to the main particle pane to see the ringmaster hold Boxer Yoorl’s hand in the air, declaring him the match’s winner. If she thought the crowd was loud before, they were hectic now. Angry. Like people who thought they bet on a sure thing, then lost.
Sable nudges past her. “I should probably go collect him.”
K8 is eager to escape the frenzied energy. “I’ll go too. I need a drink.” She also wishes to avoid the guilty niggle the upset crowd is causing her.Remember, it is illegal funds. For James’s life, it’s worth upsetting a few of her peers.
They all end up following K8 and Sable out of the arena to the concessions area. While Sable excuses herself to manage Stone Man, James and Oro1 take drink orders. Fifteen minutes later, they’re standing around a bar-height table, comparing winnings.
“Why have I never agreed to come with you two before? This is fun!” Jett exclaims.
K8 chuffs. “You only think it’s fun because of the Blackmarks.”
“Nothing wrong with that.” Sable raises her glass.
James leans in K8’s direction. “You hate this, don’t you?”
She tries to hide a sheepish grin, but it’s impossible. “A little.”
“I appreciate you coming. I promise, once we launch IdenTECH, no more boxing nights,” he says.
