Sages of the Underpass

by Aaron Michael Ritchey

  Andrew didn’t want to negotiate with these whipped dogs looking. Yet, Barton had the power. “I want ten thousand dollars to show. You give me that, then we can figure out the rest.”

  “I’ll pay you five thousand to show.” Barton paused. “And if you can do that to the kid, if you can toy with him for three full rounds, you’ll get another five thousand. You have to win. And you have to make the fans hate him.”

  “He can do it,” Timothy said quickly. “I’ve seen Andrew fight more times than I can count, but I’ve never seen him do what he did tonight. Hell, I’ll give him a thousand dollars to do that to Niko.”

  “Me too,” Marjory added.

  Henry gathered up his things. “I’m out. I’m not going to deal with this nonsense... the games you people play. You swagger around, thinking you own the whole business. I won’t be a pawn, not anymore. Seo-yun, you can’t stay, not after what he did to you tonight.”

  “I want to stay,” Seo-yun said sternly. “I was weak. I was punished for being weak. That is how the Battle Arts should be.”

  Diana didn’t say a peep, but her eyes told her whole story. She wasn’t about to leave.

  “Leave, Henry,” Barton said. “If you can’t run with the big dogs, you can go be Unrepresented, for all I care. Andrew was right about everything. I only want to deal with the toughest, the meanest, the best. There is no room for mercy in the Arena. I guess you don’t have as much fire as I thought.”

  “You want fire?” Henry balled his fists and flung another fireball. It blasted in front of the agent, scorching his suit and sending him retreating.

  Henry laughed and left.

  Barton lost his smirk for a second. He found it and wiped the soot off his suit. “I believe the term is hothead.” He laughed a bit too hard at his own joke. He sobered. “I saved a spot for you and Niko, Andrew. And truly, I can’t wait to see you face him.”

  Andrew went up to him and put out a hand. “Five thousand to show. Five thousand to humiliate him. Deal?”

  “Deal.”

  They shook hands.

  Andrew nodded at Timothy and Marjory. “I’ll expect money from you both as well. Call it a down payment on your future.”

  He pushed his way out of the gate, took three steps, and vomited very quietly in the gutter. He was wiping his mouth when he got in his car.

  He was going to drink wine until he couldn’t see and then continue to cycle the thing in his core. He had a fight to prepare for. No, make that a slaughter.

  The Arena Assistant who connected to Niko better be at the top of his game, because if he wasn’t, Niko Black would die on Fright Night.

  To think, Andrew had seen so much potential there not too long ago. He’d even invited the kid up to his hotel suite, and the boy didn’t have tits.

  If he crippled or killed Niko? The press would be unbelievable. Better to be hated than ignored.

  The Second Confession

  NIKO SAT WITH TEDDY on the back porch of his parent’s tiny house near a Korean BBQ place off the El Camino on the border of Apricot and South Valley. Fright Night was in one week, on Halloween. The neighborhood was decorated with zombies, cartoonish vampires, witches splatting against palm trees, and some orange skull lights.

  The cold clung to Niko and Teddy. They sat in outdoor patio furniture under the back roof next to a nice little circle of lawn surrounded by a walkway of crushed gravel edged by cacti and native California plants. Teddy’s uncle ran a landscaping business, and he gave his relatives a good deal.

  From inside, one of Teddy’s many nephews squalled, and that was followed by yelling Spanish, then the bright sound of laughter.

  “It’s cold, man, but it’s less noisy than in there.” Teddy jerked a thumb behind him. “Family is great until it’s not.”

  “Then it’s good again.” Niko had told Teddy all about his talk with his brothers. Pete was getting out of the treatment center in a week. And he swore he’d dive back into the business, no more flaking, no more nonsense. He’d severed ties with his Devil’s Edge friends. Funny, they never came to visit—when Pete had told them he was going to try and stay sober, the texts stopped abruptly.

  From here on out, Pete promised he’d do his Narcotics Anonymous meetings and he’d do the Fix-It Shoppe and that would be his life for a while. He’d suffered prana damage, and that might make taking calls difficult, but not impossible.

  Teddy slapped Niko’s thigh. “You’re going up against Coffey. I don’t know what Andrew did to the Premiers, but they aren’t happy with him. I’ve been perusing the BCBA message boards. His reputation is sinking fast. He needs to win this.”

  “He’ll win,” Niko said. “I can’t beat him, but I can make him work for the victory.” He and Danette were training three nights a week, and every Friday, Niko sparred with another Battle Artist. On those Friday nights, Aleksy drove down and took calls. Aleksy was working on his secret project, and when he was at the Fix-It Shoppe, he was head down at his laptop. So far, he hadn’t talked to Niko about the Radiance in his core.

  Teddy sighed happily. “Here’s the thing. Andrew is coming in overconfident and desperate. You can use that. You can play him. Once you get in the ring, keep moving, keep ducking, and wear him out.”

  “That’s the plan.” Niko’s smile pulled on his lips. “I can’t believe this is happening. It’s been a long road here. And thanks, man, for staying with me every step of the way.”

  “Thanks for not giving up.” Teddy looked off at the swaying palms. “You know, I’ve been thinking about you a lot. Here I am, all torn up from the wreck, and I kept thinking of how strong you are. It gave me strength.”

  “I’m not strong,” Niko protested. “How many times have I quit the Arts forever?”

  “At least twice. Daily.” Teddy grew deadly serious. “Your career isn’t just for you. You inspire me, Niko, and a lot of people. There’s something about how you fight. Barton would call it your fire. He’s not wrong. It does light the way. Your fans all talk about it. This underdog thing you have going is seriously motivational. You could go on the circuit, giving talks, once you get an agent, a big contract, the movie deal, all of that.”

  “I’m Unrepresented. All that stuff is not going to happen to me.” Niko spoke before Teddy could argue. “I know, you believe in me, and I know we don’t know what’s going to happen. I get that. But I also know my path is going to be different.”

  “And that’s what every Artist has ever said.” Teddy laughed. “It’s different for everyone.”

  “I just want to keep fighting.”

  Niko’s phone buzzed. He checked it, and there was a text message from Bonnie. I WANT TO TALK BEFORE FRIGHT NIGHT. I’M BY THE AIRPORT. ARE YOU FREE TONIGHT?

  Niko turned off his phone. His hopes vied with his fears.

  “Who was that?” Teddy asked. “It’s important. Your whole face changed after you read it.”

  “Bonnie. She finally responded.” Niko couldn’t help but sigh. “She wants to meet tonight.”

  “You should go.”

  Niko gave Teddy a long look. “I’m not going to leave you. You’re feeling better. I figured we’d play some Twelve Legends.”

  “No,” Teddy countered. “This is Bonnie we’re talking about. I’ll always be around. She won’t be, not if you don’t fix things.”

  Niko felt the history between him and Teddy. “I’m not going to drop you. I made that mistake once.”

  “Taylor Sebastian, yeah, I know. That was rough, I won’t lie. But you know what was rougher?” Teddy asked.

  “That summer when I gave it all up,” Niko answered.

  “Give the white boy a sugar cookie, the most plain of all the cookies in the cookie kingdom.” Teddy grinned, then grew serious. “We’ve both grown up some. I trust you. Answer her. Go to her. Make that right. I mean, I can’t go and support you, and she can. She will.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, I’m sure.” Teddy laughed some more. “Guys like u
s don’t have girls throwing themselves at us. If we’re not careful, we’ll wind up Battle Artist bachelors, so focused on stats and battles that we’ll forget the opposite sex even exists. Or do you already have groupies? Tell me you have groupies. It will help me sleep at night.”

  “Why’s that?” Niko asked, trying not to smile.

  “Because I can get the leftovers. It’s kind of my only hope.” Teddy patted his big gut. “My physique is not as admired as it should be.”

  Niko answered Bonnie’s text. I’M ON MY WAY.

  Her next response was an address.

  He had a location. They might not get back together. Or they might. Either way, Niko wanted to have this last conversation. Then he could walk onto the tiles at Fright Night clean.

  “No groupies,” Niko said, “but I’m getting a thousand dollars to fight. It’s my first paycheck.”

  Teddy let out a happy sound. “My friend, the professional Battle Artist. Look at you go, Nikodemus Kowalczyk. Look at you go.”

  He drove away from Teddy’s, got on the highway, and kept in the right lane. Driving on the highway might never be easy for him, not after all the hospital visits. He pulled off at an exit that led him to a rental car agency underneath the flight path.

  The parking lot was empty except for a new Ford Hermes. No bumper stickers, no toys glued to the metal, nothing but a car.

  Bonnie sat on the hood.

  Niko parked the Pig next to her, got out, and wrapped his arms around himself to keep the cold at bay. He wished he’d brought a warmer coat.

  Bonnie’s hair was longer, the fuzz on her scalp thicker and her hair tied back in a ponytail. She wore her painted leather jacket, ripped jeans, and big black boots.

  She patted the hood. “Hop up. I want to get it nice and dented before I start the reconstruction. I ordered some Twelve Legends action figures from Electric River. And bumper stickers from bands I love. Though, it’s been hard to build anything since that night.”

  The night of the accident. The breakup.

  Niko climbed onto the car and winced when the hood buckled under him. He sat next to her, not touching.

  An airplane roared off the runway. The noise faded as it gained elevation. He could smell the cambion it burned, though, all that power. Or was it the car? It was still warm underneath him.

  “I was surprised to hear from you,” Niko said. “I was with Teddy. He’s doing so much better. Every day he’s better.”

  “And you?” Bonnie asked.

  “I’m better too. That was a bad night. For any number of reasons.”

  “It was.” Another plane taxied across the tarmac. Bonnie shifted and the car creaked. “I got worse, Niko. Part of it was the trauma from the accident. Part of it was seeing you so broken up. And then, the life stuff. Your parents. Your business. Your baggage.”

  “Yeah, it’s a lot,” Niko agreed.

  The two sat.

  “You wanted it so bad. The ‘it’ being a very precise pronoun which makes everything so wonderfully nice until you get ‘it.’ This fight next week, it’s a step toward ‘it’ again.” She threw her head back.

  Niko focused on her pale throat, and all the times he’d kissed it, all the times he’d found such warmth and comfort from her skin. Her smell. Her sounds. Everything. He had to look away. “I’m back on a path. It’s a strange path, but I want to walk it. But we’re not here to talk about that. Or maybe we are. It all kind of goes back to Taylor. You wanted to hear about her, right?”

  “Want is not the right word. Need seems too strong. I have a strong desire to have it all out in the open, and then we can talk about me. You first.”

  “Taylor Sebastian was my first love. First loves are...” He didn’t know how to finish that sentence.

  “First loves are a pain in the ass, or is it the soul, or is it both?” Bonnie laughed lightly. “I get it. I have my own first love. Go on.”

  “I dropped Teddy,” Niko said. “Taylor and I were the kind of couple everyone hates, or envies, or maybe it was a bit of both. Always together. Always talking. She was kind of a normal girl, and at times, I think she liked me because I wasn’t a normal guy. I was this Battle Artist on my way to an amazing career. Until I tried to process a cambion that messed me up. I told you about that.”

  She nodded. He was looking at her. She was gazing at the airport. “You lost a belt. Gave it all up. A rising star shot out of the sky by bad luck. Throw a rock. You’ll hit someone with the same story. Making a living on the tastes and dreams of people is an iffy proposition.”

  She’d just spoken truth. He felt it. “Taylor knew the whole story too. She was relentless. She pushed me and pushed me and pushed me not to quit. We nearly broke up over it. At the time, I thought she was clueless.”

  “When normal people believe in us, it’s hard to take,” Bonnie said. “I got that when I quit the big leagues of the music industry.” Bonnie mimicked a voice, “But you’re so good!” She laughed. “That’s the line. She used it on you, didn’t she?”

  “That’s the line.” Niko waited for a plane to pass overhead. “She and I got in this huge fight. I told her to mind her own business. She said she never would. Only, the never didn’t last long. She drove home and died in a car accident. I went to the funeral, and I got the sense her family blamed me. Maybe if she hadn’t been so angry, she wouldn’t have had the accident in the first place. They don’t know what happened. Only that she hit an embankment. She didn’t walk away.”

  “Ouch.” Bonnie brushed her hand down his arm. “Can I touch you?”

  “Yes.” It felt so nice.

  “So, when Teddy and I got in our own accident, it brought that all back up, didn’t it?” she asked.

  “All of it.” Niko felt how weary he was, with the memories, the accidents, the death. Cars were dangerous. It was easy to forget that when you used them every single day of your life.

  Talking about Taylor made it seem more real and easier to understand. Just that simple thing, retelling the story, gave it less power. He thought the next time Taylor came into his thoughts, he would talk about it, and practice letting them go.

  Bonnie sighed. “You weren’t kidding that night, when you said it wasn’t the time. I kind of feel like a selfish bitch. I’m sorry, for me, for Taylor, for Teddy, for the whole bad business.” Bonnie dropped her hand. “I should’ve answered you, right away, when you reached out. That had been the deal. I couldn’t. Now, I can. Am I too late?” Her eyes were on him.

  “Well,” Niko said, “Teddy and I were talking about groupies. Most of my fans are men, but I have a few ladies who might want to spend some time with the great Niko Black.”

  “Sticking with the name?” Bonnie asked.

  He shrugged. “What I’m called isn’t so important. Niko Blackheart? Niko Blackfist? Hey, that last one isn’t so bad.”

  “Blackfist?” Bonnie laughed, shaking her head. “No. I don’t think so. If anything, you should just go with Niko and be done with it.” She leaned against him.

  He put an arm around her. “I’d like for you to come to Fright Night. Teddy won’t be there, and I need someone there. I’ve done a lot of this stuff alone. I don’t want to be alone anymore.”

  “Danette will be there with the other Sages, right?”

  He turned and kissed her ear. It felt so good to smell her again, the perfume, the leather jacket, just her. “Only Danette and I are left. Pax is out. Evelyn couldn’t get over her accident. I don’t blame either one. I’m here because of their sacrifices.”

  Bonnie shivered. “We’re all here because of someone’s sacrifices. We’re all so connected. It’s stupid to think what we do doesn’t matter. It all matters. Maybe a bit too much.”

  “Next week, we’ll see if it was worth it.” In one week, the match would be over, for better or for worse. The idea was odd to him. He’d been living with Fright Night, the hope, the fear, the disappointment, for a long time now. Weeks and weeks.

  Bonnie, though, saw the tr
uth. “There’s already worth in Fright Night. I’ve seen your name everywhere, it seems, and it got me thinking about us. It’s why I reached out. The fact you are there is amazing.”

  “It is if I want the ‘it.’”

  “One thing I learned in my grasping at stardom is that there’s only life in the end. We’re only given the day we’re in. The past is gone. The future doesn’t exist. It’s only ever right here, and right now, and most of the time, I’m not playing music and you’re not fighting.”

  “It’s good, right here, and right now.” He leaned forward.

  He kissed her, and she kissed him right back.

  A week until the fight. He was going to enjoy every single day because during those days, he’d have Bonnie, Teddy was alive, Pete was clean, and Aleksy followed through on his promise to help. In the end, Niko couldn’t fail.

  A victory would be a pause. A failure would be a lesson. It would all just be one more pebble in the climb up the mountain.

  What would be at the top? Would he have made “it”? If he won the Unum at the Grand Tournament, would that be the end?

  No, it would be just another day, another moment he could either enjoy or hate. Maybe there was no summit at the top of the mountain. Maybe life was simply the climb.

  The Missing

  MONIQUE DROVE UP ALONE to Nowhere at the top of the Sierra Madres, south of Fort Tahoe, on the way to Yosemite. She’d woken up early for the drive east, Thursday morning, Halloween morning, with the big Fright Night event starting later that day.

  She found the dirt road that led to Cheryl’s cabin. She didn’t like to think of it as a shack, but that was closer to the truth. She saw Cheryl as her guru. A better word for her was hermit. Make that two words—misanthropic hermit. Poor Cheryl, she found other humans too troubling to deal with. It was one of her flaws. Cheryl had many. Yet as the woman aged, she’d relaxed into them, as so many do. Was this a good thing?

  Monique chided herself. Good or bad, it made for a poor debate. It simply was.

  Cheryl liked the story of the farmer who had a prize-winning horse. When the townspeople congratulated him on his horse, the farmer said, “Is it good? Is it bad? I don’t know.” When an army marched through, they took the horse, and they took the farmer’s oldest son to fight for them. The townspeople, this time, said that the farmer was very unlucky to lose both the wonderful horse and his eldest son. The farmer’s response was, as ever, “Is it good? Is it bad? I don’t know.”