"No fans backstage before the fight," said the manager, his jowls quivering beneath his Basset Hound eyes. He spoke directly to the arena employee, ignoring the disheveled man in the jacket. "What kind of amateur establishment are you people running here?" "Mr. Cade here has an urgent—" "I'd like to buy your fighter," said Cade.… Continue reading Before the Fight
Tag: Fist Fights
Half Done
It started with a bar fight. I don’t remember what started the swinging, but I do know that I swung first, and I did it with a double rocks glass in my hand. Dark liquor and darker blood covered the big man’s droopy, drawn-out face and sharp little pebbles of glass scattered over the floorboards.… Continue reading Half Done
In the Moment
It looked like I might be in the bathroom at Club Manic, but it was tough to know for sure. I mean, there was no mistaking Manic's bathroom—red lit like the waiting rooms in hell; white subway tiled walls with dark grout, graffitied in kanji; narrow enough to make a cave diver feel claustrophobic; muffled… Continue reading In the Moment
Something to Fight For
Jules stood alone in the Proteus desert on Empyrean. He'd never been first before, not in any of the trillions of light cones. Good. He was at the front then, making a real change. He wouldn't be alone for long. But as the seconds dragged on he didn't know what to do with himself. Always… Continue reading Something to Fight For
Can’t Change the Past
A temporal switch-box is a complicated device, to put it mildly. It made an 18th century Swiss timepiece look like a mud pie by comparison. So Will was understandably upset when Kai blew theirs to smithereens with a shift grenade. It was Thursday, October 10th, 2307—78 years in the past, to them, and three days… Continue reading Can’t Change the Past
Long Enough
He had a long dagger for a forearm. You don't need to reread that. I'll repeat it so you know there was no mistake. He had a long dagger for a forearm. These were the kind of folks I was dealing with. I couldn't tell at first, because he wore a leather coat with long… Continue reading Long Enough
The Last Laugh
He saw stars. He was pleasantly surprised. Seeing stars; it's not an uncommon metaphor, but he only now understood how accurate it was. Points of light, pink and blue and gold, and all very far away. They swirled around like glitter being stirred into a cauldron of ink. He'd never been punched before. He felt… Continue reading The Last Laugh
Warmup Pages 