.3

After the Second Fall - Part 2.3

by Simon Underfoot

Copyright 2020-2022, All Rights Reserved

Author's Note:

Thanks for reading. Please consider leaving a comment or sending a note.

Cheers,

Simon

Chapter 17

Moving slowly since the younger Adam was on crutches, Pip and Mars were making a circuit of the Courtyard, generally on their way to the Council room. He had never bothered to count, but it seemed to Pip like there were more bodies still outside on the grass this time, some of whom had been thoughtfully covered by Rachel the night before.

"Is Emily alright?" Pip asked.

"I think so, although I may have overdone it a little bit," Mars replied with a satisfied smile. "I hope she isn't mad at me for drawing things out so much. Thanks for your advice, by the way."

Pip shrugged. "I like her, so I'm happy to help however I can. Do you want to tell me about the fight?"

"Before the debrief?"

"Sure. John called it getting our stories straight."

"What about Gina?"

Pip flicked his eyes forward, and sure enough, Gina was slowly making her way toward them. After exchanging smiles and fist bumps, the trio set off.

"The really short version," Mars began, "is that the training worked. We exchanged punches for a hundred beats or so, then he tried a kick, which I met with a knee. I didn't really hurt him, but it knocked him off balance and I followed up with an overhand right, which caught him on the side of the head. I think it must have rattled him pretty bad, because after that his strikes weren't as crisp, so I picked him apart a little at a time. There was probably half a quarter left when it was finally done."

"Good job," Pip said, and Gina agreed with a nod. "Any idea why Rover and Chaz had so much trouble?"

Mars was thoughtful for a short while before he answered. "Maybe their reach? It was pretty tough to get inside his guard, and Rover is probably one and a half hands shorter than me."

'Could be,' acknowledged Gina with a thoughtful nod.

"So how did you hurt your foot?"

Mars rolled his eyes. "I got a little careless toward the end: was probably feeling overconfident. He lashed out with a leg and caught the side of my shin -- I wouldn't even call it a proper kick. Anyway, it mostly pushed my ankle sideways, but pretty hard. I didn't realize it was a real injury until it started to swell on the ride home."

"Do you want a lecture on respecting your opponents?" Pip asked with a grin.

Mars chuckled. "No, I already gave myself one."

Gina tapped Mars on the hip to get his attention, then stood with her feet spread, beating her chest, a question on her face.

"Yeah, I made sure they got a good look at me, just like we talked about. I even tried flirting with their doctor, but she wouldn't look me in the eyes."

'Nicely done,' indicated Gina while Pip laughed.

They arrived at the Council room just after Briggs, Mars' would-be trainer, to find the four managing directors waiting for them. The debrief took more than two bells, because in addition to a recap of the fight, Geo wanted a detailed explanation of the training approach Pip and Mars had worked out.

"Can all of our Adams be trained the same way?"

Pip deferred to Gina, who answered quietly to ensure her words were clear. "Yes, but I would expect varied results. It's possible that Mars may be exceptionally quick on the uptake and that other Adams would require more time."

The two male directors shared an excited look, but Gina held up a finger, indicating she had more to say.

"The point to emphasize is that it took thousands of repetitions to condition automatic responses in Mars. This was possible in such a short period because Pip is probably the quickest person in history. While I watched, I would estimate that he was making forty or fifty movements every hundred beats, so many and so fast it was hard to follow. I don't know if another trainer -- even an extremely gifted one -- will be able to do the same."

Geo looked to Briggs for his input, but having just heard about this for the first time, the man shook his head. "Sorry, Director, this is new to me. I would like to observe Piper for a while, then I can give you my opinion, but my inclination is to accept what Ms. Lewis says as fact. After all, look what the two of them were able to do in a couple weeks."

"Thank you, Mr. Briggs," Gina said graciously, "but don't give me too much credit. Mars and Pip are the ones who put in the work."

"Of course."

"So Pip becomes a full time trainer?" Geo asked rhetorically. "What are your thoughts, Pip?"

Pip slowed his perception of time so he could think through his answer; when he was ready, he relaxed his hold. "I think my place is still in the Arena, but working with Mars was good for me, too. I've regained a lot of the speed that I lost, and I expect that progress to continue, so I would like to keep working with him. On the other hand, there's still a place for our normal training and conditioning, which Mr. Briggs could handle for Mars, and Cap can take care of for me. Assuming that's still okay with Mr. Briggs."

"Definitely," replied the trainer immediately.

"Can Pip also start to train another Adam or two this way?" Baker asked. "Or maybe we can do some screening to see which of the Adams might pick it up the fastest."

Geo looked to Lilith, who nodded her support, then turned back to the group. "If Pip thinks he can handle the load and still be ready for the next round of fights, I think it's an excellent suggestion. Pip?"

The Lead Adam nodded. "Once Mars gets cleared by Doc, I'd like two or three months with him to get a better feel for what works and what doesn't, since things were so frantic these last couple weeks. It could be that we were doing things that just waste time, but right now I have no idea."

"I want you to help get Stash prepared for the fight with Marbelo -- using our normal approach, by the way -- then you can have one month with Mars," Geo rebutted, "and when we get to the screening, we start with the newest Adams, then work younger until you get to the twelve year olds. After that, if this whole thing still looks promising, we can come back to last year's Adams and work our way toward the oldest ones."

"You don't want to start with the top of the pool -- why?" Lilith asked.

Geo turned again to look at the Executive Director. "Stash is an excellent fighter, at the very peak of his prowess. He's been in the pool for eight years now, I believe. That's a lot of training to undo, and our Adams aren't particularly flexible in their thinking. I still believe he's a match for virtually any fighter in the world, and I don't want to make him less effective than he is now by trying to implement a concept that's still being developed. For all we know, Mars is every bit the genetic freak that Pip is, and this will only work with him -- no offense, boys," said Geo with a grin, which was returned by both Adams.

"Your approach is well reasoned, Director Humbolt. Any additional questions or suggestions?" she asked her Council. When nothing was forthcoming, she decided to offer her own thoughts, looking back and forth between the Adams. "I want to offer both of you my personal congratulations. This victory was akin to a miracle, and it means that we can continue to pressure Marbelo, and also, maybe, that we can recover from Jacobs' betrayal in months instead of years.

"I know this is putting a lot of pressure on you, Pip, but it's nothing more than you've shouldered in the past. And Mars, job very well done. The same for you, Ms. Lewis. I would also echo this sentiment to the Council for continuing to be aggressive when conventional logic dictated otherwise, and especially you, Director Collins, for following your intuition. Now, if there's nothing further, I'm sure Mars would like to relax, and I know the rest of us have a lot of work to do."

Uncharacteristically, Lilith was the first one out of the room, followed by the male directors, who were discussing new training ideas animatedly as they stepped out the door, both wearing predatory smiles.

Rising, Rachel moved to Pip's side and wrapped her arms around the still seated Adam, closing her eyes and laying her head on his arm. Mars was accustomed to this kind of behavior between the two of them and was entirely unperturbed, despite Rachel being a director, but Gina was still not used to the site. After perhaps a hundred beats, Mars' handler cleared her throat as politely as she could manage. "Ma'am, I know it's rude to interrupt, but do you have some time to talk," she asked softly, "just the two of us?"

Rachel opened her eyes and looked down at the still seated woman, whose face was serious. "Of course. See you two at lunch?" she offered to the Adams, who both nodded in response. After a parting peck from Pip, the two men stepped out, leaving the women alone.

"How can I help, Ms. Lewis?"

"I was hoping you would explain to me what the Executive Director meant about your intuition."

Rachel nodded and took the next seat. "Immediately after the last match, the Council was considering sending one of our mid- or lower-tier Adams. I suggested that one of our younger Adams could be a better alternative, and we settled on Mars."

'Because he's so big?' Gina asked by raising her hand as high as she could reach.

Shaking her head, Rachel answered, "It's a little hard to explain, but the best I have come up with is that I process what I see differently than other people. Somehow it all comes together to give me insights on what will happen. My guess is that it's a type of survival mechanism that developed over time." Gina's face scrunched, thinking about the statement, but it was clear she hadn't followed.

Rachel took a breath and tried a second time. "Before I came here to the Complex, I was in an unpleasant situation for a long time. Getting through each day required me to be several steps ahead of the bad things that might happen. Over time, I became better at avoiding them altogether.

"So, over years, I learned to trust my intuition, and in this case, it said that Mars was our best option. If you want to know what it is specifically about him that registered, I would say it's probably that he reminds me of a cat: athletic and powerful, ready to pounce. There's no wasted effort in his movements, even when he's only walking around, and like a cat, everything about him tells me he's a natural predator."

"Like Pip?"

"No," Rachel responded immediately, shaking her head, "there's nothing natural about the way Pip moves or fights. He's a scary story brought to life."

Gina cracked a smile, but quickly realized Rachel was entirely serious and her expression fell. "But I've been around him, and he doesn't act like my other Adams did. He certainly doesn't act any worse than them."

"Pip's handler didn't treat him like a typical Adam. If he had, I believe one of two outcomes would have occurred: the first is that he never would have made it to the Arena, having failed to live up to his potential; the second is that he would have realized his potential, but turned against the city."

Shock was evident in Gina's eyes. 'Why?' she mouthed.

"You've seen a little bit of what he can do during the training, correct?" Gina nodded. "He's still recovering from the attack. When back to his full strength, he will be even faster. Now imagine that instead of being loved like a son -- which he was -- he was treated like the other Adams, with no empathy or view to the larger world, focusing only on killing. Then picture what would happen when he realized nobody could stop him from doing what he wanted, inside or outside of the Arena."

"You think he would go wild?"

Rachel nodded. "You know what he did to Northumberland just a few months ago. He let out some of the rage then, but it was still focused. If he hadn't had a guiding influence during that time, learning how to cope with such strong emotions, his behavior may have escalated. We owe a lot to John Rogers -- his death was a big loss for all of us."

Gina was quiet for more than a hundred beats, again contemplating what she had heard. "You think we should handle the Adams differently, don't you?"

"Why would you say that?" Rachel responded cryptically.

"Because you don't see an Adam when you look at Pip, you see a man. You love him."

A small smile crept onto Rachel's face, but she didn't otherwise respond.

"I always struggled with the PET department," said Gina quietly. "Not with the women, I mean, but with their purpose. How could they want to be friendly, or even intimate, with someone whose only purpose is to destroy?" Gina shook her head, trying to set her thoughts in order. "But when I see you with Pip, it's different." She looked down shyly. "Last night, seeing Emily clinging to Mars, the way she looked absolutely devoted to him... I didn't expect it. It's making me rethink things I've held to be true for a long time."

Rachel nodded. "You're not the only one. More changes are coming, and our new Executive Director is leading them. Does this worry you?" Gina nodded emphatically. "Good, because it won't be an easy transition."

While the two women were talking, Lilith had made her way to Cassidy's office in the Procurement building for a prearranged meeting with the Meister in her on-going director capacity. The discussion about the fight had run later than anticipated, so Lilith was late in arriving, but Cassidy managed to see her immediately anyway.

After a recap of the debrief, Cassidy sat back in her oversized chair, arms folded, looking quite smug. "I'm glad to get some good news for a change, and this is better than I would have dared to hoped for, even if Pip can't duplicate the training with other Adams. What do you think?"

"I think," said Lilith with a brief pause to steady herself, "that in a year we may be even stronger than we were before Jacobs."

"That worries you?"

"It does. My views on expansionism haven't changed."

"But?"

Lilith shook her head. "No 'but.' We will pursue our plan regarding Marbelo and Theiss, and after that, tone it back."

"And you think that's going to happen?" Cassidy asked while quirking her eyebrow. "There will always be another temptation, another case where the end justifies the means. It would be naive to think that we'll stop expansion efforts altogether."

"We could," Lilith said defensively, but her heart wasn't behind the statement. "Fuck, Cassidy, I just want peace and stability for the city."

"And enough water and food and education."

Lilith propped her elbows on Cassidy's desk and tucked her face into her hands. "Yes, but I hate that the only way to get those things is through violence and death."

"Well, with Mars' victory over one of Marbelo's top fighters, I expect other cities are going to hesitate before challenging us. There's another match in two weeks... then what?"

"We have some conditions in place, but the plan is for Geoff to issue the challenges immediately after the next match, which means we'll fight Marbello six months afterward. We could challenge Theiss or Hammersfield earlier, but we want to change the order of the matches so that Marbelo is first: it means we'll deal with a top tier fighter first and leave them weaker. At least that's what Geoff argued, and it sounds reasonable to me."

Cassidy nodded. "Fine, so are you going to do anything else in the meantime? Other challenges?"

Lilith was taken aback by the question, but recovered quickly. "No," she said definitively, then added more quietly, "probably not."

"Unless something comes up," finished Cassidy. "I know how it works. If it were me, I would be looking toward some of the smaller cities that have things we need."

"Need?"

"Okay, want," Cassidy allowed, "and that's the point. If I were still the Executive Director, I would be pushing for a much more aggressive strategy, for no other reason than because it's possible; in my role as Meister, I see things differently. We're already too busy trying to deal with the changes resulting from the Northumberland alliance, most of which have a direct, positive impact, so it's important that our focus stay there. It will probably be two or three years before things settle down again, so you have that long until I start pushing hard for expansion. The point is, you're not nearly so aggressive as you think you are."

"Thanks, I think," said Lilith with a half smile, which soon fell away. "There is something that we need to start now."

"The new training approach you're pushing, or this Eve program?"

"Those, too," admitted Lilith, "but they aren't what I was referring to -- I'd like to talk with Mr. Cates."

"Marbelo?"

Lilith nodded. "He was quite effective during our campaign in Northumberland. When we win the matches in the Fall, and I expect that we'll do so convincingly, I would like to have measures in place to exert additional pressure on their city leadership.

"They have a Mayor -- a real bastard -- and a council of Judges," Cassidy supplied. "I'll have Cates come over and you can let him know what you're thinking. He'll keep me informed, but if you want specific input from me, just ask."

"Thanks, Cassidy." Lilith paused and took a steadying breath, as if she was preparing for something unpleasant. "Do you have time for one more topic?"

"You're the boss."

Lilith rolled her eyes. "Listen, this is a bit sensitive, so I'll just dive in. I've known about you and Stash for a couple weeks."

It took the big woman a few breaths to find her voice. "How? I thought we were being discreet."

"Constable Reeves is every bit as capable as you told me he would be," Lilith responded. "He wanted me to be aware, in case I had any concerns."

"Do you?" Cassidy asked defensively.

"That would be a bit hypocritical considering Rachel's relationship with Pip, so no, I don't really have any concerns. In the interactions I've had with him, Stash was forthright, and he supported me completely during that fucking Jacobs' incident. If you've found something with him, then good for you both."

Cassidy hid it well, but Lilith could see that the redhead was relieved in the way her shoulders relaxed and her breathing evened out. "To be honest, I struggled with whether or not to tell you. I decided it was a private matter, but I can see how you would want to know, given that he's one of our top Adams and I'm still a director."

"It's okay, Cassidy, I understand," Lilith said, leaning forward to emphasize her words, "but I'll add that we've been through enough together that you don't need to be afraid to talk with me, about this or anything else." Cassidy nodded as Lilith sat back again. "Would you like to tell me about him?"

"Well, there's not much for me to say. We don't talk very much when we're together: our relationship is more physical that emotional."

"You're not looking for something more?" asked Lilith, tilting her head curiously.

"With an Adam?" Cassidy asked, surprised, "you can't be serious." Where before Lilith had tried to be accommodating, she now folded her arms and her eyes narrowed.

Seeing that her counterpart was not pleased, Cassidy reigned in her tone. "Come on, Lilith, you know what I mean. Adams don't care about people. They skulk around by themselves, barely able to hold a conversation, dreaming all day and night about killing people."

"That's what we've made them into," said Lilith coldly.

"Of course it is," replied the Meister soothingly. "I would love to have devilishly handsome warrior poets that compose sonnets while disemboweling their enemies, but singularity of purpose has served us well for more than five decades."

"Not anymore," Lilith replied. "Fighting may be a necessity, but I'm done with allowing the Adams to be treated like Helots that we set on our enemies."