Underground

=The crowd went wild again. They all started cheering the name, "Razgriz," over and over again, while the announcer started speaking again=

*Announcer*
This is Rumble Pit history folks! From out of nowhere, Razgriz has killed three of our four champions! This is the most exciting night I have ever seen. It's only a shame that it's soon going to come to an end!

(Miranda)
=Okay, now I was starting to get worried. It had been a few hours now, and Jason still hadn't called back. I tried calling him again, but there was still no answer=
Dammit Jason, where are you?

=Leaving the ship wouldn't help. I had no idea where he was, or where he went. Then again....=
Argo, can you do a sweep of the ship's files? Try and find any related to the coordinates of the last message?

(Argo)
Of course. One moment.
=It took me seconds to find the right set of files. One was the file received only yesterday, while the other, older file, had a location listed within=

Hmm, no address, but it mentions the bar in a market zone, down in the shanty district.

(Miranda)
=I mulled it over. I could go there, and maybe show Jason's picture around. But it was doubtful that there was anyone there who'd seen him. So, I decided to bite the bullet, and remain back on the ship=

(Jason)
=I took a quick walk around the arena, picking up my swords, as well as some of Oddball's throwing knives. Thankfully, I wasn't really getting exhausted. I may not have been a true Spartan, but I sure as hell had the endurance of one. Still, my ribs ached, and I was sure of it: at least two ribs were cracked=

(Jason)
=Again, the all too familiar sound of the platform lowering itself started. I knew who it was. This, was the final round, the final fighter. They saved their deadliest for last=

*Crowd*
Slayer! Slayer! Slayer! Slayer!

(Jason)
=The sound of the platform hitting the ground was what made me turn and face my opponent, and walk towards the center of the arena. He followed suit, though neither of us drew our weapons. Once we got to the center of the arena, we both paused a few feet from each other=
So.....here we are, Slayer.

*Slayer*
=When he spoke, it was with a gruff voice=
Yes, here we are, Razgriz.....heh, heh heh.

(Jason)
What's so funny?

*Slayer*
Just thinking about the fight, the ways this could end. If you win, you'll be my replacement, and probably spend the rest of your life fighting in this pit until someone better comes along and kills you. If I win, they'll call me "Demon Slayer." And I'll still spend the rest of my life fighting here.

=Something drew his gaze away from his eyes, down towards my hand=

*Slayer*
What's that, on your hand?
=He pointed towards my right hand=

(Jason)
=I instantly knew what he was pointing at: the ring. My engagement ring. A small smile crossed my lips=
Heh, with all this fighting, I forgot that I was engaged to be married. Oh, she's going to be pissed when she hears this.

*Slayer*
I guess that means you have something worth more than your life to fight for, doesn't it?

(Jason)
=My eyes closed for the briefest of moments as the memory of Miranda, with her dark hair, warm smile, and soft skin filled my mind. When they opened, I could all but feel the fire behind my eyes=
Yeah, I do.

*Slayer*
=He was quiet for a moment, then in a whisper=
Then perhaps, I can help you. Just play the part, a little while.

=The gong rang, and we both drew our swords=

(Jason)
=Our swords drawn, we adopted defensive stances, neither one of us moving. We watched carefully, looking for a moment to strike. Well, he did. I was confused by what he said=
Then perhaps, I can help you. Just play the part, a little while.

=Was he going to try and get me out of here? I could only hope. My thoughts were put on hold however, when he lunged at me, causing me to take a step back and deflect the blow with one blade while I countered with my second, though he blocked it with his other sword. And all the while, the crowd cheered louder and louder=

=It went on for God know's how long. The two of them, the Slayer and the Razgriz, dancing around each other as their swords clashed, gleaming both from the light of the arena and the sparks they made upon the strongest of impacts. Both of them traded blows with their swords, parrying thrusts and swings, blocking attacks and countering with their own. Their fight never left the center of the arena=

(Jason)
=Slayer swung both his blades at me, and I blocked them both, though it left us both close together=

*Slayer*
Listen, there are two guards behind you at the lip of the pit. They have guns. If you can hit them with those knives of your's, and bring them down here....

(Jason)
=I knew what he had in mind, and with a grin, I broke away from him, spun in the retreat, both swords slipping from my grasp. With both hands free, I grabbed two of the throwing knives, and when I was facing the wall, I threw both knives upwards. Coupled with my strength, they flew like arrows, and with the aim of a Spartan, they hit their targets right in the chest. Both guards stood there for a stunned moment, then fell forward, their weapons still held in their arms=

(Jason)
=I ran to the first body, while the whole audience above me screamed in terror and surprise. I tore the gun out of the guards dead hands, turned back to the lip of the pit, and aimed at another pair of guards, already aiming at me. With four quick pulls of the trigger, I let loose four small bursts from the weapon, hitting them both with two bursts each, and they too fell=

*Slayer*
=he ran to the other dead guard, picked up their weapon, and began firing at guards as well=
I'll cover you! Use the spikes as a ladder, and get out of here!

(Jason)
=Without arguing, I ran to the wall behind me. I tied my gun to me using the knife belt, and grabbed one of the spikes. The leather I wore helped protect me from most of the barbed wire, as I pulled myself up. The spikes themselves were spaced close enough to eachother that I was able to pull myself up the wall, spike by spike, while Slayer kept firing bursts from his weapon. Whether he hit any guards or not, I didn't know, but judging from the fact that I wasn't being shot at, I guessed he was able to keep them off me=


=Above the pit, people screamed, and ran. It was chaos and confusion up there as people ran from the gunfire=

(Jason)
=After climbing up the spikes, I finally pulled myself over the lip of the pit. As I stood up, I un-slung my gun from the belt, and quickly let off a burst into the chest of a guard that had seen me. The rest of the chamber had quickly emptied, and I turned back to the pit=
Slayer, come on!

=He picked up something from the ground, ran to the wall, and began to climb. I looked around the chamber keeping an eye for any more guards, but it looked like they had never anticipated this scenario; there weren't that many guards to begin with, so by the time Slayer and I were done, almost all the guards were dead. He finally got over the lip of the pit, and I saw what he had picked up from the floor: my swords=
Why did you grab those?

*Slayer*
Figured you'd want to keep them. After all, they are the "Blades of Razgriz" now.
=He chuckled a little=

(Jason)
=I couldn't decide whether to laugh or snarl at him. I did not want to keep anything that could remind me of this place, of the things I had to do to survive. But I realized the gesture was not to give me a reminder of this place. It was an olive branch. So I took my swords, and sheathed them=
Okay, thanks. Now let's get the fuck out of here.

(Jason)
=We both broke into a run down the tunnel. Almost a minute later, I saw light at the end. Daylight. Seconds later, we both crossed the threshold of the tunnel, and I thought we were home free. That is, until Harling, hiding at the side of the entrance, pulled the trigger on his pistol and shot Slayer twice in the back. My instincts took over. I spun around, but Harling had his gun trained on me. Attacking would have been suicidal=

*Harling*
I offer you the life of luxury. A chance to do what you enjoy and live like a king, and this is how you return my generosity?

(Jason)
I didn't know I was being offered anything. And there's no way in hell, that I'd accept now.

*Harling*
Oh, you're going to accept this time.
=He pulled out the pain collar, and tossed it at my feet=

Put it on.

(Jason)
No.

*Harling*
=He pulled back the hammer=
Put. It. On.

=While Harling was distracted, Slayer rolled over, the sub-machine gun in his hands. He fired one last burst at Harling's chest, knocking Harling to the ground=

(Jason)
=The moment I had the opportunity, I ran at Harling, crouched down over him and gave him a swift punch right to the the forehead. I wanted to do more; I wanted to slam his head against the ground till his skull caved in, spread his brains and teeth all over the ground. But I restrained myself, and went to my dying friend=

(Jason)
=I knelt over him, as blood seeped from his mouth. He still managed a chuckle=

*Slayer*
=He looked out, towards the rising sun, it's light gleaming off the ocean
Never thought I'd ever see another sunrise.

(Jason)
Slayer, why? Why go through all this, for me? Why work for my freedom?
=In response, he pointed first at my ring, then took something from around his neck, hidden beneath his armor. It was a necklace, with a locket attached. He flipped it open, and inside there was a picture. It was him, only, younger, and without any scars. With him, embraced in a hug, was a woman=

*Slayer*
They took me from her, my Rebecca. They took my life away from me. When I saw that you had someone back from your life--
=He started coughing, blood coming in spurts from his mouth. He managed to stop, though his speech was hard to hear=

I knew, I knew that I couldn't let them take your life away like they did to me.
=His hand suddenly shot up, grabbed the scruff of my leather jacket, and pulled me down until my face was an inch from his=

Don't waste my sacrifice boy. Don't waste the time you have with her. What you have, is something so few ever get a chance at having. Live with her, love her.
=He went quiet then, the last gasp of air escaping his lips. He died, and I closed his eyes. Drops of water, tears I soon realized, started to fall down onto his cheeks=

(Jason)
Than you, Slayer.

(Jason)
=I stood up, and walked over to the pain collar. Bending down, I picked it up, stood back up, and walked over to Harling. He was still unconscious, but that didn't stop me from putting the collar around his neck. I patted him down, and found the remote for the collar, pocketing it. Looking around, I found his car, opened the trunk, and found some helpful things, like Duct tape=

--Three Minutes Later--

=Harling came to, and found that he couldn't breath out of his mouth, and that his hands and feet were bound. He started to make panicked noises, and realized that the pain collar was around his neck, feeling it gripped around his neck. looking around, he found that he was outside the tunnel, sitting on the ground. Razgriz stood a few feet away, and behind him was the corpse of Slayer=

(Jason)
Ah, you're awake. Good, good.
=I walked over to him, and he tried to move away=

You put a collar around my neck, and tried to make me your dog. You tried to take me away from my life, and you made me kill other people for sport. You killed one of my friends, and another person who could have become one. I should you slit your throat right here.
=I knelt down until I was at eye level with him, and I was delighted to see the raw, naked fear in his eyes=

But I'm not going to. Instead, I'm going to leave you here, bound and gagged for the rest of your life. Or at least, until someone finds you. Either way.....
=I held the remote out for him to see, and he started to squirm=

I'll make sure that from this point on, every moment of your life will be filled with pain. So much that whether or not you live or die, you will know.
=With my free hand, I grabbed the hair on the top of his head, and forced him to look me in my silver eyes=

You will know, that it was the Demon you made, the Demon Razgriz, that did this to you.
=I pressed the button, and even though he was gagged, he still tired to scream. I squeezed the remote so hard, it actually broke in my hand, though the pain collar did not stop. I stood back up, leaving him writhing on the ground in pain=

(Jason)
=I walked over to Slayer's body, picked him up, and carried him back over to Harling's car. I laid him down in the backseat, and got in the drivers seat, and drove away from that place, not once ever looking back. I drove for thirty minutes, until I found a place along the road, that met a beach. I carried him to the sand, into the water, and let him drift into the sea=
Farewell, my friend.

=I got back in the car, and drove off again back towards the city=

(Jason)
=It took me a while to get back to the docks, and when I did I parked the car next to a meter. Hey, I didn't care if it got towed or not. I realized that I had none of my stuff with me, so I scrounged through the car for something. I managed to find Harling's wallet, with a whole lot of credits inside. They helped pay the fees at the docks, and I walked up to the air lock=

(Miranda)
=I had fallen asleep on the bridge, but was woken by the sound of the air lock doors opening. I stirred, my eyes opening, and saw Jason, clad in (I couldn't believe it) dark leather, and wearing a belt with a pair of shortswords=
Jason?

(Jason)
=She started to get up, and I moved towards her. My heart was pounding in my chest, as I saw the woman I loved, who I thought I'd never see again. I embraced her the moment she stood up, and my lips met hers in a kiss. Her mouth was just as warm and soft as I remembered=

(Miranda)
=At first, I wanted nothing more than to stay locked in that kiss with him. But, I wanted answers; Where he'd been, why he hadn't called me, and what was with the outfit. I broke off the kiss, placing my hands on his chest and pushing myself away=
Jason, what happened? Where were you?

(Jason)
=It took me a moment to remember that I had only been gone for a day. Judging by the look she had given me, I must have acted like it had been months. it sure felt like it though=
It's........a long story.

=I sat down back in the captains chair, undoing the sword belt and laying it on the floor. She sat down at the comm terminal, and for the next few minutes, I told her what had happened; Robbie's betrayal and death, me being forced into the fights, the ally I made and his death. Through the entire thing, she was quiet, and only when I was done did she speak=

(Miranda)
See, this is why you bring me along. If you had brought me along, this never would have happened.

(Jason)
=Of all things, that made me burst out laughing=

(Miranda)
=I frowned, but that was me attempting to keep from laughing as well=
It's not funny Jason.

(Jason)
=I looked up at her as I tried to catch my breath, and the serious look on her face only made me laugh harder=

(Miranda)
=Why resist? I joined Jason in the laugh, and we laughed for a few minutes. We managed to calm down, and he suddenly had this look on his face=
What's wrong?

(Jason)
Nothing. It's just......nothing.
=Slayer's face was still fresh in my mind. I doubted I'd be forgetting him anytime soon=

What do you say we get out of here huh? Head on back home.

(Miranda)
That sounds, like a very good idea.
=I sat back down at the comm terminal while Jason and Argo took the Serenity out of the dock. As we rose through the atmosphere, I couldn't help but chuckle=

(Jason)
What's so funny now?

(Miranda)
Nothing. I just kinda liked your new name.
=I chuckled again=

(Jason)
=I grimaced=
Please don't start calling me that.

(Miranda)
What's wrong, Razgriz?

(Jason)
Oh, it's going to be one hell of a long ride back.
Argo, take us into slip-space. Let's go home.

(Argo)
Roger that Jason. Next stop, Haven.

=The Serenity exited the planet's atmosphere, and opened a slip-space portal in the void of space, and soon the ship vanished=


--End of "Underground"--