This is another writing contest submission. This excerpt from my book was a real booger. I had to do some really creative editing to condense this down into 3000 words. I really hope that it still holds the essence of its original impact. This is one of the main battle scenes in the book. Enjoy:
After long anticipation, it finally happened; I was to meet Hunter in the Arena. The main event match was set for several months down the line to give us both time to prepare. Finally, the captain was giving me the opportunity to stand up to the one boy who had persecuted me since I’d stepped on board this ship.
I started working harder than ever. Something about me drew crowds to all of my training sessions. When I first came on board, I probably would have found the crowds distracting, but at this point I enjoyed the celebrity status, and saw it as a way to hone my mental skills. I’d always found myself in the eye of the battle storm in the Arena…until I’d let my anger get the best of me. I needed to train my mind to enter that calm center regardless of my mood or temperament.
My new appendages were hard on training equipment. Captain Enoch worked with the ship’s engineers to create more durable tools for my use. He always made sure that I was included in discussion concerning anything involving me.
Time went on, equipment improved, crowds grew, and I felt as calm as ever. I could enter that calm eye at will, and that felt good. I began using that skill as a meditation technique. As I entered the calm eye, I would picture each unique battle dance I had ever seen, and study them in detail.
Hunter was working hard, too. I wandered into some of his training sessions and was impressed by what I saw. He was powerful and focused. No matter my personal feelings, Hunter would make a worthy opponent.
About a week before the match Captain Enoch asked to have the midday meal with me in the cafeteria. Of course, I agreed. As we were waiting in line for our food the captain said, “You’ve come so far since we found you, Ayden. You make me so proud.”
“I’d be nothing without you, Captain. I owe you so much.” With that Captain Enoch fell to the ground clutching his chest. Panic rose inside me. I dropped to me knees trying to figure out what to do, then closed my eyes and entered my calm center. I began barking orders: clear away from the captain, fetch the doctor, get some water, and so on. To my surprise no one argued. Everyone followed my orders without question. Before I knew it, the captain was resting safely in the infirmary.
I made sure the captain was not disturbed, assigned guards, and gave the infirmary staff instructions to not to admit anyone aside from necessary staff. The next morning, I went to see the captain who was in great spirits, but it was clear that his strength was waning. So I consulted with the doctors.
“We have you to thank for most of our medical advances, young Ayden,” Dr. Crenshaw said. “If it weren’t for your mishaps, we would not have as much knowledge as we do.”
“I’m not sure if I should be offended or thankful,” I said. “That still doesn’t tell me anything.”
“The captain’s heart is giving out. We need to replace it.”
“You can’t be serious! Won’t that kill him?”
“I’m quite serious. The procedure is risky, but without it, he will certainly die.”
This was not my decision, so I discussed it with the captain. “I’ll be more like you, Ayden,” the captain said with a smile. Even at the brink of death, he managed to have a smile and good humor to offer me. Then he said, “What are you doing here? You have a big match in a couple of days. You’d better get ready!”
“Absolutely not, Captain. There can be no match without you in the stands.” To my surprise, the captain respected my decision. We never actually spoke about it; there was a silent acceptance between us. I tried to cancel the match through proper channels, but that requires both parties to agree. Unfortunately, Hunter couldn’t care less about the condition of our captain. Regardless of Hunter’s stubborn tenacity, I was not going to fight him while my captain lay ill.
The day of the big match finally came around. Hunter entered the Arena to roars of approval. His muscular physique, intense demeanor, and cool, calculated movements struck a very impressive figure. I drew just as much approval. I’m not sure if I appeared impressive, or simply freakish.
Once the announcer had completed his rather elaborate introductions, I calmly reached for his microphone. As unorthodox as that was, the announcer handed over the microphone without question. I took a deep breath, then proceeded into a speech I had been practicing; a speech I knew would not be very popular.
“My fellow combatants and honored guests, this is a match I have been waiting for since the moment I stepped aboard this ship…or close enough to it. Time after time my efforts to meet Hunter in the Arena have been thwarted. I started out inexperienced, then I could not gain enough weight to enter his weight class. It took some poor decision on my part (I made some vague indications towards my artificial limbs, drawing a bit of scattered laughter from the crowd) to resolve that issue. Finally, the captain has given me this opportunity to meet the one person in the Arena that has been tormenting me from the day I arrived. I finally have the chance to settle our personal differences once and for all. Unfortunately, I must decline.” Until this point Hunter had been listening calmly and patiently. At this point his eyes grew wide, and he looked bewildered, as if he were at a loss for words. I continued, “I’m sorry, but I cannot bring myself to battle in the Arena while my Captain lays ill. Without my Captain present for my victory, it would not be a victory at all. I concede the match to you, Hunter. Today, victory is yours.” With that, I handed the microphone back to the announcer and exited the Arena.
I could hear the murmurs of the crowd, and the butterflies in my stomach grew. I knew that many of my “admirers” would see this as a betrayal. I tried not to think about tomorrow, and went back to the infirmary to check on the Captain.
I hadn’t realized just how betrayed my fellow shipmates would feel. I went back to being tormented nearly everywhere I went. I still had a few loyal supporters, but they were nothing compared to the many who felt cheated and betrayed. Many thought that I had backed out of the fight due to cowardice. I had to fight off attackers all over the ship—which meant spending time in isolation. Even if I was not the aggressor, if I did not spend time in isolation like everyone else, it would seem like I was getting special treatment—something I did not want.
The tension finally came to a head during the morning meal. A group of young boys surrounded my table. Their anger showed clearly on their faces. One of the boys stepped forward and said, “How could you do this? How could you betray us this way?”
“All I can do is apologize. Until our Captain is well, he must remain my first priority.”
“Forget the Captain!” The others nodded and murmured their agreement. “Your victory over Hunter was to be for all of us. You are not the only one he torments. With your victory, all of us could have been set free from his tyranny. He treats the younger recruits as if they are his personal slaves! You could have ended that!”
“I am so sorry. If I could reverse time and prevent the captain from becoming ill, I would, but it is done now. We must move on.”
I watched the rage grow deeper in the boy. He said, “If your Captain is so precious to you, why don’t you join him,” then he thrust a fork toward my face. Next thing I knew I was beside my captain in the infirmary.
“I see you’ve been quite busy in my absence,” Captain Enoch chided.
“What can I say, everyone loves me.” We both laughed.
I was there for the Captain’s surgery. I was so afraid that he would not live through the procedure, but my worries were moot. Not only did he live, his recovery took half the time the doctors had expected. Before I knew it, he was stronger, better, and more powerful looking than ever.
I did not want to burden Captain Enoch with my troubles, but he was the Captain, and always knew everything that happened on his ship. He came to me after he had recovered and said, “Ayden, you have no idea how much it means to me that you sacrificed so much to ensure that I would not miss your most anticipated battle.”
“The battle would have been meaningle…” He held his hand up to stop me.
“You have worked long and hard to meet Hunter in the Arena. The time came, and the battle was set, yet you chose to forfeit the victory in favor of tending to my needs. I cannot leave this as it is. We must schedule a rematch.”
“Captain!”
“There will be no long build up for this. It will be at the next tournament in one month’s time.” I could not contain my excitement, and bolted from the room shouting “thank you” over and over on my way to the training room.
Though there was no big announcement this time, word spread rapidly through the ship. Anticipation began building once again. My loyal supporters were right there, through it all, and I began to win back the trust of some of the others. I worked hard to ensure that my mind and body were in top condition, and worked with the tech and infirmary staff to ensure that my technological limbs were in optimal shape. I wanted—no, I needed my entire body, both technological and organic, to work in perfect harmony. As the date of the match approached, the tension on the ship continued to build and my excitement only grew. Finally, the big day arrived and I felt the calm start to wash over me as the others engaged in their battle dances. When it was time for the final match, Captain Enoch himself entered the Arena. He didn’t have to say a word or make any kind of gesture, his simple presence was enough to ensure the attention of everyone there. The entire Arena calmed down; not even a whisper could be heard. Once complete quiet was achieved, the Captain brought the microphone to his mouth, “I know you all have been waiting a long time for this match. My ill health has deprived you of something you all want, need, and deserve, and for that, you have my deepest apologies.” Small gasps and whispers could be heard scattered around. As Captain Enoch glanced around, everyone fell silent again. “Your combatants need no introduction; you all know them quite well.” Hunter and I entered the Arena, and the Captain ended with, “Let the game begin!” Cheers erupted all around me, but none of it mattered. I had already entered the eye of the storm. At this point, nothing existed for me but the dance. Hunter was very skilled, so I could not falter, not even once. His eyes were deep, piercing, and cunning. We circled each other for a time looking for each other’s weaknesses. I noticed that he was favoring his right knee. He had an injury, and decided to fight despite it. Hunter noticed that I was distracted and lunged toward me. I easily parried, but was still confused by his choice to fight. He jabbed at my face. I blocked with my right arm, and he was able to pull back on the force before injuring himself. The jab was a distraction tactic. As I was blocking, he spun around with a roundhouse kick to my side. The force was incredible. It didn’t feel like anything was broken, but it would definitely leave a bruise.
I couldn’t help but smile. Hunter was good, very good. Not many people can land such a blow with me, especially this early in the battle. Despite his injury, he kept impeccable form and grace. No matter how I felt about him personally, I had to admire him professionally. He brought his left knee up for an attack on my abdomen, but I parried, turning to the right and brought my left leg up to block. This time Hunter wasn’t so quick to pull back on the force and caught his shin on the metal of my artificial limb. I’m sure it hurt, but to Hunter’s credit, he didn’t let the pain show.
While I was distracted by Hunter’s ability, he was able to land a powerful right hook across my jaw. I was stunned at first, and stumbled back, then I silently admonished myself. This is not the time for distractions. I brought my left hand up to massage my injured jaw, spit a bit of blood onto the ground beside me, then fixed Hunter with an unwavering stare. He seemed a bit stunned himself. That right hook of his has been known end battles. The fact that I was still standing, apparently unfazed, must have been shocking for him.
It didn’t take Hunter long to regain his wits and attack again. This time, I was ready, unfortunately he had been studying me and my weaknesses as much as I had been studying him. He lunged at me, from the right—pushing all of his, and my, weight toward my left side. Once the weight of both of my artificial limbs went over the center mark, there was nothing I could do. I went down, hard. As I did, Hunter started pounding me with everything he had. Every blow he made struck hard. It took a little longer than I would have liked to regain my balance, but once I was down on my back, I took my right arm, grabbed Hunter by the throat and held him out at arm’s length. He could still hit and kick, but the blows were now harmless. I sat up with Hunter still in my grasp, then tossed him aside so I could get fully to my feet.
I was hurting. I could still taste the blood in my mouth, my ribs were throbbing, and I could feel the bruises forming all over my body. I knew this fight was going to be difficult, but now I had to face the fact that I may lose. Hunter was breathing a little heavily, but he was nowhere near as injured as I was. I took a moment to look up into the stands, and saw that Captain Enoch was smiling at me. Why would he be smiling like that while I was losing the fight? Unless he didn’t believe I was losing. I couldn’t let my Captain down by giving up on myself so easily. After everything he’d done for me, I owed it to him to do my very best!
I stood up, wiped the blood off of my chin, and decided that it was my turn to be the aggressor. I grabbed Hunter with my right arm, holding him still, then proceeded to jab him several times in the face, then threw him to the ground. Hunter seemed more infuriated than hurt. He quickly rebounded, with flashing eyes, and rushed towards me. I put my left foot forward, but he easily sidestepped the obstacle. The full force of his weight and momentum slammed into the right side of my ribs. I leaned forward to compensate for the blow, and the weight of my appendages took over, taking me to the ground along with Hunter. I took advantage of the situation by pinning him under me during the fall, then once we were down proceeded to alternate blows from my right knee and left fist.
The move took Hunter off guard momentarily, but he quickly twisted his weight, tossing me aside. In the process, he tossed a bit of dirt from the arena floor into my face. The sting in my eyes blinded me. The distraction allowed Hunter to land a strong blow to my jaw and several rabbit punches to my mid-section. I was beginning to feel like a rag doll left in the street to be trampled. I had to regain my center. I had to find my battle dance. I closed my eyes and focused on the calm. I allowed my other senses to fill the gap left by my injured eyes. I found my center and entered the eye of the storm. There was nothing other than the battle dance. I sensed Hunter approaching and reached out. My right hand caught his shoulder, he attempted to twist free, but I held on. I threw a jab with my left fist, and brought my right knee up into his mid-section. I felt his fist against my shoulder and another blow against my left thigh. Although I could not see Captain Enoch, I knew he was there, watching me, evaluating my performance. I could not let myself fail him, so I continued to jab with my left fist and knee with my right leg until the referee stopped me. I had been so lost in my own thoughts, my own ‘center’ that I had failed to realize that my opponent was not longer fighting. The referee declared me the winner and gave me water to clean my eyes. As my eyes cleared, I saw that Hunter had lost consciousness, and I had continued hitting him afterward. I felt guilty for taking the battle too far, and immediately motioned for the infirmary attendants to take care of Hunter.
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