Seventh Ring: Part 6 - Welcoming

Seven did not see much of Ari in the days that followed his tour of the farm. William was off-planet, but kept him busy with chores and labor and any jobs where Three could use the extra muscle. Three theorized that it was William's way of "conditioning" him and getting him healthy and ready for his first fight when he returned from his business trip. His meals were often much larger than the other Drudges', a fact that they all noticed around dinner time when Two doubled Seven's portions right in front of them. Three warned Seven not to get too comfortable with such treatment, as he was certain the extra protein and carbohydrates were meant to bulk him up. Seven surely wasn't complaining. After starving himself for a couple of days after his unforgettable first meal on the farm, he finally came around when Three volunteered to try all of his food before he would touch it--an act the other Drudge was more than happy to do. The plan worked to reassure Seven and brought him back to trusting his meals. On more than one occasion, he often shared his extra serving of bread with Three and gave Six his dessert. Banana pudding and blueberries seemed to be the Iboa's favorite, though anything sweet was always met with a wide-eyed, toothy grin of gratitude and thanks.

Seven's first couple of nights were filled with pain and blood. He tried desperately to find a way to remove his collar without killing himself. Nothing made him feel more degraded or used than his horrid collar. It was a constant reminder of William's control. Every time his fingers slipped between it and his skin, he could feel the probes digging into the thick skin of his neck, and the subsequent shock that followed after each attempt. Each morning for the first week of his stay, just after the sun broke over the horizon, Three watched the young Kazekian leave his room in the Drudge's barn covered in his own blood. He looked exhausted and deprived of sleep, but always managed to find his way to the creek the Drudges used for bathing. Despite any exhaustion he may have felt, Three never noticed it or any hindrance it may have caused their chores. Seven was a hard worker that never complained and always did what he was told. But would he hold the same attitude upon William's return?

After several days passed, Three noticed that Seven was looking more rested and wasn't stumbling out of the Drudge's barn each morning to wash away the evidence of his failed attempts at freedom. Neither alien ever mentioned the collars after their first initial discussion, but Three was confident that Seven held no grudge against him. He hoped that he was beginning to understand the hopelessness of their situation and the fact that there was little they could do to escape the farm. But Seven was so distant and difficult to read. He could never be sure what was going through his mind.

Stars glowed brightly against the darkening sky as the Drudges sat in a circle in the middle of their barn. Seven had just passed Six his bowl of apple pudding when the barn door inched open with a loud creak. The three Drudges glanced up and stiffened at the sight of William. He was eloquently dressed in business attire, jet black hair slicked back, hands gloved. The glow of the lamp used to light the barn highlighted his features as he spoke, but even its warmth could not penetrate his cold, piercing blue eyes.

"I need Seven to come with me," he said firmly. Without waiting for a response or to see if his order was obeyed, he closed the barn door.

"You'd better go," said Three after a moment of listening to cricket song. Six's mouth was too full of apple pudding to reply, but he nodded furiously in agreement.

Seven remained silent as he swallowed his last bite of food, then stood. He held out a piece of bread to Three, who took it hungrily and gave his thanks while licking his lips. Seven approached the door without looking back and stepped into the darkness of the night just behind William.

"Come with me," he said, checking the watch on his wrist communicator. Seven hesitated when he noticed that William was wanting to lead him into the corn field. Would tonight be the night? Would he ask him to fight? For some reason, he doubted that William would ever ask anything of him. Uncertainty ruled his mind as he cautiously stepped forward and matched William's pace.

"Oh, and don't bother trying anything stupid. Reece can pass a bullet through your head faster than you can even think something stupid."

Reece? Seven's golden yellow eyes darted around in the dark, pupils dilating like that of a tiger's as he scanned the shadows. He'd not been introduced to anyone named 'Reece,' so he assumed this was a sniper or hired gun that was off in the distance watching them. But he was wrong. Just up ahead stood the largest human Seven had ever seen. He easily stood a head taller than William and was nearly the same height as himself. Reece was wide and muscular and had eyes that chilled him to the bone. What little hair he had on his buzzed head was a dark brown, and his business attire was similar to William's and looked very professional and clean. It was obvious the pair had returned from the trip to space together, but why was Reece here? What was his purpose beyond looking dark and brooding? Seven was impressed that Reece was even able to cross his huge arms in front of his chest. He held his gaze as they approached.

"This is Seven. He's the new fighter I told you about," said William.

That was the extent of their introduction. Reece looked Seven up and down as if he were a farm animal being prepped for slaughter. And perhaps he was if William was planning to put him in the Ring tonight. Reece sneered at the sight of him, clearly unimpressed, but willing to let William be hopeful that Seven would be different than any other Drudges he'd tried to train to fight. His jaw unlocked and snapped up and down as he chewed a piece of cinnamon-flavored gum. Seven hated the sound of his chewing already.

"It keeps him from grinding his teeth," said William, as if reading Seven's mind. Obviously, this was an annoyance Seven would have to get used to when he and Reece occupied the same space. Which would hopefully be a rare occurrence. "Let's keep moving, we're late."

William lead while Reece plodded behind them, his arms crossed and expression unchanging. His presence put Seven on edge, but his mind still raced around the idea of fighting. He could feel his stomach twist into knots as they approached the secret entrance Three had shown him out in the middle of the corn field. Reece unhooked his arms and lifted the already unlocked metal door up with ease, revealing a staircase that descended into darkness. William stepped in first, and the moment his foot touched the concrete step, the staircase illuminated. Seven hesitated as he watched William sink lower into the ground, but he could feel Reece impatiently standing behind him. Even his chewing sounded annoyed.

"Move." The only word the goliath human had uttered. Seven grit his teeth and tried not to let his muzzle wrinkle with a snarl. He suddenly wished he had some gum, too.

Reece lowered the heavy metal door above him and slammed it shut. He then proceeded down the stairs just behind Seven as William lead them through the now brightly-lit concrete tunnel. Seven's large ears caught the sounds of voices and laughter after several minutes of walking, and his nose filled with the thick scent of cigars and whiskey mixed with the musty, dank odor of the tunnel. William's walk was steady and confident as they approached another door that had been wedged open at the end of the tunnel. Seven could see several men lounging about in a cloud of smoking, their faces flushed with inebriation and cheer. At the sight of William approaching, they all stood up and welcomed him in.

"It's good to see you, gentleman," he said cordially as his walk lead him through the open door. This room was much larger than it seemed from the tunnel and was stocked with a full bar, marble flooring, leather chairs and couches, and an entire wall that was floor-to-ceiling windows. These windows overlooked an enormous underground stadium, which meant this room was the equivalent of VIP suite seating to the fights. Virtual Image Projectors floated from the ceiling near the windows so the onlookers could watch the gruesome battle in comfort and without being near the field. Seven assumed that the stadium itself was situated directly beneath the battle barn he'd seen a couple of weeks ago. What a clever disguise.

William shook hands with each man as they patted him on the back and offered him drinks. He lifted his black-gloved hand with a shake of his head, telling them without words that he was not looking to drink tonight. "I'd like to introduce you all to my newest fighter. His name is Seven."

All eyes fell on Seven as he fully entered the room just after William spoke his name. Reece followed closely behind him and stood in the doorway, blocking any means of escape. That feeling of being a slaughter animal came over him again as he felt their eyes scanning over his body. They studied it, searched it for weaknesses, and were clearly hiding any emotion they may have felt about him. It became clear that these men were not fighters, but fellow owners of fighters, like William. Their clothes were pressed and tidy and they wreaked of dirty blood money. Were they sizing him up against their own fighters? The tension made Seven's pupils shrink and his stare to become predatory. He went from feeling like a farm animal to feeling more like a wild lion that was thrown into a glass cage and put on display. His desire to tear out the throats of these onlookers could be seen on his face, but the men were not bothered by this. Maybe they were used to it from other aliens that were first brought to this place and thrown on display before their critical eyes.

"Another one, eh, Will? And a Kazekian, at that," said one of the men, breaking the silence. He inhaled the sweet smoke of his cigar before tapping the length of it across the top of his knuckles, sending a flurry of ash to the cold marble floor. William nodded and placed one of his hands inside his suit jacket pocket.

"That arm is certainly impressive," countered another man seated beside him. He had fixated upon it since the moment they had arrived. A new cloud of smoke rose towards Seven as the first man exhaled. Its plumes hit his bare chest and snaked out to surround him, as if wanting to constrict the life out of him.

"Indeed it is, Colonel," replied William with a knowing smile. "I'm going to show him around the Ring a bit. I'll join you all when we're finished."

"Don't be too long, we've got a match to start soon." The men straightened up and stared after William as he led Seven and Reece out of the room and into a new hallway that lead along the length of the stadium. For the first time since his arrival, Seven was relieved to be left alone with William. The prying eyes of the humans had put him on edge. Reece, of course, brought a bit of that feeling with him as they continued the tour.

"Those were my esteemed associates. They provide the fighters, just as I do. We like to meet before each match and catch up. Talk politics, military, farming, have a few drinks, then get down to business." William stopped at a large metal door that required a code to unlock. Seven noted that on the screen of the keypad located beside the door's frame was  a rotating gold emblem -- it was of a creature he'd seen around the farm that Ari had introduced him to. A bull, he thought. William's gloved index finger punched away at the numerical keypad, causing the bull to disappear from the screen. It beeped as it verified the code and unlocked the door.

As soon as Reece had stepped through, he closed it tightly behind him and listened for the click to tell him it was locked again. He continued down a narrow flight of stairs behind Seven as William extended his arm before him at the vast expanse of the arena.

"Welcome to Seventh Ring," he said with a dangerous smile.