Vertigo: Hydra's Greatest Weapon

Chapter 2

-7 years earlier-

Callie:
Whack.

I tap my cheekbone gently with my fingertips and see blood. I chuckle.

"Big mistake," I snarl, earning cheers from the crowd of people surrounding me and the buff man in front of me.

I walk up to him and shove him as hard as I can in the shoulders, making him stumble back just a little. When he's gaining his balance, I swing a punch and hit him square in the nose. I don't let him recover before I grab him by the back of his neck, grip his hair, and throw him to the ground. He lands with a grunt and attempts to get up. The cheers from the crowd make my adrenaline rush. I kneel on one knee on his chest, leaning down to his face with a smirk.

"You lose."

I then swing my final punch, knocking him out completely. The crowd goes wild.

-

I spin in my swivel desk chair and count the money I made today. $3,000. Just for taking down a champion of that fight club. I smile, proud of myself. I have another fight tomorrow so I lock my cash in my small industrial safe under my bed in my shitty apartment. Minutes later, I'm passed out in bed.

-

The following day, I'm in a different underground fight club. Different opponents. I'm not worried though. I walk through the crowds of people to find the table to sign in at. I can barely hear my own thoughts over the booming bass of the blasting music. There's got to be at least a couple hundred people here, probably a little bigger than what I normally fight at.

"Name?" the woman at the table asks, clearly bored of being here.

"Atwood."

She looks up at me with an emotionless face.

"A lot of people betting against you tonight," she tries to intimidate me but it doesn't work.

"I guess that'll just mean more money for me, huh?" I smirk, walking away before she can say anything else.

I find a corner of the room and start my stretching and exercises. About 10 minutes later, the first fight is called to action. Between watching people beat each other up, I scroll through my phone for anything interesting. I get a text from a close friend of mine, Camden Bynes. Cam has always been my guy if I ever need anything at all. It's really thanks to him that I've made it this far in my fighting. He was who got me started a few years ago.

Camden Bynes: Heard about your fight tonight. Good luck. Meet me at our bar after?

Me: Yeah, for sure. See you after.

Camden Bynes: Don't die.

Me: I'm too stubborn for that.

I shove my phone in my bag when I hear the announcer call my name. I jog up to the ring and step in, ducking under the lowest ropes. My opponent is a similar size compared to the guy I fought last night. He's big though, his body is very muscly, veins popping out. Now, I may not be a bodybuilder, but I have muscle and a lot of it, and I'm extremely nimble. I crack my knuckles and prepare to fight this guy. I was told he's one of their best fighters. And seeing that the woman at the front table told me people are betting against me, I'm guessing everyone thinks I'm going to lose.

"...begin!" the announcer calls.

The buff dude throws the first punch but I duck, dodging his blow to my head, and swipe at his feet but only trip him. I stay low, kicking at his waist hard before finally standing up. He stumbles back. The crowd is split, half cheering for me, the other half booing me for beating up their champion. He comes back, pissed as hell, swinging one arm at my head but I easily grab it. As I hold onto his wrist, he comes swinging with the other. I lean back to avoid the punch, just barely missing it. Still holding onto his one arm, I throw an uppercut to his chin, and blood flies out of his mouth. Before he can recover, I twist the arm I'm holding, throwing him over my shoulder and slamming him to the ground. I kneel on his chest, getting in his face.