A Web of Lies, A Rainbow Six Story

Part 5: First Impressions

Alibi's POV

I stand watching in anticipation with Maestro, eager to see how the fight will turn out. Adriano seems to take a special interest in this match as well, likely due to Smoke being one of the fighters. Six had the two of them step into the ring once, and he danced circles around Adriano, making it look effortless. From what I've seen, only a few of the operators here are able to beat Smoke, and even then, it's usually still a fairly close fight. I turn away from the contenders as a familiar green-haired woman leans against the wall next to me:

Alibi: "Hey Ela."

Ela: "Cześć Aria. Isn't that the new guy?"

I nod:

Alibi: "Yes, it is."

Ela smirks and shakes her head:

Ela: "Not even here for a day, and already too big for his boots. Smoke is going to wipe the floor with this guy, easy."

I stay silent, studying the two fighters as they size each other up before the bell rings. Ela keeps talking, but the words die on her tongue as Marco pulls his shirt and hoodie off and tosses them aside, revealing his hardened muscles, as well as some things I hadn't noticed before. Running along the right side of Marco's back is a tattoo of a wolf, half white, half black. The white half of the wolf has its tongue hanging out, looking like its smiling, its ear standing up, an energetic sparkle in its blue eye. The black wolf has its teeth bared in a growl, its ear flat against its skull, its red eye glowing with murderous intent. But what truly catches my attention is the network of scars running across his tanned skin, some that look very old, others that look rather fresh. A blush heats my cheeks as I stare at his lean, powerful body. Ela stares with wide eyes, her mouth hanging open:

Ela: "You know what? He may be an idiot for going toe to toe with Smoke, but at least he's one good looking idiot."

I nod, my eyes fixated to Marco's body as much as Ela's are. Mark stands next to the ring, and smacks the bell:

Mute: "FIGHT!"

Smoke strikes like a bear, but Marco strikes like a cobra.

Marco's POV

The bell rings, and Smoke strides towards me confidently, bouncing on the balls of his feet. Not wasting time, he throws a right hook at me, and I lean back, dodging it swiftly. Smoke continues his advance, throwing fast jabs and heavy haymakers to keep me on the defensive. I weave around his blows with ease, bouncing lightly around the ring, just waiting for my opening. Smoke starts to get frustrated with his inability to land any hits on me, and he throws a feint to my right, before immediately switching to a left jab. Moving with the speed of a viper, I dance under his arm and throw a hard jab to his jaw. The crowd around us starts laughing, cheering me on, and yelling jeers to Smoke. A quick glance at them shows me that many more have started to trickle in, excited to see the fight. Smoke staggers back, his eyes narrowing. He bounces back towards me, pounding punches down on me. I dodge around most of his blows, blocking the ones that move too fast to avoid. I bide my time patiently, waiting for the SAS boxer to slip up again. Sure enough, he throws a vicious jab to my face, and I duck under it. He throws a little too much weight behind his fist though, and he stumbles forward from his own momentum. As he struggles to regain his balance, I dart underneath his guard and deliver to hard hooks to his ribs, before throwing a hard right jab to his face, snapping his head backwards. The assembled operators cheer rowdily. I advance with noticeably more swagger in my step, knowing that I have him off balance, and rain punches on him with the force of bombs, preventing him from regaining the offensive style he so favors. Right. Left. Left. Feint. Right. My body reacts instinctively, and I throw punches faster than the eye can follow. Then, Smoke slips up, losing his footing, and leaving a hole in his guard. I throw a brutal uppercut into the underside of his jaw, the impact sounding like thunder. Smoke falls backwards, landing heavily on the floor of the ring, unconscious. The crowd around us falls silent for a moment as Mark climbs into the ring, and checks Smoke's eyes, before standing with a grin that stretches from ear to ear. My old friend walks over to me, and holds up my arm in the air: