Utopia: An X-Men Story

Chapter 11

I tied the tape around my knuckles and wrists as I sat in the backroom of the arena preparing for the fight. The crowd cheered from behind a door where the ring awaited. I thought about what Katrina said.

“I’ll let you fight and if you lose, you cut off that Nathaniel boy, understood?” She had spoken the words with such venom it made my skin crawl.

A staff member walked into the room, a case in hand. “Arm out now.”

I obeyed and held my left arm out for him to grab. He sat beside me and opened the case. Inside, was a long needle and several small vials. He took out the needle and popped a couple vials into the barrel.

“Now, I am administering to you two non-lethal doses of Antifelin.” He took a small cleaning wipe to the crook of my arm and patted the area. “Some of its side effects include a tingling sensation throughout the body, pain in the chest and head, and lowered pain tolerance. Do you understand.”

“Yes, I understand. Now just still the stupid thing in me already.” I felt a heavy weight on my chest as he pinched my arm and stuck the needle into my veins. The drug burned. I shuddered. “Is there a reason for doubling the amount this time?”

“Yes.”

“Will you tell me?”
“No.”

We both sat in silence as he removed the needle. Blood began to pool up in the hole and slide down my arm and the skin did not stretch to cover the wound. It didn’t even scab over. The Staff member put the needle back in the case. He locked it and took out a small, moist wipe, and cleaned up the blood before wrapping it tight with a bandage.

“The dosage wasn’t enough last time.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah. Hey kid, I wish you the best of luck.” He smiled a bit. “A lot gets said back here and a lot doesn’t, but I know you can do great things.”

I nodded and mumbled a thanks as he gathered his things and left. The door slammed shut and I was left alone again with the ever lingering smell of blood and sweat and tears. I buried my face in my palms and ran my claws through my hair. I really should pin it up, I thought. I wouldn’t, but I really should have.

A guard knocked on the door. “The ring is ready.”

I stood and left the room.

The ring was a circle of stimulus: the cheering fans, the scents of pain and blood, the blindingly bright lights. I had to cover my eyes for a moment as they adjusted. The dirt underneath my feet crunched. It was stained dark and reeked. On the other side, a man walked out and he too reeked, but he was sour and stale.

My opponent was a brute of a man and a hulking mass of twisted bones jutting out of his skin. He could move them at will at the expense of his own pain and slowly, over the years, he maneuvered the old bones into a defensive armor.

The man’s eye darted around the arena; he had only one. I was the reason behind the scarred clump of tissue that sat where the other one should have been. I didn't mean to do it. It was purely an accident. He didn’t see it that way. His body seemed to twitch with anger and rage.

“I am going to rip you to pieces.”

He hacked up whatever he could from his throat and spit it in the dirt, flexing his fingers.

“I see you’ve copied me.” I rubbed my hands together and cracked the joints. He snarled, digging his own set of bone claws into the dirt.

“Why you little-”

“Ladies and Gentlemen!” Katrina’s voice broke out over the speakers, soft and twisted. “I have for you a very interesting fight.”

I hated how she said ‘interesting’. It made me shiver with fury.

“In our corner, we have the colossal wonder. The man of many a frightening nightmare. I present to you, Bestial.”

The crowd cheered as he took a step forward and shrugged off a wave. Whistles and whoops and hollers.

“And our challenger, a little cat in a big jungle. A feral among ferals and a pest among people: Miss Creed.”

I could hear her pursing her lips as I stepped forward and listened to the crowds screams of disdain and their angry hands banging on the fence and tables. I held my hands close and closed my eyes, focusing on the ring. The frustration and rage melted into the background and the world began to slow. I didn’t even hear the bell. When I looked up, I only saw Bestial, running towards me, hand thrown back and claws extended; I smirked and the fight had begun.

His fist came flying towards my face, but never made contact. Not at first, but the angrier he got, the more I felt like a punching bag. He drew his claws across my arm and into my wrist. I twisted and heard the snap. Pain seared up my arm and I can only assume I howled. He smirked and threw my wrist back as far as he could.

“I just love the sound of breaking bones,” He laughed darkly, slamming me into the ground. Bones cracked and my senses heightened. I swept my leg under his and he stumbled back. He deserved to be beaten to a pulp again, I thought. I could do it with only one hand, despite the pain, I thought. Just one good attack.

His blood dripped into the dirt and bits and pieces of his armor were scattered around the ring. The screams of the crowd filled my barely conscious mind; I was seeing red and the world began to spin around me. Focus, I thought, focus and land the last blow. I took a step forward and growled. He turned around, a long, sharp, carved bone in hand.

Suddenly, before I could even process what had happened, I had lost, body thrown against the ground, bones cracked and skin bruised. There was a bone thrust in my chest and breathing became a labor almost too hard to handle. Blood dripped past my eyes and into my mouth; I wanted to cough, but the pain was too immense and my vision began to blur. I could feel the gravel and dirt pressing against my face and the blood.

I blinked and saw Katrina Ward.

I blinked and she stood beside me.

I blinked and saw her smiling face.

"You'll thank me later."

I blinked and didn't wake up.