As they drop down into the large compartment that is the main engine room, Alex looks around in awe at the size of machinery and piping driving the ship forward through the ocean waves. The hiss of steam and thudding boom of the massive pistons being driven can be felt in his chest as if they were physical blows driving the air out of him. The roar of a crowd has him looking around for its source as he joins Seth at the bottom of the ladder. His friend smiles at him and waves for him to follow him on a walkway around the side of the three-story-tall engine. As he follows the orange glow of lanterns can be seen ahead with shadows attacking one another projected on the wall of the ship’s hull. When they step off of the walkway, they are greeted with a ring of people watching two men stripped to the waste beat at each other. The crowd roars again as the larger of the two men pounds his opponent to the deck with a hammer blow of his bloody fist.
The spectators have gathered to drink, smoke and be distracted from the constant monotony and duty of ship life. There is a sense of anticipation as the lust for violence builds. A dense fog of smoke hovers in the air and two fighters face off circling each other again.
“Place your bets, gentlemen.” A man yells and walks around as coins are exchanged.
“A good bout of fisticuffs will set you right,” Seth declares pounding Alex on the back.
Alex grins watching the fight in front of him feeling a familiar excitement. The need for retribution burns in his soul and rage flashes through his body. Muted light gives off a yellow glow from the lanterns swinging overhead. Boxing is a favorite past time in London, and it helped him burn off the excess energy during college. He needs a hard match, so he waits until he sees an opponent worthy of the effort.
The spectators are excited, pumped up on drink, smoke, and violence. They circle the two fighters, forming a boxing ring of flesh and bones. “No rules, boys. This ain’t no gentlemen’s club. We don’t stand on moral code.”
“By God, Seth you’re a genius!” Alex laughs over the roar of excitement. This is not the London Prize Ring where you are not allowed to punch beneath the waist. The fight would last until one of the men was knocked out, and the current fight is over quickly. Alex begins to strip to the waist.
“I’m in!” Alex yells to the referee while Seth wraps his hands and wrists with strips of cloth someone throws to him. A loud roar of approval sounds out, as his opponent steps through the wall of people. Where Alex is lean, with dark hair and long sideburns, his opponent is heavier, shorter, and more muscular. This will be a tough bout, but he doesn’t expect an easy match, nor does he want one. When the crowd closes around him, Alex bounces light on his feet waiting, watching and sizing up his prey.
The man throws an opening punch which he dodges easily. Alex gives a swift jab at his head to shock, not knock him out. ‘He won’t get away that easily’ he thinks with a grin. His opponent whips out his club size fist grazing Alex’s forehead in its passage. It was a quick sidestep that spared him, he bobs and weaves, quicker on his feet with faster reflexes. He allows the fireplug of a man to land a few blows to his torso, ignoring the screams of the crowd.
‘Time to shake him up,' Alex grins and spins delivering a roundhouse kick to his chest, sending him crashing back into the spectators. They go wild and shove his opponent back into the makeshift ring. Now pissed, the raging bull Alex has been waiting for emerges. He leaps straight at him, going low, wrapping his arms around Alex and body slams him into the greasy deck with a thud.
A shift ripples through the crowd as the bout changes, becoming more savage. Alex and his opponent ignore the whistle and pummel each other. Seth winces worried for a moment that things are getting out of hand. “Take him out, Alex. Stop playing around,” he shouts. The fight draws on as both men climb up from the floor, bloodied and bruised.
“Is that all you’ve got?” His opponent jeers spitting blood on the floor.
“No, mate, but I’m not certain you can handle all I possess,” Alex replies and the crowd howls with laughter. A crimson flush of rage blots his cheeks, and he goes straight at Alex with a bellow. A hard, straight kick from Alex to his face has the enraged man flying back onto the steel deck, unconscious. The crowd erupts, and the ref blows the whistle declaring Alex, the winner.
Alex wipes the sweat and blood from his face with the back of his arm as Seth joins him with a beer. “Feel better?” He asks counting his share of the cash.
“A lot better. How much did you make?” Alex watches as they drag his opponent to a corner and two more fighters step up.
“Enough, I should have bet ten to one odds, next time I will,” he snorts with a laugh. They turn to watch the next bout. Alex thinks about the monster who killed his family and prays he will get a chance to show him what he’s made of.
“We need a plan,” Seth announces over breakfast the next morning on the upper sun deck of the ship.
“Oh, I have a plan. Once I know my sister is safe, I’m going to hunt that bastard to the ground and wipe him from existence.”
“Brilliant,” Seth agrees without missing a beat. “But how? Who is he? Where is he from, what are we up against?”
“It
