Fisty Cuffs!

The stench was horrifying. Leo had been to some low places in his travels but this was by far the worst. The deeper in underground tunnels he went the more his anxiety grew.
 

Leo looked over at his right. Dr.White was walking alongside him. The Doctor was clearly not in his element. He kept nervously looking around, as if planning which way he would take to run if things were to turned for the worst. He glanced at Leo. Captain Leo gave him a reassuring nod. Though Leo felt like he was bluffing. Leo did have a plan after all, he just wasn't sure if it was a good one.
 

To Leo’s right was Flint, the young reporter for the Clicking Clock. He looked fascinated by the area, but also Leo could see some unease in his eyes. His fingers stroking the notebook in its case on his hip, attached to his belt.

Leo could see the entrance to the door they were looking for. And inside that door would be Garriott Dragovich, wanted criminal with a 100 ciam bounty if captured alive. Leo had looked over his record on their trip over. The man did a lot of gangster work, usually as big muscle for criminal operations. According to his profile he was quite literally big muscle, the man was boarding 11 feet tall and looked as though he not only ate steak daily, but whole chanka too.

Once, after a job gone wrong, Garriott killed six men then fled. His disappearance required bounty hunters to go after him, good ones at that. Leo was eager to take the job. If he could take this guy down then his rep would go up big time! Leo just had to hope his plan would go well.
 

Leo stood in front of the door. He reached out his hand and twisted the knob. When he opened the door bright light blinded his eyes. After adjusting to the light he saw where it had came from. light bulbs shining brightly beamed down at a ring in the middle of a big room. Leo looked over to Dr.White.
 

“It’s a fight club. Looks like we found where our gent has been hiding.” said Leo.

As Dr.White looked over at the ring, he took note of the many events going on. There was currently a fight with two large men duking it out with their bare fists. One of the men was marvelously larger, he had mutton chops, a shaved head, and a large jaw. He was not clean shaven, he had patches of hair all over him. The man look unrespectable. His white shirt that was open, exposing a hairy chest and his suspenders were clinging tightly to his shoulders. After a few minutes the man swung his right hand and smashed it right on the bridge of the other man’s nose. The man with the now broken nose had a dazed look, The larger man took the opportunity and slowly swung his fist in a uppercut motion at the mans jaw. The impact so strong, it let out a room shaking quake. The impact lifted the man off the ground and in the air. Dr.White’s gut hurt. He was thankful that Calcium Navis had plenty of guns and fire power, just for these situations. All Caption Leo had to do was point his gun at Garriott and tell him to surrender. Than they could leave.

In typical Leo fashion his dreams were shattered. Leo had tossed his vest at Dr.White and was unbuttoning his shirt.

“What exactly are you doing?” Flint asked.

“Something irrational i’m sure.” responded Dr.White.
 

“Hardly!” Said Captain Leo. “I’m just going to make a bet with him. If I am to win he has to go with us peacefully, If i loose he can have the ship.”
 

“ And what will this wager be on?” Said Dr.White
 

“A fist fight of course!” Leo said.
 

“You must be joking!”
 

“Have faith in me White.” Leo said as he took off his shirt and tossed it at Dr.White’s face. Leo was thin, and certainly not a muscle mass of a boxer. His fighting skills were good but he in no way could overpower Garrott, he would surely lose. Leo took a step into the center ring where the fighter’s duke it out. As Leo approached he could see Garrott better. His face was thick with bruises. His left cheekbone had a cut that was bleeding down to his jaw into his mutton chops. The man must of only been in his late 30’s but his black hair had streaks of dark gray. He wore ragged pants and a muscle shirt that were both drenched in sweat. On his head rested his newsboy cap, Garrots priced possession. Rumor was that he never had taken it off since he was a small child.
 

Leo was right in front of him now, only three feet separating them. Garot was at least 10 feet tall. The man looked like a troll, mostly because of his size. He leaned down over Leo and glared, the creases of his eyebrows covering half of his eyes in a scowl.
 

“So little man...” He boomed with a deep voice. “ you want to play with the big boys? I would hate to mess up that face of yours, but then again it is the face of a pretentious nobel I assume?”
 

“You assume wrong.” Leo said, as he bent his knees and moved his hands into his fighting stance. “My good looks have nothing to do with my class.”
 

“Oh? Then what are you?”
 

“Your Hunter.” He said with a wink. “You’ve got quite the bounty Mr. Dragovich and quite the reputation.” Garrott moved to the right, Leo took steps to the left to follow up with a quick sparring movement. “And the man that take’s you down would get quite the reputation for himself.”
 

Garrott chuckled, then reached out and grasped Leo’s shoulder and side, lifting him right off of the ground and tossing him into the air. he drifted in the air a moment and then as he fell Garrott cocked his fist and hit Leo on his way down, launching him to the other end of the ring.

Leo crashed into the ring with a thud. He felt as though he broke a rib. Leo crawled more toward the edge hoping that his friends would be there.

Dr.White rushed over to the edge with Flint, he noted that he was not scribbling in his notebook for once, his eyes were instead locked onto the events happening in front of him. Flint forgot that he, even being a hardened journalist, was new to all this fighting and adventure. He hadn't seen action like this before, normally he reported about events that had already happened, never witnessing it first hand. Dr.White suspected that's why he wanted to come along, he wanted to be there, in front of the drama and action in person! That's why he wanted to come along with Calcium Navis.

Dr.White remembered back to where they first met Flint. Leo and White were walking down Argenstrath where they were picking up a box of expensive medical equipment that white needed. Suddenly 4 thieves ran by them taking food and other goods from the market. Leo being the rash man that he was, and still is, threw the box of medical equipment at them. Then tied them all together with surgical tubing... Flint happened to be in the the market at the time. He took a photo and wrote the story for the Ticking Clock paper. It was an impressive article, it even made the front page of the paper that day.

A day later as the crew was about to leave, Flint ran forth asking to come with them, he wanted to report on the stories and adventures Caption Leo went on along with his crew.

That was only two weeks ago, the crew had eventually taking a liking to him. A lot like White he seemed desperate to get out and go adventuring. One of the very few things they had in common. Flint did not share the same enjoyment of dissecting things as Dr.White. He seemed happy enough though. Captain Leo seemed decently happy with his presents aboard the ship. He knew that Flint could get the Calcium Navis publicity fast. Which would lead to more jobs and fame.

Back to the fight at hand, Leo could not believe Dr.White. White stood there staring at him and Flint for what seemed like a minute with a blank expression, as if thinking deeply about something.

“Hey William!” Yelled Leo! Dr.White blinked. He became aware of the situation, noticing the bleeding around the right side of Leo’s ribs.

“Your bleeding Leo.” Said Dr.White with a concerned tone.
 

“Thank you, I’m aware.”

“Let me get my tonics..” He said as he rifled through his doctor bag.

“No, we can’t do that. Right now I have a honorable one on one fight with this poppycock mass of brawn here,” Pointing to Garrott. “ I got to finish this, with no help!” Leo got up, holding his side with one hand over his wound. “ Wish me luck!” Leo raced off back into the fight.

Flint could never comprehend the Captain. He would be serious one moment, then off his rocker the next. Maybe that’s what gives him an edge, he thought. He can always change how he does his job. If logic does not work, then Captain Leo would think up the most unrealistic plan possible.

The crowd around the ring was cheering. Cheering for Garrott to rip apart Leo.

Flint always wanted to see the more adventurous side of the story, to be in all these places that his paper wrote about. Sadly this location made him feel sick. It was a vile nasty place, and watching as the people cheer for her Captains death was far too much. The sad thing for Leo was that he was getting the hell kicked out of him. Leo was no match for this guys brawn. Leo was fast but his punches and swings meant nothing to that mans mass of muscles.

Leo must of gotten the idea as well, because he started to only evad his swings. Every puch Garrott threw Leo just ducked, dived or dashed away from. Garrott got angrier. He raised his arms as far back as he could, then brought them down with enough force to smash a hole in the floor where Leo was standing a mear second ago. Flint noticed something in that moment. About his arms...

“Dr.White! His arms!” Flint pointed to Garrett's back. Dr.White looked over at him with a confused look for a moment not understanding, but a moment later his eyes grew wide with relaxation.

“LEO!” Dr.White cried; waving his arms! “His arms! His back!”

Leo looked back at his friend with a serious look, he was thinking hard on that the Doctor meant. Leo looked up just in time to see that Garrott was bringing down his arms ready to pound Leo into the ground. At the last minute Leo dived in between Garrott's legs and stood behind him. Leo stood behind Garrot and looked at his back. He understood what the Doctor was talking about. Leo ran and jumped on Garrott's back.

“What are you doing you sack of oil crap!” Garrott yelled as Leo climbed up his back. He settled right between his two shoulders and the spine leading to the back of his head. Garrott reached his hands over to remove him but he couldn't. Garrett's arm muscles were so big that he could not reach his own back! Leo had him right where he wanted him now, Leo raised his right hand and swung it down on Garrott temple! Then he raised his left hand and and did the same! Leo was repetitively hitting the sides Garrett's head over and over.

Garrott kept trying to reach back and grab Leo. “why can’t I grab youuu!”

“I'm too much of a “little man” Garrott and you're too big to grab me!” And with that, Leo raised his elbow and brought it down on Garrett's thick head; knocking him out. Garrott fell to the floor. Leo rolled off of him.

“You did it LEO!” Yelled Flint! While snapping a photo with his camera.

“Good job Leo, lets grab him and go!” said Dr.White.

Their voices echoed through the room. All the criminals were silent. In awe from Garrotts defeat. The room was as quiet as a graveyard for a moment until a criminal stood up.

“You think, you're just going to march out of here? With our champion here? You got another thing com'in kid.” The man stood up and pointed a flintlock at Leo. Leo was quick to draw his own gun out from inside his boot.

All the other criminals took out their guns if they had them, others held knives, metal object’s and other lethal tools that were made to kill Leo to death.

He glanced over at Dr.White, they locked eyes and White knew what he wanted. Dr.White took a test tube from his pocket. The vial was filled with a new concoction he made weeks ago. It glowed pink and you could see what looked like pink fog trapped in the tube.

Dr.White took this test tube and tossed it right up into the air towards the criminals. Leo aimed his gun at the tube and fired. A direct hit, the tube exploded with a big pink cloud filling the room.

No one could think or see, gunfire went flying in random directions. Leo grabbed Flint's hand and tugged the end of Dr.White's coat leading them to the exit, all the while shot’s were still be firing off. Leo suddenly stopped dead in his track’s on the way out of the underground.

“Garrott! I forgot to grab Garrott!” Leo yelled!

“We will have to leave him, we got to get out now!” Yelled White.

“No we can’t do that! We have a job to finish!” Leo put on his goggles and dashed back into the room.

Everything was still covered in dense pink fog. Leo ran over to what he hoped was the ring. Shots were still being fired all around, people yelling and coughing.

Leo tripped on something and stumbled. It was Garrott.

Leo leaned down and grabbed Garrett's arm and tried to drag him out. No success, the man weighed as much as three seat endogens! There was no way Garrott was moving. Leo could not take him back for the bounty... alive.

“Ah shit mate, I’m sorry. Looks like this is where you’re story ends.” Leo said.

He got on his knee and shot Garrott in the head. Leo breathed in the moment.

He despised taking lives if unnecessary, but this was a situation he could not help. That brought him no comfort though.

Leo the bounty hunter took Garrett's news boy cap as proof of the deed.

“Sorry.” Leo said again before running back into the pink fog and running for the exit and for his friends.

Not all stories have happy endings. Leo is happy to be a bounty hunter for the excitement of the adventure and the good deed of removing criminals and murderers from society. He reminded himself Garrett was just another criminal. One of the great many Leo would bring down with the help of his crew.