“Buddy,” Lee said. “We know you’re stupid already just from talking to you for two minutes. In fact, you’re so stupid the Intel boys have probably decided to ignore you all this time, for fear of reintegrating someone as stupid as you back into society.”
Alvarez shook his head. Lee had to do it. He just had to open his big undiplomatic mouth. Gunther simply stared open mouthed while Alvarez drew in a sharp breath and let it out slowly, jamming a thumb towards the big merchant.
“You know he’s huge right. A rare specimen this one,” he said, pulling Lee’s shoulder and twisting him away from the giant, hoping the big man couldn’t hear them.
Lee shrugged. “Yeah, dumb as he is huge. So what,” he said, looking back over their potential opponent. “We can take him. He’ll tire quick.”
“Lee . . . he’ll tire after two punches, one for each of us and it’s over.”
“Then we’ll just have to fight dirty. I’ll distract him and you kick him in the gonads,” Lee said.
“The what?”
“His nuts, Vee.”
“Nuts?”
“His man parts for crying out loud,” Lee said, in exasperation.
Alvarez sighed. “You really should speak English at a time like this you know.”
They both turned as the hulking Gunther spoke. “Oh I’m gonna break you boys a new back.” He slammed a closed right fist into his left palm, making a cracking sound so loud Alvarez thought had to be impossible.
Alvarez cringed. He’s going to kill us.
“Lee,” Alvarez said. “You and I are going to have words if we survive!”
Lee didn’t respond and in one clean motion, he vaulted over the counter with precision swiftness, slamming the full force of his body weight behind his booted feet into the burly man’s chest. His target staggered backwards leaving room for Lee to step forward, and Alvarez to hop the counter.
Just as Alvarez hopped the counter, Gunther lunged on the attack. With a huge sweeping right fist, he targeted Lee, maybe earlier predictions were wrong, and he was going to knock them both out with one punch. Lee ducked in time, and the haymaker now loomed toward Alvarez, who raised both arms in front to deflect the blow. Although he deflected most of the force, it knocked him over into some crates, sending the stack and him crashing across the deck. The blow possibly dented his forearm bones—if such a thing was even possible.
Alvarez realized the momentum from Gunther’s wild swing left him open to a quick strike from Lee. Lee aimed straight for the big man’s nose and there was a satisfying bone-crunching sound on impact. The big man grunted, but stood firm. He grabbed Lee’s collar with both hands, and hurled him across the room into a now recovering Alvarez, knocking him down again.
Alvarez struggled to breathe while looking at Lee. “I don’t think we got the gonads yet.”
Lee opened his mouth, no doubt about to say something witty, when Gunther bellowed at them while wiping blood from his nose.
“Come on then, let’s have it!”
If before, Gunther had appeared to be an unusually large man to both men, he now looked like he had swelled several times over, as if the angrier he got, the bigger he became.
“The man’s a hulk, this is hilarious!” Lee said.
Alvarez wasn’t amused. Time wasn’t on their side. They needed to be off this station soon. Both men got to their feet and spread out. Lee to the left, Alvarez to the right.
“You’re in for it now you oversized panda,” Lee said, bouncing from side to side and shuffling his feet, “they call us the hot-steppers across several sectors!”
Alvarez sighed, wanting to laugh. Lee never knew when to shut up.
Lee surged in first, landing a left hook, which only served to enrage the grizzly bear. As he was about to land a right cross, the bear’s left fist loomed large toward Lee’s face. Alvarez stepped in and grabbed Gunther’s arm on the inside of his, pulling back the big man’s left arm and holding on for dear life. Similar to ridding oneself of a pest, the big man shook his left arm and brought his right arm over to punch Alvarez. Lee grabbed that arm and brought his knee up into the big man’s groin. Once. Twice. Three times. As Gunther bent to protect his sensitive area, Lee drove the knee straight into the big man’s nose and there was another bone crunching sound. But this wild bear was only just getting started.
The big oak held his head straight and smiled a bloody smile. Blood oozed from his nose onto his mouth and soaked his beard. With a ferocious intensity, he slammed his head into Lee’s forehead causing the latter to stagger and fall. With his right arm now free of Lee, the giant pummeled Alvarez in the gut, and Alvarez couldn’t hold on as the wild beast hammered away at him.
Alvarez’s head throbbed as if someone struck him with an old hard-covered book. He tried to peep through the relentless mayhem inflicted on him. He couldn’t see if Lee was conscious. He summed up some indignant rage and with his hard steel boots kicked the back of the burley man’s legs behind the knees causing Gunther to hit the deck on one knee. With a yowl, his target pulled him down to the deck as he was still holding on to the big man’s left arm inside the elbow.
There was a shuffling behind. Gunther yelped and the giant’s grip loosened. The oversized opponent was down on one knee over him. Alvarez caught a glimpse of Lee as he vaulted towards the thick mass of a man, kicked him square in the face knocking him back, and fell on top of him. Lee propped his upper body up on the deck with his left hand and sent another shocking right fist into what was left of Gunther’s nose. But the unstoppable brute shoved Lee away and grabbed onto Alvarez in an attempt to regain his feet.
Alvarez saw what the brute was trying to do and kicked him to the side of his face sending the big man tumbling left. At last, the wild bear seemed low on honey. Pressing his brief advantage, Alvarez attempted another kick to the face but the inflated monstrosity grabbed his boot, pulled him down to the deck, and elbowed him to the side of his face repeatedly.
Lee regained his feet from the opposing flank and launched a steel tipped boot straight up between the bear’s legs while the big bear continued to pound Alvarez with elbows.
“I got him in the gonads!” Lee shouted, with a crazy maniacal grin on his face.
“Well they must be made of steel!” Alvarez shouted back from under the relentless hail of elbows raining down on him.
When Lee attempted another kick, the large man caught Lee’s leg between his own legs, twisted and brought Lee down. He pushed off of Lee and over on top Alvarez and aimed a kill punch straight at his face. Lee kicked Gunther with both feet and knocked him off Alvarez onto the deck and leaped on him.
Seizing the opportunity, Alvarez rolled onto the big bear as well, pinning the giant man’s left arm to the deck while Lee pinned the other. Lee then held the big man’s muff of beard and slammed the back of Gunther’s head against the deck. Once. Twice. Gunther’s body went limp and Lee rolled off.
They both lay flat on their backs struggling for every breath. “Next time,” Alvarez said. “I’m just going to knock you out instead and apologize for your behavior. I think that’ll be easier.”
They both laughed but it sounded more like a death rattle. Alvarez rose first and offered an arm to Lee, who took it. They headed into the back room. Arrayed across the large warehouse-styled compartment were several shelves in near endless rows. Probably containing everything from illegal narcotics to pulse weapons.
“Which one is it?” Alvarez asked.
“That’s it,” Lee said, pointing to a long rectangular-shaped black box. He motioned for Alvarez to bring an anti-grav plank. The two of them then loaded the crate on the plank and exited the compartment and the front reception area.
They made their way back across the large open space. Noticeable bruises splayed across each man’s face. Alvarez’s upper lip was split and blood formed in the corners of his mouth. Below Lee’s left eye was swollen where the merchant bashed him with his head. Lee walked with a slight limp as they both passed ongoing deals, slave auctions, and perhaps heists in planning. They stopped at the processing desk.