Reflection, p.18
Reflection, page 18
part #2 of The Infected - Mirror Man Series
He did get another request, for a hot dog, which meant getting with a different floor worker. He couldn’t tell who that one was either but they worked it out and made four more sales at the same time it was being arranged.
After that Lannie had them all pull in for the second fight.
That one was a lot rougher. Both fighters, a man and a woman, were pretty tough. They also kept fighting when the round ended. That meant Nancy went in after about thirty seconds and tossed each of them to their corners, standing in the middle of the ring. In a black bikini. That got the room to go silent. Rather, the literally tossing of fighters like they weighed nothing did it.
Ronaldo laughed. It sounded a bit deranged, to be honest. At least to Gary.
“Don’t mess with our ring personnel. Fighters, hold your positions. We’re opening betting for round two now. Five minutes. Nancy, hold there, please?” It was a question, without being one at all. Really, the man in the betting booth sounded like the whole thing was just part of how things were normally done there.
Those fighters still went at it hard, until the third round, where one of them won using a move that seemed a bit like an illusion. It was only done the one time, making it hard to tell what had happened. He’d blurred, making a large fuzzy patch in the air, in front of the woman making it seem like he was about three feet to the left of where he actually was. At the same time, he shuffled to the right of the blur in space and hit her in the side of the head while she was confused.
Given that it wasn’t that brilliant of a power, it still worked, even if it probably wouldn’t have on anyone that had seen it more than once. It just took too long to set up. Nearly five seconds. Even Gary would have seen it and just stood back, working out what was going on.
It ended the fight though. They had to set up a cheer for the winner, with people seeming happy enough, except the ones that had lost money on the fight. They were a bit grumpy, which seemed to be just what was going to happen with every match. No matter who won or lost. Someone was always going to bet the wrong way.
After hitting the floor, a man in a suit waved to him.
“Boy! Could I get another scotch?”
That meant waving Price down again.
“Sure thing, sir. Do you want some food with that? Soak up a bit of it? Maybe something for your friends? Water or a soft drink?” They were obviously guards of some sort. Good enough ones that one of the men shook his head, instantly.
“Sorry, not on the job.” There was a nod with it, to Gary, which was interesting. Again, probably because he was in a suit.
The man that kept referring to him as Boy, got a burger though, which was an extra sale. He and his people weren’t gambling. Just sitting in the stands near the back, watching the fights. They seemed to enjoy that at least. There was cheering and even standing a few times by the man in the suit.
He was a bit chubby and had a large nose. Past that, he could have been anyone. Still, he didn’t move places, so by the third fight, seeing the man’s drink was finished, he just walked over.
That got a smile.
“Just the man I need. Maybe a water this time? I don’t want to get dehydrated. I have work in the morning. Say, do you know anything about that woman? The one with the numbers? Um… Nancy?”
Gary nodded.
“Nice girl. She’s a fighter, working the ring this week though, between bouts.” He didn't really have a lot more to add. Not with a stranger.
“Really? That explains the thing in the middle of the second fight then. Ronaldo is doing good work then. Thanks. Sorry, I didn’t get your name?”
“Gary. I have that water for you, right here.” Which was what he was carrying on the bottom tray. The guards didn't have anything at all, which was interesting.
Before he could make change, the man in the suit waved at him a bit.
“Nice meeting you, Gary. I like your suit.”
“Yours is pretty sweet, too.”
That got a chuckle, which meant he could get back to work. The concessions sales had dropped off a little bit, as the evening wore on. Instead of trying to sell one last beer, Gary got Lannie to load all of the trays with bottles of water from the massive refrigerator. Then everyone stood by the doors on the way out.
“Water! Make sure to hydrate so you won’t be hung over in the morning! Get your water!”
They were all saying the same thing, which kind of worked. The water might not have been a very high-end product, as far as markup, of course. He was willing to bet that normally they didn't have any sales at all as people left. He wasn’t certain but he thought that his suit guy got another bottle on the way past.
Then they just had to put everything away, as well as help clean the place up. No one wanted to do it. Even if they had another set of fights the next day.
Gary waved at everyone.
“Sooner done, right? Let’s get on the sweeping and picking up. Who’s taking down the concessions with Lannie? Silver, you were on that. You good with hanging here for that?”
The woman didn't seem thrilled since she flipped him off.
Then made a funny sound. Like a laugh, even if she wasn’t smiling.
“Sure, Gar. Stick me with all the greasy work.”
That got him to nod.
“Good plan. Thanks for suggesting it.” Then he hurried off to help clean up. He was the new guy, after all. It was one thing to be old and a pain in the ass. It was another to not do his share of the work. People that would stand right next to you in knee deep muck with a grin on their face would stab the jerk that was sitting in comfort while they had to pick up partially eaten food, betting slips and spilled drinks.
Interestingly after about half an hour, Ronaldo and Sally came out and signaled to Lannie. They made a little group, huddling together. Whispering. It got a little animated after a bit, with some hand waving added to it. Then their suit turned and waved them all in.
Sally was beaming and spoke first.
“That was good. Better than just that. We had a pretty average Thursday night crowd but the betting was up by fifty percent. Lannie, you had something on the concessions?”
The woman did, standing there with tears in her eyes and a smile on her face.
“This was the top sales night we’ve ever had. It was nearly two hundred percent higher than the next best day. Ever.”
A woman, who had been out on the floor, even if he didn't have a name for her moved a bit. She had rainbow colored eyes, in that they constantly shifted colors. They were huge, too, which would give him something to key off of, if he ever learned her name.
“It was Gary. He really kept us moving the whole time. I even made tips, which is a first here. We should divvy those up with the people that actually made the food and got the drinks out.”
The words got a little groan. It was mainly playful and came from several people.
Ronaldo just whooped. It didn’t really fit his persona very well, even if it sounded pretty happy.
“Great job. Everyone. Gary, Nancy… Sally and Lannie, can I get a word? Then… Sal you have a meet with Peg and her people about that fight tomorrow? Also Kenton and Briggs. We need to get everyone fighting aside for a talk first. The rest of you get out of here and go have a life or get laid. If you can’t… Well, you always have my number…”
It had been professional enough right until the last line. Some of the people laughed at the man over it.
Nancy moved in to stand by Gary, with Sally moving past them, reaching down to pat Gary on the shoulder as she led them all to the back room. The one with the outdated safe. It took a few minutes of walking. They all moved at his pace, since he was the slowest one there.
At least on two legs.
They were taken into the back office. As soon as they all sat down, Sally took over. It made things kind of clear that she was the one really in charge. A thing that Gary wasn’t certain Ronaldo really understood.
“Nancy… That was a good save, in the second fight. We should have a referee all the time. It’s hard to get people willing to go in the cage with Infected people though. We mainly only need that to stop things when the rounds end, so… you could stand outside for that? Can you get inside the ring fast enough if something happens, do you think?”
She nodded, her face seeming pleasant.
“Sure. It isn’t that high. I can just hop over it. So, I do that and parade around half undressed?” She didn't seem nearly as upset about that part as Gary would have thought. Really, she seemed to like the attention.
Ronaldo nodded, which got Sally to follow along, after rolling her eyes. At least the right-hand side head did. The left one just stared at Nancy.
That got Gary to wave his upper right hand.
“A thousand a night when she’s doing double duty like that. Also something a bit more substantial clothing wise while she’s not doing her ring girl duties. We don’t want her having her little top torn off when she’s breaking up a fight.”
There was an agreeing nod from Sally’s right head and wide eyes from Ronaldo. The man glanced at Nancy, who was still in her tiny, no doubt borrowed, outfit.
“We don’t want that?”
Lannie looked away, clearly a bit annoyed by the words. That meant Gary got to explain the idea.
“Sure. First of all, she gets more for working nude. Just like the rest of us. Second, if something serious is going on in the cage, we need it to seem that way. A suddenly naked bombshell being in the mix will cause people to think it isn’t real. That will lower what they bet.”
Those words got everyone to nod at least.
Sally reached over from where she was sitting and slapped Gary on the left shoulder. It was covered with a suit jacket, at the moment.
“A real point. We can do something. Maybe a trench coat or… no, that’s too cheesy. Some kind of coat though, that can be taken off and put on quickly, as her job changes. If that works for you?” That was addressed to Nancy first, then Gary.
Since he was her manager.
They both nodded. Ronaldo let his head move side to side then, thinking about things.
“Okay, then. Let’s set that up for tomorrow, with the refereeing? Now, Lannie… You wanted Gary to work with you on concessions?” His voice dropped a bit, as if he were trying to sneak that part of things in.
It wasn’t a glamourous job, which could have been the point.
His new redheaded compatriot nodded.
“Yes. That whole thing tonight was him. Even the people chanting for the winners was. We even sold more mixed drinks. Do you think Price will be willing to do that on nights he’s not fighting? He actually got all the orders right. There were no complaints at all, which is rare. I know it isn’t exactly what you all came for…”
Nancy shrugged, her left hand floating out to take his lower right hand.
“We’re used to making things work and doing what we have to in order to survive. Gary… Do you think you can do that, with Lannie? Help get the sales up even more?”
There was a smirk that went with it. One echoed by the others. Except Lannie. She just looked at him. Closely. Like she was trying to read his mind.
That got him to think about things for a moment.
“We can probably double what we did, on the weekends. Everyone was sloppy tonight, on our sales staff. Me included. We also need more people making food, if it’s going to sell faster. Part of that was my fault. I didn’t know how the timing would work or what people were going to want. I have a small clue now, which means I can do better. The crowd will be larger… That means we need more time for the betting windows to be open. That or to add more people for that. I don’t know how to do that part for you but it was clear that we could generate more enthusiasm for the fighters, if we have everyone working together. That will push things.”
It didn’t take a thief to know that one. It was how public events worked. It was why old televisions shows would hire a guy to sit in the audience and laugh, so that everyone else would know what to do. In the sixties, rock bands, or their managers at least, would hire girls to go and pretend to faint when they walked off the plane. Making them seem far more impressive than they really were.
He spoke then. Thinking out loud, more than anything else.
“We should get Price and whoever else is going to be on fancy drinks some nicer clothing to wear. White button up shirts, ties and slacks. That kind of thing? The rest of us are good in the silly red and blue caps.” He wanted to smile then, and couldn’t, so tried to wink with one eye at Lannie. “Those really are awful. They work though, getting attention and separating out the people that need to take the customers money from them.”
The words got Sally to make a face.
“I noticed that. How did you get everyone to wear those things? Most of the time people just refuse. Then, I’ve never seen that many people there to work before like that.”
He was pointed at by Lannie then.
“Gary pretty much told them that the things were there to let the customers feel superior to them, so that they’d let their guard down and hand all their money over. It kind of worked. Even Silver wore hers and she was back in the kitchen for the whole thing. She did good work, by the way. I told her she could work that from now on. Her first mode…”
Everyone seemed to get that part. Even Nancy, who sat there quietly then.
It was their giant friend who smiled and sat up straight then.
“We have the start of a plan then. So, Gary, you’re on getting workers around for tomorrow night on concessions? That and any plans you and Lannie come up with for that. Let me know if I’m needed to help with any of that.” She didn’t try to get out of doing extra work or anything, which got Ronaldo to make a face.
“See. Now if I get all lazy, everyone is going to think poorly of me.”
Nodding, Gary had to agree with that assessment.
“On the good side it probably won’t come up. Unless… Do you have a printer near here? We could do up some coupons. You know, buy a drink of any sort, get fifty percent off of a bag of peanuts, that kind of thing? People kept asking after popcorn as well. It might be a good seller.” No one had said anything to him, but four times people had asked for it inside his earshot.
Lannie made a face then.
“Popcorn. I can do that. It will probably be a week or two before we can have that out. I have to order some things. Really, I need to do an inventory before leaving tonight. This was like going through a whole weekend.” She seemed pleased by that, at least.
They all stood up then, with Sally waving for two of them to follow her. The others got up, with only Lannie leaving the room with them. She walked back toward the main arena though, where Sally waved for them to follow her. Right over to Peg and Price, who were talking, standing in the hallway in front of their rooms.
Peg waved.
“We were just debating how to find you. That fight video? We were also trying to work out what the catch was going to be.”
Price seemed a bit shocked for a second, his eyes going fractionally wider than normal. Then he smiled, pretty happily and nodded.
“I figure that you’re setting Peg up to face someone about three times better than she is. That or he’s going to start out cheating in the first round. There was no one to stop that kind of thing earlier…”
Instead of acting worked up, Sally nodded.
“I get that. This is an illegal operation, so things like that are bound to happen. We try to keep it at a minimum. Our patrons aren’t coming to see people die. Not really. They like the fights and seeing what Infected people can do. Sometimes what a normal guy can do against someone with powers. We don’t fix the fights though…” She looked away then and started to walk down the hallway. “Come on. I’ll show you the problem here with Sansosa.”
That there was one and it was being admitted to wasn’t a thing that Gary had expected to happen. Everyone else moved at his pace again, even if Sally was clearly trying to get ahead of them this time. Walking faster than the rest. She had to keep stopping, so they wouldn’t get lost. When they got to the plain brown door that was their destination the large lady just opened it. Showing that it wasn’t locked at all. Inside was a space about the same size as the bedrooms they were all sharing. Ten by ten.
There was a desk though and several flat screen television monitors on the walls. Also, a computer, which was sleek and new seeming. The giant of a lady settled behind her desk, lightly. Her chair protested at her weight. Nothing else made any noise though. She wasn’t clumsy about it, just big. Muscular and powerful.
After some work with the small gray mouse to her right and a few taps on the fairly fresh-looking keyboard, a fight started to play on the largest screen there. It was about forty inches wide and mounted just over seated eye level.
There was a large hand that waved, getting the rest of them to look at the television as they found places to sit.
There were enough chairs, even if they were a little high for Gary, personally. He hopped up into one anyway, since standing would make it look like he was trying to escape for some reason.
“Sansosa versus Marvin Head. Marvin is, or was, Infected. He died. In a different fight. Here… You can see, they’re both pretty decent. Marvin wasn’t really ready for this fight.”
That had to be pointed out to him, which Price did for them all.
“I can see that. Sansosa looks ripped. Like a bodybuilder. Too much so, if he isn’t Infected. Also…”
The powerful looking man closed with the Infected one, who looked a lot more normal. About the same size, but just like a guy that worked out occasionally. No veins were standing up or anything. As soon as he could, Sansosa took the other man down.
Then promptly bit him. No one stopped the fight.
Nancy nodded.
“Because you both don’t have referees and biting isn’t outside the rules? If I was in there I wouldn’t have stopped it either.”
It got worse as it went on. There was fish hooking, ear grabs, face locks and a whole host of other things that Price called out. Whatever Marvin the Infected guy had going for him power wise didn’t show on the video at all. Nor did it help him.
