The Spacetime Manifold

A/N: Life has absolutely kicked my ass lately but I am so close to finishing this story that it would be tragic if I didn't. It means a lot to me. So, surprise! Now that things have finally calmed down a bit, I have returned, ready to finish this piece (before I get to editing, of course). Thank you everyone for your endless patience, and here's to the coming end. :)

Jab. Cross. Jab. Hook. Duck. Now concentrate. Wait... wait... wait... now.

The gravity drops. Time seems to accelerate, just slightly, and I notice Nevaeh's smirk immediately shift to an excited smile. Her eyes twinkle. I feel my own smirk form as I drop my weight and aim my first two knuckles at the middle of the tiny target floating in front of me. My fist flies straight into the bullseye – I know it without seeing it – and the target hits the back wall of the room with a loud bang. After that, silence. My fist stings. In the good way.

Nevaeh's checking the target now. I adjust my hand wraps and shake it out. Evren slides up next to me, brushing my arm. We catch each other's gazes and I see it. She's rattled. But there's also something else: the twinkle in her eye I've noticed every time she looks at me. Like she's impressed.

It reminds me of the first time I walked out onto the NCC stage.

"Aika." Oh, Nevaeh's speaking. I whip my head around. My coach is standing a few feet in front of us, staring, and now I think her smirk is at least partly for a reason other than my performance in training. She doesn't say anything about Evren, though. "This was it. You've hit all of them square on, except one."

"Trading the gloves for hand wraps was a good idea, then," Evren says as she oh-so-casually taps my fingers for emphasis. I'm pretty sure that was just an excuse to hold my hand without actually holding my hand in public. I don't mind.

"It'll certainly give her an advantage, which she'll definitely need." Nevaeh's looking pointedly at Evren as she's saying this, but neither woman says anything. After an awkward pause, Nevaeh nods. "So, Evren, I've gotta pass you off to Santeri now that you've both warmed up. Aika, grab a refreshment and escort Evren over."

I raise a brow. "My water bottle's right here?" I point to it.

Evren giggles. Nevaeh just shoots me that look she gives when I've messed up a training sequence and landed on my butt. She starts to say something, but then shakes her head and just gestures between me and Evren. The Commander of Space, still giggling, grabs my arm and pulls me out of the private training room with her.

Oh. Oh.

We walk over to the water cooler and Evren's hand trails down my arm to interlock with mine. I immediately feel heat rush up to my throat. I need a drink.

But I don't let go as we reach the water cooler by the front desk. I smile briefly at Tammy as I sip the cool water out of my paper cup. I don't look long enough to see her reaction but she doesn't say anything at least. I look everywhere but at my girlfriend, until she squeezes my hand and, without thinking, I lock eyes with her. She's smiling her usual radiant smile, but I know mischief when I see it. I'm guessing she finds my embarrassment hilarious. I can't be mad, though. In fact, I'm smiling really stupidly.

Ugh, this is so sappy.

A sudden click from behind us interrupts the moment and Evren lets go of my hand so that she can turn. I follow suit and we come face to face with a cameraman and reporter from the local news station. "Aika Inoue! The Fast-Forwarder! And Miss Kinnunen-Mwangi as well! What a treat!" he says with a smile. "Don't worry, the press knows it's not allowed to run anything or ask any questions right now without your permission," he adds quickly as Evren breathes in to speak. "We're just running a little lead-up to the Battle Royale and grabbing shots of all the competitors. We heard you two were training today. A natural shot from behind can be really powerful." He steps forward to shake our hands as he continues to babble on. I'm reminded of Faith. "Really a pleasure to meet you. My first year on the job, and I get to cover the NCC, so I'm quite excited." He clears his throat. "Anyway, where are your coaches? We wanted to ask them, and you of course, if it would be all right to grab some footage of your preparation. To put it in a montage or something, you know? Our editors are fantastic."

I blink, my brain not quite able to process everything at once right now, and Evren speaks first. She whips out her professional grin and puts a hand on her hip. "I think that'd be all right with me," she says, before winking at me. She lightly knocks my shoulder. "I think Aika, too, though I'd ask Nevaeh. Pretty sure she calls the shots on that stuff."

I don't even argue. Just nod, Aika. I've learned in my days of competing that I defer to Nevaeh if I want to keep my sanity.

"Brilliant!" The reporter motions to the cameraman and starts to walk off. "You seem to be on break so I'll wait over there for you, Evren, when you're ready." He begins to stalk off, looking hilariously out of place in this gym with his pristine not-at-all-workout-attire suit, when Evren pipes up again.

"Actually, if you want to ask a few questions, it'd be all right with me."

I make sure she notices my alarmed look. She meets it but then looks behind the reporter. As usual, there's a crowd of other camerapeople and either fans or nosey news-readers or both. We've been busting our butts to give written quotes to stave off the panic, but one of Evren's sponsors has already pulled. We don't have a choice, huh?

Evren lets go of my hand and I shift my gaze back to a rolling camera.

I'm not prepared for this.

"Thanks so much, Ms. Kinnunen-Mwangi," the reporter nearly sings.

"Oh, Evren's fine." Evren, as usual, is all cheery smiles. I try to look even a little presentable.

"Evren, then. What's the training regimen look like for the defending Grand Champion?"

I tune Evren out as I watch the crowd. All the faces are curious, but some look angrier than others. A couple remind me a lot of Chris.

"Who did it, Aika?" a petite woman no older than 35 suddenly jumps in with her own microphone. I see a camera behind her and her mic shines bright red with the logo of one of the largest news stations in the country.

"...Sorry?" is all I get out. I thought Evren was still being interviewed.

"Who jumped you?"

I hear Evren's sharp inhale and she wraps an arm around me, squeezing my bicep. "Sorry miss, but Aika is still recovering. I don't think that this is the right time to ask her-"

"Some kids," I say, staring at the pouting kid I noticed earlier. He still looks angry, but he also looks... young. Everyone is silent. "The NCC has been helping me a lot since then. So has Evren." I turn to my girlfriend, who nods gently, then I turn back to both the lady and the original reporter who flagged us down. The kid's disappeared. I notice that Nevaeh and Santeri have shown up in the commotion. "Right now, though, what's on my mind is the Battle Royale."

"You're an athlete and competitor, at the end of it all," our original reporter cuts in with a cautiously bright tone. I just nod.

"I have to focus on what's ahead." I say it because it's true. It's the only way I've been able to deal with the letters to the press, the nightmares, the everything.

I can see Nevaeh and Santeri stepping in now, so I take that as our cue to leave. Evren gives a belated 'thank you' and takes me aside as I approach our private training room again.

"You ready?"

I turn to Evren as she speaks and I can tell from the way she's looking at me that this question is asking about more than just one thing. Am I ready? For the explosion of media presence surrounding the Battle Royale and the remaining questions they'll have after what I just said, for the fight for Grand Champion of the NCC, for finally facing the Commander of Space in an epic battle while at a disadvantage, for Evren herself and what our relationship will come to be?

I watch Evren watch me. She just waits patiently. The world seems to disappear around me, time actually slowing for once, and inside me I know the right answer.

"Are you ready?"

Evren doesn't respond and we're content to just stare for a second before parting ways.

It's time for Space to meet her fourth-dimensional match.

"Well then, while we're alone, it's time for me to give you advice," Nevaeh says as she meets me in the center of the training room again. She sits down, cross-legged, on the mats. I do the same. "First of all, maybe don't get involved in the press." I nod. She doesn't need to say more than that for me to guess that Evren and I caused her and The Collapser some headaches just now. Nevaeh lets the moment get heavier before speaking up again. "Second of all, I've analyzed Evren's NCC fights this year, video courtesy of the little bird I've had on watch for you, of course." Her expression hardens. "Listen, Aika, your accuracy has improved immensely these past few sessions, but I'm not gonna lie. You're still injured, and a weak arm could be your downfall. Evren knows this. I also suspect she knows a lot about you, how you work, apart from your physical fighting style. Your matchup with her could turn into something psychological." She glances back toward the door, probably still imagining the reporters behind it. "I don't think you can beat her alone."

"You're saying I should ally with someone to bring her down."

"Yes. And I'd recommend you do that first, before you've exhausted your stamina. The Battle Royale isn't a walk in the park."

"But Evren will also be at her best at the beginning."

"Her endurance is better than yours," Nevaeh says simply. "It's my main takeaway from her fights. She knows how to make her energy last and use it effectively. No amount of cardio training will get you to her level in the time we have."

"You're saying I can't win?"

"I'm saying you won't win if you go at this fight like you've done with the others."

I pout but I don't say anything. I know she's right. My track record hasn't been great. I've won by a hair's breadth most of the time.

"Listen, any win is a fair win in this final round. The people you're going to be up against are going to let loose their wildest selves. The audience knows it. The competitors know it. And there can't be any draws." Nevaeh pauses. "If you follow my advice, Aika, I genuinely believe that you can take this. You didn't make it this far without skill of your own." She clasps my hand. "Everyone knows your weaknesses, Aika."

I shrug, but I feel the corners of my mouth start to curl upward. "Don't worry, Nevaeh." My heart is pounding, but the beat is steady. "I also know everyone else's."