Boxing stories; Human-alien encounters -- Fiction; Science fiction; Short stories
The Dornellian still looked relatively unscratched, while Larry knew he
looked as though he'd rolled over a barbed-wire fence. But in spite of
the blood, Larry had finally gotten the measure of his opponent. The
eight-foot giant weighed close to five hundred pounds; his mass was too
great for him to be able to handle his body rapidly, no matter how
fast his reflexes were.
Larry moved in again. He planted a hard right directly in the giant's
throat--there _had_ to be nerves there. The Dornellian gagged and
dropped his head. Larry smiled and slammed his fist into the giant's
rib cage, doubling him up even more. He could almost hear the crowd
cheering now as he moved in for the kill.
He sucked in his breath and lifted one foot from the floor. His right
fist came up from his knees, gaining speed as it rose. Like a hammer,
it crashed into the hairy jaw of the Dornellian, and Larry could feel
bone splintering against his knuckles.
Like an oak with rotten roots, the great Dornellian toppled to the
floor. He landed with a crash that seemed to shake the building.
Larry stood over the fallen giant for a moment, catching his breath,
wondering when the referee was going to start the count. Then he
realized there wasn't going to be any count. There wasn't any referee.
His arms were quivering, and his face was dripping with blood. He
turned away, mopping his face clean, and started to pick up his
unfinished beer when the wailing of sirens echoed through the bar.
Police! Someone had called the Dornellian police!
The Arcturian spider-man sidled up to him. "Well done, Earthman," he
said in his whispering voice. "Come with me; I have a car outside."
Without another word, the Arcturian scuttled toward the door.
Larry paused for a fraction of a second before making up his mind. As
well trust the Arcturian as anyone; if the police caught him, his life
wouldn't be worth a counterfeit credit.
No one tried to stop him as he ran out the door.
The Arcturian's car was waiting just outside. Larry climbed in, and the
spider-man slammed one of his many feet down on the accelerator. The
car shot off into the night, its turboelectric engine humming smoothly.
"Well, Earthman," said the grating, whispering voice, "You made hash
out of the Dornellian. Frankly, I was surprised."
"So was I," Larry said. "I don't know why I'm bothering to run away.
All they'll have to do is pick me up at my hotel."
The Arcturian chuckled dryly. "No. I don't think anyone recognized you.
Don't forget that all Earthmen look alike to other beings. The only
reason I knew who you were is that I'm a fan of yours. I was glad to
see you beat that Dornellian, believe me."
"Thanks," Larry said. "But it's not going to do me any good when I get
into the ring against Fornax Kedrin. If an ordinary Dornellian citizen
puts up a fight like that, what am I going to do against a professional
boxer?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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