Alan and Etia walked out of the arrest and smelled freedom. She went toward her home, and he followed behind her.

— Can I live at your place? — He asked.

— Ah, right. — Etia just realized that Alan was homeless. — It shouldn't be a problem.

— Thanks.

This would be the first time he came into a woman's room. Other than for assassinations, of course.

— So, any Idea where I could work? Also, I checked your test, and you passed.

— I don't know who would employ you. I had a hard time looking for a job, so probably you won't have it easier.

They fell silent for a while, and after thinking about it, Alan asked.

— Do you have MMA here?

— What's that?

— Basically, you fight for money. It doesn't matter what style you use.

— Yes, there is something like that.

They arrived at Etia's house and entered. It wasn't expensive-looking, but it had all necessities.

There were some beer bottles scattered on the floor.

— Well, you should clean up in here.

— Sorry. I never thought about it, so it got a little messy.

— Let's clean it up. I'm going to help you. — Alan disliked mess. When he was on The Ship, he would clean the areas he used every day. It wasn't necessary, but it helped alleviate the boredom.

He made a photo with his eye implant and began cleaning. Etia quickly came to help him.

----------------------------------------

— You got the job. — Etia gave Alan his ID card

— did he tell you when's the first fight?

— Its today. Some newbie got into a car accident, so you can fight.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

— Ok. — Alan grabbed her hair and drank a little.

Surprisingly, it's easy to get a job if you pick up a bodyguard for your employer with a single hand.

— My helmet is almost calibrated, so I won't need you to do everything for me.

— Don't worry about it. You're not bothering me anyway. — Etia was actually happy that someone required her.

— Anyway, what are we going to do while waiting?

— We can go for a drink. — Even if zharians discriminate against all that's different, they still won't turn a blind eye to profit, so there are no problems with buying alcohol.

They entered a store next to the fighting arena and bought two bottles of beer. It was made from a wheat-like plant. Sitting on a bench, they started talking.

— Are you sure you can dominate them? — Etia asked Alan. They have lived together for over a week now, and she could talk fluently in English.

— Yes. My body is so modified, I could defeat a hatth without a weapon. — A hatth is a creature that looks like a fusion between a T. rex and a hippo.

Alan was not wrong, since It would be easy for him to win any fight. With triple the strength of a bodybuilder and twice faster reflexes than a normal person, he was undefeatable.

The progress in body modification was the biggest reason why MMA died down on earth. It was a very big shame for Alan, a diehard fan. But now he could participate himself.

— I'll make sure to buy us a better place. —They weren't a couple, but since they were the only ones who accepted each other, they wanted

— Good luck. — Etia placed a small kiss on his cheek.

Actually, the first part of that sentence may change soon enough.

----------------------------------------

— On the left side, we have Red eyes. His unusually dark eyes stare into his opponent's soul. — This was The arena. A place where you can earn a lot of money in a short amount of time.

— On the right, we have the Intruder. He came from a planet called “Erf” and scared us all. Now he's going to fight in this arena. — It was also the best place for freaks to work.

“What the hell is that guy talking about?” Alan didn't understand much from what the presenter said.

— Nooooooow! FIGHT! — The announcer screamed, and the audience started cheering for both of the fighters. It was like a ZOO.

— Sorry, pal, but you're going down. — Alan's opponent started running toward him.

— I don't understand. — Alan declared.

Red eyes was getting near the Intruder. He swung his hand, but got hit in the throat, and fell.

— That was fast! Red eyes didn't stand a chance! — Alan quickly won and got his money.

----------------------------------------

— How did it go? — Etia asked.

— You didn't watch me?

— No. They play the fights on TV one day after they happen.

— That's a little greedy of them.

— Well, anyway. How much did you win? — Etia had sparkles in her eyes. This would probably be the most money she would ever see in her life.

— I got, 2100 cin. — This was a very sizeable amount of money. — But they stole some for roughing up my enemy, so now I have 50. — That was around two weeks of food.

— Didn't you know you will get charged for that?! — She got a little angry at Alan.

— No. Anyway, I didn't know you guys have such fragile spines.

— Ok. — Etia calmed down a little. — You still got five days of my salary in a few minutes.

— So, want to celebrate our victory? — Alan asked her.

— Yes. I think it would be a great idea to hold a very small party. — They went to buy some alcohol in the same store they bought some a few hours ago.