Tick, Tock.

At first, Yulia didn’t even hear her phone ringing. Lost in her thoughts, the General Manager of Riot was sitting with her legs crossed on the couch in front of the roaring fireplace in the living room of her Chicago house. It was only when she leaned forward to put the cup of hot chocolate on the small glass table in front of her that she noticed the small blinking on her phone and telling her that she received a text.

From Echo.

The 21 years old Australian one of the latest addition to the Riot roster was currently in a hospital bed in Beijing, monitored by the doctors after the concussion suffered in her match against Saki. A match Yulia would have never booked, result of an unacceptable meddling by Grace van Beek herself. The working relationship between the owner of MWE and the Riot General Manager had always been pretty rocky, to be honest. Yulia never bowed to the Diamond Princess. She never disrespected her either, simply treating her as a peer.

And Grace hated it, she hated the fact that Yulia could afford that luxury. Never though, until now, she dared contradict any of her decisions, publicly overrule her and change a match she booked.

She’s not ready. The Riot GM tweeted to the owner in a last desperate attempt to change her mind. And this wasn’t a knock at Echo’s ability, far from it. Yulia always had a keen eye for talent, and Echo had all of that in spades. She showed it in her first match, it transpired from the tapes she sent her before the signing. Only a blind man would have failed to see it.

But on top of that, and that’s what impressed the russian General Manager, she had a determination, a fire you don’t see very often. And with that came an attitude Yulia tried in vain to tame.

No disrespect in those words Yulia typed. If anything, it was a legit concern, that feeling she always had when booking any form of hardcore match. Paternal, we could say. She really cared about her roster, she always did. Unlike her counterpart, Chloe Collins. Unlike her best friend, Gianluigi Vaccaro. Perhaps because, unlike them, she knew the sacrifices this career choice required, the toll it takes on both your body and mind.

She, who poured her soul to chase a dream and quit when she was a stone’s throw from the goal she set.

Tick, Tock.

That’s what the enigmatic text said. Nothing else.

What?

Counting down the minutes.

She finally put two and two together. She talked to Echo on Sunday, to check on her conditions. And things took the worst turn, with the Australian wrestler failing to see Yulia’s point of view, the General Manager staying adamant in her position and reiterate that the way the match ended, and the consequences on Echo proved that she was right in the concern she expressed. Obviously the blonde athlete was having none of it, and got as far as threatening her employer.

Yulia tried to discourage her, but never backed down, not at all scared by the possible physical altercation. If Echo made that quick Google search Yulia suggested her to make, she would have understood why. Although, probably, it wouldn’t have changed a thing.

Yulia Kirilenko is not a pencil pusher. She just plays one on TV. Sure, that’s her present and will probably be her future whenever her father, the russian tycoon Dimitri Kirilenko will be too old and tired to hold the reins of his multifaceted conglomerate, branching in a wide range of sectors, from transports to communication, from extraction to technology. But her past, her roots are in a different world, closer to Echo’s. Ever since joining the army as soon as she was of age, Yulia showed a great predisposition for martial arts, excelling in both SAMBO and Systema, the two combat system taught in the russian army. Her natural skills and instinct made her one of benchmark when it comes to these disciplines, to the point that it wasn’t rare to see her as a special guest in seminars and workshops for both civilian and military.

Like they could keep me.

She texted to answer her question if she was being dismissed so early. And again.

I’m coming to see you.

So stubborn. She thought to herself, accepting Echo’s decision. And then she replied.

The door is open.

Yulia sat back on the couch, waiting for Echo.

---

“Are you done stamping your feet now?” Unafraid, Yulia asked, trying to keep a calm tone despite the tense situation she now found herself in. Echo was right in front of her, she had been there for a good five minutes now, but no action was taken. “Why did you come here Echo? Because quite frankly, it feels like you’re wasting my time. Time i could use doing much more productive things. Are we done?” She reiterated, staring at the Aussie who held her gaze. Echo didn’t flinch, Yulia shook her head and once again spoke. “We’re done. Have a good day.”

A straight punch, right between Yulia’s eyes. Sudden, out of the blue.

And yet the Riot General Manager dodged, swerving on her left with cat-like reflexes and catching Echo's arm under her armpit, taking the Australian wrestler to the floor. With one fluid movement, she bent the blonde's arm behind her back, placing a knee on her spine.

Echo definitely wasn't expecting it, after all Yulia was just a "pencil pusher". The look of utter shock and surprise on her face turned in grimace of pain as the Russian twisted her arm in an unnatural way. Needless to say, she didn't put much pressure on her hold, the goal was to immobilise Echo, certainly not to hurt her.

"Slow". She whispered leaning close to her ear. Too close perhaps, giving Echo the opportunity to wing her free arm back and catch the Russian on the temple. Yulia lost the grip, standing up and stumbling back against the wall, looking dazed. But when Echo fired another right punch, Yulia ducked the blow. Echo's hand cut a hole through the drywall, eliciting a groan from the Aussie. Yulia sneaked behind her back and wrapped her arms around her neck, trying to tame the young wrestler with a sleeper hold. "Still too slow."

Her words only seemed to trigger the young wrestler, who stepped all the way back against a cupboard. Yulia's head bounced against the wooden door, and once again Echo was free. She turned around and quickly went for a third punch, this time catching her employer right on the jaw. Yulia took it quite well, immediately stepping to her right where she had more room to maneuver. Now that she had no longer her back against the wall, the Riot General Manager had an easy game in taking Echo to the floor, mounting on top of her. "Slightly better."

Again the taunt caused the immediate reaction in Echo, who flipped Yulia backwards. She had her exactly where she wanted now, looming over her with a devious smile on her face. "Never hesitate." said the Russian, looping her legs around Echo's waist and pulling her into a tight triangle choke. The young wrestler's face began to turn red as her regular oxygen flow was cut by Yulia's hold. A muffled expletive escaped her lips, moments before she inevitably tapped her hand on Yulia's leg,

Yulia quickly let her go and walked away, leaving Echo sitting on the floor to catch her breath. Only a few moments had passed and Yulia came back with two ice packs. She tossed one to the puzzled Echo, who caught it in mid air. "For your hand." the General Manager sat with a smile, sitting on the floor right next to Echo and placing the ice pack on the jaw, bruised after the Australian's right hand.

They sat there for a couple of minutes, licking their wounds. None of them said a word, the look on Echo's face a mask hiding all those mixed feelings. "Something to drink? A glass of water?"

"Vodka." replied Echo, without even looking at her General Manager. Yulia stood up and reached the nearby cabinet, opening to reveal an array of expensive looking bottles. She grabbed one of them, the label was written in cyrillic characters, obviously something she brought with herself from home. She sat once again on the floor, her back against the wall and poured two shots, offering one to the Australian born. "There you go, Echo". She said handing the glass to her assailant.

"Juliet." the blonde replied, raising the glass. "Prochnost." She quoted Oliver Queen from the series Arrow for her toast.

"Za zdoróvʹje" Yulia quickly corrected her.