Chapter 4: Spar.
“The New Johannesburg Hoshiyomi Academy…” Nancy muttered to herself as she listened on to Bruce’s retelling.
“You’ve heard of it?” Bruce looked over at the older woman with intrigue. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. It was there where they created the second generation after all, one of humanity’s fatal failures.”
“You make it sound as if Stark disliked that facility, yet from what you’ve told me it sounds much more humane than all the other ones I’ve heard about.” Nancy couldn’t help but feel somewhat surprised. “I guess being locked up in a single facility your whole life is still enough to do a number on a kid.”
“It sure is…” Bruce smiled before turning to look back at the passing ocean water.
Gradually the pink glow of the sunrise emerged in the dark blue horizon. Since the three dimensional transporter was moving counter to the planet’s rotation, the light of day was rapidly approaching.
Bruce continued to say. “Stark felt as if he were stuck in a cage. All he wanted was to see what had become of the outside world. He wanted to be free as all humans were made to be. But as I’m sure you’re aware, they didn’t let immortal soldiers have much freedom back in the old days of earth. To be an immortal soldier was to sacrifice your freedom in exchange for immortality, a contract signed for you before you were even born.”
“How did things go from there?” Nancy asked. “The outside world, what did Stark first think of it?”
Bruce cleared his throat before he continued to say. “Let’s skip to the next day shall we, when Stark opened his eyes to see Kasper the cockroach staring down at him from the ceiling.
Kasper had been Stark’s favourite cartoon character ever since he was an infant. When he was only five years old he had begged the adults to paint a picture of Kasper on his room’s ceiling which they eventually did.
When he was younger he would always watch reruns of Kasper the cockroach in the cafeteria during his breakfast. He still remembered that one episode where Kasper tricked pablo the poodle into biting his owner in the crotch.
Chuckling at the fond memories, Stark twisted himself around to get out of bed. Upon getting up he immediately began his morning routine and cleaned himself before putting on his white facility gown.
That’s when the memories of the previous day quickly caught up to him. He immediately threw his door open before storming down the glossy hallway towards the cafeteria.
Upon arriving he saw Victoria and Beverly sitting on one of the couches eating lunch.
Victoria’s eyes light up instantly upon seeing him before she sprang up smashing her knee on the bottom of the table in the process. Her cheeks inflated as she held in a scream.
“Idiot!” Beverly immediately reprimanded her best friend before smiling at Stark. “Good morning Stark.”
“Good morning you two.” Stark smiled widely startling them both with his good mood.
Victoria began to limp towards him before asking. “Me, Beverly and Delilah are going to the movies when we visit the outside later. Are you coming with us?”
“No.” Stark replied immediately. “I have plans of my own.”
Victoria quickly frowned upon hearing the boy’s answer.
“I already told you it’s pointless to ask him.” Beverly rolled her eyes before continuing to say. “He’s already made plans with Hockney. God knows what they’re going to do.”
“That’s not right!” Victoria lampooned. “We are all one family so we should all go together. Where are you going with Hockney anyway?”
“Non of your business.” It was absolutely none of her concern. In truth him and Hockney had planned on visiting the red light district. Stark grinned before a perverted blush came over his face.
Upon seeing his expression Victoria suddenly became distraught. “I know that look… you’re going on a date with him!!!”
Stark immediately glared at the dumb blonde with a dragon’s sharpness in his eyes.
Victoria suddenly realised that she was completely off and became bright red.
An awkward silence persisted for several seconds before she suddenly erupted into obvious forced laughter and said. “I got you didn’t I! I totally had you thinking that I thought that you were gay…”
Stark couldn’t help but be stunned at the blatant attempt at damage control. He wondered why she even bothered as the situation was already unsalvageable for her.
Another awkward silence persisted before Victoria suddenly kicked him in the shin before limping away giggling.
Stark stared at her retreating figure before turning to look at Beverly who collected her breakfast as well as Victoria’s before she got up to run after her.
Beverly yelled out as she almost slipped over the glossy floor. “This girl has no sense!”
Victoria was an odd person to say the least. Her behaviour conflicted greatly with how a person would expect her to act based on her appearance. She had large slightly slanted blue eyes and rosey cheeks with a small slightly upturned nose and full red lips. She was also quite tall for a girl with long curvaceous legs. She was by all accounts your stereotypical tall blonde “it girl” when viewed from a distance. Upon seeing her one would naturally assume that she was an elegant and graceful swan, too prestigious and above it all to glance in your general direction. Yet the moment she opened her mouth all of that would always be thrown out of the window completely, the image of a swan being replaced by a mere goose.
“Hey Stark, please spar with us, please…” The same group of boys from the previous day suddenly spoke up from behind Stark startling him.
“Maybe tomorrow.” Stark answered, not in the mood to waste his time with a bunch of underclassmen.
The boys all sighed, pouted and sneered before storming off.
Stark continued on across the cafeteria towards the counter where Aunt Veronica was serving breakfast.
She was a kind and gentle woman who always burned herself while cooking. Even now several bandages were sticking out from under her sterile gloves.
Her green eyes peered up at Stark through her brown bangs as a smile grew across her freckled face. “Good morning Stark, I see that your in quite a good mood today, I wonder why…”
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Stark leaned in before asking. “Aunt, do you have my favourite? And good morning to you too.”
Aunt Veronica smiled before retrieving a special container just for him. She was Stark’s favourite person in the entire world. He never knew his mother personally so whenever the word mother was mentioned her image came to mind. She had even breast fed him as a baby, it was perhaps his first and most fond memory. She would always cook her own personal recipe of sweet and sour chicken just for him and he loved it to the bottom of his heart.
Stark grinned as he retrieved it before exiting the Cafeteria.
He walked for several minutes, passing by the various cartoon characters painted on the walls.
He took the first right turn and entered through an open pair of massive metal doors identical to the ones at the simulation room. He entered into the vast and bright training arena where he saw Lupus Sparring with Hockney. Delilah was seated in the front row alongside Beverly and Victoria who still clutched her knee in pain.
“Damn!” Hockney gritted his teeth as he took a mighty punch to the gut from Lupus. His dreads fluttered in the air as he was sent flying straight towards Stark who quickly caught him before falling over from the force of the impact.
Having been forced to drop his container Stark quickly checked it to insure the lid didn’t pop open. Upon seeing that everything was still in order with his food, he let out a long relieved sigh. He then quickly got back up to his feet and watched as Hockney groaned.
“That’s enough sparring for today…” Hockney quickly curled up into a ball on the training arena’s artificial grass.
Stark squatted down beside him before saying. “You’ll get over it. The pain will make you stronger buddy.”
Hockney flipped him off before staggering to his feet. “This is… the first time I’ve lost to that guy.”
“I have an apology to make to you all.” Lupus suddenly spoke with a booming voice. “I haven’t been taking things seriously enough and I’ve only now realised that. Yesterday I made everyone fail so today I’d like to redeem myself.”
“Go lupus!”
“Kick their asses.”
Several of the underclassmen cheered from the surrounding rows of seats that all ascended slowly as they reached the walls.
Under the various shimmering lights on the ceiling Lupus resembled an ancient champion from the Olympics.
“Oh my!” Victoria held her hand over her mouth in surprise. “He really must be beating himself up over yesterday.”
“He’s just being cheesy.” Beverly rolled her eyes. “We’ve made mistakes before there’s no need to be so dramatic.”
“I agree.” Stark said having walked over to the row behind them.
Delilah quickly turned towards him before saying. “I disagree, Lupus has always been an honourable person. We’re in our final year now and the realisation has finally dawned on him. He can’t allow himself to fall behind everyone.”
“How is pummelling Hockney going to get him ahead?” A hint of incredulity overcame Stark’s stoic expression.
“He didn’t pummel me!” Hockney said suddenly approaching them. “He just got a lucky hit, I’ll get him back tomorrow… or next week.”
Hockney continued to groan as he flopped down on one of the seats in Stark’s row before kicking his feet up and rubbing his stomach.
Stark suddenly jumped almost dropping his container again when he felt someone tickling his feet.
“Victoria!” Stark squinted at the giggling blonde.
Victoria then stood up and backflipped elegantly into Stark’s row before looking at him with dilated pupils and asking. “That’s Veronica’s sweet and sour chicken righ-“
“It’s mine.” Stark instantly cut her off knowing where this was going. If she really wanted some of Aunt Veronica’s chicken then why couldn’t she just ask her herself? Aunt Veronica loved her as much as she loved him so all she had to do was ask for some. In truth Victoria like always just wanted an excuse to pester him.
Stark’s gaze softened as he calmed himself, remembering that today was when they’d finally get to see the outside world.
He moved up several rows before sitting down only to be immediately followed by Victoria who sat obnoxiously close to him.
Stark opened the container and began to eat peacefully as he watched Lupus begin to spar with one of the underclassmen.
Victoria immediately began to tickle his thigh. Stark ignored her.
She then took a hand full of his long black hair and began to play with it. Stark ignored her.
She kicked her leg up over his lap where she let it rest. Stark ignored her.
He had finished his meal when he heard Lupus call out to him.
“Stark!” Lupus roared as the underclassmen stumbled away sheepishly. “Come down and face me.”
At the next moment all eyes in the arena locked on to him.
Everyone from the underclassmen to his peers and even a view observing adults in white lab coats anticipated his reaction.
Stark stood up before placing the empty container back down in his seat.
Stark quickly flipped across the rows of seats before landing right infront of Lupus.
The surrounding kids all cheered him on as he stepped forward and began to speak. “Let’s do this…”
Eyes lit up everywhere as everyone was once again about to witness the two most formidable upperclassmen go head to head.
Wasting no time at all Lupus attacked first, swinging his mighty arm around at Stark.
Stark quickly ducked underneath the attack before quickly grabbing on to Lupus’s shoulder and flipping himself on to lupus’s back.
Before Lupus realised it Stark had him in a chokehold.
Thinking quickly the larger boy throws himself down backwards intending to crush his opponent. Stark simultaneously abandoned the chokehold before twisting around and locking lupus into a leglock as Lupus hit the ground.
The entire arena flew into a frenzy.
Lupus quickly began to pound down on Stark forcing him to abandon the leglock.
Stark then quickly backed up as Lupus regained his composure. Stark would not risk getting hit by him too much as one well placed hit from the behemoth could easily shatter his ribs. Even now his leg and back were throbbing from being hit only a few times.
“Go on Stark beat his ass!” Victoria yelled out.
Stark began to close in on lupus before circling around him.
Lupus kept his eyes locked on Stark the entire time.
Stark examined the boy closely, looking for any opening he could find.
Delilah then suddenly stood up and yelled. “You can do this Lupus.”
Lupus looked back at Delilah before smiling.
It was at that moment that Stark struck and surprised Lupus with a high kick to the chin.
Lupus stumbled around dazed from the attack before sneering. “That was cheap.”
“It’s not cheap if your enemy is stupid and turns his back on you.” Stark shot back with a sly grin.
“Honour is a virtue.” Lupus sneered.
“So is cunning.” Stark shot back as he once again began to circle around.
“Screw that circling shit!” Lupus suddenly flew into a rage and charged at Stark head on. “Like a true bull I gore my enemies head on.”
“Shit!” Stark didn’t plan on him suddenly attacking like that. He lunged into a barrel role off to the side narrowly dodging the tackle.
Lupus then turned to face Stark raising his leg into an axe kick.
Once again stark barely dodged.
Stark backflipped back several metres where he caught his bearings and said. “I’m honestly impressed, you never fight this hard normally.”
Stark wore a smile but on the inside he was laughing bitterly at what he had just realised. This entire time Lupus had been holding back.
The idea that Stark had almost lost to a barely trying Lupus in the past made his blood boil. Stark wasn’t particularly prideful but boy did that give him a nasty reality check.
Stark took a deep breath to calm himself down as he resolved to just try harder. So what if Lupus wasn’t trying before? That just meant that Stark had to match his energy.
Stark slowly crept forward before assuming a mixed martial arts stance.
Lupus once again charged straight at him before twisting his waist to deliver a kick.
Stark decided to play it dangerous and allowed the kick to collide with his side. A crack could be heard echoing through the arena before Stark gritted his teeth and locked his arm around Lupus’s leg.
He then pulled Lupus towards him causing the giant to lose his balance and stumble forward. Stark took advantage of his loss of balance and kicked up both of his legs around Lupus’s shoulders before pulling him into a Triangle Choke.
Lupus’s short blonde hair became a mess as his face turned bright red from the strain. His amber eyes grew bloodshot before the first signs of him loosing consciousness started to show.
Stark felt him suddenly fall limp to the ground before releasing him.
“YES!!!” Victoria was jumping for joy.
Stark then exhaled a hot breath before he suddenly saw a pale blur move with an inhuman speed.
Lupus punched Stark straight in the gut causing him to throw up in his face.
Lupus immediately recoiled in disgust before quickly stepping back.
“STARK!!!” Victoria immediately ran to Stark’s side before helping him to his feet. She then looked back at Lupus with pure hatred in her eyes.
Lupus threw his hands in the air. “Hey calm down, it’s just a Sparring match. Being cunning is a virtue as well right?”
“Did Lupus just win?”
Chattering soon erupted amongst the underclassmen.
“Touché.” Stark muttered as he groaned. “Thank you Victoria, but you don’t need to be angry on my behalf. He won fair and square.”
Stark was honestly stunned that Lupus would do such a thing. To think that he pretended to fall unconscious only moments before actually falling unconscious. Stark couldn’t help but wonder if all that crap Lupus said about honour was a facade.