Over the next three weeks, a video appeared on the internet traveling at frankly astronomical speeds. It showed the woman while she was still in the lobby of the theater getting away from the man. He tore her dress, then she walked out defiantly with the camera following her. It came out into the street, then the man grabbed and pulled her roughly, smacking her in the face. A man stepped up, Samson, and he pulled the guy off of her and tossed him to the side. There was audio, but Samson's voice didn't reach the small phone. The phone went through the entire ordeal, and even got his voice at the end telling Alexander to give her the VIP treatment. 

     The title of the video: 'Who is this Hero?' 

It had taken almost two months after the video was put up, but it suddenly caught the web on fire. Millions after millions of views poured in as it spread between popular websites. The video was spread and people guessed names, but nobody knew for sure what his name was. Names were dropped almost constantly, but everybody who mentioned Samson Marcel was eerily erased before there was too much exposure. There were a few late shows that called the hero of the video to reveal himself. 

     Samson was having trouble dealing with the constant threat of exposure, he kept a constant watch over the internet and newspaper stories trying to keep his name from being released. On a date with Karen just watching a movie in his apartment, Karen mentioned the video. She asked why Samson didn't come out, be the hero that everyone was expecting him to be. Samson said that he wasn't fond of being a hero, he didn't want the title. They got into a conversation about it, and Samson decided to let Karen know more of the truth behind him. 

     The very next day, the Late Show with Rob Truman got an exclusive interview with Samson, on the condition that they don't reveal his name. The time was set and Samson was invited to the set for the interview. Samson arrived in an Armani suit with a finely shaved face and a sack filled with something long and heavy. Rob Truman was a grey haired man with a great sense of humor about things, but he also knew perfectly well when to take things seriously. The interview was going to be live as most late shows are, so they wouldn't be reading off of a script. 

     Samson waited through the intro, getting a little nervous to be on the side of things. Rob Truman announced, "We have a special guest here on the late show, he's a man who saved a woman in distress from the popular internet video 'Who is this Hero?'. Everybody please welcome the hometown hero from New York!" Samson walked onto the stage setup where there were a few recliners on the opposite side of a desk where Rob Truman sat. Samson walked across the stage with the bag over his shoulder, waving to the live studio audience where Karen sat, then he took his seat. 

     "It's nice to have you here," said Rob, extending a hand for a handshake. 

     "Good to be here," said Samson, shaking Rob's hand. 

     "Now, you are the man from this video, correct," Rob asked, showing Samson the video. 

     "Yes, I'm the one who helped that woman."

     "It's quite amazing that all of these people," Rob gestured to the crowd that was gathering, "stood by while you were the only one to help this poor woman who was being abused." 

     "It's something most people have that I call 'Bystander Syndrome', Rob. A lot of people won't help because they don't know the whole truth, so they'll watch and let something like this happen so they know they aren't doing anything wrong. A lot of people don't realize that doing nothing is the worst thing to do in a situation like this." 

     "I heard about something like that," said Rob. "I think there was a study done and they called it something similar. Can you tell me why you were the one to step in and save her? Did you know her beforehand?" 

     "No, Rob, I had no idea who that woman was or why she was fighting with this man," admitted Samson. "I stepped in because I've had experiences like this before, and I knew that this wasn't just a random fight." 

     "So you were the right person in the right place, at the right time." 

     "Yes."

     "Well, I still think you're a hero, and so does everyone here at the studio," said Rob, building up the room the way someone does when they have a surprise. "That's why, I asked around, and we got this for you." Rob reached below his desk and pulled up a plaque with large bold letter reading 'Honorary Hero'. There were a few signatures at the bottom, illegible, but everyone knew what it meant. "Do you know what this is?" 

     "I think I do," said Samson sadly. 

     "For those of you at home, this is a special title given to people that the Hero Squad has taken notice of. If five or more heroes agree, they sign a paper and send this plaque with the special title of an honorary hero. I may be wrong about this, but there are only thirty three people in the world with the title of an honorary hero. It means you are recognized as a hero, by heroes, which is a feat in and of itself. Now, do you know why you're receiving this award?" 

     "Just because I helped a stranger," said Samson, thinking he might play it off. 

     "Well, that stranger in question came out, and here's her side of the story." Rob picked up a piece of paper from his desk, then said, "This is from a social media site. For the sake of aninimoty, I'm not going to reveal any names or locations:

'I am the woman in that video, and that man did much more than the video can show. He took me to an upscale hotel, gave me free riegn of the presidential sweet, and payed for every indulgence I could think. I wanted to know if he was going to use me just like my ex-boyfriend, so I stood naked, with the bruises and everything to prove myself right. When he arrived, he saw everything, and he just asked me where it hurt exactly. He was sweet and never once let me think I was anything less than human. The next day, he told me he had $10,000 to my bank account and he was going to help me find a job. Even his girlfriend pitched in, and I'm so much happier. I could work for a lifetime and never be able to show my full gratitude for how this man has changed my life.' 

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     There was a heavy silence in the room as Samson looked down at his knee, his face a little sad in his expression. "That, good sir, is why you've won the title of an honorary hero," said Rob, and the crowd began to cheer wildly, all except for Karen who was on the border of crying. Rob held the plaque out to Samson, and Samson just looked at him. 

     "Rob, this is going to require some explanation, but I can't accept this reward," said Samson sadly. Rob seemed confused, so Samson continued, "I'm going to tell you the reason I told my girlfriend last night. When I was a kid, my dad came from a rich family and worked as a fireman, and he married a poor woman who was my mom. My dad was seen as a hero, and people told him every chance they recognized him, but he wasn't. He regularly got drunk off of the fortune his parents had left behind, and he beat my mom who acted as a shield for me. Back then I had Bystander Syndrome, and I always heard or saw what happened when the hero showed his true colors. My mom was always seen as the leech who married for money, she became the villain.

     "Then my mom died, killed in the street by a mugger when my dad was at home. Except he wasn't at home, I was. I was ten, and I was so scared of everything I just did what I was told. I lied and my dad got off, leaving it as a cold case. I had to live with that man, knowing full well what he had done, but never thought that I could get away." Samson had tears welling up in his eyes, and Karen was already silently crying in the audience. Samson picked up the bag he had carried in, and he reached in pulling out a baseball bat.

     "Now, here's the part I didn't tell my girlfriend," said Samson, setting the baseball bat across the armrests. "After my mom was killed, I was the prime target for my dad's beatings. I got into the habit of cleaning the house, because he usually grabbed the first thing he saw and used it. One day, I noticed I was bigger than he was, so I figured I would be able to fight back. I got this baseball bat out of the garage, and I sat down in the living room just like this, waiting for him to get home. There was no way he could have known I was going to fight back, nobody would have told him, it was impossible that he would prepare for it." 

     Samson reached into the bag again, and this time he pulled out a fireman's axe that shined in the light of the studio. "My dad came home, and he came into the living room holding this standard, fireman's axe." There was a heavy silence in the studio, only the clink of the fireman's axe against the floor could be heard. "He saw me sitting there with this bat, and my dad, the hero, glared at me as though I was some sort of villain. Let me tell you, if I hadn't picked that last moment to fight back, I probably wouldn't be here right now." There silence festered into tears from both the audience and Rob Truman himself, which Samson used to unbutton a few buttons on his dress shirt. 

     "Is that why you don't want to be a hero," Rob finally asked, wiping a tear from his eye. 

     "It's a philosophy I developed from my experiences," said Samson, his eyes as red as hot coals. "See, it became clear that the fight was going to end poorly for one of us, so after trying to get him to stop, I just decided to end it and cracked him across the head. We were both sent to the emergency room, where I saw this," Samson pulled his shirt to the side to reveal a scar over his chest. "The axe had dug into my skin, cracked through the bone, and almost severed one of the arteries leading to my heart. When I received news that my dad was dead, I felt like a hero in that moment. 

     "Since I had killed him, I had an experience in court, and that's when I started to really hate the word 'hero'. The fire department came and testified that my dad was a wholesome person, that he was a hero who saved lives. They kept using that word to describe him, 'hero', until it just gave me a bad taste in my mouth. I found out the truth then, why he had just decided to up and kill me. Apparently, my filthy rich grandparents had left an enormous trust in my name, and my dad's bank account was almost empty. They also revealed that his prints matched the ones at my mother's crime scene, and that there was a huge life insurance policy taken out a few days before." 

     "I'm sorry to hear this," said Rob honestly. He said it the way a person would, not a TV star who was saying it just to sound sympathetic. 

     "So, I decided what a hero really is," said Samson, finalizing his opinion. "A hero is a word we use to describe people that save others out of a sense of duty or righteousness. It wasn't my duty to save that woman, and I didn't do it to prove my righteousness. I did what I did, because I wanted to help her, and that does not make me a hero." 

     "I think, that makes you something better than a hero," said Rob with a small smile. "Saving people because you want to, that takes something more than a hero." Someone waved from behind one of the cameras, and Rob got the message. "I'm afraid that's all we have time for," said Rob, half to the camera and half to Samson. "It was nice having you, and it was very eye opening to hear about your experiences." 

     "I'm sorry that I couldn't accept the prestigious award," said Samson in heartfelt compassion. 

     "Honestly, I don't blame you," said Rob, "but this award is apparently non-negotiable. If you ever feel like accepting it, give the Hero Squad a call." 

     The show ended and Samson shook hands with Rob Truman again, then the usual music played and the cameras cut out. "It was honestly an honor to meet you," said Samson with a grin. 

     "It was an honor to meet you as well," said Rob thankfully. Samson went off to the side of the stage as people went about their jobs setting up cameras and avoiding eye contact. Samson navigated his way out of the studio, then met up with Karen on the street. Samson was big, but just this once he needed to lean on somebody. Karen wrapped her arms around Samson's large body and she felt him return the hug as well as the tears. There was a lifetime in those tears, an infinite sadness that began to reveal itself.