“Thank you for your cooperation. I'm a man of my word, and I promise that your past as an underground fighter will never see the light of day. Just sign the immunity agreement.”
Eric looked at the agreement, and it was legitimate. His mother had taught him to always read and re-read all contracts before signing. He signed and handed it over to the commissioner.
The commissioner leaves, and eric decides to grab a bite from the kitchen before training, and he again takes notice of the food.
“Every time I eat it, I feel stronger. It's not a steroid. It's more like all the food I used to eat was poisoned, and this food is normal. I should ask D about this.”
Eric trains with Nathan for a few days, cutting down his 100-meter dash from 10 seconds to 6. Eric is unsatisfied, but Nathan is ecstatic.
“We still have a week before the semifinals, and I'm confident we can get it down to 5.”
Eric nods, but Nathan knows he's not listening.
“Look, don't worry about d. He is more than capable of taking care of himself.”
Eric sighs. “I know, but I'm worried they'll arrest him or something.”
Nathan laughs. “They haven't built a prison that can contain him. One time back during the golden age, he pissed off a group of villains, so they froze him in a block of ice, tied concrete blocks to him, and dropped him at the bottom of the Mariana trench. Three days later, every member of that villain group was found dead, and D was sipping a beer in Miami. I still have no idea how he managed it. And believe me, even if they could, they wouldn't. D has friends that would make the superhuman king shit his pants.”
Eric nods. “That sounds like d alright. I'm going to grab a quick bite to eat.”
Eric walks over to the kitchen and prepares some eggs. As he puts the eggs in the pan, he slips on some spilled water and places his hand directly on the red-hot burner. He quickly removes it and looks at his hand. To his surprise, there is no burn on his hand. He looks at the burner and sees it no longer glowing. He touches it and finds that it's ice cold.
“Is it a safety mechanism? But how did it get so cold so fast? And how did it know to get cold?” eric questioned himself. Something felt off, but he couldn't place his finger on it. His train of thought is interrupted by D’s familiar voice.
“Hey, kid.”
Eric turned to see D waving at him.
“You're back already?”
D nods. “I told them everything I knew, and he let me go.”
Eric was surprised. “you can’t usually take the cops in this town at their word.”
D chuckled. “They still can't. A few officers wanted to book me, but Silas stopped them.”
“I guess you have a new friend in a high place.”
“I wouldn't go that far, but we have an understanding.”
Eric and D talked for a while before going back to training. On the third to last day, eric successfully managed to get his 100-meter dash to 5 seconds, and Eric and Nathan spent the rest of the day on battle plans.
Nathan took out a whiteboard and began drawing. “This is you, and this is your opponent. His name is Beam. Creativity is not one of his strong suits, but combat is. What you need to do is the instant the battle starts, you are going to dash behind this pillar, then you are going to create as big of a dust cloud as you can so he can't see which direction you're coming from. Then you will throw a rock to get him to shoot his laser preemptively. Then you are going to run like a bat out of hell, and if it works, you are going to be behind him before he can do anything to stop you. His main weakness is that he can't see when he uses his power. So the moment he activates his power is your opportunity. Do you understand?”
Eric nods and repeats the plan.
Nathan smiles. “If anything goes wrong, don't worry; d and I will be in the stands.”
D nods. “We’ll get our snacks before the match starts.”
Eric is about to agree but stops. “Wait, is that why you weren't there last time? I thought it was a family emergency or something but fuckin snacks?”
D chuckles nervously. “Hey, would you look at that I've got to go to a doctor's appointment.” d hastily leaves.
Eric. “oh okay, see you later- Wait a fuckin second, aren't you immortal.”
Eric turned to look at D, but he was long gone.
Nathan starts inching towards the door. “I've got a class in less than an hour, and I need to get going.”
Nathan hurriedly leaves.
Eric sits in silence. “It's Sunday.”
Eric wakes up on the last day before the semi-final fight to the sound of a knock on his door. He opens expecting Nathan or D, or maybe if he was lucky, z. Instead, he sees a man who he has never met.
“Hello, my name is chuck Finley, and I am here on behalf of zeta media. We would like a moment of your time for an interview.”
The man speaking was short and skinny and spoke very politely.
Eric put on his most kind smile. “Of course, friend, I would be happy to give an interview.”
Nathan and D were sitting in a coffee shop about to go over what to do if eric is in danger when suddenly they saw a familiar face on the tv.
“It's good to have you on the show, eric.”
What Nathan and D saw next was unbelievable.
Eric was sitting on the television in a suit with a large smile on his face.
“Oh, the honor is all mine, chuck i’m thankful even to be considered, let alone invited.”
Since Nathan met eric nearly 15 years ago, he had always known him as arrogant, curt, and unsociable. It was one of the things that Nathan liked about eric. He told you exactly what he thought with no sugarcoating. This kid who had only ever spoken respectfully to his mother was now the picture of humility and respect. It sent a shiver up Nathan's spine. It felt wrong like he was looking at a four-dimensional object. Every moment he listened to eric speak felt like a disturbance in the force.
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D was equally unnerved.
The host spoke. “So tell me, eric, I don't mean to be rude, but what inspired you to become a gladiator despite not having powers.”
Eric smiled respectfully.
“I don't find the question rude at all. After all, I am the first unpowered person to compete. My reasons are simple. To show the world that unpowered humans and superhumans are equals. I grew up in the slums, and every day, I saw humans and superhumans speaking about each other as if they were mortal enemies. The humans were saying that all superhumans are evil, tyrannical despots, and the superhumans were saying that humans are a forgotten relic of a bygone era.
I have made friends with humans and superhumans and found little difference. They love the same, they laugh the same, and they grieve the same. I joined the colosseum to prove that humans and superhumans are the same.
My inspiration was my mother, who volunteered at a homeless shelter and treated humans and superhumans the same. Another inspiration was my teacher, Nathan, who, despite being a superhuman who could have gotten a high-paying job teaching at a superhuman school, chose to work at my school to help humans. Despite my frankly terrible grades and ridiculous dreams, he didn't give up on me. He stood by my side when my mother passed, and he's the closest thing I have to a father. My final inspiration is my friend and trainer, d. Without him, my dream would have been completely impossible. He trained me tirelessly and still does. I can say for certain that anyone who claims that humans and superhumans are different hasn't the slightest clue what they are talking about.”
The interviewer was on the verge of tears,s as were most of the people in the coffee shop.
The interviewer quickly collected himself. “What a beautiful speech, Mr. Mendoza. Can you tell us what you plan to do with the reward money if you should win?”
Eric blushed embarrassedly. “Well, it's a little embarrassing, but I was planning to build a new school where powered and unpowered kids could live and learn side by side.”
“Wouldn't you rather have a new home? You currently live in a one-bedroom apartment on the worst block in the city.” the man asked concernedly.
Eric laughed loudly and heartedly. “Something like that would be nice, but there are more important things. If me living in that apartment means that the next generations can grow up to be more understanding of each other, then that's fine.”
The interviewer was taken aback. “How noble. What do you think of your opponent, Beam?”
Eric's smile faded a little. “I did a little research into him and discovered that he is a member of “ubermensch,” an alt-right superhuman supremacist group, so I have just one thing to say to you, Mr. Beam. we will see just how “superior” you are tomorrow.”
Eric stood up and flexed for the camera, which caused his suit to rip.
“My apologies. They don't make many suits in my size.”
The interviewer looked toward the camera. “You heard it here, folks Primearch is calling Beam out! We will see how this plays out in the ring tomorrow.”
With that, the interview was over.
Nathan and D looked at each other.
D spoke. “I have been here since mankind was first tying sticks and stones together with bits of honeysuckle and nettles, and never in my 12,000 years have I heard such a crock of shit.”
Nathan nodded. “I work with delinquents professionally, and never have I heard somebody lie through their teeth so well.”
The owner kicked Nathan and d out of the coffee shop for “spreading lies about that hero on tv.”
Nathan and D quickly went to the colosseum to ask Eric what was happening.
They enter erics room and find him lying on his bed. Nathan speaks.
“What the hell was that interview? Since when could you lie so well?”
Eric fakes a look of offense. “I'm hurt you think I'm so dishonest. What makes you think I wasn't telling the truth?”
Nathan laughs. “You can't trick me. I know you have no soul.”
Eric chuckles. “True. I don't give a half ounce of deep-fried shit about human equality, but if I make people think I do, I can make myself seem like a big hero. And if everyone thinks I'm a hero, then they would be more than willing to believe me when I say.
“I am so sorry the prize money simply wasn't enough to build the school. I beg you, whatever money you can spare will help bring a brighter future.” the suckers won't even know I'm skimming off the top. Not to mention I plan on taking over the underground fighting scene, and using construction to launder money is a tried and true method. Don't worry. The school will be built. And so will a new homeless shelter, community center, and numerous outreach programs. I plan on using all of these to clean my blood money.” eric cackles loudly.
Nathan speaks. “that’s wrong, eric.”
Eric counters. “Is it, though? The things I'm building will genuinely help people. What does it matter that I'm laundering money if it means that thousands of people will get the help they need? Besides, that's just the beginning drugs, weapons, secrets, the whole fucking world will be in the palm of my hand, and they will thank me for it. I will sit on a throne of broken bodies, and the world will call me its savior. And I won't forget who helped me. I may have been dishonest in my interview, but the best lies come from a place of truth, and I consider both of you to be family.”
Nathan sat down. “Promise me one thing?”
Eric nodded. “Anything. Ask, and it's yours.”
Nathan looked eric in the eyes. “Never hurt an innocent person.”
Eric nodded. “Sure, but define innocent.”
Nathan sighed. “Somebody who is not a criminal or trying to kill you.”
Eric agreed. “I can agree to that. But does blackmail count as harming somebody?”
Nathan sighed deeply. “I will allow blackmail, but only if it's the only available option.”
They shake on it.
Eric looks to d. “And what about you?”
D smiles. “I have no request, just a statement. Should you stray too far from the path of humanity….”
D looks at eric with tears in his eyes but a completely unchanged facial expression.
“I will kill you myself. And I expect you to do the same for me.”
The room instantly changed. The bloodlust in the air became so palpable that eric physically could not breathe. He felt as if he was being gazed upon by a murderous god that wanted only his death. This feeling was worse than death. Eric had died many times, and never did it feel even as a hundredth as terrifying as this moment.
Suddenly it stopped. Eric quickly caught his breath. D wiped his tears and sighed.
“Do we have an understanding?”
Eric nodded. “I understand. I would expect nothing less.”
Nathan broke the tension. “We’ll see how superior you are in the ring.” Nathan imitated eric flexing. He quickly broke into laughter.
Eric blushed, embarrassed. “Look, I was trying to play a himbo, okay?”
D chuckled. “You succeeded. “He's the closest thing I have to a father.” I've seen better acting in porn.” d laughs.
Eric blushes harder.
“I'd like to see you do any better, Mr. “I was here when mankind was still young.” when the first superhuman was in 1922. Out here telling lies that can be disproven with a google search,”
D blushed. “It's not a lie! I'm Cain from the bible!”
Eric cackles. “If you're Cain, I'm Abraham Lincoln.”
Nathan cuts in. “ladies, ladies, you're both pretty.”
d looks at Nathan. “I know you're not talking “mind master.”
Nathan blushes, embarrassed. “You swore never to speak of that!”
Eric looks confused. “What's “mind master” about.”
Nathan looks at d with pleading eyes. “You can't tell him I'll never live it down.”
D looks at Nathan with cruelty in his eyes. “It was his old superhero name.”
Nathan looks at d with a betrayed expression.
“If you wanna take it there, how about I tell him about your first superhero name.”
“You wouldn't dare.”
Nathan looks at d mischievously. “Oh, I would D. or should I call you “Mr. never dies.”
Eric began cackling hard. “Fuckin mind master and Mr. Never dies.Glorious.”
Nathan looked at eric with chaos in his eyes. “You laugh hard for somebody that got suspended three times for having sex with another boy in school. The best part? He was caught pants down dick out in the janitor's closet.”
Eric replied quickly. “Says the dude who tried to ask my mom out and got shut down instantly.”
The war continued for several hours. By the end, they knew everything about each other.