Titan and Victory Play Date
Summer 2021, Week 2
Thursday evening
Garnet Park, Victoria Field
DeAndre Walker
Fucking....move....you piece of......steel! Sweat poured down his face as his fingers throbbed with pain. Right in front of his feet was a steel I-beam that was stubbornly refusing to move another time. This would be his 16th repetition, a new record for him, and damnit he was going to get it. With a roar, his straightened his bent legs and stood, the beam rising off the ground as gravity tried to tear it from his grip. Quick breaths, a bit of focus--and ignoring the pain--he bent his legs and jerked the beam up across his chest. One more, one more, one fucking more. Roaring into the night he stood and pressed the beam slowly into the sky, arms trembling and ready to give out. But it rose. Damnit it fucking rose into the sky. A hard laugh of triumph slipped from his lips as he gave it a press forward and stepped back as the beam fell back onto the dirt covered ground. "Fuck you, beam." He rested with his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath and feeling the wave of muscle fatigue wash over him. The beam was around 400lbs if google was anything to go by. The thought made him smile. His old max was just over 200lbs a few weeks ago, granted a good deal of that was likely his piss poor form. Doubling that through his nightly workouts though, it showed that hard work was paying off for him. I'm getting stronger. Stronger to help more people. "Impressive." A voice called out from the shadows. The hair on his arm shot to attention and Andre stood up and looked around, the tiredness washed away from a new course of adrenaline pumping through his system. From a shadowy corner maybe 50 feet away, a tall man in a decently nice suit stepped out. The suit seemed out of place on him, reminding Andre of his own feelings about the outfits. He had long blonde hair combed back and a very eccentric mustache. Sort of looks like that movie actor. "What's impressive? Wait, I'm sorry, before that, who the hell are you?" Andre shot back, trying to balance his tone back to calm, and failing. "Consider me an interested party in your development, Victory." The man spoke with authority, but not...well not like the mayor. It wasn't a tone that sounded like he put it on to tell people he was in charge. It was a tone that seemed to naturally convey that despite what he wanted he was in charge. "As for my name, I have to say I'm a little hurt. Figured most people would recognize me, but I guess without the costume that's too much to ask. I'm Titan. And I'm here to have a little chat with you."Titan
Stepping fully out of the shadows and into the dirt clearing that surrounded the young man, Titan tugged at the tie around his neck to loosen it. "That was what, 15 reps at roughly 400? Not bad for a strongman just starting out." The Evo was....tall. Standing at what must be 6'7 or 6'8. Muscles that didn't seem to move clear through the suit, and piercing eyes that sparkled with the promise of safety for those who were good and danger for those who weren't.DeAndre Walker
Shaking himself out of the daze of both having someone walking out of a shadowy corner like some drama show and that person being the actual Titan himself, Andre stood a bit straighter. "It was 16, actually, sir." Andre wasn't sure why he felt the need to correct the man who literally used to be a poster on his wall. Pride, most likely. Or because I earned that last rep damnit! But he did. "And...strongman? I've never heard that before."Titan
Unbuttoning his jacket, he folded it and swung it over his shoulders before undoing the cuffs on his shirt. "Term of art in the government sector. It means any enhanced with a focus on strength. Or any Evo that falls into that vein. I'm a strongman, you're a strongman. We're...strong men. Get it?" A smirk appeared on the Evos face, and somewhere in the world the wind whispered a groan at the dad level joke tossed in nonchalantly. "Is that the best you can do right now?" There wasn't any chiding in the question, just honest curiosity.DeAndre Walker
Even hearing that the tone wasn't meant to be a jab, Andre felt his heart fall. "I keep getting more every time I try, but for right now yeah. It's...it's difficult." 400 pounds was an amount to be proud of...for a human. For him though, what could he really accomplish struggling at that amount.Titan
"Believe me, I know it. People think it’s easy for guys like us. Lift heavy things, get stronger. But that's not all that it takes. Our strength isn't just our muscles, scientist have confirmed that already. It's our bones, tendons, hell our skin, all getting stronger and harder in order to lift weights well above what the human body can normally deal with. You put a normal person under 500 pounds, and something breaks. We have to have our bodies change in order to not only take 500 pounds of pressure but move it with our own exertion. It's not an easy task, and not a quick thing to train up." Titan had walked over to the beam and bent down, picking it up with one hand and lifting it into the air without any pause in his movements or show of exertion. "Add to that, the objects themselves. See here, it's bent under my fingers because my grip needed to move the beam with one hand is stronger than the material itself. It's a hard task, and it takes a lot of trial and error." He gave the beam a few swings before setting it back down, seemingly satisfied with both his demonstration and lecture.DeAndre Walker
Holy shit. He picked the beam up like it was a broom handle. How...how strong is he? "How do I get to that level? I mean, I'm doing what I'm doing but it’s--well..." Andre stopped and thought on what the hero had said. "It's...slow. Muscles adapt quickly, at least compared to the rest of the body. I remember someone telling me at the station that he had bone aches for weeks when he started lifting because 'the bones had to harden' to deal with the weight. It took time. But once they had, the pain stopped."Titan
A small smirk was all that responded to him for a moment, before a short nod came from the man. "Exactly. Look, Victory, you're just getting started. And hitting 400 pounds after what, a few weeks, it's good. And once the rest of your body catches up, you'll hit 800, and then more. But it takes time. That's the struggle with guys like us, our bodies are the limit. But where others train only one power, we get these nice secondaries." With that, the man flicked him in the chest. That flick then proceeded to send Andre flying 20 feet across the ground before he hit it with a thud.DeAndre Walker
So this is what it’s like to--wait a minute, no! That was a flick, so why the hell does it hurt so bad! And it did hurt. The impact with the ground less so, but the pain in the center of his chest was throbbing. Sitting up and then floating to his feet, his words came out before his brain could consider the potential avenue of not shouting at America's strongest Evo. "And what in the fuck was that for!?"Titan
"I'm sorry, but practical demonstrations are sort of my thing." The behemoth of a man walked over with far more grace than a giant his size should have. It was almost like he flowed across the ground. "That would have shattered the rib in a normal human. For you, I imagine it'll just be a bruise. That's what I'm talking about. Your body is getting stronger in more than just what you can lift. You'll be able to hit and get hit, and that's what I wanted to talk to you about, Victory."DeAndre Walker
Rubbing his chest, Andre supposed he'd let the irritation go. Not like holding onto it would do me any good. "Sir, Andre is fine. Victory is just the name the mayor gave--"Titan
"No." The sternness in Titan's voice cut Andre off and the younger man snapped his mouth closed. "Andre Walker is a fine young man. He was a firefighter, probably always smiling and helping old ladies across the street. Shopped at the grocery store, went to dinner with friends. A normal guy. You are not just him anymore. You are Victory. And right not that might not mean much. Hell, it might not ever mean that much. But there is the possibility that the name will mean the world to people in the future. 'Victory is here. Victory will save us. Victory will stop them.' Victory cannot be a normal guy. He has to be above normal in every way. His smile, his wave, his words, and most importantly his actions." Setting a large hand on Andre's shoulder, Titan looked down--a new experience for Andre--at the young man. "Do you understand what I'm saying? You are two things, a strongman and Victory. As Victory you have to do all the things I said. And as a strongman, you have to be able to hit, and get hit, and keep coming. I've looked at your team, and it's a good one to start with. I've also looked at some of the guys you have to face soon. Add into that fires, disasters, those sorts of things. Your team is powerful, but it's you who has to be their shield. Because you're the only one with the powers so far to be able to take that unstoppable hit and not instantly die. That's what a strongman is, for his team, and his city. A shield." "And a giant hammer to fuck some guys up when the situation calls for it." He added with a smirk.DeAndre Walker
The weight of Titan's words hit Andre harder than the flick--this will leave a bruise--"That's...that's so much." He practically whispered, but the man was close enough to hear it. Still though, he just looked at Andre and let him speak. "I...I don't know if I--" Could he really rise to that level? Looking up into Titan's eyes, the world seemed to slow down. Would the country’s most powerful Evo really be here if he couldn't? Or was he here to tell him he'd never be able? Because I can, and because someone has to. He had to. Sloane, Isaac, Luna, they needed someone who could keep them safe. Who could fly them out if things got bad, or hell keep Isaac from killing himself chasing after maniacs. And they were there for him. That's right, he had a team. So maybe he couldn't be everything Victory should be right now. He had a group of people to help him get there. He wasn't alone in all this. Resolve hardening, he spoke clearly. "I'll do my best."Titan
A broad smile broke the man's features. "Now that's what I like to hear! Good!" A slap on the man's back and Titan took a few steps away and turned. "So then, let's get started." The confused look on Andre's face let Titan know he should elaborate a bit. "Oh, yes, the third thing I'm here for. I came in for the night to talk to Mayor Sims about what your little Headquarters might need. Then I decided to test what the resident strongman could do with a friendly bout." Raising his fists, that broad smile still on his face, Titan asked with faux innocence. "Are you ready?"DeAndre Walker
What followed was less of a bout and more of a 101 ways Andre could get his ass beat by someone on the level of Titan. No, no that wasn't fair. Considering he wasn't dead, Titan must have been using a fraction of his strength. At some point he recalled Titan saying, 'I think about 10% will do.' Which had served to piss Andre off. That had served to have him thrown into a pile of steam beams about 100 feet away. When the ground game didn't work, he took to the sky, knowing Titan couldn't fly. The miscalculation came from the fact that Titan could one, jump very very very fucking high, and two, because of his strength he could jump at the speeds which made it hard to react to. In fact, most of Titan's movements were hard to follow at first. There were times when Andre felt like things were getting clearer, but those would phase in and out. The other problem came when Titan would throw things at Andre when he was in the air. Despite his best efforts, he wasn't able to lift a 400lbs beam while flying, so he'd usually drop like a rock into Titan's waiting grip, before being thrown again. The fist-to-fist bouts resulted in a lot of air being smashed out of him, and all in all it was just not the best time of his life. After forever--it felt like forever--Titan called it.Titan
"Well, there's a lot you need to work on. But not bad for a first time. I think you have some potential, Victory." The hero was fixing his barely wrinkled shirt and putting his jacket back on. The man wasn't even breathing heavy! "I believe you'll be coming into your secondaries soon at this rate. Senses and Endurance I think, I could tell you saw a few of my punches. Not like it did much good, but progress none the less!" Andre continued to gasp for air as he hurt all over, but he managed to give a shaky thumbs up and Titan bellowed a laugh. "Take a cold bath and rest tomorrow, you'll live. Maybe. But I have to run. Before I go, I want you to remember what I said, okay? Hit and get hit and be the Victory people will need. Most of all though, remember this. It's not about how many times you get knocked down, it’s about always standing back up." Grabbing the man's shoulder, he lifted him into a standing position. "We always have to stand back up. Got it?" A weak nod was all Andre could manage. Titan smiled again and took his hand, shaking it firmly. "Best of luck then, kiddo. I'll be cheering you on." With a look around, Titan seemingly saw what he was searching for and jumped--fucking jumped--into the night air.DeAndre Walker
As Andre watched the figure fade away into the night, all he could think was pain, all I know is pain. Before he floated into the sky and limped back to his house.
Type
Record, Historical
Medium
Digital Recording, Text
Authoring Date
July 1, 2021
Authors
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