The Making of a Champion
Part 2
By
Scott "RaZrEsHaT" Hall

Jerry looked down at the note in his hand. The thought of helping someone like Killowatt bothered him, but there was no other way to help his father.

The money needed to pay for the experimental cancer treatment was far more than he could hope to gather any other way. Sure, the people at work and in the community would help all they could, but he knew that it would never be enough.

Déjà vu crept in on Jerry as he stared in the dark at his front door. He knew that if Carol had waited up there would be a fight, and if she hadn't, then it was simply postponed till the morning.
Jerry slid through the front door and looked around the dark house. Carol had gone to bed and he was relieved. He knew he had to tell her, but he was not sure how. At least this way, he had the rest of the night to figure it out.

Restlessly he slept on the couch and before long a cold stair woke him. Looking up from his prone position, Jerry was not surprised to find Carol staring down at him.

Without saying a word, she quickly began to work the wedding ring off of her left ring finger. Jerry knew that she meant to throw it at him in a dramatic act of ending their marriage. Wishing to show her that what she was assuming was far from the truth, Jerry jumped up and scanned the room.

Not having time to think, he grabbed the old radiator off of the floor behind him. The old fashioned heating element was used to keep houses like theirs warm in winters past, but the advent of centralized heating and air had made such a device useless. Many houses still had them simply because of the pain of their removal, but with his massive strength, it was easy for Jerry to simply rip the metal construct from the floor and wall. Holding chest high, Jerry turned to face Carol.

Carol sat dumbfounded as she watched he husband not only tear the cast iron radiator out of the floor, but then turn and crumple it into a metal ball in front of her. She did not know what to make of what her eyes were showing her, and her mouth sat open in shock.

"This is what I have been doing," Jerry quickly explained, "nothing more." He placed the balled up radiator on the floor and walked over to his shocked wife. He helped her to take a seat on the couch and then pulled a chair close to her for himself.

"Wha…what did you just do?" She finally found the ability to question.

"Carol, I am a…well, I guess the term is a mutant." Carol turned and looked Jerry in the eyes.

"You're a mutant?"

"It appears so. I have been spending the evenings lately working out what exactly I can do and how dangerous it is. I didn't want to burden you with this until I knew what we were dealing with."

"So there is no other woman?"

"Sweetie! How could there be another woman!" Carol immediately jumped up and began to smack Jerry on the sides of his massive shoulders.

"How could you let me even begin to think that you were cheating on me?!"

"Sorry, it's not like there is a Dr. Phil episode on how to tell your spouse that you have superhuman abilities!" The shock set back in on Carol and she immediately stopped her assault. Taking her seat again, she refocused and looked Jerry in the eyes.

"So what can you do?"

"Well, so far I seem to be very very strong, very very hard to hurt, and able to fly…"

"You can fly!" Carol interrupted with child like excitement.

********************

The oppressive gloom of the hospital surrounded Jerry. He had walked into the hospital elated at having told Carol about his abilities and not having her suspicious anymore, however that elation was quickly deflating under the pressure of the task ahead of him.

The nurse's station confirmed that Floyd was indeed in his room and that he could have visitors. Jerry walked through the cold sterile hallway and through the door to his father's room.

"Jerry!" His mother remarked when she say him come through the door. "How nice, I expected that you would be at work!"

"Barry gave me the day off."

"That was nice of him."

"Yeah, how are you doing?" His father was asleep and it was reassuring to see him so peaceful.

"I could use a chance to run home and freshen up," his mother revealed. He knew that she must really need a break. His mother had fought the hospital about being able to stay the night in Floyd's room and won. Jerry was constantly amazed at the strength of his mother.

"Go ahead; I will be here as long as it takes." Barbara quickly packed a bag that she had brought with her and headed out the door.

"I will be back before you know it." Barbara closed the hospital room's door as quietly as she could never-the-less Floyd woke up moments afterward.

"Dad, mom went to get cleaned up," Jerry reassured, "she needed a break."

"I told her that she doesn't need to stay here day and night, but I guess that was a waste of breath." Floyd knew his wife too well to expect her to actually think of her own comfort at a time like this.

"Look dad, there is something I need to talk with you about before she gets back." A serious tone overshadowed Jerry's voice.

"Go ahead." Floyd stared into his son's eyes showing the power of his full attention.

"Dad, there is an experimental treatment that could save you," Jerry began nervously, "but since it isn't FDA approved, our insurance won't cover it and it cost a lot of money. Money we don't have."

"I know," Floyd revealed, "Dr. Stephens explained the situation to me after talking with you yesterday. I know that you would get me that treatment if you had the money. Don't worry about it son."

"But what if I could get the money?"

"What do you mean? How?" Excitement lined the voice of the elder Danielson.

"First I need to tell you something."

"What?" Floyd warily questioned. "What is going on son?"

"Dad, have you heard any of the stories of people with amazing abilities?" Jerry began equally cautious. Walking over to the room's door, he turned the lock and moved back to the end of the bed. "Dad, I am a mutant. I have superhuman abilities."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Floyd was having a hard time understanding what his only son was talking about. "You're not making any sense!"

"Dad, I can do things that other humans can't. Amazing things!"

"Maybe I should call the nurse. You sound like you need some time in the hospital too, just a different wing."

"Look!" Jerry grabbed the I.V. stand for the vacant bed that shared the room. Holding the metal poll up in front of him with both hands, Jerry quickly and easily twisted it into several pretzel shapes. Pausing slightly to show his father, he then compressed the metal into a ball shape. "Now I guess we are both crazy."

"Oh my god!" Floyd quietly gasped. "How is that possible?"

"I don't know dad, but I am not the only one. There are others with abilities as amazing as mine, but different."

"Amazing…just amazing."

"That's just it dad," Jerry responded, "with all this power there is nothing I can do for you, until last night. The procedure that Dr. Stephens mentioned costs $750,000 to $1 million, and last night I got an offer that could bring in that much. I could get the money to get you the treatment that will save your life!" A skeptical look descended upon Floyd's face.

"Doing what?"

Jerry paused temporarily as he thought of the best way to explain Killowatt's offer.
"I can take the money we need. What does it matter as long as no one gets hurt?"

"It matters a lot. I did not raise you to be a criminal, no matter what the costs are otherwise."

"But you will die!" Jerry suddenly felt frustrated, his father was going to die and this was the only chance to get him the help that could save him.

"I know son. We all die, sooner or later, but the difference is how we lived. I can't let you become something that you are not, just to give me a few more years."

"But…" Jerry was cut off by his father before he could respond any further. It was like being a kid all over again.

"But nothing! You said there were others. That is an important point to remember son. You are very special, but you are also not unique. You have great abilities, but so will others. Being one of the first, you have a unique burden to set the example. If you choose to use your abilities for your own gain, as noble as saving my life might seem, then those that follow you will most likely use their abilities similarly." Floyd paused to let his statements sink in; he could see the wind coming out of Jerry's sails.

"That's fine if you don't care so much for your own life, but what about mom? She has had to live through this once already and now she has to go through it again. What about what she would want?'

"I know this is tough son, but some things are wrong no matter what the consequences."

"Who decides which is which? Who?" Jerry felt himself getting frustrated with the man he so desperately wanted to help.

"There is no easy answer Jerome! But if what you say is true about there being others, then this city will need a champion to protect it from them, to set the example for others to follow."

"I love you for your idealism dad, but I don't know if that is something I can do." Jerry walked out of the room unsure of what his future held. Killowatt and Velocity expected him to meet them that night at the address on the paper.

********************

Jerry's landing outside the front of the Hunt Chicago National Bank could only be considered graceful when considered to his past failures. Getting up off of the pavement, looked through the glass doors and walls that made up the lobby of the thirty story building. The only sign that something was amiss was the hat of a security guard sitting upside-down in the middle of the lobby floor.

The lobby doors remained locked, so Jerry calmly grabbed the right side door with one hand and placed the palm of his left hand on the left door. Pulling with his right and pushing with his left, he felt the metal deadbolt in the door break off. Shimming the door back and forth, he eventually felt the solid piece of metal fall back inside the lock and the doors opened freely.

Walking through the entryway to the building's lobby, Jerry remembered his mask. He pulled out an old ski mask and quickly pulled it down over his head. He wasn't sure if the security cameras were still operational, but he did not want to take any chances. As he quietly walked across the lobby a sound echoed from somewhere to his left.

The ground floor of the building was divided into several parts. The entry way had a large lobby with easy access to the elevators as well as open flow to a café and a bank office. The noise came from the direction of the bank office. Jerry quickly but quietly walked his way toward the bank. Jumping the teller line, he continued down a small but wide hallway toward what he could only imagine would be the vault. As he arrived at the medium size room that sat outside the vault itself, he could see that Killowatt and Velocity had been hard at work.

"What is the code for the vault?" Killowatt demanded from a man who, from his dress, was part of the guard force. The semi-limp man hung from the grip of Velocity. Killowatt screamed into his face repeatedly and then turned in disgust when no answer came. "Again."

Velocity kept the man aloft with one hand and his other hand became a blur as it swept back and forth. The limp guard's head snapped back and forth as Velocity's hand whipped across his face repeatedly. Within seconds the man had been hit dozens of times.

"You can put that guy down," Jerry announced as he entered the room.

"Excellent!" Killowatt motioned to Velocity indicating that the limp security guard was of no more use. Velocity casually tossed the man's body several feet and against a wall.

"Nowwecangetintothevault!" Velocity's excitement was obvious despite the extreme speed of his speech.

Jerry walked between the fellow mutants and made his way to the vault door. Although the door stood several feet taller than he and was made of steel, Jerry was sure that he could tear it from the wall. Placing his hands on the sides of the massive door, he tested its strength and confirmed his initial assumption about its durability.

"Let's go there muscles," Killowatt instructed, "get that vault door off and we can all get rich."

Jerry paused in place and thought about the money inside. He thought about the pending loss of his father and the slim chance that the experimental treatment in Colorado that could save his life, then he realized that all those concerns were more about him than his father. Jerry realized that he was afraid of the loosing his father's wisdom and guidance. When his father was gone, Jerry would be the oldest in his family, there would be no one to look up to: no one to act as his guide and mentor. Jerry thought back to his father's wisdom about the very situation that he was in.

"We're not doing this." He knew without looking that the pair had shock in their eyes. "I will not help you steal this money."

"Big mistake asshole," was all Jerry heard from Killowatt to his rear.

Turning to face the pair of thieves, Jerry felt a sharp crack on his chin and his head snapped back. When he brought his head back to level, he could see Velocity off to his right holding his hand and shaking it with pain.

"Use the nucks you jackass!" Killowatt instructed. Velocity stuffed his hands into the pockets of his light leather jacket. His fists re-emerged sporting a set of brass knuckles on each hand. Jerry braced himself for another attack.

Sharp pain accompanied each crack across his face and Jerry's vision was beginning to blur. He could see a blur to his front that he was sure was Velocity, but every time he swung, his arm went right through the shimmering image.

The blurry image sharpened off to his left and Jerry could see Velocity stop momentarily. The brass knuckles on his hands were mis-shapened and dented from the repeated impacts on his jaw. Velocity shook his hands and the grimace on his face showed that he had felt the impacts too. The image of Velocity blurred again and Jerry prepared for a renewal of the onslaught.

The same second that Velocity became blurring again, Jerry threw not one punch but two. His second fist went to a spot that he assumed someone would dodge to if avoiding the first punch. As his right fist shot out, he felt a hard thump on his forearm and could see a blurry figure spin into the wall to his right. Velocity smashed into the wall and immediately crashed to the floor. A large hole marked where his body had hit the sturdy wall at frightening speed. The hyper mutant laid on the ground and did not get up.

"Now what?" Jerry addressed Killowatt with disdain. "Your lackey failed, feel up to it yourself?"

"You know, I have never fought another mutant before. I mean except Velocity here, but we were never really going at it that hard. I am rather looking forward to cutting loose and seeing what kind of damage I can do." The grim enthusiasm in Killowatt's voice filled Jerry with a sense of dread.

Jerry sprang forward throwing a thunderous right punch that would smash a hole through solid steel. Killowatt merely stepped back and to the side so that the blow fell several inches short. Coming in from the side, Killowatt's counterblow caught Jerry along the jaw. A sharp spark of electricity accompanied the pure force of the blow and propelled him across the room.

Killowatt stood across the room with both his hands balled into fists at his side. Light blue sparks spun and danced around his fists as the blonde haired mutant bore holes into Jerry's chest with his eyes.

"That felt good! How about some more?" Killowatt broke into a sprint across the room with his electric cloaked hands raised to his front. Jerry slowly began to get to his feet measuring the distance to his quickly closing adversary. Just as Killowatt got within several feet, Jerry sprang up and partially landed an uppercut.

Killowatt flew through the air and tore a long gash through the ceiling before crashing into the room's far wall and onto the ground. A water pipe as well as several wires for ceiling lights hung out of the hole in the roof. Water sprayed out and quickly began to form a puddle on the ground all while sparks leapt from a severed wire. Slowly Killowatt began to find his feet. Rising to a standing position, the mutant thief began to walk across the room. Jerry watched with anticipation as his enemy reached the puddle and stop.

Jerry quickly sprinted across the room. The puddle in the room was becoming large enough for his steps to cause splashing as he ran. Several feet before he would be close enough to land a punch, Killowatt quickly kneeled and placed his hand into the puddle. A flash of light temporarily blinded Jerry and he found himself immobilized as his body shook. A painful tingling sensation covered his entire body and metallic taste crept into the back of his mouth. Several seconds later the tingling stopped.

Doubled over, Jerry could see what appeared to be smoke rising off of his body. A slight odor of burnt hair permeated the air.

"Now that was a rush!" Killowatt announced as he walked forward toward the wires hanging out of the ceiling. "Time for a recharge." Grabbing the exposed wires, he touched the sparking wire with his thumb. The other lights in the building began to dim and Killowatt purred with pleasure. "Now that is tasty!"

Letting go of the wire, Killowatt brought his gaze back onto Jerry and again balled his fists at his sides. This time the electricity not only danced around his fists, but it sparked in large arcs creating an aura around each fist throwing min-bolts to nearby objects as he passed.

Before Jerry could make a move Killowatt was upon him. The electrified hands of the mutant grabbed him by the shoulders and pure pain shot through Jerry. In fear for his life, Jerry turned and slowly tried to bring his hands up. The tremors shooting through his body made the task difficult; however Jerry knew that if he didn't break the electrified hold he would most likely die. Once his hands were chest high, Jerry shoved outwardly and felt the painful shocks quickly cease.

As his vision cleared up, Jerry noticed that Killowatt was now between him and the vault door: the whole reason that the man had brought him into the situation. A thought occurred to Jerry in that moment.

"If he wanted the vault door so bad, why not give it to him?" Jerry sprang forward and launched into flight. Quickly his shoulders closed on the villainous mutant and Jerry could see in his eyes that Killowatt had not prepared for such an attack. Jerry continued to accelerate even as his shoulders smashed into his enemy's midsection. Propelling them forward with all his might, Jerry closed in on the vault door. Pain shot through his body as Killowatt attempted to shock his way out of his disadvantaged position, but Jerry would not give way.

Together the mutants impacted violently on the vault door. Both men flew off in different directions. Jerry quickly looked back to find Killowatt. The electrifying mutant landed on his feet and stared in Jerry's direction. Then, with no change to his facial expressions, Killowatt fell to his knees and then to his face.

Regaining his own feet, Jerry walked over to the prone combatant. Killowatt was indeed unconscious, but not dead.

********************

Nearly twenty minutes went by before the first officer came through the door. Jerry made sure that his ski mask was back in place well before, but he was still concerned about being identified even as the officers streamed into the room with weapons raised.

The officers of the Indianapolis Special Crimes Division flooded into the room with rifles more akin to the military than a city police department. The 4 men in the room all rested the aim of their rifles on the one mutant still standing.

"Down the floor! Place your hands interlaced on the back of your head!"
Jerry did as the officers ordered and in short order he could feel a pair of hand cuffs being placed on his wrists. The officer behind him grunted as he hauled Jerry to his feet.

"God this guy is heavier than he looks!" The officer made a move to pull off the ski mask and Jerry quickly spun away.

"Move just one more time and you are a dead man!" A voice off to Jerry's left announced.

"I can't let you take off my mask."

"Not a lot you can do about it buddy."

"Really?" With the slightest of effort, Jerry snapped the chain between the cuffs. Bringing his hands out in front of him, slowly he backed up and made sure he had all 4 officers to his front. Before the situation could spiral any further, a voice boomed in from the hallway.

"What is going on in there? I thought you had that room secure?"

"Sir, the conscious subject just broke the handcuffs and we are currently in a standoff!"

"Coming in!" The voice from the hallway announced. A black man who appeared distinctively older than the rest moved through the entrance to the room with grace and poise. "Now what is the problem in here?"

"I am not the criminal here," Jerry announced.

"Doesn't look like that to me son. You're the one with the ski mask on," the older officer returned.

"I'm wearing this to protect my identity. These two criminals were trying to break into the vault and I stopped them."

"Break into the vault? But there is no equipment here. How did you three manage to cause all this damage? The room is trashed!" Jerry paused momentarily knowing that the only way to make the room make sense was to say something that the officer was not ready to hear.

"Because the three of us are mutants," Jerry revealed, "and you had better restrain those two before they regain consciousness because I am not sure I can stop them again." Jerry felt exhausted and sore all over from his battle with the other two. "I have no quarrel with you, in fact I am on your side, but I need to protect my identity for my family's sake."

"Ok, add crazy to the list too," one of the younger officers remarked sarcastically. In response Jerry held both his hands out and grabbed the handcuff on his left wrist with his right hand. Twisting slowly, the metal of the cuff buckled and broke. Jerry repeated the move with the other cuff and quickly held the pair of cuffs in his hand. Making eye contact with the officers to ensure that they were paying attention, Jerry then proceeded to mash the cuffs with his hands and worked them into something resembling a ball. Tossing the cuffs to the floor in between himself and the senior officer, Jerry addressed the man.

"Not a lot you can really do about me leaving. I just wanted to let you know who I was and what had happened here."

"Uh…." The senior officer seemed to be in some form of shock momentarily. "What?"

"These two are mutant criminals," Jerry announced as he pointed at the bodies of Velocity and Killowatt, "they attacked the security guards here and were attempting to gain access to the vault when I stopped them. This one," Jerry pointed at Velocity, "can move at tremendous speeds, and the other one is stronger than normal and can use electricity. Now you need to take them into custody before they come to." Jerry paused to let what he just said sink it. "I am leaving."

Slowly Jerry walked past the officers and into the lobby. Nearly twenty other officers moved about the lobby and all reacted suddenly to Jerry's emergence from the hallway. Weapons came to bare on Jerry, but he continued to walk toward the door he had come in by.

"Put down your weapons!" A voice announced from behind Jerry. A quick glanced confirmed that it was the older officer from the vault room. As Jerry walked the man moved to his side. "So what am I supposed to call you when I have to explain this to my superiors?" Thinking about the words that his father had spoken to guide him, Jerry answered the officer.

"Tell them that the city has a new champion who stopped these thieves today. An example of how mutant abilities can be used for good."

"Yeah, but what do I call you?" Jerry was not sure how to answer the man. "How about Champion? I could call you that." Jerry liked the sound of it.

 

The first clumps of dirt to hit the casket where tossed by Jerry. True to his strength, Jerry's dad had lasted eight months, two more than the six that they doctors had given him. It had been a hard time for the family and Jerry was very tired from balancing work, his father's illness, and fighting crime in the city.

Renewed purpose filled Jerry. Days before the funeral news had broke of an attack in San Francisco. A mutant terrorist group known as Ground Zero had created mayhem during a battle in downtown San Fran and had actually been opposed by another mutant. Jerry finally felt certain that his purpose was to protect Indianapolis, his city.

Around him friends and family all mourned as they took turns tossing a handful of dirt onto the casket. Jerry thought about the treatment in Colorado, just as he had everyday for the last eight months and wondered how things might have been different. But he knew that he could not have done anything differently; this was who he was as it was who his father was and that was the only way it could be.