Saya still couldn't fathom what she was doing wrong.
Saya jumped on the beast, hoping to startle it, and then wrapped her hands around his neck. "Hey, asshole! Pay attention here!" She snapped. "Grrrrrrr..." Nemesis responded, not stopping.
"Alright." Saya stopped. "I'll show you who's queen around here."
She began to get to work, as the beast fell to his knees, howling in pain.
"Stars...STAAAAAARS!" He shouted, as if a cry for mercy. Saya felt a smile form in the corners of her lips. It felt good to be back.
"Cole!"
That was the last thing Cole Phelps remembered before being hit by a wave. He still felt dazed, but for someone who was almost killed in a sewer, he was doing just fine. His beige suit wasn't even tarnished, and his hat was still on his head.
He checked for his belongings, still having his wallet, his badge, a flashlight and his pistol, and so he got to his feet. The flashlight came in handy for illuminating the dark forest.
He didn't have to travel far to see the first body.
The girl was lying unconscious on the ground, sprawled out and with a knife in her right hand. Cole was experienced enough to know what to do, walking over to the girl to inspect her. He checked her pulse, and was relieved to hear a faint beating, indicating that she would probably live. Cole wasn't a forensic scientist, but he had picked up more than a few notes from those he interacted with on a daily basis, and so he could tell some things about the girl by looking at her.
She was quite tall, not as tall as Cole, but still tall for someone as skinny as her. She didn't appear to be anorexic, but it was more than likely a genetic trait, or heightened metabolism.
Her dress sense seemed to indicate she was young, with her light brown hair tied into pigtails. She wore red shoes with shin high black socks, a purple pleated skirt and a pink turtleneck jumper with a small black and white check design going across the chest.
Cole would have guessed early to mid teens at most, which made it all the better she hadn't died. Cole had seen a lot of people the same age who weren't so lucky in his time.
"Hey. Are you okay?" He asked, trying to wake her up.
She wasn't responding. Perhaps she was choking? No, she was breathing just fine. Cole saw no blood, evidence that she hadn't been stabbed or shot. There was blood on the knife though.
Cole decided to inspect the blade, standing over the body and reaching for the hand that held the knife. He had to pull quite hard to get it out of her grip, but he got it.
"Just a standard kitchen knife." Cole muttered. "Maybe she ran away from home?"
But before he could continue his investigation, he was interrupted.
"Hey!" The voice shouted, accompanied by the sound of a gun cocking. Cole was about to reason with him, but he realized how bad he looked, standing over the body of a motionles girl while holding a bloody knife.
"Drop the knife." The voice ordered. Cole had his back turned to the man speaking to him. He wanted to turn around and see what the man looked like, but he made it clear that he had a gun he would not hesitate to use.
"Booker, maybe this is a misunderstanding." Another voice suggested. This time, it was a woman. "I'm not taking chances, Elizabeth. Things aren't looking too good for our friend here." Booker remarked, coming closer to Cole. "Drop the knife." He ordered. Cole went along with him, not wanting to appear like a derranged maniac.
"L.A.P.D. Sir, Phelps, Badge #1247." Cole gave Booker his details. "A cop, huh? I guess you're one of the guys Comstock surrounds himself with." Cole raised an eyebrow. "Who?" Booker sighed. "I'm not in the mood for games. You tell me what you know, hand over your weapons, and move along, maybe I'll let you live."
As the conversation went on, Cole began to dislike Booker more and more. "Threatening an officer?" Cole reminded him. "That's not gonna go down well with anybody." Booker took one more step. "Your jurdistiction ain't valid here."
Cole waited. All it took was one more step...
Cole wheeled around and disarmed Booker with one punch, then tackled him to the ground. Elizabeth quickly ran over and grabbed the gun, trying to shoot Cole.
Booker reached for his skyhook and revved it up, getting ready to kill Cole. "Are you out of your mind?!" Cole demanded. "I should ask you the same thing!" Booker spat, aiming for Cole's head. Fortunately, Cole got his arm up to block Booker, and was successful in holding him back. But in doing so, they created an 'X' Shape, green light blinding the two of them, and taking them, as well as Elizabeth, away from the forest.
Richtofen had the Kronorium in his hands, wandering through the human village in Gensokyo. Normally it would have looked out of place for something the Kronorium to be out in broad daylight, but here, he was probably the most normal looking person out of everyone.
The rest of the Elite were off doing their own things. Reimu was attending to the shrine, Marisa was doing God knows what, Tank was somewhere in Gensokyo, where Richtofen couldn't bother him, Jago and Orchid had found a place to spar, Glacius was told about an ice fairy, so he decided to go off and fight her, Balrog said he had work to do and Green Heart had disappeared elsewhere. She said she would be back, as did the rest of the Elite, though there were a few who hung back at the shrine, like TJ, Alan and Hisako. Balrog called it the retirement home before he left.
Richtofen was thrown a curveball though. A new world where everything he worked for no longer carried any weight. Not only had he lost the Summoning Key, but also two key devices needed to defeat the Shadowman, and his primary method of transportation.
Although, to be fair, it wasn't exactly a curveball he had been thrown. Richtofen had a hand in throwing the curveball, for the greater good, of course. Still, he hadn't intended for everythig to go like this. Though looking back on it, he wasn't sure how he intended it to go.
The crew arrived at the factory. Der Riese. "Is everyone alright?" Tank asked. "Ugh..." Nikolai groaned. "I feel sick." He turned aside to throw up. "A mere side effect of 115 exposure, Nikolai." Richtofen reassured him. "You will develop resistance over time."
"Whatever. So what now?" Dempsey asked. "Now, we take the teleportation device. We need not only to calibrate it but to sufficiently power it, so we may begin our chronological adventure." Richtofen explained. "We need it to gather the necessary components to locate the Summoning Key."
"In English, please." Dempsey responded. "That summoner thingamajig is lost after our last battle. We need to get to the moon base, find the Shadowman, find out where that thing is, and then we can kill him off for good? Makes sense?" Monty asked.
"Moon base? Hang on, no. That doesn't-" "Well too bad! We've got company now!" With that, he waved the crew goodbye, and disappeared.
"You mind telling me what the hell's going on?!" Dempsey demanded, turning to Richtofen. "It is hard to explain." He answered. "But if you must know, we have to save the world again, this time through different means."
At least it was a good place to start. The Giant, or Der Riese as it was officially known, was a WW2 factory in West Germany which served as the base of operations for Group 935 during the war years, which naturally meant that plenty of sinister activities were afoot during its heyday. Nowadays, it was still recognizable, with Group 935's logo and swastikas being easy to find, even amidst the snow.
There was more to the facility than that. Behind them, the familiar and welcome sight of the Pack-a-Punch machine as they knew it was shut off by a large steel door. Richtofen understood what needed to be done, as did the other three. Three teleporters needed to be linked to the mainframe, opening the door. It was their only hope of getting the mainframe active so they could stop the Shadowman. The first teleporter was to the left of the main courtyard. You had to pass through a lab to get to it. The second one was to their right. You had to pass through some testing facilities, go up the stairs, cross a bridge and arrive at the location where Group 935 carried out most of their chemical engineering. That was where the Perk-a-Colas originally came from , according to Richtofen. The third one was in front of them, past another courtyard and into the main testing facility of Group 935, where the majority of their experiments were carried out.
"You know what we must do, ja?" Richtofen asked the other three. "It is the same as the last time." Takeo nodded. "We have no time to lose." He pointed out. "The Shadowman is likely aware of our plans by now, and will do everything in his power to stop us." Tank seemed sceptical. "Why not just zap the main tower with your staff?" He asked. "The staff's power is too great." Richtofen explained. "A blast of that magnitude would fry the circuits, und leave us with no chance of survival." That seemed to do it for Tank. "So we're gonna need the Wonderwaffle." He realized. "Wunderwaffe." Richtofen corrected him. "It should be in the box, ready for us to find."
"I still am not convinced." Nikolai muttered. "But if it is for better tomorrow, then I will fight until my last breath."
"One last thing. Use the staffs sparingly. We will have later need for them."
"Fair enough. But if we're getting swarmed, which I have every reason to believe we are, I'm not sparing any ammo." Dempsey said, checking his guns.
He then fired a shot through the skull of a lone shambling corpse at the foot of the stairs. "Still works. Come on, Doc, we don't have much time."
Yticorpicer fo yaw yb emoc seiticorta ym lla
The undead began to pour through the windows, out of labs and into the courtyard, with the four making their way towards Teleporter A. There was an obvious trap set up in the doorway which would supposedly turn on at the flick of a switch and electrocute the zombies, but there was no electricity.
All my atrocities come by way of reciprocity
"There's still no power?!" Dempsey seemed exasperated. "Of everything that asswipe could have done!" He grumbled, firing his upgraded MG08 into the oncoming hordes. "We know where the power switch is." Nikolai reminded him, firing the Ray Gun in front of the crew.
I'm chewing the bones of my own reprieve
Tank reached the power switch first, on the other side of a generator where the Mystery Box happened to be, with a disembodied hand gripped on it. Flicking it, the Giant came to life just like that. The teleporters switched on, the Perk-a-Cola machines started to sing, bridges and barriers came down, and the traps were ready to use. "Swarming, look out!" He yelled to the others.
Death be my dignity
Richtofen had him covered, turning on the electric trap underneath the bridge. The bolts flew down to hit the ground as the undead were unable to piece together that they were walking to their death. Nikolai went for the Mystery Box, watching as it cycled through its usual range of weapons before landing on an SMG, and his favourite at that. Nikolai picked up the weapon and opened fire on the hordes, making sure no one stopped Takeo as he made his way towards Teleporter 3.
Execute hemlock philosophy
Nikolai stood inside the teleporter, having retrieved his trusty PPSh-41, the true best Russian gun ever made, being joined by Takeo and Richtofen as they awaited Dempsey's initiation of the link to the mainframe, allowing them to teleport around the facility.
Poison fills the cup of the carpenter
Dempsey ran towards the mainframe, with zombies dropping down from above on both sides, having to skilfully slash them to keep his path free.
No
Love lost on me
Dempsey finally got to the mainframe, kicking a zombie so he fell over and tripped up his buddies.
More
Life so costly
He slammed a button, causing the link to occur. The other three felt themselves teleport to the mainframe, as a golden ammo cannister appeared by the fence.
No reason
For grieving
Dogs. Hellhounds, to be more precise, had taken the place of regular zombies. Faster and less powerful, they too replenished the crew's ammunition supplies once they were all dead.
No
Love lost on me
Takeo made his way to Teleporter 1, past all the failed experiments of Group 935 which had resulted in the destruction of society. It didn't take long for him to make it to the teleporter, or to see the Mystery Box sitting in front of it. Takeo went for one spin, before the box landed on a set of futuristic looking spikes. The Ragnarok DG-4. Takeo grabbed the spikes as an oncoming horde was tripping over itself to get to him, and slammed them into the ground, launching them sky high. Takeo smirked at his work before moving on to the teleporter.
More
Life so costly
Richtofen was just equipping his very favourite Bowie Knife when he heard the link being initiated. "That's our cue!" Tank grabbed him and Nikolai lead the way, using the Ray Gun to blow the legs off every zombie in the vicinity.
Bring me down with
Seven point six two at high velocity
As the teleporter was activated, the group knew what they needed to do. Takeo and Richtofen ran for Teleporter 2, in the chemical testing area, hoping to complete the link.
I can see them everywhere, they're
All around me they're
Waiting for me
Takeo cut up another of the undead, seeing the Mystery Box just outside the teleporter room. He went for it again, picking up some Cymbal Monkeys.
Descending, unrelenting
"Where the hell are they?!" Tank demanded, throwing another grenade into the hordes. But then, the zombies abandoned them, running off in the direction of Richtofen and Takeo.
Beauty of annihilation
Richtofen already had an MG42 from his first spin, and now he had a chance for one more spin as Takeo threw the last Cymbal Monkey. Time seemed to slow down as the box continued on its routine cycle, with Richtofen knowing it had to be this time. He was right, as the box presented him with a large gun made of wires and electricity, the Wunderwaffe DG-2.
Your curiosity
Richtofen gave a demonstration of its effects, firing one shot at a nearby fleshbag and watching as the electricity chained the undead together to turn one shot into over thirty kills.
Feeding off my animosity
Richtofen got into the Teleporter with Takeo and activated it, leaving the two back at the mainframe, with another ammo drop appearing across the courtyard.
And reason
Takeo went to get it while Nikolai and Dempsey covered him, leaving Richtofen to the machine. Linking all three teleporters had given him access to the Pack-a-Punch machine, allowing him to upgrade his weapons.
Is treason
Richtofen placed his Wunderwaffe into the Pack-a-Punch machine, giving it a golden camouflage. He then placed his MG42 in there, giving it a red and chrome coat.
Down with all that's good and clean
Richtofen used his new weapons to zap and decimate anything in his path, while Nikolai went to the machine.
And you can't fucking annihilate me
Nikolai placed the PPSh inside, giving it the same red and chrome design as the MG42.
Bring you down with
Seven point nine two and no impunity
What followed next was an onslaught of gunfire into the legions that hoped to slow them down.
I can see them everywhere, they're
All around me
They're waiting for me
Descending, unrelenting
Beauty of annihilation
"It is not slowing down!" Takeo yelled over the roaring guns.
Death so beautiful
"We do not have much time, Richtofen! Use the teleporter!" Nikolai ordered.
Looks so beautiful
"I need more time!" Richtofen countered.
Death so beautiful
"We're gonna have to keep killing then, won't we?!" Tank shouted, reloading the MG.
Looks so beautiful on me
The sounds of screaming and bullets flying everywhere was nothing more than background noise to the four.
Richtofen knew more than the rest, that their work was for the greater good. Takeo was in agreement with him, although Tank was aprehensive about working with him.
Nikolai, on the other hand, couldn't stand him. Richtofen could see that as his upgraded PPSh tore through skull after skull, that Nikolai didn't agree with his plans at all. But he held out. He still had hope. An undying spirit that showed in everything he was passionate about. Regardless of whether or not Richtofen (or the other two) agreed with it, they still respected him.
Someday, Richtofen would win his trust. On that day, the Shadowman would have no chance against him.
But now they needed to get the hell out of here.
I can see them everywhere
Now that everyone was capable of defending themselves, Richtofen set about the next step, calibrating the teleporter.
I can see them everywhere I go
But as for the other three, things were starting to get out of hand. Richtofen decided to hang back and use his MG to help slow down the flow of undead.
I can see them everywhere, they're
Takeo took out his Ragnarok and slammed the ground with them again, clearing up a huge chunk of the population.
All around me
Nikolai blew off the legs of another zombie, hoping to cause a pile up in the middle of the courtyard.
They're waiting for me
Tank had already thrown all his fragmentation grenades, only slowing the masses down for seconds before he had to keep firing.
I can see them everywhere
Richtofen's nerves were starting to go as he realized how little time he was being afforded, rushing to the controls of the teleporter to calibrate it.
I can see them everywhere I go
"What are you waiting for, Richtofen?!" Dempsey yelled over gunfire. Richtofen fumbled his way through the procedure, barely getting the first step done right, before trying to move on.
I can see them everywhere they're
Then he was tackled to the ground by a stray zombie the other three missed, his heart skipping a beast as some fleshy saliva landed on the back of his neck, inches away from certain death. Richtofen quickly turned him around and pushed him off, shooting him through the head with his Mauser.
All around me they're
"We do not have much time!" Nikolai warned as he stopped another zombie from getting to Richtofen. "Of course, I will be finished soon!"
"Better be, or we're all finished!" Tank shot back.
Waiting for me
Richtofen was sweating profusely as he went through the third step, all the possibilities of failure going through his brain at once, each one appearing more like a reality than the last.
Descending, unrelenting
Richtofen finally steadied himself, switch here, press three times, enter access code, press in this order, and...done.
Beauty of annihilation
Takeo had already burned through another magazine by the time Richtofen was finished calibrating the teleporter, though it didn't mean there were no more, or that they were even slowing down.
Looks like your prophet was mistaken
"We're being overwhelmed!" Nikolai shouted back as he kicked another zombie back down the stairs.
Is life really gone or just been wasted
"Hurry, Richtofen!" Dempsey yelled over the roar of machine gun fire, as zombies started to climb up from the sides.
Death. so. close. that. I. can. taste it.
"NOW!" Richtofen yelled, shooting the tower with the Wunderwaffe, causing the circuits to go crazy. The other three shot at the undead, just before the crew were blasted through space and time, thankfully away from the overrun facility.
Nikolai was the first to notice the new location. "A jungle?"
"It is a pleasant change of scenery." Takeo admitted. "Although, I cannot see the peace lasting long. We must be wary of the Shadowman."
"The Focusing Stone will be here." Richtofen explained. "We have a little time before the Shadowman finds us."
"You have a lot of explaining to do, German." Nikolai threatened. "I agree." Tank backed him up. "Mind telling us what's going on?"
"Of course." Richtofen nodded. "I will explain in due time."
Then, that was when Richtofen-
"Eh?!" Richtofen noticed the Kronorium was gone. "But I could have sworn-no, I did have it right now..." He scratched his head. Perhaps he left it at the shrine? Maybe.
As Richtofen made his way back to the shrine, the ordinary magician, Marisa Kirisame, breathed a sigh of relief. "That was easy." She muttered. "Good thing he was so wrapped up in whatever he was doing. Maybe now I'll find out if this book has the answer to everything.
Work was tough. When you're as violent as Balrog though, you need that kind of job to keep you occupied. Wasn't like he was going to get a job anywhere else.
The job became tougher when he got assigned to take out someone who was even more of a masochist than he was, especially when they took pleasure in it.
Balrog swung at his target again. A Korean woman, with her hair tied back in a weird fashion, like horns on the back of her head.
She also wore a purple and pink catsuit with a black shirt underneath, as well as a black eyepatch over her left eye with magenta designs, though she wasn't missing the eye.
Juri Han was her name, a Taekwondo prodigy, with her already impressive...bah! What the hell did that matter?! All that mattered was that Balrog got the job done.
"Are you trying to miss me?" Juri taunted, kicking Balrog in the head. "Big words comin' from you!" Balrog grunted, launching a Screw Smash uppercut to power through the kick.
Juri jumped out of the way of the punch, leaving Balrog off balance, allowing Juri to come down on his back with a kick that sent him crashing into the ground.
As Balrog turned over to get up, Juri managed to pin him down, getting her legs on Balrog's arms and getting ready to KO him with a series of hard punches.
She bent down, coming face to face with Balrog. He hated that smile she had. It was this creepy sadistic smile that when you see it, you run the other way. As it drew closer though, Balrog got other ideas.
"Guess I'll save-" Juri fell backwards after the surprise headbutt from Balrog, allowing him to get to his feet. It was enough to draw blood and stagger her, but she was still able to resume a fighting stance.
Balrog had the edge though, performing a Violent Buffalo punch combo, setting things up for the finishing blow.
"You won't hear the full ten count!" Balrog yelled, charging up his punch. "Why don't you go to hell?!" He launched the punch, making a solid connection with Juri's gut, enough to seriously wound her, and more imporatantly, wipe that fucking smile off her face.
She was coughing up blood, trying to get to her feet and activate the Feng Shui Engine within her, which Balrog had seen before, and wasn't letting happen.
He quickly grabbed her by the neck and forced her against a nearby wall. Juri coughed up more blood, this time onto his boxing gloves. Good thing they were red. "Damn...what did I do to get Bison to send someone like you after me?" She asked sarcastically, trying to lighten the mood, coughing up a bit more. Noticing that her nose was bleeding too, she licked the stain, moaning in pleasure. Balrog punched her in the side of the head for that before answering.
"I don't get paid to ask questions. Guess he just can't tolerate you." Balrog grunted, conpletely oblivious to the sarcasm. "I don't blame him." Juri then started to smile. Not just any smile, but her smile. The one she got when violence was involved. Balrog took note.
"What the hell's so funny?" He pressed. "I've been watching your boss. If I were you, I'd be looking to get my ass away from here ASAP. He's hired some new goons."
"That didn't stop you before. Usually it made you more happy to destroy whatever he worked on." Balrog countered. "Eh," Juri shrugged "Times change, y'know? I mean, your kid is gone, for a st-" Juri stopped as Balrog tightened his grip on he neck.
He eventually released though, wanting to know what the hell she was talking about. "Let's stay on topic here. Otherwise I'll just finish what I came here to do." He warned. "I'd like to see you try." Juri taunted, before Balrog shot her a dirty look that said 'I mean it.'
"That fucker's got some help. I don't know what kind, but he's using it pretty well. You know him, he's got a lot of people who'd like him not breathing, and he returns the feeling. Now that he's got his help, he's going to-"
"Clean up the streets." Balrog finished the sentence. "Get rid of everyone else." Juri started to laugh. "...Wanna know the best part?" She teased.
Balrog didn't say anything, but she couldn't contain it.
"You're next." Balrog raised an eyebrow. "The hell's that supposed to mean?!" He demanded. "He's got a long list. You must have done something he can't tolerate."
Balrog paused. He didn't care much for Shadaloo, or what they were doing. He just carried out menial tasks for them, and they paid him. But he did know his boss wasn't a forgiving person. He had already sold himself off twice now, and the vicious M. Bison wasn't one to make the same mistake twice.
Juri capitalized on Balrog's lapse in concentration and activated the Feng Shui Engine, then she gave him a strong kick to the gut, sending the boxer crashing through the nearest brick wall.
"See ya in hell!" She laughed as she took off, much faster than the Crazy Buffalo could possibly have hoped to go. "Ngh!" Balrog grunted, picking himself up, frustrated by the escape of his target.
He had a short time to think. Bison had obviously found out about his deal with drill lady. But what did that mean?
"My my. You're thinking. I never imagined I would see that."
Balrog turned around to see his most loathed colleague behind him. He was bare chested, wearing yellow and blue pants held up by a red belt. He also wore a white mask over his face, and a glove on his left hand which sported a long metal claw. He had long blond hair which was braided too.
Vega. "What the hell's it to you?!" Balrog demanded, slightly irked by what Juri had said.
Vega simply shook his head, as if offended by the question. "I was going to tell you that we are on a 'killing spree' if you will."
"Killing spree?"
"But of course! Lord Bison is exacting his revenge on all those who wronged him in the past!"
Another voice chimed. Balrog turned around, mentally dreading the appearance of the man behind the voice. He was a comically beanpole-like man, with a large rimmed hat and shades which concealed his identity. He wore purple robes which appeared to be part of a traditional Chinese garment.
F.A.N.G., or for those who were in a hurry, Fang. Balrog hated him. He was a slimy little shit, a suck up to Bison, and his name was weird. 'Fang', right? No, it was pronounced 'Fong'. What the hell?
"Alright, who's he got so far?" Balrog asked. "Sagat, Killer Bee, Rose, Guile, Nash and Rashid. But there is still more to come." Vega answered. Balrog clenched his fists, ready to lash out at any attackers. "The usual suspects. Ryu, Ken Masters, Chun-Li, Viper, there was another too, who I cannot remember, and then...there was one more I know..."
Balrog was ready for a fight, tensing up his arms. "...I think it was Dhalsim." Balrog loosened up, relieved that he didn't have to fight them after Juri, but he was sill cautious. It wasn't like Vega or Fang needed any motivation to kill him already, but with the new help...no idea what any of it meant, but when your life is at risk, you've gotta try to survive, I guess.
At the same time though, how likely was it that Juri was telling the truth?
Not very likely, was it?
Author's Note
So there's a lot to get to here.
I recently rewatched/read Saya no Uta, and Christ, what an experience. Stuff like that is why we need to build a big wall around Japan. (JK, naturally.) But I like Saya for giving me the excuse to do horrible things to people. (I mean this in the best way possible, not everyone's going to be turned into food by the end.)
I wanted to have more here, with Cole and Booker, as well as Saya and Nemesis, and to introduce Team Fortress. (Another day, I guess :P)
I since bought The Giant for Black Ops III, and I got feels out of it. Really brings me back, y'know? Too bad Richtofen can't hold onto the Kronorium. What's Marisa going to do with it? Only time will tell.
Finally, Street Fighter. After Balrog, Juri's probably my favourite Street Fighter (except for M. Bison) and she'll probably show up again some time. As for M. Bison, he won't be appearing. Only SF characters I plan to have in this fic are the ones in the scene above. Vega and F.A.N.G. are a mixed bunch. I like F.A.N.G. a little more because he's pretty crazy, and I harbour some bad feelings for Vega because I spent hours trying to beat him in SFII. He's pretty cool too though.
Also, I feel I should bring this up, but TJ Combo in this fanfic is 52 years old. Why? I'll explain, don't worry, but I can guarantee you he isn't 30 years old like the KI Wikia claims. There's some ambiguity as to what age he is exactly, but I'll lay out my reasoning now.
First recorded age we have is 12. That's when he gets kicked out of boxing for the first time. He drops out of high school (at about 16), and tries to join the military, ends up moving to Chicago and getting a job at a boxing gym. Five years pass (21) and he develops as a boxer, and gains notoriety.
Five more years pass (26) and TJ wins the heavyweight title, begins a downward spiral thanks to all the fame going to his head. He loses the belt after three years (29) and is left without money, a wife, and is completely out of shape.
Ultratech give him metal arms, and within six months he wins back the title, then holds it for 20 years. (49)
TJ then violates his contract, and Ultratech expose him for it, causing him to be stripped of his title.
He soon sets his life right, and buys a small gym with his remaining funds, and begins to build it up. (I then assume 3 years pass, allowing TJ time to settle down, bringing him to 52.) Then Jago approaches him about joining the Night Guard, KI 2013 happens.
So there you have it, I just thought I'd put that out there, because I will be addressing this in later chapters.
