The video stopped. Then a voice spoke. It was Jude, the older one. “What you’re about to see are memories from Jack himself. I only really say that because of something later. These are not my interpretations of things he’s told me.”

The video resumed but this time it was in a forest and a new voice began. It was Jack but his voice sounded gruffer and a bit lower pitch. The video followed the words he spoke:

When I was a kid, about three, I was on a trip with my parents when I went missing. We had gone somewhere I can’t remember because I was so damn young. But I must have fallen and slide into a portal and kept sliding out of another portal and landed in England. Unfortunately I didn’t get my powers otherwise I could’ve been a celebrity.

I was a dumb kid. I started walking round this strange place with no care in the world. Eventually the police found me and took me in. They looked for a missing person’s report but none ever came through. I was too young to understand that meant my parents had gotten stuck in the other world looking for me.

After a couple days they sent me to an orphanage. One of the police would visit me often. Not sure how long I spent in that place but eventually I got adopted, it was by the policeman who kept visiting me. He was and is I guess my dad.

He lived alone in a little house, two bedrooms. He told me when I was bit older and I asked why I didn’t have a mum, that his marriage had gone bad because his wife wanted kids and after years of trying he couldn’t. He was that word... In.... Incompetent? Yeah you know what I mean. But the more he told me about later on she seemed like a bit of bitch so I’m glad they split. He did always blame himself for the divorce so I stopped asking him about it.

Money was also a bit hard. He did own our house but his dad was a big gambler and when he died, dad got the debt. He knew it was coming though and he bought me a buncha clothes for the rest of my life, a pair of jeans and a couple t-shirts of all sizes. He made room for school uniforms but other than that we scraped by. I learned baseball because someone had been arrested with a bat and Dad was allowed to take it home once it was cleared from the evidence locker. I also probably didn’t help him because I struggled with English a lot in school, definitely was undiagnosed dyslexia, I still can’t spell certain words. I wasn’t stupid mind, I was quite good at the mathsy shit and computers.

When I was fifteen dad started dating Sandra. Sandra is great, her and dad really got on; it did also mean I got a little bro from Sandra’s dead husband. They married in 2022. But anyways she had a bit more money than him so we moved in with her and dad sold our house. He had to use most of the money he got from it to clear his debt but with the little he had left he took me out for a birthday meal on my sixteenth.

When we got home I had a gift sitting waiting for me. We didn’t really do gifts because of the money situation. He would get me toys and stuff. He once got a laptop from a raid and I was allowed to play a bunch of free games online. But here it was my first gift.

When I opened it I was almost in tears. If you asked me back then I would’ve told ya I didn’t but now I’m a bit more adultery I did cry a bit.

That’s why I had that reaction to my hoodie getting torn. It was proof that I had a piece of my dad with me even at Uni and I hoped that he would see me wearing the hoodie he got me and be proud.

-

The video cut back to Jude

“Thank you Jack. Now that we have context let’s get back to it.”

The video resumed from where it had been paused: Dylan had a smirk on his face looking at Jack. “Yes now we can fight properly.” Dylan held up his arm cannon and fired three bullets of energy at Jack in quick succession.

His head moved from side to side without his body moving. “Is that all you fucking have?” Jack mumbled.

Jack appeared in front of Dylan’s face. His whole body arched into a punch. “Grit your fucking teeth.” He unleashed a fierce punch downward bending Dylan’s metal back causing a loud creak.

He stayed strong though and even grabbed Jack by his collar. “I am done with you. I should be the ultimate lifeform, the next stage in human evolution.” Dylan ranted.

“How come you even look that ugly? Your mum bump uglies with a terminator?” Jack prodded.

“Oh you want to know? I was a genius, far smarter than your uncultured brain could even comprehend. I was gifted and then rewarded for my genius by my genetics. I went from your run of the mill computer genius to having the ability to interface directly with machines. No longer did I have to waste time ironing out inefficiencies in my code I could just think of what I wanted and code it. But when I got in a car crash because my stupid father I began to interface with the hospital equipment and some very observant scientists took me in as an assistant. We started to upgrade my lost limbs with far superior robotics. And thanks to my abilities I was able to create a machine learning algorithm that has been processing every move you’ve made and I guarantee you will no longer lay a hand on me.” As soon as Dylan’s monologue was over Jack spat the remaining blood that had pooled in his mouth onto the now very angry cyborg’s face.

“Fuck you.”

“Stop swearing you uncouth swine!” Dylan roared before slamming Jack into the ground.

“Gotcha” Jack smiled, throwing Dylan off and making him release his grip for a second. That single second of surprise allowed Jack to slip out and be stood up elsewhere in the arena. “Now who’s uncouth. I’m so couthed I was able to trick you.” Every word annoyed Dylan more.

“That’s not what that word means you uneducated worm!”

Dylan charged forward, his energy sword extended. Jack avoided the first hit, one which tore up the ground below, and went in for a punch of his own. However the robotics kicked in and blocked it. Then came the next attack which Jack had to bend backwards to avoid.

The final strike came down like a chop. Foot stepping forward to go into the strike. But suddenly Dylan’s body was collapsing one way. Due to not having pain sensors and having very little haptic feedback installed on joints it was impossible for Dylan to realise what had happened.

Jack had kicked out. Even when made of synthetic material and metal any humanlike leg could easily be broken by a lot of force around the knee, especially when it had weight resting on it.

“Your first issue was basing your machine learning algorithm on the human form. You still have to remain within the parameters of our body to work.” Jack bent down, stepping on Dylan’s arm and rolling it around to try and break some wires or connections for the energy sword.

“I DO NOT MAKE MISTAKES!” Dylan sounded even more robotic than before.

“Your second mistake was housing your processor unit. Your algorithm also helps you move I guess and if I had to guess more from what you said earlier you don’t have a separate processor you’re using your own brain. So as long as I overload the processor, your big shitty brain, your body will shut down.” Jack said. He stood up and removed his foot from the arm.

“Stand up. I’ll kill you in four hits.” He said holding up four fingers. “One for each shitty thing you’ve done to me.”

Dylan righted himself. His opponent had made a horrible move. He was going to win. Why would he let him back up. No matter as long as he could see him that meant he could win. But wait where was he?

Not a moment passed before a foot found it’s way into Dylan’s chin; force enough to send him into the air. Jack had sprung from the floor below “That’s for breaking my elbow.”

The second hit was a flying double kick into Dylan’s back. Usually a move reserved for exhibition or shows but Jack’s new power allowed for it to be used. “That’s for constantly insulting me.”

The next was a strong haymaker that caught Dylan on the volley as he fell to the ground. The force shattered his teeth and broke his cheek bones. “That’s for holding me and giving me your life’s story.”

Dylan was nearly on the floor. He knew the moment he landed his vision would go and he would wake up outside the ring. But Jack was not about to let that happen, he was ending it. Jack’s final plan banked on one thing. Dylan had lost his limbs which meant his torso was fine and human.

He was kicking. But this was no regular kick. It was like being the captain of a football team being given the game deciding penalty in the world cup final. This kick had to be perfect. The ball was in front of him. His form was perfect, slightly leaning back, leg swinging in. His speed was unmatched; the power it generated meant even if the keeper predicted it the ball would be too fast to reach him. With his whole nations hopes and dreams he was able to produce the perfect kick and where better to aim it? Than the crotch of the man you despised most at that moment.

Jack had slowed down time which meant the force had increased. He was a tough person but it didn’t mean he was immune to his own hits. The force from his kick shattered his femur, metatarsals, and dislocated his knee. Whilst obliterating Dylan’s testicles, crushing the pelvis, and even snapping all his ribs. The force of the kick sent Dylan flying out of the ring.

Like a football hitting the bottom corner. The euphoria he felt at the moment overweighed any pain he had. He let out a scream “Let’s go!” the whole arena cried out with him matching his energy.

Jack Lumber moved into the quarter finals.