"God, Robbie annoys me."

He was twirling a Splenda packet between his fingers. He wasn't going to use it, he didn't use fake anything, but it was there. Easy to reach.

Chris and his former coach and current mentor Bruce Kehn were sitting in a booth at Maggie's Cafe in Indian Rocks, Florida, just a short drive over the Sand Key Bridge.

They were supposed to have the best breakfast in Pinellas County. Nice setting, older place but quaint. Right on the water. They could have sat on the open air porch, but in mid August the AC feels better than the ocean breeze does.

Chris and Bruce each have an ice water with lemon in front of them, but Bruce has a coffee also. The old man needed several cups a day to stay upright, or so he says.

"You have made that abundantly clear in your last two promos, Chris. I think the entire world knows he annoys you."

Oh Bruce, always a straight shooter. No punches with this guy. The benefits of being 60 plus, he guessed.

But in a moment of emotion, not even looing up from the Splenda packet dancing between his fingers, he said three words he almost had to choke out.

"But he's good."

Bruce looked at him with a curious look, his eyes poking holes.

"He is damn good, and I know it."

Bruce nods as the cute server walks over, taking a pen out of her apron and clicking it. Cute girl, probably a student at near by Eckerd College. Her nametag read "Michelle." Her tits were big, but looked real. Her body wasn't really visible behind the apron.

"You fellas ready to order?" She had a southern accent, Chris guessed either inland Florida or somewhere in Georgia.

Both men were ready to order, but they both wanted to use their human nature a bit longer. No super hero shit needed, regular, basic, needs.......

Human needs.....

"I'll take a grapefruit juice, pulp in. And more heart attack juice for the old man." She giggled. "I'll get those for you, sir." As she walked away both men looked at her ass. Jean shorts. Impeccable legs

"Bourbon is going to take you to the limit and back", Bruce said, "he is going to push you like never before."

Chris knew he was right. He hated when Bruce was right. But it wasn't like he has never been pushed before. He accepted this. Wanted this. Needed this.

He needed to know he still had it.

Michelle came back over with their drinks. "Ya'll decide on some food?"

"How are your waffles?" Chris asked. He knew damn well how the waffles were, he was just making small talk.

"Best on the beach," she said with a smile. They were, too. Better than Waffle House.

That's an accomplishment.

"You got chocolate chip?"

"Sure do."

"Good....I've spent the last 10 months eating blue waffles."

Straight face.

Bruce spit his coffee out, trying not to laugh. Michelle looked at him before smiling. "Well, I assure you, sir, our waffles are tan." She giggled. Stupid comeback.

He wanted to ask what color hers was, but that is too aggressive.

Not yet.

"And for you?" Bruce was still shaking his head over the waffle comment.

"Western Omelet, please." She smiled and collected the fresh re-folded menus.

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

"What?"

"You don't make dirty vagina jokes to a pretty girl like that. Probably traumatized the poor thing."

Chris snorted a little. "Pssht."

"Have you gone soft in your old age, old man?"

He shook his head again.

"I'm human. It's human nature. Bourbon is out here trying to take down a killer and pouring gasoline on children.......and I am the bad guy?"

Bruce took the sugar packet from Chris and ripped it with his teeth, pouring it into his coffee.

"On the real, though, I am glad you came to meet me. I thought you were done with me."

"I'm not done with you, Chris, I just needed to step away. I didn't want to watch you implode."

"Too late, old man. I'm a fucking neutron star. The blow up has happened. I flipped out on Jenny, I am not going for the tag titles, OR the King of the Ring, I can't seem to get a win versus the XWF's resident truck driver, and now I have the deck stacked once again as I have to face arguably the toughest non-king on this roster for a shot at a title that I technically never lost."

Bruce shook his head. He had been doing a lot of that this morning. Michelle set the drinks down with a smile.

"The Chris I knew loved adversity."

"I still love it, Bruce, but there is so fucking much of it. Piled on top like a goddamn landfill. I am not a superhero, I am a human, and there is a breaking point."

Michelle walked by again, he stared at the ass and legs again.

"I am not perfect."

"Nobody is."

Chris then began to look around the restaurant. It was surprisingly busy for 8:30 am. Then again, it was good food in a good setting. Reasonably priced. Why the hell wouldn't it be?

He noticed everyone is up earlier in warm weather places. Nobody sleeps in in Florida. He always wondered why--with this humidity you'd think it would wear people out.

Guess people are more super than even he thought.

Michelle could be seen leaving the kitchen with two plates in her hand. No other table had just two people at it, so this had to be theirs. Why it mattered, he didn't know. She was pleasant, he guessed. A nice girl. Apparently, though, her shift was almost over, or she was going on break, something, as she had her nametag off.

Setting her food down on the table with another Southern Hospitality smile, Chris couldn't help himself.

"Going somewhere?"

She looked at him as if she was confused. Good old public school education in the south.

"Your nametag, its off."

"Ohhhh hehehe" she laughed, "I am going to have a cigarette and then maybe going home. I don't feel so good and I came into help out with the breakfast rush, but I am off today. It has died down now, luckily."

Yeah, luckily for her. Chris liked people around, liked people to recognize him.

Bruce and Chris ate. Michelle was talking on the phone to someone in the corner booth. Boyfriend? Bummer.

The waffles were actually better than he remembered them, and Bruce seemed to be enjoying his omelet. The sound of forks clicking and the faint sound of human molars crunching down on sustenance could be heard with the occasional slurp of a breakfast beverage. It was quiet otherwise.

When they finished, they left the cash on the table, including a rather large tip. Larger than it needed to be.

Michelle had already went outside. When Chris and Bruce got outside they saw a car, running, sitting in the parking lot. It was facing the restaruant. Seeing inside the car was difficult due to heavy, jet black tint, but based on what Chris could see there were two heads in the car. They were watching Michelle walk to her car.

A man got out of the blue BMW. Passenger seat. He walked slowly behind the oblivious girl, who was still on her phone. The mans pace increased. Chris told Bruce to get the car. He took off behind the two.

When Chris got to within about 40 yards of the two, the man ran at her, tackling her from behind. Michelle hit the deck with and "ooof". Her knees and palms scraped the cement. Blood could be seen. The man took her purse and phone, kicking her once before running. The blue BMW was also now gone, he assumed around the corner.

Chris chased the man down, grabbing him by the back of the shirt and whipping him into the window of a nearby store. The man dropped Michelle's items. He picked the man up by the front of the shirt and fired a few shots into his face, bloodying him easily. The BMW pulled up, Chris threw him onto the hood. The other man got out, wielding a gun.

"Shoot me", Chris said. "Do it."

The man hesitated. He was only a human after all, with a soul.

"Do it, I want you to do it. Kill me." The man hesitated again.

"DO IT! FUCKING SHOOT ME" Chris stepped towards the man who grabbed his buddy, threw him in the car and they sped off.

"Damn shame" Chris said.

Walking over the Michelle, who was getting up, he handed her her things.

"Oh my god, thank you! I don't know how to repay you."

"No need."

"You truly are a hero."

"I'm no hero."

"You're my hero."

"Not yet."

Her face now got weird as a concerned look passed over her face.

He helped her up. "I am going to show you the real heros."

He inched her towards the car, she resisted. Bruce opened the door.

"Get in."

"Ummm......I don't know you."

"You will."

"I just want to go."

"You don't have a choice in the matter. Look as it as a citizens arrest."

"But I haven't done anything wrong."

He signaled towards the door.

"Get in the car, Michelle."

She looked at him as a fear crossed her face.

Panic.

Terror.

"Now."

Her sheet shuffled off the cement and onto the pavement.