Tanaka Nare, a.k.a The Blacksmith, was a hero on the verge of ascending to Superhero status.
With a rating of 46.3, he stood as South Africa's highest-ranked hero, and fourth overall in Africa. Only three individuals ranked higher: one from Cameroon, one from Egypt, and one from Nigeria.
But all of that was about to change.
He sat beside his father in a cramped, dimly lit room. The only light came from the flickering screen of an old television perched on a shaky stand. Dust danced in the stale air, swirling with every breath they took.
On screen, the Carlin Night Show aired live.
...
"Superhumans will be the death of us all," said Dr. Ryan Campbell, an aging man with weary eyes and thick glasses. His voice crackled through the speakers. "Especially these so-called superheroes. They are nothing more than wolves in sheep's clothing."
He was a metahumanologist, one of the most respected in his field.
"How's that so?" asked Kaitlyn Carlin, the polished host of the show. Her tone was laced with polite skepticism. "Haven't they saved us countless times? Haven't they kept the peace?"
"I'd like to know that myself," said a deep voice from the panel.
The camera panned to the man seated across from Dr. Campbell. He had sharp, regal features, white hair like fresh ash, and eyes the color of frozen steel.
That man was FIREPOWER.
The number one superhero in the world.
He was the man who'd ended civil wars in days, crushed terrorist networks with his bare hands, and stood alone on the frontlines where entire armies had fallen. He had conquered everything, the battlefield, the media, and the hearts of billions. He was the face of world peace, the hero of the century.
His name alone silenced nations.
And Tanaka was watching. Quietly. Thoughtfully.
His eyes didn't blink.
He wasn't just admiring Firepower.
He was aiming higher.
He wanted to replace him.
"He knows what I'm talking about. Everyone does." Dr. Ryan Campbell adjusted his glasses with a jab of his finger. "They save us? That's what you think? That's what the government has trained you to think."
His voice rose, laced with frustration.
"We've all seen the damage these so-called superheroes cause when they 'savetheday.' They destroy buildings. Wreck entire blocks. Our homes. Our cars. And civilians? They're always caught in the crossfire."
Firepower stiffened in his seat.
"Dr. Campbell," he said, his voice calm but tight. "I'm not here to defend myself, or what's already been done. I'm aware of the damage we cause. Most of it....yes...was collateral. Accidents."
He leaned forward, gaze hard.
"Buildings have been damaged, sure. Civilian lives have been lost. And it's tragic. But we're doing everything we can to minimize destruction. We've improved protocols, retrained teams, and rerouted battlefield engagement zones."
A pause.
"It's not perfect. But we're trying. And we're not the enemy."
"I'm afraid you are," said Dr. Ryan, almost rising from his seat. His voice trembled, not with fear, but conviction.
"I've studied your kind. All superhumans are abominations. Unstable. Unpredictable. The people don't see the real you. The government turns a blind eye. But one day, they'll wake up-too late, and find superhumans have already taken over the world."
He pointed a trembling finger across the stage.
"Don't act like we don't know. The superhero agencies? They've been fighting each other from the shadows for years."
Kaitlyn blinked, caught off guard.
"What are you talking about, Mr. Campbell?"
"Yes, please," said Firepower, his face calm and composed. "Enlighten us, Doctor."
There was sarcasm buried in his tone, just faint enough to be deniable.
Dr. Ryan's expression hardened.
"We know Horizon Heroes has been at war with Vanguard. Secret battles, covert strikes, silent assassinations. Superheroes killing each other in the dark."
He said it like it tasted rotten in his mouth.
Horizon Heroes. The most powerful superhero organization in the world. Firepower's agency. Vanguard was their main competition in America.
Firepower raised an eyebrow, slowly.
"What is he talking about?" Kaitlyn asked, now visibly unsettled.
"I don't know," Fire Power said flatly. "I don't know what he's talking about."
But Tanaka, still watching from that dim little room, knew one thing for sure:
Something about the way Fire Power said it... didn't feel right.
His father coughed, a dry rasp that broke the silence between them.
Tanaka turned to look up at him.
"The doctor knows something we don't," his father said, eyes still on the screen.
Tanaka shook his head. "No, Dad. We know hero agencies compete.....sure. But assassinations? That's conspiracy talk. Dr. Campbell's always been a crank."
His father grunted, low and skeptical. "If presidents can be corrupt… why not superheroes? They're not gods. They're not perfect. None of us are."
Tanaka didn't answer. He turned back to the screen.
"Don't be like them," his father said, his voice quieter now.
Tanaka didn't respond. He just kept watching. Pretending not to hear.
"It's all connected," Dr. Campbell said, voice steady but intense. "The deaths of prominent superheroes from both sides. The government knows....and they cover it up. Believe me, Firepower and Steelfist are at each other's throats. Those deaths? They weren't random. That's what the world needs to hear."
Steelfist.
Vanguard's top hero.
Ranked second in America. Eighth in the world. A juggernaut with a superhero rating of 88.0, just a hair below Firepower's dominant 94.5.
Everyone knew there was no love lost between them.
But accusing them of murder?
That was a leap.
"It's no secret Steelfist doesn't like me much, Doctor," Firepower said coolly, reclining in his seat. "But if we ever did fight? We'd book a ring and sell tickets. Nice and public."
The audience chuckled uneasily.
He wasn't done.
"And he knows better than to come after me... or my agency."
Dr. Campbell's eyebrow arched. "And if he did?"
Firepower's lips pulled into a slow, calculated smile.
"I'd burn his pretty face."
The air left the studio.
Dead silence.
Even Kaitlyn Carlin froze in her seat, eyes darting between the two men.
Then Dr. Campbell erupted, voice echoing across the room.
"See? That's exactly what I'm talking about! He just admitted to violence....on live television!"
"Oh, come on, Doctor," Firepower said, brushing imaginary lint off his sleeve. "What, you can't take a joke?"
That faint smile never left his face.
But to anyone watching closely...
It didn't quite reach his eyes.
"You don't joke about burning someone's face," the doctor snapped.
....
"Dr. Campbell is duck-brained," Tanaka muttered to his father.
His father grunted. "Your idol might just be two-faced."
....
On screen, Firepower tilted his head slightly.
"Seems like sarcasm isn't part of your vocabulary, Doctor?"
"Corruption is on the top of yours," Campbell shot back, rising from his seat.
"Mr. Campbell, please," Kaitlyn interjected, trying to regain control. "Can you sit...."
"No," the doctor snapped, ignoring her. "Right now, you're destroying the world from the shadows. Controlling governments. Playing god. And you think you're invincible."
"Well, I might be…" Firepower said with a slow grin. "Kidding."
A few awkward chuckles from the audience. Kaitlyn didn't laugh.
"It won't be long," Campbell said, voice rising, "until the public finally sees you for what you are."
Firepower leaned forward, eyes locked. "And what am I?"
"A corrupt, manipulative, murdering superhuman," the doctor hissed, "who thinks he rules the world."
Firepower's voice dropped to a deadly calm.
"I'm not on top of the world, Campbell."
"Oh, but you are, Gabriel."
A silence fell like a blade.
Firepower froze. His jaw clenched. His eyes didn't blink. The name hung in the air like poison.
Gabriel.
No one had called him that in years.
He'd buried that name. Buried the man who once wore it.
He wasn't Gabriel anymore.
He was Firepower.
The strongest man alive.
And yet, for just a second, he looked very, very human.
A low rumble crept into the silence, so faint at first it could have been a truck outside. But then it deepened, growing louder, heavier, until the walls themselves began to hum.
Kaitlyn paused mid-sentence. Dr. Campbell stiffened, confusion washing over his face.
The cameras shook slightly.
Then the whole studio began to tremble.
The rumbling intensified,deep, unrelenting, like something massive moving beneath the earth.
"What the hell is going on?" Tanaka asked, leaning forward.
"An earthquake?" his father said, brow furrowed.
Tanaka shook his head. "No... no, it's not. Earthquakes don't sound like that. Could be an attack."
...
Back on screen, the ceiling lights swayed violently. Dust rained from overhead as cracks began webbing across the plaster. A sharp snap rang out, and chunks of the ceiling came crashing down onto the studio floor.
The crowd erupted.
Screams. Chairs scraping. A stampede for the exits.
Kaitlyn stood, eyes wide, clutching her earpiece.
Dr. Campbell backed away from the stage, shouting something, his words lost in the noise.
Firepower, by contrast, hadn't moved. He sat perfectly still in his chair, like the eye of the storm. Calm. Watching.
Then came a different sound.
A deep thud from below the stage, dull, hollow, unnatural.
It echoed.
Followed by another.
Then another.
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM.
The floor panels near the edge of the set bulged upward. Lights flickered. One of the backstage walls buckled, groaning.
"Something's breaching from underneath," Tanaka said, his pulse quickening. "This isn't random."
"Who would attack live TV?" his father whispered.
"Someone sending a message," Tanaka replied grimly.
.....
Then it happened.
A blast.
The studio exploded in a ball of fire and smoke. The screen turned white, then black.
The transmission died.
Silence filled the tiny room.
Tanaka and his father stared at the now-blank screen, the faint sound of static hissing from the speakers.
The last thing Tanaka had seen was Firepower's face.
Still calm.
Like he had known it was coming.