The Mayor's Been Shot! .. Or, Well, Sort Of.

[Lex Luthor]

It was another bright beautiful day in Metropolis. The sun hadn’t began to set yet but it was certainly thinking about it as the clock approached six pm. The birds flew through the air over the beautiful Centennial Park. Centennial Park was an interesting place. During the day time it could be the most beautiful attraction in Metropolis. However, once the sun went down there were grown men who wouldn’t be foolish enough to venture through the park. And if those grown men did suddenly get an overdose of courage there was a very good chance that they’d be found and reported to the coroners office in the morning. Today Centennial Park was bustling… Not just because it was a major tourist attraction but because Lex Luthor was hosting a major Press conference about a joint venture between Lexcorp and the City of Metropolis (and more specifically, the Metropolis Police Department).

A Stage had been set up in the middle of Centennial Park and there were reporters and spectators galore. On the stage there was a podium with the Lexcorp logo slapped on the middle. There were six chairs set up on the stage, three to the back left of the podium and three to the back right. In those chairs sat some important people. To the back left we saw Metropolis Mayor Frank Berkowitz in a black suit with a pair of thick black framed glasses. Beside him was Metropolis district attorney Sheila Conners in a gray skirt/suit with a white blouse. And nearest the podium on that set of chairs sat Metropolis Police Commissioner Tom Martin in a three piece navy suit. On the opposite side we saw Lexcorp President Andrew Harington in a black suit. In the middle seat was Lex Luthor’s personal assistant Laura Shane in a black skirt/suit with a white blouse. And the seat nearest the podium from that side was empty but it was safe to assume it was reserved for the Lexcorp CEO and Chairman, Lex Luthor.

Finally Andrew stands up and walks over to the podium, the flash’s firing off on the cameras of the various media and private cameras.

Andrew, “Good evening Metropolis…”

The previously buzzing crowd began to quiet down in anticipation of whatever announcements would be made tonight.

Andrew Harington, “My name is Andrew Harington and I am the proud president of Lexcorp. I’d like to take a moment and thank some very special guests for being here with us on this grand evening for Metropolis… Police Commissioner Martin…”

The crowd applauds prompting the commissioner to stand up and give a humble wave to the masses before retaking his seat.

Andrew Harington continues, “Our impervious District Attorney Shelia Conners…”

The crowd applauds again, this time prompting the blonde haired D.A. to stand up and offer a humble wave before retaking her seat.

Andrew Harington, “And lastly but certainly not least… Our beloved Mayor, Mayor Frank Berkowitz.”

The crowd applauds loudly as the Mayor stands up and waves to his supporters. He finally retakes his seat as well.

Andrew Harington, “The reason we have gathered here today is to discuss the safety of our fair city. While crime is no where near as bad here as it is in say, Gotham or Chicago for examples… There’s still a very legitimate cause for concern here in Metropolis. It is because of this that Lexcorp founder and CEO Lex Luthor has put forth an unprecedented amount of time and resources into developing what we at Lexcorp are boldly and confidently referring to as the New Age of Protection and Crime Prevention. Now in a moment I will introduce Mr. Luthor himself to discuss exactly what that means in great detail with all of you. However, before we get to that…”

SHEEEEEEEEW

“AHHH!”

An arrow had shot from the sky and found it’s place into the shoulder of the Metropolis Mayor, making him fall out of his chair. Screams of panic began to fill the area as the DA dropped down to check on the mayor and the commissioner withdrew his side arm, looking frantically for the assailent…

SHEEEEEEEEW

“Ugh!”

An arrow found it’s mark into the shoulder of Commissioner Martin making him involuntarily toss his gun as he dropped to the stage. Andrew Harington wisely dropped down behind the podium and Laura Shane rushed over to seek protection from the podium with him.

SHEEEEEEEEW

Another arrow fired through the air and hit a large Lexcorp sign hanging in front of the big blue curtains that were behind them on the stage. This arrow however had a cord attached. From the distance a man came zipping down the cord, holding onto two ends of a clearly very strong arrow as he glided down to the stage. He had a bow over one shoulder and a bag of arrows over the other. He withdrew the bow and walked over to the Mayor as people continued to scream and run around in panic. He stood over the Mayor and withdrew an arrow… He placed the back of the arrow against the string on his bow and began to pull back…

“I would strongly reconsider if I were you…”

The man turns to see Lex Luthor standing in the middle of the stage in a tan power suit with a black dress shirt, no tie.

“Oh?” our bow and arrow wheilding foe quipped. “And what are you going to do if I take out the Mayor right here in front of all these people?”

Lex Luthor, “That’s not going to happen… Not here… Not now… Not on my watch.”

The man snickers, “You think you can stop me? You think you can stop the Archer?”

Lex Luthor, “Metropolis needs a hero… It needs a man to stand up against filth like you… And with God as my witness, I will be that man… Now put down the bow.”

Archer, “Perhaps in another life Mr. Luthor…”

The Archer pulls his bow up and draws back the arrow, but Luthor shows no fear as the bulky business man charges forward like a bull aimed at a matador… The people gasp… Laura jumps up and screams, “MR. LUTHOR! NOOO!”

But Lex never flinches as he charges across the stage… The Archer has his arrow back but his eyes are wide with surprise as clearly he underestimated the speed that the bulkier Luthor possessed… SMAAAAACK… KA-BOOOM! Luthor drove the Archer into the stage making the Archer release his arrow into the air. The people in the direction of the arrow quickly scattered and the arrow crashed harmlessly to the ground. The people sighed with relief as medics and police stormed the stage.

The Archer, “You’ll pay for this Luthor… You’ll pay dearly…”

And with those words, Archer forces a hand into his pocket, withdraws an unidentifiable item and slams it against the stage making a cloud of thick smoke flood the area. Luthor falls back hacking… The cloud dissipates and when it does the Archer is gone. Luthor push’s up to his feet showing some frustration but the crowd however seems to feel a different way…

“LEX LUTHOR’S A HERO!”

The crowd begins applauding and cheering as Medics are loading the mayor and the commissioner onto stretchers. Both men were hit with flesh wounds. Nothing they wouldn’t recover from. But Luthor’s popularity had just sky rocketed. The crowd began to chant his name…

LEX! LEX! LEX! LEX! LEX! LEX! LEX! LEX! LEX!

The camera flash’s went off in rapid succession as reporter questions flooded the air… Questions like “Do you feel like a hero Mr. Luthor?” and “Weren’t you afraid Mr. Luthor?”. “What if he’d of hit you with that arrow Mr. Luthor?” “Where did you find the courage Mr. Luthor?”. However, Lex ignored them all as he walked around to the podium.

Lex Luthor, “Metropolis… It is a dangerous day! When heathens like this “Archer” are running around making attempts on our very own Mayor’s life… When they would dare strike at such a heavily publicized event… It is a dangerous day! I will NOT sit back and watch as the criminal element gains strength in our city! Things like this… Things like that bizarre occurrence in Chinatown earlier in the day… They can not and WILL NOT be tolerated anymore! For as sure as I am standing here, I am taking the responsibility upon myself to be the protector of this great city! I will single handedly fight any criminal that dares to show his face anywhere near me. I WILL clean up this city… Because I LOVE this city and I know no choice. Now, if you’ll excuse me… I need to get to the hospital and check on my dear friends Mayor Berkowitz and Commissioner Martin… We will reschedule a time to release an official statement on what we originally intended to unveil here tonight. Thank you.”

And with that the Metropolis police department escort Lex Luthor and Laura Shane off the stage as the Media attempts to follow them toward a long black limousine. However, conspicuously absent is Andrew Harington. The chauffer for Mr. Luthor opens the door and into the limo steps Lex and Laura. The chauffer closes the door behind them and makes his way back to the front of the car as the uniformed officers push the press back. While most of the press was buzzing around the limo (which was about to take off)… One more intuitive reporter might be wondering why Andrew Harington wasn’t with Lex and Laura and where he disappeared to amongst the chaos. Certainly he couldn’t have gotten far, no vehicles had come or gone aside from the quick arriving (and exiting) ambulances. Was there a reporter amongst them smart enough to snoop around and look for Mr. Harington?

The limo finally pulled away and most of the press appeared to be heading for their news vans, surely to get to the hospital and try to get pictures and video of Luthor going to see the Mayor and the Commissioner… That’s what MOST of the media was doing…

[Clark Kent]

Having caught the speech by Mr. Luthor; Clark was one of the very men in the crowd – definitely taking notes and really listening on to everything that had happened. Walking around afterwards, Clark caught Mr. Harington and Archer underneath the stage talking, however; things looked and felt pretty fishy – to say the least. Using his super hearing, he listened on to the conversation that Mr. Harington and Archer was in fact having.

Mr. Harington, “Great job! Now let’s keep a low profile, that being until it’s time to do business again – when we make the attack on Lex.”

Mr. Harington handed Archer some cash, a pretty large sum of it as Archer took it and both men went their own ways as to not alarm anybody or look suspicious but it was too late however because Daily Planet reporter Clark Kent had already heard everything and things were really getting bad around here – especially for Mr. Luthor who was simply trying to turn Metropolis around and for the better.

[Lex Luthor]

Meanwhile…

While Clark Kent was showing his intuitive nature and noticing the details the rest of the press so easily ignored (I.E. The sudden absence of Lexcorp President Andrew Harington), Lex Luthor and Laura Shane were riding in a limo, surrounded by police cruisers with their sirens flashing wildly looking like they were escorting the President through town.

Laura, “Hey… Where’s Mr. Harington?”

Luthor shrugged, “I don’t know. He took off while I was speaking to the press. Maybe he’s heading to the hospital as well. I know he drove to the park by himself.”

Laura, “Hmm… Maybe. I can’t believe you went after that maniac… You could have been killed.”

Lex smirked… He knew full well that he wasn’t going to get killed by the Archer. He wasn’t just confident, he was absolutely certain. However, he wasn’t about to explain that to Laura.

Lex, “Well, when you’re in a situation like that your adrenaline takes over and you don’t have time to think about the consequences.”

That was a lie. Lex Luthor could think of almost every possible scenario his actions might have in the blink of an eye. But unless you were Luthor’s brain, you didn’t know that.

Laura, “Well, I’m glad you’re alright. But you can’t be serious about becoming the protector of Metropolis. I mean you’re a great man but, you’re just a man. One wrong move and you’ll be stabbed or shot or who knows what!”

Lex places his hand on Laura’s knee and calmly says, “Relax Miss Shane… Nothing will happen to me. The World simply can’t afford to lose the greatest mind of the modern era. I’ll be fine.”

Laura was still concerned but there was no time to further press the issue as the car was coming to a stop. The black window separating the chauffer’s area from the back began to slide down as the Chauffer looked back at Luthor in the rear-view mirror…

Chauffer, “We’re in front of the hospital. There’s no place to park but I can drop you off here and come back whenever you’re ready Mr. Luthor.”

Luthor nods and that’s all the confirmation the chauffer needs as he push’s the button to make the window begin back up and takes off his seat belt, beginning to exit the limo. As the driver steps out the flash’s begin from the cameras as blockades have already been made around the hospital entrance to try and keep the press at bay. The driver draws open the door and out slides Lex Luthor making the flash’s go off even faster as the reporters questions make an abundance of inaudible noise when meshed together simultaneously. Laura pulls herself out behind Luthor as the driver shuts the door and Luthor straightens his jacket.

A couple of officers rush over to Luthor to escort him into the hospital.

Random Reporter 1, “Mr. Luthor, Do you think you’ll receive the key to the city for your heroism at Centennial Park?”

Random Reporter 2, “Mr. Luthor, do you know anything about this “Archer”? Who is he? Why did he strike at the Lexcorp press conference?”

Random Reporter 3, “Mr. Luthor, As a two time Newstime Man Of The Year, do you think you just earned your third year?”

Luthor ignores most of the reporters just flashing smiles… A police officer opens the door to the hospital when a particular reporter manages to catch Luthor’s attention.

“Lex Luthor… Why aren’t you dead?”

There’s gasps amongst her colleagues as he turns around and spots the young lady with her tape recorder held out.

Lex Luthor, “I beg your pardon, miss…… I’m sorry, what is your name?”

“Lois Lane, Daily Planet.”

Lex Luthor, “Oh, right. Questions like that might explain why your little paper hasn’t turned a profit in nearly five years.”

Lois Lane, “It’s a valid question. The Archer had more than enough time to place an arrow right between your eyes… So again I ask you Lex Luthor, why aren’t you dead?”

Lex Luthor, “I didn’t come here to give an interview Miss Lane… I came here to visit two very dear friends of mine and to find out the condition of their health. As our finest Mayor to date is in this hospital suffering from who knows what… A Pierced artery, excessive blood loss, who knows? As our police Commissioner… A man who has taken bullet after bullet after bullet to keep this city as safe as possible… A man who has now taken an arrow for that very same cause… As he sits up there quite possibly in critical condition side by side with our Mayor… Two people who I consider very dear friends of mine… You have the AUDACITY to look at me and with disappointment in your voice, ask why I too am not lying in a hospital bed pleading with our lord to allow me simply one more sunrise before he takes me home? Well miss Lane, I’m sorry to disappoint you by being alive. I’m sorry that my ability to breath offends you so deeply miss Lane.”

The mood around Lois is growing very cynical. Clearly the people outside the hospital aren’t thrilled that the man who just saved the Mayor’s life is being questioned so abruptly by Lois Lane. Sure, Lois didn’t at all insinuate that she wanted Lex Luthor to die. Her question was completely valid. But Luthor spun and twisted her words and now everyone from concerned citizens to fellow news reporters to even police officers were looking at Lois Lane with complete disdain as they too now perceived Lois as essentially having wished Luthor dead. She didn’t. She didn’t even come close. But that was a gift Luthor had. The gift of gab so to speak.

Before she could defend herself Luthor continued, “However, since you asked, I’ll delay what may be my last moments to see my wounded friends and I’ll answer your cynicism. The answer is simple…”

He turns around so that he can be seen by most of the video cameras and flash photographers…

Lex Luthor, “Scum like the Archer doesn’t expect anyone to stand up to them! No Bully ever does. The reason the Archer didn’t shoot me was because he was in sheer shock that I would dare rush him and treat him like the criminal pond scum that he is! And that’s exactly what Metropolis needs! It needs people standing up to these hooligans! The fine folks of the press used a term… a title… You have called me a hero. Am I hero? I don’t know. I just did what seemed right in a situation where there was no time to weigh consequences or worry about the “What ifs”. But, Our city does need a hero and if you believe that I could be that man, then I will be. I won’t stand by and let crime and corruption fill our streets. I will stand up to the criminal element of our city. And I just hope, that when the day comes that it’s someone like our Miss Lane who’s in trouble instead of our fair mayor… I hope that I’m there and I can thwart that criminal the same way I thwarted the Archer.”

He turns and looks at Lois…

Lex Luthor, “And then, perhaps… Just perhaps… You won’t be so regretful of my survival here today. Now, please excuse me. My friends are in there and I can’t bare to be left in the lurch on their condition any longer.”

The cameras begin flashing wildly again but this time Luthor and Laura both go through the hospital doors followed by a couple of uniformed officers.

[Lex Luthor]

Once in the hospital, one of the officers turned to Luthor and recommended, “We already talked to the doctors… Things look pretty good. The arrows didn’t pierce anything vital. Pretty clean shots actually. Clearly the Archer knew what he was doing. He didn’t want to kill the Mayor or the Commissioner with those shots, he just wanted to get the Mayor down and get the Commissioner unarmed. Obviously he was saving the kill shot on the mayor as his grand finale.”

The second officer interjects, “Thank God you stopped that from happening Mr. Luthor.”

The first officer nods, “Absolutely. But they’re going to be a little while. The doctors have removed the arrows but they have to clean the wounds, then close em up and what not. So, if you’d like we could escort you to the cafeteria, maybe get a coffee or a snack or something. There’s a little time to kill before we’re going to be able to see the Commissioner and the Mayor.”

In Luthor’s mind his immediate response was ‘Hospital food? That motor oil that passes for coffee? I’d rather hang myself.’ But playing the part of Metropolis’ favorite son, he simply couldn’t do that.

Luthor, “Sure guys… That sounds great.”

The officers beamed with pride knowing that the hero of the day was going to go have coffee with them and on the outside Luthor seemed pleased enough as well. On the inside he didn’t care about the Mayor or the Commissioner and he sure as Hell didn’t want to spend his evening sitting with the bacon squad. Never the less, a criminal mastermind had to do what a criminal mastermind had to do.

-Time Lapse-

Luthor had spent a very mundane hour in the cafeteria listening to the officer talk about everything from their crappy marriages to their sub par children to their foolish aspirations for their sports teams. Finally Lex glanced at his designer watch and said, “Wow, look at the time… As much as I’ve enjoyed chatting with you two fine gentlemen, I’d feel a lot better if I could see for myself that the Mayor and the Commissioner are alright. They’ve got to be done by now.”

The officers nod, “Sure Mr. Luthor. Let’s go find out.”

The four of them get up and exit the cafeteria, the officers discarding their foam coffee cups in the trash receptacle on the way out. They find their way to the nurses station.

Officer 1, “Excuse me Miss… Can you tell us if Mayor Berkowitz and Commissioner Tom Martin are ready for visitors?”

Before she can reply a voice is heard from behind them…

“Mr. Luthor?”

The group turns around spotting a doctor in his white coat and otherwise professional attire.

Lex, “Yes?”

The doctor walks across, a clipboard in his left hand as he extends his right, shaking Luthor’s hand and introducing himself.

“Doctor Kennedy. I just finished up with your friends a few moments ago. I’ll take you up to see them if you’d like.”

Luthor nods, “That’d be splendid.”

The doctor nods and flops his clip board on the nurse’s counter. He glances to the nurse behind the counter and says, “That’s for room 312.”

The nurse nods, “Alright doctor.”

The doctor turns and leads the group to the elevator. All five people enter and the doctor presses for the fourth floor.

As the elevator doors close Dr. Kennedy says, “Yeah, I heard about what happened on the radio before the Mayor and the Commissioner were admitted. That was quite a display of heroics Mr. Luthor. The Mayor’s lucky you were there.”

Lex shrugs, “You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do Doctor. Anyone else would have done the same thing.”

The Doctor slightly shakes his head as he replies, “I’m not so sure. Regardless, you saved lives Mr. Luthor.”

Ding.

The elevator had reached the fourth floor, the doors drawing open. The doctor led the group off the elevator and down a hallway.

Dr. Kennedy (while walking with the party in tow), “They actually suffered fairly minor wounds. Their arms will be sore for a while but everything should heal nicely. No arteries were hit, no muscles seriously damaged. The biggest concern was that a part of the arrow head may have chipped off into the wounds but thankfully, that wasn’t the case in either wound. Nice, clean shots. If you had to be hit by an arrow, you couldn’t have asked for a much better place to take the hit. We’re going to keep them for a few hours just to let the press die down outside and to let them rest but they’re good to go whenever they so desire.”

The Doctor grabs a door handle and draws it open, pushing the door and holding it for the party as he says, “And here we are…”

Luthor leads the group as Mayor Berkowitz is see sitting on a bed in his dress slacks and a new dress shirt that he evidently had brought in. Before anybody can say anything about the Commissioner’s absence, the bathroom door opens and Commissioner Martin walks out in his dress slacks and wife beater shaking his head as he holds his suit jacket.

Commissioner Martin, “Bastard… This was my favorite jacket.”

Mayor Berkowitz laughs, “I’m just glad I didn’t break my glasses. I’m blind as a bat without them.”

Both men stand up as Lex walks across the room. The Mayor and Lex shake hands and share a small hug.

Mayor Berkowitz, “Thank you Lex… I owe you my life.”

Lex shakes his head, “I don’t want your life, Only your friendship.”

Actually, he’d take Berkowitz’ life in a minute if he had a reason but as of right now it was important to keep playing the favorite son. He patted the Mayor on the good shoulder and then shook hands with the Commissioner sharing the same embrace.

Commissioner Martin, “Lex… You’re a man’s man buddy.”

Luthor sighed, “I only wish that the Archer hadn’t fled my grasp.”

Martin shakes his head, “Don’t you worry about him. Every cop in the city is combing the streets for that bow and arrow toting fruitcake. It’s just a matter of time before ol’ Robin Hood’s getting three hots and a cot.”

Luthor nods, “I have every confidence in your officers Tom.”

Pffffffffft. Luthor deserved an academy award for keeping a straight face while he made that comment.

Luthor looks at both men and says, “You know that my full resources are at your disposal. One way or another we’ll make this right.”

The mayor nods, “Thank you… Your generosity is surpassed only by your courage.”

Luthor, “Now… I don’t mean to jump straight to business so soon after such traumatic events…”

Yes he did.

Martin scoffed, “Traumatic? We’re still standing… The events weren’t’*that” traumatic.”

The mayor laughs, “Easy for you to say… You’ve spent your whole life in the line of fire. Taking an arrow to the arm is a far cry from shaking hands and kissing babies on the campaign trail. But, you’re right… Things certainly could have been worse.”

Martin, “Yeah, a lot worse.”

Luthor, “Let’s not even think about that.”

He came across as concerned but in reality, he just wanted them to shut up so he could get to his agenda.

Luthor continues, “I think we need to show these criminals that we won’t be bullied.”

Mayor Berkowitz perks a curious eyebrow, “What do you mean?”

Luthor, “I mean a big ceremony or something, right in the open again. Something that says we will be bullied… We will not cower in fear… We will not fade silently into the night… We will FIGHT… we will remain in the open… You will not change our way of life… We need to send a message and show we’re not intimidated. That the city of Metropolis is not intimidated.”

The Mayor and the commissioner both nod.

Mayor Berkowitz, “I think you’re right… But what do you have in mind?”

Luthor shrugs, “I don’t know… Do you have any ceremonies planned for next week?”

The mayor shakes his head, “I don’t think so?”

Luthor, “Wasn’t there talk about giving some medal of valor to a returning war veteran?”

The mayor shakes his head, “That’s not for another month. He’s still in transit.”

Luthor knew that but he had to try and lead these horses to water.

Luthor hems, “Hmm… Well… What about Mike Rodriguez, the starting Quarterback for the Meteors… I’d heard rumors he was going to receive the key to the city for his vast Make A Wish appearances.”

Actually Luthor hadn’t heard any such rumor. Rodriguez had only been playing a few years and hadn’t even made that many Make A Wish appearances. And this season his backup was more popular than he was. Tom Deboe had only played one season in the NFL but he made a huge splash showing off his ultra conservative, Christian philosophies and politics and participating in a controversial conservative commercial during the superbowl the year he was set to get drafted. His ability was debatable. That’s not a knock, it was literally very debatable. Some people thought he had all the skills to be a marquee player one day, others felt he was more hype than substance. But his personality had captured Americas heart and he’d always have a job because regardless of his performance on the field, he’d always sell tickets.

We digress… The actual point is, there was no rumor about Rodriguez but, again, Luthor was trying to lead the horses to water.

One of the officers who’d accompanied Luthor up suddenly piped up, “Hey… I know this isn’t my place but… What if the city presented Mr. Luthor with the key next week!”

“Really? The dumb street cop got there before the Mayor and the Commissioner? Morons.” That’s what Luthor thought. But his reaction was much different. He looked surprised and said with the sound of sincere humility in his voice, “No, that’s not necessary. But if you’re planing on giving it to Rodriguez, we could make a…”

The Mayor interrupted, “No… The officer’s right… You absolutely earned the key to the city. And it’s a perfect place to tell these criminals we won’t back down.”

Check and Mate.

Luthor, “That’s really not necessary…”

The mayor stands back up and looks at Luthor…

Mayor Berkowitz, “Mr. Luthor… My mind is made up. I’d feel personally insulted if you didn’t accept this city’s absolute gratitude in the form of the key to the city next week.”

Luthor looks over at Commissioner Martin who nods and says, “Accept it Lex… You’ve earned it. You deserve it.”

Lex nods looking overwhelmed as he says, “Thank you… All of you…”

Berkowitz pats him on the shoulder and says, “No, thank you.”

The shoulder pat was Luthor’s move. It was a subliminal power move much the same as putting your hand on top of someone elses hand while you’re in the midst of a hand shake. Most people don’t realize it consciously but it’s a sign of dominance and when you allow it to happen, you’re subconsciously agreeing to be submissive. To acknowledge the person shaking your hand as the Alpha in the room. For a split second Luthor broke character as absolute disgust crossed his face but he immediately drew it back. Thankfully for Lex it went undetected.

Luthor, “Well Mr. Mayor… Tom… I should be going. But I’m grateful for your health… Both of you.”

They nod and the Mayor says, “And our health’s grateful for you.”

The Mayor laughs and Luthor flash’s a fake smile before Lex and Laura head out the door. Lex Luthor was on a roll. Dubbed a hero by the press and now next week he’d be publicly offered the key to the city in what was sure to be another exciting night. Oh yes, It was good to be the Star of Metropolis and soon, he’d be world renowned for his heroics. Yes, things were kicking off perfectly.