Track Two It Began With a Hello
Buddha stood at the door and smiled. He stretched his neck and his arms.
“So do you three think that you are able to just waltz in here and rob one of my favorite places to get fried chicken?”
The three Hellions turned around to see their foe. Buddha stood almost six feet tall. His biceps stretched out his shirt so that it appeared to be painted on his body. His dark shades kept his eyes from being seen and the light from his trademark cigar illuminated his large grin.
The brawler stepped forward. He cracked his knuckles and popped his neck. “I’ve beaten up guys twice your size.”
Buddha’s laugh filled the room. “Seriously? Good thing I’m not just a normal guy then.”
He stepped forward so the Hellion could get a better visual of his opponent.
“They call me Buddha and I’m the super hero that keeps this part of town safe from morons and idiots such as you.”
The brawler lunged forward. Buddha caught the Hellion by the neck and flung him into the wall behind the other two crooks. The brawler crashed through the wall and let out a tiny whimper. Buddha began stretching out his muscles.
“Now…I want to warn you two…I am a tanker. So maybe you should just give up now and put the small amount of money you have in those bags back in the register and I won’t have to throw you two through a wall like that poor sap behind you.”
The standing Hellions looked at each other. The gunner quickly retrieved his weapon and fired away. Buddha continued to stretch as the bullets bounced off his massive physique. He stood up and using both hands, pounded the ground with tremendous force. A shockwave surge through the floor and knocked the gunner down. The last standing hellion darted for the door. Buddha reached down and lifted the gunner to his feet.
“Can you do me a favor and stop your friend over there?”
Buddha spun around and threw the gunner out the door with such force that the doors closed and locked behind him. He could hear the gunner scream and then stop. Slowly walking towards the doors, he retrieved his lighter and lit up his cigar once again.
“I don’t know why I keep buying this brand. They go out every time I get in a fight. Totally worthless.”
He opened the doors and scanned the area. Almost a hundred yards away he could see the two Hellions wrapped around an oak tree. Buddha dusted off his hands and walked back into the restaurant. He placed the money back in its register and walked out with the brawler over his shoulder.
Song Two
Every time I travel through the time warp I am greeted with extreme amounts of pain. My right eye is reborn and I am able to see perfectly again. The large robotic forearms I have detach themselves from me and bones as well as tissue grow in their place. Jolts of pain shoots up my legs as they no longer remain broken and require the use of technology to function. The mutation in my body has a sort of de-evolution and I lose the ability to fly as well as attack with beams of energy. The suit of armor I wear becomes my new source of power. I must now begin my journey as a tanker. A superhero dawned with the power of supreme strength and defense. However, just like Buddha, I am a tanker with the gift of invulnerability. I can withstand heavy amounts of damage as well as deflect the amounts of damage that are trivial. Unlike, Buddha though, I am not near as strong. This Rikti armor was designed with defense in mind and not attack.
It’s been ten years since I last Buddha. I wonder how I will approach him this time around.
Buddha waved at the police cruiser as it drove off with the Hellions inside. Proud with his victory he decided he would go back into the restaurant to donate his earnings in order to help cover the damage that was caused. As he reached for the door he felt a sudden intrusion into his mind. He could hear faint music. A strange wave of sound traveled throughout his body causing him to stumble against the side of the building.
“What’s...going on?”
He shook his head and maintained his balance once more. Another surge of sound carried through his mind. He could feel a strange presence beckoning him into an alley farther down the block. He leaped onto the roof of the Major Flanders restaurant and took his travels across the rooftops.
He perched on the edge of the building and look down. He could see an Aberrant giving his crew to attack a weakened woman. She was lifted and held in the air while the men took turns hitting her with bats. Filled with rage, Buddha leaped into the air and dropped straight into the fray. A tremor raced through the ground around him and knocked the bewildered Lost to the ground. One of the thugs swung a large mace at Buddha. Using one hand he grabbed the handle and tossed the thug high into the air. Another jumped at Buddha from behind and hit him with a bat. Buddha turned and towered his new foe. He grabbed the Lost by the neck and threw him over the roof tops. As the other Lost fell from the sky Buddha reached out and grabbed him by the leg and spun around and released him. The enemy slammed into one of his cohorts and plunged straight through a dumpster.
The Aberrant stepped forward and stood over Buddha. Both of them locked eyes. The creature bared its teeth and its foul breath stung Buddha’s senses. Its clawed hands snapped at Buddha’s head. Quickly he grabbed the creature’s forearms and wrestled with keeping its claws from sinking through his skull. Using his mighty strength Buddha brought the creatures arm’s back down and then lifted it into the air. The creature’s eyes turned red. Buddha could hear a raspy voice deep in the back of his mind. It grew louder and louder until finally the voice boomed in Buddha’s head. He dropped the creature and grabbed his skull.
“Get…out…of…my…miiiinnndd!”
Buddha fell to the ground and curled into a ball as the sounds in his mind continued to intensify. The Aberrant reached behind his back and unsheathed a large thick blade. The creature chuckled behind its fanged teeth and then swung its weapon down on Buddha.
The blade stopped midway of its swing. The creature’s eye’s widened. Buddha slowly stood with the blade caught between his hands. He smiled as his grip changed and he began to crush the blade in his hands. The creature looked behind Buddha and could see the woman it had been attacking, leaning against the wall. She had broken its control on Buddha’s mind and was now aiding him by preventing the creature from moving.
“I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but lately you have been slacking off on the job so it looks like I’m going to have to fire you. And just to show you that there are no hard feelings, here’s a one way plane ticket.”
Buddha pressed forward and wrapped the blade around the creature’s neck and then threw the creature into the air. As it reached its peak in the air a wave of sound pushed the creature over the rooftops.
“Not bad sweet heart. We make a pretty good…”
As he turned he saw the girl fall to the ground. He leaped forward and caught her in his arms. She had taken a fierce beating. Bruises and blood covered her body. Buddha slowly stood up and traveled the rooftops in hopes of getting her to the hospital before it was too late.
Song Three
My understanding of Buddha’s history has never been very clear. Getting him to talk about his past can be more hassle then its worth.
When he was child he found that he was much stronger then the other kids that were his age. He could punch through walls and lift cars almost with relative ease. Although, it was fun to show off his strength, he found himself labeled a freak. Keeping his anger towards those kids that called him names became very difficult. It was not until he shattered a young boys jaw with his fists that Buddha realized that he was always going to be different from everyone else. As he grew up he spent much of his time with older kids due to the fact that he would grow so much in a single year. This changed his views in many ways. He learned much of the grown up world and understood it more then the grown ups that explained it to him. He started to distance himself farther and farther from friends as he started to feel embarrassed hanging around kids that still threw pencils at the ceiling. However, his older friends started to distance themselves from him as his age continued to interfere. He spent much of his life alone and being the school hall monitor that kept bullies in check. After he graduated from high school he went into wrestling. He matched wits with some of the greatest super heroes known today. The Back Alley Brawler was one of his favorite opponents. With the money he raised in wrestling he went to Paragon University. He studied all forms of Kinesiology. During, the week of his final exam he took some time off from his studies to relax. He hung out at a small café known as The Lonesome Tear. It was this very day that would change his entire life.
A group of Skulls walked into the café and demanded the money from the register. Like the rest of the patrons, Buddha laid down on the ground with his hands on his head while the Skulls proceeded to rob the place. One of the waitresses stood up against the Skulls. The lieutenant struck her to the ground. Buddha has always had such hatred for those that attack females. He stood up from the floor. The leader of the group told him to back down or he would be shot. As Buddha stepped forward the group opened fire on him. He shielded himself with his arms. As the firing came to a stop he opened his eyes and looked down at his body. Bullets littered the floor. He possessed the power of invulnerability. The Skulls charged in and Buddha wrestled each one to the ground. He had stopped a crime and the police carried the Skulls to jail. The patrons of the café hailed him and the waitress handed him a strange currency. Influence is the currency used by all super heroes. It’s useless to use though if you don’t have a super hero license.
Buddha dropped out of college. He only needed one more semester to go but the call of the super hero was too strong. He enrolled in Freedom Corps and learned how to use his special gifts. He graduated top of the tanker class and received his license. Since then he has been protecting the city and its patrons.
Buddha sat quietly next to the bed. The doctors had explained to him the injuries she had sustained but made him aware of the fact that she was going to live. Many of her bruises had vanished and cuts had healed. It was her ability to heal that kept her from dieing. As he brushed her hair away from her face he gazed upon her. He’d never spent much time looking at women. But of all the ones that he had seen, she had to be the most beautiful. His hands gently caressed the side of her face. Her soft skin was smooth and silky. It then dawned on him that he had nothing to say to her once she woke up. As he started to panic he felt his stomach fill with butterflies.
“What do you say to someone that just took a serious beating? Hi, how are you feeling? No, that’s stupid. That’s like a reporter question. Obviously, she won’t be feeling to well. The doctor said you have slight internal bleeding. Think, stupid, that would be horrible news. What do I say?”
Buddha stood and walked to the window. He could hear faint soft music playing the room.
“How about you just start off by saying, hello?”
Buddha turned around. The attractive woman slowly sat up and pushed her pillows against the wall for support. She smiled at him and patted her hand on the beds edge. He knelt down next to her bed and looked at her. Her purple eyes sparkled in the morning sunlight that made its way through the open blinds.
“You have gorgeous eyes.”
The raven-haired woman laughed and placed her small hand on Buddha’s hand.
“I like that pick up line. Next your are going to ask me out for a drink right?”
“Uhh..no..I…just…oh man.”
As Buddha stood she quickly leaned over and placed her hand on his shoulder. He slowly knelt back down.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. I was just joking with you. Thank you for your comment. How about I help you out a little though okay? I’ll ask you what your name is and you ask me what mine is alright?”
“Uhh…okay. Sounds simple enough.”
“Okay then. What is your name?”
Buddha felt his throat close up. He couldn’t remember his name. Sensing his panic she reached over and caressed the side of his face.
“What is your name?”
Buddha felt his mind open. The butterflies in his stomach flew away and he felt at ease and comfortable.
“My name is Buddha. What is your name?”
The woman leaned closer and placed her hand on the back of Buddha’s neck. She gently pulled his face closer to hers. She removed his shades and looked into his brown eyes. She then pulled him closer and gently kissed his lips and then backed slightly away to see his eyes again.
“My name is Radio Wave.”
Song Four
Love at first sight is something I have never understood. But, if it didn’t exist then perhaps this meeting would have been a waste and the future of Paragon City would be in danger. Radio Wave spent several weeks in the hospital. She had exhausted her endurance and decided to simply heal like a normal human being. Buddha’s study of the human body allowed him to help rehabilitate to her. Radio Wave regained her ability to walk. The more time they spent together the more they fell in love with each other. Buddha pushed his hero job to the side and tended to his new love. Everyday he arrived in the morning to train her and then spent the night in her room keeping her company and telling her his adventures. He only left once she was completely asleep.
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