Cooler Heads

"They didn't..." Mostafa said, staring bewildered at a TV as he emptied a bottle of water on Ramatla's head. The latter sat up straight, calmly drinking cold water from a paper cup. The two were being watched over by security guards. Viking and Vités' promos could be heard even in the hallway.

"They did," Ramatla said, "Our coaches will not be pleased,"

"What are they thinking?" Mostafa tossed the empty bottle into the recycling bin, picked up another one and opened it, "They're going to get us all in trouble,"

Ramatla sighed as he poured the water on their head, "My outburst may have been the catalyst. It's not like me to lose my temper like that. I am sorry,"

Mostafa smirked, as he effortlessly tossed the bottle into the bin, "Think nothing of it. As the alpha male of our species, I had to ensure the safety of my colleague,"

He made his pecs dance under his dress shirt

"Hmm..." was Ramatla's only response,

He suddenly became serious, "Plus, I understood you completely. That jackass went out there and spat on everything we've been working towards,"

Ramatla frowned, "Indeed,"

"I mean, seriously. What the hell was that? He just went out there and made a mockery of the sport, but since he's 'one of the best', he's probably going to get some time in the corner,"

The guards remained stoic, but nodded discreetly in agreement,

"I imagine our colleagues felt the same," Ramatla added, looking at the TV. Morton had just clotheslined both Viking and Vités.

"Yeah, but what they're doing is stupid," Mostafa held his hand out to the TV, "They just put a target on their backs, possibly ours. Coach Alexa made it perfectly clear that our presence was supposed to be a secret.

"Thompson's a prick, but he just ignores us most of the time. What if someone worse comes after us?"

Before Ramatla could respond to his question, they heard a loud stomp which made the hallway shake.

"What was that?" Asked the short stocky Samoan guard with a ponytail named Joe.

They heard another stomp, which caused another mini-quake, then another and another and another. Each louder and stronger than the last. Something was coming. Mostafa stood in front of Ramatla protectively. The latter got to their feet and stood next to him, before making a boxing stance,

"I am much better now,"

They readied themselves for the confrontation. What could it be? Did Mostafa's concerns already prove true? Not quite.

They dropped their stances a little when they saw Suzanna, only to raise them back up as she stepped closer. She walked with stiff legs, like a brown bear establishing dominance. Her arms were out with bent elbows and clenched fists. Her head was lowered and her teeth, her long, sharp canines and premolars were bare for all to see as veins bulged and pulsated all over her face.

"God dammit, can't you geniuses follow simple instructions," The guard complained as he walked over to her, "Get back to your seat or-"

Without warning she lunged forward and gripped both his shoulders. Her eyes bulged out of their sockets, becoming massive white balls with tiny white dots in the centre. Mostafa screamed and jumped into Ramatla's arms in absolute terror.

"She's a monster! A demon, I tell you!"

"You are obscuring my vision,"

Monty, the tall black guard with broad shoulders and buzzcut, pulled out a tazer,

"Stop right there, kid! I don't want to do this,"

Suzanna spoke through gritted teeth with a deep, feral growl,

"Where... Is..."

"L-Look lady," Joe stammered, "I want to put Thompson on his ass as much as the next guy, but you can't just-"

"The Bathroom!" She blurted out,

There was a long silence before the rookies and the two guards let out a collective, "HUH?!"

She started to stamp her feet, shaking the ground again,

"The bathroom! I need to go. I need to go NOW! WHERE IS IT?!"

"Alright alright, chill!" Joe said, leading her away "I'll take you. I'll take you! Monty, get those two back to their seats,"

He quickly led her away, as Mostafa quickly came down off of Ramatla and quickly readjusted his suit while clearing his throat,

"I guess we're done here," He said, leading the way back to the arena.

Monty let out a massive sigh of relief, put away his taser and sat down,

"I'll come get you later, just please just sit quietly," He said. Ramatla nodded and caught up with Mostafa,

"Hell of a start to a show," He said, looking to move away from the earlier situation,

"An understatement," They replied. They cupped their chin once again, "That Suzanna is truly an anomaly,"

"Aren't you a literal robot?"

"Cyborg,"

"Yeah, whatever. What's the deal with that, anyway? I thought it was just a gimmick, but you have machine parts in you and everything. What's your story?"

"Hmm. I suppose you are owed an explanation after aiding me. Very well," Their stoic expression softened as they began the story of their origin. Mostafa smiled. It was probably going to be something heartwarming.

"It all began when my creator's children decided to play in traffic,"

Mostafa started walking a lot faster, with Ramatla easily keeping pace with him and continuing their story.