Eugene Dewey... was doing a ropes course. It was to build team spirit... And more importantly, to help Eugene with his grace, his dexterity, his agility. Tom didn't need the help in that sphere, he was pretty well set. He was part of the other group, left in the third floor of the main building of the Training Temple. Tom and Omar, the huge Black guy who Tom had already scouted. The overly tall guy who Tom could swear he had seen while waiting for ESEN to roll over from basketball to wrestling, AJ. And Chris “The” Cannon. Who most DEFIANCE viewers were familiar with.

Tom, Cannon, Omar and AJ were jumping rope. They had to keep the speed up, and they had to do it for five-minute stretches... And they had been doing it for an hour. Sweat was pouring off of all four men. AJ had it especially bad, having to go quite a ways up and down to make sure that he didn't slap himself in the face with the jumprope.

The guy was all arms, legs, neck and head. Dude had one of those long heads, rockin' it Spengler style. The idea of him being able to dunk? Yeah, that probably would work out quite nicely. But it was an unusual bodytype to see getting' in the ring.

The big dude, Omar... He sounded like a freight train. Looked like one, from head-on, too. Despite his breath coming heavy and hard, sweat pouring down his body, Omar could just... go. However, he was beginning to favor his ankle... Tom, being Mister Watch-The-Wrestlemans, had been watching the webstream of Exodus Pro's shows when LEGION ran out, kicked the hell out of the two exhausted competitors, and used a steel chair Pillman-style to kick Omar's leg out from his leg.

But, after another few revolutions, Omar finally let the rope drop, tossing it to the floor. He landed solidly on both feet, hands going to his hips. With their trainers having wandered off to talk to the Boss-men, it was safe to take a break. Tom took this as a signal to stop, and did so as well. He gave the rope-handles a flick, letting them hit the floor. AJ blew out a relieved breath and just let go.

Cannon just had to keep going for another few revolutions before coming to a stop.

“Hey, uh... Omar.” Tom was hesitant to break the silence, but he was just burning to ask something. Omar glanced over his shoulder, looking to Tom. The big, fat beads of sweat on Omar's thick eyebrows glimmered in the sunlight beaming in through the big windows surrounding the weight area. Tom didn't get the feeling that Omar was going to be the chatty one of the two.

“I watched Exodus Pro. You were doing pretty well in that place, before that stable busted your ankle. When're you going back?” Tom gave a little grin. It was so cool getting to talk to someone that Tom watched on TV. The fact that he was the most well-known member of the class escaped him at the moment.

“Not sure if I want to. It was more about who you knew, there...” The big man's voice was deep. Rumbling. Strained. Omar had inhaled some gunsmoke in his time. But they didn't call him the Assault Breacher Vehicle because he was a peace-loving sort. “Came back to NYP. Looking for some work in New Jersey or Penn or something.”

“You could try Mexico. I bet you'd be the scariest dude they ever saw in a lucha place.” Tom rested his hands on his hips, affably watching the big dude's face. Omar stared blankly at Tom for a moment... Before honest thinking began to wash across his face. Omar was realizing that that wasn't a joke.

“Huh. That's... not a bad idea. Thanks.” Omar walked away from the group, heading to the water fountain. As the big man took long strides on over, Tom glanced up to the man who could easily be nicknamed “Stretch”.

“So, AJ, right?” The shorter blonde guy looked aaaaall the way up at the tall, lanky guy. “What brings you t-”

“Enough of the starry-eyed kid thing, Sawyer.” Chris “The” Cannon wasn't gonna beat around the bush. He was gonna get right in there and wreck it up, yo. “Why the hell are you here? You're loaded, you've got more title belts in your history than the rest of us combined, and you're one of the top names in DEFIANCE. What th' fuck are you trying to learn here?”

“Well... I, uh...” Tom was at Mechanicville because that's where he goes. He gets done with DEFIANCE shows, and comes back here. Especially now with Lucas around. How do you explain that, though?

“You're not gonna be learning much more than a few new moves. Your spot in this class coulda gone to someone less... golden. And honestly, it's kinda frustrating that you are already set to be the golden boy! If anyone should be getting the respect of these mooks, and be getting special treatment, it's ME!” Cannon thumped his chest with both hands, eyes wild and angry. AJ and Omar looked to Cannon, both of them giving the Canuckistani a weird look.

“Stretch Armstrong, what're you looking at? I have more wrestling ability in my pinky than in your can't-make-a-dunk-when-the-game-rides-on-it-ass, and as for you, Big Poppa, I-” Cannon was getting all fired up into promo-mode. Unfortunately, that only worked on folks who were... intimidate-able.

“Kid, you better go ahead and close your mouth before I close it for you.” Omar Wise was fast to bull across the room, stepping over the jumpropes to get right into Chris Cannon's face. Suddenly confronted with over three hundred pounds of scary Black man, Cannon was beginning to back down even before Omar's mouth opened again. “I COULD BREAK MY FOOT OFF IN YO' ASS WITHOUT EVEN TRYIN'! YOU SAY “SIR” WHEN YOU TALK TO ME, SUCKA!”

Tom was quick to shoot an arm between the two, trying to push Cannon back and split the two up, but Omar Wise didn't take well to people getting in the middle of his pissing contests. Omar immediately clapped a hand around Tom's throat, that big mitt clamping down and squeezing. Tom's eyes bulged, even as AJ ran in, grabbing at Omar's hand and trying to yank it off of Tom.

Cannon was about to take this moment to throw a suckerpunch, fist all balled up and pulled back. Omar was distracted with AJ and Tom, and would have taken the punch square to the fac-

“Enough.” The voice of the top dog of the Training Temple cut through the room like a hot knife through melted butter. Tom Sawyer, Omar Wise, Chris Cannon and AJ Danton all froze in place. Omar finally caught sight of Cannon's readied suckerpunch, and went to get pissed. Serbo or no Serbo standing in the doorway to the room, Omar didn't take threats we-

“All of you, sit down! Now!”, cried Lucas Harper. Two head coaches in one place, and everyone took a big step back, away from one another. Tom obligingly dropped to his ass. Cannon, muttering under his breath, dropped to the floor as well. AJ took a bit of time to do so, having to go down slowly and carefully, but he eventually did.

Omar Wise didn't sit, and both Lucas and Sergei walked right up to him.

“Omar, do you WANT to be here?”, Lucas demanded.

“You are here as a student, not a warrior. If you want to fight and destroy, then go back to Exodus. We're here to expand as individuals.”, Sergei quietly stated. Sergei never felt the need to get much pepper to his voice, these days.

“I... Look, he start-”, Omar falteringly offered. Lucas slashed a hand through the air, his gray eyes flashing with anger.

“Don't. Cannon is a loudmouth. That's his thing. Don't even tell me that a former World Champion, a guy twice the size of Chris Cannon let himself get fired up because of some jobber's shit-talk.”, Lucas mercilessly snapped. Whirling on Cannon, Lucas jabbed a finger at the kid's chest. “And you. You're going to be working with these guys for the next six months or so. Shut the hell up and learn to get along with them, or you're gonna be running a lot of solo laps.”

The silence in the room was deafening, and oppressive. Tom and AJ were cowed, Cannon was humiliated, and Omar was sufficiently chastized.

“I'll tell you why Tom Sawyer is here. Because Tom Sawyer wants to be taken seriously as a world-class competitor.”, Sergei said, his voice light and airy.

“Taken seriously?”, Cannon sputtered. “He's got more Tag title reigns than anyone else in DEFIANCE! He's the only one of us with a TV contract! He's-”

“Not in tag teams anymore.”, Tom said flatly, unwilling to look up at his former partner.

“He's not in tag teams anymore,” Lucas said. “And he's trying to make it singles. He's facing Python, in the semi-main event of the next DEFIANCE TV show. A former multi-time World Champion, who has never stopped training, never stopped learning, never stopped growing. THAT is why Tom is here.”

“Tom wants to keep learning. Tom wants to keep improving. With our help... AND your help, he will. Every one of you are in this class for a reason. Every one of you are skilled, and fulfill a different style. So each one of you can train against some of the best styles out there. Omar's power. AJ's ingenuity. Cannon's brashness. Tom's agility. Eugene's ability. Kaz's technical skills. Rico's endurance. Joey's golden fists.”

Lucas turned, offering Tom his hand. Tom slapped his hand eagerly into Lucas' grasp, and the Sentry hauled Tom to his feet.

“If you're gonna fight someone like Python, Tom... We've got some planning to do. And we've got to make sure you've got full flexibility, a full gas tank, and your head on straight. Are you ready?”

“...Yes.”, Tom said.

“Naw.”, Omar Wise rumbled. Everybody stopped, looking to the big man.

“That ain't good enough. Now, I don't really know you, Tom. But I know that an answer like that ain't gonna cut it. Are you READY, Tom?” The big man pushed himself up to his feet, only a slight grunt of knee-pain given.

“...Yeah!”, Tom said, clenching a fist.

“LEMME HEAR IT!”, Omar roared. Lucas and Sergei grinned, AJ tucking two fingers over his bottom lip and blowing out a shrill, wobbly whistle.

“YEAH~!”, Tom finally shouted, leaping into the air and pumping a fist. “LET'S DO THIS RIGHT!”

“That's what I was waiting for.”, Sergei said, unable to keep from grinning. Tom's enthusiasm was infectious... And finally where it needed to be.

More Propaganda | View Tom Sawyer's Biography