..The (Late) Perfect Man
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"What is our contemporary world defined by?" A singular light in Inali Guess's studio - a spotlight, right in the center of his stage - lit up, tearing through the darkness to illuminate the world's greatest talk show host himself, sitting on a foldable chair, hands intertwined, elbows resting on his knees, looking downwards solemnly.
"It is not the men and women leading it. As much as they try, Marcellus Brand, Vasily Volkonovsky and Margaretha Ogunde's mark on this world will fade away one day."
"Is it the heroes at its forefront, then? Or the armed conflicts - Korea, the Horn of Africa - slowly reaching a boiling point?"
"No." Inali Guess paused, looking up at the audience and the camera.
"The answer is obvious. Our modern-day world is defined by nothing other than the calamity to end all calamities. Only in 1945 has a larger imprint been left on the world than in 2011 - and even that is only because the meteor that landed in that year led to the Great Flood."
"To every single person standing on this planet, the Flood took something vital. Our species was reduced from eight billion members to just under four billion within two years. Lands were annihilated. Wars that still rage on today were unchained. And, worst of all, as Korea proves, its after-effects have not nearly begun to come to an end."
"As the story goes, the super-villain to end all villains, Timetearer, fought the super-hero to end all heroes, The Gamma."
"Who is The Gamma, anyway? I'm sure some of the younger viewers need a refresher."
Behind Inali, a screen lit up, playing the most well-known video of the first decade of the century by a long mile.
"In all of history," a world-renowned celebrity's iconic deep voice sounded, "there's only been one man known as nothing other than," a pause delivered some excellent suspense,
THE. PERFECT. MAN.
"The Gamma. The first hero fearless enough to let the world know his name, Bruno Pollux, setting a trend every hero since has followed. Graduating from Stonehearthe University in 2000, it took him one year to become the world's number one hero. Now, eight years later, his record stands."
"What makes him worthy of the title 'The Perfect Man'? Simply excellent heroism doesn't cut it - Trillion Volts, Athena and other past number one heroes aren't worthy of the title. Time and time and time again, he has proven it. Between saving the world, leading the Zenith Pentavirate, and solving even the most minute of issues solely out of the goodness of his heart, The Gamma has been used more than any other person in history to criticise people who claim to lack time. Oh, you didn't have time to do your homework? The Gamma helps old people cross the street and the blind do groceries in between protecting humanity!"
"Bruno Pollux isn't who he is because of his power of limitless teleportation, his bizarrely good looks, or anything else - what makes him flawless is his dedication. Unwavering, he not only guards humanity as a whole, but cares for every human being on the planet. And, as the clock ticks further, as years and decades pass, mankind will have but one thought:"
"Oh, how I wish I lived in The Gamma's time."
The video ended, and Inali quickly got back to speaking. "So, the Flood took the most valiant hero the world has ever seen, as well."
"That is," a short, almost foreboding pause, "as the story goes."