“Having a partner isn’t just something you’re assigned, you know.”
“It’s a responsibility, an oath that the person standing by your side is more than just a body to you. You need to rely on him, to believe in him.”
“To sacrifice it all for him if it means he gets to live… Even if it means you might die.”
“I’ve lost so many good men since I walked into Olympus. Watched as my allies, my friends, my mentors, were torn apart piece by piece! I was shown first hand just what failure means. If you can’t help the people who rely on you? Then why the fuck are you standing by their side at all?”
“Riggs, his wife, his child? They were victims of my incompetence. The very man I swore to protect turned into a permanent, bloody reminder before my very eyes.”
“I’ve seen what happens when partners fail one another.”
“And I’ll never let it happen again.”
“So long as I draw breath, as I can stand on two feet, I’ll never back down.”
“Double Tap is more than a tournament. It’s a chance for me to right those wrongs. Each and every single person who walks into Olympus on that night aren’t just trying to win a pair of titles.”
“They’re swearing an oath to protect and serve the man in their corner. But I’m the only one who can see that, aren’t I? The only one who had his eyes forced painfully open through the blood and the tears as I saw what kind of hell can befall a man abandoned by his allies. It’s the kind of thing you don’t forget, that haunts your memories.”
“It’ll never happen again.”
“As I step into Olympus I do so beside not so much a man, but a metal being designed to be one of Arcadia’s finest. A few months ago, I may have thought he was fine, that he could handle himself.”
“But I’ve learned.”
“Every last fucking lesson etched into my skin and seared into my brain. TEC needs me just as much as I need him. When that bell rings I’ll stop at nothing to keep him standing. Every last kick, punch, and bite that bruises my skin and sheds my blood will be done because I refuse to back down.”
“Until a bullet passes through my brain or my head caves in will I never stop fighting for the life of my partner.”
“Nothing will shut him down.”
“Nothing will make me kneel.”
“But can any of you say the same?”
“When the chips are down and you have to make the decision between your partner and yourself, which will you choose?”
“Most of you have to think on the answer, have to hesitate like I did as you consider the situation. It’s not black of white, you have to make a choice!”
“And I’ve already made mine.”
“We’re going to survive.”
“We’re going to triumph.”
“And we’re going to do it by the book.”