Apex Arena - Battle A1: Jason Bourne vs. Adam Clay

[Culwych1]

 

Introduction

On the 7th of July in 1950, the Italian-American physicist Enrico Fermi and his co-workers were enjoying some beers with their lunch. After their third beer and a large pasta carbonara, their talk once again turned to the vastness of space and Fermi blurted out in a loud voice: "where the f&&k is everyone!" This became known later, after some much refined retelling, as the Fermi Paradox. In simple terms, given the size of the universe and the likelihood that intelligent life evolved on other planets, why had humanity (beyond those farmers whose crops and anuses had been interfered with) not met them. Could it be that life beyond Earth just doesn't exist?

When the first contact did happen, humanity sure wished that were true.

The advance force were near lightspeed drones, made of a liquid type substance harder than anything humanity had ever encountered. Everchanging shapes, strong, fast and deadly, they tore through our defences like a hot knife through butter and nothing we threw at them could even scratch them. Then came the advance force; beings of pure thought. They scrambled people's brains, leaving people catatonic, screaming in horror or in a psychotic rage. And finally, *They* arrived. The aliens themselves and Shermer's Last Law, stating that advanced aliens would be indistinguishable from God, proved to be true.

But these creatures eventually learned something unexpected about humanity—our resilience, our unpredictability, and most importantly, our propensity for violence and survival against overwhelming odds. Despite their seemingly godlike powers, humanity didn't surrender easily. Every assault was met with defiance, no matter how futile it seemed.

Intrigued by this defiant spirit, the alien overlords halted their extermination and devised a cruel, twisted experiment. They believed that the key to understanding humans' unique survival instinct lay not in their numbers or technology, but in their most extraordinary individuals—those whose reputations were forged in blood, conflict, and relentless struggle.

In an act of what they deemed "cosmic fairness," the aliens sent their drones across time and space, handpicking humanity's fiercest warriors. These 32 chosen champions, plucked from different eras and locations, were given a singular choice: fight for the future of their world, or watch Earth fall to utter devastation.

Now, these warriors find themselves in The Apex Arena - an otherworldly battleground designed by the aliens. A massive structure floating within an energy field, its landscapes and challenges ever shifting, it offers no mercy or escape. The rules are simple: defeat or be defeated. Only the strongest, the most cunning, and the most ruthless will survive, and the ultimate victor will gain not only the salvation of their planet, but a place of honour in the alien archives—forever remembered as the pinnacle of human strength.

Each fighter, unaware of their competitors, stands alone in preparation. All they know is that their lives, their legacies, and the fate of Earth depend on their performance in the most dangerous tournament ever conceived. They are not merely fighting for glory—they are fighting for survival itself, against beings that see their very existence as a game.

The Apex Arena has now opened its gates. The battle for humanity's future begins.

---------

Battle 1: Group A – Jason Bourne vs. Adam Clay

The Apex Arena shifted, warping into a fantastic new dangerous environment for the first battle of Group A. The chosen battleground materialized as a vast shipyard, abandoned but far from peaceful. Massive cargo containers, rusting cranes, and rotting docks littered the scene, creating a maze of industrial decay. The salty tang of the sea hung heavy in the air, and the constant groaning of shifting metal reverberated through the shipyard as the wind whipped through broken windows and fractured steel beams.

Jason Bourne stood atop a rusted shipping container, his eyes scanning the environment with cold, precise efficiency. The ground beneath him was riddled with obstacles, but to Bourne, each one was a tool, each shadow a possible advantage. He could see weapons scattered throughout the shipyard—a handgun wedged between the pipes of a forgotten oil drum, a crowbar dangling from a dockside crane, and, near the water’s edge, a harpoon gun half-submerged in algae. He was calculating, moving through possibilities, thinking of all the ways to survive.

Opposite him, emerging from the shadows of a half-sunken cargo ship, was Adam Clay. Unlike Bourne, whose face revealed no emotion, Clay’s eyes gleamed with the brutal resolve of a man who had been hardened by combat and conflict. A soldier to the bone, Adam Clay was no stranger to violence, and the shipyard’s treacherous landscape only fueled his adrenaline. To him, this was just another warzone—a place where only the strong survived, and the weak perished. His hands clenched into fists, scanning the same scattered weapons that could determine the course of the fight.

The shipyard, once bustling with life, had become their battlefield. Massive stacks of containers formed towering walls, and the docks stretched far into the open water, their decaying wood creaking under the weight of time. The ground was slick with oil, creating treacherous footing that could become either an ally or an enemy. The water itself was no safe haven, with sharp rusted metal and wreckage littering the shallows, waiting to catch any misstep.

In the distance, the shipyard’s main control tower stood tall, its broken windows and torn wires a reminder of the place's former glory. From there, a crane loomed overhead, its claw-like grip hanging over the battlefield, ready to drop heavy cargo on anything that moved beneath it. The entire place felt alive, as though the arena itself had a will of its own, eager to claim a victim.

The wind picked up, rattling loose metal and scattering debris across the ground, but both Bourne and Clay remained still, their minds racing as the countdown began. Sixty seconds until the battle commenced.

Bourne’s eyes never left Clay’s figure in the distance, even as he mapped out the battlefield. He’d faced overwhelming odds before, and his mind worked like a machine—silent, efficient, deadly. He could feel the pulse of the arena in his bones, and knew that only one of them would walk away. But to Jason Bourne, walking away was never in doubt.

Adam Clay stretched his neck, flexing his fingers as his eyes narrowed. He didn’t know Bourne’s name, but he didn’t care. Whoever his opponent was, they were just another obstacle to crush. The shipyard’s dangers weren’t threats to him—they were tools. His military training had taught him to use the environment to his advantage, and he knew that if he could get to the higher ground, he’d have a strategic edge.

Thirty seconds. The clock was ticking, and the tension in the air was electric. The wind howled, and the sea slapped angrily against the dock as though urging the battle to begin.

Twenty seconds. Each man was locked into the moment, fully aware of what needed to be done. Bourne’s focus was unbreakable, his senses heightened. Clay’s heartbeat slowed, his breathing measured as he prepared for the assault.

Ten seconds. The shipyard creaked and groaned, almost like it, too, anticipated the violence about to unfold.

Three. Two. One.

The Apex Arena had chosen its champions. The battle for survival was about to begin.

[Callisto]

Learn More About
Jason Bourne
Read more about Jason Bourne at Wikipedia
Official Site: Bantam Books Links: Wikipedia Bourne Trilogy IMDb

Adam Clay
Read more about Adam Clay at Wikipedia
Official Site: Amazon MGM Studios Links: Wikipedia

[JohnnyChany]

Culwych! This looks like a lot of fun. Question, if the winner wins salvation for their planet, then isn't the planet guaranteed to be saved, unless one of the competitors isn't human. Hmmmm. Also, I think you meant 'simple terms' not 'simply terms'. Either way, great introduction into a tournament!

For this first match I am less familiar with Adam Clay since I didn't see the Beekeeper, but I probably could do an amalgam of all the Jason Statham movies I have seen in my head to figure out how he would fight. Leaning toward Bourne.

[Culwych1]

7 hours ago, JohnnyChany said:

Culwych! This looks like a lot of fun. Question, if the winner wins salvation for their planet, then isn't the planet guaranteed to be saved, unless one of the competitors isn't human. Hmmmm. Also, I think you meant 'simple terms' not 'simply terms'. Either way, great introduction into a tournament!

For this first match I am less familiar with Adam Clay since I didn't see the Beekeeper, but I probably could do an amalgam of all the Jason Statham movies I have seen in my head to figure out how he would fight. Leaning toward Bourne.

Well spotted! Hadn't really thought that far but perhaps the story will evolve.

Recommend Beekeeper,  its the usual Statham but quite entertaining. 

[Pizza Guy]

On 9/25/2024 at 6:31 AM, Culwych1 said:

Well spotted! Hadn't really thought that far but perhaps the story will evolve.

Recommend Beekeeper,  its the usual Statham but quite entertaining. 

I second that! It was pretty good.

[RiotGear]

For all the hype Clay and the Beekeepers got in the movie. He didn't seem to do much beyond generic action hero stuff.

Bourne should take this fight.

[Callisto]

Match Final Results

Member Ratings:
5.00 - Boratz
5.00 - JohnnyChany
4.50 - Pizza Guy

FPA Calculation:
3 Total Votes cast
14.50 Total Combined Score
14.50 / 3 = 4.83 Final Rating on the match

MATCH SCORE
Jason Bourne: 5
Adam Clay: 0

[DSkillz]

Ah, missed this one by minutes. My bad, Culwych.  This is shaping up to be a good arc. 

I'm probably not going to be familiar with at least half the combatants in this storyline, but it's fortunate that I did watch the first two Bourne movies a couple of months ago. Didn't see Beekeeper, though, but as mentioned, it's very likely that Statham fought in it the same way that he does in most of his films. Given that, I, too might've given Bourne the edge, but it would've been one of his tougher fights.