Sterling Era Training Complex.
It was supposed to be a day off. The season was over. The silver FA Cup was sitting safely in the trophy cabinet. But nobody was at home.
On Pitch One, a strange noise echoed. It sounded like a metal trash can being hit by a hammer.
Michael Sterling stood on the balcony of his office, sipping a cup of coffee. He looked down and smiled.
Diego Nunez was running around the pitch. He was not wearing a shirt. He was wearing his shorts, his football boots, and the lid of the FA Cup balanced on his bald head.
"I am the King of Silver!" Diego roared, tapping the lid with a spoon he had stolen from the canteen. "Bow before the Shiny Bull!"
Lukas Weber, the Berlin Wall, was jogging next to him. Lukas was wearing a full training kit, zipped up to the chin despite the heat. He looked at Diego with a mixture of confusion and scientific curiosity.
"Diego," Lukas said calmly. "The lid is not a helmet. It offers zero ballistic protection."
