[Mark Ward]

 Post all roleplays for this match here.

Limits: 1 RP, per week, per character. 10,000 words maximum per week

Good luck!

[Crimson]

[Kristopher Ryans]

 [FLASHBACK]: ”Freedom -- Return to the World”
4 April 2018
Jet City
[OFF-Camera]


The outside world looked a little different than he remembered. His normal clothes felt a little strange too. It had been a long, but necessary sixty days, but it was behind him. Kris made his way down the stairs leading out of the hospital, and turned to his left as he hit the sidewalk. He had not called anyone, or let anyone know that he was even getting out. It would be a surprise that he could spring on them once he was ready to do so. For now, he just wanted to enjoy being outside. As he came to an intersection, he pressed the button to hasten the traffic light switching so that he could cross the street. While he was waiting though, something pulled his focus from the traffic signal. A car traveling down the street he was walking down struck him as familiar. It was heading towards him, and it was not hard for Kris to identify the driver before he pulled all the way up. Instead of waiting for the light to change, Kris crossed in front of the car before it even came to a stop, and then pulled open the passenger side door as it slowed. The car did not even come to a full stop before Kris was seated and the door was closed. The car accelerated as the two shared a laugh.

Coby Quik: “I was content to let you keep walking for as long as you wanted to. I know being in there has to suck.”

Kris has no desire to look in his rearview mirror at the hospital as they sped away from it. It had outlived its usefulness at this point.

Kris: “It was a necessary thing. You know that better than anyone else.”

Coby nodded, having gotten tangled up into almost all of Kris’ messes in the last few years. Somehow they always ended up tied to one another. The most recent problem came from Kris dragging the youngest of the Quik family to Liberty, only to bail. It is not like anyone could hold negative feelings given how it all played out though.

Coby Quik: “Look. I get it. You lost it a little bit. That happens. Honestly I think I would be more weirded out if you didn’t flip a little bit.”

Kris tried not to take offense, but it was a losing battle. Everyone inside the hospital had managed to walk on eggshells around him. It was the first time someone had been so pointed with him since before he went in. The feeling caught him off guard.

Kris: “What is that supposed to mean?”

The offense in his voice is clear, and catches Coby totally by surprise. Usually his friend had a thick skin about that kind of thing. It took Coby a few moments to be able to walk his statement back a little bit.

Coby Quik: “All I am saying is that you have had a lot to deal with in the last year. Think about it man. You became that undefeated superstar, found out some other guy was your dad, almost got divorced, started dating your manager, broke a record, broke your arm, won the big one, and a company close, and...”

He did his best to hold it back, but Kris was not interested in letting the thought drift away now. It was obviously something that the family members had been talking about in his absence. If it was what everyone was thinking, it was better to find it all out now.

Kris: “...and what?”

The annoyance in his voice was building, but Coby was not going to let himself get flustered by it.

Coby Quik: “...and we get that you felt abandoned. The one thing in your adult life that you could rely on wasn’t there. Sin City was gone. You tried to make that work over in Liberty but you couldn’t. Nobody is going to fault you for slipping up.”

Kris finally boils over, and rails back against the accusation.

Kris: “Except that I didn’t.”

Coby knew better than attempting to argue the point with him. Nobody was actually sure if he had slipped or not. It was just the conclusion that they had all come to once they learned where he was.

Coby Quik: “You don’t just check yourself into rehab for no reason. You don’t stay there as long as you did for nothing. We didn’t push to visit or anything. We got that you just needed some space to deal with whatever it was. Kali and Heather haven’t said much to any of the rest of us. Truth be told, none of us do a lot of talking anymore.”

The car weaves through traffic and onto the highway as they talk. Kris starts to realize that the path that they are on is going to lead them around the city and back to his home. They had not even discussed a destination. Maybe he just did not have a choice.

Kris: “What happened?”

He did not want to have to ask, because there was a good chance that the answer was going to be heartbreaking. Being isolated from everyone was part of his plan, but he did not think that it would have an impact on anyone else.

Coby Quik: “Nothing really. I mean there wasn’t anything eventful about it. When you went away, Jason kind of passed off Jet City. He cashed out of PRIDE. Some other people are running the gym, but the whole training facility thing is gone.”

Jet City itself was more of a surprise than PRIDE. PRIDE was always going to go under when Jason got bored with it. It was what happened the first time as well, he just refused to admit that to himself and chose to blame others. It was not Kris’ problem though.

Kris: “So what? Everyone was out of a job all of a sudden?”

Coby shook his head, and did not seem too broken up about the fact that both of his places of employment basically evaporated over the course of a few months.

Coby Quik: “We all got bought out as partners. Everyone kind of took their money and scattered. Lots of vacations. Lots of fresh starts. I honestly haven’t even thought about a ring in weeks. Only workouts going on at the house are efforts to procreate another Quik.”

The way that he casually dropped that kind of news caught Kris by surprise. Chelsea had been against the idea of having children for a while. Back in SCW, when Mikah brought the topic up it had never gone over well.

Kris: “I guess that means that you are finally finished.”

Coby nodded without any kind of hesitation.

Coby Quik: “We all are.”

The idea did not seem to bother Kris at all. In fact, it felt kind of calming.

Kris: “Maybe it is for the best to leave it all behind.”

Coby laughed, realizing that Kris was trying to jump to the other side of the fence. He shook his head, and corrected him as the car pulled off onto an exit ramp.

Coby Quik: “The rest of us are, you are not.”

Coby reached inside the center console of the car without taking his eyes off of the road. He pulled a phone from it and handed it to Kris.
Kris: “What’s this?”

He flipped it around in his hand and pressed his index finger to a button on the back of the phone to bring the screen to life. It unlocked at his touch, and as he scrolled through the screens, he realizes that it is already loaded with all of his information.

Coby Quik: “I figured you broke the last one before you left. I had everything transferred to this one. Made sure you kept your stuff even though Jet City went down.”

Kris started to open apps, scroll through messages, and attempt to put together why Coby would have gone through all of the trouble. For that matter, if everyone had gone their separate ways, why was Coby even bothering to pick him up at all?

Kris: “I don’t get it.”

Coby was happy to be the one filling in the blanks for once. Usually he was always the pawn in Kris or Jason’s game. He never got to be the guy with the answers, so it seemed fitting to him that he finally got his wish now that he was done.

Coby Quik: “None of the rest of us are going back, but you are.”

Kris shook his head immediately. That was not even an option in his mind. If that was the reason that he was on his way home, he found himself wanting to go back to the hospital instead.

Kris: “I tried that. I’m not signing some random contract, and I don’t know how to turn it off yet. Just take me back. I’m not ready to go home yet.”

Coby smiled widely, and pointed down at the phone in Kris’ hand.

Coby Quik: “You should check your emails man. Might be some shit in there that you don’t want to miss.”

Kris looked from his friend, and down to the phone in his hand. He pulled up his messages, but nothing stood out immediately. That was until one of the senders popped up as Christian Underwood. Just below that message was one from Mark Ward. Both of them had the same title.

Kris: “Time to come home...”

Kris looked up at Coby confused. It could not be happening already. It had only been a few months since the doors closed. They would not be ready to open them back up already.

Coby Quik: “They announced it a little while ago. They already think that you are returning.”

The first thing that Kris thinks to open is the browser of the phone, and navigates to the revamped SCW website. Along the side of the screen his name is listed as the champion. He closes the app and quickly opens Twitter, finding that his own account had already been reactivated and used.

Kris: “You did all of this?”

Coby nodded, and played it off like it was not a big deal.

Coby Quik: “The phone rang, and I answered it. I happened to have your account anyways, so I figured that I could make it seem like you were still here instead of on your retreat, or whatever you want to call it.”

Kris skips over the sarcasm in Coby’s voice, and starts to read through all of the messages about his return. Kris gets lost in searching through all of the information, and does not even notice the car slow to a stop. He looks up from his phone to see his house just outside of his window. Inside everyone in his world would probably be happy to see them.

Kris: “You’re not coming in, are you?”

Kris did not have to look back at him to know the answer to the question. Coby was probably not even supposed to be picking him up.

Coby Quik: “I’m gonna need you to do me a favor though.”

Kris turned back to look at the kid he helped to train. It was strange how fast they had become friends, despite being near polar opposites.

Kris: “I have a feeling that I’m not going to like it.”

Coby sighed, and had to admit that Kris was probably right.

Coby Quik: “If they are reopening, you know that you have to go back. That’s why I accepted the offer for you. You also know it means Crimson is going back. This shit is not over with you two. But when you go back, leave everyone else out of it until it is over.”

Kris’ nose scrunches up, and he does not quite follow.

Kris: “You said everyone already bailed...”

Coby nodded back towards the house with a sigh.

Coby Quik: “There are some people that are never going to bail. Until you can be sure this this is over though, you’re just putting them in the line of fire if they are with you. You get it?”

Kris looks back towards the house, and takes a deep breath. His voice sounds like he is drifting away when he echoes the words.

Kris: “I get it…”

Coby’s voice raises a little, jostling his friend out of his spacey compliance.

Coby Quik: “Don’t fucking zone out and ignore me. If you want to go back, I want you to. I support you going. You just need to leave everyone else out of it this time. No more kidnappings. No more people getting hurt because of you. No more distractions. Okay?”

Kris nodded, and pulled on the handle of the door. The door opened easily and he got up to his feet before looking back into the car.

Kris: “I know I’ve never actually said it… but I’m sorry.”

Coby shakes his head, but there is a smile on his face.

Coby Quik: “No you’re not. Be who you are. No more distractions.”

It was enough to get a laugh out of Kris, and Coby put the car back into gear, taking off loudly enough to draw the attention of everyone on the block. The two women and children inside of his own house make their way to the window, seeing Kris standing on the sidewalk outside.

Kris: “I’m home.”


===========================
===========================


”Broken Ties”
19 May 2018
Chicago, Il
[OFF-Camera]


Holden: “I tried to warn you that was going to happen!”

Kris kicked open the door to the gym and stepped outside onto the sidewalk. He was not necessarily in a talking mood, and his father was one of the last people that he wanted to be stuck having a conversation with right now.

Kris: “You don’t know shit Holden. I’m not having the greatest day. Can we save this for some other time?”

The older man kept up with his son fairly well considering the crowded sidewalk and the fact that Kris was not making any attempt to be slow enough to follow.

Holden: “I can only assume that your little protege in there shot down your offer for help and now you are throwing a tantrum like a child. I just think that if we stopped and talked about i--”

Kris did stop. In fact, not only did he stop, but he turned around before Holden’s eyes could even pick up on what was happening. Kris grabbed two handfuls of the front of his shirt and lifted him from the ground. Kris took two steps forward into an alley, and off of the main sidewalk. The everyday pedestrians on the streets of Chicago did not even take exception to the altercation. Kris shoved his father against the wall of the alley and released his hold on his shirt.

Kris: “You want to stop and talk about something? How about the fact that you are attempting to be more involved in my life right now than you ever were when I was a kid that could have actually used your help.”

Holden’s hands come up and he nods his head, trying not to take offense to the words. They had been thrown at him a lot in the last year. Kris was not the best at being able to let things go long term, and there was still a lot of resentment that made its way to the surface during their chats.

Holden: “That’s not even what this is about, just take a breath already.”

Kris was not exactly one to follow directions, especially when he was about to implode. He balls up his fists, and raises them up to his temples, rubbing the knuckle of his index finger in a small circle.

Kris: “I’m just getting tired of everything that I try to do blowing up in my face, and I really don’t need you to be there to say ‘I told you so’ every time something doesn’t go my way. It’s not helpful.”

Holden seemed to consider Kris’ point as he adjusted his clothing. The wrinkles from Kris’ grip came out easily, and Holden managed to eliminate the ‘recently mugged’ vibe from the alley.

Holden: “What are you doing wasting your time with that girl anyways? She just dropped a match to Evie Baang. Hardly worth the effort.”

It was not the point, and Holden knew it. He was just attempting to bait him into confronting exactly why he had reached out to Court.

Kris: “I don’t exactly have anyone out here. That used to be good back when it was just a paycheck as a means to an end. I mean that was one of the perks. I don’t know….”

He shrugged, but Holden had gotten enough out of him to be able to finish the thought for him.

Holden: “You do know. You got used to people being around. You got used to teaching. Doing it by yourself doesn’t give you the same satisfaction.”

It was a longshot that Kris would admit it, and when he blew it off, Holden was not surprised.

Kris: “It’s nice to have people around you that are disposable is all. The Black Sheep was a good idea. I got to take all of the credit, and let the rest of them be the failures. It took some of the pressure off. There is strength in numbers.”

It was not even impressive as a lie, but Holden had no choice but to buy it. If Kris was not going to admit it freely, then wrenching the confession out of him was not going to help. That was not the goal for the conversation anyways. All he was here to do was stoke the flame a little bit. He put on his lovable idiot charm full blast, and pointed back towards the gym.

Holden: “So what was her problem anyways? That time of the month?”

The random sarcasm is enough to draw a laugh out of Kris that deflates the tension between the two of them. Kris had gotten so flustered by what she said, that he had not really put thought into why she said any of it.

Kris: “I think she’s probably upset about losing her first match.”

Holden was starting to get him rolling in the right direction, but he had to be careful about how hard he tried to steer the conversation.

Holden: “That sounds pretty obvious. I mean, who likes losing? It’s kind of the opposite of what you’re out there for, you know? Does she think that she can win them all or something? Hello! Impossible.”

Kris blows off his rambling, only half listening at this point anyways. He was trying to put together exactly why Court would have snapped on him when all of the other times had gone as well as he had planned for them to go.

Kris: “She wanted to get in the ring with Evie, and expected to lose. But she was pissed off about losing, that’s not right?”

Seeing his small opening to direction the conversation where he wants to go, Holden tries to shift gears away from Evie.

Holden: “Well what did Mikah tell her about losing? She’s training her, right?”

Kris starts putting more and more of it together in his head. Court may not have been upset about losing a match, but something else. As far as he knew, Mikah had not spoken to her since Climax Control.

Kris: “I’m not sure. She was supposed to be there today. When I popped in, she blew up at me almost immediately.”

Holden forces himself to laugh and makes a joke at his son’s expense.

Holden: “Well you are kind of an asshole. Are you sure you didn’t deserve it? You can be…. abrasive.”

Kris blows off the comment again. It was not helpful. All of his conversations with Courtney had had hostile undertones and involved trading insults. None of them had ever ended this way though.

Kris: “That’s not it. She just didn’t want to see me there. She had no interest in what I had to say. I couldn’t help her.”

Holden tries to interject, knowing that Kris was going to cut him off in order to layer the guilt onto himself.

Holden: “That’s not true. You’re the SCW Heav--”

Holden did not even get as far into the thought as he had planned before Kris cut him off.

Kris: “I’m the guy that stole a championship, and people cheered because I was the lesser evil. I didn’t really earn it. It was a surprise. Look at me. I am still the champion, but I have never actually defended it. I’m not like Mikah. I don’t qualify as a stand in.”

Maybe he had underestimated the girl’s ability to get under Kris’ skin, because apparently she had done a real number on him in their short conversation. Holden knew that the admission could not have come easy for Kris, and had not expected to hear it at all. At least not today. Either way, it did allow for Holden to give him another push in the right direction.

Holden: “So then why did you go?”

An answer comes quickly to Kris, and he cannot stop it from starting to slip out.

Kris: “She asked me--”

In the middle of the thought he realized exactly why Court would have snapped at him. In typical Kris fashion, he does not take any of the blame onto himself, and feeds the answer that Holden wanted back to him.

Kris: “Court thinks that Mikah is avoiding her. She picked at me for being her errand boy. All because Mikah is not there. Mikah didn’t like that she joined Blast From The Past, so I have been going in her place. Maybe if Mikah would have been there instead of me, she could have won. That is why she is upset.”

Watching Kris put together the puzzle was satisfying, even if Holden had been the one laying out the pieces. It was pretty magical to see the plan coming together in front of his eyes. If anything, he knew Kris better than his son would ever give him credit for. He knew which buttons to push, and what the response to pushing them would be.

Holden: “You just got your ass ripped by a rookie so that Mikah could punish her for joining a tournament? That’s kind of a harsh friendship.”

Kris tries to shrug it off, but it is clear the the idea stings a little bit.

Kris: “She’s too selfish to even think about it like that I bet. I doubt she even considered that Court would care. Or that I would actually show up if she asked me to.”

As fast as Holden could set up the new hurdles to jump through, Kris made his way through them. He had already gotten him to blame Mikah for the outburst, now he just needed to put the two of them on a collision course with one another.

Holden: “That’s kind of shitty to do. I mean Mikah has not even been in the ring yet, and only has to put her title on the line against Crystal. Talk about a walk in the park. You have Crimson in some crazy match that he is going to come up with, and you have to take on training her rookie for her on top of all of it? That seems like a lot to put on a guy’s plate.”

Kris pulls his phone out of his pocket and sends a message. He tries to force his frustration down, but was finding that there was really no other place for it to go. The confrontation with Court had been bad enough.

Kris: “I mean when you put it like that it sounds kind of bad, yeah.”

He checks the screen for a message but nothing comes through. The small delivery icon switches to indicate that the message that he sent had been read, but no reply came. He laughs, but there is no joy in it. Holden starts to get nervous that Kris might blow up right here in the middle of the alley.

Holden: “How else can you put? I mean I am just listening to what you’re telling me. You know all these people way better than I do.”

Playing the fool was going to allow him to escape blame for now, but he was going to have to pay the price for it some time later. Eventually he would have to tell Kris about all of this, but only once all the dust had settled. They had already come too far for him to back out now.

Kris: “She wouldn’t do that just to fuck with me. She knows that I have to win this match. I mean I came out and stole the title. The company was closed while I racked up days. I can’t just lose. I can’t let myself get distracted.”

The words rattle around in his head as soon as he says them. Something about it seems familiar. He looks away from his father, a slight smirk coming across his lips.

Holden: “What was that?”

Kris looks back at him confused, and shrugs his shoulders.

Kris: “What was what?”

Holden raises his index finger and swirls it in a circle in the direction of Kris’ face.

Holden: “You looked like you remembered something funny.”

He was not exactly right, but he was not wrong either.

Kris: “Something that Coby told me when he picked me up and took me home. You know? The same night that he told me that SCW was open and that he had signed me up.”

Holden nodded. Coby had been worried about having to be the one to talk to Kris first. There was so much that he had to throw into that conversation, and he had lost a lot of sleep trying to make sure that he got every detail right. The fact that it was coming up now, exactly when he needed it, showed that the kid had nailed it.

Holden: “He was the one that told you that you had to come back, right?”

Kris shook his head. That was not spot on either. Coby never really told him to do anything that he did not already know. That was why he was able to accept the offer on Kris’ behalf. That is why he was able to keep up appearances. Coby knew Kris well enough to know he was going back regardless.

Kris: “He told me that I needed to be who I really am. No apologies. No excuses. I don’t need any friends. All that shit is distracting.”

He looks down at the phone in his hand and sees that there has still not been a response to his earlier messages. At this point, waiting was no longer on the table. He shot a pointed look at his father, and issued a calm threat.

Kris: “Stop following me around. If I need your help, I’ll ask for it.”

Holden nodded without a word, and held up his hands innocently. Kris offered him a smile before tucking his phone into his pocket and stepping out of the alley. Holden straightened himself up and looked off in the direction that Kris went with a smile on his face. He turned back towards the gym, but as he stepped onto the sidewalk, a female stepped in front of him.

Court: “I didn’t believe you when you said that it was going to flip his world upside down. Why would you do that to him?”

Holden looked back over his shoulder to make sure that Kris was long gone before he risked having a conversation with someone that he was not supposed to know.

Holden: “For the first time in his life, I am trying to force him to do something completely by himself. I am taking away his crutches. I want him to prove to himself that he is good enough. That’s what it’s going to take.”

She seemed confused. She was only in it to get her trainer back. She did not realize exactly what she was signing up for when she set the ball rolling. The realization of what was happening was not any less startling though.

Court: “You’re trying to break him.”

Holden shrugs and starts to walk away from her.

Holden: “He’s already broken. I’m just making him put himself back together instead of letting others tell him who or what he should be.”

Holden waved, and continued walking opposite the direction that Kris went. Unsure if she should intervene, Court stood at the end of the alley for a few minutes. Resigned to let it play out, she eventually made her way back towards the gym with a look back in the direction Kris went.

Court: “Good luck dude...”


===========================
===========================


”Solo Effort”
19 May 2018
Chicago, Il
[OFF-Camera]

Kris wasted no time leaving his father behind and making his way to the hotel that he knew Mikah was staying at. She had a certain set of standards, and once you knew them, she was easy to find. The fact that she was not answering any of his messages had not sat well with him on the trip to the hotel. The fact that he had to clean up her mess was even worse. By the time he made it up to her room in order to talk it out, there was nearly nothing left of his ability to be rational. He pounded on the door, not taking her lack of opening it for an answer.

Mikah: “Jesus fucking Christ, just a minute.”

Her voice was loud enough to be heard through the door and it take the Bombshell about a minute and a half to open the door, a scowl on her face and her robe wrapped around her. As soon as the latch pops open, he pushes the door open, side-stepping her on his way through it.

Kris: “Sorry. I know you have a problem opening doors and answering messages.”

He was not even attempting to hide the hostility in his voice. He had spent so much time stewing about it that there was no pushing it aside.

Mikah: “Apparently I do.  Considering I just opened the damned door.”

She chose not to elaborate on why she was not answering any messages but stepped aside to let him in if he wanted to go in. She pushed the door closed behind him, but once she turned to face him, he had already stopped moving into the room, and turned back to face her.

Kris: “I mean you can now. I wouldn’t have expected you to though. When I needed you to last year, you were a fucking ghost. Then you have me run around doing your fucking bidding while I should be focusing on this match, but you can’t even answer a message back. What the fuck?”

She seems a bit perplexed but she is quiet for a moment.  She looks at him before looking around the room.

Mikah: “I’m sorry.  I was talking to my husband on the phone, couldn’t exactly tell him to wait a second while I text you back.  Not exactly something he would want to hear, considering he threw a fit last year about it.”

She rolls her eyes before crossing her arms over her chest in a much more standoffish way. He raises a hand to run his fingers through his hair. While he does so, he takes a deep breath, trying to pull himself back together. It was not a battle that he could win at the moment though.

Kris: “That’s always the thing though, isn’t it? I can get Christian to let you name rules for your matches. I can help you out with your student. The second I need something from you though, you have some argument going on. You have some conversation with Drake that can’t be put on hold for thirty seconds. I fucking fly to Chicago regularly just to do you a favor. I think I deserve a message back about some shit hitting the fan.”

In his head it did not seem like too much to ask, but he could tell that he was only creating more problems when he managed to catch her eye.

Mikah: “I am sorry that I didn’t answer within a reasonable fucking time to your message. I didn’t think it was going to be that big of a deal if I waited until I was off the phone to respond.  AND it is not my fault that Christian Underwood prefers you and your gender over me and my gender.  And even if I could try to get you what you wanted from Mark Ward, it wouldn’t happen.  Because I married Drake.”

She again rolls her eyes and flashes her wedding rings at him before she moves around the room, grabbing her phone for a second.  Her fingers can be heard clicking against the screen of her phone, clearly texting somebody back and then looks at him, expectantly waiting for his phone to ding.

Kris: “I am tired of doing your bidding for you. I didn’t come back just to be someone’s bitch. I mean, I am literally carrying this whole fucking company, going into a match that is terrifying, and I helped you pick a stipulation for yours? I made that happen for you. Crimson is creating some kind of murder box for me to compete in, but you got your fucking match alright.”

The only thing that cuts off his words is his phone chiming in his pocket, but he makes no move to actually check it.

Mikah: “What do you want me to fucking do about Crimson?  Walk out to the ring fucking naked?  I doubt that would work.  And don’t do my bidding anymore!  There is a two lettered word that works fucking wonders, you know.  You don’t have to be a yes man.”

She takes a deep breath before tossing her phone on the bed, not caring about it.  She turns her attention back to him but quickly looks away again, too irritated with him to actually keep her eyes on him. He does not back down from the fight either, moving across the room towards her.

Kris: “That’s your problem though. You don’t care. You tell me that I should just tell you no to shit, but you still keep piling on. Court joins the Blast From The Past and it pisses you off so I have to go keep tabs on her. You know what she did today? She ripped me a new one all because she has some weird abandonment issues. I got that dumped on me because of whatever you were busy doing. And what are you going to do about it, Mikah? You gonna go talk to her? Or is that asking too much?”

She refuses to look in his direction, so his positions himself between her and the window she was attempting to look out, almost demanding her attention.  She takes a step backward from him.

Mikah: “Then tell me to stop.  Stop is just as easy to say as no.  I can help you say the words if you’d like.  Or better yet, I’ll just ask somebody else for help.  And maybe but you don’t need to worry about her.  It’s not YOUR problem.”

She reaches up to push her hair out of her face before looking up at the ceiling, getting quite good at avoiding people’s eyes. He laughs at her, but there is nothing but frustration in it.

Kris: “Yeah, that’s super typical Mikah Green right there. Avoid the problem. Tell people it is their fault. Not take any responsibility. That fact that someone thought that you were going to be a decent trainer is worth laughing at. You only care about yourself.”

He shakes his head and moves around her, back towards the front door.

Mikah: “Yeah, maybe so.  But what about you?  You’re so quick to point the finger at me but what about you?  You won’t tell me no because there’s a chance that you might be all by yourself, alone.  And that’s a scary thought, isn’t it?  That you might actually have to do something about Crimson without somebody in your corner.  I never had to worry about anybody but myself for the longest time and worrying about Courtney….”

She stops, not wanting to finish the sentence and appear vulnerable.  She watches him, staring at his back as he walks toward the door. He spins on his heel, curious about what it is that she could possibly have to say about the girl that he had been babysitting for her since the start of the tournament.

Kris: “How are you doing anything other than protecting yourself by blowing her off? You’re not in the ring competing. You have all the time in the world to help her prepare. You have been in the ring with these people she is up against. You could have helped her, but instead you’re probably worried about what happens when she wins. You know Crystal is not going to beat you, and you’re terrified that Court is going to win this and then pull one over on you. That’s why you’re keeping your distance.”

She glares at him before taking three steps closer to him.

Mikah: “Why were you so willing to help her when I asked you to step in? Hm?  Why did you even agree?  Maybe you wanted the distraction so you didn’t have to deal with Crimson head on.  And you say all those things like they’re new, like you didn’t know this before you and I….became friends.  And you’re right, I could’ve helped her but maybe I felt she needed a little bit of a flying lesson on her own.  I can’t hold her hand in every match that she is in and it is better that she found that out now instead of later.”

She looks at him before rolling her eyes in irritation.  She was still Mikah, she was still self-centered and self absorbed or at least to the naked eye.  Those that knew her, knew there was more to it. He loses his cool, but in doing so does not try to filter out his impulse response to the argument.

Kris: “I hated doing it by myself and I liked having people around, but they are all gone now!”

He sighs, and looks down. His hands come up a second time and slowly run through his hair. Those were not the words that he thought were going to fly out of his mouth and the realization of how true they actually were hit him like a ton of bricks.

Mikah: “I...I am not like you, okay?  I have never thrived on people being around; it is...was just not who I am.  And I am not gone.”

She had not really known what to say or do for him because she was so different from him.  She stands there, a bit awkwardly and looks at him, finally not avoiding his eyes.

Kris: “I didn’t have anyone around for a long time. I did it by myself. That’s why I bailed on The Nobodies. It’s why I flaked in and out of the company. I look back at last year, and realize that if I would have just cut all of you out back then, I wouldn’t have any of the problems that I have right now. I never needed any of you, but I let you in, just for everyone to let me down.”

The anger is quickly disappearing from his voice, but it is instantly replaced with a defeated tone that she had not heard come from him before.

Kris: “I got used to the change, and I liked it. I was obviously wrong though. I’m the only one going out of my way for anybody. All of these people that were supposed to be a support system up and bailed on my dream. Like it wasn’t good enough anymore.”

She looks at him and takes a deep breath.

Mikah: “I have not bailed on your dream.  I am sorry about not being entirely there and being wrapped up in my own superficial problems.”

He shrugs, not even knowing why he let himself get so angry about it. It was clear what he needed to do. He could not show up at Into The Void in this state of mind. That was going to be the easiest way to lose everything. He started to back away from her, moving closer to the door.

Kris: “You know what, Mikah? Just don’t even worry about it. Deal with your shit. I’ll deal with mine. It’s probably the best thing that either of us can do for the other. When I try to make friends, shit just falls apart, right? Part of that shit that Crimson was cursing me with last year. Maybe I should just stop trying to fight against it, and just embrace it for once. He wants my attention, then I should give it to him.”

The more he talks, the further away his voice sounds. It is almost like he is putting together the words as they come to him, instead of thinking any of it through. Strangely he starts to feel the way that he did when Coby had picked him up at the beginning of last month.

Mikah: “Stop.  Don’t do this.  I know that I’m not exactly the best person to have as a friend and that I’m self absorbed but that doesn’t mean that you have to deal with Crimson’s shit by yourself.”

She takes another step closer to him He shakes his head, but there is a strange smirk on his face. He backs away from her, and moves his arm away when she tries to reach out to him..

Kris: “No…. no.. no.. no.. no.. I can do this. This is what he wants. He wants me to be wasting time arguing with you. He couldn’t have Heather and Kali at the shows, Jet City wasn’t around to dismantle, so he just moved onto you, didn’t he? That’s just part of the plan.”

His eyes become more and more accusing, but he keeps retreating from her. It was obvious that he was starting to lose touch with reality, and he was knotting himself up with conspiracy after conspiracy in an attempt to make sense of it all even as it started to collapse around him. His back touches the door, and he paws at the handle without looking down at it, almost looking afraid.

Mikah: “Kris..stop!  Crimson doesn’t even know that you and I are friends. And even if he did, there’s nothing he can do to me.  He cannot get to me and you doing this...is helping him to get to you.”

She looks worried as she watches him try to work the door handle to get out of the hotel room.  She moves even closer to him but does so slowly, not wanting to startle him. He starts to shake his head back and forth harder now, beyond the point of being able to be reasoned with. His hands shake, making it hard to grip the door handle to open it. He had not been this panicked since the Summer XXXtreme boat last year, which only triggers the memory of Mikah leaving him hanging then too. The anger starts to build up again, but helps to steady his hand, and he wrenches the door open before forcing himself through it.

Kris: “I have to take care of him by myself. No distractions. It has to end.”

She looks concerned for him and can see the panic in his eyes.  She was not sure what she could do for him to to reassure him of that but she takes a step even closer.

Mikah: “Kris...calm down.  He’s not going to get to anybody you care about.”

He shakes his head, and steps out into the hall, pulling the door mostly shut, but leaning into it.

Kris: “I’m sorry I brought you into it.”

He pulls the door closed as she reaches for it, and the electric lock on the door immediately turns into place. Mikah tries to pull the door open, but has to take a few extra seconds to free the lock before it gives in. When she steps into the hallway, There was nobody there.


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”The End Of Everything”
SCWrestling.net Exclusive


The feed comes to life with Kristopher Ryans standing inside what looks like a glass box.

”I decided to go a little high tech so that I could show you that it’s not particularly intimidating...”

He pulls a pair of gloves onto his hands, and as soon as they are on, the orange trim down the sides of his hands and around his wrists lights up.

”We have spent an obscene amount of time straining to get to this point, haven’t we? I don’t think that either of us realized what was happening, even as it was happening around us.”

He raises his right hand out to the glass next to him, only for an image of his first bloody fight with Crimson to come to life on the screen. It plays back Kris having the tacts pulled out of his skin following the match.

”I carry some sort of guilt over the fact that you have made it this far. Had I been more concerned with defending the Roulette Championship when you came along, we might not have ever had a real problem with one another. I could have just put you out of your misery then, and none of this would have ever gotten off the ground. In hindsight, I should have just done one last garbage run before moving up to Harris. I blame myself.”

He raises his left hand, and the footage of Kris telling Mark and Christian that he was done with the Roulette Championship comes to life on the other side of the cube that he stands in.

”Think about it. All it would have taken was a little more drive. A little more determination to carry the title just a little bit further past the old record. Instead I got excited. I got distracted. I saw Calvin Harris surrounding himself with a group of people to protect him, and knew that I could do better. I knew that I had friends that could rip it apart. I got away from what I set out to do, and I gave you exactly what you needed to become relevant.”

He turns around to face the blank back wall, but an image of his brother Jason and Aaron Isaacs coming out and reforming Jet City fills the space. The image melts away just as quickly as the group’s hopes and dreams did.

”I allowed myself to be distracted. I took my eye off the ball for just a few seconds, and you were created. I thought that you were going to quietly shut the fuck up. I thought that the championship would appease you and you would just go the fuck away. Afterall, Harris ignored me while I was breaking records. How could some nobody holding the same championship only four matches into his career ever be worth the time to the guy at the top of the mountain? How could some rookie champion be better than the man that set the standards? That’s ridiculous.”

Videos play of each of Crimson’s matches, showing him run through the competition. The clips avoid angles that showed the tights he pulled during pins, focusing instead of the pinfalls, and referees raising Tommy’s hand each time he competed.

”But what did I do, huh? I stretched myself thin. Why? I let people on social media start to drive my decision making. I started to let people tell me what company I belonged in. I had people directing me to new places, and new opportunities like I needed them. I was doing just fine here, but these friends of mine managed to worm their way in, and then pull me out of my home at the worst possible moment. What happens when only one man can beat The Miracle? That man’s stock rises when The Miracle’s arm gets broken by a handful of thugs backstage. I took my eyes off of the Roulette Championship and allowed you to take your first step to success. I took my eyes off of SCW and opened it up for you to make your own.”

The logo of a few of the other companies Kris competed for in the short time away from SCW flash on each of the walls of the cube before fading away and leaving it black. A spotlight came down on Kris though, and he pointed down at the floor beneath him. It came to life with footage of Tommy Crimson talking about Calvin Harris, and cut in with the beating Harris suffered at Full Circle.

”What happened while I was gone though? You took every opportunity to capitalize on the fact that I was not here to stop you. You called my shot. Title vs title against Harris, taking the place that I was supposed to have in the main event of Full Circle. Maybe it would not have been so insulting if not for the fact that you couldn’t keep my name out of your mouth on the way there. You rode my coattails while I was on the injured reserve. Do you not see how insignificant that makes you? The company was faced with the option of you or Calvin Harris as it’s standing champion, and chose to close the doors once I was gone.”

Kris points up at the ceiling, and Crimson smiles down at him from the glass as he holds up both the Roulette and SCW Heavyweight Championships.

”I didn’t know if I was going to be let in at Full Circle. I was not really under contract. I was barely cleared to compete, and a second opinion from any doctor would have blown my chances. I had to sit down with the both of them and convince them to just let me go out and give it a shot. They put their faith in me, and when I walked out there, I knew that you could feel what was about to happen.”

Each side of the cube comes to life one after another with the shocked look on Crimson’s face the moment that Kris’ music played at Full Circle. Kris is surrounded by the expression that clearly gave him so much joy. He points over at the image on his left though, and turns towards it. He rotates his gloved hand counter-clockwise to rewind the clip a bit, and then lets it play. The expression on Crimson’s face changes the very moment the music starts to play.

”I was confused when I noticed it, because I had not realized it in the first two matches. My heart wasn’t in the Roulette Championship match. I was so absent minded about it that I am surprised I ended up looking as good as I did. You should have run away with that win easily, but you pulled something out of me. You forced me into a competition that I did not want to be in, and it may have been the most exciting thing to watch on the entire card. We were the most memorable, even though one of us was not trying.”

More clips of their first meeting play across all of the screens.

”We went two weeks before doing it again, but it was forced. They wanted me to have that championship rematch, and I couldn’t stomach the idea of holding that championship again. I feel like I am above it at this point. Saddling myself with it again would be a step backwards. Miracles don’t move that direction.”

The ending of their second match is showcased to Kris’ right, this time not hiding the rule bending finish.

”That match was another one for the history books though, wasn’t it. It was the one that burned my name into your mind. It was the match that led you to mention me on every single show after that. It let to me being part of your build going into Full Circle. You brought me with you, even though I was at home recovering. You took credit for the fact that I was no longer around, even though it had zero to do with you. Again, you forced yourself to the top because I was too busy, or too distracted to deal with the problem that you were becoming.”

Clips flash in rapid succession, all show Crimson either mouthing Kris’ name, ‘Golden Boy’, and the word ‘miracle’ in the lead up to Full Circle.

”Your eyes lit up when Mark said my name. I would be willing to bet that a shiver ran up your spine the moment that my music filled the PA system. The reason that you carried me all the way to that match was because you wanted me to come out at the end. It wasn’t because you wanted to fight me. It wasn’t because you were surprised to see me. It was that you wanted me to see first hand what you did to Calvin Harris. You wanted me to come to the ring and see the broken body of a guy that never gave me the time of day. You wanted to show me that you took my spot, and you cashed in on what should have been mine.”

The screen above Kris shows him ascending the turnbuckle at Full Circle. As he dives, the action moves to the screen behind Kris. The camera angle changes, and shows the pinfall directly in front of where Kris stands. He watches on with a smile on his face.

”The need for validation is not a conscious thing. I learned that you wanted mine before that match at Full Circle ever started though. That is how I knew that no matter how tired you were, you would throw your best shots at me. That is how I knew how to beat you. You were so proud to show me what you had done, that you got sloppy and I walked away with your prize. You got what you wanted though. You jumped me in line, and you made me go through you in order to get what I wanted. You flipped the script in a matter of months. The doors were closing. You were going to have to walk away anyways. It didn’t matter to you if you took the titles with you or not. What mattered was that I knew you were good enough to win it. Tell me I’m wrong if you honestly believe that I am.”

A final shot of Kris holding up both of the championship flash on each of the screens before they die out one at a time. Kris is left in the dark before an orange light from beneath him illuminates the whole space around him.

”I knew when I came out on the first Climax Control of this new era that you wouldn’t be far behind me. I knew that this fight was not over. See, we may have done this a few times, but we have never done it like this. There was always a distraction. Always some other factory. It was Kali, then the Roulette Championship, then some stupid rematch, and then Calvin Harris. Each time we got the chance to put an end to things, one or both of us had their eyes on something or someone else.”

As he moves through the list, things flash on the screens around him, but he is no longer looking at them. His eyes are on the camera in front of him.

”You pulled your knife and I jumped right into the fight anyways. I can turn my back to you, because of what I learned at Full Circle. You need me to see what you are doing. You need me to acknowledge it, and validate it by playing the witness. You dropped me onto that car not because I showed you up by turning my back to you, but because I compared myself to O’Malley and gave him a little spotlight. It got under your skin that I might see somebody else as more of an equal than I do you. If he got my attention with words, you needed to go a step further. You needed to show me that you could act. Congratulations.”

As the screen behind him shows the impact on the windshield of the car, it shatters behind him. Glass falls to the floor all around him as the image moves clockwise around all of the screens, busting them out as Kris crashes against the car. He looks up though, and the screen does not fall victim to the same trick, instead showing Kris flipping through the air.

”How did you like the response, eh? It can’t feel good to have someone do something that you’re famous for better than you ever could have. I mean, if it didn’t get under your skin, you wouldn’t have gone out of your way to do it in my face with that pathetic vampire attempted to mount a case to be included in this match. Everyone could tell that he was just a third wheel to the party though. He may have gotten his shots in, but he does not play on the same level that we do. There is a reason that he can only get one over on my after a match is over. He can’t buy a win when I am in the ring. I wouldn’t have missed a front row ticket to your jealousy for anything though.”

Kris has to look down as the video of Crimson Godbooking Dmitri over the champion’s head plays beneath him. He stomps his foot on the glass, cracking the image before it can show him being forced to count the pin.

”Here we are Crimson. We can’t lay a hand on one another until the bell rings at Into The Void. For the first time ever, a contract signing went peacefully because of the fact that getting this match means so much for the both of us. For you, you get your opportunity to prove to me that you really aren’t just garbage that I let pile up. For me, I get to toss you into a dumpster like I should have done a long time ago. I cannot wait for that burden to be lifted off of my shoulders. I can’t wait to come into this company on the first Climax Control after Into The Void and finally feel free of you.”

The glass above him shatters and sends a shower of shards down around him. The champion does not even flinch. Instead, he raises up his left hand and pulls the glove from it. He stretches his hand out, and then brings his thumb and middle finger together.

”This fast.”

The SCW Heavyweight Champion snaps his fingers, and the video feed dies out. It continues to play against the black screen, and Kris’ voice is heard just one last time before it cuts off.

”This is the End of Everything. No More Distractions.”

[Kristopher Ryans]

 

“I realize that I live on the bubble of insanity. I feel the weight of human suffering, loneliness and despair on me all the time. It's not getting easier; if anything, it's always right on the edge of my skin.”

-Erwin McManus


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20 May 2018
On The Move
OFF-Camera
Descent


The last day had not gone the way that he wanted it do, or planned. In all honesty, he was not really sure how it had spun so out of control so quickly. One second it felt like everything was running smoothly, the next things had started to go wrong. Court snapping on him was not something that he had seen coming. His father being right there to rub it in his face was not something that he needed. Both of those interactions left him in a more fragile place than he had been in months. For some reason it had eaten away at whatever scab had formed over Kris’ emotional wounds.

The fight with Mikah had sent him over the edge. It was where it all started coming together, in the worst possible way. Crimson was busy constructing away at something that was going to end Kris’ career. His friends had abandoned him. The new people at his side had shunned him. It was all started to come true. Maybe he was cursed after all. Maybe since he was fighting so hard against it, the slow burn had only made it take longer. The end could be coming. It could be as near as Sunday. There was no stopping it from coming now.

Kris did what he always did in these situations. From the moment that he disappeared from Mikah’s door, everything device he had got turned off. If Holden had tracked him to Chicago, if Crimson was keeping tabs on him, he was not going to make it easy for them. He packed up his things, and did not even think of taking Jet City Airways to his destination.

Instead, with his bags packed and ready to go to Las Vegas, he got on a plane going the opposite direction, and paid in cash to buy himself as much of a headstart as he could get. The last place that anyone would look for him would be New York City. The only place worse, in Kris’ mind, was Detroit, but he would never go there.

Yet, it was fitting. Before last year’s Into The Void he had made a similar trip. Granted, the show was taking place in New York which made it a little bit easier for him to swing. This was going to be out of the way, but if it kept him from losing his mind, it was easily the right thing to do. After all, it was not like he was going to be sleeping outside in the storage space. Those days were long gone. The alley that the unit opened out in was no longer available to the public due to their own incompetence. The owner had blamed Kris for what happened to the space, and to shut him up he had bought it. It was a retreat, and it was finally coming in handy.

When Kris pushed the door to the small upstairs apartment open, he was pleasantly surprised with what his people had been able to do with the space. The storefront below was completely empty, and everything was covered in plastic. The windows showed a “FOR LEASE” sign, but anyone that had ever inquired about it got the same blow off. He liked it exactly how it was. He wasn’t going to give it over to someone else.

Kris tossed his bag into a chair in the corner of the room and made his way over to the bed. Instead of laying down, he jumped into the air and falls onto the bed on his back, bouncing up into the air a few inches before settling into the middle. The thought of this place would scare the other members of his family if they knew he had bought it. The things that he used to do downstairs in that storage space no longer haunted him, but not everyone believed that.

The only plan that Kris ever had for the place was silence. He needed it, and at least in that way, coming here was not a mistake. Tonight it would function as a place for him to clear his head, and that was as far ahead as he was thinking. If anyone found him and thought the worst, so be it. Maybe something like that would save him from whatever fate was awaiting him at Into The Void.

He settled into the bed and pulled out his phone intended to send a single message to let everyone know that he was fine. The phone screen never managed to switch on though. As it pulled it from his pocket, he laid it on his chest. Just a few minutes, he thought to himself. Then he would get up and start to sort through all of the mess that he had created. From all of the flying, and all of the hostility, he just needed a few minutes to shut his eyes.


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“To attempt the destruction of our passions is the height of folly. What a noble aim is that of the zealot who tortures himself like a madman in order to desire nothing, love nothing, feel nothing, and who, if he succeeded, would end up a complete monster!”

-Denis Diderot

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20 May 2018
Edge Of Nowhere, Everywhere
OFF-Camera
Madness in Dreamscapes

I could feel the tightness in my chest. It was always the same, no matter what. Whether it was my first match, or my last. Whether it was against the best of the best, or someone yawn inducing. That same tightness was there. The anxiety of standing on the back side of that curtain is like nothing else in the world. You can hear every voice on the other side constantly trying to talk over everyone else. All of the applause, the boos, the stomping and jumping around echoes through this small hallway. Over the years I have learned to convince myself that I am anywhere but here while I prep for the match. Once I get here though, there is no more denying it. The worst part is, this is the part that I always have to do alone.

Maddie Wilson: “You already beat him once, didn’t you? ”

The voice got my attention immediately. My head jerks in her direction, and there she is, sitting on top of a crate. The pink shorts and matching boots gave her away before my eyes ever got to hers. She looked the exact same as she did when she graduated out of Jet City. The smile on her face was a fresh change from the resting bitch vibe she had given off lately. She was right too. I have stood right here in this spot before. I have walked out and beaten the man that was already out there. Yet, here I was. Afraid to hear the music start.

Jason Halich: “Well? You need a hand with him?”

Each individual nerve ending up my spine fired at the same time, triggering a cold chill that I couldn’t make any attempt to hide. When I turned to him, he was laughing, with a hand out. He knew that those days were a thing of the past. I didn’t even think that he was going to be coming to the show. Truth be told, we haven’t really been on speaking terms for the longest times. The public gets a show. Not even family members know. He taught me to be the best actor in the room. Forcing my face to stay blank as I shook my head was easy. I turned back to Maddie, but she wasn’t there.

Liz Smalls: “He doesn’t need anyone’s help. You gots this, right cutie?”

Both the crate and Maddie were gone. In their place was someone I never thought I would see in these halls again. Everything about her was pink, and as usual, her attention was more on her nails than on our conversation. She takes just a second to look up and shoot me a reassuring wink, probably just to piss Jason off. I couldn’t wait to see the look on his face, and already had my hand raised to add a point to my laugh, but it got smacked away.

Violet Ripley: “He doesn’t need anyone’s coddling. Just let him go already.”

She worked her way in a circle around me, having taken offense to my near poking her in the face. Both of her hands come up, with her index fingers extended up. She lunges at me, attempting to return my near poking her in the face. The fake fight quickly breaks down into a light-hearted battle of hands slapping against one another. Heather might have been the best thing to happen to me, but Violet was the sister that life robbed me of. She knew it too. We were alike, or at least in her opinion. I always thought she was way stronger than I was ever going to be.

Amanda Stephens: “Go take care of business, we got this back here...”

The voice of reason. I didn’t even have to look back over my shoulder at her. Violet backs away with her hands held up innocently so that I can turn without having to worry about her jumping at me. Amanda had a big smile on her face, as she did most of the time. Suddenly the space is bigger. When I turn it is not just some small hallway leading to a curtain, but an open room full of kids running around. My eyes find KJ first. I guess that they are just trained that way. I try to say something to him, but it is no use. I hear the crowd come to life. The familiar opening of the newest song I had forced the company to pay for. A hand tightened around mine, pulling me back towards the curtain. Before I even saw her long blonde hair, I knew it who it was on touch alone.

Clarissa Ashford: “Come on… let’s do this!”

She was the first one to ever manage me in the company, and the first person I ever really trusted. It was only fitting that she was the one to drag me through the curtain for the biggest match that I have ever competed in. She was fearless like I always wanted to be. The crowds never bothered her. New opportunities never scared her. She was always willing to run head on into anything, and drag me right along with her. Standing in the middle of the stage next to her was a relief that I didn’t know that I needed. I could breathe again. I want to tell her how grateful I am for what she has done, but she could not hear me over the roar of the crowd. They were deafening.

Kirsten Reynolds:: “Holy shit that is a lot of people….”

I couldn’t help but to be startled. By the time my eyes found her on my left, she was pushing the black rimmed glasses up to her eyes from where they had started to slide. She wasn’t wrong though. I looked out to the crowd for the first time, only it was not the Gold Coast Casino. It wasn’t any arena I had ever been in. I have performed in front of hundreds, and I have performed in front of thousands. The dozen or so tiers of seating moving upward and outward were packed with what had to be hundreds of thousands of fans, and they were all still screaming in excitement.

Jules Halich: “Just think about how many more are watching at home….”

Clarissa’s grip on my hand was gone, and was replaced by a light nudge in the ribs. In her place was the woman that had finally managed to tie Jason down. The last time that I saw her was when she was just starting to show from the pregnancy. From all appearances, she had already had the baby. She didn’t look bad either, already wearing her headset, and carrying her clipboard. Directing a show wasn’t easy. She had millions around the world to keep entertained, all I had to do was keep the people in the building to keep interested. Only the thing was, she did not work for Sin City. That was PRIDE, and there was no more PRIDE. How was she here? Why?

Lexa Ryans: “Hey, you with the face. Don’t forget that they’re all here to see you, okay?”

It was the sister that I never knew that I had. Her popping up at all was a surprise. It hadn’t taken long for us to start to find things that we had in common, even though we were separated for our entire lives. She was behind me, and it was vaguely reassuring to hear her voice. More importantly, something that I had somehow forgotten was in her hand. She reached around me, the SCW Heavyweight Championship catching my eyes as the light from the spotlights overhead hit the plates. I reached for it, but there was already another hand on it. My eyes traced up the arm of the person holding it, and I found a warm smile on her face before she even said a word.

Kali Fox: “We all are.”

She traded my the championship for my hand, and we started down the long ramp to the ring. For the first time, I looked down at the ring, but not at the man already standing in it. From this distance, he was just a red blur on a white canvas. However, around him was something unlike anything I had ever seen. There were no words to describe it at first. The bright red bars of the structure somehow seemed alive, like it was breathing, and waiting on me. Just as I felt the tightness start to return to my chest, I was jabbed in the stomach with something solid. My hand managed to grab the object before it could pull away. It was a hand, but covered with a cast, and Kali was no longer at my side.

Abby Watkins: “You can’t let him get under your skin. Remember how that ends?”

Guilt rushed over me, but we didn’t stop moving towards whatever hell awaited me at the bottom of the ramp. Parker’s sister’s eyes were on me, begging me to understand. She tried to flex her fingers in the cast, and it all snapped together. Her hand wasn’t still broken. This was years ago. She was cocky, and entitled. I wanted to see how far I could push her. It didn’t take longer for her to throw a punch in anger. When I ducked it broke her hand. It basically ended her career. If I let Crimson do that to me, I was going to end up just like her. I try to stop walking down towards the ring, but I find myself back to back with someone refusing to let me backpedal. I lean back against them, and she leans her head back on my shoulder before talking directly into my ear.

Chelsea Quik: “You can’t be afraid of what is going to happen in there. It’s gonna get messy. You might even get hurt again. Don’t let that paralyze you though.”

Nobody knew what it was like to be injured during an SCW event like Chelsea had. I remember how hard it was for her to fight back. It took almost relentlessly pushing her on a day-to-day basis in Jet City to get her to shake that fear and give it another shot. I watched her push through that mental block though. She signed with Liberty. We were going to do great things before things went to hell. I didn’t want to backpedal anymore, and I took a step forward. Sure, things had gotten pretty rough, but the source of all of that hurt was standing in the middle of the ring in front of me.

Kurtis Gordon: “How scary can he really be? You’ve have already lived through your darkest possible day, remember? It can’t be worse than that.”

He was on the corner as I got to the bottom of the ramp, and was tossing popcorn into his mouth. I hated how smug he was, even now, but was glad that Kali was not with me. She would have snapped and taken him out. Mainly because he had a point. There was nothing that Crimson could do inside this hellish contraption that could compare to having my life ripped apart last year. Kurtis had set all of it in motion. It was only slightly satisfying knowing that he was stuck in the crowd watching me about to do things he could only dream of. He tried to ruin my life. I got the dream, and the girl. The structure in front of me seemed to buzz with some kind of life of it’s own, but the person holding the door was another familiar face. He nodded in Crimson’s direction wearing the smirk that he had stolen from me.

Kyle Kavanagh: “...and it can’t be worse than the one that you have to keep inside.”

Another shiver ran up my spine. The one time that we had spoken before was when he told me to keep that part of me locked up. It was not what anyone needed anymore, least of all me. I didn’t have to be the same person that Crimson was in order to beat him. The person that tried and that failed twice. I tried to match his hate in the Roulette Championship match and he turned it against me. The second match played right into his hand, and he embarrassed me. Everything had fallen apart when I tried to be that person. I was different now. I was better. I needed to be better.

The stairs leading up to the ring were not attached to the corner, but instead were as wide as an entire side of the ring. I climbed them, seeing his eyes on me from the ring. Sitting on the middle rope, with a cold half-smirk was one of the few people I have ever met that made me feel stupid. He was so good at weighing out ever option that the confidence it gave him was contagious. It was why I joined the Black Sheep. It was why I trusted him.

Porter Sweete: “Don’t tip your hand too early, kid. He’s good enough to see through you if you let him.”

Always the long game. That was Porter’s philosophy. If you tried to get to the end too fast, you were going to lose yourself along the way. Each step in the plan was equally important. Everything had to fall into place perfectly, or was all going to go sideways. He held up the top rope with his shoulder, and gave me a pat on the back as I stepped through the ropes.

What I wasn’t expecting to hear once I was inside was the chime of the bell. The music flooding the PA was gone. I shot a look back over my shoulder, but there was no entrance ramp, or cage door to be seen, let alone any of the people that had been with me. The crowd had closed around the ring. The floor space outside the cell had disappeared, with the fans in the front row able to reach out and grab the bars of the structure. My eyes followed the steel upwards to see that it was not some regular cage, but a dome. It pulsed around me, and stole my attention away from the man sharing the space with me. He didn’t hesitate to blindside me with a right hand that forced me back against the ropes. I tried to hook my arm around the rope to draw a break and some separation, but no referee stepped in to help. He easily pulled me away from the ropes with strength that I did not know that he had. Panicked, I tried to rake at his eyes, but it didn’t bother him. I caught a swift kick below the belt that doubled me forward. When I reached out to hook my hands around his neck and bring him down with my desperation jawbreaker, he kicked me in the chest, and put me on the mat as the crowd laughed.

Killian Sweete: “This isn’t the minor leagues anymore. This is the main event. The same old tricks aren’t going to work. He’s been ready for you for a long time.”

The words came alongside two hard slaps on the apron. The more friendly of the two Sweete twins struck a more serious tone than normal, but he was always weary of the planners. I think that is why he clashed so much with his brother. Porter’s meticulous planning always rubbed up against Killian’s desire to go with the flow. The problem was, both of them were only half right. That is why they worked as a tag team for so long. There is no substitute for having a game plan, and Porter’s was usually good enough to see us through. When push came to shove though, Killian’s adaptability could get us out of any jam.

Without even looking to him, I knew that Crimson was coming. He was not going to quit. If I was on the mat, there was blood in the water. He wasn’t going to let me up. Taking Killian’s words to heart, I had to do something out of character. I waited for the sound of his steps to stop, and then rolled backwards. The spot the challenger splashed on the canvas missed me by only inches, but now my feet were under me.

Phillip Ripley: “Remember not to let him touch you...”

Of course he would give that advice. Phillip at ringside was a laughable sight. He was too afraid of germs to even touch the mat, and the steel of the dome seemed to bother him like nothing else I had ever seen. He had a point though. Crimson would have a counter ready if I threw a punch. He was angry. He was going to keep coming. All I had to do was not let him touch me.

I let him throw the first punch, and leaned away from it easily. He tried to throw a left hand to keep the advantage, but that one was easily deflected away. I knew he was going to go low, because as much as I wanted to deny it, we were alike. Inside this ring we operated under the same rules. We had the same style. Preparing for this was as easy as knowing what I would do in any situation. He raised his left foot from the mat, but I brought a fist down hard on his knee, forcing it back down. He threw an elbow, thinking my focus was going to be lower, but the only thing he caught was the palm of my hand and a shove away from me.

The anger on his face was growing by the second, and I knew it was bound to bubble over. My eyes were pulled just past him though, to a smaller man sitting on the top turnbuckle. He tapped his chin twice, and then shook his head.

Coby Quik:: “If you’re not bigger, and you’re not taller, be faster. That’s rule number one, old timer. Get it together.”

The kid had come full circle in the short time I had known him. It wasn’t just in his relationship with Chelsea, or his success in the ring. He knew more about staging a comeback than I would ever know. It made him the best trainer that I could have asked for back before I became the champion. I had no strength in my arm. I’m close to the smallest on the roster. For once I was in the same boat that Coby had been in for his entire life. I used his advice back then and became a champion. I followed it this time and ducked easily under a clothesline attempt that would have probably taken my head off. I flashed the speed that only Coby was capable of getting out of me, and whipped around before Crimson could regain his footing.

Parker Wayde: “A fist collapses on itself… a forearm is like getting hit with a brick.”

He was leaning on the ropes, shaking his head as my fist closed in on the challenger’s temple. It was the first lesson Parker ever taught me. It changed my approach then, and the one strike that got me on more posters than anything else in my arsenal was born. It was almost too natural to twist my hips as I pulled my fist back towards my chest. My elbow scraped against the cheekbone of my attacker, and it sent him off balance. He did not drop to the mat, and if anything I had only worked to frustrate him. He screamed at me, but the words of my own protege rang through my head, blocking out whatever hostility was hurled my way.

Aaron Isaacs: “Actions over words.”

I repeated the words under my breath, and paused for just a second, allowing the challenger a second to inch that much closer to the edge. I could see the hate becoming overwhelming. Each time I succeeded, it was just making him stronger. Every time I was falling short he was just becoming more determined. As soon as it snapped together, a sarcastic voice that I wouldn’t have expected to hear pulled both of our attention away from our fight.

Zaylee Flynn: “Maybe you should be asking what’s so special about you, fuckhead...”

The noncommittal shrug was indicative of any interaction I have seen Zay have with anyone. Something about it though took his focus off of me. He sprinted towards the ring, but before he could reach out for Zay, she dropped down from the apron. With his eyes off of me, I took off after him, and kicked his legs out from under him. As I got to my feet I looked down to the floor, only to find that Zaylee was nowhere to be seen. Instead, an even younger female was leaning over the top rope, looking down into his face as he started to snap.

Keisha Quickens: “I don’t see what his problem is anyways. This is all that you’ve ever wanted. Why aren’t you allowed to have it? Who made him the one that gets to pick who gets to be at the top anyways? Can we get a recount on those votes?

He got up, but only to take a swipe at Keisha. The youngest member of of the Quik family held her own though, leaning down to her left side and putting her hand on the apron. She balanced on it and brought her foot around to catch him across the cheek in the same place that my elbow had. With a giggle she dropped off of the mat before he could get his hands on her. Fortunately for Keisha he couldn’t pursue her.

PJ Cooper: “What are you waiting for?!

It was not just the more flamboyant half of Awkward Inc standing at my side, but both of them. They were the only two high flyers out of Jet City, and that made them my responsibility. Neither of them had any kind of real training. Instead, they were wrecking balls. I knew that there was only one thing that they were ever going to tell me to do. The same thing that I had screamed at them dozens of times.

JD Wright: “Get into the air already!”

I ran to the ropes, and stepped up onto them instead of rebounding off of them for speed. When I catapulted myself back in his direction, I was expecting to have the advantage. I had planned for this spot. This was going to be it. It had to be it. I lowered my arm, trying to strike the same place a third time, but he had me scouted. The only thing that I caught on the way down was a hard kick to my ribs, and I was barely able to stay on my feet. The spinning back kick that followed the first cracked ribs down my right side, and took me down to my knees. I could feel every bit of the confidence that I had built start to fade. I looked around for someone to help, but there was nobody to be found. I did not have long to worry though, because a well placed kick to the side of my head put me face down on the mat, seeing stars. It took a couple of moments for my eyes to refocus, and stomps coming down on each of my limbs did not make it any easier.

I couldn’t bring myself to look up at him in his enraged moment of glory. Nothing was going to be enough. Nobody was going to be able to help, not really. After a half dozen of the strikes, I could feel my body starting to stop responding so intensely to each. I was started to shut down. If nobody stepped in, all it was going to take was one good shot, and the lights were going to be turned out. Before it could come, a figure shrouded in a black hood spoke up from the floor outside the ring.

Nobody: “We still want to be somebodies. It’s only over when we say it is.”

I couldn’t see their face, but I knew exactly who they were. It was a rule. Get what we want, by any means necessary. Even though the group was long dead, that ideology stuck with me. I was a nobody. I wanted to be a somebody. If anyone was going to stop me, they were going to have to kill me. If I wanted something, I was taking it and stamping my name on it. I wanted to be the measuring stick, and measuring sticks do not get beaten unconscious in front of the entire world.

I timed it as perfect as I could, and summoned all of my strength to catch his foot, and keep hold of his ankle all the way through a hard kick to my chest. Luckily, all of the tightness from the anxiety was long gone. Unfortunately, any ribs that were only possibly cracked were definitely cracked now. I held on for my life, and the ferociousness of which he pulled back from me was enough to drag me to my feet. It would have given me the immediate advantage, if it weren’t for being blinded by the white light of whoever was perched on the top rope.

PURE: They’re right, you know…. You remember who you are, right?”

I let go of my grip as the confusion set in. It was the worst time to have some kind of existential crisis, and allowed the tables to turn. Being on the receiving end of the kind of forearm strike that I am used to hitting others with was brain-rattling as well. Before I knew it, I was back on defense, and I couldn’t understand why. As I stumbled back, I was confronted with a masked man I had never seen before. His head cocked slightly to the side, and his shook his head. The expressionless face of the mask couldn’t hide the disappointment in his stance.

Discord: “I don’t think he does, but he sure could use one…”
>Again, the voice was familiar. It was not until I saw the last of them that I understood. As I struggled to find balance, I backed into a man tangled up in the ropes. As soon as I registered the red of the hoodie he was clad in, the pieces of the puzzle were starting to come together. His face was as plain as day, despite being inverted in front of me. It was like looking in a mirror.

Accident: “He’ll find it. He always does….eventually.”

He nodded towards my challenger as he charged in at me. Instead of raising my hands, or trying to get up, I waited for him to get within a step, and turned quickly. I extended both of my legs out, picking his ankles between my shoes, and rolling his ankle to trip him. He fell hard, hitting his face against the middle turnbuckle before his knees found the mat. The crowd intensifies around me, and I could feel it too. I rolled back, but then propelled myself forward onto my feet. When I hit the mat though, I was already running. As I crossed the ring, I didn’t bother leaped up. All i wanted from the ropes was speed, and I got it off of the rebound. The challenger rose as I sprinted back across the ring, and then jumped. I leaned back, and extended my leg, knowing that my aim was perfect.

Godspeed took him off his feet, and stopped every bit of my momentum. He hit the mat hard, and I landed on top of him. There was no count from any referee. The fans exploded one second, but in the next the arena was completely empty. I looked beneath me to find that there was nothing there. The structure around the ring was gone. The house lights were off, and a single spotlight beamed down on me from the roof.

Reese Spencer: “Always scraping by in the end, mister. I should stop hoping that you’ll ever really change.”

I rolled in the direction of her voice, ready to fire back, but the woman standing in the ring with me wasn’t the worst influence that I had ever had in my life. Instead it was the one person that had given me the drive to actually make something of it. She shook her head with confidence, and a wide smile.

Heather Ryans: “He’s never needed to...”

I got up from the ring, the bumps, bruises and broken bones were as gone as quickly as they had appeared, and I felt better than I had in recent memory. I closed the two steps between us and wrapped my arms around her, relieved that whatever it was that was happening was finally over. I closed my eyes tightly,

Kali Fox:“That’s why we’re always going to be here....”

I do not know where she came from, but I was stuck between the two of them. Kali’s arms wrapped around the two of us. I opened my eyes to see everyone from Jet City standing in the ring with us. I tried to turn towards everyone, but Heather’s hand on my cheek stopped me. She pulled me back towards her, but was gone when I turned.

Everyone was.

Heather Ryans: “...even when we’re not.”


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“There is a beauty and clarity that comes from simplicity that we sometimes do not appreciate in our thirst for intricate solutions.”

-Dieter F. Uchtdorf

21 May 2018
New York City, New York
OFF-Camera
Clarity

Kris woke in a panic, and sat up in the middle of the bed. He was still in his room, but there were no blankets left on the bed around him. The pillows had ended up discarded around the room, and he had no problem understanding why. What he had experienced had felt so real that he could not wrap his head around it. Sure, it was a dream, but it felt like more than that.

Holden:
“You talk in your sleep...”

Kris had no reaction to the sound of his father’s voice. Holden had expected him to be caught off guard, irritated, or at the very least surprised. After all, he had not been invited on this little adventure to the other side of the country. In fact, Kris had purposefully kept the information away from him after he popped up in Chicago. Waking up with someone silently waiting on him was not a new feeling though. Maybe Jason was Holden’s son too. It would have explained a lot.

Kris
“Yeah, well, nobody asked you to come, so whatever you heard you will have to live with.”

The light tone that poured from Kris’ mouth was totally unlike anything that Holden had ever heard. He had met Kris at one of the worst times of his life, and things had not gotten a whole lot brighter since. Sure it had moments, and it always felt like it was building towards something, but there was always a cloud hanging over his son’s head. For the first time, it didn’t sound like Kris was carrying that weight. Holden found it hard not to let the satisfaction spread across his face. There would be a time for that, but it wasn’t now.

Holden:
“You’re pretty predictable, you know? You made a big deal about this place last year before Into The Void. That was when things were still looking up. Right before you won the Roulette Championship. Remember?”

Kris nodded, and had been thinking about it more and more in recent days. He had gone down the rabbit hole of trying to get into Crimson’s head, and if his dream was any indication, the reverse had happened. It seemed like in the last few days he had slowly lost himself in his opponent’s head. It did not seem nearly as important in hindsight though.

Kris
“It’s not just about being the best, is it?”

Somehow he knew, without even having to ask. Whether he had really been talking in his sleep and Holden had been here for the show, or if there was something more at play, Kris knew that his father would understand exactly what he meant.

Holden:
“It’s always been about taking something away from you.”

Kris nodded again. He had spent so much time trying to put together some sort of grand puzzle that he was not able to see what was right in front of him. On the other hand, the experience he had following falling off the deep end in Chicago had made everything much more clear.

Kris
“He knows he is good, but he doesn’t feel anything, not really. How could he? I mean just listen to him talk.”

Holden laughs lightly, and brings a new meaning to the first words Crimson had made once he came back.

Holden:
“He wants to cut parts out of you until the two of you are the same.”

It was close, but it no longer felt like the whole truth.

Kris
“This is the one thing that I wanted for the majority of my life. I mean, that was the whole reason that Jason got into it in the first place. He was just helping me to train. Then that led to him getting hurt. Then he recruited Parker. Parker gave him the idea for PRIDE. That is how he met Phillip, and Violet and where Jet City comes from. Parker recruited Coby. The students rolled in from there. It all came from me.”

Hearing the words coming out of Kris’ mouth was more than Holden could have hoped for. With any luck, all of the nudging was going to pay off. For the first time Kris was connecting all of the dots between everyone. The thing that Holden had spent months trying to engineer was on the tip of his son’s tongue.

Holden:
“Aren’t most of those guys all kind of spread out now though?”

Kris answered without even really considering it, but an interesting thing happened when he did.

Kris
“No, not really...”

Kris shook his head, and the words Heather had spoken to him in his dream rattle around in his head. Holden does his best to look confused, and when Kris panics and searches his father’s expression, he tries to backtrack his statement.

Kris
“I mean yeah… they are. Everyone is doing their own thing. That doesn’t really mean they are gone though.”

It was another first, and Holden was not going to have to hold back from pressing on this one. He could tell from the way that Kris was acting that something had changed the way that he was thinking, and if Kris was not going to actively acknowledge it, he was going to force him to.

Holden:
“That’s new.”

Kris forced a shrug, and then slid to the edge of the bed, dropping his feet to the floor. He tried to avert his eyes, knowing that they were going to give away the lie if he had to hold Holden’s gaze.

Kris
“Not sure what you mean.”

He tries to blow it off by pushing himself up from the bed and stretching. Holden was not going to let it go though.

Holden:
“I mean normally any time somebody leaves the room you are whining about them abandoning you. You literally just had a freak out about all of your friends leaving you hanging…. Yesterday. You went from being alone, all the way to, ‘that doesn’t mean they’re gone’ in one night. All it took was staying in this shitty apartment next to your hobo alley.”

Kris had originally run away to this apartment so that he could take a look at the hole that he used to live in. He had debuted it to the world last year before Into The Void, and it almost immediately turned it into a prime spot for graffiti and trespassing. He got so many complaints that he had bought the building, and now just used it as an escape.

Kris
“I like to see how far I have come sometimes.”

Holden steered them back around to the conversation that he wanted to have instead of letting Kris slip away from it.

Holden:
“Like in the last day for instance...”

Kris did not look overly pleased with the accusation. Kris knew his father had meant it in a different context than he did.

Kris
“They might not be here right now, but each of them gave me something to build from. They all came on board for my dream, added a big of their own flair, and then gave it back to me. They did not leave me. They just went back to living their own dreams. How could I justify being pissed off about that?”

Having the perfect answer, at the perfect time, is something that happens only a few times in a lifetime, but this was one of them.

Holden:
“You never had a problem with trying to before.”

Kris shrugs and moves across the room, past where his father sits in the corner. Kris turns into the bathroom and turns the faucet on.

Kris
“I wasn’t thinking clearly. I am now.”

Kris allows the water to pool in his hand, and splashes it against his face.

Holden:
“Well they say that there is a first time for everything….”

Kris brushes the water away from his face with a slight chuckle, and dries himself off with a towel on the counter.

Kris
“I’m not going to be insulted first thing in the...”

Holden checks his phone for the time and finishes his son’s thought for him.

Holden:
“...early evening….”

It should not have surprised Kris. By the time his flight had even gotten in, it was already getting into the early hours of the morning. The sun was already rising when he has finally fallen asleep.

Kris
“Either way… So shut the fuck up old man!”

The words themselves would have been hostile is not for the sarcastic tone of his voice. Holden had gotten used to it as Kris’ way of distancing himself from getting too close to people he was unsure about. When Kris emerged from the bathroom, the smile on his face was genuine. He took a deep breath, and then let it out slowly and calmly. Holden pointed up at him with a smirk.

Holden:
“You look lighter...”

Kris did not try to sidestep or deflect it.

Kris
“Yeah…. An anchor.”

Holden was not quite following, and his eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. Before he could ask though, Kris cuts him off to explain.

Kris
“From the moment that Crimson first put his eyes on me, he has wanted me to be alone. Like you said, the guy has me scouted. He knows my abilities sure, but it’s more than that. He knows my insecurities. He knows what buttons to push, and he knows how I am going to react when he pushes them.”

Holden relaxes in the chair a little, and nods.

Holden:
“That was why he went after Kali first.”

Kris gets even more excited about having put it together now that his father was back on track.

Kris
“He wants to fill me up with the same things that fill him up. It’s not about cutting those parts out of me. It’s about what he is putting in to replace it. If you keep hacking away at the good parts of a person’s life, all that’s left is the bad stuff. It’s all some mindfuck. He tells me that I am already like him, but I’m not. It’s some kind of sick self-fulfilling prophecy.,,,”

Kris’ thoughts trail off, but Holden is able to reign them in for him.

Holden:
“By the time he is done with you, you will be like him, but be convinced that you were like that the whole time.”

Kris snaps his fingers, and points to his father.

Kris
“Bingo!”

Knowing that Kris is finally seeing things clearly, Holden does not hold back his opinion of the number one contender to his son’s championship.

Holden:
“He’s a monster.”

The same smirk that made Kris famous comes across his face, and he shrugs his shoulders without a care.

Kris
“Yeah… well…. I’m a Miracle.”


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“I can compare clarity to pruning in gardening. You know, you need to be clear. If you are not clear, nothing is going to happen. You have to be clear. Then you have to be confident about your vision. And after that, you just have to put a lot of work in.”

-Diane von Furstenberg

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25 May 2018
Las Vegas, Nevada
Gold Coast Casino
ON-Camera
I Am

”You almost had me, you know?”

The cameras come to life on the back of the SCW World Heavyweight Champion. The championship itself is facing the camera, slung over Kris’ shoulder to be on full display.

”I was panicked. For the first time in a long time there were some serious creeping doubts running through my mind. It wasn’t going to change much. The fact remains that you are a problem that I allowed to happen. Nothing that you could ever say or do could change that really. What you could do, is distract me. You were that close.”

He holds his hand up so that it can be seen over his shoulder. His thumb and index finger are separated by mere millimeters.

”It was masterful really. I mean, other than the fact that you have basically given me all the answers, just in the wrong context. You talk about trying to mindfuck people into acting the way you want them to. Look at all the scary-eyed homeless people you had running around. Sure, it is exciting. It draws attention. It creeps most people the fuck out to be honest...”

He shrugs with a light laugh, but does not let it derail him.

”...and it almost worked on me. I was almost looking left, when I should have been looking right. You were setting me up to get blindsided by a harsh reality that you created. You want me to believe that we are alike? It is not going to happen. I am not ever going to be like you, because I have no reason to lower myself down to that level. I have no reason to waste so much time and energy hating everyone, and everything. I have no desire to spend my time plotting about how to rip people’s dreams away from them just so that they can feel empty. I know what that feeling is like, and it loves company. That’s what this whole thing with us is really about. Recruiting me to be like you.”

He turns around and shrugs the championship off of his shoulder and down into his hand. Kris raises it up in front of the camera, and looks back and forth between the faceplate and the lens.

”We have already agreed that this is just something that places us at the very top of the mountain. It is just a prop in the story that you are trying to tell, right? We don’t need it. If this championship was not on the line, we would still be having this match. We would still have the same hatred for one another. For the first time, the gold at the end of the rainbow isn’t the focus at all.”

He drops it from the frame, and lets it fall to the mat beneath his feet. The camera pulls back from him as he starts to walk forward across the ring. Viewers can see that crews are already going to work setting up for the show. The ring in the center of the room was the least of their issues.

”You wouldn’t stab me in the back when you had the chance, all because it was my idea. You proved it when you dumped me over that balcony. There was no moral dilemma of you attacking someone from behind. It is about attacking someone on your terms, to serve your purpose. All anyone is to you is a puppet on a string. You wanted to twist me up, and have me walk into this match with dozens of different things on my mind. You wanted me distracted and spaced out. You wanted me at my worst so that you would have a chance to walk away with a win if you were at your best. It worked the first two times you tried it, right?”

He makes a clicking sound against the inside of his cheek and shakes his head. With his hands free, he crosses his arms in front of his chest, and looks across the open space at a banner being hung. Kris himself was one of the four people featured, and it did not help his already swollen ego.

”I wasn’t around to fall for your bullshit going into Full Circle, and I was better than you were. You could try to pin your match with Harris as your excuse for losing, but we both know you had your opportunity to take me out. You weren’t helpless. You were able to fight. You just weren’t in my head. I wasn’t in the locker room to be manipulated by your every word. I came out with a clear head, and got to watch you panic as I came down to the ring. I watched you lose before the match even started, I just didn’t know it.”

Suddenly, he points across the space at the poster.

”We both knew that this would happen when we signed back on with Sin City, but only you knew why until now. It wasn’t for the championship. It wasn’t for the spotlight. The reason that we have been on this collision course for this long is because that is exactly where you want me to be. You want me standing in the ring across from you. You want to break me down time, after time, after time, as many as it takes. Not because we are the same, but because you aim to make us the same. The whole reason you want to cut parts of me out is because those aren’t the parts you think a partner needs. You want to turn me into one of those freaky white-eyed bastards. But why? That is the question that I couldn’t figure out the answer to...”

He snaps his fingers and points at the camera.

”...until I got rid of all of the distractions.”

Suddenly his week-long silence starts to snap together for the viewers. He had not run away, or gone into hiding. He had been looking for an answer, and he found one.

”What did I look for in the people that I recruited to Jet City? I mean it clearly wasn’t size. There were people like Aaron Isaacs there competing for their spot against people half their size. It wasn’t gender, because we were practically split right down the middle. I wasn’t race, religion, skill set, or a group specific thing. Not everyone there got along, and nobody really knew each other before they started. I didn’t look for any of those things. What I looked for, every single time I thought about taking on a new student, it was about how good they were.”

He holds up his hand before anyone watching can object to his statement.

”You are no different Crimson. Except your standards were higher. The fish that you intended to fry needed to be the biggest one in the pond. You needed to take someone that you felt was the golden boy, and help them to fall from grace. You wanted the very best that this roster had to offer, and after all your searching, you found me. It was the reason you came here. It was the reason you stayed here. It was the reason that you came back when the doors opened. You already know that I am the very best. If I wasn’t, then you wouldn’t be interested in this match at all.”

He shakes his head again, and scoffs at the idea of ever allowing himself to become like his opponent.

”I have no interest in joining up in your miserable existence. I have no interest in being a monster. Your life seems empty, and joyless. You tried to drag me down there where you are, but you don’t understand that it’s not possible. You can try to isolate me from the people around me, but you can’t take away the person that they have helped me to become. You can demean me for whatever you want. It doesn’t change the fact that I know exactly what I am, and it’s not ever changing.”

His tone becomes more challenging, and he crosses back to where he started in the ring, and reaches down to scoop the championship up off of the canvas. He holds it up in front of the camera again, having trouble stopping himself from laughing to get the words out.

”This is the only part of this match that means nothing to you, and it is the only thing that you could ever hope to take away from me. Nobody can win every match. It’s not feasible. Eventually your number is up. It is possible for you to beat me and take this championship, but it would be a hollow victory, wouldn’t it. You aren’t going to be satisfied with it. You are going to want to break me, and that is why you aren’t going to be able to end it. There is no breaking me. Not now.”

He places the championship back onto his shoulder, and moves on from it..

”You can bring all of the rules, toys, gadgets, weapons, cages, cells, head games and whatever the fuck else you want with you. You have full control to pick your very best shot. I cannot stop you from doing any of it, so I am not going to lose anymore sleep, or waste anymore time dwelling on it. If you think that I am going to run away scared, then you didn’t hold that Roulette Championship long enough. I broke a fucking record for carrying it longer than any person had ever been able to. I asked for all of my matches to be fought under Roulette Rules. I never had any idea what I was walking into, and I was more successful in those matches than anyone else that has ever worked in this company.”

He laughs at the thought of finding the unknown to be intimidating.

”I almost feel sorry for you. You tried so hard to turn me into a monster, and fell so short just inches away from the finish line. Now the only thing that you have to fall back on hoping that I don’t somehow find a way to overcome the odds and walk out of your creation with my sanity, and my championship.”

The smirk starts to creep onto his face, but he tries to hold it back.

”A nobody, an accident, a patron saint, or a pure asshat might not have been able to walk out of this one in one piece. Luckily I am not any of those things, and I’m not sure that I ever was. I’m pretty sure I’ve always been exactly who I needed to be, and it just so happens, it is the exact thing that anyone needs to survive a match like this.”

He finally allows the smirk it's time to shine in the spotlight, and gives a light shrugs of his shoulders.

”It’s really too bad for you that I’m the only Miracle that this company has ever seen. Looks like you are going to come up just one short of everything that you wanted.”

He winks at the camera as it starts to fade out.

[Crimson]

 Red lights wash across the “round room”. A slow motion shot shows paramedics rushing over to Tommy Crimson. “Into Dust” by Mazzy Star begins to play over the wide shot. Kira Phoenix stands alongside Belladonna Gray while both watch the medics load Crimson on a gurney then wheel him quickly toward the back of the ambulance from a nearby California hospital.

The shot shows Tommy Crimson now pale white. Eyes with dark circles from a week straight of constructing a wrestling death trap that he will never be able to compete in now. Irony consumed The Fury whole this time.

The four boys who traveled to Green Valley to save Crimson get alongside Crimson. A paramedic named, “Eddie”, steps in to shock Tommy’s chest for one last time.

The shock causes Crimson to jerk violently. His eyes suddenly open to shock everyone looking on. The four teenagers come in close all still wearing Crimson’s gear.

“You saved me.” Tommy gasps up at the boys.

The boys appear surprised that Crimson remembers them pulling him out of the round room. Tommy peers up at Donnie Jr.

“I made a trade. I will live.” Tommy mutters.

The boys all lean in closer to Crimson and he notices a sharpie hanging out of Spencer’s left shirt pocket. Tommy raises up his hand which shakes from all the trauma he’s just experienced but unphases his resolve.

Crimson then raises the sharpie up to his bloody mouth then uses his teeth to remove the lid. He then reaches over and begins to sign the shirt of Spencer then Donnie Jr. Tommy then signs the other two boys shirts with his personal signature. The boys are now in complete shock. Toad passes out after realizing what Tommy has done.

“His first four autographs ever. These shirts are worth a fortune now.” Spencer whispers.

Tommy leans up on the gurney. The boys stand back as The Fury shifts his body left to dangle his legs off the side. The paramedic’s are in shock that Crimson has come back. Tommy gets to his feet then stumbles on the slick floor of the ambulance slightly but uses the edge of the gurney to catch his balance. The boys and two paramedics watch on as Crimson stumbles out of the back of the ambulance.

The crowd that surrounds the area now including fans, locals, and now news reporters all cheer loudly at the sight of an alive Tommy Crimson.

Kira and Belladonna hit their knees as they see The Fury emerge from the ambulance. Tommy looks over at the round room and realizes through all this, his creation inside has remained hidden. The boys all exit the back of the ambulance to stand behind Crimson. The red lights wash over them all while Tommy hits his knees.

Kira crawls over to Crimson on her hands and knees. She carefully approaches The Fury.

“Are you okay, Tommy?” Kira asks.

Tommy stares ahead blankly at the round room. He soaks in regret realizing how much more difficult he has made the task before him. Tommy being foolish and believing in the hype of Kristopher Ryans that he himself helped create led to this moment. Now he’s weakened himself to a point that a feat like the one that lies ahead seems unattainable even to he, one of the best living wrestlers. These thoughts consume Tommy and the result is lingering doubt that eats at his confidence.

“I made a deal.” Crimson replies after a long pause.

“What kind of deal?” Kira whispers.

Tommy’s eyes lock on the ground as he becomes lost in his own thoughts. Remembering what occured when he was officially dead for three and a half minutes. Crimson recalls the deal struck during this short time that seemed like a lifetime to Tommy.

“I had to sacrifice someone to curse my creation. I did that. Then between here and “there”, I made a trade so I could continue to live.” Tommy whispers back at his wife with his bottom lip slightly trembling.

Phoenix looks upon her man with true terror in her eyes. They shine from the bright lights but Tommy already appears to be more healthier now than when he emerged from the ambulance minutes before. This eases her mind but also confuses her. She reaches out and takes Crimson in her arms but he doesn’t hug back. He just continues to stare at the ground remembering what happened during those three and a half minutes.





The following rendering is of Tommy Crimson’s full account of what happened during the time he was legally dead. Adult Swim and Fury Studios collaborated to create this. The following contains graphic language and may not suitable for all audiences.

The Adult Swim logo sits in the center of a solid black screen.

>[Adult Swim]

The logo grows eyes that are blue as the sky then suddenly turn solid white. Patricia Arquette’s infamous high pitched scream from “Dream Warriors” can be heard throughout to indicate Fury Studios productions. The logo stamps in blood across the solid black screen that then turns to fuzzy snow suddenly. An inverted cross glitches across the screen.

The three dimensional animation shows an overhead shot of the four boys pulling Tommy Crimson out of the round room. Protected by their innocence and yet to be rewarded with the most sought sports autograph in the world.

The shot begins a deadfall straight toward Earth and at The Fury laid out on the ground. The shot goes right at Crimson’s head then inside. Blood cells come into view as the animation travels through the skull of the maniac wrestler.  

The skull comes into view then dives through it on past into brain matter and deeper into the mind of Tommy Crimson. On the outside he takes his last breath to sacrifice himself. The inside of his brain then gives way to the consciousness of The Fury.

The next scenes are the exact account as told by Tommy Crimson himself, in his own words. Tommy appears in a solid glass box. The clear sides show the universes throughout. Crimson wakes up in the box as time stands still. A shooting star to the left slows to a crawl as memories from Tommy’s life begin to play on the inside walls of the huge glass case. The universes can still be seen through the glass floor and top but the sides scrolls Crimson’s entire life.

“Am I dead?” Crimson asks. The question echoes throughout time and space.

Tommy notices the walls playing his life out. It “flashes” before his eyes. No tunnel leading to heavy just a glass “box”. Suddenly a light below flashes to life in the universal backdrop. A supernova! Crimson guards his eyes from the bright light then looks down at the floor to see what's happened beneath him.

He can make out some figure floating toward him from below. Fire consumes the object but it extinguishes as it floats closer and closer to Crimson’s glass case. The fire fades away completely as the unknown figure reaches the bottom of the glass encasing then just floats right through! The figure ends up standing directly now facing Tommy Crimson.

The smoke clears away and Tommy realizes the figure is him? The chars from the fire fall to the glass floor as the smoke continues to rise from the doppleganger. The man before Crimson is identical to himself all but horns coming up from his forehead. A solid red tint to go with his crimson red hair that flows down his back. Tommy is left completely confused by the unfolding scene before him.

“Who are you? Are you me? What the fuck is this?” Crimson screams out inside the encased glass while his life plays out along the walls.

“I am the devil.” The entity finally reveals.

Crimson continues to rack his brain at this revelation.

“So God and the Devil are real?” An unseen narrator exclaims as if reading Crimson’s thoughts.

“Why do you look like me?” Tommy asks The Devil directly.

“You created me in your own image, remember?” The Devil replies in earnest.

Crimson’s eyes widen. The Devil then points to the walls showing Crimson using satan’s imagery his entire career to market himself.

“You gave me a proper face to influence with.” The Devil explains to the confused wrestler.

The Fury watches the walls play out his part in putting over the devil like no one before him has.

“I Owe You.” The Devil reveals.

Crimson stares his doppleganger devil down nose to nose.

“So let me live. Now I can win that fucking strap and further your cause even more.” Tommy wagers.

“No. It’s not that simple. See you must sacrifice something pure to make that creation of yours truly cursed.” The Devil exclaims at Tommy.

Crimson looks at the devil version of himself with a skeptical shrug.

“So I am not pure enough to sacrifice then?” Tommy replies in a stern tone.

“That’s right. I will curse it before the sacrifice and allow you to live on one condition.” The Devil informs Crimson directly.

“What’s that?” Crimson replies immediately.

“I want Kris. You must kill him inside that cursed structure for the sacrifice. I don’t mean knock him out then win that belt either, Crimson. You must murder Kristopher Ryans inside that creation of yours or lose everything.” The Devil threatens with fiery eyes.

Tommy perks up then faces The Devil.

“No.” He then replies.

The Devil version of The Fury then turns away from Crimson completely. He spins around the face Tommy once more with a look of shock across his red tinted face.

“What did you just say?” The Devil asks with a touch of disbelief throughout his tone.

“I said, fuck you. No. He’s mine. You can’t have Kristopher.” Tommy blurts out.

The Devil then holds out on hand and waves it slightly. Crimson hits his knees in a heap. The infamous human flesh jacket is ripped away by the power of the entity. The Devil extends his index finger out and appears to spell something out in the air. Four feet away, “666” is carved into The Fury’s chest. The Devil’s power is unbound in this realm between life and death.

“You will do it, Tommy. I will kill you if you don't.” The Devil boldly claims.

“You can’t have him. Kill me then.” Crimson replies with his chest bleeding as it heaves from his heavy breathing.

The Devil then walks to Crimson and bends to one knee to face him directly.

“You don’t fear satan?” The Devil whispers as the walls turn back to the universe that continues to stand still with this epic standoff.

The glass floor melts away suddenly as a lake of fire appears from nowhere beneath the encasing. Crimson begins to fall as the glass beneath his feet melts but the devil catches him by the throat. He then holds him over the lake of fire that continues to burn the glass away to reveal space and time.

“Looks like you want to be me.” Crimson chokes out.





The Devil then changes form to Crimson’s cross dressing father, Eli.

“Still a bitch.” Tommy chokes out before losing his voice entirely.

The Devil then goes back to his fury form while holding Crimson over the lake of fire beneath that burns bright.

“You kill him or lose it all. I will take you now to be raped by fire for eternity. I have no feelings for you. Only that I can use you to further my word. You are more useful alive than dead to the dark lord.” The Devil informs Crimson who continues to hover.

Ice consumes the floor as the lake of fire extinguishers completely suddenly. The Devil then drops Tommy on the ice that repaired the missing glass floor. The universe around them begins to speed up bit by bit, moment by moment.

“You give me Kristopher and we have a deal.” The Devil comments. He then extends a red hand that reads, “Fury”, across the knuckle.

Tommy looks down at the ice floor then realizes he has no choice. He reaches up and takes the doppelganger devil’s hand into his. A bright light suddenly consumes the animation whole. Crimson is dead falling from space at a high rate of speed from his glass encasing. The Devil exploded the reality and sent him toward earth in a high speed deadfall.

The opening chords to “Sweet Dreams” by Marilyn Manson begins to play throughout. The ode to the miracle totally apparent.

Crimson continues to deadfall toward a small town in California. He closes his eyes and accepts his fate whatever that may be. “I will make you stronger than ever...” The Devil’s voice from space calls out at him.

Tommy falls toward the round room with gravity fueling his climbing speed of descent. Crimson falls into himself in the three dimensional shot intending to wow the viewer. A inverted cross then glitches across the screen leading the shot to turn back to the reel time video of when Tommy came back to life after the paramedic shocked his bare chest.



5/22/2018
Pentecostal Temple Church of God in Christ
Las Vegas, Nevada
6:33 p.m.


Downtown Vegas bustles with life in the evening hours of May 22nd. Men, women, and child alike scatter across the sidewalks. A church sits alone out of frame. The camera filming it pans over to it to show this time of a day to be a slow one for the Pentecostal Temple Church of God in Christ.

This type of religion is seen as taboo in a city full of debauchery. Different angles of the church come into focus then shift among four surrounding the church slowly to show the full scale of it. Suddenly up the street comes crawling a solid black nineteen fifties cadillac. Black on black, with the windows all down. The car continues up the street real slow then pulls alongside the curb directly in front of the large church. The chrome on the car sparkles as the drivers side door swings open.

Bright red hair can be seen emerging from the solid black vehicle. The color pops in the fading evening sun. Tommy Crimson slams the car door shut behind him then steps out on the sidewalk.

Crimson walks along the sidewalk and towards the large looming church.

“Pentecostalism is a form of christianity that emphasises the work of the Holy Spirit and the direct experience of the presence of God by the believer.” A direct quote from the website scrolls at the bottom of the screen while Crimson climbs the church steps toward two solid oak doors at the main entrance.

Tommy reaches the large door and pulls at the handle. It sticks a bit from being double doors but another sharp pulls frees them both up. He opens the right door and enters quickly.

The camera shot follows Tommy through the doors by AJ, Crimson’s most trusted camera man. They want all this footage for the huge match coming up on Sunday.

The red carpet catches Crimson’s eye leading him to peer down. The blood red carpet is much like the one he had at FuryLand before it burned to the ground. He admires it briefly before continuing past the restrooms and to the large congregation portion of the large church.

Tommy’s vision becomes blurry as if something deep inside of him doesn’t want Crimson here in this church. The burn in his gut begins as he gets closer and closer to the pews.

Two other solid oak doors lead to the congregation hall. Crimson nudges them open then walks into the large room. He notices a man wearing a nice suit sitting in the front row. Tommy walks toward this man with the pain inside of him growing from being inside this house of worship.

Crimson walks slowly between the pews toward the unknown man in the nice suit that sits up front facing the altar.

“That’s far enough.” The man calls out as Tommy reaches the third row.

The man’s voice booms throughout the church.

“You have the sickness. I do not wish to be closer than this to you.” The man proclaims with his back still turned to Tommy.

Crimson halts his progress at the third row. He shuffles over to the pew to take a seat two rows behind the unknown man.

“My name’s Chuck. Chuck Rutherford. I am the pastor of this house of worship. I can’t help you, demon.” The preacher explains.

Crimson bends over slightly still in major pain from whatever ails him on the inside.

“How do I void this trade, preacher?” Tommy replies with a question suddenly.

The preacher sighs then slowly turns to face Crimson. A scar starts on his forehead and travels through his left eye then comes to an end on the side of the old school preacher’s cheek. Whatever caused this horrific scar also left his eye dead. The milky eye grosses Tommy out briefly but he doesn’t allow it to show.

“I got this scar from a demon. He left me for dead on there on the street one night when I was homeless some thirty years ago. Then God came to me with a plan to save them all. He gave me a way to battle people like you with his good word. I wouldn’t help you even if I could.” Pastor Rutherford replies with real hatred in his tone.

Crimson bends over to deal with the pain. When he walked in he was healthy and even tan now after being dead mere days before. This church somehow wants to destroy him from the inside out but still he remains seated undaunted.

“I traded my soul for another. The Devil wants me to kill my foe inside death trap of my own creation. What do I do, Father?” Crimson asks the pastor with real curiosity.

“There’s only one thing that you can do now.” The pastor answers.

Tommy hears a clip enter a gun out of sight somewhere. He then hears the familiar sound of a slide coming back on a gun. He looks up at the preacher, who is now holding a pistol by the barrel out at Crimson.

“Take this and put the barrell to the side of your head. Blow your brains out in the house of God to end it all.” The preacher coldly proclaims while holding the gun out to Tommy.

The grin across the preachers face widens even further after Crimson takes the gun. He works the slide once more to make sure it's loaded. Tommy then puts the gun to his temple right in front of the preacher.

“Like this, huh?” Crimson asks.

The pastor nods to agree. Crimson’s right hand shakes slightly while he grips the nine millimeter tightly. He pulls the trigger which causes the preacher to close his eyes tight.

*CLICK!*

The gun doesn’t go off leading the pastor to open his eyes up to face Crimson directly. He is smiling and still holding the gun to the side of his head. The clip was removed when he was holding it so no bullets where in the weapon. A simple dry fire to call this man of god’s bluff.

“It’s all a mindfuck, preacher.” Crimson whispers at him.

Tommy then stands up and throws the weapon off to the side. One of the stained glass windows of the church suddenly breaks as the gun flies out of it and ends up in the bushes on the outside of the large church. Crimson never takes his eyes off the pastor. He then reaches over and takes hold of the man of god by his collar and pulls him close.

“I want to know how to void this deal, goddamnit! Now you tell me how to do just that or I will drown you in the holy water back there next to the shitters. Got it?” Crimson threatens the preacher in his own church with violent intent.

The pastor nods to agree to Tommy’s terms.

“How do I fuckin’ reverse the curse?” Tommy demands.

“You can’t, my son. You have made a deal with the devil and he will collect on that. There is no man of god nor house that can protect you now. Your soul will be lost forever.” The pastor explains in an almost whisper.

The pastor catches Crimson looking off for a brief moment. He pulls his keychain from his jacket pocket out of sight suddenly. The preacher pulls out a small super soaker keychain then raises it up and squirts it directly in Tommy’s face! It hits in three small spots on Crimson’s face and immediately begins to smoke and burn his face in the three small spots.

“What the fuck!?” Crimson screams as he stumbles back clutching his face.

“See… You have the devil in you… This is holy water and it burned your flesh. That only happens to real demon in the army of darkness!” Preacher Rutherford shouts.

The pastor regains his balance then slips a patch over his exposed milky dead eye.

“I had a dream last night that you would come here, Mr. Crimson. See… I knew you would be here and was told to give you that gun by some unforeseen force I took as the voice of god himself.” The pastor reveals to Tommy.

Crimson continues to rub his face with both hands. He stops then reveals his face. Three small red spots remain where the water hit. He exhales heavily.

“I didn’t trade my soul to curse my creation. They wouldn’t accept the filthy soul I offered in myself. Rather the dark lord wanted Kristopher Ryans soul. I was instructed to kill him inside the cursed structure and I took the deal to continue to live.” Crimson explains his circumstance to the pastor looking for help in any way.

The preacher grins slightly then walks over to Tommy slowly. He begins to speak while still making his way over.

“Then you need to go get that gun and paint the outside wall of this church in your blood. There is no other way to end this deal. You can’t go on living without accepting the fact that Ryans must die for you to live. That was the deal.” Preacher Rutherford continues.

Tommy looks down at the blood red carpet once more. He then turns his head away slightly from the pastor before speaking again.

“Then I have to kill him. When it comes down to him or me. It’s always “him”.” Crimson proclaims as he realizes what must be done.

Tommy then turns away from The Preacher. He sulks a bit and lowers his shoulder in this surreal realization. He then begins to walk out of the church. He kicks the oak doors open with a wild thud.

Crimson lifts his head suddenly as he walks out of the church. He restores his confidence while in stride relieving himself of any and all personal feelings for one, Kristopher Ryans. He doesn’t even break stride as he kicks the two solid oak doors open to reach the steps.

The preacher chases after Tommy with a limp. He snatches up his cane sitting on the edge of one of the pews. He then takes off full speed ahead.

“Fury!” Preacher Rutherford calls out.

Crimson walks down the steps. He ignores the man of god like he has done his entire life. The Preacher reaches the edge of the concrete steps in front of the church.

“Hey, Motherfucker!” The pastor calls out.

People on the streets look up at the preacher in complete shock. He looks around while covering his mouth briefly with his right hand. A mother on the street covers the ears of her little boy then rushes him off away from the church and cursing preacher.

“Don’t do it!” The preacher begs.

Tommy stops at the bottom of the steps then grins briefly. He then turns around slowly to peer up at the elder preacher.

“He’s dead already.” Crimson replies with real malice in his tone.

Crimson then turns away and heads for his solid black cadillac full speed ahead. Tommy looks more healthy in this shot than maybe he ever has in his career. The ailments inside the church he had to endure have now dissipated completely. An inverted cross glitches across the screen as the feed dies out completely after Tommy reaches his vehicle and the cross disappears.



May 24, 2018
Twenty Miles outside of Las Vegas(Desert)
8:41 p.m.


Night begins to fall in the desert outside of Las Vegas, Nevada. The sun fades as it always does leaving the desert cold in the night and early morning hours yet hot as fire throughout the day.

A camera overhead films the desert as darkness consumes it. A car comes into focus in the distance throwing sand beneath the tires coming at a high rate of speed.

It heads away from Las Vegas and further into the desert. The car is solid black and older. A nineteen fifties model cadilac to be exact. Tommy Crimson’s car he’s driven since he became a major draw in professional wrestling barrels at the large building in the distance.

Nightfall comes while the car travels full speed ahead and the bright moonlight shines down to illuminate the desert slightly. The large building hidden in the sea of sand is revealed to be a large barn. A huge generator to the right powers the monster structure. Sin City Wrestling tractor trailers are parked on the same side but it sits empty and quiet this night.

The old cadillac pulls up to the large doors of the barn sliding sideways to stop! The driver’s door swings open and Tommy Crimson stumbles out. He’s holding a Jack Daniel’s bottle in his right hand. He holds it up to his mouth and takes big swig before breaking the bottle across the windshield of his famous ride.

Tommy then stumbles toward the large barn. He leaves his car running and headlights on. The shine off into the desert in the opposite direction of the barn. Crimson reaches the large doors and pulls one as hard as he can getting it to slide open. The large door slides to the right and reveals the inside of the barn.

Darkness has taken it over now but something large sits in the middle of the barn that takes up most of the large structure.

Tommy walks over to the wall and flips a large switch that brings the barn to life. The generator outside kicks on and all the lights come on. Crimson’s creation sits in the center still covered in order to remain hidden with tarps. Cameras inside the barns are now in control of the NerdSquad to feed this footage to the masses.

Crimson stumbles toward his creation. He has a righteous buzz going when he looks over to the left notices a few scrap pieces of the nine eleven steel he used to create this match of all matches.

Tommy walks over to the workbench where a grinder is attached at the end. He looks at it then back at the small pieces of steel. Crimson picks up one and holds it in his right hand. He appears to examine it closely then holds it like a knife. He shakes his head in a disapproving manner before tossing the piece of steel back on the bench. Crimson takes up another piece and holds it like a knife also. The weight seems good so Tommy nods to himself. He walks over to the grinder while holding the piece of steel from the most horrific event in modern american history.

Crimson takes the piece of steel and begins to work it on the grinder after turning it on. He works the piece of steel against the grinder to make sparks fly all over. Tommy continues to run the piece of hardened steel across the grinder to make it smooth and sharp.

“There we go.” Tommy says to himself.

He continues to work the steel until it is sharp enough to cut. Crimson holds up his left arm then drags the blade across it but it only leaves a deep red mark. No cut.

“No.” Crimson mutters.

He then takes the piece of steel and continues to work it across the grinder to sharpen it further. Tommy carefully angles it to get the perfect edge. After a few more minutes of this he turns the grinder off then holds up his left arm once more. He holds the piece of sharpened steel on it then drags the sharp edge across his left forearm! It slices him open slightly causing droplets of blood to run down his right arm and new blade.

“Perfect.” Crimson whispers at it his creation.

Tommy then finds a drill on the top shelf of the work bench. He holds the piece of steel flush on the bench as he carefully drills two holds into the handle of the blade. He then reaches in an old coffee bucket for two washers and two bolts that are the same size. He has to dig around in it for a few moments but finally gets four he approves of.

Crimson then attaches what appears to be a magnet on the blade of the knife using the bolts and washers. He bolts them together for a strong hold. After tightening the washers down, Tommy looks up at the large structure he created that now sits in the middle of this large barn in the desert.

Tommy climbs up the side of the dome shaped structure that is still hidden by tarps and anything else that can possibly cover it up. Crimson realizes he can’t climb while holding his new blade with magnet attachment which leads him to hold it in his mouth. He then climbs up the side quickly.

Crimson reaches the top and carefully unties one of the tarps at the tip top. He carefully unties the knots then peels it back to reveal the top of his structure. Crimson is high off the ground while sitting atop of his creation. He undoes the next next tarp about midway up the side of the structure and the camera shot becomes blurred to hide his secret.

Crimson then retrieves the blade he just created and he holds it out in his right hand to admire it briefly. He then reaches up underneath the steel beam of the structure and sits the blade on the inside of the ceiling by using the magnet. It sticks flush to the underside in a slightly hidden compartment.

“You will taste my blade this time. Oh, yes.” Crimson promises his opponent while sitting atop the tool he will use in his attempt to destroy Kristopher.

He then carefully ties the tarps back up to continue to hide his creation from the world. Sunday it will be revealed to the whole world but for now it will remain a mystery to Ryans and even the owners of Sin City Wrestling. Only Tommy Crimson knows what lies ahead for he and Kristopher. Crimson slides down the side of his structure on the tarps but sticks the landing on his feet! The slightly drunk Fury lands at the bottom of his creation in a pile on his back instead! The cameras continue to roll through this embarrassing fall.

“Fuck!” Crimson cries out after landing.

Tommy then gathers himself on the gravel covered floor of the barn. He stumbles to one knee then uses the workbench to get himself back up to a vertical base.

Crimson looks back at his creation one last time. This will be the last time he gets a chance to be alone with it before the main event world heavyweight match on sunday.

“You Will Murder.” Tommy brags on his creation before sliding the large barn door back shut tight.

The Fury then walks back to his car. Evil thoughts fill his head as the biggest match of his career looms ahead. Tomorrow he will film his final promotional video before Into The Void Vll. Tommy Crimson comes into the match with total confidence now that he understands Kristopher must die in the structure. Tommy now has a blade inside the structure to cut Ryans with if need be. If Crimson’s creation somehow doesn’t kill Kris then Tommy himself will. He will use the blade to do it like he promised more than a month prior. Crimson continues to walk toward his car with more and more strut in his step with each one he takes closer to the old caddy.

An overhead military drones takes over the feed once Tommy is out of sight of the cameras attached to the sides of the barn. Crimson gets to his car and walks around the front of it to reach the drivers side door. He opens it up then looks over the top of the car at the barn once more. The large building holds his greatest creation with no one here to guard it. This gives The Fury pause briefly.

The drone flies in closer to show Tommy closer as he dips into his car. He watches the barn the entire way. He shuts the drivers side door then peers over at the barn once more. Tommy then slouches back in the seat to get comfortable.

“I’ll keep you safe.” Tommy whispers in the barn’s direction.

He then closes his eyes and adjusts himself in the car seat. He leans back all the way in the seat to rest and guard his greatest creation to date. The scene begins to fade away while Crimson drifts off to sleep in his car.



May 25, 2018
Las Vegas, Nevada
Indie Film Factory
3:01 p.m.


A wide shot of Las Vegas comes into view. The two Sin City Wrestling tractor and trailers come into view from the barn. They are surrounded by security hired by Tommy Crimson himself. Three large black SUV’s follow closely behind the tractor trailers while two others lead them.

The overhead shot shows the trucks and suvs drive past the Indie Film Factory. This is where Crimson will be filming promotional videos and his current horror film. The trucks and suvs fade away into the distance while the camera stays put on the Indie Film Factory.

The infamous scream crosses the screen as does the inverted cross to signal a Fury Studios production.

The cross continues to glitch across the screen while a few credits roll. The shot then fades to the inside of the building it shows. The studio is alive as a director screams out, “Action!”.

The cross fades to black. Words begins to scroll up the screen.

“The final battle. The final encounter between two of the best wrestlers alive today… Who will walk out the winner with the top strap in professional wrestling? Krisopher Ryans suffered two straight losses to his foe, Tommy Crimson, before defeating him at Full Circle for all the gold. When the stakes were the highest The Miracle prevailed.

Tommy Crimson finds himself against the most popular champion since J2H. Kristopher Ryans has everything any company would possibly want in a top champion. While Crimson gets sued weekly for things he says or does on television. Tommy remains a constant troublemaker that will cause real problems as champion with advertisements and stockholders alike.

The Fury has lost everything pursuing Kristopher Ryans since SCW reopened. Crimson immediately challenged the popular champion to a rematch of all rematches. Then he lost everything else even his life briefly to create the match of all matches. Now that everything is set he now has only one thing left to do to complete his journey to Into The Void Vll….

The Fury Studios logo remains after the words scroll down the screen. The black screen begins to turn orange like a sunset in the evening then even more red until it reaches a deep hint of Crimson.

A tombstone comes into focus suddenly revealing the crimson red sky to the world. The digital effects are working over time in this one. The tombstone reads, “The Fury”.

Below the bold letters reads, “Died to curse his greatest foe.”

The sky is a shade of red only fit for Tommy Crimson. Suddenly the grass below the tombstone begins to rise as a hand bursts out of the ground! The camera's circle this to film closer.

“The” is written across the left hand as the other hand violently bursts out of the ground opposite of the left hand. “Fury” written proudly across these knuckles to spell it out for everyone. The hands take hold of the tombstone. They then pull the rest of Tommy Crimson out of the grave.

The blades of grass appear to be small flames burning all around. Tommy pulls himself on out of his grave and ends up standing above his own tombstone. He turns his back to the camera and faces the tombstone directly. He fumbles in front himself briefly and begins to urinate. Crimson puts out all the grass blade sized flames leaving a smoke filled shot. He laughs deeply as the smoke now all around slowly engulfs him whole.

The smoke clears to reveal Crimson with his hair now almost glowing. He looks more healthy than he has in months which is a complete shock after all he’s been through as of late.

Crimson turns away from the tombstone that now reads, “Alive and Well”. As Tommy turns around to face the camera shot, the tombstone complete crumbles. The special effects continue as Tommy walks leaving smoking footprints behind him with each step he takes.

The sky turns back to a shade of crimson red then appears to shift and change over Tommy’s head. A live feed begins to play out while Crimson continues to walk towards the camera in an epic shot.

Crimson calling Ryans out plays out in the sky then Tommy dumping him off a balcony onto a car windshield after that. Ryans using GodBooked to defeat O’Malley then booms across the sky but Tommy continues a straight path into the unknown.

The next overhead shot shows Dmitri and Crimson battling on Climax Control mere weeks before. Tommy would defeat the former champion in a classic match. The last shot shows Kris hitting the mat three times reluctantly for Tommy Crimson’s eighth win in Sin City Wrestling.

The contract signing then plays out across this world Fury Studios has created around The Fury.

The screen then attempts to play the first encounter between the two men from the first show back well over a month ago. Tommy walking to the ring holding a knife becomes plays then sticks. The screen glitches and begins to play this one scene out over and over on loop. Tommy heading for the ring while holding a sharp knife. Over and over.

Tommy peers up into the sky with crimson red edges that plays the encounter on a loop. Crimson glances up at his own history. History that mind you, is still being written to this very day. The camera shot then comes up from the ground directly in front of Tommy as he continues to walk to show the sky in all it’s glitchy glory.

“This is where it all began again, Kris. I threatened to cut you… Don’t you remember? I promised to slice your flesh with a sharpened object to set this whole thing back into motion. This moment is the only one that really matters to me out of them all. Even before I never made such a threat but I’ve kept every single one I have ever made to you, haven’t I?” Tommy’s voice booms out over the environment of his own studios creation.

“I have made a career out of ending careers, Kris. Now I find myself in a position where I must kill you inside something I myself created. It will be your tomb and where the end of Kristopher Ryans happens. I didn’t want to do it this way but now I am left with no choice. You must go.” Crimson threatens his opponent while never breaking stride.

Tommy continues walking until he comes up on a three story house that is burning on the outside. The inside appears fine but it’s ablaze outside. Crimson grins then walks up the front porch steps then on inside the three story home.

Inside he finds the same blood red carpet from the church. Pictures hang all over the walls of past matches he’s had with Kristopher Ryans. The scene is creepy but no flames can be seen inside the house nor any smoke.

“This home is full of our memories Kris. All things from our previous encounters that I could not part with.” Tommy exclaims.

Flames shine bright out the windows of the house but nothing inside whatsoever still yet inside the home.

“My mother died in a house fire. My dad actually killed her then I escaped but by doing so my little brother nearly burned to death. He then came to kill me later only to die by snake bites. All his own doing, mind you. This bottom floor of this home represents that for me. Regret. All of these photos appear to be from different matches we’ve had but no. They are from the last match we had. The one where you took everything from me. Look closer...” Crimson explains carefully into the camera with a cold demeanor.

The camera pans across the walls to show he is telling the truth. Every image is from Full Circle from back in January.

“This moment is one I will never forget. I will always remember this loss, Kris. I’ve lost before yeah just not often. I, like you, give out more L’s than I ever take in.” Tommy continues as he looks around the bottom floor of the house.

Fire begins to creep in through the cracks. It licks along the walls while Tommy looks over at the staircase next to a bar. The bar is covered in pictures from the match at Full Circle that The Fury and The Miracle had. Tommy knocks them all over as he stumbles up the steps to the next floor. Just as he reaches the top the entire bottom floor of the house is consumed by fire.

The second floor of the house is not on fire nor does it smoke even with the outside and now bottom floor ablaze.

The second floor is revealed to be bright. Shiny belts cover the interior of the floor. Gold plated ones and silver ones all over along with a few that appear to be bronze. The title belts on this floor represent past glory for Tommy. He walks around the room looking at all his achievements from his storied career. One whole section is dedicated to Sin City Wrestling. A body bag sits in this section with a foot hanging out. The toe tag reads, “Harris, Calvin”.

“All this glory and still I yearn more. One more belt to further prove I am the best alive. Just one more.” Crimson almost whispers among all the trophies and rewards from throughout his career.

Thirteen world championships along with fifteen united states championships alongs with twenty some intercontinental belts lay around. X Division straps and even many hardcore titles are placed everywhere on the second floor of this burning home.

“I mean when is enough, enough? I just continue to win then win some more, Kris. I am cursed myself but with true greatness. I look around this room and feel incomplete. That’s where you come in again, Miracle.” Tommy explains.

“See.. I want to beat you and become a fourteen time world champion to further stuff this room with shit that doesn’t matter to me. All that matters is the here and the now and in that time frame I am still the best alive. There is no better wrestler on all of planet earth than can compete with The Fury on his best day. You are fighting an uphill battle with your own mind that leads straight back to me. In this world, where evil prevails, how can a little shit like you expect mercy from a monster like me? You can’t. I have none left to give to you, Ryans.” Crimson screams out in the room causing his voice to echo off all four walls.

Cracks begin to form from the bold sharp cutting words from Crimson leading fire to lick through these walls a bit.

“I will only find true peace at your end, Kris. When I slice you or drop you from so high you just don’t wake up again. One of us will not walk out of my creation alive. The other will probably be crippled for the rest of his days. This match could end up ending us both. Does it still seem worth it?” Tommy asks his opponent while looking around the room at all his achievements while the cracks in the wall he made earlier now ignite.

The curtains on the windows go up smoke and begin to melt to the carpet setting it ablaze also. The belts shine even brighter with the flames now engulfing the second floor as it has done the outside of the house and bottom floor of Crimson’s personal regret. A staircase sits to the left of this room of glory. Tommy looks into the camera lens while the flames pop up all around him.

“I will burn it all to smoke you out. Nothing is sacred to a man like myself. I see you realizing that you may not be up to the task at hand. That’s smart because I also believe this, Miracle. I believe when the shit gets deep you will fold like you have before. This time there will be no escape from me and your “destiny”.” Crimson calls out with wild and crazy eyes.

The room catches on fire completely leading Tommy to rush over to the staircase. He walks up into what appears to be the final floor of the home. The staircase leads into a hall but straight up into what appears to be an attic that doubles as the top floor.

Crimson walks up the thirteen steps to a door that is painted silver with a golden door knob. He approaches slowly as the flames lick up the walls of the small corridor that leads to the top floor. The door creaks open slowly to reveal a room hidden in complete darkness. Tommy quickly enters and slams the door shut behind him. This solid dark room hides The Fury from the cameras and everything else inside the room.

Christmas lights along the wall suddenly flicker to life. They all come on to spell out one word.

“Redemption”

This room represents redemption for Tommy. A photo hanging on the wall of his creation is blurred to continue to hide it from the masses and Kris.

The room comes to life with lights from the walls that spell out different things in eighty styled christmas lights. A newspaper hanging on the wall reads in bold letters on the front page, “Former champion killed inside ring!”. The article below it explains how Tommy Crimson ended the life of Kristopher Ryans at Into The Void Vll.

Tommy walks over to the paper hung proudly on the wall and admires it briefly.

“This will be what I am known for after Sunday. I will be known as the guy who killed the unbeatable golden boy of Sin City Wrestling. I must admit... It makes me hard a little.” Tommy brags then grins.

He then spins to look around the room as the lights overhead flicker to life also. A SCW replica world title sits on a rocking chair in the corner of the room. The chair rocks with no one even near it leading Tommy to walk over to it slowly. He places his right hand on the arm rest to halt the rocking. After he does this he bends down to one knee in front of the chair and takes up the replica championship in both hands. He stares into it as if it were the real thing. Love and admiration fill his eyes as he looks on at glory that will surely come sunday night.

“It’s all over this when you really think about. I needed a way to beat you for sure, Kris. So that led me to build my greatest creation that is now on it’s way to the arena where Into The Void will be held as I speak... Your demise is being delivered by the very company who does anything to protect you. How fitting.” Crimson gloats a bit then drops the toy championship on the floor.

He steps on it then spins his heel on it as he turns to face the opposite wall. It’s covered in bright red blood that continues to poor down in it in small streams.

“That blood will be yours. I am hoping that I can scoop some up in a jar to always have a little of Ryans with me. I want to keep a piece of you after taking you apart like I am about to. So I can remember what you were like when you were “whole”. A keepsake to remind me of you, Kris. Your murder won’t be in vain nor will I ever forget the encounters we have had. This I am afraid however, will be our final battle.” Crimson continues to threaten the life of his famous opponent openly.

“Start anew to conquer them all.” is written on the wall across from the one with blood running down it.

Tommy steps back to admire this message from Belladonna. One that she used to actually lead Crimson to her after she burned FuryLand to the ground. Crimson glares at the message with a nostalgic pause.

“We have been to hell and back, Kris. Now you have a chance to rest for good. Don’t you feel tired after all of this? I can make you rest forever. There will be no comeback after I do what I am about to do to you. How can you survive my creation in your weakened state? I am already in your head where I thrive.” Crimson continues with an angry expression across his face.

Tommy then walks past another newspaper plastered across the wall of the top floor of this home. This is an obvious obituary for Kristopher Ryans with loved ones and fans commenting on his death inside Crimson’s creation at The Fury’s hands. The future events depicted on the papers hanging on the walls paint a creepy finish to The Miracle’s career and life.

The flames continue to eat away at the house from the outside and bottom floors yet the top floor is unphased at all thus far.

On the far wall is clippings from popular wrestling magazines from all over the world. All have Tommy Crimson on the covers holding up the Sin City Wrestling World Heavyweight Championship high into the air. Tommy walks up to this wall to admire it as he has the other three. He looks at all the popular magazine covers and an early sense of achievement consumes him briefly. He shakes it off then turns his back to the camera while he stares all the covers down as he continues.

“Look at all these covers, Kris. You were on each and every one of these covers when you beat me after I retired Harris. Not one word was written about what I achieved that night. It was all forgotten after the hero rode off into the sunset with my belt and all my glory. This will set everything right in the world. Your death will set me back on course and seal a deal made between two of the most evil motherfuckers in the known universe.” Tommy continues while bragging of the deal he struck with the devil while he was dead.

The fire begins to creep through the seals of the one window in the top floor of this house. The house now burns on the outside bright in this world created by Tommy’s Fury Studios. Tommy sits down in the rocking chair after he rips the Pro Wrestling Weekly magazine off the wall. He leaves the other fifty but takes this one.

He rocks in the chair while slowly flipping through the pages of the popular magazine as if searching for a particular page.

“Here it is.” Crimson proclaims as smoke and fire begin to consume the top floor of the house.

Tommy then holds the magazine up to the camera. It shows a photo of Ryans laid out in a pool of his own blood in a blurred out structure which must be Crimson’s creation. The blood is enough to tell everyone looking on the wrestler face down in the pool of blood is dead. The edges of the magazine begin to catch on fire as does Tommy and the rocking chair.

The camera shot then changes to the outside of the house that begins to burn extremely hot now. The three story house is completely ablaze.

Different camera angles catch the house burning from every possible angle. The wide shot directly in front of the home comes into focus suddenly as the house collapses entirely. “SCW” reads across the mail slot in a slow motion shot that ends with the home falling in on itself from the intense fire.

The sky remains showing shots of the previous month from Sin City Wrestling even as the house collapses in out itself. Suddenly from the smoldering rubble bursts The Fury fist first! He flies out of the burning ashes of the house and lands on his feet where the porch once stood proud. Tommy looks around and then laughs at his metaphorical mindfuck then at the camera to further taunt Kristopher Ryans.

“Wow.” Crimson states into the camera lens.

The smoke bellows up from behind him to spell out, “The Fury”, in an awesome shot.

“I just can’t be killed. Why kill something so called gods can use to further some cause they have? I remain alive because I am just too evil to die. You are incapable of killing me, Kristopher. I however would murder you in cold blood in that ring to seal any deal. I want what you have now and I will do anything to achieve just that.” Crimson directly speaks to his opponent.

“I will live on forever while you will fade away in the minds of all SCW fans after Sunday night. You will find no glory in the end I have planned for you. There will be a funeral and some thrown dirt but then your story ends abruptly.” Tommy blurts out.

The Fury turns around to look at the house that has now burned to the ground. The entire environment turns black. The ground becomes solid white with bones and ashes from humans and animals who have passed on. Crimson spins around as the environment changes to show death in its purest form. A rabbit lies on the ground with maggots eating through it’s eye sockets. They attempt to consumed the diseased animal whole from the inside out.

“When you die you simply rot away. There are no glorious spots for after death parties. No raves in the clouds nor drunk parties at the edge of the lake of fire. No. You just rot like this rabbit and get eaten by flesh eating maggots from the inside out. You return to the earth from which you came. Think about that tonight when you rest your head, Kris. Mortality is something you need to come to terms with before you face it inside my creation.” The Fury threatens once more with wild eyes and full evil intent.

The bones turn to mush as do the maggots and all rotting flesh that surrounds Crimson. The small would overwhelm the average human but Tommy takes it all in. The environment surrounding Tommy shifts to the inside of his “creation”. A few of the solid steel beams from the world trade center buildings can be made out but not much else. The kind of match this will be still remains a mystery by Crimson’s own choosing.

Blurs and tarps continue to do their jobs to secure Crimson’s secret match but he walks around in it. Tommy continues to shoot the video of his life with focus like he’s never had before.

“I created this for us, Ryans. This is where we make history and become true legends of professional wrestling. I first intended to do this without either of us having to die but shit happens, man. I will miss you and even fought to keep you but a deal was made. Now this structure will decide which one of us has “it”.” Tommy proclaims inside the three dimensional rendering of his cursed structure.

The structure begins to glitch. An inverted cross can be seen as the green screen comes into focus all around Tommy Crimson. Four walls of green screens along with the floor and ceiling. All tricks of the trade for The Fury. A door over to the left of all the green has a sign lit up in red overhead that reads, “Exit”.

Fury Studios employees begin to clap throughout the large studios building. The Indie Film Factory has helped Crimson’s production company create a righteous promotional video for the entire wrestling world.

Tommy’s publicist comes into the wide shot suddenly. Piper Poe is now in charge of public relations at Fury Studios. She rushes up to the wrestling superstar after he’s finished quickly.

“You can’t threaten to kill a man in a video then actually do it, Tommy.” Poe whispers sternly directly at Crimson when she approaches.

Tommy briefly turns away from her and looks at all the production work that went into to the filming done here today. Crimson appears proud and almost regal in how he holds his shoulders with true confidence. He breathes in heavy then turns to face his new publicist face to face.

“I do what I want. It’s how I have always done business and nothing will ever change that. Not some snotty fuckin’ world champion nor a whore who doesn’t know her place yet.” Crimson replies.

Poe appears completely shocked by this statement by The Fury. Crimson notices tears well up in her eyes leading him to lean in close to explain further.

“He’s already dead, he just doesn’t know it yet. Soon this will all be over and all will be right in “our” world. He has to go and nothing can change my mind on that. There is no room in the world of professional wrestling for both of us. One of us must be put down for good.” Crimson further explains in a whisper of his own into the ear of his new younger employee.

The Fury then turns aways from her and adjusts his infamous ring jacket before heading for the door marked, “Exit”. He takes a few steps toward the door while tears stream down Miss Poe’s face. She gives chase and reaches Tommy just as he approaches the door. Piper then places a hand on Crimson’s shoulder leading him to look back at it with the handle of the door in his right hand.

“You can’t do this.” Poe begs Crimson once more.

Tommy breathes heavily with a sigh then slowly spins around to face her. Crimson takes her face into both of his hands. He then looks into her green eyes, giving her all of his attention one last time.

“Kristopher must die. There is no other way to seal the deal I made. The only way I get out of this alive myself… Is to end Ryans for good. Forever. I traded his soul to save my own. I’m the villain… Remember?” Crimson asks the rhetorical question then pulls the door open to make his exit.

Poe remains with her head down lost in her own thoughts while Crimson makes his way toward Into The Void Vll and his destiny.