March 22, 2021
Honolulu, Hawai'i
The Towering Inferno
The Astro Creep stared down at the crumpled, chained up body of Seb as the flames burned below them. He gazed out at the frightened looks in the crowd. Spots began to disrupt his vision as he tried to take a step away from his opponent's broken body. But, he failed. Instead, Tempest fell to his hands and knees, slowly lowering further, and finally passed out a few feet from the man he just went to war with.
Seb had entered his world with the reputation of being someone else--of being something else. But at the end of the Towering Inferno match, Seb proved exactly what he told everyone he did. He evolved. He adapted. He wasn't the pretty boy that Tempest had made him out to be. On this night, Tempest found out, Seb could be one sadistic motherfucker.
What the cameras didn't capture was Tempest being carried out on a stretcher. Daedalus and Koznar watched on in the back as the paramedics carried him off and loaded him into an ambulance. Neither seemed very concerned, however. They watched on as a nosy neighbor would watch on a mildly interesting event outside their home, like a pick up football game, or perhaps a miniscule argument. When the ambulance doors closed, Daedalus turned with a smile and snatched the UGWC Chaos championship out of Hazel East's grasp. She was hurriedly trying to get to Tempest, and she did have a concerned look on her face. When the title was picked from her clutches, she turned and glared, but her expression softened when she saw it was Tempest's ally. Not because she particularly liked Daedalus, but because the Chaos championship was at least in the right camp. She had done her job.
He woke later. His face was wrapped in bandages, and he could still smell his own cooked flesh. The pain was excruciating, even for him. He could move, but he decided he'd rather not. He stared up at the ceiling tiles. Outside his room, speaking softly, was who he presumed to be his chosen doctor.
"He has... a lot of injuries. On top of the second degree burns he just endured, he also has some other very serious injuries."
A pause. He was waiting for a response from the person he was talking to. But he didn't get one.
"For instance," he continued, "he has a fractured orbital bone that will require surgery. The burns on his eyelids and his lips are very concerning, because of their location. The problem we've run into is, he doesn't seem to have an identity. No past medical history. No identification, social security number. His fingerprints don't have any matches. Without this information, we can't verify any sort of insurance, and more importantly, we can't perform surgery."
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Chicago, Illinois
Sometime before Synergy
They watched her leave catering, the same way he watched the girl scurry past their motel every evening, the Deftones on his mind.
I watched you change, into a fly...
He watched her in particular. He let his eyes move up and down, carefully watching her movements.
I looked away, you were on fire...
Daedalus nudged him in the shadows. It was just the two of them. Tempest wanted to be left alone tonight, and they honored that. Besides, it gave him the opportunity to take a closer look, from beyond the shadows. He didn't reckon she noticed him much. He didn't reckon anyone noticed him much, until he hurled them through the air like a shotput. He clicked his tongue behind his teeth, coming off the wall he was leaning on, and followed Daedalus to catch up to her.
I watched a change, in you...
It's like you never, had wings...
Now you feel, so alive...
I've watched you change...
"Ms. Morgan!" Daedalus called, more like a fan, than what he really was. She stopped, whirling around with startling speed. Her eyes darted from Daedalus to Ny-Otep, back to Daedalus.
"How are you?" he asked cheerfully, a Cheshire grin spreading on his face, almost unnaturally wide.
"I'm fine," she replied with a hint of annoyance, "do you make a habit of sneaking up on people and--you know what, don't answer that."
She chuckled to herself.
"Very well," Daedalus said. "I see you're in a hurry, so we won't take up very much of your time."
"Good."
"We just wanted to... check on you, see how you're doing."
"Right. We accomplished this. I said I'm fine. Anything else?"
Daedalus laughed as if she had just told a joke with a hilarious punchline. He wagged a finger. Behind him, Koznar watched quietly. So fragile... yet so dangerous.
"Oh, you've got such a way about you."
"So I'm told."
"Ah--no, that's not all. We were just wondering, did you get our... message?"
He eyed her cryptically. She looked back in confusion, bordering on exasperation, disbelief that they could be wasting her time over this.
"What message?" she said, her posture changing to match the annoyance in her voice. Daedalus looked at Ny-Otep, but he was still staring at Eden. He looked back at Eden, fumbling a bit over his words.
"Uh, well you know..."
"I'm afraid I don't. What's going on?"
He cartoonishly brought a finger up to his scalp, scratching an invisible itch of confusion.
I took you home...
Set you on the glass...
Daedalus' posture changed now, and his carefree grin turned into a frown. He glared at Eden.
"So..."
"Well, why don't you just tell me what the message was? We're here now, you could just come out with it."
Daedalus' mind went blank. Koznar spoke up.
"Well, we know that you and Dr. Baal have an important match coming up at Incursion, with bragging rights and all."
"That's not all that's at stake, but go on..."
Her eyes met his and he realized he had her undivided attention. Deep blue oceans that had sunk the ships of many men. He clicked his tongue behind his teeth, not in the same way that Baal had done so many times before. Something about his clicking was mechanical, strange.
"Our message must have gotten lost in the shuffle. But, we just wanted you and Dr. Baal to know that we would be there for you, as allies. If anyone from Carnage were to make the unfortunate mistake of getting involved, I mean. Incendium and the Astro Creeps, the unspoken alliance."
"Not exactly unspoken. But it's easy to overlook, I'll say. We appreciate your loyalty, and we reciprocate your generosity."
Daedalus nodded with a smile.
"Is that all, gentlemen? I don't mean to be rude, but, Gabriel is expecting me, unless there's something else?"
"Not unless you think there's something else, Ms. Morgan?"
"Morgan-Baal," she corrected. "It's missus."
"Of course," Daedalus said.
"And no, nothing else. You boys have a good night. Send my best to Tempest, will you?"
She gave a cheerful wink and turned back to her original direction. The Creeps watched her walk away, silently analyzing their awkward encounter.
I look at the cross...
Then I look away...
Give you the gun...
Blow me, away...
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Somewhere in Indiana
Sometime between Then and Now
A single flame danced in the darkness. Faint footsteps echoed from across the room, approaching slowly. A man in a jumpsuit could be seen in the light of the flame. He sat down, his masked face gazing off camera. It was hard to see, but there was something offputting about the mask. Something cryptic, mechanical. Something not human.
"Ssssso much to talk about..."
Black painted lips behind the mask puckered out.
"A welcoming committee, am I? Some of the... High Society... the Beautiful People... would be insulted to take on such a role. Oh, but not I. Never will I ever pass up on an opportunity to feast on the fresh meat that steps into the Global Coalition. The taste of it. The... high that it brings, watching that light of naivete die as I gaze upon it, until it becomes swallowed up in blackness. The precise moment of realization that they've made a terrible mistake."
He chuckled in the darkness. Shadows danced behind the flame of the candle.
"Angel DuMourne... I'm certain that Dave Rydell and I will welcome you properly to the Global Coalition. What you do beyond your proper welcome, is entirely up to you. I'm not going to treat you the same way that I was treated when I came here. I'm not going to overlook you. In fact, I'm going to give you so much attention... that you won't be able to stand it!"
He cackled again, then fell into a fit of coughing. Once he recovered, he spoke quietly.
"What you might not be aware of, is a mutual understanding between Mr. Rydell and myself. Believe it or not, there's a respect there. Mr. Rydell respects the Astro Creeps. The Astro Creeps respect Mr. Rydell. As a result, we find ourselves often working together in situations such as the one we're presented with on Monday. We don't completely disregard one another... but we often like to dispose of the distraction that gets between us, so that we can have a friendly ol' beatdown exchange for the sake of competition."
He pumped a fist to illustrate, comically, his point of two friends competing for a victory. His hands were dirty, his fingernails filthy.
"In those moments, Angel, it's up to you to dictate what role you'll take. Will you watch on passively as Rydell and I fight to see who the better man is on this night? Or will you wedge yourself between us, insisting that you belong?"
Silence danced like the shadows from the flame.
"...I sincerely hope for the latter. Unlike the High Society around here, I thirst for competition. I hunger for a fight. And I welcome those who can inflict pain in the same way that can endure it. Now... I admittedly have a soft spot for those who are cast out, looked down on, those who are considered to be 'not one of us,' if you know what I mean. So find acceptance through me, Angel DuMourne... find acceptance through the Astro Creeps."
The idea of being accepted by a man such as Tempest was ludicrous, however.
"Mr. Rydell, we've been in this position before, no? I believe the result was the two of us unceremoniously driving the third wheel out of our way so we could get to each other. We have a quietly active history, you and I. And your... cooperation... at last year's Outlast event, will never be neglected. The Astro Creeps wanted nothing less than for Dave Rydell to capture the elusive World championship that you've been seeking for your entire career; to put an exclamation point on a career that has earned it, that has bled for it, seemingly a career that's unappreciated by the rest of the Global Coalition. But I do appreciate it, Mr. Rydell. So when you do reach that point, and you will reach that point, where you're grasping the Global Coalition's World Championship, the way that I grasp its Chaos Championship, you can look me in the eye and know, that the Tempest bet on you, when no one else did."
Another moment of silence passed. Far off, subtle dripping could be heard.
"But on Monday, you know, and I know, that alliances don't mean shit when it comes to the end result. All that matters is who pinned who, who submitted who, or who defeated who. I must apologize in advance, Mr. Rydell. I am an altered being. It will be... unpleasant.. to experience what I've once again become. It seems that each time we meet in the ring, I've become the product of what I've endured, and for that I apologize. It isn't your fault. The beauty of this is that you won't take it personal... although, maybe you should. Maybe you should be taking every motherfucker standing in your way as being a personal attack on you. It won't hurt my feelings, Mr. Rydell... after all, I do understand and appreciate the feeling... Don't I Seb?"
He inhaled quietly, letting yet another moment of silence wedge its way in his speech.
"This is what I am now. A burned, damaged, elated man."
Laughter escaped him. Dark, defiant laughter.
"You tried to destroy me. You tried to cement your legacy at my expense. And to be truthful, Seb, it pissed me off. As I speak about the respect I have for others, I want to make sure that you know, I don't respect you. You were supposed to better than me! To make an example of me! You were going to step foot in my division, and mold it into your own! Well, I don't respect that! This is mine! This division has been molded in my image, not yours! This is my world, Seb. And the Towering Inferno left you with the devil laughing in your face. But what about me!? What about me, Seb!? The Towering Inferno consumed me, too, didn't it?"
His screams of anguish echoed. More silence followed, uncomfortable and filled with tension.
"...I am the child of the Towering Inferno. How about you, Seb? Can you feel it in your veins... like I do? Can you feel it in your lungs... like I do? Can you feel it pumping your heart... like I do? The Towering Inferno consumed both of us... but have you consumed the Towering Inferno...?"
He leaned into the candle light, revealing his mask, his new self...
"...like I have?"
...and blew out the flame, leaving him in the darkness. His laughter could be heard, fading into the distance as he left the room. The sounds of his steps were like a child, skipping merrily to his next destination.
