Post by EZRA on Nov 30, 2011 7:29:27 GMT -5
Hope in reality is the worst of all evils because it prolongs the torments of man.
The scene opens on an airplane. We Marek is all his orange-haired glory sitting in a window seat. He has some headphones and is looking out the window, enjoying the view. He is interrupted by someone sitting down in the empty seat next to him. He looks over but quickly resumes his gaze out of the window. He is interrupted again by someone poking him in the arm. He ignores it the first time but takes off his headphones and turns toward his ‘assailant’.
“May I help you?” he says, irritation in his voice.
“I don’t mean to disturb you but..” the middle-aged man is interrupted sharply.
“Then why did you? Can you not see that I am busy?” Marek says, pointing out the window.
The man doesn‘t answer right away, hoping that Marek will notice his eye patch hindering his eye sight. “Sorry. I just wanted to ask for an autograph.”
Marek rolls his eyes.
“I don’t have photos of you to sign or anything like that. All I got is a copy Johnny Blake’s journal. There’s some interesting things in here. I bet Duncan is making a fortune after having this thing published.”
“Why do you want my autograph?”
“You’re one of my favorites.”
“Am I? Am I really one of your favorites or are you just talking to me because you recognize me?”
“No, no, no.” the man says, “You’re one of my favorites. I follow all your matches.”
“If this is true, then you know that I am not a nice man. My allegiance lies with those who commit evil deeds.”
“Yeah, but you haven’t always been like that. You were one of the best fan favorites in GIW. That whole bit where you were looking for your sister and trying to avenge her. It was great.”
“Great? You know what GIW and my sister have in common? Hmm? They are both dead. So I would like you to not bring them up again.”
“Fair enough.”
“Fair enough? It is fair that my sister is dead? I do not think so. And I will be providing you with an autograph. I am not a charity worker. I do..”
Marek gestures at the mans eye patch.
“Special needs events.”
“You know, I thought everything you did on TV was act. I didn’t think you were a dick in real life.”
“You think me turning on my good friend Alex was an act? You think me turning on my good friend Xavier was an act? If it was an act, would I not be nominated for an Oscar or some sort of award? It is in your best interest to not continue this conversation.”
The man opens his mouth to say something but turns his attention away from him.
“Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We will be beginning our descent in just a few minutes. Please brace yourself for landing.”
Marek smiles. “Brace yourself, indeed.”
As The Circle heads toward the back, two things were surging through the great mind of Prince Rudo. One, he had released some dead weight off his back and two, he really needed some air freshener. The Lord of the Realm wasn’t sure what smelled worse. The odor of failure from The Killer or the reeking scent of desperation from The Stoner that still trailed from their encounter earlier. He walked in front of The Circle as they headed down toward the Sanctum. His punishment of The Killer had gone through without a hitch. It was time to focus on the peasant who had garnered his attention.
The feeble attempts by The Stoner to gain an upper hand against The Puppetmaster were similar to that of a homeless person hanging outside a restaurant hoping for scraps. He would eventually receive attention, but he wasn’t going to like the particular attention he would get. He had been patient with his attacker and his Lackey but at Horizons, patience would no longer need to be a virtue. He is the Epitome of Evolution. Prince Rudo would adapt to his surroundings and fight like an animal inside of the cage. The Consortium had decided to cap off this rivalry and Rudo was sure he would deliver.
They reach the Sanctum and the bright lights we’d seen before are gone and Rudo takes a seat in his chair. He sets the Cross-Hemisphere Championship on his lap and runs his fingers across the surface.
“The Stoner dubbed this my crown and has set his focus on taking it. My meteoric rise speaks volumes against his motives. I defeated The Weapon for this. Something that hasn’t come easy to any of the buffoons who’ve stood in front of him. The Stoner fell before him on more than one occasion so that makes me even more confident in my win. Being vainglorious is a sin but I can’t help myself. I am a God among the insects here in UGWC and in situations such as this, one can’t help but stand tall and foresee a victory on the horizon.”
He runs his fingers along the name plate. Slowly tracing the letters.
“Prince Rudo is a name that draws ire amongst the most evil of men. They hear my name and their face grows red with anger. They see my name on the marquee and wish it was theirs. They see my name on the title and again wish it was theirs. This name will stay attached and the legacy will remain around far longer than any other peon in UGWC. It will take more than The Stoner to overtake the Excellence of Elocution. Unlike The Killer, I’m not in agreeance with being award the low rung on the totem pole. I went directly for a higher level. The Stoner has held this title before but if you dared to blink during his reign, you may have forgotten about it. Unlike The Stoner, my name is associated with success and grandeur, not cannabis.”
The door to the Sanctum opens and in walks Hope Paulson carrying a clipboard. She falls to one knee in front her master.
“Your highness.”
With a quick flick of his wrist, he motions for her to stand up. She does as is motioned but still doesn’t look directly at ‘Him’.
“The Consortium must be working overtime, my lord, because the final card for Horizons has been presented. The referees and purses have been added.”
She extends her arm to hand Rudo the clipboard but he dismisses the advance with another flick of his wrist.
“Those things do not interest the Lord of the Realm. I have all the information I needed. I will be fighting The Stoner inside of a garage while the mouthbreathers look on in amusement.”
Hope nods and tries not to smile too big. She was lucky to be in the presence of her Majesty once again. After an awkward silence, he speaks again and her body quivers.
“You are dismissed, Miss Paulson.”
She quickly bows and takes her exit.
The art of living lies not in eliminating but in growing with troubles.
The scene opens to Marek sitting on the edge of a bed, speaking Japanese into the phone.
“Yes. I need to book a visitation. No, I do not care what time. I am sure he doesn’t get many visitors. Okay. That is fine.”
Marek snaps his phone shut and tosses it onto the bed. He stands in front of a mirror and slides on a button-up shirt. As he buttons it he seems to by psyching himself up.
“The alternative to moving over an obstacle is to move through it. To scream from the top of the mountain, you must first climb the mountain. Nothing moves through a glass ceiling faster than a missile.”
After buttoning up the shirt, he grabs his jacket, phone, and a wrapped box before heading toward the door and down a set of stairs to what looks to be his rental car. He pulls down the visor to block the sun when something falls into his lap. It looks be the scalp of someone. Marek reacts like a moldy asshole dropped in his lap. He quickly rolls down the window and flings the item outside. As his car pulls out of the parking spot we get a view of the ‘item’ and notice the letters ‘M.E.’ drawn on it in permanent marker.
(An hour or so later)
We open up to Marek sitting down at a solid steel table in the middle of a room full of similar tables. The wrapped box sits on the table in front of him. After a moment we hear a buzz and a solid metal door opens toward the corner. In walks a man we haven’t seen in ages. Marek stands to great his old friend..
“Xavier. It is good to see you.”
“Fuck off.” the big man says as he sits down across from Marek. “You’re the reason I’m in here, remember? I saved your life and you returned the favor by ratting me out. If there wasn’t a bunch of ruthless guards with stun batons watching us, you wouldn’t leave this room alive.”
Marek sits back down and sighs.
“That is why I am here. I have done some evil things in the last year or so and this is one of them that I regret. You were right, Xavier. War & Peace has never reached the level of success that we had with you in our corner. Ezekiel has strayed so far from the path of honor that he pretty much travels alone now.”
Xavier puts his hands on the table and leans forward. He has a few new scars on his face since the last time we’ve seen him and he has bags under his eyes. Prison in Japan has obviously taken its toll on him.
“Do I look like a give two shits about you and Ezekiel right now? I don’t give a fuck about UGWC right now. My focus is to get through the rest of today. Kiss my ass, Marek.”
He gets up from the table and turns toward the door but is stopped by Marek.
“Wait.” he says, getting up and putting his hand on Xavier’s shoulder. “I talked to the parliament, Xavier. Like I said, I regret what I did to you. I came here to tell you that they are going to re-try you. I may face jail time for lying under oath in my testimony against you but they are going to take your case back to the courts. With my testimony being the driving force in your sentence, you may be a free man and if I go to jail, they’ve agreed to let me serve in the United States.”
Xavier shrugs off Marek’s hand and turns back to face his former friend.
“Are you telling me the truth?”
“I swear on the grave of my sister.”
Xavier sighs and steps forward to give Marek a strong hug. After an awkward embrace, he steps back.
“We’ll see where this goes but I hope you’re telling the truth.”
“I am, Xavier. I am very sorry for what I have done. I can not take back the time you have lost here but I can tell you that Ezekiel needs you.”
Xavier nods as we hear a buzzer sound again.
“It’s time to go, Marek.”
Xavier turns again but is stopped once again.
“Here.”
Marek tosses Xavier the wrapped package.
“A gift. It has been approved by the guards. Do not open it until you get back at your cell.”
“Whatever you say, kid.”
Marek laughs and we follow Xavier back toward his cell. He holds the box tightly, encouraged by the words of Marek and the hope of his release in the future. He makes his way back to his cell and sits down with the box on his lap. He tears open the wrapping and looks inside the package. He laughs a bit and reaches in and then holds the item up in front of his face.
“Poor Gabby. I wonder how Marek got his hands on these...”
Brian Chartreuse sits on his couch in a pair of gray sweats and a Los Angeles Lakers jersey watching the latest episode of VH1 Top Twenty Countdown as here hears a knock on the door. The song currently playing is ‘Stereo Hearts’ and he’s really into it. Singing along and tapping his feet so he ignores the knock. After a moment the knock sounds off again. Brian sighs and walks toward the door. He opens it and at first notices nothing. As he is about to close the door, something catches his eye.
“What the hell...” he says, as he leans down and picks up something up off the ground outside his front door. He shakes his head in confusion and toss whatever it is onto the table next to the couch. As he goes back to the TV, we zoom in on what caught his eye. It appears to be a small origami turkey made out of the poster for Horizons. Sitting on the top of it’s little head is a recreation of Rudo’s mask.
x2
