Post by The Greater Evil on Mar 25, 2010 20:29:15 GMT -5
Nicolas Vinegar accepted the drink from Gregori and pulled himself up in the expensive leather chair, trying to make the best out of an unpleasant situation. Dirge sat across from him in his chair, beverage cradled in one gigantic hand and a shit eating smirk on his face. Sunlight illuminated the room, bathing both men in a golden hue. Vinegar cleared his throat and looked at Dirge, locking eyes with The Greater Evil. Dirge continued to smirk in return.
“I don’t like this any more than you do” Vinegar stated flatly, his tone one of clear displeasure. “The new bosses want it done...so here we are.”
Dirge took a sip from his drink and resumed cradling it in his hand, sitting silently for what seemed like an unusually long time after doing so. He just sat and smirked, his silence itself incredibly unnerving for how out of character it was for him.
“Are you going to say something” Vinegar asked, his voice slightly irritated.
Dirge merely angled his head to one side and appraised his guest...and his guest’s mounting irritation. It all seemed to amuse him greatly.
“Well ?” Vinegar pressed. “This won’t be much of an interview if you don’t talk. Normally you won’t shut up and now I get the silent treatment and all you do it sit there and smirk at me. Out bosses want this damned interview done, not me. I don’t really care what you have to say.”
“YOUR “Bosses” Nicky” Dirge interjected flatly. “Not mine.”
Vinegar’s face screwed up in an expression of complete frustration as his face flushed slightly red.
“Does it matter ?” Vinegar retorted irritably.
“More than you realize” replied The Greater Evil with great amusement.
“Listen” Vinegar stated bluntly. “I didn’t come here to get into a pecker waving contest with you. I want sent out here to conduct an interview with you so that our new Bosses and Roster members could get to know you better. Why anyone would actually want to know you, I have no idea. You’re quite possibly the most irritating and obnoxious human being alive. With that said, this doesn’t have to be antagonistic.”
A grin flashed across Dirge’s face as Vinegar spoke, taking for a compliment that which most assuredly was not intended as such.
“Thank you” The Greater Evil replied with a smile. “I’m working on being the “most irritating and obnoxious human being alive”. I don’t think that I’m quite there yet...but I’m getting there. I take pride in my work, after all.”
“How fortunate for all who know you.”
“It is.” Dirge replied with a nod of his head. “As far as your “interview” goes, fire away. Don’t try to be clever though, you know that there are some topics that are off limits and that I won’t discuss. Respect that and this will go well. Ignore it and Gregori here will throw you out on your ass. Are we clear ?”
“Crystal.” Vinegar replied with a derisive grunt.
“Excellent” Dirge replied, gesturing with his free hand for Vinegar to continue. “Do continue then.”
Vinegar sat appraising Dirge with a suspicious expression for a moment and then the professional in him kicked in. He asked his first question in a clear, deep voice.
“Alright” Vinegar stated. “Let’s start with an easy one…what’s your name.”
“Dirge” The Greater Evil replied bluntly.
“No” replied Vinegar with an exhalation of exasperation. “Your real name.”
“You know I’m not going to answer that” The Greater Evil retorted. “That’s one of the “off limits” questions and you know it. Try again.”
“I don’t see why you’re so secretive about it” Vinegar quickly retorted. “Why is it such an issue ?”
The query was met with a flat, unfriendly and mildly irritated glare from Dirge.
“Because I say so” he responded candidly. “That’s why.”
“Who else knows it ?”
“None of your damned business” Dirge retorted, irritation clearly showing in his voice. “Don’t try to be clever and throw back door questions at me. I’m too intelligent to fall for it and you know it.”
“I honestly don’t see the harm.”
“You don’t have to” The Greater Evil responded, pausing for a moment. “A man in my position can’t be too careful.”
“I would imagine that you have a lot of enemies in both of your professions” Vinegar replied honestly. “Have you always been so secretive about your identity...even before you owned and ran your own Consortium ?”
Dirge took a drink from his glass, setting the empty container down on the table and held his hand up to Gregori when he stepped forward to fill it again. The Russian stepped back and assumed his previous position, with his back rod straight and his hands laced in front of his belt buckle.
“I do have a lot of enemies” Dirge answered. “Keeping my identity a secret is one way that I have of protecting myself, my family and my friends from harm.”
“Your name was on your GIW Contract and is on your UGWC Contract” Vinegar said. “What’s to keep the company from releasing it or an enemy from looking it up.”
“Other than the fact that UCWG Security should be better than that” Dirge replied with a condescending grunt. “Just as it was with GIW, so it is with UCWG. There is a section in my contract, as well as the contracts of Erik and Damarest, which forbids the company from using my real name in any mean or for any reason. That section completely governs how my name and identity are to be handled and extends to protect my wife, my children or anyone else who I named in it.”
“What happens if UGWC or anyone in it violates that ?”
Dirge’s eyes narrowed and his voice suddenly got very dangerous.
“I would bankrupt this company and anyone who was in any way involved in or responsible for violating my privacy.”
“Might the damage already be done by then ?”
“Nothing that couldn’t be controlled” Dirge replied confidently. “Trust me when I say that I am extremely well protected.”
“Couldn’t someone use Chassie Fear, Raenius, Mickey Dragon or anyone associated with them as a way around that contractual section ?”
“No.” Dirge replied flatly.
“Why not ?” Vinegar pressed. “It’s not like Mikey liked you. What’s to stop him from using your name against you ?”
Dirge let out another annoyed exhalation and held his glass up. Gregori stepped forward and took it, looking to Vinegar, who declined. Gregori turned and walked to the bar along the back wall.
“How short sighted and trite of you Nicky” Dirge replied. “Mickey and I may not particularly like each other, we are however both Covenant. That bond alone protects me as it does him. Loyalty is highly valued and expected as a condition of membership. We may be brothers who don’t particularly like each other, but we are still family and one does not betray family no matter what.”
“Right” Vinegar said; his voice thick with doubt. “You and your friends are thugs. You beat up old women, attack anyone you don’t like, use stupid people and then discard them like trash and run a company into the ground regardless of who that action might hurt and you expect me to believe that you respect “honor” and “loyalty” ? I’m not naive Dirge.”
“Just because you don’t understand our idea of “honor”, doesn’t mean that it’s not real.”
“I don’t believe it because it’s patently absurd” Vinegar spat back. “Just because you can dress it up as something noble doesn’t mean that you’re honorable.”
“Regardless Nicky” Dirge replied calmly. “Just because you don’t understand it doesn’t mean that we don’t believe it. What is absurd to you, say our notion of “honor”...makes perfect sense to us. Conversely, that which you consider “real”, which includes a list of things that are utterly ridiculous, strike us as being completely pointless and moronic.”
“What about stable mates and rivals ?” Vinegar queried. “Surely Darrel Music on The Big Kahuna wouldn’t mind ruining you.”
“Kahuna and I are friends” Dirge replied with a raised eyebrow. “I protect him by keeping his identity a secret and he, in turn, protects mine. Friends do that.”
“What about Darrell Music ?” Vinegar asked. “You two had quite a heated rivalry in ICW, RAWF and CMW.”
“What of him ?” Dirge answered with an indifferent shrug. “He’s happily retired now. Even if he wanted to put the screws to me he wouldn’t be able to.”
“Why not ?” Vinegar pressed. “Don’t his contracts in those companies have your real name on them as well?”
“No.” Dirge replied flatly. “I had my own contracts there and any paperwork from any promotion that I’ve ever been in or work for now clearly stipulate how my identity is to be handled.”
“I know for a fact that you went by your real name in Crimson Mask Wrestling for a while” Vinegar said triumphantly. “Surely those clips have made it onto YouTube...plus there’s always CMW merchandise and DVDs.”
Dirge accepted the refilled drink from Gregori and took a drink from the glass before setting it down on the table. The sun had shifted a little bit, causing the light to flash into Vinegar’s eyes a bit, causing him to squint. Dirge looked at him and signaled to Gregori, who walked over to the wall by the double glass doors.
“YouTube is not an issue and never will be” Dirge replied calmly. “As far as merchandise is concerned, I deal with that as well. It is all well in hand Nicky, trust me.”
“An ironic choice of words” Vinegar quipped. “You named your company “Elite Enterprises”. I presume that is in homage to your group, “The Elite Establishment.”
“You presume correctly” Dirge answered with a nod of his head.
“Do you keep in contact with any of those men ?”
“Is Jarek Magnum not married to Chassie Fear ?” Dirge answered. “Do I not treat their daughter like she is my niece ?”
“She is...and you do.”
“What can you extrapolate from that ?”
“Is that a rhetorical question ?”
“Yes” replied Dirge. “By all means feel free to answer it if you feel that it must be spelled out explicitly for those less intuitive life forms who are both employed by and watch UCGW.”
Vinegar responded to the condescending remark by leveling a displeased stare at Dirge, who just shrugs and grins in return.
“I would guess that you and he speak fairly often.”
“Very good” Dirge replied with a smirk. “He, Chassie and Hayleigh are family…as are Raenius, Kathryn and little Mariko.
“Moving on” Vinegar said, practically ignoring the statement. “It’s well known that you want to reform “The Elite Establishment. Would you do so at the expense of destroying The Covenant ?”
“The question is moot.”
“Why ?”
“Kris, Shawn and Jarek are all retired. I haven’t heard from Shawn in almost eight years. I haven’t heard from Kris in almost five, since our time in Pure Pain Wrestling. Jarek is happily married to Chassie and raising Hayleigh. I’m quite sure that he has no intention of returning to Wrestling.”
“That doesn’t answer the question.”
“It doesn’t ?” Dirge queries. “Ok. Since you will pursue that idiotic question until I answer it, the simple answer is “no”. I would not endanger The Covenant in order to reform The Elite Establishment.”
“What if your friends forced you to choose ?” Vinegar pressed. “What’s to say that the two groups would agree or get along ?”
“I know that I’ve said this before Nicky...but you are so simple.”
Dirge leaned back in his chair and laced his arms behind his head with a smile. A shadow fell over the room as he did so due to the automatic blinds sliding down over the windows.
“So enlighten me.”
“Why not...” Dirge replied, his voice trailing off for a moment. “Both groups hold loyalty to your own as the highest form of honor. While they may not always get along with each other, they would be professional enough to understand that I would be equally loyal to both and meet my obligations to both.”
“What if they clashed ?”
“When I face fellow Covenant members now it is just business”
“So you all claim” answered Vinegar. “I’m not sure to this second that I believe that.”
“I don’t care what you believe Nicky” Dirge answered assertively. “The simple fact is that both groups would understand my loyalties and see it as just business when they had to clash.”
“What if the Ownership of the Promotion told you to choose one ?”
“I’d tell them to shove it.”
“And the others ?”
“What of them ?”
“What if they insisted ?”
“You asked that already…and I answered it” Dirge said with irritation creeping into his voice. “They wouldn’t.”
“Are you sure ?”
“Does the Pope wear a beanie ?”
“Not as such, but the point it taken.”
“Good.” Dirge stated frankly. “Next question.”
“Okay” Vinegar says, clearing his throat. “What about RAWF ? You were the longest running World Champion while you were there and your group practically ran the promotion towards the end. Could it be said that you and yours were the reason it died ?”
“It could be” Dirge answered. “It would be completely wrong to say it, but you could anyway. After all, journalistic integrity never mattered much to you. You’d rather pass judgement over me from your gold covered pedestal.”
“Do I detect a note of self pity in that retort ?”
“You don’t” Dirge answered. “What you detect is a note of irritation. I don’t have all day to entertain these idiotic questions. Ask me a few good ones or leave.”
“Ok” Vinegar replied. “What about “Elite Enterprises” ? There are rumors that some of your activities aren’t entirely legal and that you have Government contracts to serve with the Military and CIA in some of the ugliest places in the world.”
“My company carries out a number of activities in a number of roles for a number of Government agencies and organizations.” Dirge replied calmly. “All of our contracts are completed to the letter and in a manner concurrent with all Government standards and regulations.”
“That was a pretty round about response.”
“It was what it needed to be.”
“What about the merger of Global Impact Wrestling and Lock Wrestling Federation ?”
“What of it ?”
“What’s your opinion of it ?”
“I’m happy about it.”
“Why ?”
“Don’t be stupid” Dirge answered in irritation. “We forced GIW to have to merge with another failing company in order to survive. The stated aim of The Covenant was to take GIW apart from within and kill it. We took the weakness of everyone here, pulled it into the light of day and forced all of the disingenuous self-promoters who exist in this place to stare it in the face. In doing so we tore away their veneer of perfection and greatness, their false image of honor and principle and we brought out of them what they really are and what they so desperately tried to hide. It was a perfectly played game of chess.”
“What about Blessed Immortality, Jet Somers and those who opposed you ?”
The question leads to a booming laugh from Dirge.
“Let’s start with Jet, shall we” Dirge asked with a wicked smile on his face. “We took Jet apart, one week at a time. We picked at his emotional state, forced him into a misbegotten alliance with “Sleeze and Brewtality” and then gave Jezebel back to them…knowing full well that they’d abandon the crusade and GIW after she was found...and we were right.”
“That’s one way of looking at it I suppose” Vinegar responded dubiously. “Twisted though it is. It arbitrarily reinvents the facts.”
“The supposed “facts”, as you so tritely put it” Dirge chuckled. “Are whatever we say that they are.”
Vinegar looked at him with abject disgust, drawing a grin from The Greater Evil.
“You see Nicky, that’s the problem here.” Dirge replied. “You fools need your heroes. You need your noble characters, your white knights to fight off the monsters like Raenius and myself...and yet you choose to scoff at me when I tell you that we engineered everything that has happened to Jet. How is it that you can need heroes when you deny the abilities of those you’d call evil ?”
“Because no one is so evil, so depraved that they would go out of their way to corrupt and destroy a good man” Vinegar answered with revulsion.
“I would.” Dirge replied. “What use is a good man, if not to corrupt him ?”
“What of what you did in PPW when your friend Colin Zale was assaulted and nearly killed ?” Vinegar asked in a mocking and challenging tone. “If you are so evil, why would you wage a one man crusade to avenge a friend’s near murder ?”
“Just because I enjoy destroying good men doesn’t mean that I will take the attempted murder of one laying down.” Dirge replies calmly, not rising to the bait. “The man is my friend. Say what you want about me...but I protect mine and avenge them when they’re wronged.”
“So why do you want to destroy Jet ?”
“To bring out his potential” Dirge answered, his eyes narrowing dangerously. “Jet has so much potential that he would realize if he’d drop the boy-scout pretension and give in to his darker nature. Raenius and I could fashion that boy into a proper weapon of pure destruction. We’d teach him how to take what he wants by force and wit.”
“That’s morally bankrupt” Vinegar replied, his voice thick with disgust, anger and a touch of hatred.
“I’m a morally bankrupt sort of guy” Dirge replied with an indifferent shrug.
“Why do you want to destroy Blessed Immortality ?” Vinegar retorted.
“Travis is nothing personal” Dirge replied. “In fact, that man has a lot of ability and would probably make a good member of The Covenant. Back in RAWF he’d have made a great addition to The Elite Establishment.”
“What of Donovan ?”
“Hastings made the mistake of trying to end my career” Dirge answered. “I’m not done with him yet...but the goals of The Covenant are of greater importance than my own.”
“What are those goals ?”
“You’ll find out” Dirge answered with a dark expression on his face. “You’ll all find out, GIW member and LWF newbie alike.”
“I have another question...”
“No.” Dirge answered equivocally. “You have no more. This interview is over. I have work to do.”
Dirge threw the remainder of his drink down and gestured to Gregori, who walked up to Vinegar and jerked his thumb upward before pointing at the door. Vinegar balked at the gesture, only for Gregori to repeat it. He looked over at Dirge, who just grinned at him.
“I’d go if I were you...” Dirge remarked. “He doesn’t like being ignored when he gives a directive...especially not when I’m the one who gave it to him.”
“And if I don’t ?” Vinegar replied.
“If you don’t” isn’t an option” Dirge replied. “You’re going...it’s only a matter of whether you go walking or flying.”
“I don’t like this any more than you do” Vinegar stated flatly, his tone one of clear displeasure. “The new bosses want it done...so here we are.”
Dirge took a sip from his drink and resumed cradling it in his hand, sitting silently for what seemed like an unusually long time after doing so. He just sat and smirked, his silence itself incredibly unnerving for how out of character it was for him.
“Are you going to say something” Vinegar asked, his voice slightly irritated.
Dirge merely angled his head to one side and appraised his guest...and his guest’s mounting irritation. It all seemed to amuse him greatly.
“Well ?” Vinegar pressed. “This won’t be much of an interview if you don’t talk. Normally you won’t shut up and now I get the silent treatment and all you do it sit there and smirk at me. Out bosses want this damned interview done, not me. I don’t really care what you have to say.”
“YOUR “Bosses” Nicky” Dirge interjected flatly. “Not mine.”
Vinegar’s face screwed up in an expression of complete frustration as his face flushed slightly red.
“Does it matter ?” Vinegar retorted irritably.
“More than you realize” replied The Greater Evil with great amusement.
“Listen” Vinegar stated bluntly. “I didn’t come here to get into a pecker waving contest with you. I want sent out here to conduct an interview with you so that our new Bosses and Roster members could get to know you better. Why anyone would actually want to know you, I have no idea. You’re quite possibly the most irritating and obnoxious human being alive. With that said, this doesn’t have to be antagonistic.”
A grin flashed across Dirge’s face as Vinegar spoke, taking for a compliment that which most assuredly was not intended as such.
“Thank you” The Greater Evil replied with a smile. “I’m working on being the “most irritating and obnoxious human being alive”. I don’t think that I’m quite there yet...but I’m getting there. I take pride in my work, after all.”
“How fortunate for all who know you.”
“It is.” Dirge replied with a nod of his head. “As far as your “interview” goes, fire away. Don’t try to be clever though, you know that there are some topics that are off limits and that I won’t discuss. Respect that and this will go well. Ignore it and Gregori here will throw you out on your ass. Are we clear ?”
“Crystal.” Vinegar replied with a derisive grunt.
“Excellent” Dirge replied, gesturing with his free hand for Vinegar to continue. “Do continue then.”
Vinegar sat appraising Dirge with a suspicious expression for a moment and then the professional in him kicked in. He asked his first question in a clear, deep voice.
“Alright” Vinegar stated. “Let’s start with an easy one…what’s your name.”
“Dirge” The Greater Evil replied bluntly.
“No” replied Vinegar with an exhalation of exasperation. “Your real name.”
“You know I’m not going to answer that” The Greater Evil retorted. “That’s one of the “off limits” questions and you know it. Try again.”
“I don’t see why you’re so secretive about it” Vinegar quickly retorted. “Why is it such an issue ?”
The query was met with a flat, unfriendly and mildly irritated glare from Dirge.
“Because I say so” he responded candidly. “That’s why.”
“Who else knows it ?”
“None of your damned business” Dirge retorted, irritation clearly showing in his voice. “Don’t try to be clever and throw back door questions at me. I’m too intelligent to fall for it and you know it.”
“I honestly don’t see the harm.”
“You don’t have to” The Greater Evil responded, pausing for a moment. “A man in my position can’t be too careful.”
“I would imagine that you have a lot of enemies in both of your professions” Vinegar replied honestly. “Have you always been so secretive about your identity...even before you owned and ran your own Consortium ?”
Dirge took a drink from his glass, setting the empty container down on the table and held his hand up to Gregori when he stepped forward to fill it again. The Russian stepped back and assumed his previous position, with his back rod straight and his hands laced in front of his belt buckle.
“I do have a lot of enemies” Dirge answered. “Keeping my identity a secret is one way that I have of protecting myself, my family and my friends from harm.”
“Your name was on your GIW Contract and is on your UGWC Contract” Vinegar said. “What’s to keep the company from releasing it or an enemy from looking it up.”
“Other than the fact that UCWG Security should be better than that” Dirge replied with a condescending grunt. “Just as it was with GIW, so it is with UCWG. There is a section in my contract, as well as the contracts of Erik and Damarest, which forbids the company from using my real name in any mean or for any reason. That section completely governs how my name and identity are to be handled and extends to protect my wife, my children or anyone else who I named in it.”
“What happens if UGWC or anyone in it violates that ?”
Dirge’s eyes narrowed and his voice suddenly got very dangerous.
“I would bankrupt this company and anyone who was in any way involved in or responsible for violating my privacy.”
“Might the damage already be done by then ?”
“Nothing that couldn’t be controlled” Dirge replied confidently. “Trust me when I say that I am extremely well protected.”
“Couldn’t someone use Chassie Fear, Raenius, Mickey Dragon or anyone associated with them as a way around that contractual section ?”
“No.” Dirge replied flatly.
“Why not ?” Vinegar pressed. “It’s not like Mikey liked you. What’s to stop him from using your name against you ?”
Dirge let out another annoyed exhalation and held his glass up. Gregori stepped forward and took it, looking to Vinegar, who declined. Gregori turned and walked to the bar along the back wall.
“How short sighted and trite of you Nicky” Dirge replied. “Mickey and I may not particularly like each other, we are however both Covenant. That bond alone protects me as it does him. Loyalty is highly valued and expected as a condition of membership. We may be brothers who don’t particularly like each other, but we are still family and one does not betray family no matter what.”
“Right” Vinegar said; his voice thick with doubt. “You and your friends are thugs. You beat up old women, attack anyone you don’t like, use stupid people and then discard them like trash and run a company into the ground regardless of who that action might hurt and you expect me to believe that you respect “honor” and “loyalty” ? I’m not naive Dirge.”
“Just because you don’t understand our idea of “honor”, doesn’t mean that it’s not real.”
“I don’t believe it because it’s patently absurd” Vinegar spat back. “Just because you can dress it up as something noble doesn’t mean that you’re honorable.”
“Regardless Nicky” Dirge replied calmly. “Just because you don’t understand it doesn’t mean that we don’t believe it. What is absurd to you, say our notion of “honor”...makes perfect sense to us. Conversely, that which you consider “real”, which includes a list of things that are utterly ridiculous, strike us as being completely pointless and moronic.”
“What about stable mates and rivals ?” Vinegar queried. “Surely Darrel Music on The Big Kahuna wouldn’t mind ruining you.”
“Kahuna and I are friends” Dirge replied with a raised eyebrow. “I protect him by keeping his identity a secret and he, in turn, protects mine. Friends do that.”
“What about Darrell Music ?” Vinegar asked. “You two had quite a heated rivalry in ICW, RAWF and CMW.”
“What of him ?” Dirge answered with an indifferent shrug. “He’s happily retired now. Even if he wanted to put the screws to me he wouldn’t be able to.”
“Why not ?” Vinegar pressed. “Don’t his contracts in those companies have your real name on them as well?”
“No.” Dirge replied flatly. “I had my own contracts there and any paperwork from any promotion that I’ve ever been in or work for now clearly stipulate how my identity is to be handled.”
“I know for a fact that you went by your real name in Crimson Mask Wrestling for a while” Vinegar said triumphantly. “Surely those clips have made it onto YouTube...plus there’s always CMW merchandise and DVDs.”
Dirge accepted the refilled drink from Gregori and took a drink from the glass before setting it down on the table. The sun had shifted a little bit, causing the light to flash into Vinegar’s eyes a bit, causing him to squint. Dirge looked at him and signaled to Gregori, who walked over to the wall by the double glass doors.
“YouTube is not an issue and never will be” Dirge replied calmly. “As far as merchandise is concerned, I deal with that as well. It is all well in hand Nicky, trust me.”
“An ironic choice of words” Vinegar quipped. “You named your company “Elite Enterprises”. I presume that is in homage to your group, “The Elite Establishment.”
“You presume correctly” Dirge answered with a nod of his head.
“Do you keep in contact with any of those men ?”
“Is Jarek Magnum not married to Chassie Fear ?” Dirge answered. “Do I not treat their daughter like she is my niece ?”
“She is...and you do.”
“What can you extrapolate from that ?”
“Is that a rhetorical question ?”
“Yes” replied Dirge. “By all means feel free to answer it if you feel that it must be spelled out explicitly for those less intuitive life forms who are both employed by and watch UCGW.”
Vinegar responded to the condescending remark by leveling a displeased stare at Dirge, who just shrugs and grins in return.
“I would guess that you and he speak fairly often.”
“Very good” Dirge replied with a smirk. “He, Chassie and Hayleigh are family…as are Raenius, Kathryn and little Mariko.
“Moving on” Vinegar said, practically ignoring the statement. “It’s well known that you want to reform “The Elite Establishment. Would you do so at the expense of destroying The Covenant ?”
“The question is moot.”
“Why ?”
“Kris, Shawn and Jarek are all retired. I haven’t heard from Shawn in almost eight years. I haven’t heard from Kris in almost five, since our time in Pure Pain Wrestling. Jarek is happily married to Chassie and raising Hayleigh. I’m quite sure that he has no intention of returning to Wrestling.”
“That doesn’t answer the question.”
“It doesn’t ?” Dirge queries. “Ok. Since you will pursue that idiotic question until I answer it, the simple answer is “no”. I would not endanger The Covenant in order to reform The Elite Establishment.”
“What if your friends forced you to choose ?” Vinegar pressed. “What’s to say that the two groups would agree or get along ?”
“I know that I’ve said this before Nicky...but you are so simple.”
Dirge leaned back in his chair and laced his arms behind his head with a smile. A shadow fell over the room as he did so due to the automatic blinds sliding down over the windows.
“So enlighten me.”
“Why not...” Dirge replied, his voice trailing off for a moment. “Both groups hold loyalty to your own as the highest form of honor. While they may not always get along with each other, they would be professional enough to understand that I would be equally loyal to both and meet my obligations to both.”
“What if they clashed ?”
“When I face fellow Covenant members now it is just business”
“So you all claim” answered Vinegar. “I’m not sure to this second that I believe that.”
“I don’t care what you believe Nicky” Dirge answered assertively. “The simple fact is that both groups would understand my loyalties and see it as just business when they had to clash.”
“What if the Ownership of the Promotion told you to choose one ?”
“I’d tell them to shove it.”
“And the others ?”
“What of them ?”
“What if they insisted ?”
“You asked that already…and I answered it” Dirge said with irritation creeping into his voice. “They wouldn’t.”
“Are you sure ?”
“Does the Pope wear a beanie ?”
“Not as such, but the point it taken.”
“Good.” Dirge stated frankly. “Next question.”
“Okay” Vinegar says, clearing his throat. “What about RAWF ? You were the longest running World Champion while you were there and your group practically ran the promotion towards the end. Could it be said that you and yours were the reason it died ?”
“It could be” Dirge answered. “It would be completely wrong to say it, but you could anyway. After all, journalistic integrity never mattered much to you. You’d rather pass judgement over me from your gold covered pedestal.”
“Do I detect a note of self pity in that retort ?”
“You don’t” Dirge answered. “What you detect is a note of irritation. I don’t have all day to entertain these idiotic questions. Ask me a few good ones or leave.”
“Ok” Vinegar replied. “What about “Elite Enterprises” ? There are rumors that some of your activities aren’t entirely legal and that you have Government contracts to serve with the Military and CIA in some of the ugliest places in the world.”
“My company carries out a number of activities in a number of roles for a number of Government agencies and organizations.” Dirge replied calmly. “All of our contracts are completed to the letter and in a manner concurrent with all Government standards and regulations.”
“That was a pretty round about response.”
“It was what it needed to be.”
“What about the merger of Global Impact Wrestling and Lock Wrestling Federation ?”
“What of it ?”
“What’s your opinion of it ?”
“I’m happy about it.”
“Why ?”
“Don’t be stupid” Dirge answered in irritation. “We forced GIW to have to merge with another failing company in order to survive. The stated aim of The Covenant was to take GIW apart from within and kill it. We took the weakness of everyone here, pulled it into the light of day and forced all of the disingenuous self-promoters who exist in this place to stare it in the face. In doing so we tore away their veneer of perfection and greatness, their false image of honor and principle and we brought out of them what they really are and what they so desperately tried to hide. It was a perfectly played game of chess.”
“What about Blessed Immortality, Jet Somers and those who opposed you ?”
The question leads to a booming laugh from Dirge.
“Let’s start with Jet, shall we” Dirge asked with a wicked smile on his face. “We took Jet apart, one week at a time. We picked at his emotional state, forced him into a misbegotten alliance with “Sleeze and Brewtality” and then gave Jezebel back to them…knowing full well that they’d abandon the crusade and GIW after she was found...and we were right.”
“That’s one way of looking at it I suppose” Vinegar responded dubiously. “Twisted though it is. It arbitrarily reinvents the facts.”
“The supposed “facts”, as you so tritely put it” Dirge chuckled. “Are whatever we say that they are.”
Vinegar looked at him with abject disgust, drawing a grin from The Greater Evil.
“You see Nicky, that’s the problem here.” Dirge replied. “You fools need your heroes. You need your noble characters, your white knights to fight off the monsters like Raenius and myself...and yet you choose to scoff at me when I tell you that we engineered everything that has happened to Jet. How is it that you can need heroes when you deny the abilities of those you’d call evil ?”
“Because no one is so evil, so depraved that they would go out of their way to corrupt and destroy a good man” Vinegar answered with revulsion.
“I would.” Dirge replied. “What use is a good man, if not to corrupt him ?”
“What of what you did in PPW when your friend Colin Zale was assaulted and nearly killed ?” Vinegar asked in a mocking and challenging tone. “If you are so evil, why would you wage a one man crusade to avenge a friend’s near murder ?”
“Just because I enjoy destroying good men doesn’t mean that I will take the attempted murder of one laying down.” Dirge replies calmly, not rising to the bait. “The man is my friend. Say what you want about me...but I protect mine and avenge them when they’re wronged.”
“So why do you want to destroy Jet ?”
“To bring out his potential” Dirge answered, his eyes narrowing dangerously. “Jet has so much potential that he would realize if he’d drop the boy-scout pretension and give in to his darker nature. Raenius and I could fashion that boy into a proper weapon of pure destruction. We’d teach him how to take what he wants by force and wit.”
“That’s morally bankrupt” Vinegar replied, his voice thick with disgust, anger and a touch of hatred.
“I’m a morally bankrupt sort of guy” Dirge replied with an indifferent shrug.
“Why do you want to destroy Blessed Immortality ?” Vinegar retorted.
“Travis is nothing personal” Dirge replied. “In fact, that man has a lot of ability and would probably make a good member of The Covenant. Back in RAWF he’d have made a great addition to The Elite Establishment.”
“What of Donovan ?”
“Hastings made the mistake of trying to end my career” Dirge answered. “I’m not done with him yet...but the goals of The Covenant are of greater importance than my own.”
“What are those goals ?”
“You’ll find out” Dirge answered with a dark expression on his face. “You’ll all find out, GIW member and LWF newbie alike.”
“I have another question...”
“No.” Dirge answered equivocally. “You have no more. This interview is over. I have work to do.”
Dirge threw the remainder of his drink down and gestured to Gregori, who walked up to Vinegar and jerked his thumb upward before pointing at the door. Vinegar balked at the gesture, only for Gregori to repeat it. He looked over at Dirge, who just grinned at him.
“I’d go if I were you...” Dirge remarked. “He doesn’t like being ignored when he gives a directive...especially not when I’m the one who gave it to him.”
“And if I don’t ?” Vinegar replied.
“If you don’t” isn’t an option” Dirge replied. “You’re going...it’s only a matter of whether you go walking or flying.”