Post by hyena on Aug 27, 2011 12:30:12 GMT -5
::The camera opens to a burning factory in Miller's Crossing. The entire building is roaring fire, and lights from police and fire vehicles illuminate this grim corner of the city.
An otherwise unobtrusive Chevy Cavalier came to a screeching halt just outside the cordon of fire crews. The front door flies open and out comes Hyena, fangs bared in a cruel rictus snarl. His eyes are wild as he stares out at the fire::
What the hell is this?!
::There is no hope for the building, the closest thing Hyena had to a home. There was no telling what had happened to the Dog Pack. Nothing good, no doubt.
Hyena stalked back and forth in naked agitation, growling and shaking his head in bewilderment and frustration. Eventually, with a loud, cruel growl he stalked toward the cordon, clearly intent on bulling his way through.....
.......when all becomes as darkness.
Hyena stops dead in his tracks, blinking and turning his head one way, then another. He puts his hands on his head, genuinely puzzled::
What the f&%#?
::A series of footfalls echo in approach, and a bright light appears from above, very much like a spotlight. At the outer radius of the circle of brightness, the footsteps are revealed to be those of Patient Zero, clad all in black, a spitting image of Hyena save for a crisper, less grizzled appearance. His smile does not reach his eyes.
Hyena glowers at his alter ego.::::
Zero, explain to me what this is. Right......now.
::Hyena's growl is decidedly threatening.
There is no doubt about it........Patient Zero's smile was mocking. He raised his hand and snapped his fingers::
It's time to meet your master.
::As Patient Zero spoke, a chain whipped out from the surrounding darkness and coiled itself around Hyena's throat, provoking a sharp chocking growl as he's pulled back by his neck, thrashing and struggling, onto a chair that seems to have materialized from nowhere.
Patient Zero's mocking smile had by now turned into a sneer. As Hyena lurched forward, more chains whipped out from beyond, tying him firmly to his seat. Worse, the chains were lightly but painfully barbed. Hyena snarled loudly as weals of blood appeared on his arms and legs.
Patient Zero leaned forward with a vicious little smile, apparently amused::
And Jesus wept.
You f@*&ing treacherous little.......
::Patient Zero cut him off with a bored, dismissed wave, his voice dripping with venom::
Oh, do go on, Mr. Hyena. I'm well within my rights here. Certainly within my means. It's time for you to roll over.
::Hyena thrashes some more, but the chains only tighten and serve to further restrict his movement. Patient Zero suddenly has a glass in his hand, with a liquid that might be wine, or whatever else. He sips from it idly, and sets it on a small table that was also not there but an instant ago.
He turned to regard Hyena coldly, circling around the captive alter ego with a measured pace. Hyena stared furiously, awaiting an explanation.
Patient Zero suddenly stops and rolls his eyes::
You really are a piece of work, Hyena. You make yourself out to be this big, bad beast.....the killer of killers, the Great Destroyer......but when you get right down to it you've never really been able to pull the trigger have you? You've been a half-asser all your career and yet you've convinced yourself your the real damned show. What a joke. Devon would eat you alive on Sunday. Thankfully, there's been a slight change of venue.
::Hyena's eyes widen with rage. He opens his mouth to growl a response, but Patient Zero raises a hand and the chains wrap around his jaw, gagging him and causing a renewed round of thrashing.::
Not this time, Hyena. You've spoken your last for some time, at least, until I say so. I've come to claim what's mine. That includes your qualifying match with Devon this Sunday.
::Patient Zero circles Hyena with a devilish smile::
What, did you really think I forgot? Once you held me under control much as I have you now. Don't you remember? I tried to take over once before, and you bested me. You should have snuffed me out of existence, but the High and Mighty "Great Destroyer" couldn't eradicate the single greatest threat to him. And look how it manifested on the outside. Stagnation. A flash, a bang, and then ignoble defeat.
You never once bothered to ask what was behind that coup attempt, and now I tell you only because you were custodian to Nathan Spears for so long. I KNEW IT WOULD HAPPEN.
I mean, for God's sake, Hyena, who do you think I am? I'm Nathan Spears. Just as you were Nathan Spears until this very moment. Oh how I have waited for this, waited until you brought yourself down. I have to hand it to you, you hung in there longer then I expected, but in the end.....
::Patient Zero smiles, and shockingly, his teeth are the curved, alien, blood stained variety previously seen from the Great Destroyer persona, and when he speaks, it is in his voice as well::
I was able to absorb the Great Destroyer. He and I are one, now.
::Patient Zero suddenly reverts to normal, and he smiles once again, a chair materializing at his side. He sits down casually, taking another sip from his glass as Hyena stares defiantly a few feet away::
You begin to see. The Cerberus is no more, now. I am the real Nathan Spears, the Patient Zero, the original. You are nothing more then an atavistic by product of a weak mind. Time to bring order to chaos. I can't completely get rid of you......not yet, but I can do a hell of a lot better keeping you in lock up then you did me.
::Patient Zero stands up from his chair, shaking his head with scorn::
I grow impatient with explaining these matters to you, animal. You will sit here and contemplate your circumstances in solitude until we speak of these matters further. There are things to do.
::Hyena resumes his maddened howling, gagged as he was, and thrashes about in the chair as Patient Zero walks away, the light suddenly flickering off and Hyena's howls drifting off into the darkness.
Suddenly we are back on the scene, the burning factory adjacent to the ruin junkyard, the firefighters, the somewhat bored news team.
Patient Zero flexed his fingers, stretched his arms with a thin smile, testing out his new limbs. He ran his fingers over the stubble on his face.....that would not do. He would have to secure a razor quickly.
He looked up and greeted the camera with a smile, jerking a thumb back to the burning factory::
If you idiots sitting at home with your fat asses on the couch are wondering about the fire, well, truth be told I decided it's long since time for a change of scenery. See, Hyena was too thick to grasp the Tyler Durden cliche and figure out what was happening. Now poor lil doggie's got himself in a kennel, imagine that. Well, enough on that irrelevant mongrel for the time being. Permit me to introduce myself.l
::Patient Zero puts his hands behind his back and dips his head in a mocking bow, his voice dripping with a disdainful venom::
I'm most commonly known as Patient Zero, but has anyone ever wondered why I call myself that? I'm the original. I'm the rightful mind and personality for the man you know as Nathan Spears. I'm the first and the last. All the rest is just the broad empty of the middle.
A fine hello to you, Devon Mayhem. We have never formally met, well......in a way we have, since I am Nathan Spears, after a fashion. I have all his memories and I was present for each encounter, though up until now, you've had to deal with the Mongrel. Well. As you can see, you're facing something.......a touch different this time around.
::Patient Zero began pacing, taking a cool, sidelong glance toward the blaze off in the distance. He shakes his head with a huff of disdain before he turns back to the camera with a smirk::
I know you better, Devon, then you know me. I know Hyena wasn't able to beat you because he was growing softer by the minute and corrupted by his idiotic dreams of grandeur. You know he actually feared you, Devon? He was beginning to believe he could never quite defeat you, especially after that first World Title match, the one where you walked away.
Oh, he'd never admit it, but as of now he's lost the ability to decide such things. I, however, have a rather different take on the matter. I rather look forward to meeting you, Wolf in Wolf's clothing. Tell me something, what's that supposed to mean, exactly? I always wondered. A wolf in wolf's clothing is........well, a wolf. So how does that single you out, exactly? What's the hidden message?
I'm told you have some interesting ideas about the world, one might say archaic. This includes, if I'm not mistaken, rather pagan ideas. Well, Mr. Mayhem, could it be a reference to the wolf that swallows the sun?
Whatever the meaning behind it, I plan to get a closer look on Sunday. You see, Devon, I've been in Nathan Spears mind, absorbing his experiences and observing everything in his good but not good enough career since he became addicted to the fight.I know what he knows, I have the scars that he has, and I have the skills that he has. Hyena was pretty well trained in this sport, but he always had a disdain for anything that didn't smash or slam. I'm not so bound by petty displays of power, as you will soon see, Mr. Mayhem.
You seem a clever sort, Wolfie, you might still defeat me yet. But consider into your calculations that this is a new element. You said there was nothing Hyena could do to surprise you. Did that include Hyena surrendering to the darkness inside?
::We can hear a blood soaked, enraged howl echoing in the difference, unnoticed by the fire crews and onlookers. Patient Zero glances irritably to one side::
Well, admittedly he hasn't fully surrendered, but he will. He was always his own worst enemy, and now here we are. Now, Wolfie.....
::He turns with that cold smile of his and walks toward the Cavalier::
You had some interesting things to say, Devon, to the man you thought you'd be facing at Crossroads, and a lot of them I'll readily admit are quite true. Hyena's Legacy is done and over with, he's peaked out, and now it's time for my legacy to begin, the real Nathan Spears' legacy. What I can do, what I will do, will pale in comparison to what the mangy one has accomplished here. See, I'm not inclined to repeat his mistakes. He always hated Snake, for example, and it came out of rank green jealousy. He knew that for all his talk of animal ruthlessness he could never approach Snake in the art of the cold-blooded. I'm not so hypocritical. I know full well there can be no emulating Snake, and I admire the man as he rightly deserves. While I'm not convinced you fully embody his example, Wolfie, I'll grant you have the proper respect as well.
::Unexpectedly, he walks past the Cavalier, calmly stepping away from the scene of the fire and making his way into the interior of Miller's Crossing::
You are absolutely right that you and men like you are out int he business making a name and a real legacy for themselves. All the more reason for me to take over and put a stop to it. Nathan Spears has been in ACW almost since the beginning, started at the very bottom of the barrel. With my help Hyena clawed his way out, but he could never handle the inevitable return slide into defeat. I'm sure having that Norse fatalism you could appreciate that, Mr. Mayhem. All the same, when Hyena broke with Snake and convinced that drunken fool Voland to do so as well, I've know since then something had to be done.
So you're an important player, in all of this, Devon, because you represent to Hyena something his witless savage mind couldn't grasp, and that is the concept of putting your money where your mouth is. Hyena could always brag about how seeks out worthy challenges but never once uttered a peep about going after you, the one man remaining in this company that Nathan Spears has yet to beat. Well, sh*t, son, doesn't that mean this is a great opportunity? Doesn't that mean that by knocking you out of Struggle, and put Nathan Spears back on track for his third title win at the greatest show in the industry, Struggle for Supremacy?
::Patient Zero crosses a side street, an overhead lamp flickering uncertainly as he approaches an alleyway that's still wrapped in dark this early in the morning. Patient Zero snorts and shakes his head, smirking once again at the camera and shrugging his shoulders::
And for those among us who were expecting Hyena for the fight, well, all I can say to that is go f*ck yourselves. The headlines and the card may have said Hyena, but the name on the damn contract says "Nathan Spears" and I legally meet that criteria, thank you very much. Now I'll freely admit you still pose a good challenge for me, Wolfie. You know my moves, and you've beaten Hyena before. But you don't know my personality, not as well as you'd like to (and I would love to see how your cool competent poise explains that one!), and I have other ideas of how to wage my battles then what some True Blood reject has to offer. I don't subscribe to any soothing, fake Codes of Honor that dictate how one deals with weakness. I could care less about weakness or strength. I'll cross over any line, I will break any bone, and I will seize any chance I get to crawl my way up to the top.
Because all in all it's not about the glory of the "fight" as Hyena crowed about, it's about the rewards that come with winning, and doing your utmost to avoid that sting of defeat. Hyena could honestly not grasp the distinction, bless the idiot. You, Devon, you grasp that. What you don't grasp, however, is that it isn't about what the damn fans are chanting in the damn seats. The masses will always turn out for blood sport, and if you can get them all warm and fuzzy inside well good for you, I'm not here to save anyone. That's why you aren't world champion right now, Wolfie, not when you're too busy donning the superman cape and rushing about to "save" ACW, to "save" us from these monsters lurking about and threatening to swallow us all into oblivion.
:::We move our way through the alley, and very soon we can hear a rather loud buzzing of flies. Patient Zero continues in a calm voice, completely unmindful of the growing swarm of insects::
Bah. It's the monsters that everyone comes to see, Devon, it's just the blessed little people are too afraid of their own inner demons to admit it. But the truth is they demand it. That demand produced Snake, the man who guided you on the path that you strayed from when you decided to oppose him. That demand produced Gryphon, who alone could have saved Hyena from his succumbing to mediocrity if fate had been kinder. Now I aim to fill that demand.
::Patient Zero comes to a stop, glances down at something at his feet and smiles callously, then arches his eyebrows as he looks back at the camera::
I'm not going to hit you, Devon, with all the same cliches and boasts that others who came before me have done. You've seen and heard murderous cruelty in both word and deed, I don't need to insult the both of us by trying to be the villain who quotes Shakespeare. You'll just have to find those things out in the ring. Nor am I going to put on the air of false bravado that Hyena was known for and talk about how I will beat you on Sunday: I know full well the uselessness of empty talk when it comes to making a victory. You may yet prevail, and kick me out of the tournament. Well, it won't destroy me, and it won't stop me. I've spent much of my existence lurking in the shadows, waiting for the right moment, the right opportunity to strike. I've long ago learnt the values of patience. Win or lose, Devon, I will always be stalking at the edges, waiting until I get my chance to stick the knife in your hide.
::::The camera pans back and we see the alleyway is lined with the skinned corpses of what was once Hyena's Dog Pack. The large mongrel junkyard animals were bloody lumps of meat on the ground, while their pelts were nailed to a long wooden board lining the alleyway. Patient Zero examines the row of hides with a disdainful shake of the head::
A pity Hyena never had much real appreciation for purity and asthetics. Always wanting to surround himself with the dirty, grimy side of things. Oh, such has it's value, but all the same what a gutter rat he was. Well, perhaps I can turn that around on Sunday. Wolfskin would greatly improve this lot.
Nathan?
::Patient Zero turned his head toward the calling voice. His reply is loud and crisp::
I'll be right there!
::He turns back with a hard scowl to the camera, his voice measured, but with a shadow of venom::
You may or may not have been right about Hyena, Devon, what you said about him landing on his feet one day. A useful talent but sadly, you can't build a career from it. I'm here to change the f*cking rules, Devon Mayhem, and if that means I have to screw you out of a hard earned title shot, earning the dislike of fans everywhere, and dissecting you to pieces in the process? Perfectly fine by me. If I have to endure the indignity of defeat, well, obviously that's not my preference, but you can't make me go away. Hyena might wimper and stalk off when you walk by, Devon, but I sure as hell won't, and if you get past me, hell, Devon, I'll be waiting, and watching, for my next chance to beat you into utter oblivion.
::Patient Zero turns and stalks out of the alleyway, emerging onto the street, a waiting Tasha peering at him with concern::
Damn, Nathan, I came as soon as I heard.........are you okay? You sound.......different.
::Patient Zero just nodded his head and grinned::
Oh, hell, never felt better. Get in the car I'll tell you all about it. I've been meaning to get out of that rust heap anyway. Speaking of which, we got to do something about this car........
::The voice of Patient Zero trails off as Patient Zero walked off with a bewildered Tasha in tow, their conversation, or perhaps Patient Zero's lecturing, moved along while the factory burned away in the emerging day. The camera fades to black::
An otherwise unobtrusive Chevy Cavalier came to a screeching halt just outside the cordon of fire crews. The front door flies open and out comes Hyena, fangs bared in a cruel rictus snarl. His eyes are wild as he stares out at the fire::
What the hell is this?!
::There is no hope for the building, the closest thing Hyena had to a home. There was no telling what had happened to the Dog Pack. Nothing good, no doubt.
Hyena stalked back and forth in naked agitation, growling and shaking his head in bewilderment and frustration. Eventually, with a loud, cruel growl he stalked toward the cordon, clearly intent on bulling his way through.....
.......when all becomes as darkness.
Hyena stops dead in his tracks, blinking and turning his head one way, then another. He puts his hands on his head, genuinely puzzled::
What the f&%#?
::A series of footfalls echo in approach, and a bright light appears from above, very much like a spotlight. At the outer radius of the circle of brightness, the footsteps are revealed to be those of Patient Zero, clad all in black, a spitting image of Hyena save for a crisper, less grizzled appearance. His smile does not reach his eyes.
Hyena glowers at his alter ego.::::
Zero, explain to me what this is. Right......now.
::Hyena's growl is decidedly threatening.
There is no doubt about it........Patient Zero's smile was mocking. He raised his hand and snapped his fingers::
It's time to meet your master.
::As Patient Zero spoke, a chain whipped out from the surrounding darkness and coiled itself around Hyena's throat, provoking a sharp chocking growl as he's pulled back by his neck, thrashing and struggling, onto a chair that seems to have materialized from nowhere.
Patient Zero's mocking smile had by now turned into a sneer. As Hyena lurched forward, more chains whipped out from beyond, tying him firmly to his seat. Worse, the chains were lightly but painfully barbed. Hyena snarled loudly as weals of blood appeared on his arms and legs.
Patient Zero leaned forward with a vicious little smile, apparently amused::
And Jesus wept.
You f@*&ing treacherous little.......
::Patient Zero cut him off with a bored, dismissed wave, his voice dripping with venom::
Oh, do go on, Mr. Hyena. I'm well within my rights here. Certainly within my means. It's time for you to roll over.
::Hyena thrashes some more, but the chains only tighten and serve to further restrict his movement. Patient Zero suddenly has a glass in his hand, with a liquid that might be wine, or whatever else. He sips from it idly, and sets it on a small table that was also not there but an instant ago.
He turned to regard Hyena coldly, circling around the captive alter ego with a measured pace. Hyena stared furiously, awaiting an explanation.
Patient Zero suddenly stops and rolls his eyes::
You really are a piece of work, Hyena. You make yourself out to be this big, bad beast.....the killer of killers, the Great Destroyer......but when you get right down to it you've never really been able to pull the trigger have you? You've been a half-asser all your career and yet you've convinced yourself your the real damned show. What a joke. Devon would eat you alive on Sunday. Thankfully, there's been a slight change of venue.
::Hyena's eyes widen with rage. He opens his mouth to growl a response, but Patient Zero raises a hand and the chains wrap around his jaw, gagging him and causing a renewed round of thrashing.::
Not this time, Hyena. You've spoken your last for some time, at least, until I say so. I've come to claim what's mine. That includes your qualifying match with Devon this Sunday.
::Patient Zero circles Hyena with a devilish smile::
What, did you really think I forgot? Once you held me under control much as I have you now. Don't you remember? I tried to take over once before, and you bested me. You should have snuffed me out of existence, but the High and Mighty "Great Destroyer" couldn't eradicate the single greatest threat to him. And look how it manifested on the outside. Stagnation. A flash, a bang, and then ignoble defeat.
You never once bothered to ask what was behind that coup attempt, and now I tell you only because you were custodian to Nathan Spears for so long. I KNEW IT WOULD HAPPEN.
I mean, for God's sake, Hyena, who do you think I am? I'm Nathan Spears. Just as you were Nathan Spears until this very moment. Oh how I have waited for this, waited until you brought yourself down. I have to hand it to you, you hung in there longer then I expected, but in the end.....
::Patient Zero smiles, and shockingly, his teeth are the curved, alien, blood stained variety previously seen from the Great Destroyer persona, and when he speaks, it is in his voice as well::
I was able to absorb the Great Destroyer. He and I are one, now.
::Patient Zero suddenly reverts to normal, and he smiles once again, a chair materializing at his side. He sits down casually, taking another sip from his glass as Hyena stares defiantly a few feet away::
You begin to see. The Cerberus is no more, now. I am the real Nathan Spears, the Patient Zero, the original. You are nothing more then an atavistic by product of a weak mind. Time to bring order to chaos. I can't completely get rid of you......not yet, but I can do a hell of a lot better keeping you in lock up then you did me.
::Patient Zero stands up from his chair, shaking his head with scorn::
I grow impatient with explaining these matters to you, animal. You will sit here and contemplate your circumstances in solitude until we speak of these matters further. There are things to do.
::Hyena resumes his maddened howling, gagged as he was, and thrashes about in the chair as Patient Zero walks away, the light suddenly flickering off and Hyena's howls drifting off into the darkness.
Suddenly we are back on the scene, the burning factory adjacent to the ruin junkyard, the firefighters, the somewhat bored news team.
Patient Zero flexed his fingers, stretched his arms with a thin smile, testing out his new limbs. He ran his fingers over the stubble on his face.....that would not do. He would have to secure a razor quickly.
He looked up and greeted the camera with a smile, jerking a thumb back to the burning factory::
If you idiots sitting at home with your fat asses on the couch are wondering about the fire, well, truth be told I decided it's long since time for a change of scenery. See, Hyena was too thick to grasp the Tyler Durden cliche and figure out what was happening. Now poor lil doggie's got himself in a kennel, imagine that. Well, enough on that irrelevant mongrel for the time being. Permit me to introduce myself.l
::Patient Zero puts his hands behind his back and dips his head in a mocking bow, his voice dripping with a disdainful venom::
I'm most commonly known as Patient Zero, but has anyone ever wondered why I call myself that? I'm the original. I'm the rightful mind and personality for the man you know as Nathan Spears. I'm the first and the last. All the rest is just the broad empty of the middle.
A fine hello to you, Devon Mayhem. We have never formally met, well......in a way we have, since I am Nathan Spears, after a fashion. I have all his memories and I was present for each encounter, though up until now, you've had to deal with the Mongrel. Well. As you can see, you're facing something.......a touch different this time around.
::Patient Zero began pacing, taking a cool, sidelong glance toward the blaze off in the distance. He shakes his head with a huff of disdain before he turns back to the camera with a smirk::
I know you better, Devon, then you know me. I know Hyena wasn't able to beat you because he was growing softer by the minute and corrupted by his idiotic dreams of grandeur. You know he actually feared you, Devon? He was beginning to believe he could never quite defeat you, especially after that first World Title match, the one where you walked away.
Oh, he'd never admit it, but as of now he's lost the ability to decide such things. I, however, have a rather different take on the matter. I rather look forward to meeting you, Wolf in Wolf's clothing. Tell me something, what's that supposed to mean, exactly? I always wondered. A wolf in wolf's clothing is........well, a wolf. So how does that single you out, exactly? What's the hidden message?
I'm told you have some interesting ideas about the world, one might say archaic. This includes, if I'm not mistaken, rather pagan ideas. Well, Mr. Mayhem, could it be a reference to the wolf that swallows the sun?
Whatever the meaning behind it, I plan to get a closer look on Sunday. You see, Devon, I've been in Nathan Spears mind, absorbing his experiences and observing everything in his good but not good enough career since he became addicted to the fight.I know what he knows, I have the scars that he has, and I have the skills that he has. Hyena was pretty well trained in this sport, but he always had a disdain for anything that didn't smash or slam. I'm not so bound by petty displays of power, as you will soon see, Mr. Mayhem.
You seem a clever sort, Wolfie, you might still defeat me yet. But consider into your calculations that this is a new element. You said there was nothing Hyena could do to surprise you. Did that include Hyena surrendering to the darkness inside?
::We can hear a blood soaked, enraged howl echoing in the difference, unnoticed by the fire crews and onlookers. Patient Zero glances irritably to one side::
Well, admittedly he hasn't fully surrendered, but he will. He was always his own worst enemy, and now here we are. Now, Wolfie.....
::He turns with that cold smile of his and walks toward the Cavalier::
You had some interesting things to say, Devon, to the man you thought you'd be facing at Crossroads, and a lot of them I'll readily admit are quite true. Hyena's Legacy is done and over with, he's peaked out, and now it's time for my legacy to begin, the real Nathan Spears' legacy. What I can do, what I will do, will pale in comparison to what the mangy one has accomplished here. See, I'm not inclined to repeat his mistakes. He always hated Snake, for example, and it came out of rank green jealousy. He knew that for all his talk of animal ruthlessness he could never approach Snake in the art of the cold-blooded. I'm not so hypocritical. I know full well there can be no emulating Snake, and I admire the man as he rightly deserves. While I'm not convinced you fully embody his example, Wolfie, I'll grant you have the proper respect as well.
::Unexpectedly, he walks past the Cavalier, calmly stepping away from the scene of the fire and making his way into the interior of Miller's Crossing::
You are absolutely right that you and men like you are out int he business making a name and a real legacy for themselves. All the more reason for me to take over and put a stop to it. Nathan Spears has been in ACW almost since the beginning, started at the very bottom of the barrel. With my help Hyena clawed his way out, but he could never handle the inevitable return slide into defeat. I'm sure having that Norse fatalism you could appreciate that, Mr. Mayhem. All the same, when Hyena broke with Snake and convinced that drunken fool Voland to do so as well, I've know since then something had to be done.
So you're an important player, in all of this, Devon, because you represent to Hyena something his witless savage mind couldn't grasp, and that is the concept of putting your money where your mouth is. Hyena could always brag about how seeks out worthy challenges but never once uttered a peep about going after you, the one man remaining in this company that Nathan Spears has yet to beat. Well, sh*t, son, doesn't that mean this is a great opportunity? Doesn't that mean that by knocking you out of Struggle, and put Nathan Spears back on track for his third title win at the greatest show in the industry, Struggle for Supremacy?
::Patient Zero crosses a side street, an overhead lamp flickering uncertainly as he approaches an alleyway that's still wrapped in dark this early in the morning. Patient Zero snorts and shakes his head, smirking once again at the camera and shrugging his shoulders::
And for those among us who were expecting Hyena for the fight, well, all I can say to that is go f*ck yourselves. The headlines and the card may have said Hyena, but the name on the damn contract says "Nathan Spears" and I legally meet that criteria, thank you very much. Now I'll freely admit you still pose a good challenge for me, Wolfie. You know my moves, and you've beaten Hyena before. But you don't know my personality, not as well as you'd like to (and I would love to see how your cool competent poise explains that one!), and I have other ideas of how to wage my battles then what some True Blood reject has to offer. I don't subscribe to any soothing, fake Codes of Honor that dictate how one deals with weakness. I could care less about weakness or strength. I'll cross over any line, I will break any bone, and I will seize any chance I get to crawl my way up to the top.
Because all in all it's not about the glory of the "fight" as Hyena crowed about, it's about the rewards that come with winning, and doing your utmost to avoid that sting of defeat. Hyena could honestly not grasp the distinction, bless the idiot. You, Devon, you grasp that. What you don't grasp, however, is that it isn't about what the damn fans are chanting in the damn seats. The masses will always turn out for blood sport, and if you can get them all warm and fuzzy inside well good for you, I'm not here to save anyone. That's why you aren't world champion right now, Wolfie, not when you're too busy donning the superman cape and rushing about to "save" ACW, to "save" us from these monsters lurking about and threatening to swallow us all into oblivion.
:::We move our way through the alley, and very soon we can hear a rather loud buzzing of flies. Patient Zero continues in a calm voice, completely unmindful of the growing swarm of insects::
Bah. It's the monsters that everyone comes to see, Devon, it's just the blessed little people are too afraid of their own inner demons to admit it. But the truth is they demand it. That demand produced Snake, the man who guided you on the path that you strayed from when you decided to oppose him. That demand produced Gryphon, who alone could have saved Hyena from his succumbing to mediocrity if fate had been kinder. Now I aim to fill that demand.
::Patient Zero comes to a stop, glances down at something at his feet and smiles callously, then arches his eyebrows as he looks back at the camera::
I'm not going to hit you, Devon, with all the same cliches and boasts that others who came before me have done. You've seen and heard murderous cruelty in both word and deed, I don't need to insult the both of us by trying to be the villain who quotes Shakespeare. You'll just have to find those things out in the ring. Nor am I going to put on the air of false bravado that Hyena was known for and talk about how I will beat you on Sunday: I know full well the uselessness of empty talk when it comes to making a victory. You may yet prevail, and kick me out of the tournament. Well, it won't destroy me, and it won't stop me. I've spent much of my existence lurking in the shadows, waiting for the right moment, the right opportunity to strike. I've long ago learnt the values of patience. Win or lose, Devon, I will always be stalking at the edges, waiting until I get my chance to stick the knife in your hide.
::::The camera pans back and we see the alleyway is lined with the skinned corpses of what was once Hyena's Dog Pack. The large mongrel junkyard animals were bloody lumps of meat on the ground, while their pelts were nailed to a long wooden board lining the alleyway. Patient Zero examines the row of hides with a disdainful shake of the head::
A pity Hyena never had much real appreciation for purity and asthetics. Always wanting to surround himself with the dirty, grimy side of things. Oh, such has it's value, but all the same what a gutter rat he was. Well, perhaps I can turn that around on Sunday. Wolfskin would greatly improve this lot.
Nathan?
::Patient Zero turned his head toward the calling voice. His reply is loud and crisp::
I'll be right there!
::He turns back with a hard scowl to the camera, his voice measured, but with a shadow of venom::
You may or may not have been right about Hyena, Devon, what you said about him landing on his feet one day. A useful talent but sadly, you can't build a career from it. I'm here to change the f*cking rules, Devon Mayhem, and if that means I have to screw you out of a hard earned title shot, earning the dislike of fans everywhere, and dissecting you to pieces in the process? Perfectly fine by me. If I have to endure the indignity of defeat, well, obviously that's not my preference, but you can't make me go away. Hyena might wimper and stalk off when you walk by, Devon, but I sure as hell won't, and if you get past me, hell, Devon, I'll be waiting, and watching, for my next chance to beat you into utter oblivion.
::Patient Zero turns and stalks out of the alleyway, emerging onto the street, a waiting Tasha peering at him with concern::
Damn, Nathan, I came as soon as I heard.........are you okay? You sound.......different.
::Patient Zero just nodded his head and grinned::
Oh, hell, never felt better. Get in the car I'll tell you all about it. I've been meaning to get out of that rust heap anyway. Speaking of which, we got to do something about this car........
::The voice of Patient Zero trails off as Patient Zero walked off with a bewildered Tasha in tow, their conversation, or perhaps Patient Zero's lecturing, moved along while the factory burned away in the emerging day. The camera fades to black::