Constantine pulls the towel off of his head in disgust. It has been hours since the disaster that was the Lethal Lottery. Still, the horrible feeling in his gut will not subside. He knows that he has allowed his moment in the spotlight to slip out of his grasp. He knows that his chance to become a name in lights as WZCW Heavyweight Champion has gone and his chance to main event the biggest event in the WZCW calendar has become nothing more than a memory.
There is silence in the locker room. Inside of Constantine's head, the wheels of calculation whir and spin. He shakes his head for a moment before the door at the end of the locker room busts open. In the doorway, WZCW rookie Johnny Scumm stands with his hand to his head, an ice pack clutched therein. The expression on his face is a mixture of disappointment and anger. He notices Constantine sitting in the corner of the dark room but carelessly ventures into the room nonetheless. Constantine lets out a hearty sigh as Scumm makes his way across the room and sits beside the Power Trip.
Scumm: Not your night either, huh?
Constantine remains quiet as the beam of light from the now open door illuminates his bruised body. Scumm simply nods his head, perhaps knowing that he was never likely to receive an answer from the outcast politician.
Scumm: Yeah, I know how you feel, man!
Constantine sits in silence but there is tension in the air. Something which Scumm doesn't seem to notice.
Scumm: I mean, there I was with my Lethal Lottery number in my hand. I was going to the big time. I was going to the main event at Kingdom Come... And then Boom! A steel chair to the back of the head later and I'm looking up at the lights 15 minutes later and my Lethal Lottery spot has gone to some other jackass.
Constantine, surprisingly, lets out a chortle of derision in the direction of Scumm. Scumm immediately drops his ice pack from the back of his head and looks as Constantine.
Scumm: Got something to say, Trip?
Constantine: Listen, Kid, this was never going to be our night. You didn't even make it to the Lethal Lottery match and here you are nursing your wounds.
Scumm takes issue with Constantine's words and feels the need to jump back into the conversation.
Scumm: Yeah because of a damn cheap shot!
Constantine again giggles at the naïvety of the young upstart.
Constantine: Trust me, Kid, I've been doing this for a long time now. I've been in the ring with everyone from the top of the roster to the bottom. I've been across the ring with Ty Burna, Big Dave, Showtime David Cougar and Steven Holmes. I've wrestled legends of this business like Titus and Everest and came out on top on more than one occasions. So trust me when I tell you that you would never have won the Lethal Lottery tonight.
Scumm: Well you haven't been in the ring with someone like Johnny Scumm. You can trust me when I tell you that I would have had the Lottery wrapped up if I'd made it to the match.
Constantine: Maybe you're right, Kid. I haven't been in the ring with Johnny Scumm. But I've seen everything in this business in the time I've been here. And the one thing that has become abundantly true, is that certain people will stop at nothing to make sure that they get what they want. Ty Burna is one of those men. Not only does he have his Apostles to command to his whim, he also controls half of this company. He is bending the company any way that he wants it to bend. We have all become his playthings and no one was ever going to stand in his way tonight, Kid. Not me and certainly not you.
Scumm shakes his head in denial and allows a small smile to creep across his face.
Scumm: Nah, I'd have given him some things to think about.
Constantine smiles and gives a look of disbelief in the direction of Scumm.
Constantine: You're hungry, that's going to help you in the future. But when you start to climb the ladder in this company, you'll start to realise that sometimes there is just nothing you can do to contend with the powers that be. Ty Burna is a freak of nature. I looked in his eyes tonight and I could tell that he wanted it more than every other person in that ring. The same hunger that you feel in your stomach is magnified and expanded upon in Ty Burna. He is the epitome of desire. He literally will not stop until he accomplishes everything in this game.
Scumm stops for a second and digests the words of the WZCW veteran. With a hint of understanding in his voice, Scumm poses another question to The Power Trip.
Scumm: So, you're saying that I should just give up? That doesn't seem like John Constantine.
Constantine: I'm not telling you to give up, Kid. I'm telling you that every dog has it's day. Tonight wasn't very good for either of us but one day in the future, our day will come and we will be the ones standing tall at the end of the night as fireworks are shot into the air and belts are placed around our waists. Keep being hungry, Scumm... It'll help.
Constantine stands up and walks away from Scumm as Steven Holmes enters the room with his Elite Championship slung over his shoulder. He meets Constantine in the doorway as his confident voice fills the room.
Holmes: Ah, there you are, Mr. Constantine. Come, we must plan for Kingdom Come. It is never too early to make plans for our ultimate domination of WZCW.
Constantine looks his allay in the eye for a moment and then brushes past him and into the bright corridor. Holmes' eyes follow Constantine down the corridor as The Power Trip walks away from The Elite. From the end of the corridor, Becky Serra rushes past Holmes and catches up with Constantine.
Becky: John! John!
Constantine stop and looks to the sky as Becky places a soft hand on his arm to catch his attention. There is no microphone in her hand this time though, it seems as though curiosity has gotten the better of her.
Becky: I just seen you walk past Steven Holmes without even so much as a look in his eyes. Is there something that you want to tell everyone?
Constantine: Let me tell you this, Becky, everyone seems to forget about The Power Trip. Since day one in this company, I have been playing second fiddle to lesser men. I played second fiddle to Showtime David Cougar when it was abundantly clear that I could beat him in a one on one competition, something I have since proved. And now, the Elite Championship of Steven Holmes throws a large shadow over me. I have tried to escape the darkness but with every successful defence of his title, I am pushed further and further into the abyss. Perhaps it;s time for John Constantine to look after his own affairs and be satisfied with the results, come what may.
Becky is shocked and stands with her mouth ajar for a moment.
Becky: So are you saying that you are done with Steven Holmes? That your alliance is no longer intact?
Constantine: No, that's not what I am saying, Becky. You see the one thing that brought Steven Holmes and I close together was our hunger. We both wanted to make WZCW a better place and that meant taking every challenge head on. Both of us still want to realise our ultimate goal of becoming the World Heavyweight Champion and until that happens, a thread of connection will always bind the two of us. But, at this point, it seems as though I will need to achieve those ends as selfishly as possible.
Becky: That's quite a bold statement, John? What's gotten into you?
Constantine stops for a second and then decides to give Becky an honest answer.
Constantine: Look at Big Dave, Becky. He returns to the ring for one night and had gotten more of a buzz amongst the crowd than I have managed to muster in my entire career, Since I put him on the shelf, people have been waiting on him to return. They have said that he will be in the main event of Kingdom Come and no one has ever graced me with that sort of compliment before. I hear everyone talking about me as if I am some sort of charity case and that I am deserving of their pity as I struggle to live up to my potential. But make no mistake, Becky, I can be the World Heavyweight Champion. I can generate more of a buzz than both Big Dave and Ty Burna.
Becky: You must be excited about your match with Big Dave at Meltdown for a place in the King For A Day match at Kingdom Come then?
Constantine is visibly shocked at this revelation and probes an excited Becky for more information.
Constantine: How do you know this?
Becky: I overheard a couple of the decision makers coming out an emergency meeting a few moments ago. They said that it's going to be a rubber match between you two for the place in the match.
Constantine searches for a response for a long time before a plan begins to formulate in his mind. Behind his eyes, you can see the wheels of his brain turning,
Constantine: That makes sense. We've faced each other a grand total of two times and we've each taken a victory a piece. Not only is Big Dave one of the most exciting superstars on the roster, he is also one of the most dangerous. And with my elimination to him tonight, they must be seeing dollar signs in their eyes when they think about us squaring off in the ring one more time to settle the score. But don't forget this Becky, I was the last person that Big Dave faced before he was put on the shelf. I was the person that put him out for all of that time. For all of the excitement that Big Dave's return has carried tonight, it wont mean anything. He is standing in my way of becoming World Heavyweight Champion and I have to obliterate him once more... I don't have a choice.
Constantine walks away from Becky who gives a small but warm smile in his direction. It seems a fire has been lit in the belly of The Power Trip. One that was extinguished long ago.
