Kravinoff creeps up the dimly lit stone corridor, a strangely curious look in his eyes. Some way down the hall, voices can be heard. With that, Kravinoff forces himself into a recess in the wall, hoping that he has not garnered any unwanted attention, especially at this stage of proceedings. After a moment, Kravinoff continues his journey, assuring himself that he has not been detected. The voices continue as Kravinoff draws closer to them as a wave of nervousness washes up the spine of the Hunter.
Kravinoff: I shouldn't be doing this...
Kravinoff halts suddenly, perhaps second guessing his attempts at getting close to something that he was not invited to in the first place. For what seems like forever, Kravinoff remains motionless, turning ideas over in his head. The Ugandan Wildman knows that he should not be doing this but he would be lying to himself if he did not admit that his curiosity had not gotten the better of him recently. Kravinoff's mind races from idea to idea until his name if suddenly echoes down the hall. The eyes of Kravinoff shoot up the corridor, worried that he had indeed been found out. But nothing comes.
Searching for his next move in a fit of panic, Kravinoff dashes up some steps to his left. For a moment, the voices from before cannot be heard as Kravinoff ventures deeper into the unknown location. Putting all of his hunting skills to good use, the Ugandan Wildman begins to approach his prey and the voices become more audible once again. As Kravinoff continues up another corridor, a light at the end becomes evident. Approaching it, Kravinoff hears the cooling tones of John Constantine.
Constantine: Trust him? Why shouldn't I trust him? He saved the Elite X Championship from going to that moron in a cardboard box.
Another shudder of tension shoots up the spine of the hunter as he moves around one more corner admitting him to a row of pews. Kravinoff moves forward, crouching as he reaches his destination. Quickly, he forces his back against a wooden safety barrier before collecting himself and peering over. Below him, 5 men sit around a beautifully carved wooden table. Kravinoff searches the room, looking for a familiar face but 4 of them are alien to the Ugandan. However, at the head of the table, the unmistakable figure of John Constantine sits bolt upright, his presence casting a shadow over the meeting.
Constantine: Hunter Kravinoff...
Kravinoff ducks down once more, hoping that he has not been caught out.
Constantine: Is the only reason that I sit before you a Champion.
A deep feeling of relief takes over Kravinoff as he allows his breath to release. Summoning his courage once more, Kravinoff peers over the wooden barrier. Beside Constantine, an elderly man with silver hair sits back in his chair, allowing his face to twist into a contorted shape as Constantine power through his monologue.
Constantine: That man is the key to our success, or have you all forgotten that? Have we all forgotten the expense and effort it took to firstly track him down and convince him to fight for our corner? And now you want to give up on him? I won't do it.
Silver Haired Gent: No, it seems that you have forgotten, John. You have forgotten the past with only thoughts of a glorious future in your head. But the past can teach us a lot of things. And you mustn't forget that it was Hunter Kravinoff who cost you the match against Action Saxton and Saboteur. His ignorance and naïveté cost you the best chance you might have to defeat the Tag Team Champions and put yourself in the running for a Tag Team Championship match.
Kravinoff notices an understanding look on the face of The Power Trip as he sinks back into the chair somewhat.
Constantine: I still can't give up on him, Albert. He's the reason that I'm still the Elite X Champion... Regardless of what happened in the past.
The silver haired gentlemen lets out a deep sigh as he ponders the options available to him. Leaning over to his left, he whispers a word in the ear of another man. After a moment of deafening silence, Albert leans back to the Power Trip.
Albert: We can't have another Empire, John, you know that...
Constantine grimaces as The Empire is blurted out in his presence.
Albert: This one is on you. Fuck this one up and it'll be your ass on the line.
Kravinoff drops down behind the barrier one more time, running ideas through his head probably faster than he can process them. A worried look crosses the face of Kravinoff as he continues to kneel behind the elevated barrier as the voices start once again.
Constantine: There wont be another mistake, Albert. Kravinoff is different; he has talent, he has charisma, he has the ability. I promise you this, if Kravinoff outlives his usefulness, then I will be the one to-
A scuffling sound comes from above Constantine and the other men as Kravinoff loses his balance behind the barrier. Quickly he is back into his kneeling position as the men around the table look up to the perch above them, worried that they have been listened to all along. Kravinoff panics, not knowing his next move.
Albert: Get someone up there now, dammit!
A frantic panic begins to swell the atmosphere inside the church. Without hesitation, 3 men leave the room and burst up the stairs to where Kravinoff had only recently been. They hurriedly round the corner to where Kravinoff was kneeling, only to find a bible on the floor and Kravinoff gone.
Guard: There's nothing up here, Boss. Just a bible that fell.
Albert huffs back into his chair, a wave of relief washing over him. He turns to his right, finally breaking his gaze from the perched position where 3 of his men are standing idly by. Where Constantine was sitting only moments ago, there is now a vacant chair. Albert gives a shake of his head as he motions for the other men around the table to leave. The meeting, seemingly, is over.
* * *
Kravinoff darts down another set of steps, remaining as quiet as he can so as to not draw any unneeded attention his way. Finally, the door is before him. The last few moments of his life had been more tense than anything he could have ever imagined but it was over now. Making for the door, Kravinoff reaches his hand for the handle and slowly slides out.
Outside, the cool breath of air refreshes Kravinoff as he rests himself on the door letting out a sigh of relief as he does so. After a moment, Kravinoff heads down the steps and round the corner, thinking himself very lucky and thanking his stars for keeping him safe. As Kravinoff rounds another corner, his ally John Constantine is revealed leaning against the limousine door, a cigarette hanging from his lip. Kravinoff freezes with terror; he was sure that The Power Trip was still contained inside. Collecting himself immediately, Kravinoff walks towards Constantine with confidence.
Constantine: Where were you, Hunter?
Kravinoff's face begins to turn a shade of scarlet as the head of Constantine's questions begins to burn.
Kravinoff: I just... I just went for a walk.
Constantine: A walk?
Kravinoff: Yeah, I was just feeling a little cooped up in the car, to be honest. I needed a walk to clear my head.
Constantine removes his gaze from the cigarette in his hand to stare at Kravinoff.
Kravinoff: And since when did you smoke?
Constantine lets out a wry smile before removing his burning stare from the eyes of Kravinoff.
Constantine: Just recently. When I came in this business I used to talk about people with addictions as if they were scum; a blight on the Earth that needed to be eradicated. But now, well I'll be damned if I'm not scum too. We do what we have to do to survive, Hunter, I'm sure you must know that already with your history.
Although Constantine's recent words are not questions, Kravinoff nods along in agreement as Constantine blows a large plume of smoke into the night air.
Constantine: And recently, it's been getting harder and harder to survive in this business. I came into this business with all of the best ideas in the world and a wealth of support behind it. But as soon as you make one mistake, the sharks begin to circle. Showtime David Cougar, Steven Holmes, The Empire... I've made a few mistakes, Hunter. And now the sharks are beginning to circle.
Kravinoff remains silent as Constantine takes another drag of his cigarette.
Constantine: You don't know how important you are, Hunter. If only you could know.
Kravinoff: Me?
Constantine scans Kravinoff for clues before giving his ally a crafty smile as he drops and crushes out the cigarette. Opening the door to the limousine, Constantine beckons Kravinoff inside before joining him and taking off.
* * *
July 28th, 2012
It has been three weeks since my sickening defeat to Steven Holmes and I still cannot rid myself of the shame. People may say that I was not the better man that night but I gave it everything I had. I met Steven Holmes, my former best friend, with determination and confidence.
He just wanted it more.
Is this the end for Steven Holmes and I? I sincerely doubt it. The pain that Steven Holmes has put me through these past few months will live long in the memory. One day, the time for retribution will come and I will strike at the heart of Steven Holmes, destroying whatever he holds dear to him. I will rid him of his accolades and anything else which holds any merit to him.
Steven Holmes has not beaten John Constantine, he has simply awoken something inside him.
His time will come. Mark my words.
Mia: What is that?
Constantine snaps out of his trance like state as Mia approaches him, two cups of freshly brewed tea in her hands. She hands one off to The Power Trip as he sits forward in his chair, receiving the warm beverage gratefully.
Constantine: This, Mia, is a journal entry I wrote a few weeks after Steven Holmes beat me at Redemption in 2012. It may have been over a year ago but the wounds of that match are still very raw. I was in a better place back then, Mia. I was happy. But Steven Holmes ripped away at that, forcing me down to his level of misery. This...
Constantine raises the piece of paper towards Mia who is now seated across from him.
Constantine: This was the result of such an act. A promise. A promise to myself that when the time comes, I would strike back at Steven Holmes for taking everything from me. That I would take everything from our World Heavyweight Champion and leave him miserable just as he did to me.
Mia: But you had a match with Steven Holmes only a few months ago. Why didn't you just leave him for dead at the hands of Showtime and Triple X?
The Elite X Champion raises his eyebrows briefly before staring back down at the words on the paper.
Constantine: It wasn't the right time, Mia. I could have left him to fend for himself against Triple X and Cougar but what would that have achieved? Sure, his body would have been broken. In a few months, he would have come back at me with the fiery vengeance that I know he is capable of. He would have unleashed Hell upon me and I would have been embroiled in a feud with a man with something to prove.
Mia: So?
Constantine: When you break a man's body, Mia, he heals. He eventually returns to health. But when you break a man's heart. Well... That's something else entirely, isn't it.
Constantine and Mia's eyes meet for a second before Mia averts her gaze with an embarrassed look upon her face.
Constantine: That hurt, that pain, it never goes away. You search for a cure but when you've had everything taken from you, the agony persists. For a man like Steven Holmes, this means the end. There is no coming back from that.
Mia: Celeste?
The Power Trip remains quiet as Mia finally catches on to his cunning plan.
Mia: You mean to leave Celeste against S.H.I.T and Barbosa?
Constantine: I sit here, Mia, with a heavy conscience. I could strike back at Steven Holmes forever crossing me, robbing him of the only thing in this world that he loves. Reducing him to his knees and forever settling a score between us. I have never seen Barbosa so unhinged, I shudder to think what would happen to the poor women were I to leave her on her own against her opponents.
Mia: So leave her then.
Constantine smiles at Mia.
Constantine: If only it were that simple, Mia. There is nothing more I would love to see than Celeste and Steven Holmes getting what they deserve. But I cannot let Barbosa and S.H.I.T have free-rule of a WZCW ring. The confidence boost that it would bring them would be astronomical, nothing would stand in their way. Between those two men, the fate of any title could be won or lost. They are talented, driven and dangerous. The only thing that can stop them taking control of WZCW is to drive a stake through the heart of the relationship once and for all.
Constantine's fiery words take Mia by surprise as he presses on.
Constantine: I have never seen such a divide between the two since they formed their alliance and I am at the heart of that divide. I simply must strike whilst the iron is hot. One more win against Barbosa and S.H.I.T could send both men into a spiral of depression and aggression that would see both of them finally wiped from the face of this company. They are the more present danger to the fate of John Constantine and so the dilemma exists.
Mia looks at Constantine as he stops speaking, a thoughtful look upon his face.
Constantine: S.H.I.T and Barbosa must be destroyed.
Constantine turns to Mia with a look of burning enthusiasm on his face. Folding up the tatty piece of paper, he puts it back in his breast pocket.
