Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.
-Andrew Carnegie
A replay from the ending of Ascension 38 illuminates the screen.
Ty grabs the chair from King and lifts it up, smashing it right across the head of Kurtesy and once more across Dave's head. Blood begins pouring out of both as Ty holds the chair up high as the boos cascade down as Ascension goes off the air with one final shot of Ty, King, and K.O. standing in front of Kurtesy and Dave.
It is several minutes after Ascension 38 and the scene begins with a shot of a long hallway shrouded in darkness. A womans shrieking laugh can be heard from a distance. The shot transitions to a shot of
Serafina laughing next to
Ty Burna, who is sitting on a throne. They are alone in a dimly lit room.
The fools and their shortcomings; they fell right into your plan master.
Ty sports an evil grin as he enjoys the captured film of Kurtesy and Daves torture in his mind.
Now that the pawns are in place, it is only a matter of ti-
Ty turns to her and brings his index finger to his lips. They both go quiet and turn to look at the entrance door of the room.
Chris K.O. and
James King bust through the door and close it behind them, as if on cue. They are both breathing heavy as they turn to Ty and Serafina.
Damn Ty. You sure know how to throw a party.
That bastard Kurtesy didnt even see it coming!
The dialogue is silenced with a slow clapping of hands. Ty applauds them slowly and grabs their attention.
Well done, Apostles of Chaos. You have proved most useful to me, but the fun does not stop here.
Ty gestures with his hand for Serafina to move. She reaches behind the throne and pulls out two sets of black druid robes. She hands them to Chris and James.
Put these on. They will become your scarlet letter.
Tys red eyes gleam as his servants place the robes over their current attire. Ty raises his hand and snaps his fingers. The room goes pitch black.
What the fu-?
*snap*
Several torches ignite around the walls of the room. Dozens of hooded-figures, in black druid robes, line the four walls. Chris and James look around the room.
Who are these people?
Do you really think my well runs as deep as you two? No, Ive been assembling forces for quite some time now. Each of them with their own use.
Ty holds out his hand and gestures to one of the figures against the wall. The figure steps forward and removes his hood.
Ian?
Ian Crawford, Chris financial agent, is revealed.
Yes, Ian works for me. I sent him to you in order to guide your well-being. You and James, after Serafina, are the most useful tools that I currently have. You will soon find out that I take care of my investments very handsomely.
Ian puts his hood back on and steps back against the wall.
Now, go. Continue to train until you receive further orders.
Chris and James look at each other hesitantly. They place their hoods over their heads and exit out of the room. A close up shot shows Tys face curling into a smile. A snap can be heard and the scene goes black.
-------
The scene resumes, a few days later, with a shot of a figurine hula-girl, swaying back and forth on a car dashboard. It mimics the wavy hula dance as it repeats its routine in a repetitive fashion. The shot transitions to a shot of James King slumped in the backseat of a van. He is dressed up in a suit coat and nice jeans. He explores the boundaries, outside the moving van, with his eyes as the sound of rubber hitting the road occupies the airwaves.
The shot then transitions to Chris K.O. in the opposite passenger seat. He rests his right hand on an armrest as he stares outside the window mindlessly. A side shot is shown of the two sitting side by side in the van. The camera switches to a shot of the vehicle pulling into a driveway. Ian, Chris financial agent, can be seen through the windshield.
Chris and James get out of the van as Ian meets Chris with a handshake. Ian, Chris, and James all turn towards one general direction. The van pulls out and exits the scene.
So, shes the one?
Yep. Pretty nice, huh?
The outside looks good, but how does the inside look?
The camera pans to what they are looking at and we are treated with a shot of a gothic-style house. The walls are made of cobble-stone and the entrance-door is made of dark oak. The group begins to walk to the oak door.
My budget can really afford this?
With the connections of Ty Burna, yes.
The group finally reaches the large oak door. Ian pulls out a key from his pocket and opens it. Upon entering the house, they are met with a long empty hallway. The entire house seems to be based with hard-wood flooring. The walls are painted in grey patterns with cobwebs decorating the seams. Ian begins to give Chris and James a tour of the eerie house.
This house gives me a bad vibe.
Whats the story of this place Ian? Why is it vacant?
The house was originally a parsonage.
A what?
A parsonage is a house that a Church builds, and finances, for their priest to live in while they are in leadership of the Church.
So a priest lived here?
Yes, and many other generations of Church leaders.
How many generations are we talking Ian?
The original occupant probably lived here in the
early 1800s? I would guess a good dozen of priests.
Why stop living here now? Did the Church close down?
No. You see, the final priest who lived here was unveiled as a liar. He was caught fornicating with nuns and women of the Church. The Church exiled him and removed him from this house.
Did he go crazy or something?
No. The priest and his family left the town, and when the new priest came in he decided that he did not want to live in this house. So, the Church did not want to pay to upkeep it anymore and put it on the market.
Well, this place looks perfect, and Im very pleased Ian.
Ian nods at the compliment with a small smile.
What do you think James?
Ya, looks great.
James keeps eye contact away from Chris as he bares a distressed look on his face.
I hope you like it, because I want you to stay here with me.
James looks up with a puzzled look at Chris.
I figured if we are going to do this team thing, then its best we be on one page. This house seems to have more than enough room. Pick one, furnish it, and you can stay. Good?
Sure.
James gives a nod and then turns away. He gives a small smirk that goes unseen from Ian and Chris. They continue through the rest of the rooms upstairs and descend the stairs after finishing them. The group arrives back at the entrance, marking the end of their tour.
Alright Ian, it looks good. I guess Ill take the key from you and you can fax me the paper work later?
Well, before I go I think I need to show you one more thing.
Chris and James share puzzled looks with each other as they look at Ian, who gestures for them to follow him. They exit the house and begin to venture around the side and into the back. Ian leads them to a large, rectangle-shaped, metal door placed in the ground.
What is it?
Do you remember how I said that generations priests lived here?
Yeah?
Well, where do you think they put them when they died?
James eyes widen as he looks from Ian to Chris. Chris bares a slightly shocked expression, but remains collected upon hearing the news. Ian reaches for the handle on the door and pulls it up. A descending staircase is revealed; half of it is un-seeable in the dark. Chris gets a determined look on his face and begins to descend the stairs.
Chris, wait!
Chris stops after a couple of steps and looks at James.
What?
There is no light!
So?
So, there are dead people down there!
Yeah, they are dead.
There is a light to your right at the bottom of the stair case.
With that information, Chris begins to venture down the staircase. Ian follows behind him; and James after Ian. Chris meets the darkness at the halfway point and becomes engulfed with blindness. He places his hand on the wall, to his right, in order to keep his balance. After several steps he finally feels a switch of some kind. He hesitates for a moment and then switches it on.
One by one, head lamps begin to give life to the dead room. It reveals several stone coffins scattered amongst the huge underground grave. Chris begins to weave between them slowly. He pays respect to each one by reading the name engraved on them. James starts his own exploration as well. Ian stays at the foot of the staircase, watching Chris thoughts pour out through his expressions.
James approaches a stone coffin and begins to wipe dust away in order to find a name. He wipes his hands over an area and reveals the name James. A cold sweat breaks down the back of his neck. All of a sudden, James appears to have forgotten how to swallow. A gulp slowly rolls down his throat. He closes his eyes and wipes the rest of the name off. Pattaberry, is revealed. James tilts his head down and closes his eyes in a sweat.
Catacombs.
James opens his eyes and looks up. Chris is standing on the other side of the tomb.
Catacombs, James. We are living in a world of catacombs.
Chris knocks on the stone tomb. It echoes throughout the room.
On the outside we see a strong frame; solid and indestructible. But on the inside
all there is, is dead bones.
Chris begins to walk from tomb to tomb as he speaks. Occasional wiping off dust as he goes along. James keeps his eyes glued on Chris.
We are living amongst the dead James. The past generations have all came and had their time, but everyone eventually dies. We will eventually die, but we are not dead yet. Our hearts have not stopped beating. Our passion has not flickered out. We[i/] are not dead. But these men are.
These men are like stone tombs, beautiful on the outside, but dead on the inside. The fans cannot see what we can.
Chris spreads his arms to gesture at the tombs. James nods and Chris resumes speaking.
We are the gravediggers, James. Damn it, no one likes to burry the dead, but someone has to do it. The tomb is empty. We just need to provide the body.
Chris wanders to the back of the catacomb where a pair of tombs rest against the wall alone. He wipes off the dust on one of them and reacts with a confused look. He turns to the other one and poses the same reaction. He begins searching the floors of the catacombs as he continues to speak.
Everest, a man who I have beaten and a man you soon will have too. He is an interesting creature James, but Ive learned that he is nothing more than smoke and mirrors. He is the weed in the garden, and after Unscripted he will be tossed into the brush pile. A pile that will be kindling for the fire we have caused.
A former World Heavyweight Champion and a living legend; what hasnt been said? What havent I covered? What match havent I watched? What weakness havent I exploited? There is none. There is nothing else that I need to know about Everest or how to beat him. The proof is in the body, and in that body there is dead bones.
Chris spots a white rock on the ground. He picks it up and examines it. He gives James a smile and a nod and then heads back to the two tombs where he was previously at.
They call him the rock, a foundation if you will. A staple in the WZCW that has been a constant. Someone who has remained faithful and loyal to the very business that we hope to overtake
I respect the dead, but not those who selfishly deny death his prize. Not those who will not accept what must be their fate. In order for WZCW to be what it needs to become, the very foundation must be uprooted. The very rock that it has relied on must be knocked loose. Everest must die.
The catacombs are silent as Chris approaches the two tombs. He stares at them for a moment as he takes in his own words. James keeps his eyes focused on Chris. Ian remains quietly observant at the stairs. Chris begins to mark on one of the tombs with the rock.
Brad Bomb; been there, done that. He is a prime example of what happens when you accept the dogma that society feeds you.
Hes a fill in!
Chris stops marking on the tomb and perks up. He looks over at James, who is red in the face from anger. Chris smirks.
Go on.
He is nobody, Chris. If it werent for the beating that I gave Steamboat Ricky, he would not even be on the card at Unscripted. He is lucky that I didnt end his career when I hit him with a steel chair in our match. He should have kept his nose in something like the mayhem division, because now
Im going to finish what I started at Meltdown 62.
Chris smiles and turns back to the pair of stone tombs. He finishes marking the one he was marking on previously. He diverts his eyes to the other tomb.
I cant do this alone James. I cant dig graves alone
Chris turns and tosses the white rock to James, who catches it. He looks at and then walks over to Chris and the pair of tombs. He examines the one that Chris marked on and then begins marking on the other one. James finishes and then steps back from the tombs. Chris smiles and stands in-between them.
So, it is written in stone
The camera shot shows the name Everest marked in white rock on one of the tombs and Brad Bomb on the other. Chris shoves off the tops on the stone tombs and reveals the emptiness inside of them. The camera zooms into them as the scene goes black.
