12-17-2014, 10:32 AM
Night. London, England.
A warehouse on the Thames, in one of the rougher waterfront neighborhoods.
Inside, steps lead down to a spartan cinderblock facility combining gym, dojo, and fetish dungeon. Mats, weights, machines, heavy and light bags, restraints, cages, chains, whips adorn the place.
SIMON LYSTER, "THE SPINE TWISTER" watches a monitor. The red-and-black-clad mountain he is to face glares at him in return, his congregation assembled behind him. LYSTER addresses his opponent:
"Mister ARKHAM:
"Now we actually are conversing. Fascinating that you gained access to my initial strategy session.
"Given that I wasn't on TV, was in the privacy of my own dojo, and was talking to myself, there are two possible explanations.
"You actually have ESP or telepathy or whatever, as you would doubtless claim.
"Or you paid off one of my dungeon gimps to bug the facility.
"I'm going to go with Option B. Why?
"Because I don't believe in God or the Devil or supernatural hocus-pocus.
"I believe in the reality of this world: strength, flesh, leverage, and pain.
"I believe in my three black belts: sambo, judo, Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
"I believe you're a man -- a strong man, a huge man, a formidable man, clever with Hammer Horror parlor tricks and choreographing extras from the cast of Twilight. But a man nonetheless.
"I believe, as mentioned, that if this fight goes to the ground, you lose. Badly.
"And I believe in this." LYSTER gestures.
Camera pans to a corner of the dojo. Between the sparring bag and the restraining post is a human skeleton suspended on wires.
"You'll note that the card on which we fight is scheduled to end in the AM of December the 21st. 12/21.
"In commemoration, I intend to offer you a memento."
LYSTER turns the skeleton spine first and begins pointing.
"This one is the 12th thoracic vertebra, T-12.
"This one, near the base of the skull, is the second cervical vertebra, C-2.
"And this beauty, right below the rib cage, is the first lumbar vertebra, L-1.
"12-2-1.
"My challenge to myself is to apply my finishing hold to you such that I simultaneously rupture T-12, C-2, and L-1. No small task to perform on a man of your size, but sometimes it's good to push oneself a bit.
"You claim to be able to rise from any injury, no matter how debilitating.
"For your sake, I hope so."
![[Image: 3RAC6l.jpg]](http://imageshack.com/a/img661/7158/3RAC6l.jpg)
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