"So let me get this straight. You told Ezra that you could explain the scenario that he literally walked into and then instead of saying anything further, you jumped out of the window."


"Correct."


Rebel Star furrowed her brows as she gave her very best attempt to wrap her mind around the spaceman's exact thought process. What supplied the backing and drive behind his outlandish decision. Alas, no matter how hard she tried, she failed each and every time.


"Why did you do that?"


So she broke down and asked. When in doubt, ask. That's a good policy to live by. Saves confusion and idle, unwanted misconception.


"I don't know. I suppose because deep down, I realize that I acted impulsively and irrationally, without a suitable reason."


"Besides wanting your arm back, you mean?"


"Yeah. I was selfish and all I wanted to do was use two hands. Didn't really think about the consequences. Not in an honest, realistic sense anyway."


"What are the consequences?"


"Honestly, I don't know."


A snort from his position on the floor, where he was currently seated. Azrael looked up at Rebel, gazing down at him from her spot on the overstuffed, hot pink, fuzzy sofa and immediately cast his eyes away. Resting his head back against the armrest, all he could do was sigh.


"You have no way of knowing what might happen because of what you did? Growing your arm back, removing a bullet from your brain... how did you do that by the way?"


"Which part?"


"Both. Mostly the bullet removed from your brain part though."


"Metal stitching was stopping my arm from growing back, I cut it out and the arm grew from where it had been previously severed. The bullet extracted from my brain took a bit more effort and concentration. I had to visualize it and put it somewhere else. Ever shoot a slug out of your nose?"


"No."


"I have. It is an interesting sensation, quite like no other."


"I bet."


"Well, now I have memories that went lost on me since the 1920's and my arm, all at the risk of severely altering history."


"Not to mention all those future memories that you acquired knowledge about, from reading your journals."


"Yes, I can wallow in my poor decision and wonder what I changed, what will the aftermath be in the wake of my actions? Which aspect of my future will be redesigned and what will be deleted altogether? I really royally fucked things up. As if signing up for March Madness, didn't do that enough already."


"You signed up for the pay-per-view?"


"I did. Boredom hit me and I figured why not take part in a match, it's not like it'll hurt anything. Maxwell has been dormant, doing who knows what? My future self is trapped inside the mind of a girl that seems to have dropped off the radar. There's nothing I can do to change anything or speed the memory recovery process for my future self up. Might as well entertain myself somehow. It's funny because Vinnie Lane, didn't even notice a difference. I walked into his office, clearly missing an arm and he talked to me like I actually have a history with him. Like I'm not from the past. Then I go back to the tower and muck things up even further. Now here I am, trying to piece everything together, rambling as I attempt to rationalize my colossal mistake. Spoilers. There's zero ways to justify what I did. Signing up for a fight is one thing but hitting the metaphorical fast forward button and changing events is entirely something else. If I wasn't already in trouble with The Universal Commune in my timeline... whooo boy, I'm definitely in some deep shit now. Hey but maybe I'll get lucky and they won't notice when I go back to my time, only I'll realize what I did as I suffer in silence."


"There's nothing that you can do to fix it?"


Her hand felt good on his shoulder, bringing his attention back to her. The ravishing Rebel Star, one look her way and Azrael knew without a shadow of a doubt, why his future self was enamored by her. A part of him didn't really understand, what sent him to her window seeking a friendly ear or why he was laying all his troubles on her. He didn't know her in the way that his future self did but something about the way she was described in the journals that he read, made him strive to see her and it was that very same portion of himself that caused him to eat his heart out right now. Still, she was extremely easy to talk to and venting all this insanity in a capacity that didn't include anger or blame. Potentially someone cutting off his arm and erasing his memory, before sending him back to his time. Felt good.


"Sure. I can slice off my arm, stitch the wound up with metal thread so it doesn't grow back, replace the bullet and wipe my memory. The last part would have to occur after I returned to my time though. Then someone far more equipped to deal with the situation, without the temptation or desire of being whole again can take over. Maybe that Dillinger D'Marco, can take up the reigns. He's a murderer and clearly insane but I'm certain he'll excel where I failed. The body count might be greater but I bet he's highly motivated, once he silences that urge to kill."


"What if you don't try to solve the problem that you caused and primarily focus on getting your future self back? Then there will be two of you to tackle the issue. The solution could be very simple."


Running a hand back through his hair, Azrael let out another sigh. Heavier than the one before, it wore the weight of truth.


"The solution is precisely what I stated. Minus Dillinger, of course. While he could be capable of amazing feats, he lacks the focus for such things. I blame the blood lust."


"Okay. So that's the answer. It doesn't mean that you need to commit to it now. You messed up and modified history. It's done and over with but you're not in the past, you're here in your future. Might as well enjoy your time here and reap the benefits of your error. What's the worst that could happen?"



"Nothing. Not anything that comes to mind."


"Then seize the day. Fuck it, why not?"


Immediately overtaken by laughter, Azrael briefly wondered if sleeping with his future self's girlfriend was a betrayal or just another case of fast forwarding. It was a fleeting thought that he let drift away from his mind, before he gave it even an ounce of gravity and got himself in any more trouble. In spite of that, a mischievous spark ignited in his eyes. The flicker of flame that said, yes I am the spaceman and I do want to play.


"What did you have in mind?"

---

"First and foremost, I want you to understand something R.L Edgar, I am not the spaceman that everyone remembers. The man from the stars that rose to legendary status. All the titles and accolades, I haven't earned them yet. I'm from the past, December of 2012 to be exact. You may as well think of me as a brand new addition. Cause that's what I am in my timeline. True, I will eventually achieve greatness in the eye of this federation and if my future self were here, he'd boast and brag and tell you all about it but I'm afraid I can't do that, not in the capacity a being that lived and experienced it all could."


"Rest assured, I am no stranger to combat, I'm a warrior that has seen more than my fair share of battles and bloodshed and in that sense, I offer my solemn vow to you, that I shall not disappoint. I certainly hope you can provide the same promise. Even though we are slated to fight in the Pre-Show, I enjoy a good fight. A factor that I doubt suffered from a drastic change over time. So in that aspect, you are facing the same man that garnered respect and praise from the masses. Just think of this as a glimpse backwards, to where it all started in the industry for him. Minus the burlap sack and the robot."

2x Universal Champion (First reign was less than a day though, lol. Due to Sebastian Duke cashing in his briefcase.)
2x Tag Team Champion
3x Triple Tag Team Champion
1x Television Champion
2x US Champion (Title retired during my second reign as champ.)
2x X-Treme Champion
1x Bombshell Champion
2x HMW Champion
2x SOTM