"How much es too much? How much can one person take before they snap?"

He sat, looking out over the valley. The two security guards sat in the corner, tied to the chair, tape over their mouths. Each one had an arm that appeared to be broken.

"How much can one hermano take when his pride es tested, eh? He is slapped in the face over and over again........for what reason? De administration, they no care about pride. No, no, dey no care about honor. Effort. Dey care about demselves. Shawn Warstein es going to be jus' like every otha poor sack of flesh that held gold here.....he es going to be coddled, coveted, protected....."

He stands up, his cigar getting smaller between his fingers now.

"Dat es chor job, es it not? Protection......."

He walks over towards the man, who begins to squeal a bit under his tape bind.

"Ahhh yes, jus' like Warstein. So tough when chu walked in here....chor chest puffed out, chor merit thrown in me face...........look at chu now hombre! A whining, sniveling sack of shit."

He kicks the chair, making the man squeal louder under his tape.

"And den dey want to put Griffin MacAlister in de mix. FINALLY dey give me what I deserve and they couldn't leave well enough alone, ese. No....they have to muddy de waters, through in a man who has done NOTHING........"

*He kicks the chair again, inciting another squeal*

".......If cigarettes and axle grease were a person, holmes, et would be Griffin MacAlister. A man wit a laundry list of shortcomings, a small fish who es only around to feed to de bigger fish......a meal, a bait, a dummy......."

He takes a step towards the other security guard, who is positioned across from the leader.

"Es dat what dey think of me? Es dat why he es in dis match? Warstein es a big fish, we are dey feeders? Warstein es hungry, and we are de meal. IS THAT WHAT DEY THINK HOMBRE!"

He kicks the other mans chair.........both squeal under their tape gag. He walks over to the table.....still set up like it is about to host a dinner, his fingers running elegantly over the maroon silk table cloth.

"I am nothing to dem. Dey feel Warstein is a step above.....apparently, he es several steps above in their eyes.......all I have one for dem, all I have sacrificed......."

He puts his hand over the gun he had confiscated from one of the officers. Picking it up with a smile, he cocks it. Both men gulp, looking at each other.

"Each of chu gentlemen have families I assume. Have children, wives girlfriends....we know chu both have madre's......Ambos tienen madres........I bet dey think chu es so special, no? Chu es der little boys.....de fruit of dey loins dey heart and soul!"

He walks towards the second man, gun in one hand, cigar in the other.

"...I have a madre also. And an abuela. Mi madre y mi abuela no me criaron de esta manera. They no raise me this way.....dey taught me values, dey taught me integrity....dey taught me......respect."

Bending down, looking the terrified man in the eyes he shows him the gun.

"Griffin MacAlister es not on me level. I am no piñata holmes....I should no be bounced around de depths of dis roster for de entertainment of others........I am......."

He takes a deep breath, blowing out like a yoga class.

".....I am, material de campeonato. I am good enough to be de campeón. MacAlister es no even good enough to be on a full time calendario.....a scheduele......he es back like a herpes flare up for now but will disappear soon and leave us with de memory of what was. Warstein es probably sitting there....dick en hand.....playing with hisself over de thought of two men who he has been told are not his calibur getting tearing each other apart and leaving him to pick up de pieces. He es betting on me being distracted by Griffin and making a mistake.......chico I no make mistakes....."

The man leaned away as much as he could, the binding on his wrists biting into them, causing redness.

"Whats that? Chu think I am a mistake? Es that chu said holmes?"

The man shook his head frantically, desperately.

"Dis title match, I no deserve?"

The walkie talkies both men had sat on the table, their frequencies admitting a light hiss into the air. A fuzz. Useless now to everyone involved they sat there.........

He put out his cigar on the mans cheek.

"I SHOW YOU MISTAKE, HOMBRE!" The man screamed under his tape gag.

"Shhh.....shhh, chu es making too much noise ese. Chu es drawing too much atención. Shhhh....."

The man had a single tear rolling down one eye. His face felt like it was on fire. A hideous mark appeared on one cheek where the flame had went out on his skin, the ash streaking in a small line of rubble down his cheek.

"I am no here to be a Debbie Downer. No. what fun es that? I am here to celebrate. Chu see, with de Engineer gone, dat mean Madison Dyson es gone too. That mean Hanari es king, by default.......Hanari es king and it es only right to have a celebracion....."

He walked over and shut the double doors with led into the restaurant, putting a chair in front of them.

Walking over to the bar he pulled out a bottle of champagne. The cap flew off, propelling off the ceiling like a rocket. It bubbled over at the top. Taking out three glasses he set them onthe bar, filling each one three quarters full. Dropping a strawberry in each, he turned towards the men.

"So lets celebrate, eh?"


Hanari was going to enjoy this. He approached the two "piñata's" with a baseball bat. This was going to be fun.

He brought the bat to the midsection of the first man. He felt his flesh give way underneath. He heard a small crunch, he saw the man's eyes go wide.

Spinning around quick, he hit the other man in the upper leg/hip area. The man screamed under his tape gag. Hanari was moving to the rythm of the song in his head, hitting the two men in back-and-forth sucession as if candy was going to fall out of their asses. He felt like a kid again! In the back of his mind however, one was Griffin and one was Warstein. His lip snarled a bit as he went to town on these two men.

The chairs had fallen over, but the men were stuck in place. When sweat began to show through his dress shirt, he set the bat down, breathing a little heavy.

"I was here to pay respects to the man that I was supposed to beat. The man I was supposed to take de title from. Chu two men interrupted that plan......."

He grabbed the bat again, walking over to the higher ranking security officer. Blood ran out from under the tape gag.

"Shawn Warstein took that from me as well."

He turned towards the other man, who was a little more alert but not much.

"Say, holmes, what chu think? How do chu make a point? How do chu kill a snake?"

The man shook his head softly, mumbling something under the gag.

"........that's right. Chu cut off its head. Chu es Griffin......dis piece of trash, mister "Senior Security".......he es......."

His lip curled again.....

"...he es dat snake Warstein. So chu remember how chu kill a snake, right?"

The man's eyes went wide as he realized what was about to happen to his boss....his friend.....another human being.

Hanari laughed as he brought the bat down with a forceful lunge..........