“Do you think I’d love you if you went bald?”

…

Ned stares, squinting up at Darcy, who currently has his head in her lap, playing with his lengthy locks. The two have been quietly, comfortably seated on the couch in Ned’s home for some time.

However, Darcy’s question has immediately drawn up shock and ire in Ned’s face.

“...What the hell kinda question is that?”

“What?” Darcy smiles mischievously, pinching the end of Ned’s hair. “Couples ask each other that all the time. It’s like… a fun question!”

“Not the way *you* said it.” Ned shakes his head. ”The typical question is, ‘Would you love me if *I* went bald?’ Not ‘Hey, think I’d leave forever if you lost your hair’?”

Darcy giggles at Ned’s mild frustration.

Ned grins, thrown by Darcy’s delight. ”How am I supposed to know what *you* would do if I lost my hair?”

“You might not.” Darcy grins. “But, I’m asking… What do you *think* I’d do?”

…Ned takes a beat, scratching his chin. “Hmm…”

Before leaning back comfortably against Darcy’s shoulder.

“Nah, you’d stick around. Bald or not.”

“Oh, that’s what you think?” Darcy teases playfully.

“That’s what I know.” Ned half-smiles confidently. “Hair or otherwise, you’ve already fallen for my infinite charm and dazzling personality.”

“Oh, really?”

“Oh yeah. You’d follow me anywhere.” Kaye winks.

Darcy leans over Ned, squeezing Kaye’s face with both hands affectionately. “Would you do the same?”

…

Ned looks into Darcy’s eyes, emitting pure genuineness from the depths of his soul.

“To the ends of the Earth.”

…

Darcy blushes, smiling down at him.

“That reminds me of that story…”

“Which one?”

“...Orpheus and Eurydice.”

“Don’t know it. Tell me.”

Darcy’s nose wrinkles. ”You’ve definitely heard it before.”

“I haven’t!”

“You absolutely have. It’s like… required.”

Ned brushes his hand across his heart. ”Scout’s honor. I’ve never heard it once. And, if it’s required, sounds like it’s your civic duty to inform someone who’s never heard it before.”

…Darcy grins.

“Okay. So… This great musician, Orpheus, finds his wife, Eurydice… Dead.”

…

“Jeez, that’s one way to start a story.”

“Hush! It’s how the story starts!”

“Y’know, at least Up waited a few minutes before killing off the wife. It wasn’t the very first line of the film!”

Darcy lobs a pillow at Ned. ”Are you gonna let me tell the story?”

Ned bats it away. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” Ned puts up his hands defensively.  ”I just got too riveted by the scene. Please continue.”

“…So, he starts singing… this very sad ballad. A song so sad, that the spirits of the forest… The faerie folk… Gather around and start weeping.”

“And they pity poor Orpheus… So, they tell him… if he wants to bring his love back… He must travel to the gates of Hades itself.”

“So, he starts walking…”

“Long walk, I imagine. To the underworld.”

“Hush.” Darcy laughs.

“Especially before Google Maps.”

“Haha, You’re, like, the worst listener.”

Ned gets mock-offended. ”I am a GREAT listener. Like top-ten all-time.”

“But!” Darcy cuts in. ”Despite the long walk… and lack off navigation apps on the market. Orpheus arrives at the gates of Hades. Standing before Hades and his bride Persephone, he plays his sad ballad… An-”

RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING.

…Darcy looks down at Ned expectantly.

“It’s nothing. Go on.”

Darcy’s forehead wrinkles, expecting disappointment. “It’s always something.” Darcy waves her arm, permissively. “It’s fine. Pick it up.”

Ned shakes his head as he reaches into his pocket for his chirping phone.

“It’s nothing, I promise.” Ned glances at his screen, checking the caller ID.

INCOMING CALL…. MARK FLYNN

“See, it’s Flynn. He probably has a scheme or a plan, I’ll tell him I’m busy.”

Darcy gestures for him to go ahead and answer the phone.

“Don’t lose your place in the story. I’ll be on-and-off in two seconds.” Ned nods… Finally, he picks up.

“Flynn, can this wait? I’ve got a… prior engagement.” Ned smiles at Darcy.

…

Ned’s brow wrinkles. The other end is silent.

“...Flynn? You there?”

…

“...Heeeeeeeeey. Ned.”

…

“Hey… Mark?”

“How’s it ha-...*throat-clear*... How’s… uh… How are you?”

…

Ned holds up a finger to Darcy, who gets up off the couch.

“I’m… good, Mark. Just enjoying a… quiet evening.” Ned asks, admittedly a little thrown. Flynn’s are usually 100% objective-oriented and laser-focused.

Quote:NED! Here’s exactly what I need from you and the location and time I expect you to be at! DON’T BE LATE OR I WON’T GET WHAT I WANT AS QUICKLY!

“Uh… Mark, I’ve gotta shoot straight with you. I don’t have time for a heist, scheme, plot, con… Whatever you have in mind, it won’t fit in my schedule tonight, okay?”

…

“...No. Nooooo. I don’t… uh… I don’t have one of those… right now...”

“...Oh?”

“...Nah… I… uh… I just kinda need someone… to talk to… about a… THING… that happened… er, that I did, I guess.”

…Flynn reached out to Ned… for help? This is getting too eerie, even for the always-seeing-the-good-in-others Ned Kaye.

“Flynn. I’m… I’m in the middle of a place that I *really* want to be. And guys in our industry… We don’t always get to stay where we want to be while it lases, y’know what I mean?”

…

“Uh-huh. Suuuuure, sure, sure.” Flynn answers, like his mind is drifting somewhere else.

Focused on himself most likely, Ned groans. Let’s end this now.

“So… Don’t be hurt if I ask… Could this possibly wait ‘til tomorrow?”

…

“*throat-clear*”

…

“Ned, I exploded a kid.”

…

Ned squints at the phone. ”Pardon?”

“I exploded a child.”

…

“...No. I still… What?”

“It was an accident. But… I… uh… I did it.”

…

Ned exhales, rubbing his eyes.

“Meet me at your Denny’s in a half-hour, okay?”

…

*click*. Flynn hangs up wordlessly.

A chill creeps up Ned’s spine. For once, Flynn’s saving his breath. This must be serious.

Ned stands up off the couch.

“Darce, I’m really sor-” Ned searches the coffee table by the couch for his ke-.

CLP! A mass harmlessly hits Ned’s thigh…

A pile of familiar keys in his lap…

He looks up.

And Darcy is smiling, holding up his jacket.

“It’s okay. Go help your friend.”

…Ned smiles at her, grabbing the jacket.

…Before his face contorts in confusion.

“Did you know Mark exploded a kid?”

…Darcy’s face shifts into shock.

“Ned, did you *not* see the show? It happened last Warfare!”

…Ned’s face reddens. ”My match had fireworks exploding the entire time! I couldn’t see screens or hear ANYTHING until, like, Monday…”

…Darcy sighs, fishing her own phone out of her pocket. “It’s all over social media. I’ll send you a clip.”

…

“Just *promise* me you won’t watch it while driving.”

…Ned’s eye twitches curiously… before smiling.

“C’mon! Of course, I won’t!”

***

*POP*

“OH MY GOD! WHAT THE F-”

Ned’s car immediately jerks one lane to the right! VISCERAL SHOCK COVERS HIS FACE!

To his right, a Tesla lays on the horn, angrily honking at Kaye to stay in his lane!

…Kaye, shell-shocked from the clip he just watched, summons just enough wherewithal to lift an apologetic hand…

The Tesla speeds off angrily… As Kaye exhales and turns his car off the road, pulling into a well-lit spot in the Denny’s parking lot.

“Okay…” …Ned takes a deep breath, shaking his head to get that mental image outta his system. ”Let’s do a quick test run before we go in there…”

Kaye reaches into his passenger seat for a legal pad.

At the top, he’s written IDEAS… With three bullet-points.

1. Assure him his problem isn’t uncommon

…Ned clears his throat.

“Flynn, do you think you’re the first person who’s gone through this?” Ned does a fake-confident laugh… “I’m sure LOTS of people…”

…

“*cough*... explode…”

…

“Terminally-ill.”

…

“Children.”

Ned pulls a pen out of his pocket… And crosses out item 1.

Item 2. Lighten the mood with humor

…

Ned puts on a crooked grin.

“Hey! Remember when critics said ‘Mark Flynn would never get the biggest pop of the night?’ Guess they were wrong, huh?!?”

…

“Heheh… Heh.”

…

Ned clears his throat.

And crosses out that line.

Once. Twice.

Three times.

He keeps crossing it out until that line is 100% blacked out so no one will ever know he ever thought about saying that out loud.

Item 3. Offer empathy

…

Ned exhales, setting the pen into his ear.

“Mark, I know you’re probably feeling an immense amount of guilt right now.”

Ned nods to himself… So far, so good…

“I know you’re feeling like you messed up and hit undo on the mistakes you made…”

Ned nods, and looks outside the car at the Denny’s.

“Flynn, I bet you’re…”

…Ned squints…

“...Tinkering with a screwdriver outside Denny’s?”

Indeed, around the corner of the Denny’s, Flynn is handling a screwdriver, attaching bits of metal together, into a kind of door.

…Ned pops open his car door.

Flynn has a pair of screws in his teeth… building.

…

What looks to be a… tall, iron door?

As he works, Flynn mutters to himself… Just loud enough for Ned to make it out…

“I can fix this… I CAN fix this… I can FIX this…”

…Ned clears his throat.

“Flynn?”

Flynn’s neck spins ‘round. His eyes widen. For the briefest instant, Flynn smiles…

Before his face warps into one of impatience and expectation.

“Nedward!” Flynn spits, disappointedly, a couple screws dropping onto the concrete out of his mouth. “What the HELL took ya so long? This is TIME-SENSITIVE, Walking Ned!”

Ned closes the door to his car and walks over to Flynn, who immediately scoops the screws off the ground, returning to screwing bits of metal to other bits of metal….

See, this… This is more the Flynn that Ned is used to working with.

Ned sighs. ”Flynn, you said over the phone, you weren’t calling about a plan… or a scheme.”

Flynn scoffs. ”Well, when you CALLED, it WASN’T one, Ned. But, that CHANGED, Nedbert!”

Ned pinches the bridge of his nose. But, he counts to three, trying to re-drive the conversation back to its intended place.

“Flynn. When you called… You said you needed someone to talk to?”

…

Flynn shoves the screwdriver into his pocket… and starts ambling towards Ned.

It becomes obvious as Flynn approaches…

His eyes are bloodshot. Baggy underneath. It’s possible he hasn’t slept since… the ‘thing’, as he called it, happened.

…Flynn grabs Ned’s shoulder.

…Whoa. Ned notes. Flynn’s usually not one for… non-violent physical contact.

…Flynn stares Ned, square-in-the-eye.

“Ned, I want to… sincerely apologize for the call I made earlier.”

…

“Oh?” Ned presses.

“It was a moment of WEAKNESS, Neddy-bye, baby.” Flynn grits his teeth. “I felt helpless and lost and I reached out…” Flynn fake-gags, sticking his tongue out, chuckling.

“Point being… It was NON-FUNCTIONAL, Ned! It didn’t SERVE A PURPOSE. It wasn’t SOLUTION-ORIENTED. So, why bother with it at all?”

…Flynn grins manically, as he smacks Ned on the shoulder.

“The past is the past. Forget it happened.” Flynn walks back over to his… work-area? And smacks the metal frame gently with his screwdriver. “Hold this for me, wouldja?”

…Ned obliges, walking over and gripping the frame. Flynn grabs some piping off the ground and starts twisting it into the larger structure.

“...Flynn, when you say, the past is the past…”

…Flynn keeps attaching pieces to other pieces

“I hope you don’t mean… that you’re just trying to forget about what happ-.”

CLANG! The screwdriver drops out of Flynn’s hand.

…

Flynn’s right eye twitches manically.

As he scoops the tool back up off the ground.

“No. No-no-no. No-no-nononono-... No.”

Flynn shakes his head.

“No.”

Flynn jabs the screwdriver at Ned.

“See, Ned…”

Ned lifts his hands to block the tool. “Please don’t swing that at me… I don’t know where it’s been…”

“NED.” Flynn demands Kaye’s attention.

“...I’ve done some… not-great things in my life.”

…Understatement-of-the-century, Ned’s lip curls, unimpressed. Typical Flynn, minimizing the damage he’s done in the past.

“I’ve… betrayed people that put their trust in me… Like NK.”

“I’ve let people down that were counting on me to protect them… Like Larry… Like Lilabeth.”

…Ned’s eyes soften sympathetically.

…Before his eyes twist confused.

“Wait, who’s Larry?”

Flynn scowls. ”Larry Talbot. He was a pacifist wolfman I partnered with two Halloween shows ago… Betsy Granger stabbed him to death.” Flynn snaps his fingers twice. “Keep up, Ned.”

Ned exhales, exasperatedly. ”Fine. Go on.”

“Point being, I’ve let…” …Flynn pinches the bridge of his nose. “I’ve let… soooooooooo many people down.”

…

“Either because I wasn’t strong enough to be there when they needed me. Or because… I felt like they were weighing me down from reaching my potential…”

…

“And I kept telling myself. They’d all understand. Some day, I’d get there. I’d reach my peak and prove I was the best. And then, that’d fix everything. That’d undo all the harm I’d done, because I made it to the top… And I’d be in a position to help everybody.”

…Ned purses his lips. And then, Flynn became Uni champ. And decided to help only himself. Probably doesn’t even recognize that…

…Flynn scratches the back of his head. “Then… y’know… I got there. I won the Uni… And I got so wrapped up in finally being there… that I decided to help only myself.”

…Ned smiles. ”Oh, good! So, you also recognize what an asshole ‘Trademark’ Flynn was.”

…

……

Ned coughs.

“Sorry, go on.”

“I WILL!”

…

Flynn sighs. “Since becoming a GOOD GUY… I’ve told myself, I’d try to go back and fix it. That I’d make up for all the times I had to bend the rules or cross ethical boundaries… That someday, I’d balance the books, y’know?”

…Ned isn’t sure where Flynn is going with this. “...Well, that’s… admirable, I s’pose.” …Ned coughs. “I mean, *some* people just wouldn’t do wrong in the first place, but…”

“But, uh…” Flynn shakes his head. “I was thinking about… last Warfare. And I sat there in the locker room… For a while… Trying to think about how I could balance the books on… what I did.”

…

“Flynn, what happened… it wasn’t your fault. Gravy manipulated you into pres-”

“No.” Flynn shakes his head. “No, it is. It’s MY fault. And that’s okay. Because I can fix it.”

…

“What?”

“I can make it right. I can balance the books.” Flynn grabs the screwdriver off the ground. He taps the frame twice impatiently.

…Ned holds the metal piece again. Flynn resumes screwing.

…

“What do you mean, ‘make it right’?”

“You think it’s impossible, huh?” Flynn grits his teeth, quickening his construction. “All my life, people have told me.. Flynn can’t do this. He can’t win that. He can’t compete the right way. AND I DID IT, NED. I did it… EVERY. TIME.”

Flynn drops the screwdriver… WHIP! He smacks the side of his structure with his hand.


…The thing wobbles… It tilts!... But, it remains standing.

“I ACHIEVED…” Flynn continues, standing up, walking backwards a few steps. ”WHAT EVERYONE ELSE SAID WAS IMPOSSIBLE. Y’know what that tells me, Ned…” Flynn beckons, while fishing a hand into his pocket.

…Ned coughs. “...Did you want me to keep holding the side of this thing… Or was that just for screwing stuff in?”

Flynn turns around, eyes wide. “JESUS CHRIST, NED-FROM-THE-NECK-UP, get away from that thing! It could go off any second!”

“What?!?” Ned backpedals away, lifting his hands to his chest defensively.

“Get over here!” Flynn snaps, pointing beside himself. Ned abides, never taking his eyes off this “thing”... which apparently could “go off”!

Ned twists his neck, now concerned that Flynn is endangering the locals at Denny’s with his… invention? ”Flynn, what the hell even is this?!?”

“Y’KNOW WHAT THAT TELLS ME, NED.” Flynn spits back, returning to his train of thought, as he continues to dig deep into his pockets. ”THAT I AM CAPABLE OF ACHIEVING THE IMPOSSIBLE.”

Flynn… snorts angrily… As he switches pockets…

…On the ground, near Flynn’s work area, Ned spots a… bit of paper... Labelled in manic scrawl, ‘FLYNN’S INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY’.

…Using his boot, Ned fishes it towards him… And scoops it off the ground. He turns it over…

The napkin is covered in crude doodles… And manic calculus equations.

“THERE IT IS.” Flynn scoops it out of Ned’s hand… He grabs the pen out of Ned’s ear… And mutters through, double-checking his math…

“Flynn. Whatever you’re about to do… Let’s talk through it, first, okay?”

“No, no, nonononono.” Flynn shakes his head, not taking his eyes off his equations. “I’M DONE TALKING, NED. I’m done SAYING I’m a good guy. I’m ACTING LIKE ONE. I’m going to FIX IT.”

“...Fix what? Explain, Fl-...”

Ned’s eyes widen.

“Oh… Oh God.”

He spins toward the apparatus, horrified.

“This isn’t some…… resurrection machine… Is it, Flynn?” Ned shakes his head, crossing his fingers into a T in front of his chest towards the device. Ned shakes his head, horrified. ”Look, I know you’re feeling guilty… But bringing someone back from the dead… It NEVER WORKS OUT.”

…Flynn scoffs, putting the pen back against Ned’s ear.

“No, duh, Ned.”

…Ned squints, in disbelief that Flynn is in disbelief.

“...Wait, but you… you said you were fixing what you did wrong.”

“Ned, I’ve read Frankenstein AND Monkey’s Paw… AND seen Wonder Woman ‘84.” …A chill runs up Flynn’s spine, remembering that last one. “I may dabble in weird science from time-to-time… And sure, I’ve used stolen cadavers for promo props once or twice… But, I’m no necromancer, Ned. I can’t bring someone back to life myself.”

…Ned sighs, relieved.

“Phew, okay. Glad to hear it.”

“No, if we wanna bring Lilabeth back, we’ve gotta go to the source.”

…

“...What? The source?”

“Death.” Flynn says, putting little ticky checks next to his equations… Verifying them one-by-one. ”I’m fighting Death itself… And I’m getting Lilabeth’s life back… ”

…

“Sorry, you think you made a portal… to Death?”

“...Whaddy mean ‘think’? I MADE AN OPENING TO DEATH’S DOOR. All we have to do is walk through it.”

…

“Wow.”

…

“Y’know… I’d kinda prefer if you were making a resurrection machine.”

…

“At least, that’d make SOME sense… I’m trying to be here for you… But, you’re talking absolutely nonsense, Mark.”

Flynn shakes his head, lobbing the doodle sheet at Ned.

“Check my math, Nedentials. I’ve done the legwork. I can do this. I can fix it.”

…The paper flutters through the air, before Ned catches it, drawing it towards his face.

…

“Flynn, you wrote this on a Denny’s napkin.”

…

“So?” Flynn sneers.

“So, that makes me think you did this math in the half-hour I was driving here.”

Flynn sneers. ”WELL, JOKE’S ON YOU, NED! I was already AT the Denny’s when you called!”

…

“I did that math FORTY MINUTES AGO!”

…

“Flynn.” Ned offers sympathetically. ”Come sit with me. Let’s grab some waters and talk.” Ned tries to take Flynn by the arm. “I get that… maybe, this is how you process grief. Wanting to fix it? But, what’s done is done.”

“EXACTLY, Ned.” Flynn snaps his fingers, tugging himself out of Ned’s grip. “That’s what I said. The past is the past. We’ve gotta look toward the future. And the future is ME FIXING THE PAST.”

…

“That…” Ned smacks his hand against his forehead. “That isn’t what ‘the past is the past’ means!”

“WELL, IT SHOULD.”

…

“Flynn. There’s no way that thing takes you to… Death? Is that what you’re trying to do here?”

…Flynn grins his teeth. Tapping the napkin of equations in Ned’s hand.

“Say it could, though. Hypothetically, If it could make a portal to where death is… I could reach death. If I could reach death, I could fight death. If I could fight death, I could get Lilabeth’s soul back.” Flynn counts off each step on his fingers.

“If you *really* think about it… I’m only FOUR STEPS AWAY… from fixing EVERYTHING.”

…

“Every step you’ve described BY ITSELF… is impossible.”

…

Flynn reaches over to his pocket, where he pulls out a small, portable switch.

“But… what if it wasn’t?”

“...Flynn.”

Flynn flips the switch.

…The metallic frame rumbles…

And a blue light opens between the poles.

A swirling cerulean vortex.

“STEP 1. CHECK.”Flynn barks.

Ned shakes his head. “Flynn, listen to me.”

“STEP 2…” Flynn marches toward the portal…

“Mark, I don’t know what you want me to do here, but I ca-”

“HELP ME, NED.”Flynn spits…

…

“Or don’t. I don’t care what *you* do. I’m FIXING this.” Flynn takes a deep breath… And sprints through the portal.

…

Ned glances backwards at his car, calling longingly to him in its parking spot.

“You could go home right now, Ned.” Ned tells himself.

…

“No one would fault you if you went home… Right now.”

……

Ned exhales.

“Dammit.”

Kaye walks through the portal  himself.

***

I get it.

It sounds crazy, doesn’t it?

It sounds IMPOSSIBLE.

…

Hell, theoretical physics ‘sounds’ impossible.

What I’m promising…

No, what I’m GUARANTEEING…

Sounds like the deranged gibberings of a mental invalid.

Like absolute madness.

…

But think about what I’ve achieved in the past.

What I’ve been told to my FUCKING FACE…

Was impossible.

…

I was told, it was IMPOSSIBLE… that anyone successfully defend the X-Treme title through an entire WarGames event.

It had never been done before. The belt almost always gets hot-potatoed three or four times over the course of the night.

No one… NO ONE… has ever entered and exited WarGames, retaining the X-Treme title.

…

No one.

Until Mark Flynn.

…

I was told, it was UNFATHOMABLE. Beating two of the most talented Universal champions in XWF HISTORY… back-to-back… in the SAME WEEK.

Are you kidding me? Do you know how ELITE people that even compete for the Uni are?

Then, the people who win it? Are on an entirely different echelon of talent.

Doctor Louis D’Ville? An XWF LEGEND. The THIRD-longest-reigning champion of all XWF titles of ALL-TIME.

Sidney Grey. THE SINGLE-Fastest earning Universal Champion. She won the belt TWO MONTHS AFTER HER DEBUT.

There’s NO WAY… NOT A SINGLE CHANCE IN HELL. That ANYONE on God’s Green Earth…

Could beat one… Then, turn around and beat the other five nights later.

No one could do it.

…

No one.

Until Mark Flynn.*

*Results pending.**

**Boy, there’s gonna be egg on my face if Sid pulls it off, huh?

…

Point being, I’ve been around the block more than my fair share of times.

I’ve fought robots, androids, vampires, wolfmen, wolfWOMEN…

wizards, monsters, angels…

FUCKING SPACE JESUS…

…

I fought in an industry that chews through genuine talent and spews vapor and ash.

I’ve seen once-in-a-generation wrestling ability, chewed up…

Spit out…

And found INSUFFICIENT to remain.

…

This world… The wrestling world.

It doesn’t care how talented you are on your best night.

The tricks you can pull, the dazzling moves you can muster, when everything’s going your way.

…

Wrestling is a world that will punch you in the stomach until you’re bleeding out of your mouth.

Then, pull back the curtain and say ‘Get out there, kid. And you better not FUCKING half-ass it.’

Week-in, week-out, if you want to stick around, you have to pull out the very best you have in the tank…

…

And I’ve done it.

In this world, where sometimes signings last a week… Where the next big thing today is yesterday’s news tomorrow…

I’ve lasted ELEVEN.

FUCKING.

YEARS.

…

I’ve held the Universal Title.

I’ve beaten half of the Top 50… (The half that’s been on the roster the same time I have…)

I’ve beaten NINE XWF LEGENDS.

Only THREE competitors have held championship gold more combined days than I have… And I’ve won matches against EACH and EVERY ONE OF THEM!

…

Technically.

I mean, I actually beat Dock AND Rob Main.

Although, not sure how to count Engy. I’ve beaten Corey twice, though, so I think that counts as pounding Engy’s body. An that counts for…

…

Haha, phrasing.

Let’s focus up.

I’ve achieved truly LEGENDARY FEATS.

But the pinnacle of my achievement?

The highest trophy on my mantle?

One that truly no one ever HAS duplicated, WOULD duplicate, or WILL duplicate in wrestling history?

One time, I wrestled Micheal Graves at a Pay-Per-View main event…

…And made the match entertaining.

HAHAHAHAHAHA.

Go fuck yourself, Mieky.

You want to blame all your problems on ME? On the Optimal Path?

First off. Yes. Buyer beware, The Optimal Path was a scam. Designed to benefit ME.

There’s not a world where I could argue to the contrary.

I mean, look at my once-satisfied customers…

Job Guy is still on the injured list.

‘The’ Jessica Anderson hasn’t been booked since Anarchy went under Gator’s management.

Monday Night Madness, on which I set viewership records for my watched promo of all-time…. Has been… cancelled, maybe?

I dunno. It hasn’t been on the air in an entire PPV cycle. Which, by wrestling math, means it’s dead.

But, Micheal? Mieky, ol’ buddy, ol’ pal?

You’re saying the Optimal Path ruined your career?

Go FUCK yourself, kid.

You ruined your own career.

You’ve spent years, force-fed opportunity after opportunity after opportunity by management.

And YOU’VE come up short every time.

Is it my fault you’re a deranged lunatic who kidnaps children?

Who RIGGED EXPLOSIVES to a terminally-ill eight-year-old?

…Nah, Miek.

I just beat you.

Then, I beat you.

Then, I beat you again.

I beat a lot of people. I’m very good at what I do.

But, Y’know what doesn’t happen to most of them?

They don’t turn into homicidal maniacs after losing once too often?

They might hit the gym to get better…

They might quit the industry.

But no one…

NO ONE.

Ever turned around and killed someone to try and get in my head.

…

No one…


Until Micheal Graves.

You’re a cancer, Micheal.

The last vestige of an era this company has spent billions of dollars, work hours and energy burying.

Of shock value over actual entertainment.

Of guillotines and hangings over actual fucking wrestling.

The world has moved on. We’re in a better place now.

And yet, you remain.

A tumor harming MY sport.

Killing my…

…Well, Lilabeth wasn’t a fan of mine.

As we both know, I don’t have many of those.

But she loved wrestling. Just like I love wrestling.

And for the love of this game.

I’m about to kill a leech.

A parasite.

A living poison too dangerous to leave without risking everything around it.

…

I can fix this.

I can save everyone.

I can create something better.

…

Step one.

Remove Micheal Graves.

By any.

Means.

Necessary.