We open on Joachim Bright, prodigal son to XWF's arguably most unstoppable reigning title holder, sitting at Madison's kitchen table and eating a bowl of Crunch Berries. Hes wearing a white hoodie that looks like it's a couple sizes too big for him, bearing the countenance of someone still trying to shake off the last couple days of life changing upheaval that has brought him to this moment in time.

Enter The Engineer from stage left to not make things any easier. He walks up to his son and dumps an envelope full of documents onto the table in front of the boy's cereal bowl. Some of the contents of the envelope spill out, fanning over the table. The camera shot catches the label on the envelope: “Flynt Genetic Testing Services”. The boy almost seems to retreat further back into the hoodie as the papers scatter.

You're mine.

BEFORE

So, the fix is in, huh?

The Engineer is standing in front of a map of West Virginia, the state with the senate seat he is vying for in 2018. The map is an electoral map, plotting the confusing meandering of the gerrymandered district lines. A serpentine division in the land, such a simple thing that, in actuality, represents one of the greatest cancers in American politics.

A lot of people don't realize just how much of politics is a settled matter. The majority of the country is already beholden to one political party or the other, so in effect, that old adage muttered by cranky old malcontents and jaded hipsters is actually true.

Your vote really doesn't matter that much.

The world runs on foregone conclusions, really. So I guess I shouldn't be all that shocked that the brass is already putting the screws to the Motherfuckers and putting their stamp of approval on their chosen ones.

Hello, James Raven. Long time no see. Pity it couldn't have been longer.

Engy lights up a cigarette and pops it in his mouth.

Special guest referee James Raven. How 'bout that. The great James Raven, floating in from some tropical isle reeking of supermodel sweat and overpriced martini's. Mr. International himself, talkin' about how Robbie Bourbon ain't good enough to be Universal Champion.

I really, really should have seen this coming. I mean, not even a couple weeks ago Jim Caedus had his nose firmly planted up your ass, huffing your farts and telling the world that James Raven only lost his title because of how “life weary” he was. Whatever the fuck that means....I guess in your case it means exhaustion from porkng too many solid 9.5's? Or maybe all that anxiety provoking indecision in choosing which mirror to gaze longingly into today? Your life sucks James! I see where he's coming from.

But I guess you're over all that now and you're here telling the entire XWF universe who is and isn't worthy of being it's champion. And telling us what is and isn't a loss. Ya know James, I swear to fucking GOD this is the only sport in the known world where assholes like you have the balls to try to handwave away something that hundreds of thousands of people witnessed real time. You think I didn't notice that verbal jiggery pokery you tried to pull, trying to fess up to losing the Universal all the while asking if Robbie feels like he REALLY REALLY beat you? Like for reals?

Engy leans into the camera, puffing the smoke right at the lens. He then pulls it out of his mouth and stabs it into the map, leaving a burning hole in the center of West Virginia.

OF COURSE HE REALLY BEAT YOU, YOU FUCKING TWAT! Nobody FORCED you to turn over that title, you LOST it. To Robbie Bourbon!

And if Robbie is as utterly worthless as a Universal champion as you say he is, if he is that truly UNDESERVING, then what the fuck does that make the man who lost to him?

Regardless of what came after, Robbie beat you fair and square. And you can't stand it. So now, at the behest of Apex and your self appointed role as “torch bearer” you are here to screw him over. You're proving what a petty little wad of sniveling fuck all you are and instead of manning up and challenging for the belt, you're gonna dick Robbie's team over. Sounds a lot like the kind of duck and cover tactics you accuse Robbie of using. You got beef with him, bring your ass back here and call for a rematch. This is a bitch move, James.

Engy looks away from the camera, runs his hands through his hair in frustration, and then looks back, a vicious snarl on his face.

No, no, no....it's more than that. It's so much more than that! It's a dangerous move....for you. Because if you call this match anything to the left or right of fucking center, I am gonna reach into your belly, and tie your guts off so you fill up with all the same toxic shit you just tried to force feed on us. I have spent my entire time here in the XWF being told that all my accomplishments don't matter....being held down despite being the kind of ass busting paragon that you yourself say you value!

If you ruin this match for me, I will gut you like a fish James Raven. I am DONE being spat on from on high by smarmy pretty boy cunt stains like you who think they know what's best for the XWF and who think they know what's best for me!

Down the middle. Or die.

Your choice.

NOW

So where do we go from here?

The Engineer goes to the cupboard and pulls out a bowl. He places it down on the table, across from Joachim and pulls up a seat.

That is an excellent question my boy, and one that depends largely on you.

What does that mean?

Engy starts pouring himself a bowl of cereal.

What exactly did you do to get the cops after you?

You didn't answer my question.

No. I. Did. Not. Because my first priority is finding out what I brought into my home.

Are you seriously saying that I'm a threat to you? Because that was you screaming downstairs this morning about how your going to disembowel somebody named James Raven, right?

Engy chuckles and lifts up a finger.

I actually said I was gonna reach in his belly and tie off his guts, that's a little different.

Okay, well from where I'm sitting that definitely makes you the scary one.

Engy chuckles some more. The boy tenses up, wondering if maybe he pushed too hard.

You're a bright boy. No pun intended. Let me start again. I would deeply and profoundly appreciate it if you would tell me what happened.

Joachim looks down at his cereal, as though his options would be there. Seeing none, he relents.

A little girl came to us. Her daddy was beating her up. She was scared, and had been on the streets for a long time. She found us, but by then she was real sick, had a real bad fever. I wanted to take her to a hospital but she started freaking out, saying that they would just call her dad. I knew she needed to be inside, somewhere safe. The nights were cold. So I used a credit card one of the other kids stole to rent her a few nights in a hotel room. The hotel asked for a name and I panicked and used your last name. I've never been a good liar....

Engy spits half chewed cereal into the table as he tries to chortle back a laugh. He waggles his finger at his son, stifling his chuckles.

Heh heh heh...you're a bad liar? You have....you have NO idea how funny that is...given the context....

Joachim looks confused, but Engy presses on.

Nevermind. Anyway, look kid. When Madison came up with this half cocked plan to come seek you out, I was against it. I figured that anything that was a byproduct of me and on top of all that a byproduct of a crazy woman raping a young boy (also me)...well, I figued that there was a recipe for a person who is a bonafide pain in the fucking ass. What I didn't count on was.....you.

...me?

Yeah. I didn't count on somebody I could learn something from.

Before

You know what else James Raven means? It means Apex cedes the high ground on this one. I mean, granted you guys have grown quite mum on your claims that you're the good guys and Robbie is the great duplicitous Satan since I completely tore that argument to shreds. But any last, whimpering vestige of moral high ground you chucklefucks may have had heading into War Games? It DIED the moment you got in bed with James Raven.

Apex has finally shown their ass. I mean, for the second time. No one could ever forget the sight of Drew's unwashed stinker. Because for all of the Motherfuckers faults, we were going into this fight like men. Willing to go toe to toe and square up the way epic confrontations the likes of ours SHOULD be settled.

Do you guys understand the full ramifications of what James Raven's interference is doing to your credibility? I mean hell, the guy has already screamed to the rooftops that he's biased as fuck, hopping right aboard the Robbie Bourbon hate train and slobbing all over Jimbo's knob by proclaiming him the second coming. You thinking he's gonna be an impartial official in this match? Of course not. He's got an axe to grind. He lost to Robbie after months and months of “GOAT” blather. And not only that, after he lost he bitched the fuck on outta here so fast you'd think all that product in his hair caught fire.

This is a problem for you boys. Whether you want to admit it to yourselves or not. And if you guys do win at War Games, it will always....ALWAYS come sidled with a little asterisk next to that dubya...like a grain of perpetual doubt: APEX BEAT THE MOTHERFUCKERS WITH A BIASED REF.

You boys wanna go out like that? Or do you want to win completely and legitimately? Because the way things are now, you cannot do that.

Robert Main, I'm gonna appeal to you most of all. Because you know that I may be a snake. I may be a rotten son of a bitch, but you know I've always fought my own battles. I volunteered to defend my championship against both you and Jim. I fight fist, tooth and nail! And I know that you see that in me. Bobby, tell James Raven to go blow. Tell him you don't need him to beat the Motherfuckers. If you truly have respect for me as you say you do, you will do this.

As for you Drew, you made an honest attempt at answering my question, so I would be remiss if I didn't offer you the time a day. Those were some mighty interesting hypothetical scenarios. There's just one thing you didn't consider.

I have a plan.

I have a very, very good plan. A plan that placates Robbie Bourbon and shows him that he can trust me. A plan that keeps me out of his lane while shaking things up around here in new and unexpected ways as only a man with a brain as busted as mine can. I can't say much more than that without tipping my hat. But you're a scheming little turd yourself so I'm sure you understand. And as for your accusations of Robbie being jealous of me? Perhaps they're true. Perhaps one day, down the line he does get angry enough at me for stealin' his shine that he decides to do something about it. Or perhaps I get hit by a truck tomorrow. Perhaps one or both of us isn't even in the company by the time he starts getting salty about playin' second fiddle. Perhaps...perhaps....perhaps. We can guess at the future all day. But the bottom line is that me being concerned with Robbie Bourbon turning on me is contingent on an assumption that I am not ready for him.

And Drew....I'm ready for ANYONE.

NOW

You have something to learn from me?

The Engineer leans back in his chair, but hisses out a curse as the back of the chair cuts right into one of his shrapnel wounds.

You're hurt....

Yeah, don't worry about it....

Engy reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small baggy of pain killers. He drops a few in his mouth and swallows them.

I was expecting a fuck-up Joachim. But....that's not what you are. I mean, maybe you're a fuck-up in some ways, I dunno. But Madison saw something in you....

She kinda groped me.

Yeah uhhhhh sorry about that. Harvina Weinstein likes 'em young. But your looks wasn't what she was talkin' about. She said you had a quality about you. The other kids in that hippy camp a yours seemed to look up to you. They cared about you. Hell, that one kid was willing to go to jail for you. What the fuck was the deal with that? Were you two lovers?

No.

Well then that makes it even more fucked. Who inspires that kind of loyalty, that kind of dedication in people?! It just...well it just fascinates me.

Engy's eyes narrow at Joachim from across the table. He studies his son, tapping his finger on the end of his cereal spoon and making it dip in and out of the bowl with a series of clinking sounds.

All my life I've had people's fear, Joachim. Their revulsion. Their hatred. And, on rare occasions, their begrudging respect. But you know what I've never had? Their love. I am running for senate. And I am quickly becoming a major face of the XWF. I've never known love and never actually given it. I need to understand it.

You want me...to teach you love...?

Joachim looks at Engy skeptically. Engy makes a “meeehhhhh” sound.

Ehhhhhhh...more like I want you to teach me how to get people to love me.

You want me to teach you manipulation?

No. I already do that. This is a step above that.

Joachim allows himself a sardonic laugh.

You might as well just kill me now, or whatever it is you're going to do to me. Because what you want...I can't give it to you.

Joachim gets up and tosses his cereal bowl in the sink. He turns back towards his father.

Mom left a suicide note before she hung herself. In it, she said that she was so sorry for what she did to you while she was sick. I'm starting to think that that apology was wasted ink.

Engy smiles as his boy scowls. Joachim takes a pack of cigarettes out of his breast pocket.

I'll be waiting for your knife to fall. But if you could at least let me have one last burner that would be great.

Those will give you cancer.

Like you care.

Engy watches him go. He drums his fingers on the table a few times, a wry expression on his face.

i KiNDa lIkE hIm....

The Engineer catches a trickle of black ichor as it slips from his nostril as the shot cuts to....