It's been a busy week for our Three Heroes. First the group spent some time in Turkey cruising for chicks. Well, the John's, Samuel and Madison were cruising for chicks, Theo was busy on his double super secret mission, his very first as a member of the C.I.A. Once they were all sufficiently board with that country the fellas decided to have some fun, some real fun and what better place than Tijuana? And as expected great fun was had. Samuels got drunk as only John Samuels can. Theo stuck his chorizo in some authentic Mexican taco and John Madison cleaned up in a game of Mexican Roulette. As completely fucked up as that sounded things actually managed to get worse. If you knew that John Madison, Theo Pryce and John Samuels being in Mexico together would end up devolving into a dumpster fire of biblical proportions then raise your hand, you get a cookie.

Unfortunately a cadre of dead Mexicans wasn't the worst thing to happen to the Three Kings. John accidently killing the wife of a Mexican Drug Lord who had only seconds prior engaged in coidice witih Theo Pryce in the back of a pickup truck was also not the worst thing to happen to the Three Kings. Even a massive fire fight with the Cartel Leader and his henchmen that saw our three conquering heroes walk away unscathed was not the worst thing to happen on this day. The award for most fucked up thing to happen to Madison, Samuels and Pryce would most definitely be the fact that the three of them had to crawl through several miles of a shit to cross the border into the United States . However some smooth talking and a few showers later and the men went on their merry and usually self destructive way, taking care of some last minute business before heading to England for Wednesday Night Warfare.


BZZZZZZZZT!!!


BZZZZZZZZT!!!


"What the fuck is that? Make it stop!" yells John Samuels who prior to the buzzing sound had been passed out on an air mattress wearing nothing but his favorite cowboy hat and a pair of brown loafers.


BZZZZZZZZT!!!


"Seriously, I'm going to fucking kill someone. Make it stop."


Theo's head slowly rises up out of a pile of clothes, his eyes doing their best Chinaman impression as he looks throughout the room for the source of the buzzing.


BZZZZZZZZT!!!


"Mother fucker."

"Calm down John. It's just a cell phone."

"I don't care if it's Pamela Lane's vibrator make it fucking stop."

"I will John once I find the damn thing."


Theo emerges from the pile of clothes wearing a pair of Superman boxers and nothing else.


"Nice boxers, what are you 12?"

"They are my lucky boxers. I fucked your mother in these."

"My mom's dead asshole."

"Well she is now, she wasn't when I fucked her."

"Whatever. Did you find that phone?"

"No, it stopped."

"Great."


Theo continues to stand in place looking throughout the room trying to find out where the phone might have been but coming up with nothing.


BZZZZZZZZT!!!

"Not again."

BZZZZZZZZT!!!


Theo takes a few quick steps forward, kneels down and rifles through another pile of clothes.


BZZZZZZZZT!!!

"Got it."


Theo yanks his fist out of a pile of clothes, cell phone in hand.


"Who is it?"

"Madison."

"Well aren't you going to answer it?"

BZZZZZZZZT!!!

"Wasn't planning on it. I'm enjoying these few moments of calm."

"Answer it, it could be important."


Theo sighs but relents. He swipes his finger across the screen and then hits the button marked "speaker."


"What do you want John."

"We have your friend John Madison. If you do not deliver to us $100 million dollars we will send pieces of him to you every hour on the hour until there is nothing left."

"$100 million you say? You can keep him."

"Theo!"

"Fuck me. Fine. When and where?"

"We will call you back in one hour with the location."


The call ends abruptly leaving Theo and Samuels speechless.


"Fucking Christ."

"What's the problem?"

"Are you kidding me? I was hoping to relax for a few hours and then film my last promo responding to whatever it is Team Remedial had to say but now, now I have to deal with this."

"Well lucky for you those three assholes haven't said much of anything in days. Chances are they are probably waiting until the last minute to say whatever they have to say in hopes that people remember what was said most recently and not what was most compelling. Especially after the verbal beatdown we've handed them so far."

"That sounds like the kind of bullshit those cock suckers would try and pull. But now it doesn't matter. Even if those failures had been saying stuff the last few days instead of hiding I now wouldn't have anytime to respond because I need to scrounge up $100 million bucks. Fucking John, always manages to get himself jammed up."

"It's uncanny."

"It's something."

"Oh come on. Its funny. The guy has the worst luck in history."

"Luck has nothing to do with it. The guy is a psychopath."

"Not for nothing Theo but you've killed a few people of your own. Paid some scumbag to beat your sister, or the woman you thought was your sister just so you could get your company back. Besides John is good for business.

"Good for business? Whose business? Not my business. Certainly not yours."

"Our business, the XWF."

"I don't see you offering up $100 million to get him back."

"Is that what this is about? Money?"

"No it's not. I clean my ass with $100 million it's the principle of the whole thing. It's principalities in this."

"Channeling your inner Big Worm?"

"Glad you caught that. Alright fuck it. I guess we gotta get ready and I need to go and get the money."

"You didn't put your money in American banks did you?"

"Do I look to you? No all my money is overseas where it belongs."

"Smart man. So how we doing this?"

"Well first we need to get dressed, I need to get something to eat and then I guess we wait for these guys to call."

One Hour Later Denny's Restaurant

"Of all the places Theo, why Denny's? Even the hotel restaurant is better than this shit hole."

"It's Madison's favorite place. It just felt right."

"That's a bit morbid but ok."

"No a fat with an uncanny ability to distort facts and lose wrestling matches to people he outweighs by 200 pounds would be Morbid. This is just breakfast. Now where the fuck is my Moons Over My Hammy?"

"And I would walk 500 miles and I would 500 more."

"What the fuck is that?

"The Proclaimers I think."

"Where did it come from?"

"And I would walk 500 miles and I would 500 more."

"I have no clue."


Theo reaches down in his pocket and pulls out his phone, the screen is lit up and reads "Unavailable."


"That's your ringtone?"

"No, I just used the standard Samsung ringtone."

"And I would walk 500 miles and I would 500 more."

"Doesn't sound like it."

"Fucking Madison, he must have changed it. One time he changed my background to a picture of a guy eating shit."

"That's disturbing."

"And I would walk 500 miles and I would 500 more."

"Answer that God damn thing."


Theo swipes across the screen initiating the call, again he puts it on speaker. As he does so the waitress comes over with his and Samuels' breakfast.


"Not now you twisted bitch, can't you see I'm in a meeting?"


The Waitress face turns bright red, she says nothing instead she just turns around and scurries off as everyone around him including Samuels looks on in disgust.


"That wasn't very nice Mr. Pryce."

"What do you want?"

"Do you have the money?"

"I'm working on it."

"Work faster. Negley Park by the big oak tree. You have 30 minutes. Come alone."

"Wait. how will I know what to do once I get there?"

"30 minutes Mr. Pryce."


The call ends and Theo pockets his phone.


"So now what?"

"Now we go to Negley Park."

"You mean you go. He said come alone."

"I heard what he said but i'm not walking into an ambush."

"Are you sure that's the right thing to do? We are talking about Madison's life."

"All they want is the money. I'll give them that and that will be the end of it."

"Are you sure? How do you know that they won't just decide to increase it to $200 million or $500 million?"

"I don't but if they do then I have a backup plan."

"What is it?"

"Let them do whatever they want to John. Kill him. Release him. Rape him. Rape him and then kill him, doesn't matter. They want $100 million it's theirs. They want more than that and they can fuck off."

"Alright, let's do this."


Theo and Samuels get up from their table. Samuels reaches into his pocket and pulls out a $100 bill and throws it on the table. The two men then exit the restaurant get into Theo's rental car and drive first to the bank and then lastly to Negley park. All in all the little trip takes 20 minutes giving Theo enough time to park at the top of the hill and look down on the spot where the drop is to take place. Surprisingly there is a man seated alone on a bench next to the big oak tree. The man is wearing a black pea coat and a black top hat. Theo and Samuels exit the vehicle and slowly and quietly approach the bench from the south end of the park as doing so allows them to sneak up from behind whoever it is that is sitting there. As the two men close in on the bench the man seated there shifts his weight slightly and then turns his head. Not enough to give away any of his face but far enough to indicate that he is aware of his guests.


"I thought I told you to come alone Mr. Pryce."

"You did but not knowing what would be here waiting for me I did the smart thing and brought back up."

"Is your friends life worth so little that you would defy me?"

........

"Do you have the money?"

"Yes."

"$100 million dollars, U.S?"

"Yes."

"Good."


The man on the bench then stands up, takes his hand down from his mouth and turns around.


"You son of a bitch."

"Amazing."

"Oh come on Theo. It's all in good fun."

"You are such a fucking asshole."

"And yet you were going to pay some stranger $100 million dollars to get me back. Admit it, deep down you like me."

"Was there a point to any of this?"

"Yes. It was a team building exercise. You guys passed, now let's go win the trios titles."


John puts his top hat back and follows Theo and Samuels back to Theo's rental car. Next stop, London.

quiescence