Threaded Mode | Linear Mode

The Engineer · (10-13-2017)

We see Xtreme champion The Engineer sitting at the end of a rustic wooden pier. The sky is gray and overcast, and the ocean water laps lazily at the trusses holding the pier aloft. Engy's sitting in a cheap fold out lawn chair. Kingbreaker is laying to his side. His hands are occupied by the crown he won at King of the Ring. It has been washed clean of Barney's shit and returned to it's original splendor. Engy considers it now, absent mindedly rolling it over and over in his hands.

I wanted this back so badly....

He looks at the camera, tapping the crown with his forefinger.

I see things different now. It's amazing the kind of radical shift in perspective 30 IQ points will bring. For instance....

He tosses the crown into the ocean.

I believe it was the late, great George Carlin who said “Symbols are for the symbol minded.” No wonder I was so hung up on the damn thing. But I see now that it was indeed just a symbol. Taking that crown from me in no way actually diminished the history I made. It in no way diminished the fact that within three months of my debut a simpleton was made King of the Ring and Xtreme champion in the same night, and that the almighty Kings were either unwilling or unable to stop it.

The camera cuts to a shot over the water as the crown vanishes beneath the murky depths, giving out one last glisten like a final choked cry before drowning.

But I think the biggest reason I got no use for the damn thing anymore is the plain simple fact that you fucks gave it back to me. Like you were condescending to return my booby prize, like some entities from on high sighing and rolling your eyes and granting some mere mortal a solid. And ever since then I can't stand to look at the fuckin' thing.

Ya see, I don't want ANYTHING you assholes GIVE me. Which is just making this match with John Samuels all the more galling. Because it's become clear as day that I'm being handed this match. That all the fight, all the drive and desire has left John Samuels and rendered him a wispy husk upon which he hangs a legacy that he is allowing to DIE. Goddamn does that piss me off. You were supposed to be my RIVALS. My VILLAINS! And what have I gotten? School yard bullies who bricked in their drawers once their victim grew a brain and decided to get down and dirty with them. I even had to SHAME Theo Price into finally addressing what I did to his wife.

Just what the fuck kinda heels are you?

Engy shakes his head dismissively.

Shit John, I think your apathy might even be contagious. I mean, check it. Seeing as how I'm now XWF's resident in house monster, with Halloween around the corner I should be doing some truly twisted shit right now. I had PLANS man. That whole cattle killing thing from last time? That's Driving Miss fuckin' DAISY compared to what else I had on the back burner. But then I realized, why should I bust out the good china for a guest that can't be arsed to appreciate it?

So I'm not. You get me sitting here, on a pier, watching the shit crown you handed me sink in the ocean. You know what else you get? A perma-ban on ever talking shit about the quality of myself or the rest of the XWF roster ever again. Okay, okay, do I honestly have two fucks to rub together about the rest of the roster (except maybe Robbie if we're still cool, call me!)? No.

In that quarter assed literal wank session you called a promo leading up to your match with Luca, you shit on the quality of the competition now. And here you were handed a prime opportunity to prove your point by taking down the alpha dog of XWF's new school, and so far it's just been one big hard pass. Oh sure, there's a chance you could cut some last minute deadline humping dredge to pretend to care about putting asses in the seats. And you may even throw a few punches before bending down, grabbing your ankles, and giving yourself an out of body experience to protect your fragile psyche from the shame, but it'll all just be token resistance. The bare minimum proffered up by a broken man bitching into the wind about how much everything sucks now, all the while being too chicken shit to try to prove it.

But hell, while we're at it, lets talk about just one more way you've screwed the pooch John. This match? This match is the last thing I needed to secure MY legacy. How's that? Go have a read of the XWF bylaws again. More specifically, the perks of being an XWF champion. 8 weeks. Five scheduled title defenses. This is the start of week eight. You're number five.

You pickin' up what I'm puttin' down?

You're my BRIEFCASE John. The last bulwark against me ushering The Dark Ages all up in this bitch. You held the power to stop me in my tracks and you pissed it away. Well, actually, you probably pissed it all over the seat, those hands do shake an awful lot now, don't they?

Coulda been epic. Coulda been....

He trails off wistfully before hocking a big black loogie into the water.

So now that we've established that I am GOING to win and that I am GOING on to earn a 24/7 briefcase, where does that leave us?

Theo? Are you there? I'm talking to you. Turns out your boy ain't good for shit. You gonna let me swoop in and run roughshod over YOUR company? Or are you gonna nut up and actually protect what's yours this time? It'd be an interesting change of pace.

But might I offer a suggestion? The next time you make me run a gauntlet of your besties, might wanna start with Doc. At least he seems to be able to find his ass with both hands without collapsing into clinical depression.

Later days gentlemen. I'll see you on the other side of Leap of Faith. I'll be the one with a 24/7 Briefcase, and you'll be the ones wondering why your Kingdom looks a whole lot scarier.

Engy gets up from the chair and stretches. He notices that the phone in his pocket is buzzing. He scratches his stomach and lets it ring itself out until it goes to voicemail. Once this is done, he plucks it out of his pocket.

Hate these fuckin' things....

Bringing it to his ear, he listens in on the voicemail that was just left.

**Beep**Dexter, this is Dr. Bennie. Look time no speak. Will you still be able to make it to our session next week? I do hope so.

This is more than an appointment reminder, however. I have an urgent matter to discuss with you. I, erm....look, I'm not going to insult your intelligence. I know that you know that Tomi and I were acquainted and that her meeting you wasn't exactly kismet. It was....look, you need to understand that it was part of the therapeutic process. Was an element of deception involved? Yes. But she saved your life, Dexter. You would have killed yourself and I....I had to make a decision.

But my point is.....Tomi's missing, Dexter. Now, please just hear me out. I'm not throwing accusations or anything like that, but I just want to know if you've SEEN her lately. Her parents are growing very concerned.

Please call me.

Engy exits from his voicemail inbox and replaces the phone in his pocket. He picks up Kingbreaker and hefts it up over his shoulder. He takes one last look out over the water, and then walks down the pier.

I found my thrill....on blueberry hill....

He continues to hum the tune as he steps out of the shot. The camera closes in on the water and suddenly, it looks so much more unsettling, so much more foreign and terrible. All that vastness, those shadowy depths that can hold so much and never speak a word of it.

Somewhere, a princess is crowned. The ocean stays silent.

[Image: 45bcda46779.55f729b8536b0.jpg]

Threaded Mode \| Linear Mode Broken Crown
Author	Message