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Centurion · (05-28-2021)

(Centurion has no idea what to expect.

It was over a decade ago when Centurion last saw Mr. Blue, and the meeting then was not pleasant. This snug wannabe businessman took millions of dollars out of Centurion's casino, and did it with a smile on his face and a spring in his step. Back then, if Centurion had his way, Mr. Blue would have had his brains splattered against the wall.

And now, the very man who tried to take everything from Centurion is the one he is reaching out to in hopes of getting it all back.

We open up inside a car in some undisclosed park in the middle of the night. There, we see Centurion sitting in the driver's seat, staring out the window into the relative darkness. He taps his fingers against the door with one hand, and has his head in his other hand, looking bored. After what feels like an eternity, the back door to the car opens. The aforementioned Mr. Blue takes his seat right behind Centurion and closes the door. Centurion goes to turn and look at him, but Mr. Blue stops him.)

Blue: Eyes to the front, sweetheart. I only need your ears.

(Centurion, instead, glances up at the rearview mirror in order to see the British gentleman.)

[Image: 8S0SKSE.png]

Blue: Here's how this is going to work - I talk, you don't, it's called "listening".

(Mr. Blue rolls down the window next to him and pulls out a cigarette from his jacket pocket. He also pulls out a lighter from his pocket, and lights the cigarette before taking a drag and holding his cigarette out the window.)

Blue: Relax. I know this can't be easy for you, but the way I see it, there is no one else in the entire world that can do what I do. Which means, as of this moment, you're in my pocket. If I were you, I'd get nice and cozy in there, because with your help, we're going to make them a LOT deeper. You see, every band needs a frontman, and you...well, you're going to be our sparking primadonna.

Centurion: Are you going to speak in circles all night, or are you going to tell me how I'm going to stop my casino from being sold to these rats?

(Mr. Blue takes another drag of his cigarette before exhaling and giving a slight smile.)

Blue: See, this is why I am where I am...and you are where you are. You're a brute with no creativity. You see a situation, and you assume there's only one way to solve a problem. That's how you've been outfoxed this entire time. You're trying to solve a puzzle you can't handle. But me? Well, old Mr. Blue here is going to bring in new pieces. We're not going to prevent the sale of your casino.

(Centurion's eyebrows curl in as he snarles into the rearview mirror.)

Centurion: What the hell are you talking about?! If you're not here to prevent the sale, then why did I call you at all?!

Blue: Because I'm smarter than you, and you know it. See, you're not going to prevent the sale of the casino. In fact, you're going to show up on the day of the ribbon cutting like the good little boy scout you are. Then, you're going to turn around and buy your casino back...with their own money.

(Centurion's face of rage turns into one of confusion.)

Centurion: I don't understand.

Blue: Of course you don't. That's alright, though, I'm here to break it all down for you. The estate of George Latimore currently has control over the casino, and they are holding onto it with a death grip. Even if you get the rest of your business back, the sale of the casino is going to go through. Sure, you can spend the rest of your life fighting this in court, and maybe you'll have a little cash left to give to your daughter when you finally kick the bucket. Or, we take all the money from the Sands that we can fit in our pockets, and you buy the place back. Are you still with me, sunshine?

(Centurion just nods as Mr. Blue takes another drag of his cigarette and exhales it.)

Blue: Good. After the sale is finalized, we're going to go to Macau. The Sands has four casinos within walking distance of each other. You, me, and our little band are going to steal so much money from them that they're going to want to liquidate one of their assets so they don't have to report a net loss to their investors. That's when you turn around, make them an offer on the old, dusty casino that they just bought and had yet to open, and you buy the place at a higher price then they bought it originally. So they think they're making a profit off it, when in actuality, you're just giving them back the money that was theirs to begin with.

Centurion: The amount of money we would need to take is well over $250 million. So what's the plan? Blow a hole in the safe and fly out in a helicopter?

Blue: This ain't no action movie, sweetheart, and you sure as hell are no James Bond. We're going to steal the money right out from under them. But you'll get to meet the rest of the crew and hear our plan a little later on. For now, I need you to go about your business, act normal, and your tea will be properly sugared when we come out the other side. Oh, and you can't let anyone else in on what's going on, especially that little girlfriend of yours.

Centurion: Ruby?

Blue: Well, unless you have another girlfriend out there somewhere, then that would be a good bet. She is a liability. She's a do-gooder. If she catches wind of what we're about to do, she'll shut the entire operation down. This is the perfect example of "what she don't know, won't hurt her." You tell her what's going on, and she'll be forced to choose between you and stopping a crime. If you don't tell her, she'll be sitting by your hotel pool sipping on Tequila Sunrises while being none the wiser. You got me?

(Centurion hates hiding stuff from Ruby. He has been open about all the bad things he has done in his life, but he also knows Mr. Blue is right. Ruby won't see this as achieving "justice" against organizations that screwed him. She will just see it as a crime, and her Lawful Good nature would kick in.)

Centurion: Yeah. I got you.

Blue: Good.

(Mr. Blue opens the back door again and steps out from the car. He closes the door, but he hands onto the window as he finishes his cigarette and his thoughts.)

Blue: Now run along home. You will be receiving a phone call from one of our own within the next few days. Take the call, act normal, and do what they say. Oh, and one final thing.

(Mr. Blue takes the cigarette out of his mouth and stomps it out.)

Blue: Make sure you beat Osira Themis. The last thing I want to do is carry you around while you're all mopey after being embarrassed. It's more work for me, and it makes the rest of us look bad.

Centurion: I appreciate your concern.

Blue: Your success is vital to our mission. The more you win, the more of a commodity you are, and the more of a distraction you become on the casino floor. So consider me your biggest cheerleader. If you can find a way to win a championship in the next couple of months, that would be splendid. But even if you don't, just remember this...don't cock it up.

(With that, Mr. Blue walks into the darkness, leaving Centurion in the car all alone.)

------Τώρα χορεύουμε------

Finally, Osira. We are here. You and me. One on one. With no partners to get in the way.

Of course, I am not foolish enough to assume you won't have backup in play. Of course you will. I'm sure all of your little BoB friends are going to be ready to strike at any moment. Question is, will they be hiding in the shadows? Or will they be standing in the open, not even remotely hiding their intentions? I guess we will see when we get there, won't we?

Oh, and before you say anything, I can assure you that I will be going at this match alone. Ruby has an important title match ahead of her that evening, and I don't want her distracted with someone as small as me wrestling...well, you.

Because really, Osira, that's what you are. Small. The lowest rung on the ladder. You're not the final boss. You're not even a level boss. You're just a foot soldier, standing in the way of me and my ultimate goals. You're not meant to stop me. You're simply meant to slow me down.

And given what I saw first hand in Toronto a few weeks ago, I don't know if you're in any condition to even do that.

We all have our specialities. Some wrestlers are built for strength. Some are built for speed. You, Osira? You're built for striking power. You're a fight. There's no two ways about it. If someone were to mess with you in a bar fight, I'd wager a guess to say you'd do a pretty good job at messing a few folks up. You can't match me in the technical department, but the one thing you always had was your mixed martial arts skills. Those you could always bank on.

Until...you couldn't.

I know I've lost my fair share of matches recently, but wrestling matches aren't all the same. MMA? That's your bread and butter. It's the one thing you could do, and you failed. And now, you're looking to go from that performance to facing me in a wrestling ring, and you want to believe you have an even slim chance of beating me?

Well, let me just tell you this, Osira. Bring every member of BoB that wishes to join you, because all the king's horses and all the king's men aren't going to prevent you from having a great fall. But don't just take my word for it. Ask your sister.

I will insult Atara until the the week is over, but there is one thing I definitely say about her - she's better than you. At everything. There is a reason she is the one in all the posters, getting all the title shots, while you have to cheap shot someone and build a feud with them over several months just to get on the card. She has value as a commodity. You are completely expendable.

So what does it say about your chances when I made your bigger, better sister tap out in the middle of the ring on national television? No shenanigans, no cheap finishes. It was her, and it was the most recent Television Champion, and it was a double tap out. Have you ever heard the sound of two hands pounding the mat simultaneously while you have them in a submission hold? It's as beautiful as any symphony you will hear.

And now, you have to step up, after just witnessing that dominating performance, and you need to figure out how to beat me. καλή τύχη. I don't envy the situation you are in right now.

Of course, you did this all to yourself, didn't you? You were the one who decided to join BoB. You were the one that tried to play volleyball with Ruby's head. You were the one who blindsided me with a steel chair. And you were the one who was called to do Miss Fury's bidding when she chickened out of a legitimate challenge. At any point, this could have been avoided. All you had to do was just walk away. But you didn't want to do that. No, a Themis never just "walks away". You constantly have to be in the middle of everything, don't you? And if no one is paying attention to you? Well, then you do something drastic so people WILL, like dump a former Universal Champion and destroy a dominant faction from the inside, or blindside a legend and lay him out on the steel ramp.

I know you come from a proud family, but sometimes it's a family of TOO much pride, isn't it? I was there when James Raven beat the unholy hell out of your father. I was there when he was clearly beat, but he refused to stop. I was there when Raven faced your sister, and even after Atara's face was turned into ground chuck, she still refused to stop, and she needed a medical team to stop the fight. I know it's considered "noble" to keep fighting against all odds, but sometimes...it's just stupid. If you waste all your energy on a battle you can't win, there will be nothing left for one you can, and eventually, you'll just fade away.

I hope that doesn't happen to you, Osira. I hope you realize that you bit off more than you can chew, and you don't decide to keep fighting even after I clearly have you beat, because I will not stop. If you ask for mercy, I'll give it to you, but I won't give it just out of the goodness of my heart. If you refuse to quit, if you refuse to stay down, you're going to end up getting very, VERY hurt. And last time I checked, medical services on the Moon are pretty hard to come by.

I shall be waiting for you on the surface, Osira. I don't know how the hell we're going to get there, but I promise you this - the moment we land, and that show begins, you will be the first person on the Moon to ever meet your…

τελική φαντασία!!!

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