07 David Hardy

09 Stephen Hawthorne
10 Duo
11 JE
12 Atomic Welfare

In a kolkhoz near the Soviet-Afghan border, a small cavalcade has stopped. His arms and legs chained, a thin, dark-skinned man kneels between two Red Army corps. The General-Major stands in front, his bushy mustache blowing slightly in the wind. He holds onto the chains attached to the dark man. The Lieutenant behind holds a rifle near the top of the man's skull. The General-Major speaks calmly in Russian.

"<Do you understand what we have said?>"

Nodding slightly, the dark man keeps his head facing the ground.

"<You understand that this is your last chance to tell us what we want to know?>"

The man nods again. A few seconds later, the General-Major nods.

The chain crumples on the ground before the second bullet leaves the barrel.

Blood sprays backward, landing on grey skin. The skin belongs to a large man, sitting in a cage barely large enough to contain him. His tatterted tan pants are his only dress, but he does not shiver, despite the cold.

"<Keep moving. We still need to get this beast to the trains.>"

The cavalcade begins moving, pushing up through the large farm. The General-Major is unaware that he and his men are about to die.

As they move over the hill, the cars are rocked by an explosion. The fire spreads quickly through the farmland.


JE lays on the ground, wiping the blood from his mouth. How dare that son of a bitch attack him like that? Hawthorne was the one who almost laid him out in the first place! He fucks up and then takes it out on JE? Unacceptable!

Climbing to his feet, JE heads off in search of Hawthorne, looking to exact some revenge.


Elsewhere, Atomic Welfare is none too pleased about not only his elimination at Havoc, but his failed attempts to steal the Bleeder Championship away from Kermit.

"Listen boy, the issues between me and Kermit are between me and Kermit, and they don't need some nobody like you getting involved." Said JE, trying not to lose his temper.

"I saw an opportunity and I took it, you can't blame me for that." Said Welfare.

JE was getting more and more frustrated by Atomic Welfare. If it wasn't bad enough that this nobody cost him the Bleeder Championship and a win over Kermit, now he was disrespecting JE.

"Don't get cocky with me, because I'll make you pay. You want Kermit, you get him after I'm done with him, and If you've got a problem with that, then you're just gonna have to live with it. And you," said JE, referring to Hawthorne "I don't give a crap about you, the NHFC, or anything to do with you. But if you ever want to fight me, then that's fine with me, ‘cos I'll make sure you won't disrespect me ever again."

"Big words coming from someone with you're record as of late." Said Hawthorne.

"You're one to talk." Said JE, referring to Hawthorne's recent bad run of form. "But I'm getting tired of this place so I'll take my leave, but I hope to see both of you very soon."

JE left the bar with mixed emotions. One part of him felt glad that he didn't get into a fight with both them, but the other part wasn't. Now all he wanted to do his get back to the hotel room and relax, unfortunately, that wasn't going to happen...

***
Later that night...

JE was sitting at the end of his hotel bed sipping from a bottle of beer, jumping through the channels on the TV, while Jess was taking a shower in the bathroom. For a man that nearly got into a fight in a bar with, he seemed very relaxed. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. JE got up from the bed, with beer in hand, and opened the door, only to reveal that on the other side, Kermit was waiting for him.

"Hey there, partner." Said Kermit, when JE opened the door.

"What do you want?" asked JE, before taking a sip of his beer.

"I came here to talk." Just as Kermit said that, he pushed JE back and pinned him to the wall. In the process, JE's beer fell to the floor. "Now, on Havoc, what were you thinking? That you were just gonna pin me and get away with it? Thankfully for you, that little dipshit Welfare broke the pin, ‘cos if he hadn't, this would have been an entirely different situation for you. But guess what, were just gonna give you a warning for now." As Kermit finished his sentence, he let go of JE and stepped back in the door way. "If you get in my business again, I will make you pay, one way, or another." Said Kermit, turning his head towards the bathroom were Jess was oblivious to what was going on.

"Don't worry, you're not gonna be seeing my face around here soon." Said JE.

"What you talking about?"

"I've made a decision, after Road To Glory, I'm done. I'm out of TCW."

"Are you serious." Said Kermit with a smile on his face.

"Dead."

"What, if by miracle, you win Road to Glory?"

"It doesn't matter, Stern and the others can come up with something. I don't really care."

"Well, I would like to say that's it's been a pleasure, but you've been a pain in my ass for to long now. But remember, if you get in my business again, I'll be paying you another visit, retired or not. I have way tom much on my plate to care about you."

"I'll take that in notice."

Kermit and his goons leave the room just after JE gets a phone call on his cell phone. He looked at the number and a smile appeared on his face.

"Hey"

".... ... ...... .. ...... ...."

"Actually, he just paid me a visit."

"... ... .... ...."

"I tolled him something."

".... ..... ...."

"She doesn't know yet, I'll tell her soon. What about you? How are things looking up?"

".. ..... .. .... ......... . ...... ......"

"Good. I have to go now, Jess is coming out. Bye." JE quickly hang's up the phone as Jess comes out of the bathroom.

"Who was that?" said Jess, adjusting the towel that was covering her body.

"Wrong number." Jess didn't seem convinced. "Any way, come here." JE extended his hand. As Jess took it, JE pulled her close as the both crashed on the bed.

Atomic Welfare had been training for 4 straight hours, busting open a skipload of sandbags with Cutters, Suplexes, Powerbombs and Drops. And still he wasn't finished. TCW is the biggest Fed Around with a tion of history and some of the best wrestlers in the business and Welfare knew it was take a lot of effort to even get noticed, never mind beat the groups and cliqs which had formed. He was all alone. He had left what life he had back in England, but even there it never felt like home. A disgraced Military Vet, he just never seemed to find somewhere to fit in. he stuck another sand bag into the air.

His meeting with JE and Hawthorne was further proof. Anywhere else they would be legitmate main eventers and probible World Champions. Instead they got lost in the shuffle, fighting the for any belt that would come along. Welfare was patient though. For all his fighting experience, he was still a young wrestler learning his trade agasinst the best. ANother sandbag brst in Welfare's grasp. Bewildered, he stopped and went to get a drink. Sweat dripped off his forehead as he strolled through the Gym corridor. A familar figure was walking into the training room: Hawthorne. The man stopped and stared back at the Double Patriot.

"You look awfully familar. Your that New Guy..."

"Anthony Smith, aka Atomic Welfare. Pleased to meet you. You have quite the punch. I doubt JE will look at you the same again"

"Please don't bring that up. It was a mistake, I lost my cool again. This really isn't the best time at the moment."

"Because of your rough spell?"

There was an awkward pause. Hawthorne considered shouting, but remembered the incident with JE.

"Yes. I doubt you can do anything to help. I've had a lot of problems in the past and you wouldn't understand. Plus I have a Road to Glory match that needs winning."

Atomic Welfare could see that Hawthorne was a troubled man. Welfare himself had similar problems. Every morning seemed to be a fight for his sanity. As his eyes opened he saw the face of one man: Terry Nugent. A fron appeared on his face.

"Your right, I have my own problems. I'll say one thing though: Good Luck."

Hawthorne nodded and quickly walked away, leaving Welfare with his dark thoughts, the memories that haunted him every moment he drew breath. He needed a stiff drink...

It seems Endgame would come early this year. The Road to Glory is looking more and more like the Road to Unemployment. Whispers are in the air, talk of jumping ship or abandoning the game altogether.

David Hardy may have had these thoughts himself for a brief moment. But if David was anything, he was a fighter. He might be alienated from his allies, he might be completely abandoned by his best friend, but so what? He'd been in worse spots before. This was nothing new. In fact, the last time he was in a stable, things came apart at the seems just the same. And he was one of the first to call it for what it was: a bad idea.

Was Infinity a bad idea?

Hardy will have no time to continue that thought as his cell phone begins ringing, shaking him out of his thoughts. Before answering, David realizes he hasn't been paying even the slightest bit of attention to where he was actually going.

"Hello?"

"DAAAAAAAAAVE! It's Shads. Sup? We're heading on downtown and I hope you'll be joining us this time?"

"Look, about earlier..."

"Don't mention it! I can't speak for the rest of these guys... but I'm all about 'forgive and forget,' you know!"

A slight smile crosses Hardy's lips, noticing his temporarily crippled friend is already three (or four or five...) sheets to the wind.

"Sure you are, Shads. Let me figure out what the hell road I'm on and I'll get down there."

"Cool. We're at Mynt. Meet us on the roof!"

Looking around to get his barings, Hardy closes the cell, dropping it into the passenger seat. He turns into the parking lot and looks up out the window to the Saddledome.





Outwardly, Cage had on his typical "fuck you" face. Inwardly, however, he was smiling to himself. He could tell when a man had a dark mind, and he liked it. Seeing both Hawthorne and Smith in the same room almost made his day. Elsie is predisposed for now, so Cage is free to act as he pleases. Without the little girl to keep him in check, he can be quite the big bastard...

Accidentally bumping into Smith was all it took, of course.

"Why don't you watch it??"

Anthony turns around, and is face to... well, chest with Cage. Smith might be a big man, but Cage is so large that it's disgusting.

"... woah."

Snarling slightly, Cage pushes Smith out of his way. Naturally, the man known as Atomic Welfare doesn't take this lightly and leaps in on Cage, hands around his neck, pulling him to the ground. Just what he needed to work out a little frustration.

Cage smiles to himself again, enjoying the anger coming from Smith. He reaches back, his huge fist slamming into Smith, sending the smaller large man to the ground. Cage turns his head towards the door, then back to Smith, and this time, his smile's on display.

Smith charges Cage, knocking him to the ground. The man with grey skin puts up suprisingly little resistance as Smith slams his fists into him. He keeps hammering away, but he can't figure out why the big bastard keeps smiling at him!

"Cage!!"

Smith stops punching and turns around, just in time to see Elsie put her hands on his head. The last thing he sees before passing out is Cage's smiling face.






This late at night, the Saddledome is essentially vacant. Hardy managed to talk one of the night guards into letting him in, noting that he was one of TCW's biggest superstars. He almost lost his temper with the older man, but when the guy asked him for an autograph in exchange for entrance, Hardy couldn't help but smile.

Setting down the folding steel chair in the middle of the ring, Hardy takes a seat, laying the Aftershock Championship across his lap. He pulls his sleeve up to his hand and rubs off a little scuff from the edge. When he went after this championship, it was largely in an attempt to show up his friend, Highone, by taking Highone's old title and breaking his record. But winning this title was a turning point for Hardy. With his title win, success had shortly followed. It wasn't about breaking a record anymore. Now it was about proving himself all over again. Not only to the fans and the boys in the lockerroom, but to himself.

Was Infinity a mistake? They certainly hadn't helped him win the championship. Not even Highone gave him a hand, and Hardy was facing two guys himself! Hell, Infinity didn't even help him retain the title. That help came from a guy who was supposed to be Hardy's bitter enemy, simply because of their different group affiliations. Highone wasn't even around anymore. What did he gain from Infinity? What did he gain from his partnership with Highone? A label as a troublemaker, that's what. Sure, they'd had some success, but not recently. Would things have been different if management hadn't branded Hardy a problem and treated him as such? Would things be different if Hardy hadn't closed himself off to so many others just because they wore a different label, belonged to a different group?

Thinking back to Apeirophobia, Hardy recalls the cheers after his match... They didn't care that he was a "heel" or that he was a member of Infinity. He was cheered alongside his opponents because he put on an amazing show, then topped it off with an ending that no one expected.

Standing up in the ring, Hardy closes his eyes. He can hear them again, cheering, shouting his name. Hardy holds the Aftershock Championship over his head and the crowd goes wild. He inhales deeply, breathing it in.

His cell phone rings, Shadow's name on the caller id.

The Bar was once again packed. Smoke rose through the air and the dark room was light up by the twilight of dim bulbs. Atomic Welfare muscled his way through the crowds of barflies to his regular spot at the front of the b ar. He gave a gentle nod to the barmaid and waited patiently for his drink. In the corner of his eye, he noticed a familiar face in the bar. Crouched over a glass of wine was JE.

Atomic Welfare moved from his stool and took the empty seat next to him, plonking his large frame onto the stool dramactically. JE barely batted an eyelid.

"What do you want?"

"I'm just here to apologise for being so brash yesterday. I didn't mean to be so rough. After all, we are all on the same ship."

"Not for much longer"

There was a long pause, JE gulped down the last of his drink. He turned back to the tunned and curious Atomic Welfare:

"I'm fed up, I'm getting no-where and everyday I get disrespected. I think its time to call it a day. Even if I win Road to Glory, they'll sort something out."

"But..."

"What's your problem?!"

Atomic Welfare noticed his pint of beer being placed onto the bar, with his money quickly removed. Cautiously, he smiled at JE and nodded, walking backwards, his eyes fixated on the soon-to-be retired wrestler.

"Anyways, good luck in the Pay-Per-View. But be warned you'll have to go through me first!"

JE just grunted callously back.

***
Basra, 17-01-06

Flames tore through the bricks and mortar of the Hotel. Smoke rose up into the air. Crowds had already gathered. Amongst them, to the cheers and jeers of the Iraqi civilians, Lt. Nugent and Second Lt. Anthony Smith lead a small group of Marines through the crowds, avoiding the insults a small selection had fired at them. Verbal bullets richocheting into their hearts. Bricks continues to fall, as the red flames climbed up through the air, blackening the white blocks of the building. Bodies littered the floor, and the wounded lay unconsious or in pain. Smith couldn't bear to look at them.

Why was he here? Why would anyone want to fight here?

To Anthony Smith and the soldiers which walked through the square with him. This was just another red hot day in hell...