13 Kevin Sheene
14 Kermit
15 Jason Dante
16 Titanium Insomniac

Wind rustles through the trees, adding a soft rattle to an overcast afternoon. It is the only sound in a setting that demands peace in its own gentle way. Stone markers stand at attention, as if awaiting orders. None ever come. A few words whispered perhaps: of promise, of sorrow, of regret, of thankfulness. Those that deserve no whispers simply don't ever have anyone to whisper them. But never orders. Again, the harshness of such a tone would betray the serene surroundings. So the soft rattle is enough. It passes the test.

A drop of water produces a tiny splash on one such marker. Then another. And another. They drop lazily; fattened by too long of a wait. The smooth marble faces begin to see teardrops as the water rolls: softly, slowly, no place else to be.

Amid the rattle, the tiny splashes, the streaked marble, is one lone visitor. He is sharply dressed in a black suit, silver tie either adding flare to the suit or complementing the face. For you see, this man's face actually matches the tie: painted silver down to the base of the neck. One would normally be drawn to the blackened features around the eyes, but today they are shielded by sunglasses. It is not the day for them, but he keeps them on just the same. They serve as an extra shield against the outside world, though those who know him know that he needs no further protection.

He stands statuesque, his legs shoulder width, his gloved hands crossed at the wrist. He appears to be studying two stones, crooked rivers running down their fronts like most others. The larger one is a light grey, the smaller a soft pink. They bear the same surname: Hoffman.

Sharon
Beloved Wife and Mother
1970-1995

Patricia
1991-1995

No whisper escapes his lips. For once, he is struck speechless, as he frequently is when he visits this site. This is as close to sacred ground as there exists for him. He dares not profane it.

It began here.

What little rain was falling begins to dissipate, and the rattle takes prominence once again. The Insomniac watches from behind darkened shades as a family—three men, two younger and one older—gathers a few rows over to set fresh flowers and let out their whispers. One younger man, clutching a pink rose, kneels down and slips into his own reverie. TI watches them, listens to their unspoken stories...

...the older man's loneliness and surprise at how big and empty his house is now...

...the youngest man's uncertainty about how to express his sadness and anger...

...the violence bubbling just below the surface, gnawing...gnawing...gnawing...

It begins here for so many.

The Sleepless One returns to himself. He wrinkles his nose at the realization that no one has come to trim the grass this week yet. He bends down to brush away a few browned blades from the stone base. He didn't need to profane this place...others were doing plenty already.

A shout rings out, interrupting the rattle. TI glances over again at the family in time to watch the youngest man storm off, leaving the other two visibly shaken. They linger for only a few moments longer before departing themselves. The other young man takes one final look at their monument. Even from here, TI notes the strained longing in his eyes.

It began here.

TI rises, his lip curling into a sneer. He can't help but break his vow of silence.

"A long time ago I gave up on wondering what this meant. I gave up on why this had happened. I decided that there was no real answer. You'd be surprised at how many others kept searching for one. You truly would. You'd be even more surprised at how sure I was of the answer just a few months ago. It drove me. I thought I'd finally found closure; finally found direction and peace. But like everything else in this world, it was bullshit. An illusion constructed by someone who wanted something.

"I used to want something. I used to want a couple things. I had direction. I had peace. When those desires, that direction, that sense of security, is ripped from your arms...the tendency is to want to find the answer. Why did it happen? It turns people to psychology or medicine or religion. It drives people to the brink of destruction if they don't find anything that satisfies. Their anger or their despair or their hopelessness finally overtakes them. And what are they left with? Who or what do they become? And can they survive after they become whatever that is?"

TI looks up as an older woman slowly makes her way across the lawn, a pitiful handful of daisies in one hand. He returns his gaze to his own plot.

"Some survive. However they can, they survive. With or without meaning, with or without peace, they survive..."

The Insomniac abruptly turns and begins his departure, muttering under his breath.

"...and then the rest of the world has to deal with them."

TI is long gone as the old woman kneels down beside a dark grey stone. She sets down the daisies before fiddling in her purse. A moment later, she produces a small bottle of Valium. Her whisper is simple, yet profound.

"I love you, George."

She shakes a handful of pills into her free hand and pops them into her mouth. A few pained swallows later, she closes her eyes and waits.

It begins here for so many.
____________________

Dante busts into his hotel room, dropping his leather bags onto one bed. The bandage on his forehead speaks volumes about the war he'd fought only a few nights before. It was a decent showing, to be sure, although there was a lot of questions that demanded answers. "Strained" was too kind of a word to describe his relationship with Darkness nowadays. The world had watched them come unraveled at Havoc, and they'd yet to speak to each other.

To those around him, that suited Dante just fine. His "ally" had purposely chosen the first spot in the Road to Glory and Dante knew enough about him to know that the Shadow Slayer would last until his own number was called.

Of course, that assumes they wouldn't bump into each other before then.

The click of the door brings Dante back to the present. Selenia almost glides into the room, her movements so effortless, so graceful. Dante's nostrils flare as he returns to unpacking.

She is the first to speak. "Are you going to tell me what's bothering you?"

Dante says nothing. He unzips a garment bag and begins hanging up a few dress shirts.

"What Darkness did-"

"What Darkness did is only the tip of the iceberg."

"What do you mean?"

Dante is in no mood for this conversation. He brushes past Selenia with another armful of shirts, the hangers creating a soft tinny sound on the metal bar. It is not the most dramatic of gestures, but Selenia feels the hatred radiate from the albino and no greater sound or movement is needed.

Selenia sighs. He'll talk when he's ready, but given her sense for such things, there is indeed much more happening here than problems with Darkness. Currently, however, he is able to block her out, conceal his thoughts and emotions. That is the greatest warning sign that she could be given.

"I hate it when you're like this."

"I hate a lot of things, too."

Dante finishes with the garment bag and tosses it onto a nearby chair. His mind races with all that has happened the past few days, with everything that has yet to happen...Darkness, Selenia, Cordazer, Razor, the Road to Glory...all of it feeds his anger. It swells within him. Some may use a balloon metaphor, others may choose cancer. He chooses neither, because it is his and those around him can occupy themselves with such stupid bullshit word games.

"Will you talk to Kermit again?"

"Why would I talk to Kermit again?"

"He's the Bleeder Champion. The two of you seemed to foster a connection..."

"Right now, I don't give a fuck about Kermit and fostering connections. It's becoming increasingly obvious to me that fostering connections only ends in betrayal and heartbreak. So save me the talk about fostering connections. You of all people don't need to be bringing shit like that up."

Selenia's face darkens. "'Me of all people?' What the hell does that mean? I've stood by you--"

"—When convenient."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about—"

The ring of the room phone interrupts Dante's explanation. The tension in the air is thick as Dante picks up.

"What?"

On the other end is what sounds like a grainy recording.

"Shaun Bisley won it...so did Baroness, Havoc, Johnny Blaine and TI...what do those guys have in common?"

"I dunno, they aren't in the fed any more?"

He said it so casually and he didn't even seem to get it.

"Exactly, Bleeder watches his title Kermit some who win it go on to great things...others end up as the flotsam of the Indies..."

Dante's jaw goes rigid as a portion of his and Kermit's conversation is replayed for him.

"Who the fuck is this?"

The recording on the other end shuts off.

"Just your friendly neighborhood flotsam checking in, Jason."

Dante's teeth begin to grind together. Selenia watches him, concerned and puzzled.

"What do you want?"

"I wanted you to know first, Jason. Seems Mr. Acceptable had an accident. But don't worry, he should be in okay condition. I thought I'd ask you a question."

"What's that?"

"When one begins their free-fall into the lower parts of their mind—you know those parts: the base, the violent, the sexual, the instinctual—what is the one thing that may yet save them? What is the one thing that may be his or her only line of defense against complete chaos?"

"I'm sure you're going to tell me."

"Well, the answer is different for everyone, my pasty pale friend. I'll enjoy watching your answer play itself out.

"Welcome back to Bedlam, Jason.

"As if you ever truly left."

The line goes dead as Dante's lips thin into a line. Selenia looks on, hoping for an explanation, though not really expecting one.

Dante's breath heaved.

Once...

Twice...

Three times...

Selenia hoped he had calmed down, she knew what had been said thanks to the connection Dante for some reason had allowed to be opened again for a little while. She was afraid that Dante would flip out even more then he had before. She almost started to breath normally again when it hit.

"GRAARRGH!" Dante's reaction wasn't even a human word in any language, it was pure anger given a vocal surface.

Dante stared at the phone and his breath came in short bursts through his nose, in every way he sounded like a wild boar about to charge.

Dante grabbed the phone in his hand even harder and stared at the damned contraption. Selenia saw what he was about to do, and she felt it. She felt Jason charge up the hellfire in his bloodstream and then saw him let it loose. Small flames travelled along his hand and incinerated the phone.

"Jason?" Selenia asked the connection gone again.

"Pack your bags." Was his only reply, his voice sounding dry from the outburst of rage and the fatigue it meant.

"What?"

"Are you deaf, Selenia? I said pack your fucking bags."

"Jason..." her voice had a serious and stern tone to it. "...you need me here, now more then before."

"No..." Dante's voice on the other hand was filled with restrained rage. "...I fucking don't. I'm sending you to Atlanta..."

"Atlanta?"

"Yes, maybe Jay can do what I apparently haven't been able to do, keep an eye on you."

In truth Dante wanted her as far away from Acolyte as possible, and if possible even farther away from Darkness. Jason Dante had spent his life or at least great parts of it had been spent alone, alone and unloved. He reasoned that spending the rest of it that way wasn't as bad as seeing Acolyte giving Selenia horny looks every second. Dante almost spat.

Darkness...Acolyte...These were men who he had considered friends, close personal friends. This time he really did spit and watched as the corrosive saliva ate it's way through the glass on the table.

"Jason..." Selenia said with a begging tone in her voice.

"No...Pack...your...bags...NOW!" Dante screamed and grabbed hold of her. The soft and delicate skin that had brought him such comfort and such joy before only brought more anger now.
"Very well...I will leave for Atlanta then." Selenia said not wishing for things to go further awry.

Dante watched with a mixed feeling of relief and shame as she threw her clothes into a suitcase and opened the door.

"Jason...keep in touch..please." She begged him.

"Sure." Was his cold and only reply.

The door closed behind her and once more Jason Dante was alone.

Dante turned his gaze on the touched phone.

"You want bedlam Jonathan?...I'll give you more pain and chaos then you can ever imagine..."

A grin broke Dante's face. A grin filled with a sick and twisted lust for action. On this night Jason Dante would hunt...hunt for the blood of Jonathan Hoffman.


*****

"So, exactly what is this all about?"

"That's so simple Spike..."

"..."

"No, It isn't big guy...I don't actually have a bloody clue."

Razor sighed. Spike was far from the brain-dead idiot he had made himself up to be, but the courses she had taken him and Thorne in were so new to him that it seemed to puzzle him. Lillith did love this strange Englishman and felt some strange shudder in the depth of her body's centre when she saw him. But her patience was limited.

"Spike...we need him."

"See that's the part I don't get."

"..."

"No, she doesn't need him for THAT!" Spike spat at his partner.

Lillith had no idea how these two had once teamed up and how Spike had once learned to understand Thorne's silent communication but she had also given up on understanding it.

"No..." She said with a grin. "I don't."

"Well that I'm clear on...but why Dante? A few weeks ago we were trying to mess him and his boyfriends up..."

"Yes, that's why we need to sway him to our cause....the void needs Jason Dante."

She took a deep breath.

"For a long time I have tried to defeat the Shadow Slayers, I tried attacking Dragon and Nathan Bolas, I tried to sway Marta Hayes and the Dane brothers, I came close to succeeding, I even came close to having the surviving Dane kill Dante to avenge his brother.

But most of all I tried to attack Darkness, I did everything i could do from ending my Succubi to seduce him to have Spyne got to earth and torture his friends...Spyne refused to cooperate and Darkness turned the Succubi away. The stubborn idiot was so in love with his dead bitch of a wife that he could resist the siren's call.

Then I turned to targeting Dante, he should be easy to sway, he was vain, selfish and a right ass hole. He should be doddle, right? Sending a Succubi to seduce him and infiltrate his organisation should have done it, right?

Wrong, for some reason I had no idea about at that point he not only avoided falling into the trap, he managed to sway the Succubus and with out having a clue turned her HUMAN! I played all my cards and failed. In the aeons I have lived no one...NO ONE has resisted my call. Not until those two did."

"You knew Dante and Darkness would meet up one day?"

"Yes."

"That's news to me babe..."

"I know, I get glimpses of the future at times, I saw an alliance of the two before they even knew the other existed. It was more or less meant to be."

"Like a marriage" Spike said with a laugh.

"Yeah, like a marriage." Lillith shot back with a laugh of her own.

"You see now, Spike? We need Dante to fulfil the next part of the plan for the cult of the void, we need to turn every cultist into a warrior on par with Dante and Darkness, they are two of a kind, the most powerful beings on earth right now. Darkness is too engulfed in his slayer oath and his destiny...Dante on the other hand has the right father, the right ego, the right drive. His wanting to be good is a powerful weakness we can exploit.

One way or another, we can build our army of the void using Jason Dante...or rather...his blood."

Lillith laughed as the word blood had rolled across her lips, soon Spike, who it seemed got it now joined her in her laugh and Throne added his soundless chuckle to the choir of merriment.

*****

The Insomniac looked at the phone with a surprised look, that sparkle wasn't normal. He shrugged and resumed staring at the ceiling. For so long, for many long and dark months he had been wanting to get back at Dante for the loss, he had wanted to get the albino for the painful loss. The usurper-champion was supposed to lose, the Insomniac was supposed to win and his road, his path back to the titles that were his in all but name should have been begun.

Instead the result had been defeat and humiliation, the sound of the chants of "Dante! Dante!" from the sheep in the crowd still haunted his few moments of sleep. That loss and the following defeat at the hands of Darkness had turned his already sombre and sullen mood down further. His nights had become endless arrays of visions of unfulfilled vengeance. He had heard Dante's voice cry "I quit!" So many times, he had seen the blood of the albino seep onto the canvas and stain it. This time, the fevered wished would come true, this time the Insomniac would defeat Dante, and doubly so. He would punish him and Road to Glory, adding a defeat to his track record. And then he would spend a month enjoying the upcoming battle for his titles.

And then...then...when the announcer spoke the words the Insomniac wanted to hear at End Game, he would look down on Dante's bleeding and battered face and smile...and thenall that be left for Jason Dante would be...

Bedlam.

*****

The sequence of events was almost the same every time, the rife was cleaned, disassembled and loaded. The clip slid into the rifle with a click, a second click followed the first as the bullet slid into the chamber of the gun. The night scope was turned on and night turned into a green tinted dusk that gave the advantage to the one behind the scope.

A smile.

A flash of metal.

A black Dragunov rifle, the pride of the Spetznaz troops of Russia.

A "CLICK!" As the empty chamber was struck.

Next time...next time the vow was...the chamber wouldn't be empty...next time the barrel would be aimed at the heart of Jason Dante.

*****

"You missed him!"

"I know Dad...I know."

Kermit was tired, he hadn't slept in days...maybe weeks. Ever since his father had returned and he had seen the murder of his lacke...no his friend...his close and dear friend at the hands of Dante, sleep had been a luxury that Kermit Gambano couldn't afford.

Janice...how he missed her...how he hated the Dante that had stolen her from him. How horrible his revenge would be.

Raul Gambano shook his head.

"Kiddo, you shouda known that Dante guy would be tough. The guy has more lives then God's fucking cat!"

"I know Dad...This time it will be different...I won't miss and there'll be no James bond crook monologue...just Click-click and BOOM...head shot, pure and simple."

"*Tsk-Tsk*"

"What?"

"Kiddo, your going about this the wrong way son..."

"I am?"

"He took Janice..."

"Yeah..."

"He took the girl you love..."

"Yeah..."

"So what do you do kiddo?"

Kermit smiled, a grim smile that would have looked perfect on a hungry shark.

"I take his love away, make him unloved and alone."

"And then...?"

"Then...I kill him."

*****

She stepped of the plane and looked at the setting sun. She had gone from feeling frustrated, sad, and pained to feeling a driving force inside her that gave her a grim determination. She was going to disobey him and she would do it for her own sake.

"Selenia, are you sure this will be OK? Jas asked me to keep an eye on you..."

She looked at the large man who stood beside her. She smiled and put her hand on his shoulder.

"Of course it will be OK, Jay." She said with a smile. "Besides, I need to to do this. "

"I'm not sure about this Selenia, I mean...who the hell is the guy we are going to meet?"

"An enemy."

"Great, that makes me feel much better."

"I can't make you happy all the time, Jay." Selenia says with a smile that shows joy she doesn't feel inside.

"Just trust me Jay, we need him to make a wake up call..."

Jay Ecks nods and they enter the car and head off into the Calgary dusk.

*****

The knock on the door was short and polite.

"Yes"

The female was was inviting in a way that made Dante feel ill at ease. Hell he had made a deal with a devil he had once tried to kill. He needed comfort, he needed shelter and now that Selenia had betrayed him he had found it in the most unlikely of sources. She had cared for him after he had burned the hand off of Darkness. She had cared for him and fed him so he could stand up again.

Dante felt the fog dissipate and the doubt grow, he felt like his hand weighed a tonne as he reached up to knock on the door. He conquered his fears and was greeted by the vision of Razor wearing only a shirt and underwear. She kissed him and all his doubts disappeared. He crawled back into the fog and decided to stay there.

Maybe forever.

*****

Another knock on another door, dusk had turned into night, and the man they were looking for had taken on the true aspect of his name. She raised her hand and to knock but the door opened. He stood there covered in the painted on mask he lived in, or hid in if Dante was right.

She doubted that he was, but the thought was interesting.

He looked at her and the man beside her. The man was younger then him but almost as tall and far bulkier. He looked like you imagined a linebacker would look.

He looked down and managed to hide the surprise in his voice.

"You?!"

The tone wasn't surprised but the choice of word gave him away. Behind the paint he was puzzled.

"Yes, me...and I have something to ask of you Insomniac."

The Insomniac's mind wasn't prepared for this.

"You know the man I love...d...you know him well and hate him."

"Yes." The Insomniac said regaining control of his voice.

"Good, I need you to help me."

"Help you?" He retorted sounding as if she had asked him for the impossible.

"Yes."

"What do I get out of it?"

She smiled.

"Revenge."

"And what do you get out of it?"

"Happiness...maybe"

"Sounds like you have a good deal to offer."

"I do" Selenia shot back.

"Ok, let's talk."

Selenia and Ecks entered and the door closed behind them. Her plan was simple, hate would awaken the normal Jason, he Hated the insomniac and the insomniac hated him. This mutual hatred would wake Jason up and bring him back...even if it meant sacrificing everything they had to the Titanium Insomniac.

*****

Kermit waited, he had seen Dante enter the building, he had seen the girl, young pretty and sweet looking. Just Like Janice. Just like the girl he loved. He checked his weapons. Under each arm a Glock 17. I his pocket a gun that carried more with it then just ammunition and gunpowder. It was his father's old gun, an honest to god American great, a classic, so classic that Clint Eastwood had made it famous when he carried it as Harry Callahan in the Dirty Harry movies.

Kermit let his hand rub the surface of the chromed gun, he felt the walnut handle of it and spun the chamber. He pointed it at the spot where Jason Dante had stood an hour ago, he aimed the Smith %& Wesson masterpiece at the spot, he imagine the bullet shooting through the air and Dante falling, falling to the power of a Magnum 44.

The phone rang several times before voicemail picked up.


This is Kermit. Leave a message.


Gonzola hung up the phone with a small bit of force. He's left messages, too many to count, over the past few months and Kermit never replied. He leaned back in his chair and sighed.


"Still no answer?" asked Fozzini, sitting across from Gonzola in the main conference room of Henson Towers.


"Nope. Same thing that happens everytime I call."


He rubbed his temple as if easing the coming migraine would solve this situation.


"Well, we know he's okay. I mean, we saw him compete yesterday so he's alive at least." Fozzini said, trying to look on the bright side of the issue.


"That's one thing we know Foz. And really the only thing we have at the moment. We don't know how he's doing, what he's doing, what he wants done with his business, or even if he's ever coming back. That's too many things left up in the air."


"Maybe he's just focused on Road to Glory. I mean, it could be the shot the Boss needs to jump to the top."


"And that's what bugs me. He's abandoned Chicago for some wrestling fed. Don't get me wrong, I think he's good, but his focus should be here. If it wasn't for the family, he wouldn't be where he is today. I just don't understand why he is doing it. Why is he ignoring his home?"


Fozzini shrugged; giving a clear sign he had no answer. Trouble was, neither did Gonzola.


"Well" Fozzini said "Maybe one of us should go see him? Ya know, check in?"


Gonzola shook his head.


"No Foz, I don't like that would help too much. Boss said we are to stay here and "mind the store". And that's what we are going to do, at least for the time being."


Fozzini's frowned.


"You sure that's wise. It's not just Kermit up there you know?"


"Janice can take care of herself. And besides, I doubt the Boss would still be competing if something happened to her. Besides, why bring that up anyway. You know how much the Boss cares for her."


"I heard from Teeth this morning. The Mayhem haven't heard from Janice in over a week. They can't reach her as well."


Gonzola locked eyes with Fozzini. This was getting worse.


"Don't get hot with me Gonz, just relaying here."


"I'm not hot Foz, just even more worried now."


"Look, I'll fly out tonight. I can check in on the Boss and Janice. Ya know, see how they're doing."


Gonzola waved the suggestion away.


"No. Let's give it time. The Boss has been in a funk lately. Let him get out of it on his own. If it gets worse, then we will consider if we need to go see him, or, God forbid, cut him off."


Fozzini's eyes went wide at the suggestion.


"You can't be serious?! He hasn't done anything to even suggest such a thing!"


"We can't be too sure Foz, which is why I hope to God it won't come to that. I've known the Boss for over fifteen years. The two of us have been through a lot together and I don't relish the idea. But we must consider it might come to that. If he's a danger to the family, the family must be protected."


Fozzini stood up and slammed his meaty fist on the table.


"But it's HIS family! HE got us here! We can't just cast him aside because he won't return our calls!"


Gonzola answered by standing to his own feet, locking eyes with Fozzini.


"Like I said Foz, I hope it doesn't come to that! I don't want to do it, and I can't think of a single person in the family that wants to either. But if the Old Fathers start asking too many questions and we can't give them good answers, then the call might come down. And we cannot ignore that, not if we want to avoid an all out war!"


The two stared at each other in silence for a few, long seconds. But Fozzini knew the elder man was right.


"Fine. But let's at least try something else besides that first?" Fozzini relented, sitting back down, still angry at the suggestion.


"I wouldn't have it any other way."


Gonzola walked over to the bar in the corner of the room and began to fix himself a drink. The talk about Kermit and the possible action they might have to take practically begged for a stiff cold one.


"You want something Foz?"


"Dear God please."


The two men sat and drank in silence. Both worried for their boss and whatever was going through his head.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Darkness.


That was all that surrounded her.


Cold, damp, pure darkness.


She didn't know how long she had been there. When she first woke up in this place of pitch black she tried vainly to escape. Very soon she realized that four walls, a stable floor, and possibly a ceiling trapped her in this cube of silent dark. Even trying to use how often she slept as a counter for the length of time she spent in this room was pointless. Hunger and thirst played tricks with her mind. Not to mention the feeling of being in total darkness drove her nearly mad. But Janice was stronger than her delicate frame indicated. She had suffered much in her life, yet pulled through by her sheer force of will. She wouldn't let anything drag her down. She would never be the victim again. That determination keeps her sane. If only barely. Naked, trapped, hungry, thirsty, all factors attacked her mental strength every moment she was awake in this hellishly silent place. But she would not break. She had to stay strong. She had to help Kermit.


A light burst into the room in the form of a door. Janice blinked and shielded her eyes from its harsh brightness.


"I have to apologize child. I have been remiss in your care since you arrived here. I've just been a bit, pre-occupied, if you will."


Light entered the whole room, nearly blinding the nude Janice.


"Please, let your eyes adjust. I can wait for a few moments."


Slowly the figure before began to come into shape. A tall man, dressed in what looked like a suit. And the voice was strangely familiar.


"Kermit?" she asked.


The figure laughed.


"No no child, not Kermit. But I am "close" to him. This room is not very comfortable it is? I think I can fix that."


"Who the fuck are you!" Janice demanded, fixing a hateful gaze on the strange man.


"Quiet child, this takes some concentration."


He closed his eyes and what seemed like a light hum fill the room. Janice, eyes still stinging from the sudden light, saw the room begin to change and a rumbling shook the ground beneath her. From on wall, a small bed appeared. Another wall opened up forming a new, yet smaller, room. A table and chairs sprang forth from the floor as the hum reached it crescendo. When all was finished, the room seemed to provide some basic comforts. The dark man opened his eyes, looking directly at Janice.


"There. A bit more comfortable I think."


Janice still glared at the man with hate burning in her eyes.


"Not to your liking? Too bad, so sad. It's all you get for now. No come now, no need to be too upset, I could have left you alone in the dark you know?"


Janice did not budge, eyes flicking to the open door.


"You won't make it child, so don't even try. I can snap your neck before you take two steps. Don't test that threat by the way, I am dead serious." The strange man said with an evil grin. "But let's do something about that appearance. I can't have the girl my boy loves looking like a porno whore."


A quick snap of the fingers caused a robe to appear at Janice's feet. She did not reach for it.


"No modesty? Fine, maybe you aren't good enough for him anyway."


"Who are you?" Janice asked, venom dripping from her voice.


"Somebody who wants your man to become just that, a man."


"Why am I here then?"


"Quite simple child." He answered, sitting at the table. "He is a confused little boy right now. He need guidance, he needs focus. He needs me" The last sentence said with a casual smile. "Refreshments? You must be starving?"


A wave of his hand caused a dish of food to appear on the table. A random assortment of meats, cheeses, fruits, and vegetables couple with a glass of liquid Janice could not recognize from her position.


"Please, eat. You need your strength."


But Janice did not budge.


"You reject my kindness child?"


"You kidnapped me. Why the hell should I trust you?"


He laughed a mocking laugh.


"You shouldn't truth be told. But that aside, I mean you no harm at the moment. You are too valuable to me."


And still, Janice did not move. This was a power trip, and Janice would not give her capturer the satisfaction of seeing her flock to his gifts like a grateful child on Christmas.


"Suit yourself. I have to leave anyway. Kermit needs the guidance only I can give. But I will return child, and when I do, I will expect more manners from you."


He rose from the table, tipped his hat to the nude girl on the floor, and left the room, wall closing behind him. Janice waited for a few moments, trying to digest this new information. But her hunger compelled her greater than her curiosity could. She moved quickly to the table and ate as if she had never seen food before. Water quenched her thirst, food filled her belly. She picked the robe off the floor and put it on, warding herself nude form from the chill in the room. Basic needs fulfilled, she began to try and ponder a way out of this cell. And back to the man she loved.

-------------------------------------------------------------


The cigarettes red glow illuminated the alleyway Kermit stood in slightly. He had to wait. No mistakes this time. Wait for the right moment, and this time, Dante would not see the sunrise. He made a fool of Kermit with his daring audacity to survive the fight attack. Then he further insulted the mob boss by lasting as long as he did in the Battle Royal match. Kermit would not be mocked a third time. He fingers the handle of the Magnum in his hand.


Right between the eyes. Into the center of his damn brain. No way can Dante survive that. the mob boss thought as he waited for his moment.


"Go time kiddo." His father's whispered behind him.


"Took you long enough pop."


"Had some business to take care of. Plus, had to make sure the coast was clear. This is your night my boy. Kill Dante."


Kermit nodded and left the alleyway. He was armed, he was focused, and he was ready. Getting into the hotel was easy. Nobody in this day and age suspects a sharp dressed man. Too many bad gangster movies killed the old image such a man used to hold. Kermit didn't care. Better to get to Dante's room unmolested.


"Seventh Floor, Room 715."


His father's words guided him. He had to do this right this time. No mistakes. While the elevator ascended to the seventh floor, he steeled himself for what was to come. Despite the fact that he had killed many men before, this hit made him nervous. The incident on the roof last week, coupled with the failure of the first attack, made the mobster uneasy. But he knew if he got the right shot, no amount of mystical mumbo jumbo and special effects would save Dante.


The elevator door opened and Kermit made his way to Room 715. He took a deep breath and with all his power, kicked open the hotel room door. Commotion answered his intrusion. Gun drawn, Kermit entered the room. Dante stood in the doorway to the bedroom, face a mix of shock and anger.


Kermit leveled the gun at Dante's head.


He took a deep breath.


And pulled the trigger.

"It's been a long time since I was asked to fill this role."

The Sleepless One drops another ice cube into a tumbler. He makes no effort to conceal the amusement in his voice, and his visitors pick up on it. Ecks glances warily at the woman he's been charged with protecting. He'd trusted her judgment in the past, but his skepticism was too strong in this case. Was he doing his job right now?

Selenia keeps a much cooler exterior. She senses and understands Ecks' hesitation and passes him a look of reassurance. She's made deals with devils before, and in a much more literal sense. The Insomniac was a devil of a different sort, as able to be tempted by an offer as he was to tempt others.

If there was one concern that the two associates share, however, it's whether they'll be able to maintain enough control over what she's asking.

In the midst of that concern, Selenia expresses her puzzlement over TI's statement.

"What role are you speaking of?"

TI finishes pouring his bourbon and looks over his shoulder as he replaces the cap on the bottle.

"Mercenary."

Ecks closes his eyes as a silent sigh escapes his lungs. Selenia shakes her head.

"No, not a mercenary."

TI chuckles as he sinks into his own chair, sipping his drink. He savors everything about this moment: the satisfying warmth of the liquor as it travels down his insides, the obvious discomfort of the pair sitting across from him, the fact that this woman needs him. He muses to himself just how much his situation seems to change from moment to moment...

Where the pawn is moved determines how much power he has.

"Well, let's recap...you want me, you are asking me, to set my sights on Jason Dante, perform any number of unspecified acts of violence on his person, in an effort to bring some sort of satisfaction to you and yours. What would you call what I'm supposed do here?"

"Suicide..."

TI shoots a glare at Ecks, whose features have hardened at the painted one's taunting.

"Is there something you'd like to add to this discussion, Generic Threatening Bodyguard Guy?"

Ecks begins to rise from his place on the bed, but Selenia gently places a hand on his leg. TI watches with a pleasured sneer as the larger man tries to compose himself. It is only for her that Ecks allows this to continue.

TI turns his attention back toward the woman after he silently toasts his own small triumph. After making sure that Ecks has calmed himself enough, she returns TI's look.

"Insomniac...I will not shield my intentions from you. Jason is one at war with himself. With your help, I can be more assured that the right piece of him emerges the victor. He would need to muster the virtuous side that is being suppressed within him to overcome what I know you're capable of."

TI smirks. "Flattery...I like it."

Ecks rolls his eyes.

"It's not flattery, Insomniac. You've aroused something both destructive and passionate within him before. But what he's exhibiting now is the wrong kind of destructive, the wrong kind of passion. You would help bring out the right kind again."

TI pensively takes another sip of bourbon. He watches the ice swirl and bob for a moment before returning his gaze to Selenia.

"I provide a target for him."

Selenia hesitates. Ecks smiles at the idea.

"I suppose...in a way, yes."

TI watches the earnestness with which this woman has approached him. He observes the deep pleading from within that has caused her to make this request, the type of pleading that knows no proper name or label. "Love" comes closest, yet her motivation is truly beyond such a simple word.

He smiles yet again.

"This fucked up version of killing him with kindness...it's very touching and poetic and all that. But I'm no mere target, and no mere hired gun. I won't do this because you asked me to...I was going to make his life hell this week anyway...but the extra incentive and satisfaction of knowing that you have a stake in how he responds will certainly make it more pleasurable for me."

The Sleepless One drains the rest of his glass and rises to pour himself another. It is at this point that TI's inner guard is let down just enough for Selenia to slip in and see some of what he's been mulling over the past few days.

"Surely you know, Insomniac, what it's like to be so close to someone, to be one with them, and then feel them slip away. When that happens, part of you dies--"

The bottle slams down as TI whirls around, his face darkening.

"You better fucking be careful about what you think you know about me."

"I know enough."

TI takes a few steps forward. Ecks prepares himself. Selenia barely moves.

"Do you really? You want to fix me? Want to analyze me, write me a prescription, light a candle in a church? Here's how this week is going to go. I am going to string Dante up by his powdery neck and squeeze every ounce of faux nobility from his scrawny little body. I'll take him away from you rather than give him back. No, in this scenario you're fucking spoiled. Try living without the prospect of ever being with him again. Remove that possibility completely and imagine what you're left with. And then think about that until you love it. Then and only then, come back and tell me what I know about love and loss."

Selenia smiles and rises. In an effort to keep up, Ecks stands with her in a slightly defensive posture. He keeps one eye on The Insomniac, who is visibly seething.

Selenia holds TI's gaze for a moment, her smile only growing.

"Thank you."

She makes her way toward the door. Ecks follows, not content to take his attention off TI until the door clicks behind them in the hallway.

"You mind explaining what the hell happened at the end in there?"

"What I wanted to happen."

Selenia glides toward the elevator and presses the down button. Ecks looks on, still bewildered.

"And what's that?"

"He's going to tear into Jason."

"How is that a good thing?"

"Because it will force Jason to appeal to his true self: the one who loves, protects, and knows what is right."

The elevator door opens and Ecks follows Selenia inside.

"It doesn't feel right to me."

"What doesn't? What the Insomniac will do?"

"I was thinking how Jason will respond. But yeah, that too."

Ecks shakes his head as the doors close.
____________________

The Insomniac slumps back into his chair with a full tumbler. He raises a gloved hand to rub a bead of sweat from his brow, his face still feeling hot from the gall that that bitch had to approach him.

What had begun as added amusement to his intent had quickly plunged into spite and revenge. He'd destroy Dante because it was Dante, but now because the woman wanted Dante back as well.

You believe he's redeemable. Only those with even the slightest desire for redemption can truly be saved.

TI stands and moves toward the window, observing the evening skyline while taking another sip. He observes the placid surface of a city rife with disappointment, betrayal, and grief at its core. No one knows the real story until they become a part of it themselves. He and Dante had written such a story together, one that up until this point had not included the pair who had just left.

Her provocation belied the fact that she's still only an observer. She only wishes to manipulate, but remains on the outside.

The sneer returns to his face.

There are ways to change that.

The Insomniac rests his left hand in the pocket of his black slacks. Immediately, his fingers curl around two small round tokens. His features relaxing, he pulls them out and studies them on his leather-covered palm. Both gold bands, one is quite plain in appearance. The other features a small cluster of rubies in a figure eight.

A frown creeps onto his silvery features. He hasn't worn either one in quite a while. Would there be any reason to change that soon?

Both symbols of promise...perhaps now both symbols of curse.

He quickly shoves both back into his pocket. There will be a time for that later. For now, he has more pressing matters.

Like ruining everyone else's expectations.
___________________________

He's late to the party and he knows it.

The revolving door is given a hard shove as Kevin Sheene makes his way into the hotel lobby. A bandage adorns his head, its own story to tell. Sure, Acolyte had been instrumental in putting it there, but it was more the conduct of the medical team that sticks in his craw at this late hour. Even after a two-hour flight, he continues to curse their cold treatment. He wasn't a fucking leper...true, his condition evoked a certain amount of caution, but those two assholes...for fuck's sake...

It had taken them a half hour to apply a bandage. Five minutes to treat the wound, 25 minutes beforehand to argue who had to do it. They'd been young, probably trainees, and two of the most unprofessional motherfuckers he'd ever met. And he'd met a lot of medical staff, each with their own quirks and pathetic bedside manners.

That had made him late for his flight, so the redeye had ended up being his only option. Now, finally, he can begin his own Road to Glory.

Sheene drags his suitcase toward the desk. Before he makes it, a larger figure's shoulder slams hard into his own.

"Watch it, asshole..."

The figure stops and calls after him.

"What the fuck did you just say?"

Sheene turns to face his...shit. His answer gets caught in his throat as he comes face to face with Titanium Insomniac.

"You...you're back?"

"Back? Was I gone? Looks like I'm just now leaving, actually."

Sheene cocks an eyebrow. "No...I meant..."

TI looks on impatiently.

"Who the hell are you?"

Sheene composes himself. He hadn't faced many toward the top of the card yet, but he wasn't going to let that overwhelm him.

"Kevin Sheene."

TI's lip curls.

"The AIDS guy."

"How'd you--?"

"I find things out."

The Insomniac takes a few steps forward so that his lips are close to Sheene's ear.

"Listen...and answer this for me and for yourself honestly. What are you trying to prove right now? No, hold on...I don't really care. Perhaps it's pride, or denial, or some sort of angry defiance. The point is that the moment you found out, your life changed forever. Suddenly the world was different. You'd never be the same person you were one day before you learned what you now know."

TI glances over to make sure he has Sheene's full attention.

"When you go up to your room and crash on your bed tonight, let this be your lullabye: the day that it began for you, you became the only one who could stop it. Sure, you might make some stupid decisions along the way or you'll get injured or your life will end even sooner at your own hand or someone else's. But when it began...and you know what it is...it was all you."

The Insomniac stands upright.

"Funny, isn't it...the cause is different, the effect is different...but when it begins, we realize that we're in total control and we're not in control at all."

TI is out the door a few seconds later, leaving Sheene to complete his trek to the desk.

He feels even more weary now.

Of course, he doesn't yet know where The Sleepless One is heading.

Or about the gun pointed at the albino's head.

Or about the mobster hell-bent on revenge who pulled the trigger.

All that would cause him to collapse in exhaustion.

This is how his world ends, not with a whimper but with a bang.

As much as T.S Elliot would hate it, the world ending with a bang has becomes Jason Dante's trademark way. The flash of the muzzle and the bang of the powerful handgun lifted the albino off of his feet and carried him through the room and sent him crashing into a desk.

*****

Two assassins with no care for the reasons, two men on a quest to rid the world of a vile presence. One cares about the vampire properties of their target, the other for the lumps of gold that await him. Shi known to family and his few friends as Nobu Nobunaga has his sights set on Revenant for the gold her death will bring.

Darkness targets her because his task, his sacred goal is to rid the world of her kind. Shi and Darkness hunt in silence, both men familiar with the purpose of being quiet to avoid alerting the prey.

Darkness stoic face suddenly changes it's appearance quickly, he groans and drops to his knees as a pain too large and damaging even for him to withstand shoots through his mind. He recognises that pain, the pain of a bullet hitting a human.

The problem is that he wasn't hit and the man who was had become an enemy. Darkness brow wrinkles as the pain of the psychic scream and the shock to find the link still holding up make him drop to his knees.

*****

Kermit walked over to Dante's prone figure and lifted the gun, pointing it at his head again. A grin crossed the mobster's face as he prepared to kill off the man who had...

who had...

Kermit paused...What had Jason Dante done to him? He wasn't sure any more, he saw death that Dante...no...Darkness...no...Selenia...no someone had caused...he hesitated.

"Be firm, kiddo."

"Dad...I..."

"He killed your friend, Kermit...he butchered him, watched him bleed to death drank his blood."

Slowly the being's control over Kermit Gambono grew again and as it did the grin grew as well.

"Yeah...Fonzini...this albino jerk-off killed him..."

"Yeah, son...time to extract your revenge...time to avenge your friend!"

Kermit's gun made that famous sound as he prepared for the killing shot. He pointed the gun at the centre of the albino's forehead and prepared to watch the murdering ass holes brains splatter on the hotel room floor. It was a foregone conclusion Kermit thought, a mercy killing, a way to to put the bastard out of his misery he would.

Hang on one second. Kermit cursed, a long heinous reign of curses that covered most of the ground Christian mythology had broken since Zero AD. Kermit bowed down ad pulled the unconscious Dante's face up so he could look at him.

"Fuck, I was sure I had put it in his fucking brain."

Dante's face that was already adorned by the scar Darkness had given him over a year ago now had a deep canal in the side of it, there was torn tissue and singed skin where Kermit's bullet had passed. Kermit Gambono cursed again. The bullet that Kermit had been sure would kill Dante had only scraped his cheek and caused a deep wound in his face.

"Don't tell me you missed again kid." Raul's voice haunted Kermit.

"Ye...Yeah I fucking did." Then he grinned. "I won't this time though."

*CLICK*

Kermit loaded the gun again pointed the barrel towards Dante's forehead and prepared to see albino brain tissue splatter over the floor. For some reason the mobster felt like making a small speech before the execution.

"Well, pasty face...I don't really know you and I don't give a shit..."

Kermit was about to fire when Dante suddenly rose from his prone position and struck out against the mob boss, the blood from the wound on Dante's face had drained him of much of his stamina and his knees felt as wobbly as jell-o, but he was fighting for his life and that lent a new strength to his attack. Dante threw a series of punches that drove the mobster back and forced him to drop his gun, step by step Dante pushed himself away from the insane gangster leader. With a slight sway in his step and a brain screaming for rest Dante swung around and tried to deliver a bad roundhouse kick to Kermit, all he archived was to push the Kermit back and have him land on his ass...right next to his gun. The grin on the gangster's face was sick and thirsty for revenge and blood.

"Looks like you opened up to me huh?"

Dante cursed, he had escaped for a few second only, now he was still in mortal danger as Kermit still had his pistol aimed at his head. Kermit's grin grew wide as he pulled the trigger.

*CLICK*

"FUCK!"

He threw down the gun and delivered a swift and brutal kick to Dante's face with considerable force. To add injury to injury he delivered a second kick to Dante's head after the albino had fallen face first onto the floor. He picked up the gun and muttering to himself he spun the chamber of the revolver until he saw a bullet lined up with the barrel. He loaded the gun again and aimed it at Dante's head. Then before he could continue.

"Fell deeds awake!"

"Huh?"

Kermit looked up startled and saw a hand covered in a black glove coming towards him. The thought "This will hurt" passed through his mind before the fist hit him in the mouth and he felt his knees buckle. He was unconscious before the floor and his face met in a thud.

The Insomniac had found the hotel just in time, had gotten there just in time to see Kermit, the man who held his Bleeder title have a gun pointing at Jason Dante's face. To say that the decision to be the hero was easy would be to lie, there were great parts in TI that wanted to see the albino get his head blown off, he wanted revenge for losses and pains, for problems and humiliations. Jason Dante was in Jonathan Hoffman's world a man who had come to great success without deserving it, he had ridden the coat tails of Darkness, a man TI still had some semblance of respect for to the top. When Hoffman had reigned the fed as champion, Dante had been a midcard nobody that at that time rode the coattails of two men, Bruce and Bleeder, and TI had a deeply held respect for Bleeder. To be honest he still resented Dante for reviving the Hellfire Club name.

TI took a deep breath.

"The Titanium Insomniac, a saviour of the unworthy, a saint to protect the foolish and ..." Then he noticed the barely dressed Razor on the nearby bed.

"Well, hello there..."

Razor gave him a quick look and then turned her eyes to the prone and unconscious Jason Dante...or rather the the small puddle of blood that had formed near the albino's head. Despite being ignored in favour of Dante's vitae, the Insomniac pressed on.

"And what does a dazzling and...almost naked beauty do in the same room as my mortal enemy?"

Razor looked at the man with the painted face and a look of confusion drifted across her face. TI took an bow that was intended and came across as a parody of a theatrical bow. Razor frowned at him and sighed. Her naked feet met the flour as she walked over to the down and out Jason Dante. As she knelt down she sighed and said.

"Oh what could have been Jason, what could have been." Then she took out a glass bottle, filled it with a portion of the crimson liquid that now was eating it's way through the linoleum. Before she could put it in her pocket a voice interrupted her again.

"So what be thy name fair maiden?"

"What?"

"A more theatrical version of what's your name..."

"Oh, I see."

"Her name is Razor...at least that's one of her stories."

TI and Razor both turned towards the door as Selenia stepped through it. The black-haired woman stared at the woman who once had been her mistress in hell, who once had commanded her as one of the Succubi. Selenia's disgusted facial expression made TI wonder what was going on between the two women. He couldn't restrain a smirk as he saw that the "great champion" had been caught cheating on his girl. To his surprise Selenia ignored both him and the first of whores.

"Jason..." She said shaking her head as she began to walk across the room to Dante's prone body.

She bowed down at fallen man's side and caressed his bloodied face. She sighed and said "Jason...What have they done to you?" in a silent and loving voice.

TI was unsure what to do, he had wondered if he was doing the right thing by helping Selenia help Dante, after all Dante had as far as he could tell cheated on the girl... but as he saw the love the woman possessed for the knocked-out champion, somewhere within his still tortured mind, he felt a certain justification at what he had done. He let his mind wander back to the grave, back to where Jonathan Hoffman had died and The Titanium Insomniac had been born, he saw his wife flash before his inner eye and remembered her arms caressing him, remembered her smell and her laugh.And for a very short and brief second Jonathan Hoffman was alive again.

Selenia's loving embrace of Jason and TI's private, personal thoughts were interrupted by a shrill shriek.

"STAY AWAY FROM HIM, YOU FUCKING WHORE!"

Selenia looked up just in time to have the leg of a table smashed across her head, her vision blurred and she dropped to one knee. Before her stood Razor, Lillith in human form brandishing the leg of the bedside table. The smile on Razor's lips was horrifying and had crazy quality to it.

"Selenia...my pretty Selenia...Why do you keep trying to wrest him from me? I got inside his head a long time ago...Why can't you just leave him alone, my darling Selenia. He belongs to me!"

Selenia's eyes lit up with a fire born from outrage.

"You will never understand that Lillith...never, it's beyond what your kind can understand."

Without a further word, Lillith swung the leg again and again struck Selenia on the head.
TI has seen enough of this, he took a step towards the insane woman with the intent of stopping her, as he did he almost walked right into the chest of a huge man blocking his path.

"The hell?"

"Yep, sumthin' like dat!" A a voice with a crude and deep British accent said.

TI had slammed into the chest of the huge Thorne and apparently he had brought Spike with him.

TI smirked.

"You two...I thought you had gone away to hide fro real wrestlers."

"Nah, mate...we dun hide...we take charge and..."

"And what?" TI replied in a calm voice.

"..:AND BREAK YA FACE!"

Spike launched one of the clumsiest karate kicks in history at the Insomniac and missed by a foot, Ti seizing the opportunity grabbed the British lowlife's leg and hurled him to the ground and knocked him out with a swift kick to the temple. Not scientific by any means but it did the job.

TI squared up to Thorne and found a more equal match.

Selenia was being beaten to death by Razor/Lillith, the demonic woman was using the table leg as a bat and swung relentlessly at her head while spitting toxic comments at her former lackey.

"I will erase you Selenia...kill you...without you he belongs to me! I should have done this a long time ago Selenia...Better late then never..."

She reached back for a final blow against the downed woman's head when someone restrained her.

"No...you won't."

She turned around and saw a bleeding Jason Dante holding the table leg in his hand.

"Jason...I...she...I...we...I love you Jason!"

Dante grinned, he had seen and heard almost everything, after being out of it for a few minutes he had seen Razor attack Selenia, he had seen the callous attack on the only woman he loved, the brutal assault on his beloved Selenia...and the fog had lifted, seeing Selenia and seeing her attacked had been like the summer sun banishing the fog. Suddenly the dull headache that had plagued him was gone. He looked at Razor and shook his head.

"No, Lillith...you don't...you can't love..."

Razor's face fell. After a long time of being in her grasp she felt him slip free, she felt how he slipped off the hook, not only that...he had found her one flaw, the curse that had plagued her since the dawn of time. Humans, Angels, Wargs, Werewolves and even some demons...they could feel love, they could experience affection. Vampires and her kind could not, they were beings created as purely selfish and egotistical. They lived to corrupt and to twist the humans...Love was beyond their understanding. Some even say that these beings were the ones who created the first human psychopaths.

Right now Lillith saw the pale face of Jason Dante, heard the fight between Thorne and TI and Saw a bloodied Selenia raising to her feet, for the first time in her existence she felt fear and it crippled her, made her feel paralysed and unable to even act. She knew that Dante carried the Storm-Caller with him, she knew what it had done to her in hell and with terror in her eyes she saw him reach out to summon the blade.

But before his head could close around the sword, a gun blast echoed in the room. Dante dropped to his knees with a new stream of blood dripping from his face. In the background a faint.

"Gotcha, you ass hole!" was heard before Kermit collapsed into a heap of unconscious human tissue again.

"JASON!"

Selenia's scream made everything freeze, TI stopped in mid swing Throne stopped in mid block. Razor froze as the hand around her shirt let go. With a thud Dante's face hit the linoleum floor and a puddle of red blood formed around his head.

"Shit." TI exclaimed as he saw his enemy fall.

Seizing the opportunity, Thorne grabbed the knocked out Spike and grabbed hold of Razor and made a dash for the door. As Selenia screamed and tried to waken her beloved, the villains ran away.

Selenia looked up at Ti with eyes filled to the brim with tears.

"Please...Please help me...help him."

Without a word TI bowed down and picked the unconscious Dante up.

"We need to get him to a hospital..." TI's voice was reassuring for reasons he didn't really understand...but judging by the wound it was already too late for the albino.

They left the room and Kermit to his own devices, as they dashed away Kermit began to crawl until he reached an alley behind the hotel, he found the world starting to spin and once more unconsciousness claimed him.

*****

"Jason?" The voice sounded as it it was being fed to him through an over echoed sound system.

"Jason?"

"Yeah?" He replied not sure who had as spoken.

"Fuck man, you scared the shit out of me."

"Jay? What the hell are you doing here?"

"Nursing your ass back to health, Jas..."

Dante smiled.

"Good luck."

"Yeah, as if I needed that, I ran some tests...your metabolism works at about 450%....in other words 350% faster then a humans immune system can rebuild the body..."

"heh...Dads's little gift to me." Dante said trying to avoid the topic.

"Yeah...there is one thing though."

"What?"

"Your eye...Kermit's shot injured your right eye."

"What?"

"The bullet grazed it and tore a piece off of it, now don't worry it regenerates like the rest of you...It just takes a lot longer it seems."

"Great...What happened to Kermit?"

"I dunno, Selenia had no clue, and neither did TI."

"TI?" Dante sounded surprised.

"Yeah, he helped Selenia to deliver you here."

"He did? Why...why the hell did he do that?"

"I dunno, maybe he likes you?"

"Yeah, well I doubt that."

"So do I."

Dante paused.

"So...where is Selenia?"

"Sleeping...she had been up for a good week for your sake Jason, I sort of ordered her to catch some Zs."

"ordered her?"

"Wellm it sounds better then "strarted by asking her, followed it up with beggingb her screaming at her and finally having three guards carry her out" doesn't it?"

"Yeah...it does...but where is she?"

"In my office...I have a couch there and...hey, wait a minute!"

"What?"

"Take this."

Ecks threw Dante an eyepatch. Dante smiled and put it over his right eye to protect it.

"Thanks, man."

"Any time, Jas...you know that."

Dante shook his friends hand and on legs still wobbly after the expenditure of hell-fire to heal his wounds and dressed like a pirate in a hospital gown he made his way to the first of many confrontations he feared. Acolyte, Hawthrone, Freya and Misfit he owed them all apologies...but there was one apology he was more afraid of then the others...

He reached the office and saw her outline through the tinted glass in the door. He felt as if he had a lump in his throat when he entered the room to speak to Selenia.

He was cold.

And he felt sick.

Kermit slowly opened his eyes and took a brief lazy scan of the area.

"Alleyway" he muttered as he picked himself up from the cold pavement. His face hurt. He couldn't remember how that happened, but the pain in his jaw indicted that it did. Plus, he was in an alleyway, not Dante's room which is sure fire sign something went wrong.

Is Dante dead? Kermit wondered, leaning against a nearby brick wall.

He knew he shot the pale man, shot him hard enough to send the champion flying across the room. Then something happened before he could send another bullet into his foe.

He paused.

One more clean shot would have killed Dante. One deliberate, clean shot would have ended Dante's life and Kermit would have had his revenge. Revenge for what? Kermit rubbed his forehead. Why did he want revenge? What did Dante do? And then there was the woman. She screamed, that broke Kermit's focus. Who was she? Why did he try to kill her? And then that Selenia chick, and mister painty face showed up. After that, Kermit remembers very little. The many nights of poor, nightmare filled sleep were beginning to take their toll on the mobster. His thoughts were muddled, nothing seemed right.

"He killed your friends and stole your girl kiddo."

Raul was sitting next to Kermit, fedora hat pulled down over his eyes.

"Never forget that son. That's why Dante has to die."

Kermit blinked in confusion.

"He's not dead?"

Raul shook his head.

"Close, but not quite there. You failed Kermit."

Kermit was shocked. How the Hell could Dante keep surviving his attacks. Twice he has shot Dante, and twice Dante managed to live. He stood up slowly and began to leave the alleyway.

"Where do you think you're going kiddo?"

But Kermit ignored him and kept walking.

"KERMIT RAUL GAMBONO! I asked YOU a question!"

The mob boos didn't acknowledge the shout. The recent events pounded away at his head like a fierce headache. Everything had gone to shit. Janice was gone. His friends, Gonzola and Fozzini were dead. Darkness and Dante still lived. Everything was collapsing around him and he needed an escape.

And then, as if some mischievous deity heard his mental plea, a sign caught Kermit's eye. A sign that Kermit knew would provide him a chance to quell the strain of recent weeks.

Frankie's Tavern.

The place was pretty good for a bar. Clean, decent lighting, nice decorations. This was the type of theme bar that goes over big in America. English style, with a touch of Canadian flair, the flair being the hockey banners lining the back wall. Maybe a dozen people were sitting in here now, some at tables, others at the bar. Decent night. He sat down at the bar a flagged the bartender, who came over.

"Whiskey, straight." Kermit ordered, to which the bartender nodded.

Kermit pulled out a cigarette from his jacket and flicked his Zippo open, flame jumping up. A quick light and a deep drag later, Kermit's drink had arrived. He took another deep drag of his cigarette, letting the cancerous smoke fill his lungs. Secretly he wished cancer who just hurry up and kill him. Then at least he wouldn't have to deal with seemingly immortal men, his father's ghost, a missing girlfriend, dead friends, and all the other fucked up things in his life right now.

"Barman? Coke please." spoke the voice of a stocky young man who sat down next to Kermit. The gangster just quietly downed his drink in another shot.

"Another." he said to the bartender.

"Tough day buddy?" the stranger asked.

"You could say that." Kermit replied with another drag of his cigarette.

"Name's Kevin."

Kevin extended his hand to Kermit, who responded with a lazy gaze towards the hand then at Kevin. He shoke hands with the young man, as he realized he recognized this Kevin fellow.

"What was your name again?" Kermit asked slowly.

"Kevin. Kevin Sheene."

Kermit withdrew his hand slowly and lightly wiped it on his pants, much to Kevin's disapproving look.

"Do I know you?" he asked.

"Not sure. But I know you."

"I take it your a fan of TCW."

Kermit laughed.

"No no no, I am not a fan of TCW. At least, not anymore."

"Then how do you know me?"

Kermit turned to Kevin and made a gesture, like he was tipping his invisible hat.

"Kermit Gambono, resident TCW drunk, crazy man, and all around bad guy."

Kevin was silent. He had heard stories about this man. If they were to be believed, then he was not only sitting next one of his opponents at Road to Glory, but also somebody who likes to rough up and hurt his competition before matches.

"You mean the Bleeder Champ Kermit?"

"That's me" responded Kermit, taking another deep drink of his whiskey.

Kevin chuckled a bit.

"Something funny?" asked the now buzzed mobster.

"No no........well, kinda. You weren't what I expected."

"Let me guess. You expected to see a little green fucking frog singing cheesy songs?"

"Yup." Kevin responded with a slight smile.

Kermit sighed.

"You don't know how often I get that."

"I bet."

The two drank in awkward silence.

"So..you're not comfortable with me and my condition huh?"

Kermit raised an eyebrow at Kevin.

"What makes you say that?"

"You wiped your hand on your leg after we shoke. I get that a lot."

"Knee jerk reaction I guess." replied Kermit, puffing his cigarette. "No offense intended, I know a bit about how HIV works. Unless you bleed on me or fuck me, I'm pretty safe right."

Kevin smiled at the blunt reply.

"Interesting way of looking at it, and basically you're right."

Kermit lifted his glass in a mock toast to his intelligence, or whatever was left of it.

"So you're not wierded out about possibly wrestling somebody with an incurable and often deadly illness?"

"At this point, you could have the plague and cough on me, I wouldn't care."

"Damn, you must be having rough."

"More than you know." Kermit finished his drink and ordered another. He turned to Kevin. "I have to ask. Do you ever think about your life before you got infected?"

Kevin's face darkened.

"Almost everyday."

"And do you think "If I didn't do that one thing, my life would be better than it is now."?"

"What are you getting at Kermit?"

"Do you? Just answer please."

Kevin nodded. Kermit reached over and patted the younger man on the shoulder.

"Then you and me got something in common."

Kermit gently shoke his glass, stirring the amber liquid inside with the motion.

"I am coming up to my one year mark around here. Had my first match right before Endgame. And I can't help but think how my life would be if I hadn't won that match."

"What match?"

"Four man elimination. Winner got a shock at the Aftershock title. I fought my way through Todd Lewis, Roosevelt Dimes, and JE to win that match. If I had lost, I don't know if I would have stuck around. I did this for a hobby, but that victory hooked me and dragged me in."

"Look, I know you've had some good times here. Hell, you're Bleeder champ, that's something to be happy about."

"You haven't held the Bleeder title" Kermit mumbled.

"Huh?"

"Nothing. Look at it this way. Before I started here, I was living the high life in Chicago. My business was booming, I had great friends and the love of a wonderful woman. I was hobnobbing with the upper crust of society drinking champagne. And now, almost a year later, here I am. Friends are dead, love gone, and I'm discussing my problems with a rookie HIV infected wrestler, no offense, drinking cheap whiskey in bar. Notice the difference?"

"Sounds like Hell."

"That's where I feel I am some days."

Kevin finished his Coke, paid his bill, and got up. Before he left, he looked to Kermit.

"Listen Kermit, and you can believe me or not, but you can't let whatever troubles you have right now get you down. I thought my life was over when I was told I had HIV. I was about ready to give up, when I realized that just because I'm sick, doesn't mean I can't live it up while I'm breathing. Best of luck to you Kermit."

He patted Kermit on the shoulder and walked out of the bar as Kermit watched him leave. The kid made sense and Kermit knew it. He ignored the last of his drink, and slapped a fifty on the bar. Grabbing his jacket, he walked outside. A good night sleep would help him digest this conversation. And who knows, maybe the young man was right.

"And what the Hell was that all about?"

Raul had appeared in front of Kermit, a look of anger on his face.

"I had a few drinks." Kermit responded, not stopping his movement.

"Care to explain why you were chatting it up with some mook in a bar about your problems, instead of me?"

Kermit stopped, and lookup at Raul.

"Sometimes you need to talk to somebody other than family."

He starting walking again, and went right past Raul.

"Where are you going. We are not done here! Dante is still alive!"

"We are done for tonight Dad." he said, not stopping his movement. "I am going back to my hotel and heading to bed. I'm tired and don't feel like doing anything but sleep until late tomorrow."

Raul stood and watched Kermit walk away, towards the hotel. His hands clenched in rage. So close, Raul was so close to seeing his plans come to full bloom. He would not let Kermit's sudden act of defiance prevent everything he worked for.

Raul had to up up the ante.

He looked at her, took in every single details of how her figure looked. He saw the curves of her body, the most perfect one in this world in his opinion. He watched as her chest heaved as she drew a sleepy breath, he smiled and almost forgot what he had come here for. He walked over to her side. Looked down on her and felt warmth flow through his heart. As he bent down to caress her cheek he remembered and with drew his hand.

Now Jason Dante had fought many "monsters" in his life, he had grown up a freak with alabaster skin and faced the torment of children who didn't care and didn't want to listen to the teachers telling them that their class mate was just like them but had a condition that made him look different. He had fought to establish a now multinational company from the ashes of leaving his family behind, he had fought off years of loneliness and aeons of being bitter and resentful...and yet nothing was as hard as this, no fight, no match no adversary was as horrifying as what he knew he had to do.

He took a deep breath.

"Selenia?"

She moves about in her sleep and turned around and to his horror fixed him with those brown eyes. He felt as if he was shrinking under the gaze of her red pupils.

"Yes...Jason?" her voice had a hit of steel in it.

"I...eh...I..."

He felt the breakdown coming.

"Selenia...I..."

It wasn't that he couldn't say it, he just had a hard time putting it into words. Selenia stared at him and suddenly he felt something, she felt as if a gate had been opened and new impressions filled her world, it did take her a few seconds to realise what had happened. During the time Dante and her had been separated by Lillith's tricks, the link they had had been broken. The feeling of a open mind was Jason reopening it.

"Selenia...I'm so sorry..."

Dante's thoughts drifted over into her mind and filled her with the love he felt for the black haired woman. Selenia had to hold back tears as she felt each emotion Dante was feeling again, the bond between two who had been completely honest with each other had been re-established. She steeled herself, no matter how much she loved him, she knew he needed to feel the string a bit.

"Oh, are you?" She fired back groaning inwardly at the steel she had put into it.

"Selenia...I...I'm not going to make excuses...She fooled me and I was an idiot for biting...but I..." he paused realising he was about to make an excuse.

He sighed.

"Selenia...I thought everyone I cared about had given up on me, Darkness has gone off the deep end, and I have maimed him. Acolyte will probably kill me if he gets hold of me...Freya...I haven't spoken to Freya in an eternity. I failed you all and worst of all, I failed you Selenia."

Selenia felt guilty for punishing him this far, but she had to be sure it was all out of him.
Dante sat down on a chair.

"She...played tricks on me Selenia, she made me see my worst nightmares...I saw you and Aco trying to help Darkness and interpreted it as him hitting on you...and I...I thought..."

"What?" She said and once more cursed the steel in her voice.

"I thought you were cheating on me." Dante said in a voice that sounded as if he was spitting out venom.

"You did what?!" Selenia almost screamed.

Dante looked at her, his gaze was frightened.

"You idiot!" She blurted out.

"You stupid, moronic, idiotic fool!"

"I..."

"Shut up." She snapped.

"How could you even think that I would cheat on you Jason? How could you?"

She paused and seemed to calm down as the horrified Dante stared at her.

"Don't you understand, Jason? Before you came along I was a demon, a shade living of anguish and sexual guilt, I was a traitor to my friends and a backstabber...I would never ever betray you Jason...never. You are the reason I live, the reason I have a body and a face. I loved you the second I saw you and I will love you after the sun dies."

Dante stared up at her his eyes told her everything his voice couldn't say.

"I'm so sorry Selenia...I...didn't mean to hurt you..."

She looked at him and now she couldn't hold back the tears.

"Listen to me Jason, she tricked you...that's her strategy, she finds men when they are weak, when their resolve is weak and she tricks them. You opened up for a short bit in the hotel room and I felt the warmth of you mind Jason...She had only borrowed you...she can never steal you."

Dante still looked like he wasn't understanding any of this.

"Does this mean I don't have to sleep on the couch?"

Selenia stared at him in disbelief, then she started to laugh as she saw the grin.

"Not unless I'm on it too." She said laughing openly now.

Dante grinned.

"Truce?"

"No...cease fire?"

"Maybe even peace?" Dante wondered.

Selenia smiled.

"Maybe, you have to proved that you are a bit more sorry then that."

Taking this as an invitation Dante dove down on the couch and proceeded to prove how sorry he was.

Hours later Selenia looked up into the ceiling and asked.

"Jason?"

"Yeah, love?"

"How's your eye?"

"Not good, I can't see with it."

"Oh...will it heal?"

"Ecks thinks so. Why?"

"Oh, just making conversation."

She knew that things would head towards Dante going after Darkness, but she didn't want that to happen yet. She had gotten him back even if it had meant a deal with the devil in the form of TI ans she would be damned if she let him dash off to get wasted by a vindictive Darkness.

*****

Kermit's sleep was to say the least uneasy. Dreams kept haunting him, he saw a man with a snow white face chase him and no matter how fast he ran he couldn't get away, the white faced ghost always caught up with him. He heard his father's voice taunting him, dressing him down for having left Dante alive. He felt anger, guilt and sorrow all mixed into the potion that makes people suicidal. The dreams tormented him further as he saw a black ghost reaching for his throat and strangling him, just as the air ran out in his lungs, he woke up with a scream with sweat streaming down his brow.

He turned to his side to find comfort from Jani....He felt the nightmare return as he saw the empty side of the bed.

"Only one way to get free of that dream kiddo...you'll have to kill him."

Kermit looked up at the figure of his father, Raul Gambano didn't look pleased with his son at all.

He shook his head.

"I can't dad, I just can't. The guy has a million lives and he gets away every time."

"Kid, your not thinkin' straight...why are you after him?"

"Because he kidnapped Janice...and killed Fonzini..."

"Right...then how 'bout a another trick from the Gambano play book?"

Raul laughed.

"Hell, why not take a page from the frickin' bible?"

"What?" A sweaty and confused Kermit asked.

"Do unto others, kiddo...do unto others."

A smile spread on Kermit's face as he realised what his father was talking about.

*****

"Where are you going, Jason?" Selenia asked in a voice slurred by sleep.

"I have to talk to someone."

"Who?"

"I'll tell you later babe." Dante said and gave her a kiss on the mouth before he left.

Dante walked out the door, adjusted the eye patch again and took a deep breath. He didn't want to do this, he really didn't. He realized that squaring things with Aco was probably more important then this but he needed some answers.

*****

Kermit took a deep breath and cleared his mind. He felt like a criminal version of the Keystone cops having failed to get revenge on the albino ass hole. Before he entered the building he cracked his neck in an effort to release some tension. The he strode up to the front door and playing it Bogart entered the Dante Meditech facilities.

*****

Dante's hand hit the door three time, the knuckles hit just below the number 37. He waited. He felt each second drag out into an eternity, for every passing second he hoped the door would remain closed.

To his disappointment, the door swung open.

"Oh, it's you." Came from inside.

"Hello, Jonathan." Not even the Insomniacs distinct lack of reaction to the use of his real name registered on Dante, he only had one thing in mind.

Relenting, the Insomniac made a half assed gesture that invited the champion inside.

"What do you want Dante?"

"I have a question."

"Fine." The face painted man said as he sat down.

"Ask away." He continued.

"There is one thing that bothers me...one thing that makes me lose sleep....one word..."why?"."

"Why what?"

"Why did you turn up at that hotel room? Why did you help Selenia? Why not just let me ruin my life as I assume you want me to?"

The Insomniac smiled, Dante had walked down Insomniac boulevard, this was his turf, his home, his side of the tracks.

The Insomniac smiled and with an expression that made Dante want to punch him.

"You want the answer Dante...wait till Road to Glory, or better yet...wait until End Game."

Dante stared at the Insomniac for a few minutes before the man with the face pain managed to make the albino feel stupid.

Dante slammed the door shut behind him feeling far from sure of what had gone down.

*****

Half a city away, a door swung open. A women said a name and got a reply in a voice she didn't recognise.

Then a thump was heard and a female body slumped to the floor, three feet from a sign saying "Dante Meditech inc.".

Kermit grinned as he saw Selenia on the cold marble floor. Dante had taken his Janice...now Kermit would finally get his revenge and would finally do onto Dante as Dante had done onto him.

He pulled out a chair and watched as a bump built up on Selenia's brow where he had struck her with the butt of the gun.

"Sorry to do this to you bitch...but your boyfriend has done some crooked deals with me...sadly you had to learn the Gambano way of doing things."

With a grin Kermit leaned back and awaited the arrival of Jason Dante.

Minutes turned into a an hour before the door opened.

"Selenia?"
"Not even fucking close." Kermit attacked Dante from his blinded side and didn't give the half-demon a chance to defend himself. They tumbled about on the floor for a few minutes before another blow from the blind side. Kermit got back up to his feet and pointed the Smith & Wesson at Dante.

"Now...get up you piece of filth."

Dante half blind and dizzy from a fist to the face slowly got to his feet.

"Would you mind telling me what this is about?"

"In time, Ass hole...In time. This time you'll listen to me...you'll hear every minute detail...And then..."

"You kill me?" Dante said sounding as if he didn't think it was likely to work.

Kermit grinned.

"No...not you." He pointed the gun at Selenia. "...her. I'll make her beg for mercy, I'll make that murdering bitch beg for his useless life!"

Dante looked at Kermit and slowly his eyes grew wide open.

"What did you call her?"

"A Bitch you ghost faced fruit."

"No...the other bit."

"I called her a murdering bitch...she is a fucking heart eating whore!"

Dante suddenly felt something, he felt a burning in his skull, something was in the room with them...something...suddenly he wished Darkness was with them.

"She hasn't killed anyone..." Dante knew that was a lie but at least Selenia hadn't killed anyone Kermit could have known.

"Bullshit...She ordered you and that other fucking freak...Darkness to kill Fonzini...you fucking Devil worshipping ass fuckers!"

Dante's eyes grew wide again. He knew Kermit to be smart, he knew that the guy had some business that he was looking after and of all people, Dante knew the brains an operation like that needed to work.

"We haven't killed anyone."

"Oh, no...haven't you?" Kermit began with his voice dripping of sarcasm.

"Then Why is Fonzini dead? Huh? And Where is Janice?!"

"Janice?"

"You know who she is you bastard!"

"Your girlfriend?"

"Yeah, she is my girlfriend...or was until you decided you wanted her for your little Satanist group..."

Kermit cocked the gun and put the barrel against Dante's head.

"I'll tell you this...if you have killed her...then what I'm going to do to that little cock sucking bitch of your will be nothing compared with what I will do to you!"

Dante tried to think of a way out of this. There was something ion this room that fed these lies to Kermit, the man with the gun was irrational and acted as if the ideas he was talking about had come from a comic book.

As Dante tried to find a way out, Selenia groaned.

"On time to her own execution...remember her face, Dante...remember what it looked like before I plastered it over the entire fucking room!"

Kermit turned to face Selenia and as he did Dante launched himself from his sitting position and blasted Kermit with a straight right.

"Fuck, I hope I remember how Darkness did this..."

Dante pressed his hand against Kermit's head and let his own vision, hearing and feel pass into the deranged gangster's mind.

For a few seconds, Kermit to the real world fed to him via a mental bond...then he sank back into the fog created by his "father".

Moving as if in a panic, Kermit picked himself off the floor and rushed away. As he left the feeling of being watched disappeared slowly.

"Jason?"

"Shh...Selenia don't say anything."

"Wh..what was that about?"

Dante stood up and helped his girl to her feet.

"I'm not sure...but we have a problem...two actually."

Selenia nodded.

"Yeah, we need Darkness to figure this shit with Kermit out...." Dante said.

"And Darkness..." Selenia began. "...is off his rocker."

Dante nodded. He knew it would come to a fight...a year before they had fought and then made a deal to never lock horns again. Dante was sure that they would both break that vow before End Game rolled around.

Kermit staggered out of the Dante Meditech building, his mind reeling. Voices spoke over each other in a harsh buzz sound that hurt his ears. Random flashes of people appeared and disappeared in front of him as he ran in a zig zag fashion from the building.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!!!!!!!!" he screamed at the phantom voices and figures.

Yet they persisted, in fact, the grew stronger. Now Kermit could make out individual voices above the drowning buzz.

"Kinda dirty Boss, I thought you wanted to play fair here?"

"The De Luca Family and the Giordano Family have called off truce talks and many insiders think war could break out between the two."

"And what's all this about you drinking? What's up with that?"

"Of course I'm dead kiddo. You think these holes are just for show?"

Sayings from previous days and months continued to echo inside his head. Dante's touch seemed to open the floodgates of his mind. Everything was flowing, like water out of a busted dam, over Kermit in a single massive wave. Memories, fears, dreams, they all mingled and mixed into one chaotic and surreal combination of random images.

Gonzola pulling a younger Kermit behind his families car the night Kermit's parents were murdered.

Kermit firing two bullets into the frightened face of Don Sbezzo, avenging his parents murder.

Kermit, Rowlf, and Dr. Teeth popping Franklin Oz in the back of the head and sending him into the river for trying to deal with the feds..

Everything was violence, pain, and anger. And those emotions overwhelmed Kermit as he fell into an alley, clutching his head. Tears welled up in his eyes as the voices and images continued their assault on his senses. And then he heard Janice's voice clearly.

I love you...

Light and soft as a whisper, yet it rang loud amongst the heavy stream of the others.

I love you....

Kermit's mind focused on her voice and the accompanying image joined it soon enough. A year before, Kermit and Janice, lying in bed. She was drifting to sleep on his chest when she faintly said "I love you" before falling into slumber. At the time, Kermit had passed it off as mere words, something you are supposed to say after sex. But for some strange reason, these words hit him like a truck. She wasn't repeating the often clichéd lines of movies and television. She meant it. And the knowledge of that touched the gang leader deeply. For he realized, that he loved her as well. She stuck with with through all the trials and tribulations he had been through. The loses, the drinking, the lunacy, she was always there and never faltered. And he had never admitted it to himself that the feeling was mutual. His parents death focused a cold demeanor upon him when it came to love and caring. He remembered vividly the pain he felt when he saw their dead bodies lying in the street in pools of blood. He had vowed that day to never feel that same pain again, and in the process closed his heart.

The scene shifts slightly. Now Dante takes Kermit's place, and Selenia takes Janice's. And the same words are whispered by Selenia, as were by Janice. The realization stunned Kermit. All the plans to terminate Dante's life and then to remove his lover's were based solely out of revenge. Revenge for something he wasn't even sure Dante was behind. Dante never once admitted to it, and in fact, seemed very confused when Kermit had demanded to know were Janice was. In his own grief, he had tried to inflict the pain he had felt over 15 years ago, onto two people who seemed to have no involvement in Janice's disappearance.

Kermit felt sick. All the pain and grief he had felt in his life, he had in turn caused others. Despite the excuses and reasoning he made about why he did and why it had to be done, the realization was terrifying. He was no worse than Don Sbezzo and all the others who had hurt him over the years. He was a cold blooded killer and the knowledge of this caused him to wept openly in the alley. All the Sunday School lessons he was forced to learn as a youth came to him now. Images of burning brimstone and sulfur filled his head as he imagined the eternal torment he would endure for his sins. He was damned. Alone, broken, and damned.

"Crisis of faith kiddo?" Raul's voice broke Kermit from his tearful thoughts.

His "father" sat down next to him and gently put his hand on his son's shoulder.

"It's okay son. So you failed to hurt Dante, yet again, but we can try one more time. Now buck up my boy."

Kermit pulled his shoulder away from his father as he rose from the ground.

"It doesn't matter. I'm fucked no matter what I do."

Raul scowled. Over the past few days Kermit had become more and more defiant, something Raul could not allow if he was going to continue to use the mobster in the grander scheme of things. Too much had been done already to let Kermit suddenly develop a mind of his own.

"Then you might as well give up on Janice too huh boy? Because without you, she's as good as dead."

"Dante doesn't have her."

Raul laughed.

"And you believe that freak?"

Kermit turned to his "father", anger clear on his face causing Raul to smile inside. Already the fog was returning the gangster's mind.

"TWO times I tried to kill him, and TWO times he has lived. I even tried killing that Selenia woman, and Dante again foils it. He has beaten me in the ring and out of the ring. Why would he lie about Janice?"

"To MOCK you!" Raul and Kermit locked eyes, much Raul's delight. Anger and hatred as such wonderful ways to control the unprepared.

"He views you as nothing kiddo. He is laughing at you right now! Remember that little speech he gave you a while back? The one "warning" you about the Bleeder belt? He doesn't think you deserve it and insulted you with every word. He took your girl, to further insult you. And now, with his consistent survival, he is laughing at your pathetic attempts. You are an insect that gets swatted away with the casual flick of the hand to him. To him, you are nothing."

Kermit looked down at the ground, the haze growing.

"But if you don't think you can kill Dante, that's fine. We can pick other targets from his little gang of wierdos. Darkness? Freya? Deadzone? So many choices of who to use as a message for Dante right?"

Kermit nodded.

"Excellent. Now come on. Let's go back to the hotel and let you rest. This isn't over yet is it?"

"No" Kermit responded.

"Good. That's my boy."

Raul's poisoned words continued to cloud Kermit's mind. Slowly, and with deliberate movements, they began to erase the understanding Kermit had reached only moments before.

Except for one.

Light the flickering flame of a candle in the darkest of nights, one thought remained safe from the venomous speech of Raul. On thought remained pure and clean from the demon's influence. A single phrase, that unbeknownst to Kermit and Raul, would grow.

I love you.