Unseasonable weather washed in across the harbour of Rio de Janeiro, black clouds piling up on the horizon, carried in by cold Atlantic winds. There were flashes of light in amongst them and distant rumbles of thunder.

"Looks like it's going to be another shitty summer," Revenant said as she kicked her feet against the wall. She was hanging over the edge of the roof, showing no sign of being concerned about the twenty-storey drop beneath her sneakers.

Darkness just stared out at the turbulent sky. Droplets of rain had started to cover his face, beading like tiny crystals in his unkempt beard. Behind them, Llenlleawg pulled his own coat - a leather jacket, new, bought in imitation of Darkness and the other Shadow Slayers - closer around him.

"Where do you think she is?" Revenant asked.

"I don't know, but I'm going to find her."

"How far will you go?"

"As far as it takes."

"I didn't mean in terms of distance..."

"Neither did I."

Darkness ran his good hand through his damp hair, pulling out a knot with his fingers. He hadn't slept in a few days, and he hadn't showered in even longer. His mind was a whirl, but a whirl that was compressed into one iron knot of implacable resolve.

He had to find her.

He'd nearly lost Revenant in Chicago, and he'd gone further than he thought possible to get her back, only to return to Brazil and find Freya missing too.

Was he being punished? He remembered how, once, it had seemed whenever he crossed that invisible line, breaking his own rigid code of honour, the world had thrown something at him to make him see the error of his ways. Giving into the rage that smouldered within him always seemed to trigger the outward rage of the universe, with him as its target.

But it hadn't been anger that had sent him after Revenant, storming Henson Towers with the help of his most hated foes and conspiring in the deaths of innocent men. No, he had been doing the right thing - her safety was his paramount concern, and he couldn't allow Kermit to experiment on her, subjecting her to whatever inhumane tortures he could think up in the name of ‘progress'. Who knows what secrets Kermit Gambono would have discovered if he had been allowed free reign? If Darkness hadn't stopped him...the consequences would have been too dire to contemplate...

It was worth it. It had to be.

"So?"

Revenant was looking at him.

"What?"

"Where do we go now? How are you going to find her?"

"I have no idea. But I will find her."

He could tell Revenant wanted to say something else. She glanced sideward at Llenlleawg and Darkness turned around to face the young werewolf, shivering in his coat. "Was there something you wanted to say?"

The two Neophytes looked at one another. "We were discussing...I mean...it's not helpful..."

"If you have something to say to me, then just say it."

"You won't like it."

"I'm sure I won't."

Llenlleawg shrugged. "It's just...you allied with the vampires to get Rev back. Now you're talking about doing whatever it takes to find Freya..."

"Yes?"

"We wondered...I mean...this kind of resolve...where was it when..."

Darkness knew what he was about to say. He turned his back on the werewolf as his words petered out. "You want to know why I didn't shake the Earth to its foundations to find my daughter when I'm more than willing to do it for Revenant or Freya."

"Yeah. That's pretty much it."

"Because my daughter is dead, Llenlleawg."

"But, I thought..."

"When we were in Chicago, John Doe told me they'd found where Seth was keeping her. She was adopted by a family somewhere in the north of England, raised as their own daughter. According to information he received from Slayers stationed in that area, the entire family was killed in a house fire about a year ago."

"Fuck..." Revenant said.

"You...you think Seth killed her?" Llenlleawg asked.

"That's right."

Revenant frowned. "Why would Seth let her live for so long and then kill her?"

"The date of their death is suspiciously close to when we visited your village, Llenlleawg. Either Seth thought I was coming back to the UK to find Krissy, or he got wind of the fact that Fenris told me only Seth knew her whereabouts and decided to cut his losses."

A rumble of thunder punctuated the silence as Darkness stopped talking. The rain was starting to fall hard now.

"So you see," Darkness continued after a few moments, "I don't intend to wait any longer than is necessary to find Freya. Just as I didn't hesitate to do what I had to do to get you back, Revenant. I waited years to find my daughter and, when I finally discovered where she was, it was too late. Now she's dead. I intend to learn from my mistakes."

"When did you find out about Krissy?" Revenant said in a small voice.

"Not long after we broke out of gaol in Chicago. John was waiting for a moment alone to tell me."

"So...that's why you did what you did? To rescue me, I mean."

"Yes. That's why I did what I did. That's why those men died. Because of Kristine. Because of my daughter."

* * *

"So was this your plan all along?" David Hardy was making no effort to hide the venom in his voice as he slouched in the chair opposite Valerie Stern. He toyed idly with a pen he had grabbed from her desk as he'd sat down. Stern found it annoying that he seemed to have to constantly fiddle with something, so now it gave him a certain amount of pleasure to do it.

"David, please don't act like a child."

"Fine." He put the pen down on the desk.

"That's not what I meant."

"I lost my belt!"

"I know. What do you want me to do about it?"

"I don't want you to do anything, I just want a fucking explanation!"

"I hope I don't have to remind you that you were the one who got pinned by DeSean."

"Right, and you were the one who brought him back on to the roster in the first place. I thought you were trying to help me - I thought you were giving me an ally against Highone. Instead, he winds up taking my title from me."

Stern clasped her hands in front of her. This was business now. "David, perhaps you should see this as an opportunity, rather than an obstacle..."

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I don't need the management pep talk - least of all from my girlfriend."

"You know I don't like that word, David."

"Well I do, and there's two people in this relationship, Val. It seems like I'm only your boyfriend when it's convenient for you. The rest of the time, I'm just another employee."

"Would you rather have preferential treatment? Is that why you began this? To get ahead in the business?"

That actually made him laugh. "No, not at all. Haven't we had this conversation before?" He leant forward and placed a forearm against the smooth mahogany of the Commissioner's desk. "I just want to know if this was what you had planned all along."

"Why would I plan to take your belt from you?"

"Because it's a conflict of interest. Because it's easier if I'm just some guy working for you rather than a title holder. Because you need as little media interest in me as possible, since if someone digs deep enough, it's not going to be hard to find evidence of this affair, is it? We've been careful, Val, but not that careful. I'm a risk - one you can't afford, so you thought you'd set up a situation that would put me a little more out of the public eye. What better way to do it than set it up so an old friend is the one who does your dirty work? That way, I get so distracted by that betrayal - and Highone's, to boot - that I don't notice yours."

Stern sat back in her chair. "I can see you've been thinking about this a lot," she said after a few moments.

"That's not an answer."

She slid a piece of paper across the desk to him. "That's the current roster. Pick your opponent for Friction."

"Huh?"

"You don't have a title to defend any more, David. I told you: opportunity not obstacle. You have the experience and talent to fit anywhere on the card that you choose. That thing was holding you back, and I think you know it."

Hardy shook his head. "I'd rather have any belt than have no belt..."

"Even if it's beneath you? DeSean Blackwell pinning you was the best thing that ever happened to your career, David. I can give you a match with anyone on the roster. Maybe you'd like to relieve Matt Strikmore of his belt? Or perhaps it's time you challenged for the Bleeder Title, how about that?"

"I want Darkness."

Stern paused. "Darkness?"

"I want the World Title. You said I could have a match with anyone on the roster. I want a match with him."

"Maybe you should..." she waved a hand, searching for the words.

"Aim lower? I don't think so. Opportunities not obstacles. I'm taking on the champ."

"You can't have a title shot. The Transcontinental Title or the Bleeder Title, that would be fine, but contracts for a shot at the World Titles are more complex. There are rules."

"Whatever. Just give me Darkness. One-on-one. I'll show you what I'm really capable of, and I'll do what Highone and DeSean never could."

"You'll beat Darkness?"

"Damn right I will. He's not going to know what's hit him."

Stern looked over at Hardy. "No," she said as she wrote in the details of the match at Friction, "I don't suppose he is."

* * *

It was dark by the time Hardy got back to his hotel room. He walked in without turning the lights on and threw his keys down on the bedside table. Despite having shared a hotel room with Stern for most of his stay in Rio, he did have a suite booked in his own name so as to avoid gossip and, these past couple of nights, he had been grateful to put some space between himself and his girlfriend.

He was still pissed at her. She couldn't buy him off as easily as she thought, and he knew spin when he heard it. Sighing, he walked through the dark room and then out onto the balcony. The weather was ridiculous.

"Just my fucking luck to come to Rio when it's raining," he growled into the night. The view should have been spectacular, but the mist turned the lights of Rio into vague orange smudges. Disgusted, he turned around and walked back into the hotel room.

"Hello, David."

He stared at the shadowy figure sitting across from him. It took him a second to place the man's voice - that distinctive accent - and recognise his broad-shouldered shape.

"I thought you were dead."

"Warriors never die," Shogun smiled, "they just run out of enemies."

Hardy was a very fortunate man. Like all the former members of Infinity, he had been furnished with a large number of S-Mart stocks. Plus he was dating the boss of an international wrestling promotion. And he was one of the more lucrative sellers of merchandise in TCW. He let his accountant handle the details - all he needed to know was what he could buy and how often. As of right now, his budget stretched to hiring a private jet, and he was reaping the benefits of that right now. He could go where he wanted, when he wanted, and do it in privacy and comfort. Life was good.

So why wasn't he happy?

"Can I freshen your drink, Mr. Hardy?"

He gave the flight attendant a smile from behind his Louis Vuitton shades. He was glad they hid his eyes right now. "I'm good, thanks."

The blonde smiled back and for a second... No. He didn't want to exacerbate his current situation. Things were going to be difficult with Val anyway, without him doing something monumentally dumb like, well, her.

The ice in his scotch had nearly melted and the liquid left at the bottom was more clear than gold. He swished it around as he leant back in the beige leather seat and looked out of the window. The weather looked pretty bad, but the pilot had told him there wouldn't be any excessive turbulence. Just a normal flight. Just a normal day.

"How's your hand?"

His grip on the glass tightened, but he didn't look around. He sipped the mostly-water and swallowed hard.

"Do you think I want to hurt you, David?" Shogun asked.

"You attacked me, didn't you?"

"Is that how you remember it?"

Hardy finally turned his head. Shogun was sitting calmly in the seat opposite him, his hands folded in his lap. He was dressed entirely in black, and his expression was unreadable. His head was bald. Had it always been like that? He found he couldn't remember.

"What do you want, Shogun?"

"To help you."

"Yeah right. Did he send you?"

The dead man's brow creased. "Who?"

"You know who. Him. My opponent. Darkness."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Yeah right." Hardy looked out of the window again. The dark clouds were gathering, casting everything in the cabin into dim shadow. He thought he heard a distant rumble of thunder. "I know you and he had some kind of connection," Hardy continued, still not looking at his old enemy, "and I know both of you have been involved in some weird stuff. I read all the briefings Shadow gave us about Darkness - I know you came back to find him, and that you two nearly killed each other several times. He and Josh were the last men to see you alive."

"Apparently you know more about all this than I do..."

"You're dead. I know you're dead. But I thought that once already, and you still came back. So maybe you came back again, probably because of him, but I guess you stopped by her to taunt me or something. Or maybe you're working for him - maybe he has some kind of power over you, and you're going to drive me insane so he can win."

"That's a long way to go to win a wrestling match..."

The lights in the cabin seemed to be dimming. He saw lightning flash outside. Did the plane just dip a little lower, or was it his imagination?

"Are you going to kill me, is that it?"

"Why would I kill you, David?"

"I don't know. Why anything? If you can come back from the dead - twice - then you're capable of anything. Why not kill me? Maybe this is some long overdue revenge for that scar I left on your chest all those years ago. Or maybe it's just Darkness being a nutjob."

"You keep saying that name. Who is this ‘Darkness'?"

Hardy looked back at Shogun with a confused expression on his face, but the seat was empty. He blinked. The lights in the cabin were normal. The dark clouds outside were gone.

"Mr. Hardy?"

"What?" He looked up at the blonde stewardess, who was hovering over him again.

"I said, ‘Can I freshen your drink?'"

"I...yeah, sure..." He held out his glass.

"Are you alright, sir?" she asked as she filled it from the decanter she carried.

"I'm fine. I'm just...I'm tired, that's all."

* * *

"I'm getting awfully tired of this attitude, Darkness." Stern looked at her World Champion over a mug of hot coffee as he paced back and forth in her skybox liked a caged animal.

"I don't serve at your beck and call, Stern," he growled.

"Oh, did I interrupt your busy schedule?"

"It's nine in the morning."

"Right. And I'm your boss. I'm pretty sure it's not unusual for an employer to see someone they have under contract at nine AM. You might even call it ‘normal' - as alien a concept as that seems to be to you."

"Just tell me what you want and I can get out of here."

"And find Freya?"

"That's right."

She placed her mug down on a coaster next to her. "Do you have any leads?"

"A few."

"Are you going to tell me? If she remains missing for much longer, I'll be contacting the authorities, and you'll of course be expected to cooperate with them."

"I always do."

She arched an eyebrow, but didn't press him. "So, what do you know?"

"Nothing concrete. What do you care anyway?"

"She works for me. She makes me money."

"Of course," he sneered.

"Darkness, making money is not an unusual motivation. In fact, it's what drives almost everyone else on the planet. If you find it so distasteful, maybe you should try Mars."

"That's not what I meant."

"Isn't it? Drop the self-righteous bullshit. I don't need it, and you can't afford to piss me off."

"Haven't we been through all this before?"

"I need you to do something for me," she said suddenly.

Darkness stopped pacing. "What?"

"Your opponent is AWOL."

"Are you talking about Freya?"

"No, David Hardy."

Darkness frowned. "I'm facing him?"

"That's what I said."

"And he's gone missing too?"

"Not missing. I know exactly where he is - or where he's going - but he went against my express permission."

"Nice to see the rest of the roster is following my example."

"This has nothing to do with you, Darkness."

He narrowed his eyes, sensing the strain of dishonesty in her voice, but not pressing the issue. "So he's gone somewhere. What do you want me to do about it?"

"I want you to find him."

"I can't," he said automatically, "I'm busy."

"Trying to find Freya?"

"Yes."

"She'll turn up."

"You don't know that."

"Well what's the worst that could happen?" Stern leant forward over her desk, eyebrows raised, challenging.

Darkness's jaw tensed. "I'm not chasing after Hardy."

"No Hardy, no match. Do you want another show without you on it? The phasing out of your little brand is already well under way: don't give me an excuse to make it even easier."

"Why send me?"

"You have the incentive, don't you? My lackeys would half-ass it and use a trip to LA as an excuse to sit around in strip clubs or hang around Hollywood Boulevard, trying to spot Britney Spears stumbling out of a bar."

"He went to LA?"

"That's right. Find him, and you can have a match. Don't find him and...well...a few more disappointed Darkness fans is no skin off my nose."

"You can't make me go, Stern."

"It's your match, Darkness. You do what you want."

He snarled something unintelligible and then turned away, storming out of the room. Stern let the door slam and released a sigh. She picked up her mug and nursed it between her pale, slender fingers.

As much as she hated the thought of Darkness chasing after Hardy, she knew that he was the only one who could do this. If the rumours were to be believed, he was capable of almost anything, and Hardy needed to see that his opponent was just another TCW employee she could manipulate, not some kind of supernatural bogeyman. It would all be alright. Darkness would find Hardy and bring him home, and then they'd be together again and put all this behind them.

She was really starting to care about him, wasn't she?

Shit.

She sipped at the coffee and made a face.