Sweat poured down DeSean's face as he slowly, painfully walked back to the locker room. His body felt heavier than it usually did after a match. A battle with Darkness was bound to do that to anybody. As he approached the locker room, the sound of clapping entered his ears...

*clap clap clap clap*

"Good job, DeSean, you took it to him!"

Izumi was clapping and smiling, standing right next to the door to his locker room.

"Yeah, thanks..." DeSean said.

"Even if you didn't win, we had someone, in you, show that he was beatable, at least. Darkness, I believe, is more than just a mere man...but you came split seconds away. If you can get that close, it's possible." She smiles and offers a hand to him. "Good job..."

Then she withdraws it.

"...but unfortunately, I'm not finished."

DeSean tilted his head and sounded annoyed. "What -do- you want?"

"Uh...you ran in on my match."

"What about it?"

"Two things: 1. You interrupted a match I was in, and while I was busy with you, someone else won the match. 2. You should have been concentrating on your -own- match later in the night! Man, you really messed up big this time! And I liked you lots. I got your autograph just before you fought Inferno, 'member? Why'd you run in?"

DeSean sighed. "Look...Izumi, I'm not exactly in the shape or mood to discuss this with you. I have to hit the showers."

Izumi sighed. "Fine..."

Izumi turned and left. She had other things to do

With her superiors telling her to lay low for a while, she could concentrate on...fun stuff.

---

"What the hell was that?!" Leroy yelled.

"Calm down, buddy, I didn't know he was gonna do that!" Matt protested.

Leroy's fist punched the locker with a painful CLANG, splitting a few knuckles open. He didn't care.

"Bull! What have I been telling you all along...that I believed in you. And you two guys want to try to play the numbers game on me. That isn't going to work on me, Matt!"

"C'mon, Leroy, you and I both know I'm an honest, upfront wrestler-"

"You expect me to believe that? You guys are partners, you put DeSean up to it, plain and simple."

"Leroy-"

But Leroy's already-bloody fist was already in the air, and it connected flush against Matt's face. Matt stumbled back holding his cheek, which slowly began to swell up and visibly turn black and blue in the locker room light. His face was black and blue, Leroy's was red, as the blood vessels in his face filled up and boiled with rage.

"Asshole. Hypocrite." The disgruntled Leroy advanced on his injured opponent, kicking aside a chair as he moved in. Strikmore raised his fists to block, but received a kick to the gut instead, driving the wind out of Strikmore's lungs with an ‘oooof'. The man was now vulnerable.

*THWACK. THWACK. THWACK-THWACK.*

Knuckles met flesh and skull in a dangerous repetition, teeing off against Strikmore's forehead. Leroy's bloodied knuckles became even more bloodstained, as Matt's face gradually morphed into a crimson mask. The look in his eyes began to grow weary, like a lightbulb slowly dying...

Why?

His last coherent thought, before the back of his head impacted with the wall. He slid down it...

"C'mon Matt. I believe in you now. C'mon, get up."

Leroy took a fistful of Matt's hair, and stood him up, before shoving his head inside one of the lockers. A fury in his eyes.

He was going to kill this lying, cheating hypocrite.

*CLANG.*

Leroy had slammed the steel door full force into Matt's skull, causing unseen trauma beneath it. He slowly slumped to the floor, but the fury in Leroy's eyes and his heavy breathing told the story: he wasn't satisfied yet.

*CLANG.*

Another swing, another impact. Matt was dead weight now. Satisfaction still failed to come. One more

*CLANG.*

...and he was done. Leroy threw Matt's dead-weight body a few feet across the room. He stood there for a long time, breathing hard, staring at him, thinking about Matt.

Thinking about what he'd just done to him.

Thinking about his partner, DeSean. Thinking about what to do next.

After a full minute, he finally stepped over Matt's unconscious body, opening and closing the locker room door, departing the crime scene.[/i]

*DeSean walked the halls of the arena, towel draped over his head as water still ran down his face. All these arenas look the same after a while, and you start to lose track of where your locker is hiding. DeSean peaks his head into random doors, trying to remember where his travel bag currently is. He comes across a door with a comic book partially sticking out from under the door.*

DeSean: Matt's locker room. Gotta be.

*DeSean pushes the door open while wiping a trial of water that had run across his eye. He blinks open, and sees Matt laid out on the floor. He doesn't see the blood at first.*

DeSean: Man, I can't tell if you're drunk or too cheap for a hotel room. They have a special down the road. Queen bed, continental breakfast, $119. You're wearing gold, man. We can afford this stuff.

*DeSean, his back to Matt, opens a locker.*

DeSean: Hey, you seen my bag around here? Not looking for that camcorder again, are you?

*Shallow breathing is the only response.*

DeSean: Matt?

*DeSean walks toward Matt and nudges his shoulder. Now he sees the blood, the swelling and the crimson marks streaking the lockers. DeSean leaps up and pulls the door open, leaning into the hall.*

DeSean: Someone get Dr. Kian! Get Trevor! Matt's down!!

*****************************************************

Dr. Kian: It could have been worse.

Matt: What, I could have been the locker door? How exactly could it have gone worse?

Dr. Kian: The fact that you're talking and semi responsive means it could have gone worse.

Matt: Are you on call this leg of the tour Trevor?

Dr. Kian: Yes, I'm the attending right now.

Matt: Keep your cellphone on you. I'm sending another patient your way.

*Matt tries to get up, Trevor and DeSean each push down on a shoulder. Matt's too exhausted to fight it.*

Dr. Kian: Matt, I've put 23 stitches into your head. While your pupils did respond, I think you have a mild concussion. On top of that, there's the ever present condition of your neck.

Matt: My neck is fine.

Dr. Kian: Grit your teeth all you want, it's always going to be on my list.

Matt: My neck. Is fine.

Dr. Kian: Regardless, I have severe conflict on whether you're fit to compete on the next show.

Matt: DeSean, did they post next weeks matches?

DeSean: Yeah, yeah they did.

Matt: And?

*DeSean catches the glare of Dr. Kian. He knows the effect the answer will have.*

Matt: And?

DeSean: Us against Izumi and... Leroy.

*Matt pushes his finger into the chest of the doctor.*

Matt: I am not going to miss that match. I will go to every hack on this planet to get my clearance.

Dr. Kian: Then I suggest your friend call for Doctor Baxter from now on. But seeing as how he's not on this leg, I'm the law.

Matt: Then I'll forge your name if I have to. Hell, Stern wants me broken anyway. She'll look the other way and make sure to TiVo the match.

Dr. Kian: I didn't say I wouldn't clear you. I said I'm conflicted now. See me the day before the show, and we'll reexamine. This company seems full of fast healers. Maybe you're the same.

*Matt lays back into the bed, sighing heavily and twitching his feet. He knows that action now will put him out of the show. He looks over his shoulder at DeSean, that towel now hanging over his shoulder. He hadn't left since finding Matt on the floor.*

Matt: I don't remember saying thanks, but that wouldn't seem out of the norm right now. But thanks.

DeSean: No problem. I know you'd do the same.

Matt: I'll be in that ring, man. We're going to tear up. Technical Perfection.

*Matt puts out his fist and DeSean pounds it. Matt lets his head go slack in the bed as his arm falls.*

DeSean: I gotta find my stuff, man. I'll catch you.

Matt: Gracias.

DeSean: Denada.

*Dr. Kian starts to talk to Matt about what he'd need to do for the next few days, but is interrupted by an argument in the hall.*

Izumi: It's your fault!!

DeSean: I didn't do it! Leroy did!

Izumi: But you're the reason why!

*DeSean steps back into the doorway, gesturing to Matt.*

DeSean: Can you do something about this? She listens to you.

Izumi: Matt! Are you OK?

*Izumi pushes past DeSean and runs up to Matt, grabbing his arm.*

Matt: Yeah, full of sunshine and rainbows. What's with the yelling?

Izumi: It's DeSean's fault this happened!

Matt: No, I'm pretty sure Leroy is the one that beat me to hell and back again.

Izumi: But he did that because he was upset that DeSean interrupted our match!

Matt: He won!! He pinned the champ! That means he's front of the line for a title shot.

Izumi: Then why would he risk attacking you and losing the shot. It doesn't make sense.

Matt: Leroy is looney! Someone replaced the marbles in his head with poprocks and a can of Coke! Hell, I'm still pulling pieces of bourbon soaked glass out of my face when I shave.

Leroy: He's right. Half right. Somewhat.

*The all look to the door to see Leroy leaning against the door frame, pulling a paper towel away from his cut knuckles.*

Leroy: My brain gets a little static now and again, but who doesn't? No hard feelings, I hope.

Matt: Hard feelings? The only reason my hands aren't around your throat right now is because I want to do it in front of more people.

Leroy: Rage with restraint. So in control. Unlike me, I'm afraid. But you know that now. You're certainly someone the fans can follow. Can emulate. Someone human. Someone they can believe in.

Matt: Don't start with that!

Izumi: But I belie-

Matt: Enough of it! You want something to believe in? Believe in this. I'm going to retire you. I'm going to retire you, and it's not going to be because of a stipulation. It's not going to be a political power play. I'm going to retire you because I'm going to grind you out. And when it's all done, I'll hold the ropes open for you on your way out to prove I didn't do it out of rage. I did it out of love for this business. I won't let someone like you ruin it. DeSean knows how I feel about this, and he proved me right by stepping up. You? You're nothing but a guy coasting on the name his father lost.

Leroy: Don't bring him up!

Matt: Hear them poprocks snapping again?

DeSean: Back the hell down, Leroy. I will drop you.

Izumi: Don't.

Dr. Kian: Enough! Not in my office. All of you out. Everyone but Matt. I've already paged Russell Simmons. I will not turn my office into a triage unit. You are to remain separated, do you hear me?

*The scene freezes. Matt and Leroy burning out one another's eyes. DeSean standing between the two, and Izumi still clinging to Matt's arm. No one backs down. No one moves.*

Russell: What's the problem here?

"Any coward can fight a battle when he's sure of winning, but give me the man who has pluck to fight when he's sure of losing. That's my way, sir; and there are many victories worse than a defeat."-George Eliot

DeSean slowly and calmly walked backstage head down in shame, he worked so hard and for what another L in the Win/Loss column. People were congratulating him but why? Is this what TCW has become? A promotion that rewards mediocrity? Sure he came close to beating the unbeatable but close doesn't mean shit, coming in second in his line of work means you lost. You don't get rewarded for coming close, he walked along the hallways of the arena until he stopped by Stephen LePage.

"Hey DeSean, want to cut a promo? It'll be on the site and on syndication?" LePage asked him while shoving a mic in DeSean's face while the bright lights on a camera temporarily blinded him.

"Well I...I guess...I mean give me...." DeSean stammered trying to collect his thoughts together before he could finish Stephen cut him off.

"Great, thanks DeSean you're a lifesaver the WWE's site is really kicking our asses right now. Valerie has been on my ass about the site"

"We're on in 3...."

"I keep trying to explain but you know how Valerie is, she's a big bitch sometimes..."

"2...."

"You know, I'm trying we're all working hard, I think it's time for me to have an announcing position. I've been here long enough for seniority, I think it's time I get my due respect... One day I hope I‘ll be able to move on and work for an MSNBC...."

"1....action"

"Hi everyone, this is Stephen....LePage I'm here with a gentleman who just had a great match against the World Heavyweight Champion Darkness. He is the current Aftershock champion DeSean Blackwell welcome to TCW Beyond and I'm told you have something to say so the forum is yours."

"You know Stephen I stand here as a defeated man, but not broken, I'm still standing Darkness. People have been congratulating me on a job well done but it doesn't matter because no one in the end remembers the loser no matter how hard they work. I fought our match with honor, dignity, respect, and next time we meet I'll do it again. Except when I lock in the Leg Stretcher, it's over. I'm not letting go, I'm not showing any mercy, you'll either tap or become a fucking crippled. You've had no problems using that prosthetic glove as some sort of death grip, so guess what next match! I'm not letting go! Tap or don't walk again your choice! I stand here, God as my witness and I will say to all my fans the ones who've had my back! Sometime, somewhere soon I will become a world champion."
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

"There is no problem, we were just talking like mature adults do." DeSean told Russell while looking at Matt with a look of disapproval on his face. Matt looked back at DeSeab then continued staring hole into Leroy.

"Isn't that right Matt?" DeSean asked Matt trying to calm him down, Strikmore was no good to their team if he was seriously injured.

"Yea, we just talking and now that we're done we can leave." Matt, DeSean, Leroy and Izumi all started to walk out Matt was stopped by Kian who realized Matt's plan.

"Everyone can leave but Matt, Russell escort them out please"

Russell led the 3 combatants out of Kian's office and stood in between the 3 just in case someone would try to be sneaky and attack their opponent or opponents. DeSean walked beside Izumi who still harbored ill feelings towards him.

"It's your fault DeSean, why did you interrupt out match anyway?"

"Not now Izumi. Let it go" Russell chimed in,

"Listen to Russell, Izumi not really in the mood." DeSean added as they continued walking.

"Why do you care anyway, you have a partner and you're facing Matt you should be happy that he's not 100%"

"I told you, I like Matt. I want to see him 100%."

"Thanks, Izumi that really gives us a chance to win, I can feel the cohesiveness of the team already." Leroy told her as he walked behind both Russell, DeSean and Izumi.

"Shut the fuck up Leroy!" both Izumi and DeSean told him simultaneously.

"You're just lucky Leroy, Russell is in between us or else I would kick your ass myself. Partner for a partner I guess you could call it."

"That's enough DeSean" Russell told him.

"I'm good Russell, I'm not attacking anyone, those days are over." DeSean said while taking a left turn while everyone kept straight Russell stopped Brown and Izumi but DeSean kept walking not missing a beat.

"Where you going DeSean?" Russell asked as he watched DeSean walk away.

"Home so I can sleep" DeSean yelled back at him. The three of them watched as DeSean continued walking bag in hand and out the door on his way to whatever hotel room they were calling home that night.
............................................

Izumi opened her locker and grabbed her belongings, stuffing the min her bag she barely noticed Leroy who stood over her,

"What do you want?" She asked while not missing a beat packing her stuff up.

"Look, Izumi I know you're mad at me but you have to understand, Matt disappointed me. I lost my temper, I just need to know that I can trust you. Matt and DeSean are really good but I think we can beat them."

"You have my support Leroy." Izumi told him while leave the locker room. "You can count on me." She added rather curtly before she left. Leroy shook his head and sat on the bench, the locker room was eerily quiet it was so weird how quiet things really were. There were no road agents making sure people were in place, no producers, no Stern barking orders, no crews, no music just pure quietness. It was a rather relaxing moment for him as he sat on the bench and packed his bags. Not noticing the looming figure with a Singapore cane raised above his head.

THWACK!

"Ow shit!" Leroy yelled out as DeSean struck him on the head hard with the Singapore cane. He didn't hesitate to hit him in the head one more time, swinging the cane like one would a baseball bat DeSean struck him on the head again effectively dropping Brown hard on the cold, concrete floor.

"Now we're even." DeSean told Brown who was now holding his head as his body laid on the ground damn that's been a while since he's even done that it was like old times he thought to himself. DeSean turned and walked away, whistling to the melody the Ecstasy of Gold.

DeSean walked away, still whistling a tune, tapping the cane to it.

"That felt so damn good," he said, as he strode back to his hotel room...

Or did he?

Suddenly...

"Dammit, I knew I forgot some-"

Izumi passed DeSean, and did a double take. Her eyes traveled from his face, to the Singapore cane, then to the locker room door...

"Aw hell, DeSean...you didn't..."

"Well...I..."

"You did, didn't you..."

"He fuckin' deserved it," DeSean said, cracking the cane against the wall. "After he did that shit to Matt, yeah? I shoulda' fucked 'em up way worse than that, he was lucky."

"DeSean!" Izumi said. "What the hell is your problem?!"

"He asked for it! Why the hell are you defending him anyway?! The guy's got his head screwed on the wrong way, I was the one who interfered, but he attacked Matt instead!"

"I'm not defending him!" Izumi said. "To be honest...I'm really concerned about him. I think there is something wrong with him...he needs all the help he can get. But we're not gonna solve this by assaulting people back and forth. Now you might have escalated the situation..."

"It's called an eye for an eye..."

"Need I remind you, that you started this? You interfered in our match and set off this whole chain of events. DeSean, I normally don't like to get angry. I normally like to stay away from confrontations. But...you...you are starting to piss me off, in plain English." Izumi said, now stepping forward. Even though he had a cane, that didn't bother her.

"You keep yourself in check. Just 'cause you're a girl doesn't mean I won't go with you too if you provoke me."

"All I want to say is that you...are...a complete hypocrite. I saw your promo. You cut this whole promo about 'no one in the end remembers the loser no matter how hard they work' and blah blah blah and stuff. You are full of it! You can't stand in front of a camera and whine about losing and talk about how you'll win next time when you aren't focused, DeSean! Do you want to know WHY you lost? You weren't focused. You had your head elsewhere, like when you interfered in my match! If I was someone else, I could have kept attacking you and we wouldn't have had the close match we did in the main event. You'd have been in no condition to win and it wouldn't have been close at all. Kick-wham-Darkness DDT, three count." Izumi was now steaming. Almost literally. Izumi took a deep breath, trying not to pant...

"You wanna know why I interfered? Cuz Matt's my partner, and I had a bad feeling. It's a simple as that. Leroy had already driven Matt's face into a glass bottle the night before that match. And with all the 'Masked Man' shit and all, I knew that guy had to be off his rocker..."

"What if I am?" Leroy came down with an axe-handle smash, over DeSean's head from behind.

---

Matt sighed, laying on his bed, musing over the day. This didn't turn out how he expected.

Leroy jumps him, potentially putting him out of action for the show, Izumi blames it on DeSean, a fight nearly breaks out...and he had to face the man that did this to him in the first place at the show. If he made it there...

That was fine though. He was going to break Leroy for what he'd done. He -was- going to get clearance for this match.

Should he go after him now?

Further action risked permanent injury, besides, that wasn't his style. He wasn't a coward like Leroy was. He had to wait and be patient. He settled things in the ring.

On the other hand, he just had a bad feeling, somehow...

Matt: I'm gonna roll, Dr. Kian. We done?

Dr. Kian: Nothing I do is going to change anything that's wrong with you.

Matt: That got a hidden meaning?

*Dr. Kian looks up from his charts and sees a grin on Matt's face.*

Dr. Kian: I stand by my diagnosis.

Matt: Thanks for your help. While I might not like what you said, I do know it's in my best interest.

Dr. Kian: I just hope you heard it.

Matt: That's the problem with wrestlers. No one ever checks our ears. Take it easy, Doc.

*Matt grabbed his hoodie from the chair as he exited, tossing it on and pulling up the hood despite the warmth. It's a tried and true method to keep him from scratching at the stitches. Matt had never liked stitches, and as he got older and grew into his profession, he hated them even more. He hated what they stood for, but this pity party would have to deal with a rain delay. The ruckus from down the hall was getting closer, and Matt curiouser.*

DeSean: Get off me, Russell!

Leroy: Yeah, Russell, lay off the lad. You can loosen your grip on me too if you'd like.

Russell: You and you! Quiet!

*Russell is dragging DeSean and Leroy by their shoulders. Both men are bleeding, but not horribly. Most wrestlers in TCW end up walking around with a pint or so less blood than your normal functioning human. Izumi is running behind them, alternating between yelling DeSean and Leroy. She sees Matt, and her eyes widen a bit. She runs around the three headed mob and up to Matt, grabbing some loose material of hishoodie. Talking quickly and rising onto her toes to emphasize punctuation, she unloads on Matt.*

Izumi: Matt! They just won't stop! Make them stop!

*Matt sighs and looks away from everyone. DeSean, Leroy, and Russell provided a backdrop of bickering and aggravation, while Izumi's painful stare burned into his turned away cheek. Finally, Matt swings his eyes towards DeSean and points to him.*

Matt: You cool?

*DeSean shrugs at Russell's hand, staring through him and Leroy. Turning to Matt, he nods.*

DeSean: I'm cool. It's all cool.

Matt: And you, Leroy? You're on borrowed time. I'm making you pay it all back.

*Matt goes to leave, but Izumi won't let go of his shirt.*

Izumi: That's it? That didn't solve anything!

Leroy: It's because he knows there isn't a problem.

Izumi: No problem? You're all bleeding!

DeSean: If you haven't bled in the locker room, then you haven't been here long enough to understand.

Izumi: Matt?

*Matt lets his shoulders drop and sighs.*

Matt: I'm tired, Izumi.

Izumi: Matt?

Matt: Okay.... DeSean, I'll catch your cell later. Night, Russell. C'mon, Izumi.

*Russell continues on his way down the hall, DeSean and Leroy in tow. Matt walks toward the arena exit, hoping the night air will give him some new life, because he's fresh out. Izumi, still confused, runs up behind Matt, catching up enough to walk by his side. Neither one says anything until grabs a seat on the edge of a loading bay. Izumi tries tomimic the same.*

Matt: Izumi, I'm going to say some things, and I need you to listen. When I'm done, you need to leave, because I can't be in this place right now. I'm in a bad way, and the way to fix it is ugly, and I'm sorry that you're going to be involved in it. You're a kind person, and you care. That's never a bad thing, but it's rarely a painless thing. This place, this job, this industry... it's ugly. We're modern day gladiators, only they've taken away our means of killing each other, but we do our best to do it anyway. We all have different lines we don't cross, but we all go further than we thought we would. Every once in a while, we all come across people that we can'tseparate from the ring. It's not about being superior, it's about hatred and despise. And that's what's going on right now. Three guys that really hate each other.

Izumi: But you and DeSean don't hate each other...

Matt: Oh, we do. But we're alright with each other. We respect each other, and that's enough to taper that hatred. Right now, we each think we're better than the other, and that drives us. We push our lines against each other further. Then you add in Leroy, and it all explodes. And I'm sorry that you have to be in that ring with us. It's not that I don't think you can wrestle. I know you can hold your own, but this isn't going to be a wrestling match. This is going to be a fight. This isn't about gladiators anymore. It's about lions. It's going to be savage. It's going to be personal. It's going to be bloody. We are all going to be hurt in this, all four of us. And that's why I need you to leave once we're done talking, because I know you don't deserve to be caught up in this, and I don't want to be reminded of it. You're going to learn something, though. You're going to learn what really fuels this business. What doesn't come across in television. This is all driven on hatred and ego. All the best matches. Hatred and ego. I'm not the saint you think I am. I'm not perfect. If anything, I'm worse, because I try to be above this and I fail. I know hitting Leroy isn't going to make my stitches heal faster. AttackingDrakus won't fix my neck. But I'm going to do it anyway, because when you boil it all away, none of us are that different . A sane person doesn't become a wrestler and stay a wrestler. It's like DeSean said, if you haven't bled in the locker room, you haven't been here long enough to understand. I hope you find a way out before you get to that point. There's no coming back after that. Too much ego. Too much everything.

*Matt tucks his hands into the pocket of his hoodie, breathing in deep the crisp air.*

Matt: Time for you to go, Cinderella. Your clock is coming up on midnight. Do me a favor, and don't become what we are. You're better than that. Better than us.

*Izumi gets up and walks a few steps away before turning back towards Matt.*

Izumi: I'm going to be in that match.

*Matt bangs the back of his head against the loading door a few times, gently.*

Matt: I know. I know, and I'm sorry.

*Izumi keeps walking, going back into the arena. The door clicks shut behind her.*

Matt: I'm sorry.