Post by Devlin Knight. on Dec 21, 2022 12:53:22 GMT
[NB: Continues on from adambarker1981.proboards.com/thread/15816/all]
Temporalmental…
The beeping of the IV pump is heard as he lay there on the hospital bed, fluids travelling through his system from a cannula via a drip bag hanging on a rack. He slowly opens his eyes, realising he’s wearing a hospital issued dressing gown. Looking around he sees his partner, Aurora Frost… She looks tired, but otherwise okay.
Fred: ”Where am I?”
Aurora: ”Oh thank God you’re awake babe, you’re in a hospital in downtown NYC… How you feeling?”
Fred: ”My neck hurts a little, my back’s slightly sore but otherwise I’m good… Did you fly out here, from Vegas?”
Aurora: ”I took your jet, as soon as Gerald called me. Apparently you collapsed backstage after invading your dad's promotion or something??”
Fred: ”Heh, it’s a little bit more complicated than that…”
Voice: ”I’d say it’s a lot more complicated than that…”
Fred looks up and in the reflection of one of the framed paintings the hospital has hanging up in the room, Fred sees him staring down at both he and Aurora. He bites his tongue and closes his eyes.
Aurora: ”What do you mean, complicated??”
Fred: ”Well, it’s more than just me collapsing or whatever…-“
The Bunny moves from the painting and Fred sees him walking through the reflection of the Hospitals eighth floor windows.
Bunny: ”If you explain it, she’ll never believe you. She’ll likely ridicule you…”
Fred: ”It’s… It’s nothing babe, look I’m sorry but I’m really tired right now…”
Aurora: ”That’s okay darl, you take it easy. I’m going to see if I can find Gerald and grab a coffee or something then I’ll head to… Wait, you’ve sold your dad’s apartment complex…”
Fred: ”Go to my Academy, The Churchyard, Gerald knows where it is… There’s an apartment attached to it.”
Fred shudders as he still sees the Bunny in his peripheral, as Aurora leans down to kiss him softly.
Aurora: ”Okay babe, call me if they’re gonna discharge you today and we’ll come straight back up.”
Fred nods and closes his eyes as Aurora leaves the room, quietly closing the door behind her. The squeaking of a chair can be heard, but it’s not coming from the room but the reflection… He stands and walks towards the window, peering into the room, at Fred Debonair, the voice deep and somewhat distorted...
Bunny: ”Look at him, laying there… This is what happens to him after spending just a few hours in the void. If he can’t handle that, how is he supposed to turn anything around before the countdown ends? Before the world. Ends? Fred Debonair, number seven in the IIW Ice-Crown Rumble. The stage is set at a lowly -10 degrees inside the purpose built IIW Arena, in Manchester England and whilst everything I’ve said is true, he needs to pull himself out of this state… He isn’t in the worst position, of all involved. In fact, everyone else in the match is in a far more volatile predicament…
Take for example Rhett Dawson, Sawyer Wade, Beckett Marisol and Maverick Tatum… The Second Coming. Does Fred Debonair think you’re a few of the toughest challenges in the Ice-Crown Rumble? Yes he does, but does he think any of you are a threat to his existence and subsequent victory? Not in the slightest. The four of you are going to have trouble deciding on the politics behind your tiny little faction as to whether or not there’s one of you in particular you’re all going to get behind to grab a shot at a Championship after this. If that’s the case then three of you won’t even bother trying, but of course you will be there to assist the exit of anybody who becomes trouble for the chosen one’s success. All that needs to happen is for Fred to figure out who’s going for the win and deal with it… However, if neither of you can decide who is more deserving of the chance to pick up a belt or another belt, then well… That’s more than half the job done.
Take Liam Cain for example… He returns all big and bright, like something from deep in the heart of Texas, at IIW’s Explosion PPV, crying about how he’s been hard done by, how everyone has set up against him and that now he was returning to the Ice-Crown Rumble, seeking some kind of retribution for what happened and yet, where is he? Fred Debonair knows exactly what Cain is capable of, but he also knows that when he and Cain faced off, Fred had him nailed to the altar, like a sacrificial lamb… If Liam Cain does indeed decide to show his face among those in the Battle Royal I can say he likely won’t last all too long… That Cowboy has yelled his last yee-haw as far as Fred Debonair is concerned…
Take Andy Donahue and Christopher “Trigger” Cavanagh, for example. The Celtic Club, leading Irish Americans in IIW right now, who cares? Not Fred Debonair that’s for sure… I may be mistaken but I don’t believe there has been one time that Fred Debonair has faced either of The Celtic Club where he hasn’t come out on top, except maybe a time he was disqualified from the match. I’m not even sure why these two morons are even continuing to do the bidding of John Cavanagh, because all that’s going on here… Cavanagh wants something and his younger brother and cousin? I can’t quite recall and don’t care enough to find out, they do all the work for him… Footsoldiers without their own brain, their own thoughts and feelings. But it matters not for when the time comes, both of those men will suffer the same fate as the rest of them anyway. Over the top, to the floor…”
We watch as the Bunny traces along the windows, running his fingers against the glass from the other side. Fred stirs in the bed, as the Bunny presses against the glass, causing a whiteish-blue hue and ripples in the air.
Bunny: ”Take Curtis, for example. The last time anybody saw him in active competition was in August when he took on TJ Alexander, now far be it for Fred to worry about whether or not he has been in the picture since then, when he has had so many more important issues to deal with and sort out, but whether he has or hasn’t is irrelevant in the grand scheme of things, what’s important here is whether or not Curtis turns up for the Ice-Crown Rumble and he could very well still make an appearance but, there’s no sign of him lately… Well, until his best friend Russell Wayne turned up again out of the blue. So now the question becomes if he does turn up, will it be with Russell?
Take Jay Vaughn for example, only ever shows up to “save the company” when something awful happens to Uncle Osh, so you’d be forgiven for believing perhaps Jason, Jacob, Jayvon or whatever his name is, has ulterior motives than just protecting the family business… Perhaps he wants the reigns in some kind of coup, to take away the business from Shaun Hart who’s currently in charge, perhaps we’re going to see the makings of a real family feud when Jay and Charlotte battle it out for all that Osh held dear to his heart and built from the ground up… Then destroyed, rebuilt and destroyed again another thousand times! Whatever the future holds for young Mr. Vaughn I can guarantee you, it won’t be, being a Champion…
Take Max Stone for example… Tick tock, tick tock. You want to play at bleeding hearts and requiem Max? Well say hello to the real thing. Max Stone, waiting until midnight or is that midday? Who’s to know or who’s to say? You want to get up and play with the big boys and sure Maxwell, you’ve taken on Fred Debonair before and yes you’ve also got one over on him, but that’s inconsequential and irrelevant, it’s in the past and this is the now… Not to mention you had a third wheel in that match, Caleb Scott, much like in this Battle Royal, you’ll have plenty of other people to scapegoat or use as fodder in your quest for something special and important, Fred Debonair will not be one of those people…”
The Bunny suddenly pushes forward and we’re somewhat impeded by a bright flash of light. Once it clears, the Bunny is standing in the hospital room and looking down at a sleeping Fred Debonair. He slowly paces around the room, running his fingers along the side of the bed.
Bunny: ”Take Eoin O’Rourke for example. This is a man who has inserted himself into the business of John Cavanagh and The Celtic Club. At first seeming to take pride in being some form of “enforcer” or whatever for them but it’s been clear, to Fred Debonair at least, that there is a lot more to Eoin than meets the eye. Can The Celtic Club trust him? Can he trust them…? Can anyone really trust anyone else…? Definitely not in this kind of match, that’s for sure.
Take Terry Marshall for example… I don’t even think there’s a word for someone like him, where I have come from. Big, bold and brash people like this are generally compensating for something, surrounding themselves with caricatures as ridiculous as them, if not more so to give them a boost… Having to bask in history lessons to find some relevance in who they are and what they do still to this day. Telling stories to help themselves sleep at night after mulling over what disastrous failures they’ve actually been in life!
Then you take the others in this Battle Royal, the likes of Pequeno Dinosaurio, Amadeus Fox, K-Jax, Bobby Mack, Apathy, Sabrina Knight, TCJ, Ryan McCann, Sebastian Hamilton, Latoya Hixx and Aliyah Landerson, Eddie Charisma, Andre Cash, Caleb Scott and Ryan Hawkins, for example… You take all these little boys and girls who think this is probably going to be one of the better ways, safer ways for them to find and obtain gold in this place known as IIW but rest assured the trouble will be getting through those others who feel the same way about you. The trouble will be even making it to the end of the path, through the toxins and poisons and coming out the other end with a brighter outlook than when you went in…
Do you understand what I’ve done here? I have made an example of every single athlete that will be stepping into the ring with Fred Debonair in the Ice-Crown Rumble and on that fateful day, Fred will do the exact same to them, physically. Come one come all for you are invited to take part in what can only be described as culling, a form of population control within the IIW roster. Whether it be the bleeding heart of someone like Max Stone or the rambunctious nature of Ryan Hawkins it matters not to me and it matters not to The Kingdom… It will only matter to those who fall beneath what is expected of them and it is safe to say, that is every single one of you. This… Place doesn’t deserve somebody like Fred Debonair and yet here he is giving his everything and putting it all on the line, it’s the same where I come from… The level of disrespect is disgusting and it will not be tolerated. It could be here or where I come from, or a billion other destinations all that is certain is that where he is, Titles can and definitely do… Follow.”
The Bunny walks slowly towards the hospital room door, placing a paw on the handle he stops, looking up but never “at us”. Then he turns the handle and leaves as we FADE - TO - BLACK.