42,000 feet in the air.
It’s been a long flight and most passengers are resting in their seats. Some are led back with eye covers, whilst others are enjoying the in-flight movie with headphones.
Banzan is sat quietly towards the front, peacefully contemplating his destination.
That is, until Leif Helvig slumps down in the empty seat next to him.
The Mountain feels the thud and turns around, his eyes shortly widened in surprise.
Leif doesn’t say anything, he just smiles, then lunges forward with a fierce Headbutt.
The power of such empties Banzan from his seat in a hurry. The Mountain immediately ends up on all fours, blood pouring from his nose.
Helvig stands up, slamming a boot into his mid-section as passengers quickly become aware of what’s going on.
The flight crew rush towards them, only to stop dead in their tracks.
Grrrrrrrrrrr.
Skoll and Hati now stand at the front of the aisles, snarling and growling. People immediately begin to panic as the wolves lunge for those in their path.
Helvig meanwhile grabs Banzan, tossing him full force into the emergency exit. It rattles with the impact. He stumbles forward…
FRIIGGGOOORRRAA!!!
SPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAARRRR!
As The Beast Of Slaughter rises, he looks back into the plane, showing us the shocking impact of his wolves.
There’s blood, viscera and body parts strewn across the floor, ceiling and seats. Bodies are broken, decimated and destroyed in every which direction.
No-one has survived.
No-one except the Pilots, securely locked inside their cabin.
Leif stomps down one last time on the head of Banzan before walking down the blood and viscera strewn aisle to retake his seat. He grabs a magazine, covered in blood, flicking some viscera off as he casually begins reading.
Cut.
Monty Straight.
The show host walks through the backstage with his usual Showman’s grin on his face, smirking as he heads towards the ring. However, he stops as something catches his attention out of the corner of his eye.
A glint from an open doorway.
“My Turn.”
BANG!
Monty dives behind a nearby table as a bullet flies from the doorway and takes a chunk out of the wall! Straight’s smile is wiped clean off his face as he scrambles to his feet amid the commotion only to see the door now closed! The sounds of movement echo through the hallway as Monty gets to his feet, only to see a note taped to the very same door the gunshot rang out from.
‘PICK A DOOR‘
Straight looks at the note in disgust, backing away to see that in front of him are indeed two doors, two rooms. Arrows scrawled on the note point towards either one.
“Oh, you think you can just make me play my own game, Reaper? I’m the one here making the rules, not you! Let me show you one way your wife could’ve stayed alive, shall I?”
The sound of a gun cocking can be heard behind one of the doors, but Monty takes off just as one of the doors is blown off its hinges! Reaper kicks it open and prepares to fire another round but Monty has headed towards the ring!
“If she didn’t want a prize like she got, then she never should have played!”
Reaper goes to follow, but once Monty is past the doors onto the ramp he backs off, biding his time.
For now.
Cut.
Monty Straight has just narrowly escaped death, but now he must face the Best Kept Secret! Can a frazzled host take down the Champ?
The match is underway and Straight’s got adrenaline pumping as he ducks a swing from Voynich and catches him with a hard uppercut! The champ stumbles back and Straight capitalizes with a flying Sleeper Slam! Straight is looking game tonight as he lets Voynich up AND RUNS INTO AN ISHTAR GATE! LARIAT FROM VOYNICH!
The Champ has gotten some breathing room as Monty slams into the mat! He peels Straight up and hits a nasty suplex before rolling backwards and capitalizing with a ground and pound on Monty! Straight blocks the blows as best he can AND CATCHES ONE! HE PULLS VOYNICH INTO A PAINFUL KIMURA LOCK!
The Best Kept Secret begins to panic as Straight pulls with all of his might! He’ll break Voynich’s arm if he keeps going! The Champ kicks and crawls with all of his might AND HE GETS A HAND ON THE BOTTOM ROPE! HE’S STILL IN THIS! STRAIGHT IS FORCED TO LET GO OF THE HOLD!
Monty get to his feet and grabs at Voynich only to catch an elbow to the bridge of the nose that stuns him! Voynich grabs hold of Monty AND RUNS TO THE TURNBUCKLE! SLICED BREAD NUMBER TWO- MONTY DROPS VOYNICH DOWN! EMERALD FLOWSION! THE COMMERCIAL BREAK! ONE! TWO! THREE!
Monty Straight came into this match pumped full of adrenaline and he’s leaving with a win over the OSW Champ!
It’s the Mad Hatter locked up in a cell and he is more mad that usual. Pyre speaks up.
“Shut up Hatter, you know that’s not what we’re celebrating.”
Smack!
Pyre slaps him hard!
She continues.
“We are celebrating something though.”
She grins so wide you know it’s fake.
The Mad Hatter doesn’t know though and he plays along.
“Oh? What are we celebrating?”
“Alice’s return to Wonderland of course.”
Pyre says it so sickeningly sweet, it sounds like a fifties’ housewife. The Mad Hatter is visually excited.
“She’s back!? Of course we have to celebrate! What can I do to help? I’ll do anything!”
The Knave chimes in.
“You shouldn’t have said that.”
Pyre glares at the Knave and speaks again.
“He’s joking of course but anything?”
“Anything.”
“Would you die for her?”
The Mad Hatter gulps.
“If I had to.”
Pyre is surprised at that answer.
“You’re a good friend aren’t you Hatter?”
Hatter nods and replies.
“I like to think I am anyway.”
Pyre slightly nods but continues to speak.
“She broke our agreement and you’re both bound to be executed. However, you are a caring friend so I’ll let you have a choice. I’m going to kill one of you with fire. As for the other, my Red Knight is going to kill them with his axe. Your choice.”
The Mad Hatter thinks for a second.
“I’ll pick the axe. It will be quick and she has a better chance at survival with the fire than the axe.”
Pyre nods and replies.
“You’re a good friend indeed but she won’t survive either way, want to see why?”
The Mad Hatter nervously shakes his head yes.
“This could be the real reason for their gas shortage up there.”
Pyre reveals ten barrels of gasoline.
“This is going to cover Alice from head to toe, the rest will be put on the ropes and the floor so she can’t escape from me. You will both die in front of each other and I’m going to love every second of it. Now think about this last week of your life and make any preparation you need so I can continue to make mine. You’re free to leave this dungeon and enjoy your last days. Don’t think about running off and hiding somewhere. If you don’t show up at The Slaughterhouse at Dead Pixels, I’m going to flay her alive for the whole world to see and her corpse will be a trophy in my courtyard for all of Wonderland to admire.”
Pyre laughs and lets him out of his cell. He runs away as fast as he can.
Cut.
Luke Storm shadow boxes a punching bag in the backstage locker room area, preparing for a second Main Event in two weeks; neither looking to be an easy match.
Just then, the door opens and in swaggers Ashley Williams, carrying a black eye from last weeks failed attempt and a handful of VHS tapes.
“My son told me I ought to get to know you,” Ash says mockingly, looking at the tapes in his hand. “So, I watched a couple of your flicks.”
He tosses them down on the floor.
“I’ve never seen such a shower of shit in all my life,” he groans. “Have you ever rooted for the good guy to get his ass kicked? I hadn’t, not until I saw those.”
Luke turns around and rushes at him, slamming him immediately into the wall. He delivers stiff forearm shots to the face, spinning Williams out and into the bag.
The Chosen One bounces away, rolling off the other wall to check his face for blood.
“Now why couldn’t any of your b-movies have a little bit of that? That’s all we need; a good old-fashioned slugfest.”
Luke grimaces, placing his hands on his hips.
“What the fuck is your problem?” He growls, having clearly had enough of Ash and his vendetta.
“You don’t get it, do ya?” Williams replies with a shrug. “I just don’t fuckin’ like you, son. You walk around here like your shit doesn’t stink, dropping big old turds all over the place and I want nothing more than to hit you over the nose with a newspaper and tell you to stop shittin’ on my fuckin’ rug.”
The Tempest moves closer.
“You tried that with a steel chair last week and how exactly did that work out for you?”
Williams chuckles, shrugging it off.
“What do you wanna do, princess? Do you wanna fight, or stand here yapping like a couple of ladies?” Ash retorts.
Both men suddenly erupt once again, slugging away at each other. We exit the room, entirely unsure of who’s winning or won the fight to see Jessie Williams stood with his hands on his hips, shaking his head.
The boy is conflicted, but one way or another, his father is going to fight Luke Storm at Dead Pixels – if they make it that far.
In this eclectic tag team bout, which side can find the chemistry to leave The Slaughterhouse with a ‘W’ against their names?
CXDY and Redwing start the match. The Reflection of Perfection wants to show why he was BIG IN JAPAN but Redwing uses his grappling hook to leapfrog over CXDY. Landing on his feet behind CXDY, Redwing takes control with a few chops to the chest, then the ripcord knee….GODWATCH!!! Sweet Alice is tagged in.
The Dreamer is hopping around the ring like a rabbit…here comes the leg drop….TERRIBLY LA-NO!!! Rune cuts her off….TEAR THE VEIL!!!! Redwing tries to intervene...DTH!!! Crimson Justice smashes face first into the canvas. Can CXDY take advantage? He’s on the top rope….DIVING DOUBLE FOOTSTOMP TO ALICE!!! CARPE OMNIA FROM THE TOP ROPE!!!!
But Redwing is back on his feet…BIG IN JAPAN!!!! The Red Knight is run over by a huge lariat! CXDY turns to Sweet Alice but she counters with an arm drag. CXDY rolls to his corner and tags in Rune.
The Glitch comes off the ropes….WOKE LARIAT!!! Forward roll evasion from Alice. She springboards off the middle rope…lionsault…but Rune catches her….into a headlock….VEILBREAKER spikes The Dreamer….ONE…..TWO…..THREE!!!!
CXDY and Rune walk away with a satisfying win!
Cruising thousands of feet in the air, somewhere over the United States, in a luxurious private jet, Berkshire Ellison Green sips a drink and furrows his brow. The trials and tribulations of the last month show heavy in his demeanour. The trademark swagger is barely there. Has Albert Shaw broken BEG?
He has to place the drink down so he can use his one good hand to dial a contact on his phone. A few seconds later the call is connected.
“You’d better have some good news. Tell me you’ve got something, Zero.”
There’s a short break as he listens to the reply. You can see the moment his heart breaks, as Zero presumably gives him some bad news.
“What do I hire you for if you can’t even find me the name of the guy who can outbid me?”
He sighs and rubs his face with his bandaged hand. He suddenly looks a little more excited.
“You’ve found Shaw’s house?” he starts. “That’s perfect. Zero, get together a crew of men we can trust. Actually, no. Get together a a crew of men you would never trust. Gather up some supplies. We’re going to pay our friend Albie a little visit, hit him where it hurts…”
A smile creeps over the face of BEG, as he finally looks to get the upper hand over the man who cut off his finger just weeks ago. But what exactly does he have in mind for Shaw?
The Impaler is the freshest meat inside The Slaughterhouse, but will he be wielding the cleaver tonight or prove another lamb for slaughter?
The Impaler runs at The Reaper with his favoured ball peen hammer. A big swing and a miss from Dread Pirate Roberts. The Harvester scoops up Legion….JUSTICE BROUGHT!!! Samoan Drop over the top rope. The Impaler, though, he’s up like he’s just landed on cushions. Reaper from the ring apron with a flying double axe handle…HAMMER SHOT TO THE GUT!!!
Reaper doubles over, Impaler follows up with a sickening hammer blow to the back of the neck. Legion drags Reaper onto a single shoulder…RUNNING POWERBOMB INTO THE RING POST!!! NIGHT CITY BLACKOUT!!!! NO!!! Reaper slides off and SWIFT REVENGE!!! Legion is spiked by the DDT!!!
It’s Reaper’s turn to take possession of a weapon, pulling his trusted shotgun from under the ring. He aims at The Impaler…BOOM!!! An explosion of noise. But the Dread Pirate deflected the barrel at the last second and Reaper’s charge heads to the ceiling of The Slaughterhouse. ADAM SMASHER!!!! Reaper is turned inside out on the concrete!!!
Impaler peels Reaper off the mat and rolls him into the ring. As Legion gets into the ring…SHOTGUN BLAST!!! But The Impaler ducks and lifts Reaper onto his shoulder….NIGHT CITY BLACKOUT!!! ONE….TWO…..THREE!!!!
An impressive – and violent – Slaughterhouse debut by The Impaler!
Previously Recorded
Graz, Austria
What once was a grand library, now lies in a mess. Piles of books, journals, parchments all lay strewn about the place.
In the centre of the mess… Voynich.
Tossing yet another book aside, he lets out a frustrated grunt.
“I’ve searched this place a thousand times. What possible difference am I hoping to discover now? But, the answers must lie somewhere. There simply must be some light to shed…”
He pulls another book from the shelf, looking through pages upon pages of hand-written notes and sketched drawings. Voynich skims through the pages for a few moments before tossing the book aside in frustration, like all the others.
The book slides across the floor, where it stops under the foot of another presence. Standing just in front of a portal, Sigil.
“Remodelling the old man’s library, I see. I love what you’ve done with the place.”
Voynich turns immediately at the sound of the voice to face Sigil.
“How did you know I was…” He stops himself, mid sentence. “…Nevermind. Listen. I cannot trust you. You don’t like me and I don’t like you. But you have information I require. Tell me about my father.”
Sigil picks up the book, flipping through the pages slowly, teasing Voynich with his nonchalant response.
“You mean, a whole library here of your father’s works and there’s nothing there that will give you the answers? Whatever would I possibly offer you that these books won’t?”
A slight chuckle befalls the frame of Sigil, but Voynich has had enough. Springing to his feet, he dashes across the room, holding a blade to Sigil’s throat. Voynich speaks slowly, his voice just louder than a whisper in Sigil’s ear.
“What… Do… You… Know?”
Sigil pushes him away, distancing him from the blade, of which is still pointed at him.
“Temper, temper. Whether I have any information or not is irrelevant, because there’s no way in hell I’m sharing anything of the sort with you.”
“We’ll see about that…”
Voynich dashes at him, but Sigil hops through another portal and disappears before Voynich can reach him.
Frustratedly, Voynich picks up the journal and tosses it across the room, knocking over a pile of books and scattering them across the floor.
Cut.
Somewhere Else.
There is a rumbling sound emanating from within the warehouse unit in front of us. The camera cuts to Rune, who looks excited as he looks at what is going on in the warehouse.
Around him, heavy machinery is constructing something big. Rune, conducting the workmen as they go, looks like all his Christmases have come at once. He grabs one of the workmen – a gruff, middle-aged everyman – and forces him to listen.
“Oh he thought his little speech was something,” Rune says. “But all it did was make me more determined. You see, he got into the vault, but he’ll never get into this bad boy.”
He spins around in glee.
“A stunning, impenetrable dome, made from only the most premium materials. The shape makes it impossible to break into, and best of all, is what I can fit inside it.”
He walks the workman in through the last remaining section of the dome to be constructed and points to a big machine that looks to be a computer with a satellite dish connected to it.
“Darklord said he’s not here to take over the world, but when he speaks his Alien language back to his brothers and sisters, this thing will pick it up. When he tells them to invade, I’ll know first.”
He turns around again and points in the other direction.
“And that’s where those come in.”
The camera spins to show a small but formidable collection of RPGs. If the aliens are spoiling for a fight, Rune certainly intends to give them one!
“Now, if you’ll excuse me…” Rune continues. “The Dome is complete!”
As the workman gladly leaves the dome, the last section of the the outer later is hoisted and fixed into place.
Cut.
OSW CHAMPIONSHIP SIX-PACK QUALIFIER
Two goliaths of OSW go head to head in a chance for the OSW title. Can the Judge bring true Law to the Key or will Deathnote write an ultimate end for him?
The bell sounds as The Judge rushes forward, nearly taking Deathnote’s head off with a massive Lariat. Deathnote stumbles up to his feet into a flurry of lefts and rights before a massive Belly to Belly sends the Shinigami across the ring into the turnbuckles. Deathnote pulls himself up to a vertical basis as The Judge rushes forward, AVALANC…DODGED…SCHOOLBOY!
ONE…TW…The Judge manages to kick out, but as he gets to his feet, Deathnote drills him with a hard knee to the jaw before drilling him with a snap DDT into the mat. The Judge slowly gets up to his feet right into a slicing elbow to the jaw that rocks him before he’s lifted up onto Deathnote’s shoulders.
GATHER THY…THE JUDGE BITES DEATHNOTE’S HAND! Blood begins to drip down Deathnote’s arm as The Judge slips out, delivering a cutter and a modified Your Past May Bite You before backing up as Deathnote gets to his feet before delivering a sickening Verdict that sends Deathnote flying into the steel buckles.
Deathnote crashes to the mat in pain, slowly getting to his feet right into another decapitating Lariat that turns him inside out from the sheer strength. Deathnote gets peeled off the mat as The Judge lifts him up high, RESTOR…FACEBUSTER! Deathnote counters out of the Powerbomb, quickly pulling up The Judge and delivering a lightning fast Turn The Page. Deathnote quickly drops down for the ONE…TWO…THREE!!!
The Rewind Champion picks up the big win over the Judge as he moves onto Up In Smoke and the chance to become OSW World Champion
The scene opens up in a rundown warehouse. Building is almost falling apart at the seams it’s been so long since it’s been taken care of. Footsteps echo through the building, cautiously moving through the building.
“ZERO!”
The footsteps belong to Darby Sorrow, having come back to life again after Zero’s recent attempt on his life.
“Where the fuck are you? I got your message! Get your ass out here!”
“Relax, bitch.”
Zero appears in the middle of the warehouse. Darby marches to the middle of the room, finally tired of the games. As he reaches his destination he swings at Zero, and the punches the Punk City resident. But as he does so, a click is heard.
“I wouldn’t move any further if I were you. You’re standing on a pressure plate, shift your weight too far and boom. This whole place is rigged to blow, and you’ll never get out of the blast radius in time, no matter how quick you run.”
“But if I move, you’ll die. That’s enough for me.”
“You sure about that?”
Zero’s voice comes from a different part of the building, while also still standing in front of Darby.
“I know you’ll probably survive this. But the pleasure of watching you die still makes me tingle. So at Dead Pixels, you and me. We settle this.”
“Yeah?”
Darby steps off the plate.
“Fuck you.”
The building blows up, coming down to the ground. Darby’s body lays there, the explosion taken its toll on him. Zero’s untouched body crouches over him.
“Looks like you got fucked, bitch.”
The Zero standing over Darby glitches as the real Zero walks into frame.
“Hard light, bitch. BMI developed it. Gotta love having BEG’s resources at your disposal.”
Darby’s eyes close and the last breath leaves his lungs.
“See you at Dead Pixels, fucker.”
CUT
In a deep dark recess of The Slaughterhouse, Nightstick paces back and forth whilst awaiting the arrival of The Chief, who shows up a little late, it would seem.
“I’m sorry for the delay, but Sigil has found what we’re looking for,” he remarks happily. “We just need to figure out how to make it work.”
Nightstick nods.
“Unfortunately, so have I,” he bemoans. “I thought I was the only archangel here; I was wrong.”
That raises an eyebrow from The Chief.
“I don’t understand; why is that bad news?” Chief queries.
“We have a storied past, all of us. He won’t fight for you, even if paradise is at stake.”
The Chief folds his arms.
“At Ring of Dreams, I need you to step into battle against The Scarecrow and Lee Crowley; both of which will find allies for their war. Scarecrow is trying to recruit The Sandman. Lee Crowley surely has a plan. We need this warrior to stand up and be counted.”
Nightstick shakes his head.
“It won’t be of any use,” he suggests, although relents. “But if you want me to talk to him, I will.”
Chief nods.
“You must do more than talk to him; you must convince him that fighting for us is the only way he protects his paradise too.”
Cut.
Sigil faces off against Jessie Williams in a Six-Pack qualifier. One of these men will be standing tall tonight, the other’s chances will go up in smoke.
The eager Prince charges, swinging for the fences to gather the early advantage. But Sigil stands his ground and the pair wind up locking horns. NECK BREAKER TAKES JESSIE DOWN! Sigil grabs Williams by the neck to follow up but Jessie kicks him right in the mask from the ground and staggers him.
A groggy Sigil staggers into the ropes and JESSIE PUMMELS HIM WITH A CLOTHESLINE THAT KNOCKS HIM OVER THE TOP ROPE! Jessie follows Sigil out and drills Sigil into the crowd barricade, softening him up with body blows. HEADBUTT FROM SIGIL… HE DRIVES JESSIE BACK FIRST INTO THE SIDE OF THE RING!
Sigil grabs Jessie by the wrist… COSMIC LEAP! He and Jessie re-appear ten feet above the ring and crash down to the mat… A MASSIVE SPINEBUSTER! Sigil picks the battered Williams up and locks his head up, but there’s fight in the kid yet. A stiff elbow hits Sigil right in the temple!
Jessie hits a stiff uppercut, dropping Sigil to his knees. GROOVY ECLIPSE TAKES SIGIL OUT! Jessie takes to the top rope, lining up his CALL OF THE CHOSEN… BUT SIGIL COSMIC LEAPS! Onto the turnbuckle just after Williams leaps! MERCIFUL FROM THE TOP ROPE AND JESSIE IS FUCKING OUT! Sigil covers for the pin! ONE… TWO… THREE!
Jessie Williams goes up in smoke and Sigil qualifies for the OSW Six-Pack!
We find ourselves just outside the Slaughterhouse, the nearby alleyways full of riffraff that would scare any normal person…but not the pair standing before us…not Two-Face and Viper Roberts.
Their mood and weariness reveals a search throughout the city on this night that, inexplicably, has brought them back to the hallowed ground teeming with spiritual warfare within…but they are on a mission, and they will not fail.
As they approach the entry to the Slaughterhouse, they are quickly greeted by the voice of The Judge.
“Do you still seek answers?”
Two-Face turns around to confront the keeper of balance with a snarl.
“Of course we do! You owe us that much after forcing us on a wild goose chase.”
The Judge gives them a cold stare, tilting his head.
“The answers you seek, I cannot provide…not yet, anyway. Such knowledge is a danger to keeping balance, but there will come a time when this is possible.”
Viper shakes his head, clearly not impressed with the response being given.
“No, you’re not giving us riddles. There’s someone out there that wants Two-Face dead and buried, and I refuse to let you wax philosophical when you clearly know more than you’re letting on.”
A moment’s hesitation gives way to a nod from The Judge, his gaze never leaving that of Viper or Two-Face.
“Narrow is the way…but the answers you seek will be worth the journey. If balance can be restored come Dead Pixels, such knowledge can be given to you.”
And with that, The Judge disappears yet again…and so too do Viper and Two-Face. Moments later, we find them near the entrance way leading toward the ringside area, leaving Two-Face to ponder the keeper of Order’s words as they prepare for one final battle before Dead Pixels.
Cut.
Corvus and Two-Face have more than history between them with Corvus twice coming out on top. But can Two-Face finally beat the assassin?
The bell rings and Two-Face flips his coin! He looks at the result and nods as Corvus approaches him! Two-Face positions in the corner and shoves Corvus back, knocking him right into the ref, knocking him down! LOW BLOW BY TWO-FACE! THE FORMER POLITICIAN JUST NAILED CORVUS BELOW THE BELT!
QUICK ROLL UP BY TWO-FACE! ONE! TWO! THR- NO! KICKOUT! Corvus throws Two-Face off of him and rolls to his feet, narrowly avoiding a wild haymaker and slamming Two-Face back into the corner with a hard elbow! Corvus unloads with a flurry of kicks before spring-boarding AND HITTING A MASSIVE SAVATE TO THE JAW!
The Assassin isn’t done as he lays into Two-Face with THE MURDER OF BLOWS! The hard strike combination takes Two-Face off of his feet! Corvus is quick to hit the ropes for a massive moonsault- TWO-FACE ROLLS OUT OF THE WAY! AND CORVUS LANDS ON HIS FEET! FLIP THE COIN! OVERDRIVE NECKBREAKER FROM TWO-FACE!
Both men are laid out and trying to stir! Two-Face rolls to his stomach and pulls out his coin, flipping it as Corvus kips up to his feet! The assassin is onto Two-Face BUT GETS A THUMB TO THE EYE! Two-Face lifts him onto his shoulders! LADY LUCK! JOKER DRIVER- NO! ZIG ZAG! MARKED FOR DEATH BY CORVUS! HE PINS! ONE! TWO! THREE!
Two-Face was chaotic, but Corvus once again comes out on top with his quick thinking!
A full mooned night.
In the outskirts of the city stands an old abandoned warehouse. Broken windows, creaking doors, the kind of place teenagers dare each other to venture into.
But on this day, the figure that we find wandering inside is no teenager. The Sandman.
He moves slowly, but with authority. Drawn by something we cannot see nor hear. The twists and turns of old makeshift cardboard lean-to’s discarded by various homeless beings do not interest him. But eventually, The Sandman stops.
Finding before him a homeless man, taking shelter in the warehouse. Asleep and dreaming.
The Sandman draws near, seeming to float toward the impending victim.
FLUTTER!
The sound of wings and the moon darkens as it flies behind a cloud.
“I told you that you would either come willingly or unwillingly. You chose the latter. So now, where your dreams don’t go, you will fear…”
The Scarecrow’s voice fills the darkness, but there is no fear in the Sandman. Without so much as a warning, the warehouse is once more cast into light as the moon re-emerges. Only to reveal the homeless man now very much deceased.
Disembowelled. Arms outstretched and prodded up on a perch before the Sandman’s eyes. The Sandman does not so much as flinch, there is no visible reaction.
“You think you can scare me? You believe you are dealing with mere mortals? I have no interest in your purgatory, for I have no intention of ever requiring it. Unlike you, Crow, I plan on surviving for eternity.”
A figure emerges before him. Stepping forward with the same determined, methodical walk. The two monsters are soon standing toe-to-toe.
40 WINKS! SANDMAN GOUGES AT SCARECROW’S EYES!
ONLY… THERE’S NO REACTION! SCARECROW SEEMS TO BE IMMUNE TO IT!
BLAM!
THE SCARECROW PUMMELS SANDMAN ACROSS THE BACK OF THE HEAD, STAGGERING HIM!
THE HAYMAKER!
SANDMAN IS DOWN!
The Hayman stands over his foe, uttering four simple words.
“You will join me.”
FLUTTER!
Cut.
Can The Taskmaster trap Albie Shaw in checkmate, or will The Guv’nor force the intellectual to keep quiet?
As the bell tolls, Shaw takes up a guard and shuffles towards Simon. The Guv’nor throws a few jabs but Simon weaves out of the way and takes control with a wrist lock into an arm wrench. However Shaw launches a huge bomb with a free arm, clocking The Taskmaster on the temple and he stumbles onto the ropes.
GBH!!! NO! The Claymore Kick attempt fails as Simon sandbags and then with a chop block he drops Shaw to the mat. A hard stomp to the midsection from Simon and then The Taskmaster tries to lock in the figure four…but Albie counters with an elbow smash. Quickly to his feet, The Guv’nor mows down the intellectual with a running clothesline. There’s a cover but Simon powers out on less than two.
Shaw peels Simon off the mat, Irish whip…NO!!! COUNTERED….SIMONPLEX…and the bridge for ONE….TWO….KICKOUT!!! The Guv’nor shoots back to his feet, spinning back fist….GAM-NO! Shaw gets his guard up to block and then lands a stiff headbutt on The Taskmaster. Shaw omoplatas Simon, locking in the crossface…KEEP QUIET!!!
The Taskmaster is doing anything but, he’s screaming in agony. He has no choice but to TAP OUT!!!
Simon’s championship hopes go up in smoke as The Guv’nor qualifies!
Somewhere Else.
Rune, on the inside of his brand new dome, looks through one of the reinforced glass panels and sighs a big sigh of relief as the workmen leave the warehouse, and leave him alone inside it.
“And now the work begins…” he mutters to himself.
Except before he can get to work, there is a thud. And another. And another. But Rune can’t see a thing.
And then the reinforced glass shudders, and a single crack appears in the top corner. The crack spiders its way top to bottom, dancing and splintering until the glass is a mosaic.
A shadow drops to the ground outside the window, but Rune can’t see through the cracks now to tell what it is. The figure gets closer, very quickly, and suddenly smashes through the glass.
It’s Darklord!
“I told you to leave me be,” he seethes, grabbing Rune and throwing him through the hole he just made in the wall. Darklord follows him out, but not before grabbing one of the RPGs, turning around and firing it through the hole and straight at the satellite dish and computer setup.
“Now you don’t get peace, you get war. I’ll see you at Dead Pixels.”
And the dome collapses around the point of explosion, each section slamming to the floor as Rune sits in shock and Darklord walks away.
Cut.
Despite the craziness going on in the Slaughterhouse, we find a man at peace sat on the floor of an empty room. A single light hangs overhead.
CXDY.
The Reflection of Perfection takes a deep breath, centering himself.
“I know you’re there.” He says aloud.
He closes his eyes.
“I’m sat in the middle of an empty room, Corvus.” He taunts. “Eyes closed and vulnerable.”
Nothing.
“You said you wanted to test my mettle. You way even want to recruit me. But we both know I’ll never join you.”
No reply, not even the peep of a mouse in the shadows.
“But you have to live by your code, don’t you? The same code that you used to justify killing Tyler Brooks. My friend, my brother. You did that, Corvus.”
He pauses, taking another deep breath.
“Fuck your code. Fuck your recruitment. Fuck your self-righteous bullshit. I’ve heard it all before. It always is a sack of lies told to justify doing whatever you want to.”
For nearly 30 seconds, CXDY sits in silence, his rage abating.
“I’m going to break your little code, assassin. I’ll liberate you from the shadows and make you look yourself in the mirror. What are you the reflection of, Corvus?”
A smile crosses his face.
“Maybe seeing the blackness of your heart will change your mind. Maybe I’ll be your savior.”
He pauses at the word ‘savior.’
“I couldn’t be that for Tyler. And I sure as hell won’t be that for you.”
His eyes open, water at the corners.
“At Dead Pixels, Corvus, I’m not going to save you.”
Beat.
“I’m going to break you.”
Cut.
OSW CHAMPIONSHIP SIX-PACK QUALIFIER
We have a big qualifier match here tonight as the Viper takes on the Toymaker. Will the Head Snake get one step closer to that OSW title he so longs for or can Andy rise back up the heights his darker persona once saw?
The bell sounds as Andy rushes forward, trying for a clothesline but Roberts ducks under, sweeping out Andy’s legs as he does before rolling through and locking in a headlock in one fluid motion. Andy tries to break free of Roberts grip but the Viper has it locked in tight as he backs Andy up into the ropes before throwing him across the ring.
Roberts tries for a clothesline of his own but Andy ducks under, grabbing Roberts from behind in a headlock of his own before springing off the ropes and hitting the Catastrophic Collider Cacophony! Roberts stumbles up after that huge bulldog into a flurry of lefts and rights before trying to pick Andy up into a Samoan Drop.
ODE TO SNAKE! Roberts slipped out of the Samoan into that deadly DDT as he pulls Andy up to his feet, twisting the arm before delivering a Short Arm Clothesline. Roberts holds on and delivers a second one but as he tries for a third, Andy slips out, rocking Roberts with a massive headbutt before driving Viper into the mat with a DDT of his own.
Andy steps back, looking for something Super Fine as Viper slowly gets to his feet, Andy sprinting forward right into SNAKE OIL…ANDY DUCKS UNDER. Bouncing off the ropes as he delivers a Spear to the spine of Roberts before lifting him up onto his shoulders in one fluid motion before spinning him around and down into the Big Wheel. Andy quickly covers the knocked out Roberts for the ONE…TWO…THREE!!!
Mister Andy does it here tonight, beating out the Double Feature Champion as he moves onto Up in Smoke and a chance to do what Seesaw could not and become OSW World Champion
We see coordinates of a map dance across the screen.
The very same we saw on Simon’s map from last week.
A large, seemingly abandoned factory with a rusted iron door at the front. Standing on the stone steps leading inside is none other than Deathnote. The Author of Death looks on at the doors for a moment before pulling something from his pocket.
The pawn from last week.
He uses the makeshift key in the lock and forces the door open, walking into a room with what appears to be nothing in it.
Nothing but a spotlight which hangs over Simon in a chair. However, he once again wears his mask, looking towards Deathnote who growls as he rushes forwards!
BIG BOOT FLINGS SIMON OUT OF THE CHAIR! DEATHNOTE POUNCES ON HIM!
“Back to hiding your face from me, Simon!?”
He yanks the mask off of Simon’s face, only what he sees makes him stop his assault.
A mannequin. As lifeless as the many corpses Deathnote has seen. The Author stands up, looking around in confusion when the lights come on-
AND A CHAIR CRACKS ACROSS HIS SKULL!
Deathnote hits the ground and looks up to another chair shot! The assailant? Simon, of course.
The Taskmaster shakes his head, nailing a chair shot any time Deathnote tries to rise.
“You fell for it again. Just like the first time, Deathnote. Really, you’d think the Queen’s Gambit wouldn’t work so well.”
Simon lands another harsh shot as he walks around Deathnote.
“Give up a pawn and release the queen. It’s how I won last time, and I suppose it’s how I win this time.”
He rains down chair shot after chair shot, Deathnote eventually not moving, though we know that won’t last forever. Simon smirks, throwing the chair down as he begins to take his leave.
“You’ll never beat me with your tactics, Deathnote. May as well give up. You’ll never get what you need to put me to rest.
Simon chuckles as he leaves, Deathnote already stirring behind him.
Cut.
Later tonight.
In the former Nygma Towers, now the HQ of one Redwing, we find the aforementioned sat at a desk. He’s out of costume, the eyes of Bill Kirby pouring over papers while his butler Arnold brings him coffee.
“Arnold.” Kirby begins, his eyes red. “What have I done?”
He points at the papers in front of him, remnants from Doc D’Ville’s lab.
“That poor boy. He was a slave… created to be a deranged murderer.”
Kirby lowers his head. Arnold takes a deep breath.
“Master William, there’s more.” The butler says as he goes to the paper on the bottom of the stack.
“The files you recovered were copies. Analysis states they were only printed the day you found them.”
Kirby looks up at his confidant, anger beginning to swell in his eyes. He stands to his feet, and heads through a dark hallway to a large cylinder, large enough for him to step into. The Redwing uniform slowly replaces his clothing.
Tech from Berengar, perhaps?
As the Red Knight walks past his butler, he offers his closing words before entering an elevator.
“Someone is setting me up, and I won’t do as I did with Luke Storm. I need answers.”
The elevator descends below the base of the Tower, and Redwing steps out into a sewer tunnel.
His escape tunnel into the city.
As he walks carefully on an outside ledge, Redwing stops, trying to listen over the running water.
Just as a pair of eyes appear behind him.
To Be Continued…
It’s The Slaughterhouse’s biggest icon against one of its rising stars. Can Luke Storm continue at speed on the road to Ring of Dreams, or will Zero overrun The Real Deal’s CPU tonight?
The atmosphere is electric inside The Slaughterhouse as Luke Storm – the icon, the real deal, the NUMBER ONE contender – and Zero – the VHS Champion and technical genius of Blood Money Inc. – circle each other. DING! DING! goes the bell and we’re underway, Storm steps in and he’s bombing Zero with strikes. The hacker gets his bionic arm to block and Storm goes low with kicks to the legs. Zero tries to back away but Storm tackles the VHS champion to the mat and unfurls a vicious ground and pound assault.
Storm lets up and climbs to his feet, he’s calling Zero to get up too. The hacker obliges, a little stiffly. Kick to the gut…GALE FO-NO!!! Zero catches Storm’s leg, spins the Storm King around….PUNK CITY KILL-COUNTERED!!! Storm pushes Zero into the ropes, the latter bounces back straight into
LIGHTNING STRIKE!!!
MISSES!!!
Zero ducks, pivots and
FIREWALL!!!
THE BIONIC CLOTHESLINE ALMOST TEARS STORM’S HEAD OFF HIS SHOULDERS!!!
Zero is furious and he’s not letting up on Storm, grabbing the number 1 contender by the throat with his bionic arm, Zero drags Luke off the canvas and holds him off his feet before viciously ragdolling him into a corner. Storm is dazed from the impact but he gets no recovery time as Zero smashes him flush in the face with a bionic forearm. The Real Deal slumps onto his ass in the corner, blood trickling out of his nose.
Zero starts to choke Luke with his foot, crushing Stormborn’s throat between the sole of his foot and the bottom turnbuckle. The official is Johnny on the spot enforcing the regulations and Zero pushes his luck all the way to 4.999999 of the enforcer’s five-count. There is barely time for Storm to catch a breath before Zero has him hauled off the mat and tosses him through the ropes, the former stuntman stacking it hard on the concrete outside the ring.
Outside, Storm drags himself to the mat. He’s taken no small battering already – almost decapitated, choked, smashed in the nose and tossed like trash onto the concrete – but Zero isn’t through yet. The hacker has Luke by the hair and slams his face into the steps. Not once, not twice, but THREE times. The last one punctuated by a clubbing blow to the back of the head too.
With Storm on his hands and knees, Zero takes his time to fold up a steel chair. The official is rebuking the VHS Champ in vain. Zero simply flashes the ref a look that says “you wouldn’t fucking dare, bitch!” The BMI technocrat lines up his prey, lifting the chair high above his head, Zero with a big downward swing aims at Storm.
LIGHTNING STRIKE!!!!
OUTTA ABSOLUTELY NO-FUCKING-WHERE!!!!
The Slaughterhouse crowd are unhinged in their love of that counter by their hero; Storm superkicking Zero right through that steel chair.
Zero is spreadeagled on the concrete and Luke takes the discarded steel chair into his possession. Looking at the makeshift weapon in a weird way, the Real Deal points the chair at Zero and the crowd pop like banshees. Storm nods his head with approval and stalks Zero as he begins to get to his feet. When the hacker is set, Storm throws the folded chair to Zero, who catches it
DOWNPOUR!!!
STEEL CHAIR ASSISTED!!!
HOLY SHIT!!!
Luke Storm hasn’t come out of that unharmed, but that’s the Real Deal, leaving it all out there inside The Slaughterhouse. No quarter held back. Every match smeared in the blood, sweat and tears of this relentless tempest.
Slowly the number 1 contender hauls himself back to a vertical base, using the ring apron as an assistant. Now Luke has climbed onto the apron and he’s ascending to the top rope.
WHAT IS STORM GONNA PUT ON THE LINE HERE?
EVERYTHING!!!
HERE COMES THE THUNDER!!!!!
FROM THE TOP ROPE TO THE CONCRETE!!!
.
.
.
NO FUCKING WAY!!!!
.
.
.
.
NO
FUCKING
WAY!!!!
ZERO CAUGHT HIM!!!
CAUGHT LUKE STORM BY THE THROAT!
IN MID-AIR!!!!
ABSOLUTE ZERO!!!!!
BIONIC CHOKESLAM ONTO THE CONCRETE!!!!
THAT MAY HAVE SHATTERED EVERY VERTEBRAE IN STORM’S SPINE!!!!
Bloodied and seemingly broken, Luke Storm is motionless on the concrete. He appears lifeless as Zero hauls him and tosses him back into the ring. The hacker slides across the Real Deal and hooks the legs….
ONE!
.
.
TWO!
.
.
THREE-
.
.
.
SHOULDER!!!!
THE TEMPEST FIGHTS ON!!!
Zero pins Storm down again, extracting another two-count. Then another, a mere one-count on the third attempt, but still forcing Storm to exert himself. Zero peels Storm off the mat, the number 1 contender quite clearly hanging on by a thread here. Zero thrusts his bionic hand around the Tempest’s throat.
ABSOLUTE ZERO
AGAIN!!!
COUNTERED!!!
STORM WITH A GUT KICK
GALE FORCE!!!!!
STUNNER TO ZERO!!!!
THE TEMPEST HAS SURELY DONE IT!!!
Luke gets an arm across Zero’s chest…
ONE!
.
.
.
.
.
TWO!
.
.
.
.
THREE!!!
Luke Storm has pulled it off! A win totally against the odds in this encounter!!!
There is no bell though and the official is pointing out something to Storm.
ZERO HAS A FOOT ON THE BOTTOM ROPE!!!
Luke heaves deeply, it’s a sigh of real despair. He’s so exhausted, his body is burning with pain, but somehow he has to find the will to fight on because he’s got a wall opposite him that needs knocking down.
Slowly both men get to their feet. Luke throws a tired and lazy punch but Zero blocks easily and gets his opening.
PUNK CITY KILLER!!!!
Storm’s head snaps back with a brutal force!!!
Zero covers and hooks both legs…
ONE!
.
.
.
.
TWO!
.
.
.
.
.
THREE-
.
.
.
SHOULDER UP!!!!
LUKE STORM WILL NOT GIVE UP!!!!
NOT TODAY!
NOT TOMORROW!
NOT EVER!!!
Zero flashes three fingers at the official but the man in black and white shakes his head with authority. He turns to Storm and starts taunting the number 1 contender. “Get up, bitch!” the VHS champion spits. The Tempest uses the ropes to groggily clamber back to his feet.
FIREWALL!!!
BUT LUKE DUCKS!!
LIGHTNING STRIKE!!!
Zero takes the superkick and bounces off the ropes.
DROP TOE HOLD!!!!
Storm takes down Zero and in a throwback to his MMA days, the Tempest locks in a key lock submission. Zero extends his free bionic arm though, grabbing the ropes to enforce a break. Zero slides out of the ring as soon as Storm releases the hold. The Tempest won’t let him rest though.
SLINGSHOT TO THE OUTSIDE!!
LUKE STORM GOES HIGH RISK!!!
FIREWALL!!!
CUT THROUGH THE STORMBORN LIKE A WIRE THROUGH CHEESE!
The VHS Champion lifts Storm and rolls back into the ring. Zero follows and hoists the number 1 contender onto his shoulders.
CPU DRIVER!!!
REVERSED!!!
STORM LANDS IN FRONT OF ZERO…
LIGHTNING STRIKE!!!!
BLOCKED!!!
ZERO CAUGHT STORM’S FOOT!
PUNK CITY KILLER!!!
HE GOT IT 1000000%
ONE!
.
.
.
.
TWO!
.
.
.
.
THREEE!!!!!
Zero prevails in this almighty war between two mavericks!
Continued.
Redwing is stood on a sewer ledge, a pair of eyes behind him.
WHAM! HE’S KNOCKED INTO THE FILTHY WATER!
It’s Mister Andy!
“All I wanted was to be left alone.” Andy growls as he grabs Redwing by the cape, throwing him into a brick wall. “But you couldn’t do it!”
Holding the ripped cape in his hand, Andy grabs at the cowl of Redwing, ripping it off and crushing it in his grip.
“You burned down my haven.” He continues. Redwing holds his hands up, his face bare, the water making the eye shadow under his mask run.
“Please, Andy.” He pleads. “Someone is setting us up, making us fight. They made us…”
THWACK! ANDY BACKHANDS KIRBY INTO THE WATER!
“No.” Andy states, distraught. “They didn’t make you. You had a bad day, and you put that mask on. You had a choice. I didn’t.”
Redwing blocks a shot, throwing Andy up onto a ledge. He follows up with a forearm to the throat.
“Listen to me.” He says, the makeup running down his face like tears. “Don’t be what they made you. You get to choose now. Be who you want to be.”
Andy roars, pushing past the forearm to headbutt Redwing. He throws the unmasked hero into the water, up against the ladder leading out.
“I did choose.” He yells down, as he grabs at a water pipe. “I chose to be Mister Andy. And you couldn’t leave me alone. When you burned down my shop: that was my bad day.”
He has a hammer, pulled out of god-knows-where, and he whacks at the main as Redwing pleads.
“I didn’t burn down your shop!”
Andy doesn’t listen, finally hitting paydirt.
The water rushes out, overloading the pipes. It gushes out, all of the gallons of water running through it now with only one place to go.
Onto Redwing.
The hero looks up, pleading as Andy leaves the chamber.
Then the water takes him.