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[T.H. Power]

The camera fades in on T.H. Power, sitting at his desk in the HPWA HQ.

T.H. Power: Good evening, TKOW fans. We're coming up on the second annual Holiday Hell, an event that's sure to spark the interest of many fans of our fine sport. Before that day, though, we need to hold one more Mass Khaos. There are some things that MUST be sorted out before we give you your money worth of a Pay Per View extravaganza.

Many of you know that we've brought in a few new talents to try and fill the voids left by Ghalleon, Soulfly, Salazar Tyrenus, and The Southgate Foundation.

The first man, Benedikt Krauss, kind of, freaked me out last show. And seeing as I've activated my full status as a TKOW roster member, I have to earn my way in the ring. So, I've chosen to take him on. I hope he doesn't run off and quit after I beat him silly, like those Southgate boys.

But before we see that slice of heaven, we need to put Dave Briggs, Spanky McPipebomb, and Enus Jigzaw through their paces. These three men will perform in front of me in the Meet Your Maker match. Triple Threat rules apply boys. That means the first fall takes it. Remember, Holiday Hell is up next, so you'll want to show what you got.

Kid Styles is next on my list. I'm not sure what to do with the boy. But he'll be fighting, someone. We'll see how he does, and if he can stack up to my plans.

Of course, there's Bob Lancelot. Though the TV title is supposed to be defended every show, I did make the defenses best of three, and he did manage to come away in two. I suppose I'll have to be nice. So, I'm going to put him in the ring teamed with Dark Schnitzel, to face two members of The Bayou Mafia. A man Bob has a past with, Cypher, and the giant Apophis. Good luck, Devine Comedy.

It occurs to me that I need to fill up this Prince of Hell match. Seeing as how the title is on the line, I think it's only fair that the man that pinned Phoenix at Mass Khaos, Tobias Burden, be added to the lineup. And really, what kind of showdown of epic proportions would this be if I didn't let Matt Griffen get him some? Besides, these guys need to work out some steam before they take on all comers at Federation Domination 2.

But what to do for this Mass Khaos? The triple threat was fun and all, but the lumberjacks were utterly useless. I need something bigger, something better...

Something brutal...

T.H. gets a twinkle in his eye and a smirk on his face. And folks, there's no titty in the room.

T.H. Power: I know what we can do. First, we'll take Phoenix, Carpenter, Tobias Burden, and Matt Griffen, the four announced participants in the Prince of Hell match; and I assure you, there will be one or two more, and I'll put them all in a match.

But not just any match. No no.

A ladder match.

T.H. chuckles. This can't be good.

T.H. Power: And we're it needs to feed into Holiday Hell, so in this ladder match, the winner will recieve, oh, a 30 second bonus for the Prince of Hell match.

T.H. begins grinning and wringing his hands together. Oh. Fuck.

T.H. Power: And then, oh yes, and then, we'll put Phoenix's TKOW Title on the line!

Sonofab- And to top it off- There's MORE?!

T.H. Power: -we're going to slap the whole sumbitch inside a Brutality Cage!

Imagine this being announced in an arena. Yeah. It feels like that.

T.H. Power: I think I creamed my p- *the scene is suddenly static*

[TKOW Board]

Sunday December 31st, 2006

Live from the The Pavilion, Villanova, Pennsylvania.


TKOW Title Match
Prince of Hell Bonus Stip
Brutality Cage Ladder Match
Phoenix vs Carpenter vs Matt Griffen vs Tobias Burden


The Devine Comedy vs The Bayou Street Mafia


Benedikt Krauss vs T.H. Power


Triple Threat Meet Your Maker Match
Dave Briggs vs Spanky McPipebomb vs Enus Jigzaw



Also

Confrontation
Section 8 & The Church of Pain & Suffering

Kid Styles In Action

Interview with Kid Styles.

and

Prince of Hell Match finalized.

Remember the RP rules. The first promo via PM is due the 26th. The response promo and On-the-Spot promo deadline is the 29th. Segments are due the 26th and votes are due the 30th. The Devine Comedy must promo as a TEAM. They get ONE promo by the first deadline, and ONE response. The Confrontation Thread will be open straight through the 29th.

[Harpuia]

Camera starts with Cypher, Apophis and Communist John in a living room. Apophis is leaning on a wall looking at the camera directly, to the right of Cypher. Shion can be seen obscurely from below poking him in the leg over and over, in amazement of how big he is. Cypher is in the middle sitting down on what seems to be a director's chair. To the left, we see a giant pink... something going up and down. Not quite sure what that is though... so for now, a pink something will do.

Cypher: Ding dong bitch. Guess who?

Shion: A big leg!

Cypher turns to Shion and shakes his head.

Cypher: I wasn't talking about you, Shion.

He turns back to face the camera.

Cypher: I'm talking about an old friend and an old quarrel I should've finished when I last left TKOW. I'm talking about the "Hardcore Jobber" Bob Lancelot. Yeah, that's right. You've spent the whole summer on your ass having Carpenter lay down for you. But now he's gone off and started spanking some weird pastor guy's ass in church, and you're left with... who? Oh yeah... moi. And it looks like I walked into the welcoming committee.

Let's face it Lancelot. The only reason why you even hold that Television Title around your waist last time was because I let you have it. I won the match... it just so happened it was by disqualification. Big deal. This time, you have little place to run when we meet at New Year's Eve. Because now, I have backup.

Cypher pats Apophis once on the back introducing him. His monstrous figure seems to tower near the ceiling, which he puts a hand up to touch the ceiling to show how tall he REALLY is.

Cypher: You see that Lancelot? That's pure power. Seven-foot-Eight, over 500 pounds of pure wreckage ready to tear you and Darth Weiner into shreds. Yeah, your buddy's big alright, but how are you two going to fare against the largest man in wrestling today?

The camera starts to focus away from Cypher and on Apophis. Apophis has a crazed and dazed look in his eyes as he speaks into the camera, like a bullhorn.

Apophis: It's been six months since I've stepped into a ring. And now, my return will finally happen. Oh, how I cannot wait to get my hands on two little shrimps like you. You call yourself hardcore Lancelot? Your last name comes from a damn fairy tale! My name is one that makes GODS tremble before their feet! And you will feel that wrath... you hear me? You will feel that wrath when I turn you inside out in front of everyone in that ring. The match is over before it even started! On December 31st, myself, Cypher, and Communist John over there will start our reign of terror! You will fear the mafia!

YOU WILL FEAR THE MAFIA!

Apophis laughs evilly as it echoes throughout the room. Just then, there is silence, and the camera goes back to its initial position, on Cypher, Apophis, Shion poking on Apophis' leg and the pink thing. Just then a large fart can be heard.

John: Uh oh... I think I just crapped myself...

The camera pans left to reveal Communist John attempting to have anal sex with his girlfriend Katie, who is currently wearing a pink Jigglypuff costume. He is completely naked, with his penis inside the costume (no need to say anything more), with a dopey grin on his face.

Cypher: Aw, fuck man! Did you have to do it on the couch?

John: Heehee! Me so horny!

Apophis: That doesn't even make any damn sense!

Shion: Something smells! Ewww!

Cypher: Yeah, John just crapped on the sofa again.

Apophis: That's the second time this week, haven't you heard of fuckin' bowel control?

John: Heehee... Divine Comedy look like dildos...

Cypher: Huh?

John simply stares what seems to be nowhere. Just then, Cypher realizes that he had the TV on mute playing the last TKOW Mass Khaos where Claire is seen making out with the referee. Cypher turns to the TV and watches it, followed by Apophis, and finally Shion.

Cypher: You crapped over that?

Apophis: Well, she is full of shit.

John: Heehee... me so horny...

John continues gyrating on Katie. Katie screams and moans.

Cypher: Seriously dude... get a room.

John: Heehee... me wanna be on ringside. Me wanna do anal exam!

Apophis: We already said you can... sheesh.

John: Heehee... me have good times...

John suddenly starts to fall to the ground for no apparent reason, smashing Katie's back in the suit. Luckily, Katie is not injured because the costume is so puffed up. John gets up and off of Katie and stands up. The camera reveals John only up to waist level.

Cypher: Seriously dude... get a fuckin' room.

John: Heehee! More hentai!

Shion: You're not even making sense!

John: Heehee!

Cypher sighs and looks back at the camera.

Cypher: You see this Lancelot? I also got extra insurance now. Better watch your girlfriend's back, because Communist John sure will. We'll see you New Year's Eve... where we'll be counting down... to your destruction.

The camera turns on John's dopey grin. He starts to drool almost uncontrollably as the camera inches closer to his face. The camera focuses on his face as the camera fades to black. Scene ends.

[Enus Jigzaw]

Man Without A Past

Fade in?to nothing but sheer darkness. Black upon black upon even blacker shades of black. It?s just really, REALLY, black. But, what?s this? A scratching-scraping sound followed by a light, pushing away the darkness all around it to illuminate?a table. Nothing fancy, just an ordinary, wooden table. The voice that followed, however?

?Who am I?? asks the voice, booming quietly throughout the room. A hand reaches out of the gloom, drops what looks like the piece of a puzzle, before receding back into the darkness. ?Wish I could tell ya, but?I can?t? The hand returns, dropping two more pieces before it disappears again.

?See?I?ve suffered from what some might call ?Severe Memory Loss?. I, on the other hand, call it a bitch.? In the blink of an eye, the hand comes and goes, leaving another three pieces in it?s midst. ?If you?d been in my shoes, you?d probably call it a bitch as well. Hell?if you had woken up one day in a ditch in the middle of nowhere, with zero memory of whom you were or how you got there, you?d probably want to call it something else, actually. Thank god for self control, eh??

Suddenly, the light goes out, plunging the room back into sheer darkness. Following the sound something ? well?some THINGS, that is ? falling onto the table, the light returns, revealing at least two dozen jigsaw pieces dumped right in the middle of the table.

?Heh. Sorry. Was taking a wee bit too long, grabbing them a few at a time like that. Figured it best to speed things up a bit.? The hand returns, starting to put the puzzle together, as the voice continues to rant. ?Now?where was I? Ahhh, yes. Why the hell am I here. What the hell is a man without a memory doing in TKOW, the world?s most hated wrestling federation. Well?it?s simple, really. After getting up out of that ditch, I reached into my pocket, thinking I might find a wallet or something. Nope. All I found was a little piece of paper, with an address. Turning it around, I read this: ?Your name: Enus Jigzaw. Your goal: Go to the address. Train. Get stronger. Get tougher. In three months, join TKOW. Win, win, win. Become TKOW Champion. Then, and only then, will all be revealed.? I didn?t know what the hell whoever wrote that mean by ?all will be revealed?, but I figured it had something to do with my missing memory. So, naturally, I followed the instructions. I got went to the address it gave me, which was for a local gym. I spent three months getting tougher, getting stronger, training my body and mind.?

The voice stops as the hand puts the last puzzle piece into place. The finished puzzle shows the face of a man, white hair, a eerie, far-away look in his eyes, grinning like the devil himself.

?And, so?here I am. In TKOW. And, let me tell ya, there?s nothin? more dangerous then a man without a memory, cause he ain?t got nothing to live for, no friends, no family that he knows of. He?ll beat the hell out of ya and spit your ass out. So, to my opponents, all I got left to say is this: you better be ready, cause after I?m done, well...you won?t remember a thing.? Fade out, as the man behind the voice, Enus Jigzaw, let?s loose with a burst of maniacal laughter.

[Kahlan - R.I.P.]

On a rough wide path the camera moves uphill through a temperate wooded area, most of the trees having lost their leaves with the exception of a few cedar and an occasional pine. The barren trees reveal the landscape to be dotted with shallow sandstone cliffs/overhangs in the natural karst terrain. The camera moves along with a set of identical male twins, who are Matt Griffen?s younger brothers, James and Jacob, dressed lightly in jeans and sweat shirts. Each have a pair of heavy leather work gloves tucked in their back pocket and between them they carry a large plastic cooler. Like most brothers who get along, they are joking around and cutting up with each other. They are interrupted by the sound of a few light metallic taps, then a moment later a loud ringing one, followed immediately by a loud ~crack~ and thump, breaking through the near silence of the unusually warm December afternoon.

Jacob: The girls were right. He?s up there. Hope he works out what?s bothering him.

James: He?s not good company when he?s like this.

As the two reach the top of the hill, their older brother, dressed more lightly than his younger siblings in jeans and T, is revealed standing between two piles of wood. On one side is a pile of short cut logs. He takes one, places it on a level stump, lightly taps a metal wedge into the top of the log, and then swings back with a sledge hammer, deftly splitting the wood with one ringing blow to the wedge. He repositions a half he just split and taps the wedge in to divide it yet again, then repeats with the other half, tossing the quarters into the split pile, which is taller than he is and about 10 to 12 feet in circumference.

Jacob: Geeze, Matt, we were going to cut up the downed trees and split it.

James: You didn?t have to.

Griffen stops and turns toward them, his perspiring body covered in small bits of bark and sawdust. Even his hair is dusted. He pulls off a glove and wipes the back of a hand across his eyebrows and then tries to wipe the grime from his face, but only smearing it. He gives them a glare with his green eyes and an angry, frustrated expression. When he speaks, his tone matches his expression.

Matt: *snapping* What? I can?t help out my family? You don?t want me around? Fine!

Griffen throws the sledge into the pile of split wood and jerks off his other glove, moving past them. James grabs his arm in passing, dropping his end of the cooler to the ground.

James: Hang on, Matt!

Jacob: We didn?t say that.

James: You really need to chill out.

Griffen pauses and goes deathly still, his nostrils flaring with each breath. Jacob allows the cooler to fall completely to earth, moving to stand in front of Griffen.

Jacob: Look, I don?t know what?s eating you, but get it out and over. Cat and Abby don?t want anything to do with you since you snapped at them at breakfast.

James: And it?s Christmas Eve, for goodness sake. You trying to ruin it for everyone?!

Griffen jerks his arm free of James and tucks his gloves into his rear jeans pocket.

Matt: *through gritted teeth* No.

Jacob: I think you are. You?re just itchin? for a fight aren?t you? Well, you know what-

James: Jacob, no-

Jacob: I?ll give you one.

Griffen stares holes into Jacob, but his younger brother doesn?t back down. Instead, he grins very much like his big brother normally does under different circumstances.

Matt: *still through gritted teeth* You don?t want to do that right now-

Jacob: Yes, I do. I?ve had it with you, and your shitty attitude lately, Matt.

James: *shaking his head* Jacob, you?ll end up in the hospital. It?s a good thing I?m here then, since both of you are going to need medical attention before this is through.

Griffen tenses, never taking his eyes off Jacob.

Matt: You?ll be fighting me, too, before it?s over. You always jump in to help Jacob. That?s alright though. I can take you both.

Jacob: You won?t have to. I?ll be enough!

Jacob punches Griffen in the stomach, who takes the hit and grabs Jacob?s arm, lifting him up and arm throwing him to the leaved ground. Meanwhile, James steps back and pulls a cell phone from its holster and speed dials. Matt goes to pull Jacob up, only to get both his brother?s feet in his chest, driving him back. Jacob grabs a fallen branch as he rolls to his feet and swings, connecting with Matt?s upper arm.

James: *into the phone* Yeah, tell Skye to grab my jump kit- no, nothing?s wrong, but Matt and Jacob are having it out and-

Matt grabs the branch, jerking it out of Jacob?s hands and connecting with a blow to his brother?s head. He swings again, driving Jacob back. On the next swing, Jacob ducks and nails Griffen with a hard spear to the gut, driving him down hill and straight into a thick tree trunk. Griffen hits it with a grunt. Jacob quickly rams into him again with a hard shoulder.

James sits down on the cooler after pulling out a bottled soda.

James: No, Mom. You know how they are. Just send Skye up here and- *glancing at the camera then back to his brothers* Yeah, her, too.

Jacob backs up and goes for another ram, but Griffen spins out of the way and Jacob hits the trunk hard with his shoulder. He winces in obvious pain. Matt swings and breaks the tree branch over his brother?s back, making him cry out.

Jacob: *under his breath* Oh, shit?

Matt grabs his brother up and chokeslams him to the forest floor so hard the leaves and dirt swirl up around Jacob. Matt drops down and starts laying in punches to his younger brother, who manages to block the most of them, but Matt does draw blood from Jacob?s mouth and nose.

James: I?d say send Cat and Abby. May as well make a picnic of it? and tell them to drive my 4-wheel drive. The keys are on the hook by the door. He?s already got most of the wood cut up and split- Uhoh, Jacob?s in trouble.

James clicks the phone shut and drops it and the soda to the cooler as he makes a run and hooks an arm around Matt?s neck, pulling him off and the two brothers roll several feet before stopping. Matt lands a few shots to James, but James feels around and finds a large stone, slamming it into Matt?s head. It cuts into Matt immediately, bright red blood pouring out and running down his head and neck. Matt lets out a roar and jerks James up, only to get kneed in the groin. He grunts and doubles over as James links his hands together and clubs Matt over the back of the head and neck. By this time Jacob has regained his feet and runs over and grabs one of Matt?s arm and points to cluster of sharp, broken, fallen sandstone slabs close by, as the three have managed to reach a cliff face further down on the hillside. James grins and grabs Matt?s other arm and the two run their brother right at the pile of stone head first.

Jacob: Eat rock, Matt!!

Just as Matt is about to slam into the broken stones, he leaps up, his feet landing on the stones. He yells, swinging the twins forward and hurling them into one another and into the stones. He falls hard to the ground, but quickly gets back to his feet. Taking the head of each twin in hand, he grinds their faces into the sandstone meant for him.

Matt: *growling* How about you try it out for me first! Have a SANDwich!!

James manages to worm his way free, kicking sideways at Matt?s knee. He attempts a tackle, but Matt grabs him up into a bear hug and runs, slamming James hard into a small yet sturdy thorny tree. Jacob tackles him from behind and the three stagger around the cliff face, swinging and brawling, the twins on their older brother. They approach a small waterfall that forms a small pool and then runs over a drop off. The sound of an engine gunning as it runs uphill erupts in the woods and James grins and renews his brawling to a higher level. However, Matt keeps up, even with Jacob contributing, but they move ever closer to the drop off. Four doors slam shut and whistles cut through the air.

Female Voice: They?re down there!!!

Abby: There?s a 60 foot drop there!!! HURRY!

Cat: We have to stop them!!

The camera turns off the men to reveal four females slipping and sliding as they scramble down the hillside, Skye with a medical jump kit strapped over her shoulder. She stridently whistles and the other three yell as well, but the guys pay them no mind. The camera pans back, revealing the three males dangerously scuffling at the edge. Jacob breaks free, oblivious of his surroundings, and rushes Matt, who is locked up with James and the three fly over the edge. The camera runs to the edge as three of the four females scream. Matt, Jacob and James tumble interlocked through the air, falling into the dark crevice between two pieces of a huge boulder which had split no one knows how long ago. A male scream from one of the three is silenced with a loud poofy-sounding ~!THUD!~. Leaves and other debris explode upwards in a huge cloud, obscuring the view.

An odd sounding screech accompanies the screams as the girls run to the edge. Cat and Abby stop before they can look , hug each other and break out into tears. A mahogany haired woman, her back to the camera and her face hidden by her long hair, peers over the edge.

Female Voice: *fearfully but authoratively* We have to get down there.

She glances to either side then turns to the younger female Griffen twins and gives them a rough shake, trying to knock them out of their shock and fear.

Female Voice: How do we get down there!!!

A shrill whistle interrupts and she turns to see Skye hot dogging it back along the way they came toward a faint animal trail about 30 yards away that runs along a steep slope and down below. The woman dashes after Skye and the camera jerkily follows, the cameraman?s breathing picking up and getting heavier as they make their way down the trail. Skye reaches the boulder and quickly scales partially up the side, and then disappears into the shadows of the crevice. The other woman follows in her steps a few seconds later and the camera finally catches up, but not climbing into the crevice, the cameraman obviously well winded from the sound of his breathing. There?s a pregnant silence from the crevice, only broken by the sound of Cat approaching alone.

Cat: *quietly but fearfully* Skye? Kaylen?

There is no response. She calls out again more loudly.

Cat: Skye?! Kaylen?!

She?s answered by a whistle and one of the twins slowly emerging from the shadows.

Cat: James!!

Cat runs to help him down, making a huge fuss over him and crying. He is covered in dirt, leaves and twigs from head to toe. He comforts his younger sister.

James: I?m alright. Don?t cry. Just got the breath knocked out of me.

Cat: Jacob!?!

Jacob: I?m here, and okay, too!

She turns to see her other brother climbing out as well, as filthy as James and followed by the dark-haired woman, who's hands, lower arms and knees down are just as nasty as the guys.

Abby: James!! Jacob!!!

The young redhead practically tackles her brothers, crying, clutching James? cellphone in hand.

Abby: I called 911.

She looks around.

Abby: Matt!?! Where?s Matt?!

There is a loud deep coughing and a bloody and filthy Matt emerges from the crevice as well, Skye right behind him, obviously giving him what for with her whistles and nearly as dirty as he. Matt drops to the ground with a slight wince and turns to take Skye by the waist and help her down. Abby tackles her oldest brother and hugs him tight, crying again, then starts hitting him with her fists.

Abby: Don?t you EVER do that again!

Griffen allows her to hit him without attempting a defense.

The dark-haired woman, her back to the camera, walks up to the male twins who are leaning against each other as Cat finally lets them go.

Kaylen: *obviously stressed* How could you do that? HOW could you just DO that? I finally find family and you try to off yourselves and Matt!

Her hands clench into fists and her entire body quivers. She leaps up and NAILS James in the head, with a roundhouse kick, banging his head into Jacob?s.

Kaylen: THAT?s for being IDIOT COUSINS!

Cat and Abby stare. A snort escapes Matt, who gets a hard ~!THWAP!~ to the back of his bloody, filthy head from Skye, who walks over and draws a still quivering Kaylen to the side and out of camera view. Matt coughs again, wheezing, coughing again, then spitting dirty phlegm to the side.

Abby: Why aren?t you dead? You fell on rocks?

James: No, we fell between a broken rock into a deep pile of leaves that had built up over God knows how many years. That cushioned our fall, sort of like falling into bed of fluffy decomposed mulch.

Jacob: We just kept sinking into it, but the landing did knock the wind out of us. I couldn?t get any air in, no matter how hard I tried. Being buried didn?t help either. Skye and Kaylen had to dig down and find us and give us mouth-to-mouth to help us get our breath back.

James: I imagine we?ll feel the effects of the landing later today, though.

He carefully touches the abraded side of his face and winces.

James: C?mon, we better get checked out to be on the safe side. I?ll never hear the end of it from the guys when they get here?

Everyone but Matt moves out of the shot. Jacob rubs his head and then looks at James? back.

Jacob: Uhm.. James. There?s a stick stuck through your shirt in your back and there?s blood?

Matt looks at the camera, still green eyed, speaking matter-of-factly, however, slowly regaining his earlier attitude. He nods his head in the direction his brothers and sisters went.

Matt: James and Jacob should be dead. I should be dead. Right. Now. It would have made things a lot simpler for Mass Khaos and Holiday Hell, wouldn?t it? I can see the headlines. ?Matt Griffen, member of Section 8 and former TKOW Tag Champ, dies before defeating former stablemate for the TKOW Title.? No, that would have to have been my epitaph for TKOW.

His voice becomes bitter and he takes a step or two to the side, an apparently unnoticed 3/4-inch to 1-inch diameter branch stuck all the way through his upper right thigh.

Matt: Tobias Burden has managed to do something I?ve not been able to do in three long years. Burden, a man I have defeated in the past, took down Phoenix. Logically, that means I should be able to, yet it?s not happened. Not in a regular match, not in a tag match and not even in a damn brutality match! Yet Burden?s managed to do it. Let me congratulate you now, Tobias. There wasn?t much of an opportunity to do so after your win.

His words are sincere, but bitterness and frustration are evident.

Matt: Granted, it was my own fault for letting Kid?s interference draw me from my purpose. My own stablemate interferes in a match he knows I?m in.

He snears with anger.

Matt: *sarcastically* Thanks, Kid. Another non-win over Phoenix chalked up to you doing something you KNEW not to. You?ve not been here wrestling lately and you take it upon yourself to just waltz in when you want and do what you want, HOW you want without regard to the outcome or your stablemates. It?s a damn good thing the Church started something immediately following the match, or I?d have been tailing your cowardly ass to teach you a lesson. You showed your father?s parentage in that escapade of yours.

He clenches his hands into fists and looks off in the distance, his face hard and unrelenting.

Matt: Tobias, you?ve managed to realize part of your desire and dreams, while I?ve not. Time and time again, you step up and show your opponent what you have to give, while I?m stuck in an infinite loop of obstacles that keep me from it. It seems fate is against me in this. I?ve taken it in stride in the past, but under present circumstances, it?s becoming intolerable.

He looks back to the camera, his jaw now clenched, his eyes intense green flames.

Matt: A man can only take so much before reaching the point where he either breaks or exceeds himself. I?ll be honest with you. I?m reaching that point. Each loss, each interference, each attack. It?s building. That quiet rage that accumulates in hidden recesses until it can no longer be contained and suddenly detonates with the devastating, uncontrollable power of a nuclear bomb.

He pauses, looking past the camera for a moment, his expression becoming blank during this time. When he turns back to the camera, his expression turns cold, the look in his eyes becoming glacial.

Matt: That?s what you?d like, Carpenter. It?s what you?ve planned for, your dreams, your desires. You get off on destruction, chaos, the joy of pain and of giving pain. If you haven?t noticed, little by little it?s seeping into my being. Right now, there?s nothing better I?d enjoy than to get hold of you, break you, take you over that *points* cliff. You, who believe you have the right to inflict pain and suffering on whoever you choose to at will.

His hand drops back to his side. Unconsciously, he slightly shakes his head, his jaw reclenching, as are his hands. In the distance, sirens quietly fade into existence as emergency vehicles approach.

Matt: I would make sure you landed on the boulder, Carpenter. For all the harm you?ve done, I?d make sure your body is crushed and turned to mush beyond all healing. Your brains splattered and consumed by the scavengers along with the rest of your body. That?s what I?d like. Or better yet, leave you on the boulder alive, yet paralyzed, and the animals eat you alive. Buzzards, crows, hawks, foxes, possums and everything else out here. You?d feel every nip, every burrowing of the insects into your flesh, every bite, every rip of strips of flesh torn from you and having to watch yourself being eaten bit by bit. Heaven and hell in the same instance in your world. Maybe even that is too good for you. And you, Phoenix, going along with him, turning your back on everything you?ve stood for, everyone who has been at your side, everyone who has supported you and chosen to hurt not just people, but also your friends, those who care about you even when we?re at odds.

His nostrils flare, his lips forming into hard lines. The sirens get louder and louder, almost, but not quite, drowning out Griffen, then suddenly going silent. There are sounds of door slams and a shout to which James or Jacob reply with a ?Down here!?

Matt: Remember this, Quinn. You chose that path for reasons you won?t explain to any of us. Remember it was your choice when we finally clash. Your choice to turn it from friendly competition between good friends into a full out war of hatred and pain between enemies. It was your choice. During the fall into that crevice, I made mine. The Church will come to regret it.

[Phoenix]

OOC: This is considered a "joint" promo between Phoenix and Carpenter. Voting will be treated as if this was a threeway match, as Carpenter has already displayed no interest in titles, and was only added to the match as "storyline" leading into the PPV.

==================================

It's dark.

I lost.

Really dark.

Whine bitch moan cry. It's like you're a fucking woman.

The darkness lifts as the camera fades in. PSYCH~! You thought it was just, dark.

Phoenix is on his throne and Carpenter is pacing. The TKOW Title is symbolically hanging over Phoenix's head. Symbolic because of Holiday Hell, the Prince of Hell match, where the title will hang over the structure.

Symbolic because of Mass Khaos, where the title is on the line in a ladder match.

Phoenix: I don't lose. Not like that. Not pinned by Tobias Burden.

The name escapes his lips, traced with venom, practically spat out of his mouth at the very thought of the man. Carpenter stops his pacing, a smile forming under his bandages.

Carpenter: That sounded positvely spiteful. Stick with it. It works for you.

Phoenix growls underneath the cowl.

Phoenix: You know what I'm all about Carpenter. I crush everyone that steps up to me. It's been my way of life for years. I've only fallen once before...

Phoenix trails off, remembering his only other pinfall loss, to Soutter, after being attacked by the Dogs of War and the KGB.

Carpenter: You'll get your chance to avenge yourself brother. The ladder match-

Phoenix: The ladder match is a fucking JOKE. Who defends their title in a ladder match, inside a cage, nevermind MY cage, just before a Pay Per View event? No one! Power's fucking me in the ass because of you!

Carpenter chuckles and steps towards the throne, his cossack just avoiding the flames. He leans in, tempting the champion.

Carpenter: Is that so? And how do you feel about that, I wonder?

Phoenix: I think that Power is out of his god damned mind. The Twinkies are clogging his brain.

Carpenter leans in closer.

Carpenter: I could see your logic. What else?

Phoenix: I think that Matt and Tobias have no idea what they're getting into. I think they're hoping that the allure of the title will make you abandon me.

Carpenter leans in further, and Phoenix strikes, both hands reaching for Carpenter's neck!

Phoenix: I think you're a self-righteous bas-GLLCK

Carpenter doesn't budge, but Phoenix is suddenly pulled flat against the throne. His arms strain against the chains within the throne as the straps around his chest and neck tighten.

Carpenter: You were so close, weren't you. Keep at it.

Carpenter straightens and depresses the button on the throne remote. Phoenix coughs a few times, clearing his airway, and takes in a few strained breaths. While looking out at the empty church, Carpenter remarks, over his shoulder;

Carpenter: Don't try to lie to me brother. On some level, you're looking forward to Mass khaos. You wanted this. You've always tried to hide behind good deeds and kind words, but in reality-

Phoenix quietly interupts.

Phoenix: In reality I'm like you.

Carpenter: Exactly.

Phoenix: If I focus on the match itself, on the title, on my will to be the best, I can overlook that you're involved. I can forget you, if only for a little while.

Carpenter: If it helps.

Phoenix: Last Mass Khaos was botched. A missed opportunity. But then, it wasn't my playground. Not like this. This Mass Khaos, we're enclosed in a Brutality Cage. A structure I helped design. Helped build. Helped test. I've waged wars within it's confines. I've flown off the top of it. I've made men bleed, cry, cower, inside those walls.

Carpenter: Do go on.

Phoenix: So I have to face Tobias Burden. Tobias doesn't understand what he's in for. He thinks he's a riot. The living essence of unpredicability. Myabe even the will of the people. But he's going to be trapped, Carpenter. Trapped behind my walls of solid steel. Trapped in barbed wire. Trapped in a hell of my own making. And worse, he's the one to blame.

Carpenter: Blame?

Phoenix: For the Phoenix that we're going to see in that cage. He thought that I was bad at MegaBowl V? He's seen me in so much worse. And if there's anything he should have learned by now, it's that you don't wake the sleeping Phoenix. Hurting him, burning him, shooting him, these things do not make Phoenix cower. These things make Phoenix destroy. He's asked for this Carpenter. He took advantage at Mass khaos. He- *spits the next word out* pinned me. He celebrated a victory at my expense. He thinks he's bound for greatness.

Carpenter: And what will you do about it?

Phoenix grins wickedly.

Phoenix: I'm going to maim the son of a bitch. He wants to come into my cage and take my title? Who does he think he is?! I made TKOW famous Tobias! I made your career! I am your GOD!

Phoenix chuckles; a low, guttural chuckle, eerily similar to Carpenter.

Phoenix: The Lord giveth. And now, the Lord must taketh it out of your monkey ass.

Carpenter: What about, Matt Griffen?

Phoenix: The only thing different then our past bouts, is that now he's pissed off at me. Matt, you're a whiny, wimpy, pussified whipped little bitch. It sickens me that you were the HPWA Brutality champion for so long. Look at you! Taken out of a match by a dropkick. You're no closer to the top then you were two years ago. No matter how much I train you, no matter what I teach you, nothing can take the place of that one thing you're missing.

Heart. Miles and miles of heart.

You don't have it Matt. I thought you did once, but if you've proven one thing over the last year, it's that you lost it long ago. Maybe you should take up Tobias' old moniker and continue to rot in Mediocreville on the corner of Suck and Pathetic.

Carpenter: That's rather harsh.

Phoenix: I've coddled him long enough. I've held back time and time again with the hopes that someday he'd follow in my footsteps of greatness. Unfortunately, the nobody seems content playing second fiddle to everybody on any wrestling roster, anywhere.

The funny thing is, he thinks that he's the one holding the advantage. He was the Brutality champion for months. He lived inside that damn cage. And he's hating on me, which helps fuel his shifting eye color. But, Matt, this isn't Bishop you're facing. This isn't Salazar, or Bob Lancelot, or even Hungry Wolf. This is me Matt. Phoenix. The Phoenix. Lord of Fire. God of Pain and Suffering. I'm the guy that went ten rounds with Jace Mingla and smeared his blood on my prize. I'm the guy that took a firebomb to the chest and put down Soulfy. I'm the motherfucker that got his ass beat fourteen ways to Sunday and still pinned a fresh Icarus Evangeline.

I'm the 20 and 1 TKOW Champion. I'm the guy you can't beat. I'm that guy Matt. At Mass Khaos, I'm going to remind you why I'm that guy. Why I have well over 50 wins and barely 10 losses. Why I don't fall down to bats, chairs, ladders, tables, cages, weight bars, or any one of the multitude of weapons of minor destruction that you may consider implementing come Mass Khaos.

TKOW is a family business now. The Church of Pain & Suffering is going into the cage in one piece, and coming out of the cage in the same piece. And we'll be leaving a couple of bloodstains ground into the mat, as our way of saying-

Carpenter: This is what you get for attacking us in a drove. No one. NO. ONE. Fcuks with The Church.

Phoenix: Let us pray.

***Fade***

[Dark Schnitzel]

*The TKOW logo appears on screen as an audio recording begins. This time Schnitzel is joined by another man, Bob Lancelot.*

Dark Schnitzel: We have a match against The Great Khali and James Gibson.

Bob Lancelot: No, actually we have a match against a guy I squashed half a year ago AND The Great Khali.

Schnitzel: Major difference.

Lancelot: Nothing that the Hardcore Superstar can't handle. Stick around with me grub and maybe you'll start winning once in a while.

Schnitzel: Says subject who was given pity wins by the Lunch Gang for the last two shows.

Lancelot: Hey! Carpenter tapped like a little bitch. Why Metatron chose to show up and be gay is not my problem. And who are you calling "subject"? Isn't that how you call Benedikt Krauss when you fondle him in bed?

Schnitzel: Digressing? the Bayou Street Mafia, interesting subjects in their diversity.

Lancelot: I don't know why the fuck we are even in this dumb ass shit match, we deserve better! We are the most dominant tag team in TKOW. We are better than the church of pain and suffering and this piece of shit mafia team. If TKOW still had tag belts, we'd own them right now.

Schnitzel: Actually we haven't won any matches as a tag team in TKOW.
No wait, there was that time....no that doesn't count.

Lancelot: Lancelot: I don't give a shit about win-loss records; we can still destroy any team in TKOW at this present time.

Schnitzel: Valid, if you count Bayou Street Newbies and the Doogie Brothers as teams.

Lancelot: Who the fuck do these rookies think they are, Road Dog and Billy Gunn?

Schnitzel: It is amusing, considering that they are just our magnified version. The little/big guy combination . Just like Hurrikane, regretfully.

Lancelot: What's the difference between Cypher and Hurricane?

Schnitzel: With the exception Cypher's tallness, nothing really.

Lancelot: Hurricane's gimmick was actually over with the fans. Cypher's gimmick on the other hand just plane sucks.


Schnitzel: Point understood, really. Do you recall that Hardkore World tournament we participated in, and which was carried by me?

Lancelot: Why, yes I do recall that tournament....

Schnitzel: We surprised all those rotten naysayers when we reached the quarter finals. Shoved TKOW up their asses, we did. I'm sad to say that it is highpoint of my career.

Lancelot: You make me sick!

Schnitzel: My career isn't that bad, it could be worse.

Lancelot: Like how?

Schnitzel: Remember Captain Canada?

Lancelot: No I have no recollection of that name...

Schnitzel: You know him. Used to tag with him, had a horrid storyline, a red-headed Kurt Angle.

Lancelot: Oh that gimp, I wiped him from my memory sorry.

Schnitzel: You just recalled him.

Lancelot: Lies!

Schnitzel: Digressing! Assimilation failed with Benedikt Krauss, your thoughts on this matter Lancelot?

Lancelot: Assimilation?? What the fuck does that mean.

Schnitzel: Incorporation. Assimilation.

Lancelot: Did Santa bring you a new dictionary for Christmas?

Schnitzel: No, but I did lick Claire's breasts under the missile toe.

Lancelot: Fuck you!

Schnitzel: Amusing, isn't it? Subject's joint weight is 793 pounds. One, 7'8 feet tall, the other, 6"1 feet tall.

Lancelot: One must either be really tall and skinny and the other must be really short and fat. Or maybe I have that the wrong way around

Schnitzel: Did I request your assistance with the assimilation process?

Lancelot: I don't know.

Schnitzel: Then shut up.

Lancelot: Fine I will then .Go on...say your five minute summation of the whole thing, and I'll just sit here for five minutes listening. Then I'll say Fuck You at the end. Ok go.

Schnitzel: Good puppy.
Subjects are jobbers. Done.

Lancelot: Fuck You. Ok since you won't add a five minute summation of the whole thing at the end, I guess I will have to. Cypher and other guy, you both suck, we are in this match because I earned a rest by beating every piece of shit that was put in front of me. I beat your sorry ass Cypher twice in a row; do you know how many people have ever done that? One - and that is me. So at Mass Khaos we will put minimal effort into the match and still beat you senseless. As far as I'm concerned Cypher you can use the Egyptian Shit as a Christmas tree instead of wrestling us. Because we are the best in the business and you quite simply are the worst Now turn these damn mics off coz its Christmas and I wanna go get drunk.

Schnitzel: Isn't it Boxing Day?

Lancelot: Maybe, but I'm too drunk to care.

Schnitzel: This has been an examination of reaction to stimuli. Further examinations are in due. Good night.

*The recording stops.*

[Tobias Burden]

Female Switchboard Operator: ?All Units needed at Third and Kenmore, I repeat, Third and Kenmore, near the ?Stop ?n Go? convenience store? *FSSSHHHHT*?

The voice passing over the airwaves are muted? and urgent, the transmissions of information being relayed to law enforcement ? We can presume ? are faded and choppy, yet oddly, crystal clear to those who know how to listen.

Meanwhile onscreen we find that our view is from that of a helicopter, and is focused on the corner of a city block, we can faintly hear the chopper blades spinning as the chopper circles ? almost lazily ? around the convenience store? and on two flaming cop cars?

Officer: ?What?s the situation??

FSO: ?Officers are reported down, squads 14 and 43 to be exact??

Officer: ?Any suspects visible??

Through the smoke we see a man crouched over one of the officers, a Glock 9-Tec ? Standard LAPD issue ? clutched in his right hand and the officers? radio.

FSO: ?Only one, male, less than six feet tall, dusty blond hair? THICK build, he?s got an officers? gun and is extremely dangerous?

We hear the sirens peeling towards the scene only moments before we see ?em, and then we see the figure bolt upon sighting the squad cars.

Officer: ?Can we get an ID on the perp now? I?m not too keen on blowing away this piece of shit if I can?t put a name to his face!?

FSO: ?We have no ID at the moment but we?re working on it, suspect is on the move now! Heading East down Hart Drive?.?

Officer: ?Copy that??

The helicopter tries to pursue the man running with it?s limited ground capability, and the man runs hard, his torn shirt flying about him as he appears to try his damndest to stay out of the choppers? spotlight. He shoves his way through ? and oft-times completely stomps over ? the crowds of people to ignorant to not get out of his way.

Officer: ?Shit! This guy?s gonna make us pursue him through civ?s! Get that bird on him!?

FSO: ?The choppers? still got an eye on him??

It isn?t hard to, even in a crowd, as throngs of people boulder over one another to scramble out of the way of the man holding a gun, he hits a new street and starts his way down it, this time going into the center of the street as opposed to the sidewalks, a yellow taxi cab slams its brakes in an attempt to avoid hitting him but it?s too late, the man hops slightly to make a solid connection with the windshield, spider webbing the glass instantly and getting launched to the pavement, he lays there for several seconds before sitting up.

Officer: ?Suspect spotted!?

Indeed, we can see several uniformed members of the LAPD running onscreen, the man notices them too and opens fire, we see two officers go down instantly before the rest open fire upon the suspect but it?s too late, he?s bolted once again into throngs of pedestrians, several of which go down from the shots fired by LAPD cops!

Officer: ?We need ambulances! We?ve got civies and officers down!?

FSO: ?And the suspect??

The spotlight centers in on the man running along the tops of parked cars before leaping off a Sentra and bolting into a clothing boutique? the helicopter hovers over the shops for a few moments when the back door gets booted open and the suspect goes running full tilt out, and trips over some garbage cans, sending litter all over the back alley way.

FSO: ?We?ve still got a track on him?

Officer: ?Well where is he!??

FSO: ???

Officer: ?Goddammit Debby, where is he!?!?

FSO: ?Just a moment, he?s got Officer Tilly?s radio; I?ll patch the suspect through??

We see the man jogging towards the end of the alley and onto an adjacent street, radio pressed against his ear and the arm holding the gun hugging his ribs. Whether it?s from the car hitting him or just his stomach cramping up from the running, we don?t know?

Male Suspect: ?? Hello? who?d I get patched through to??

Officer: ?What the fuck are you doing numb nuts, turn yourself in or??

Male Voice: ?OR WHAT motherfucker?! I?ve already proven I can topple your kind, time and time again??

Officer: ???

Male Voice: ?Got anything to say to that??

On screen we see the man run over behind a Lincoln and slide across the hood before ducking behind it and getting a few shots off at a pursuing uniform, the officer dives behind some trashcans and the suspect bolts once again?

Officer: ?Alright asshole, what?s your name and why the fuck are you on this rampage??

Male Voice: ?Heh? me? My name?s not important, but since you wanna know? *Huff, huff* it?s Tobias Burden? happy now??

Officer: ???

Tobias: ?? Of course you fucking aren?t, people like you never are? just a moment-?

Officer: ?Just a?? HEY WAIT!!!?

A cruiser squeals around the corner and Tobias opens up on the windshield and runs on top of the car, using it to boost his jump to a building parallel to the vehicle, where the ladder to the fire escape waits, he catches the third bottom rung with the index of his left elbow. Hanging on by a limb, he stuffs the pistol into the waist of his jeans and clutches the radio in his mouth before using his freed up arms to pull him up to the first fire escape balcony.

Tobias: ?? *Huffing* I?m back, now you were asking???

Officer: ?You know what I want, I wanna know why the hell you?re on a rampage, your wife leave ya?? You on crack, you bust out of the nuthouse-?

Burden ascends the fire escape in record time, below we see an officer climb out of the cruiser that had been fired on moments ago, blood apparent on the front of his uniform, he un-holsters his sidearm and lets loose, sparks flying around Tobias? feet as he continues to climb.

Tobias: ?The first is kinda sorta true? no to the second? and I guess the last is true? y?see, the reason I?m doin? this is because I have to-?

Officer: ?What kind of-?

Tobias: ?DON?T INTURRUPT ME! I?m sick of your kind, like I?m sick of those I have to call my peers, Phoenix? Matt Griffen? Carpenter? all of ?em, Goddammit, every fuckin? one of ?em, I?m doin this to expose truths!?

Officer: ?Truths, this ain?t makin? a damn lick of sense to me-?

Tobias: ?It wouldn?t? the LAPD have a long history of corruption? Rodney King, drug dealing cops and city officials who bend and break to the whims of every corporation and mob boss in the northern hemisphere. I?ve seen it, just as every human being does every night when they watch television while eating the tv dinners they had to go into debt to afford? they know they?re led by the evil and the inept? but everyone - from the common blue collar working man? to the person living in third rate housing on welfare and raising children alone ? ABSOLUTELY everyone, is afraid to step in and put an end to it, whether it?s because they?re too scared or simply do not have the power to end it is unknown, but I hear these people in everyday society, I see thing through THEIR eys, and if they won?t do anything, then Goddammit, I WILL!?

Tobias reaches the roof and bolts across it, upon reaching the end he has no qualms about leaping across the meter wide alley-way gap to reach the roof of another, slightly smaller, apartment building, below we can see almost a dozen cop cars.

Officer: ?You?re a delusional fool! And guess what asshole, you?re surrounded!?

Alas it?s true, as Tobias reaches the edge of the apartment building and looks over to witness pandemonium, cop cars, ambulances, news vans. People swarm like locusts around while several officers begin to scale the fire escape. Tobias runs back to the center of the roof before stopping and staring up at the ?copter, which he promptly flips off before raising the radio to his mouth.

Tobias: ?You?re gonna have to come and claim me, and guess what??

Throws the pistol away.

Tobias: ?I?m unarmed? are you prepared to get physical? Cause I couldn?t imagine how fucked up it would look to the media if you shot an unarmed man.?

Officer: ?This is the states, we shoot people who look at us cross-eyed. You?re a fucking dead man!?

Tobias: ?? Thanks for conceding my point, officer, by the way, I lied about not being unarmed??

The young man grabs the hem of his torn and tattered t-shirt before ripping it off to reveal what appears to be a bomb strapped across his stomach.

FSO: ?Suspect is reported to have a bomb, get civilians away from there right now!?

Tobias: ?You see? mister policeman, I?m not afraid to die to make sure the people I wish to save get what they need done. People have the decks stacked in their favor in almost every facet of my life, Phoenix and Carpenter have one another and a cult backing them, and Griffen has the Section 8 and the corporate side of TKOW backing him? me, all I have backing me is the will of those with no voice to speak with??

Officer: ?You?re only one man, and a man without influence at that, what the hell can you hope to accomplish by killing yourself??

Cops storm onto the roof with guns drawn, all surrounding Tobias as he raises the detonator for the homemade explosive high above his head.

Tobias: ?The death of one is a tragedy? and even if I were to die, or fail, how long would it take for several others to question the society around them ? to question the people that smile to their faces to get their money but stab them squarely in the spine when they?re least expecting it ? not very long I surmise, and what happens then??

Officer: ?? Anarchy??

Tobias: ?Bingo! Even if I were to die right now, or at the next Mass Khaos? Mr. Police Officer, Phoenix, Griffen, Carpenter? how long would it take for one that?s capable to fill the void I leave behind, till enough people rise up to take all of you down once and for all??

Officer: ?I have no idea of who these other guys you?re speaking of are, but what you?re talking about is sick and nowhere near as heroic as your demented little mind thinks, two-thousand people is an army, twelve is a Terrorist Cell? you are nothing more than a terror-?

Tobias: ?Ixnay on the American flash-word, cockbite, I?m no terrorist? but I am a Riot.?

BOOM~!!!!!! *Snow*?.

[TKOW Board]

Dave Briggs and Spanky McPipebomb did not promo, therefore they cannot win their match at MK.

Please continue with followup promos.

[Enus Jigzaw]

A Friendly Face?

Fade in to the words ?Memory Lane?. The camera zooms out to show a street sign, with those words plastered in white against a green background. The camera pans to the right to show the man without a memory, Enus Jigzaw, sitting in a booth inside a restaurant, staring longingly at the street sign. He shakes his head a continues perusing the menu in his hands as a slim, blonde waitress walks up beside him, notepad and pen in hand, eager to take his order.

?What?ll it be, hun?? she asks, putting the hand with the notepad against her hip and flicking some hair away from her eyes. Enus sighs, closes the menu, and passes it back to the waitress.

?Surprise me,? Enus replies, with a grin, sitting back in the booth as the waitress quickly walks off. Moments later, a small, wiry old man, wearing an old pilots cap, one with the straps on either side and the goggles on top, walks past Enus, steps back, glances at him, then quickly takes a seat in the booth directly behind him.

?Psst!? says the man, without turning around, causing Enus to sigh and shake his head.

?Ya know, generally, if someone wants to talk to me or, heh, ask for an autograph, they usually sit in FRONT of me, bub,? Enus remarks, without turning around himself.

?Quiet, you fool! Do you want THEM to hear us?? whispers the man.

?Well, maybe if I knew what the hell you were talking about, not to mention who the hell YOU are, then maybe I?d be willing to lower my voice a little,? replies Enus, taking a sip of water. The man pauses for a moment, then pulls out a pen, takes a minute to write something on it, then passes it to Enus as he rushes out of the restaurant. Enus looks down at the napkin where, under an address, the man had scribbled a brief message: ?We need to talk. Meet me at the address above. You will find out all you need to know?or remember, at least. Signed, Carcer Corkins, a friend.?

?Well?this should be interesting,? says Enus with a laugh, pocketing the napkin just as the waitress returns holding a large tray. She grabs a plate off the tray and puts it down in front of Enus. ?Heh. Thanks,? Enus says, looking down at two dozen omelettes, each with a ketchup smiley face right in their center.

?Well, ya asked me to surprise ya, didn?t you?? says the waitress, with a grin.

?That I did, miss??, Enus replies, picking up his fork in one hand and his knife in the other. ?That?I did.?

Fade out, as the waitress walks off, leaving Enus to gorge himself in his meal.

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

Who IS this mysterious Carcer? And what does he have to do with Enus's memory? Find out...NEXT WEEK! (If Zelda:The Twighlight Princess LETS me, at least....)

Edited by Enus Jigzaw, 29 December 2006 - 12:22 AM.

[Phoenix]

*very low* Psst.

A sharp, low hiss comes across the audio, while the video remains nothing but shadows.

*slightly louder* Pssssst.

A barely audible crackling can be made out as the video begins to clear up. It's the altar, the throneroom, the sitting place, of the one, the only, the champion.

Phoenix.

*a few notches higher* Pssssssssssst. Over here!

The camera is fully up now. Phoenix is sitting on the throne, apparantly still strapped down. His head is frantically shifting back and forth as he waves for the camera to approach. It gets just beyond the fire and stops.

Mass Khaos is coming. New Years Eve. I don't, I don't know if you understand what that means. You should, you both should. You've watched me, been around me, seen me deal with things, with people, that have wronged me. And now you're both on the other side of me, again. Except this time, I'm with him, and I'm sorry, but I can't escape that. He's even going to be locked inside the cage with us. Do you understand the ramifications of that? I can't deviate, not for a second, not while he's there, watching me, instructing me...

Phoenix starts, his head whipping around at an unheard noise. He takes in the whole area, sees nothing, and returns to the camera.

At Mass Khaos, you aren't facing me. You're facing us. This isn't what you trained for Matt. You may have dealt with a lot of freaks and demented mentalities in that ring, but you've never faced down anything like this. You think wrasslin with your two smaller and younger and untrained brothers means squat? Falling off a ravine? These things don't dissuade someone like him. Heck, they wouldn't have ever dissuaded ME.

Phoenix jerks at the bonds that hold him down. Failing to even strain them, he returns to the camera.

There's only one thing that he and I can agree on right now. And that's that I have to win this. I took a big shot to my ego last show, and I'm not about to let anyone else get another advantage on me.

The question now is, will Matt be alone? Tobias may have damn well blown himself up. And if not, well, the cops do indeed shoot unarmed morons who kick around their own kind and resist arrest. I don't what that putz was trying to accomplish, but it's going to take an ASSLOAD of T.H. Power's TKOW money to get him out of jail, assuming he survived long enough to GET there...

Phoenix's head jumps and twists again. Something escapes his lips in a heavy but short exhale before he faces the camera again. However, when he speaks again, his voice has lowered, evened, with a hint of distortion.

Mass Khaos and the Brutality Cage are just days away. You can't prepare for something like this.

Let me rephrase that. Matt Griffen can't prepare for this.

Tobias Burden can't prepare for something like this.

The Church?

We live this. We are Brutality. Carpenter and I define what Brutality truly means. We define it in the ring every night. We define it in our lives every day. What have you to say about that Matt? What have you done, since we took your beloved Brutality title, to make you convince yourself, for even a fraction of a second, that you can live up to the standard of pain, of suffering, of burning desire, that The Church lives by?

We bring this gift to the people. The pure joy in their faces when we trek through TKOW, leaving bloody bodies in our wake, empowers us. It defines us the same way we define it. It's nearly a symbiotic relationship, you see. You say you knew me Matt. You know, then, what happens when I go through this kind of hell. You know I get stronger, crazier, and harder to stop. And Carpenter? Oh Me how do you plan to put him out? Cobryn couldn't put Carpenter down.

COBRYN.

You're no Cobryn Matt. And you're certainly not Phoenix. That's my job.

Phoenix straightens in the throne. Behind him, a shadow moves, ever so slightly.

Tobias. Matt. At Mass Khaos I have one job. Bring down this *points to the title hanging over the throne* and walk into Holiday Hell the champion. As a bonus, I get to thrash you two until you need medical assistance to blink. And I get to do it alongside the craziest bastard to ever set foot in a ring, cage, or cell. You two have to fight us AND each other. Meanwhie we get to sit back and take our shots. We'll beat you. We'll cut you. We'll smash you into the ground, shatter your bones, and cover the mat in your blood.

And then we'll get to work.

I've been through too much, given up everything, to be where I am now. I can't stop. I won't stop. I'll see this through to the bitter end.

And that path of darkness leads through Mass Khaos.

Through you, Tobias.

Through you, Matt.

At the end of this thing, when I'm sitting at the top of the ladder, my title back in my hands. When you're both lying there, bloody and broken, Carpenter will be there with you, performing Last Rites. You need to look at him one last time and tell him-

How does it feel? How does it feel to be stomped into nothingness? How does it feel to be run over by greatness?

You think you know?

You have no idea.

***FADE***

[Harpuia]

Cypher, Apophis, Communist John, and Shion Hikari are seen in the table of a house playing scrabble. Apophis instead of sitting down is on his knees to stay within height range of the other three. Shion is standing, Cypher is sitting, and John has his ass bent, humping on a chair while playing the game.

Suddenly, Cypher flips the scrabble board over and stands up.

Cypher: I'm fuckin' bored out of my mind. I'm sitting here with a thumb up my ass waiting for Mass Khaos, and Matthew... I'm sorry... Apophis here wants to play board games.

Apophis: You should really calm down man. You're looking at Schnitzel like he's someone worrisome to deal with, huh?

Cypher: No, I just want to kick some ass. We promised recklessness and destruction, but it's been eight days and we've done nothing but sit here waiting for the first match to come across.

Apophis: Bloodlusty, are we? Don't worry, the chips will fall soon enough.

John: Heehee! Chips!

John starts to drool and then lets out a loud FART... Shion plugs her nose.

Shion: Stinky! Dan, hide me!

Shion hides behind Cypher. And Cypher whispers to Shion, which Shion nods and walks out of the camera's view.

Cypher: No, I just want to beat the living shit out of the Hardcore Jobbitch, Bob Lancelot, then afterwards hang his sorry ass the way they do it in Iraq. Then finally move on in TKOW instead of having to see Claire's latest plastic surgery every damn time I walk into the ring. Is that so fuckin' much to ask?

John: Mmmm... I think you need a spooning.

John walks up to Cypher but Cypher punches John in the gut, knocking John down to the floor.

Cypher: You'll get your chance at Claire in the damn show, ok? You can play with her however the hell you like. I don't really give a shit. Ever since Katie left the house to get groceries 15 minutes ago, you've been pretty sex-deprived, haven't you?

John: Heehee, me so horny!

Cypher: As I thought.

Apophis taps Cypher in the shoulder. Cypher looks up at the giant now standing.

Apophis: Just remember Dark Schnitzel is mine. It seems he sees us both as jobbers. Jobbers?!? I am a former WFC World Champion! GODS tremble before my name, and it won't be long before he sees my wrath in full in the ring.

Cypher: Fine, whatever.

John looks down in the floor, and eats one of the Scrabble tiles on the floor.

John: Yum... hickory...

Cypher walks up to the front of the camera and looks down at John.

Cypher: Quit eating the damn tiles, you dumb fuck.

Cypher kicks John in the head and John stands up. He then shrugs his shoulders.

John: Eee... I'm gonna hump the sofa.

John walks out of camera view. Apophis and Cypher then stand side by side and look up at the camera (Apophis is actually looking down.)

Cypher: Time's a tickin', job-bitch. In 48 hours, the Bayou Street Mafia is going to make a debut mark on TKOW, and it'll be a mark bigger than Claire's, if ya catch my drift. All your trash talk about how great you guys are, and with T.H. Power wishing you luck, yeah... everyone might think the odds are stacked against us... but look who you two are facing. You don't exactly have to look far to see what an impact I've made on this business, and as always, I have connections, and in this case, it's a big one.

Apophis: Boo.

Cypher: Come Mass Khaos, you and the tin-man from the Wizard of Oz is gonna be stepping into the ring with REAL wrestlers. You didn't beat me twice Lancelot, we're tied at one. And now at Mass Khaos, I'm going to take the 3rd match the way I should've taken the last two, by throwing you around the ring, and feeding you to Communist John to get anal-raped like rabbits.

Apophis hides a snort-chuckle from under his breath.

Cypher: Oh yeah, not a good sight to see? I didn't think so. I suggest you go get a room with Claire and 3-way with the tinman that night, because you're sure as hell are not going to make any statements in the ring this Mass Khaos. We're going to own you county auction-style.

And you can count on that!

Cypher walks out of camera view.

Cypher: Come on Apophis, I want to go cause more pain for the next match.

Apophis: Uh... wait up man!

Apophis tags behind Cypher as he too walks off camera and the camera fades to black.

[Kahlan - R.I.P.]

Male Voice: I SAID you can?t come in, especially not with a woman! Now leave before we have to make you.

James or Jacob Griffen: We know Matt?s in there and we?re coming in, woman included.

Second Male Voice: No.

The sound of something slapping an open hand? Bat? Pipe? Who knows since it?s not visible. In the distance the rumble of a small crowd is heard cheering and boo?ing. It?s too dark to see anything, including where they may be. The light is almost too dim for the camera to pick up anything, but it does? four slightly darker shadows in the darkness. Luckily the camera is one of the good HPWA headcams and voila`! the cameraperson turns on the night vision. It?s still fairly dark with the only illumination, faint at that, coming from behind two male silhouettes holding bats in hand. The camera turns to the side, revealing either James or Jacob. It?s not possible to tell at this point. Beside him is a female, her lower face hidden from view. Lady Hawke. Her whistle cuts through the air.

Sentry #1: Look babe, whistle all you want. Turn your fine ass around and walk out before you get hurt.

The male steps forward, looking down at Hawke. The twin moves to get between them, but she holds out a hand, stopping him, shaking her head. She looks up at the sentry and snorts. She cracks her knuckles in his face. Then shakes her hands out at her sides. The sounds of the crowd get smaller, not from moving away, but it seems the voices are fewer.

Sentry #1: Is that so? well, I warned you.

The sentry steps back and swings the bat at Skye, which she easily dodges. She spins in the same direction and catches him with a left-sided roundhouse kick to the head. The second sentry comes after her, but she bends forward, drops to her hands and takes him down with a headscissors. She jumps up and falls with a famouser to his head. By this time the first sentry is recovering and comes after her again. She grabs up Sentry #2?s bat in both her hands, using it as a staff to block his swings, stepping back over his partner. She manages to catch him in the chin with a hard jab with the bat, stunning him, after he swings and misses. She immediately hits the Two-Quick and drops Sentry #1 with the dropkick and flipping on over and landing on Sentry #2, taking him back down. Sentry #1 doesn?t give up and Skye sighs, and easily takes him out with Stun Gun. She tosses his bat to the twin and grabs up the other and motions for them to follow.

James or Jacob: Geeze? Skye remind me not to get into a fight with you.

They move along, following the faint light, which turns out to be a long-burning emergency candle tucked into a niche in the wall of a cave. The cave narrows ahead where another candle waits about 15 yards ahead. As they turn a curve, another candle and ahead another. They follow the lights. The sounds of the crowd gets louder, yet, again, sounds fewer in number. The tunnel widens slightly with a turn ahead. Voices can be clearly heard with some chanting out ?Matt!? others booing and cawing and ridiculing him as there is the sound of flesh upon flesh. A huge cheer goes up from several male voices, nearly drowning out two ~THUDS~. A scratchy, roughened, coarse, yet hauntingly familiar voice manages to be heard as the other voices die down.

Familiar Voice: *breathing heavily* Anyone else want at me?

Peeking around the corner, Skye sighs and shakes her head. She motions for the Griffen twin to move forward and she steps on around the corner quietly, the camera following. The scene is a bit surprising. In a large rotunda-like chamber, hundreds of candles illuminate the chamber, stuck in nooks and crannies all along the walls, along with a few standing candelabras, a couple obviously having been used as weapons as attested to some of the wounds on many of the bloody males lying injured on the well-trampled, blood-stained dirt floor. On a high ledge outcropping a scrawny looking man marks the cave wall next the initials ?MG.? Lower, some of the rock outcroppings are covered with dried and fresh blood, fairly well establishing the place as a fight club of some sort.

In the midst of the mayhem stands Matt Griffen, leaning upon a large candelabra stand for support. His chest heaves with his breath and blood runs down his face and drips onto his bare, glistening chest. A large reddish stain on his jeans covers the front of his right upper thigh. All around him lay teenage boys and men of all ages, some still unconscious and others rousing up, receiving assistance and encouragement of the audience members. A sharp whistle cuts the silence and the remaining few standing turn to look, opening up a path toward Griffen.

Matt: *gravelly/hoarse-sounding voice* What are you doing here?

He straightens and wipes the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand as Skye approaches him, having to step over five men in order to get to him. She makes no sound, but walks up to him and looks him in the face, her hands on her hips. He looks past her at the camera and the twin.

Matt: You two knew better and you still brought her.

Voice Behind Camera: Well, Matt, you always say we?re no match for her. You?re right. She made us bring her. Tortured us, even.

Griffen Twin: She took out the sentries all on her own. *disappointed* We didn?t even get to have any fun.

Man in Crowd: Well, is she here to fight or what?

Griffen turns and steps toward the man. Skye grabs his arm to hold him back.

Matt: *vehemently* NO! She?s not fighting.

Man in Crowd: *holding up hands* Okay, man, don?t come after me. I was just asking. You made me a heap of money tonight. Thanks! Now I can pay off those Christmas bills.

The man thumbs through a wad of bills and grins. He waves and gives a few people some goodbyes and heads out as Matt turns back to Skye, who has been checking out a cuts and bruises on his back and arms. She reaches up and tugs on a lock of bloody hair, eliciting the slightest wince from Matt. He reaches up and grabs her hand, drawing it down and looking at her.

Matt: *quietly but roughly* Don?t.

He pushes her back and looks around at the people surrounding him.

Matt: These people fought me tonight. Some I know. Some I grew up with. Some I?ve never met before. In fact, I asked them to come. They all came here knowing the deal, knowing what I wanted. I wanted them to fight me, to see if they could beat me, one-on-one, two-on-one, hell, even three-on-one, but here I stand and there they lay. They came at me with their fists, bats, pipes, candlesticks, rocks, whatever they wanted. Yet here I stand and there they lay. If I can do this here, then WHY can?t I do it in a ring? These guys are some of the best in the area. Hell, one of the best of them came up from Tennessee just to be here, just to say he fought me.

He shakes his head. Around the walls, the men begin putting out the candles.

Matt: Yet, I?m not satisfied. All of this, and it?s not enough to fill what I need. Is that what drives the Church? Something that is missing or is not enough?

He stares up at the ceiling for a moment then back down. He helps a man to his feet, clasping him on his shoulder and giving him a nod, then moving on. The light dims a bit as about a quarter of the candles are put out.

Matt: The Church made threats because things didn?t go the way it wanted last Mass Khaos. Anyone you defeat, destroy. Anyone who defies you, destroy. Anyone who criticizes you, destroy. If you're aggravated, pick someone random and destroy them.

Another man before him climbs to his feet and offers his hand for a respectful handshake. Griffen nods and returns it.

Matt: Carpenter didn?t like that he got some comeuppance for a change, after sneak attacking and brutalizing people for his own morbid pleasure. But you see, that?s what people do when they?ve had enough. The peasants rise up and execute the cruel overlords. It?s history and it?s repeated often. Hurt others, you pay. It may take a while, but you will.

Griffen helps another opponent to his feet while making his way toward the outside of the circle, followed by Skye. Just over half the candles are put out and the light dims considerably. Shadows move over all surfaces, giving an eerie feel.

Matt: Phoenix has chosen to be the emblem of the Church, an idol, even so much as being proclaimed a god. To be the god of suffering and pain. He would have fit in well during ancient times, but this isn?t then. This is a time when all gods are questioned and, if found lacking, their religions pushed to the fringes and made fun of or buried.

He looks into the camera after assisting a third man to his feet. Most of the candles are now out and Griffen?s face is half in shadows as most of the crowd makes it way to and through the tunnel.

Matt: Like all idols and false gods, Phoenix will fail. He will fall. Section 8 will not stand for what he has become. He has fallen from the light and allowed the darkness to rule him. THAT is his end. Last Mass Khaos was the beginning. Burden showed his feet of clay. This Mass Khaos-

He pauses, going pale and swaying. He swallows and shakes his head roughly, keeping his balance. Only a handful of candles remain lit. One of the last people out hands Griffen one and blows out the rest as he leaves. Griffen holds the candle before him, shadows playing upon his bloody face and the flame reflecting in his eyes.

Matt: This is my time. He will fall because I will topple him. He?ll either return to us or?

Complete and utter darkness as the candle goes out.