August 24th, 1999, San Diego CA, 11:00 A.M.
Scene: The camera opens up upon a quiet little graveyard. A lone figure moves inside the yard. Past the marble tombstones, and the neatly trimmed green grass. The blue skies overhead, with just a speckle of white cloud cover, are a direct contrast to the darkly dressed figure still working his way through the yard…
His walk through the graveyard isn’t a long one as he soon comes to a stop somewhere near the middle of the yard. He stands in-front of a plain black marble tombstone, but looks off past the rod iron gates to the San Diego streets…
The camera begins to move in closer, and the figures features begin to take shape. Faith, a new-comer to the JWA, but not altogether naïve to it’s old dark secrets. Faith, holds his gaze a moment more on the city of San Diego before turning his body around to the tombstone…
- Faith: "Robbed. So long ago
robbed of you. So long ago robbed of the chance for true vengence. And now
robbed of any Vengance whatsoever. I tired so hard for it. I walked through our
home for ages. I went to LA, I went to Chicago. I’ve been all over this god
forsaken planet and never once caught wind of you.
Then one day out of nowhere I found you. I found out what had happened to you so long ago. I learned all I could about a man I should have known better. I learned the sins you commited. I learned of the enemies you gained. But it was too late to find you. So I saught him out.
He kneels down on one knee placing his hand on the smooth black marble. His green eyes burn with anger, and his long dark hair flings trying to break out of it’s tie, as he looks into the marble.
He was gone, his apprentice left, his dream, dead now like you. Dead now like my chance for revenge. Then again, (He begins to point at the marble) you knew me better then that now didn’t you? I found a way. (He pulls a piece of paper from his nice dress pants.) I found a way to get my revenge."
The camera slowly fades to black.
August 24th, 1999, 1314 W. Grimlacking Ln., Santa Clara CA, 1:55 P.M.
Scene: It wasn’t a long flight from San Diego to Santa Clara. Middle of the week, middle of the day, it was easy for him to get a seat…
The plane had sit down about half-an-hour ago…that’s all the time Faith had needed to track the house down. Now as he stood outside the house, with the cab pulling away he thought how odd this whole picture was…
He dismissed the thought, and with the bottoms of his black suit ruffling about in the wind, moved towards the small house…A short walk later and he stood upon the doorstep. A moment to find the doorbell, and then a pause before the door swung open…
Marcus Collins:"Hello? Can I help you?"
A young boy said as the door swung open wide. Features similar to his fathers, shoulder length black hair, and the new Bryan Mercy shirt adorning his torso…
Faith: "Bryan Mercy?"
Marcus Collins: "Yeah what’s wrong with Flyin’ Bryan, Faith?"
A small smile comes over the young mans face, as a look that can only be described as pure shock hits Faith’s face…
Faith: Wait…how did you?…"
Marcus Collins: "I watch TV…duh."
To emphasize his point he motions to his shirt…Faith chuckles a bit as his normal expression returns to his face…
Faith: "Well given who your father is I shouldn’t have been surprised…May I speak to your father?"
Marcus Collins: "Well if he wants to talk to you…just kidding come on in. Dad’s been expecting you."
Marcus begins to lead Faith into the house as another quizzical look flashes upon his face…
A few twist and turns through the house later, and the two arrive in a living room. Nicely decorated, comfortable seating, and Faith notices…a present smell…
Marcus Collins: "Hey Faith go ahead and take a seat…I’ll go get my dad."
Faith: "Sure thing."
Faith takes a seat in a recliner. He hunches forward a bit, and studies the room from behind sunglasses…His eyes land on a picture frame sitting upon a fireplace…He quickly stands and moves to the picture…
He snatches it up quickly and holds it in both hands. A look of deep contemplation across his face…a familiar voice interrupts his thoughts…
William Collins: "Hello Jason…"
Faith snaps his head up towards William Collins a new look of shock on his face…
Faith: "How did you…oh nevermind…This picture proves it…where is he?"
William, creases his brow and begins to move towards Faith looking at the picture frame. Faith hands it over to him, and a second later a smile hits Williams face…
William Collins: "This was taken years ago Jason. Geez, back when the M.o.A was still brand new. Most of the guys in this picture I haven’t seen in…well awhile."
The camera comes over Williams left shoulder to take in the picture in the frame…The picture in question was taken almost two-years ago, at the mansion of Mister Money, at the first M.o.A gathering…
Most of the original members made it into the picture. Stone, Fire, Styx, and Maniac sitting around a table drinking…Chaos and Ice off in a corner talking…Flesh laid out on the floor, stoned…his counter-part Brian Anderson laid out on the couch, drunk…Vigilance and WolfsBane off in their corner…and there were others…
The smile fades from Williams face as he places the picture back on the fireplace and turns his attention back to Faith…
Faith: "But you know where he is right?"
William looks away for a moment in thought…He begins to chuckle…
Faith: "What are you laughing at?"
William Collins: "Haha…Ah, I’m sorry. You don’t know the history between him and myself so well do you?"
Faith: "Well,…um…no."
William Collins: "Doesn’t matter…to answer your question no…I don’t know where he went."
Faith sighs and let’s his eyes drift back to the picture…
Faith: "Do you know where any of these other guys are? Any of them that might know?"
William Collins: "Those guys? No…most of them have been out of the game for awhile now, but I know of one active M.o.A’er that worked with Flesh awhile back in the M.o.A TF."
Faith: "And where can I find this guy?"
William Collins: "Mexico City, Mexico."
Again the scene fades to black upon the two individuals…
August 24th, 1999, Galatica Wrestling Arena Mexico City, Mexico, 6:10 P.M.
Scene: The camera comes to life again inside a mid-sized arena, standing room only. A thousand-plus Mexican fans stand on their feet booing the individual in the ring…
The individual in question is one Jose Gonzalez. Once a main member of the M.o.A, and now well…now he wrestles in Mexico. Any who remember his brief stint in the M.o.A TF wouldn’t be able to distinguish any change in him. He still wears the same uniform, and the only T-shirt he ever had marketed…
With a microphone in hand he smiles to the crowd. A gold belt draped across his shoulder…
Jose Gonzalez: *That’s right scrubs…I am the unbeatable, undisputed, ruler of your universe. The whole enchilada of you breath because I allow it! I dare any…no, no, no…I command any of you marks to step up to this…* (* translated from Spanish)
A voice enterupts…
Faith: *I’ll take that challenge.*
Jose whips his head around in the direction of the intrusion. The scowl from behind the sunglasses quickly turns to shock and then a mock smile…
Jose Gonzalez: "El Fleshy?"
Faith, leaps over the few bails of hay being used as a guard rail and moves toward the ring…
Faith: *Noooo…My brothers dead, and you know the reason why?*
Jose, drops his belt and begins to back pedal…
Jose Gonzalez: *Brother!?! DEAD!?! WHY DOESN’T ANYONE TELL ME THESE THINGS?…*
Jose takes a moment to compose himself as faith slides in under the bottom rope…
Jose Gonzalez: *Hey, friend…Um, did I say Flesh? Um, hmm, I don’t even know who that is…So you see I don’t know why he’s dead because I don’t know him. Because if I don’t know someone how can I possibly know how they…arggh*
Jose, babbling is cut short as Faith hits him with a kick to the throat. Jose goes stumbling back into the ropes, as faith continues onward hardly breaking stride…
Faith: *Where…is he!*
Jose rebounds off the ropes, and his neck finds Faith’s waiting hand…
Jose Gonzalez: *hack-gack…Where’s…who?…hack.*
Rage flashes across Faiths face…and he begins to shake Jose furiously…
Faith: *WHERE’S STYX!!*
A huge "OOOOOH!" goes out through the crowd at the mention of Styx’s name. Faith stops shaking Jose and looks intently upon him…
Jose gulps and looks up at Faith…
Jose Gonzalez: *Like I said…I don’t know who you’re talking about…*
Faith, raises his free hand to strike Jose…Jose, quickly places both hands in front of him…
Jose Gonzalez: *IEEEE!!! Not in the face, not in the face! Listen friend I don’t know where he is but I know someone who does. He lives in L.A.*
The crowd now oblivious as to what’s being discussed has started to quiet and show disinterested at the events in the ring…Faith let’s Jose go…
Faith: *Start talking.*
August 24th, 1999, Vons Parking Lot, Los Angeles CA, 11:01 P.M.
Scene: The lights gave the shoppers at least decent light to get to their cars, and most of the shoppers did park up front just in case any attackers did come a calling, but not this particular individual. Parking at the back of the parking lot and walking to the store became a new form of exercise for him…
He decided he needed more of that when he started to notice how stiff he was getting in the mornings. Now the giant, black, behemoth, strolled all 7’4" of him back to his Hummer. He carried in both arms a couple of bags of groceries…
As he reached his black Hummer he sat an armload of groceries on the hood while he fished for his keys…A second before he got the key into the slot he heard it…too late…
VIG: "OOF!!"
VIG is struck by behind suddenly. The one arm load of groceries he has left goes crashing to the ground. The other load on the hood of the Hummer he’s thrown into. In a moment of confusion VIG is turned over and a set of fingers are applied to pressure points on his throat…
Another moment passes before VIG regains his bearings, and realizes the face he’s staring up into is the face of a dead man…
VIG: "Will?"
Faith: "BUZZZ! Wrong answer let’s try again. I’m his brother. I’m also the man who has your life in his hands…So you will tell me where Styx is, and you will do it now."
A moment passes as nothing is said. The two look at one another across the short distance…
VIG: "Amazing resemblance…San Diego, brah. San Diego. Probably at his fav hangout…The Zodiac."
Faith let’s out a deep sigh and drops his head. In the next moment VIG grabs his wrist and twisting it pushes Faith back, and scoots off the hood of his Hummer…
VIG: "And you’re little skinny ass ain’t got no one’s life in no one’s hands…(VIG looks to the ground)…Aw, fuck you broke my damn eggs!"
Faith, rubbing at his wrist, takes a few steps back…As VIG goes about picking his groceries up…
VIG: "Oh, no we can’t have a civilized world anymore can we? No, instead of asking VIG "Hey, where’s Styx?" VIG, gets his ass blind sided. Hey, you know your ass is gonna pay for these eggs."
Faith watches VIG for another few minutes, his brow wrinkles up in confusion…
Faith: "You’re worried about eggs? You don’t even care who I am, or why I’m looking for Styx, or anything?"
VIG stops gathering his groceries and turns slowly around towards Faith. He let’s out a big sigh, and shrugs…
VIG: "You’re Will’s brother…you want answers or vengeance…maybe both, and I don’t want to be involved anymore. If you want Styx then you want him, but you won’t like what you find. I saw what Styx did to your brother. I knew your brother. We were friends…good friends. I don’t need any more good friends, or any more fights…you do your thing, and I’ll buy my eggs."
VIG turns back around to his eggs…
Faith: "What did Styx…"
VIG turns quickly slamming his massive fist into the hood of the Hummer. A dint forms quickly…
VIG: "I SAID NO!! I’m out! I’m out forever! I don’t want any part of this! And I want no part of you!"
VIG turns again and quickly unlocking his door with a retrieved pair of keys, he opens the door, slides inside, and within a few moments roars off through the parking lot…
The scene fades to black around Faith standing alone in a Vons parking lot…
August 25th, 1999, The Zodiac San Diego CA, 2:37 P.M.
Scene: Going off of little more then San Diego and The Zodiac it took Faith a little longer to track this one down. Not that it was any great find. A few prostitutes hung around out front, a few patrons came staggering in and out every now and again, and a few roaches looked to be about the size of poodles…
"This was gonna look real good." He thought to himself as he approached the entrance. "Me in my suit entering a place like this. I wonder how long it’ll take before I hit a fight?" Needless to say Faith kept on his full guard as he passed through the set of double doors…
if he thought the outside was bad the inside was worse…it stank, the music sucked, and the lighting was bad. He made a few desperate sweeps of the room with his eyes, but didn’t find a Styx. Sighing, he began his trudge towards the bar elbowing past a few degenerates…
Faith reached the bar with little difficulty and just as he was about to place his hands on the bar top…he decided against seeing and smelling the mystery puddle upon it. He turned his attention back to the task at hand, and quickly waved down the bartender…A heavyset individual, bald, bad breath, and worse body odor…
Faith: "Hey…I’m looking for Styx…(And as a second thought)…VIG sent me."
The bartender smiled a gnarled tooth smile…
Bartender: "AH! How’s the old black sonovabitch doin?"
Faith: "Yeah, he’s good, he’s fine…Styx please?"
Bartender: "Yeah, yeah…he’s over there…in his corner booth."
The bartender points towards a corner and Faith quickly swings around. Looking past the crowd and smoke he finally gets his first glimpse of Styx…
Styx sits there unchanged. He sips on a bottle of beer and takes an occasional drag…His navy blue framed sunglasses covering his dark eyes he looks down at the table in front of him…
Faith begins to move quickly towards Styx shoving people out of his way as he goes…Finally he breaks through the crowd and comes to rest his hands on Styx’s table top…Styx turns his head slowly towards Faith…
Styx: "Mind getting your hands off my table, Faith?"
This time Faith isn’t surprised…Instead he continues he stare at Styx. And he can honestly say he sees nothing fearful or special about the man…
Faith: "Let me guess…you watch TV?"
Styx: "No…I use AT&T."
For a moment Faith is confused, but that moment passes quickly as he hears a familiar voice from behind…
Jose Gonzalez: "Hello amigo. Betcha thought you were done with Jose now didnja?"
Faith begins to stand and back away from the table truning just enough to find Jose in his peripheral vision, but as he does Styx pulls his old friend from beneath the table…A chrome plated Colt .45…
Styx: "No, no, no…How about you just sit your Flesh wanna-be ass down before it gets real messy for you."
Faith complies and slowly takes a seat…
Styx: "Oh, and sunshine keep your hands on the table until I can trust you. Nice work Joser."
Jose takes a seat next to Faith effectively boxing Faith into the booth at both ends…
Jose Gonzalez: "Hey, Styx Man wasn’t nothing. Mi, amigo here showed up asked about you…so I through him over to VIG which gave me enough time to phone you and get up here…Ah, but I’m sure Faith here thought I was just some dumb wetback? Huh bitch?"
Faith: *I’m Mexican too idiot.*
Jose Gonzalez: "Oh…well um…"
Styx: "Hehe…ok enough. So Faith you’re here for what exactly? To beat my ass? Get answers? Or what?"
Faith: "Drop the gun and find out. I’m a lot tougher then an eleven-year old."
Faith peers at Styx across the table. The rage back on his face…Styx taps the trigger to his Colt…
Styx: "Oh, this…only a precaution to kep you listening, and I highly doubt anyone was tougher then that eleven-year older."
Faith: "I should know I changed his dippers…"
Styx: "Yeah and I stitched him up…what’s your point?"
Jose Gonzalez: "We once shared a beer…"
Styx and Faith: "Shut up!…"
The two return their gaze to each other…
Styx: "You do look like him, but I know you don’t have a step on him."
Faith: "The point isn’t how well he and I fought…"
Styx: "It if your planning on beating my ass cupcake…"
Faith continues on…
Faith: "…the point is you took him from a family he never should have left."
Styx: "WHAT!?! I took him form a family? I took him from a family? I found his snot nosed ass on the streets…just where was this family you were talking about huh? A rat and a cockroach ?
Faith: "Searching for him which you didn’t make too easy. You took him out of New York…you changed his name, and made him impossible to find. Until you were done sucking the life out of him."
Styx: "First of all sport…my son gave me only one name…I guess he was ashamed of the other, and secondly…yeah I guess national television is a good place to hide him huh?"
Faith: "First of all…he isn’t your son. Second of all…he was young when you found him. It isn’t to hard to corrupt someone when your shoving heroine up his nose…Oh, yeah and when he never went anywhere without that mask it was kinda hard to make him out."
Styx: "Oh well fuck yeah I’m the bad guy huh? Little shit attacks me with his little bar, and instead of killing the little gutter rat I take him in, teach…"
Faith: "No you used him…You just killed him slower."
Styx raises the gun in between Faith’s eyes…
Styx: "Interrupt me again, and you’ll find out exactly why I’m so hated…I loved my son you ass hole. Don’t ever try to tell me I used him…don’t you ever. We loved each other, and that’s what hurts you…He loved me and not you."
Styx lowers his gun back to the table…
Faith: "I guarantee you that isn’t true…because he kept a piece of me with him at all times, and he never told you where he got it. Or more importantly who made it for him."
Styx: "You trying to change the story chico? I know the story. Flesh, never spoke of you or anything from his worthless past. He gave a damn about it, and believe me he had plenty of opportunities to leave me. Plenty. Thing is chico don’t matter how twisted the story is in your mind…in the end it was I he wanted as a father…it was the M.o.A he wanted as a family."
Faith: "he never spoke to you about his past, and according to a "cool" friend of mine you didn’t let him have anything he loved. Just shoot, snort, crack…"
Styx: "Fuck you…I let him try out Dot…didn’t stop him…I let him associate with your "cool" friend there. I let him associate with whomever he wanted. I let him do whatever he wanted, and he wasn’t some 11-year old kid when he did daisy…He knew exactly who he was long before he died…or are you saying he was stupid?"
Faith: "I was saying he wasn’t taught any better…All he knew was hate."
Styx: "More bullshit…he understood a deeper since of love then you’ll ever know. He understood dedication, and confidence in himself."
Faith: "He understood addiction, and as long as that was fed he had confidence."
Styx: "Change the story as much as you like, but I still know the truth. Yeah, he had a few addictions but then don’t we all to one thing or another? Flesh, was addicted to drugs of the illegal kind long before I came along punk ass. I didn’t make him a druggy he went down that path by himself, but I did make him functional. I was able to give him a life even when he found himself dependent upon those drugs."
I didn’t kidnap him…I didn’t take him at gun point. Maybe you should have been watching him a little bit better huh?"
There is a long pause of silence as the two gaze at each other. It seems for the moment in the silence that Styx has won the mental battle. Then suddenly…
Faith: "Yeah Styx…maybe I should have watched him better, and yeah maybe he was hitting the drugs before you found him, but I’ll tell you this…He and I had a love for each other from the start…While you on the other hand thought of him as a tool from the start. Nothing more. You had to earn his love."
Styx tightens his grip on the gun. His hand shakes a bit, he smiles…
Styx: "Yeah you’re right…He was a tool. AT first…then he made me notice him…made me his father. He was the only one that could make me do anything. In the end Faith…he died happy, and now I’m going to tell you something hot shot…something you might not like to hear…
Faith creases his brows…
Faith: "Haven’t surprised me so far."
Styx: "I bet…do you know what your trying to destroy?"
Faith: "You, and the M.o.A."
Styx: "Wrong cupcake…you’re destroying Flesh. Plain and simple."
Faith pulls back a bit surprised at the response…
Faith: "No, I’m…"
Styx: "No…Flesh lived, breathed, and died M.o.A. He loved the M.o.A with every drop of blood, and every broken bone. His dream, no matter how it became his dream, was to see the M.o.A succeed…and you would shit on that?"
Faith balls up his fist as rage flashes across his face…It passes in but a few seconds as a thoughtful look replaces it…
Faith: "My brother died and I never really knew him. All I have of him? Pictures…old picture’s. I feel as if I was robbed of having a brother, and yeah maybe I should have watched him better, maybe, and maybe he went through changes in his life I will never understand, but I do know I never stopped loving him…"
Styx: "As I have never stopped, Faith. And that’s…that’s why I need you."
Surprise hits Faiths face as Styx withdraws the gun from the table top and shoves it back inside his jacket. The surprise quickly dissolves…
Faith: "For what?"
Styx: "The M.o.A is dying…well actually it’s pretty much dead, and as it dies chico so does everything Flesh did. He is forever immortalized within the M.o.A. As it dies his memory dies. I can’t let that happen."
"It’d be easy to raise an army from the dead and storm back across federation and fucking federation Faith, but it wouldn’t have the same meaning. You’re his brother…don’t you want to see his memory live on? Don’t you want to strike those down that would spit on his name?…I know you do because I do."
Faith looks away from Styx to the innards of The Zodiac…Filth and sleeze. He let out a mental sigh…the battle was over…
Faith: "Where do we start?"
A smile strikes Styx’s lips as he leans further over the table…
Styx: "There is as you know one possibly two active M.o.A’ers left…and possibly two more that I’d be able to seduce. A third has swayed off the path, but I can swing him back in the right direction. Then there are the three gathered here…We start where Flesh left off…"
The scene slowly fades to black…Old players have reentered the game. A new stage of events have begun to unfold, and at the center of it all the Way of the Future himself…