Meltdown 159 - Dirk Buchanan & Vega vs Annie Halloway & Vlad Azarov

[ABMorales787]

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From the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, Dirk Buchanan and Vega will team up to face Annie Halloway & Vlad Azarov.
RP Deadline is 03/12/19 at 11:59:59pm CST
Extension Deadline is 03/10/19 at 11:59:59 CST

[Skairipa]

This match has been given a 24 hour extension.

[Prince Vee]

Unpleasant sound of the audiences filled the entire stadium. Their monotonous boos filled the arena and reverberated off the ceiling. The unamiable chanting of the crowd didnâ??t bother as he walked up the ramp, but something else did. He brought his right forearm slowly up to his chest. The blood of his opponent slowly started to dry over his vellus hair. The smell of the blood sent an intense stench through his nostrils, which bothered him mostly. Bloodâ?¦ how much significance does the fluid have on every living organism? Vlad a moral relation with it, his life depended on it more than anyone can imagine. What could it be? He heard his own voice, but in a more muffed tone, over and over again. It repeated, â??Blood is in your handsâ?. He took a long look at the blood smeared forearm.


The long sleeve covered his forearm and his arms were crossed across his chest. The sleeves run long behind his back and were secured firmly in a straight jacket. A single drop of blood dripped from his forehead and wetted the already blood-stained floor. The most violent and dangerous inmate of Kathmandu High Security for Mentally Handicapped grinned at the sight of the blood.

â??Blood is in your handsâ?, muttered Vlad.

The security guards standing outside the ghastly solitary confinement could barely hear his mumbles. But they didnâ??t have the courage to get any closer to listen. He raised his head, another drop of blood from his forehead ran through his eyebrows and dripped down into the untrimmed beard. The bloodlust filled eyes passed a terrifying glare at the direction of the guards, which made them flee the spot immediately.

â??Blood is in your handsâ?, he muttered again. He kept muttering those same words intermittently.

Few days laterâ?¦

The bright colour on the walls and the effeminate features of the furniture gave an elegance to the conference hall. The pink fabric covered Suzanne chairs were arranged properly across the room, surrounding the conference table. The wreath packed with plastic flower, probably decorated for Christmas, was still hanging on the door, nonetheless, a sweet fragrance filled the entire room. Vlad walked through the door with an uncharacteristic smile drawn across his face. He was welcomed by a beautiful woman who was wearing a fish tail skirt and a tight buttoned up shirt. She placed a Mildra glass filled with orange juice in front of Vlad. Three letters, ATV, were embellished on the side of the glass.

â??Itâ??s pleasant to have you here, Mr. Vlad Azarov. Our Proprietor will join you soonâ?, she said in an elated voice.

Vlad responded with a small nod and raised the glass to her. The woman left the room immediately. Vlad adjusted his position in the chair, which is specially designed for women and proceeded to take a sip of the juice from the glass. He traced his finger over the rim of the glass while his eyes wandered around the room to monitor all the cameras recording him.

â??There are two other cameras concealed from the naked eyes!â?, exclaimed a voice.

Annie Halloway walked through the door in an elegant manner and sent an infallible smile to the direction of Vlad.

â??Have to be vigilant when Iâ??m in an ATV building, shouldnâ??t I?â?, Vlad replied.

The founder of ATV responded with yet another beaming smile. She pulled a chair across Vlad from the table and sat comfortably.

â??I hoped you would ask for a meeting, considering our match next week but I believed weâ??d be meeting in a restaurant, a bar or perhaps a gym. I never fancied that you would want to come to ATVâ?,said Annie. There was an absolute gaiety in her voice.

â??Of course, Iâ??m here on business but it doesnâ??t concern WZCWâ?, Vlad said with a devilish grin.

The worldâ??s greatest hackerâ??s eyes widened upon hearing that.

â??What do you mean?â?, she raised a rhetorical question despite knowing what he actually meant.

â??I know exactly what kind of operation you do behind the banner of ATV and you donâ??t need to worry about that. Because I came here as a clientâ?.

Only a handful number of people outside ATV knows who they really are. Annie Halloway wasnâ??t pleased a bit and had a fleeting impulse to raise questions about how Vlad comes to know about their operation. Nonetheless, she took a moment to bring a phony alacrity to her face and looked at Vlad.

â??How can I help you?â?

Vlad was aware that a group of hackers cannot be trusted, but whom else he can trust? Who else he can approach for an unjust favour?

â??I need you to track down a man named, Vittorio â??Viktorâ?? Grandeâ?, he said softly and passed a photograph of him across the conference table to her.

Annie did not bother to look at the picture. She pressed a button which was under the table. Immediately, the woman, who welcomed Vlad earlier, entered the room and took the photograph and left the room hastily.

â??Tell me, why do you need to track him down?â?, she queried incredulously.

â??Do you always have to know the purpose of your clientâ??s requests?â?, Vlad responded back with the question of his own.

â??We will know even if you donâ??t describe it to us. Anyhow, it is appropriate if you could just tell it nowâ?, she demanded persistently.

â??I wonder what sort of information you have on meâ?, Vlad said with a jeering smile.

The tomboy wasnâ??t pleased with the flippant remark of Vlad. The displeasure was obvious as her face turned slightly red. She stood up from her chair and proceeded to walk to the display screen in the conference room.

â??Well, when WZCW announced that weâ??ll be facing off in a triple-threat match, I had to gather some information on you. I didnâ??t want to review your old tapes from WZCW library because it is quite useless to study you from your matches under the gimmick Vee A.D.Z. You are not the same person as you were beforeâ?.

â??Fascinatingâ?, remarked Vlad.

â??So, I had to track down your whereabouts and your activities in the past one yearâ?, she continued, â??and I found some footages of your brawls from Kathmandu High Security Institute and Craiova Institute. Furthermore, I had access to all the conversations between the psychiatrists about your medical condition. I know a lot more concealed information about you that you could imagineâ?, she ended proudly.

Vlad was quite fascinated by her research on him. Nonetheless, less that she knew about the true side of Vlad Azarov and what he had accomplished in the dark. He was pleased, however, knowing that someone had done some extensive research on him.

â??You said you have seen the footages of my brawl in Kathmandu High Security Institute. Do you remember the night when I was stabbed?â?, Vlad questioned her.

Without answering, she proceeded to slide her fingers up and down her phone and casted something to the screen behind her through the phone. A black and white clip with no audio started to play on the big screen.


Vlad was lingering over the piece of meat served for him. He had his head down and chewing slowly while a man, whose face is not clear from the grained video footage, approached him. The man swung his hand towards Vlad and pierced him with a sharp object made of scraps. Blood gushed out of Vladâ??s abdomen as he fell from his chair onto the floor. Insatiable with his efforts, the assassin rushed sullenly towards Vlad. But the sadistic monster rolled backwards and climbed to his feet in no time and met the assassin with a knee to the gut. Vlad clenched him tightly in a guillotine choke and the assassin started to fade slowly. The security guards rushed to the camera frame and tried to push both assailants away from one another. Vlad was petulant despite the profuse loss of blood and didnâ??t let go of his assailant from the choke.

The security guards finally overpowered Vlad and pulled both men apart. Vlad was furious and he roared a terrifying screech which was only audible as a zapping sound on the video. The look on his face, however, was visible. There was no agony, his face wasnâ??t getting weary or fading from the blood loss, but it had a murderous rage.

Annie Halloway ended the video and turned to Vlad to see his expression. Vlad had a scrupulous look adorned his face. He looked up at the amazing hacker and smiled softly.

â??The assailant in that video is Vittorio Grande. I want to know who hired himâ?.

â??Then what youâ??re going to do with him?â?, questioned Annie, intriguingly.

â??You sound as if Iâ??m going to kill him. Let me make it clear, I donâ??t killâ?¦ unless its necessary. I just have to know who hired himâ?, replied Vlad.

â??Why donâ??t I want to believe in what youâ??re saying? Even through that pixelated clip, I can see your face and intentâ?, she said firmly.

Vlad wasnâ??t amused; tensed atmosphere surrounded them in that comfortable conference room. Annie Halloway, understanding the situation, daintily smiled at the direction of Vlad.

â??Anyways, itâ??s not my concern what you do with him. Weâ??ll track his location and give it to you but donâ??t ask for any further help from meâ?, she asserted.

â??Fair enoughâ?.

Vlad moved up from the chair and extended his hand to Annie Halloway.

â??Hold on a minute. Arenâ??t we going to completely ignore about our now sanctioned tag-team match against Dirk Buchanan and Vega?â?, she asked quite bemusedly.

Vlad slowly withdrew his hands from her and carved a contemptuous smile across his face.

â??I believed why we were here is for a business acquaintance. However, since youâ??ve asked, Iâ??m going to give you a simple answer. No, I wasnâ??t here to talk about our tag-team match. In fact, I never planned on talking about our tag-team matchâ?.

Annie Halloway looked baffled by his reply. Vlad paced around the conference table and walked close to Annie. He stood before here, inches apart and looked her dead in the eye.

â??You admitted yourself that you surveyed my footages contemplating that weâ??ll be facing each other in a Triple Threat contest. That made me realise how much information you gathered about me. You probably had seen dozens of my heinous acts in the asylums I have been locked in and you know exactly what kind of person you are dealing with. Yet, you decided to help me as a client. I should worry that youâ??d know a few things about me through your artificial third-eye and yet, I approached you for help. The trust we have between us has nothing to do with our profession as brawlers in WZCW. We are merely business acquaintances. That is an advantage for us over our opponentsâ?.

â??How can that be an advantage? I fail to see the same way as you doâ?, retorted Annie, puzzled even more.

â??You know where trust would bring us? To the horizon where weâ??ll have to constantly worry that when youâ??ll get betrayed. Look at Mikey and Matt or you probably had known about Flex and Ramparte or youâ??ll see what will happen between Flex and Keith. We, you and me, donâ??t have to worry about that. We are going to team up for this one occasion and probably Iâ??ll be on Ascension the next week and youâ??ll be on Meltdown. We wonâ??t see each other again for another month or so. Why should I have to put my whole trust in you for this one match and remorse it when the situation may arise, where we have to face each other in the near future?â?

â??I see your point. However, we canâ??t take lightly on our opponentsâ?, Annie replied.

â??The truth is, I never take lightly on any of my opponents. As you know, I donâ??t care about pinfalls or submissions. I get elated in inflicting pain and agony to my opponents. So, the ego of whoâ??ll get the pinfall or submission wonâ??t get in our way. I donâ??t see Dirk Buchanan and Vega apart. We are exactly what they stand against. We are a pair of immoral geniuses. Dirk Buchanan calls himself a man of qualities, considers himself a leader and preaches as a philosopher. Our intellectual superiority defines quality, we donâ??t need a leader or philosopher to follow. We draw our own lines and we lead our own path, you and me. Didnâ??t you see Dirk extending his hands to Kagura after submitting to her? What a pathetic life form he is! You and I, we wouldnâ??t have done such a shameful act. We maybe immoral but we arenâ??t pathetic as Dirk. Pandering to the audienceâ??s approval by shaking hands with the one who choked his life out. Such a pathetic gesture doesnâ??t define a leader. We can make him crumble at our feetâ?.

Vlad said with a gluttonous rage in his eyes and passed that rage to Annie Halloway. She responded with a chuckle and breathe out as a gesture of relief and satisfaction. However, some concerns persisted on her face. She shrunk her eyebrows and looked at Vlad, but not before Vlad could respond to the assorted expression on her face.

â??I know what Vega has accomplished and what he is capable of. But Iâ??m a man of my words. I said I was going to beat a policeman to death on live television and get away with it. I did what I said Iâ??d do. You will see what Iâ??m going to do to an assassin next week. Thatâ??s all I want to sayâ?, he said with an oppressive smile.

â??However,â? he continued, â??I want to make sure that I can trust you fully on the business acquaintance weâ??ve madeâ?.

â??Of course, you can trust me on that. Vittorio Grandeâ??s location will automatically be sent to your email. Follow the link that I send and itâ??ll automatically feed his GPS location to your mapsâ?.

â??I believe, I donâ??t need to give you my email address. How much do you charge for tracking?â?.

She walked close to him and pushed a small shiny card to his hand. Vlad raised it to his face and smiled looking at it.

â??Iâ??ll pay you at the Staples centre next weekâ?, asserted Vlad.

â??In cashâ?, Annie demanded.

He extended his hands to her again and she reciprocated his gesture with a firm handshake.

â??It was a pleasure in doing business with youâ?.

â??The sameâ?.

Two days laterâ?¦

The fur on the carpet which was neatly drawn on the floor exemplified the royalty and riches of the apartment. Every furniture in the room was made from high quality woods and was infallible, except for the locks on the French window pane. Vittorio â??Viktorâ?? Grande inserted his card to the lock and torqued the knob so elegantly. The lock responded to his gentle torque and slid open. He entered the room without anticipating the unwelcomed guest. The sadistic Vlad was waiting patiently for the right moment to pounce on his prey. Viktor dropped his bag in a closet and drew out a 0.50 Desert Eagle and cocked it in his hand. He drew out the magazine and zipped it inside the bag. He bent down to remove his shoes and proceeded to take out a small Sgian-dubh knife from his socks and placed it carefully inside a small cabin in the closet.

He walked to the bed pulling his shirt over the head. Sensing the right moment, Vlad rushed to him hastily and twirled the shirt while the sleeve was still covering his arms and locks his both arms to his back with his own shirt. Vlad pushed Viktor to the bed and slammed his head to the wall. He looked in the eyes of the assassin and beamed widely. He could see the emptiness in the eyes of Viktor, no remorse for his murders or fear for the docile position heâ??s in right now. His hand, though tied to the back crawled under the pillow.

â??Donâ??t bother searching, Iâ??ve safely retrieved the classic S&W 29 classicâ?.

Comprehending the situation now, the eyes of the assassin widened. Fear slowly creeped through his skin and the blood filled the soft veins in his eyes.

â??Iâ??ve changed my profession now. Iâ??m not a killer anymore. I work as a personal bodyguard. Letâ??s have a talk like professionalsâ?, Viktor surrendered without any riotousness.

â??Are you kidding with me?â?, Vlad chuckled.

â??What kind of assassin do you think will carry a hand gun and a single-edged knife? I never used to leave my room without a Blaser R93 and a Walther P99. Do you still think Iâ??m kidding?â?

â??No, No, No my dear Viktor. I wasnâ??t talking about that. You may have dropped your act as an Assassin or Hired Gun or whatever codewords you have in your community. But youâ??ll always be a killer. Wouldnâ??t I think you were kidding when you said you arenâ??t a killer anymoreâ?¦ The blood is always in your handsâ?.

Viktor swallowed and paused for a moment. His hands were perpetually searching for something, while he proceeded to respond.

â??Okayâ?¦ Okayâ?¦ What do you want?â?

â??Simple question. Who hired you?â?

â??Iâ??m not supposed to say thatâ?.

â??Why not?â?

â??Professional ethicsâ?.

Vlad let out a terrifying laugh that echoed the room. He pulls out the S&W Classic 29 which he had taken from under the pillow and pointed it at the forehead of Viktor.

â??You think you canâ??t break your moral code when a gun is pointed at your forehead?â?

â??I couldâ??ve taken you out when you were returned to the USA from Romania. I couldâ??ve easily tracked you down and took you down with a sniper, 500 or 600 metres away through your window. I didnâ??t do it. Because I pulled the contractâ?.

â??No, my boy, no! Itâ??s because you botched two assassination attempts. One in Kathmandu and another one in Craiova, so whoever hired you, pulled the contract. I want to know who it wasâ?.

â??Iâ??m not supposed to say that. You can't threaten to kill me. I know for a fact that you donâ??t like blood. You donâ??t kill. I did my homeworksâ?.

â??Perhaps you canâ??t cross your moral code to rat out your hirer, but I comfortably can break my rule and splash your brain all cross the wall. I donâ??t killâ?¦ unless itâ??s necessary. And IT IS NECESSARY to kill someone whoâ??s at the other side of my gunâ??s barrel, especially when that same person tried to kill me twiceâ?.

Vlad pulled the hammer back and pressed it firmly to his forehead with some pressure.

â??I wonâ??t try to kill you again! I swear. I told you, I am not an assassin anymore. No one will pay even if I kill youâ?.

â??I rephrase what I said earlier. A killer will always be a killer. The coldness in your heart and the emptiness in your eyes wonâ??t let you rest unless you take me out. Not after this. I persuade people with fear who can be feared, I manipulate people who can be manipulated. You are neither of that. If you donâ??t answer, you are deadâ?.

â??Iâ??m dead even if I answer, am I not?â?, Viktor retorted immediately.

â??I had a better solution for that. I was planning to amputate one of your arms and your legs and spare your life. I donâ??t kill unless itâ??s necessaryâ?.

â??What the fuck? Youâ??re a fucking lunatic!â?

â??Why? Is it better to die than to lose an arm and a leg? Iâ??m giving you a fair offer and you seem to wager with your lifeâ?.

â??Fuck you! Fuck you!â?, Viktor screamed. His hand finally got hold of something. Perhaps he was stalling Vlad with his replies until now.

â??Who hired you?â?

â??I wonâ??t say it!â?, shouted Viktor.

â??You leave me with no choiceâ?, Vlad placed his index finger to the trigger.

â??Okayâ?¦ Okayâ?¦ Okayâ?¦ Iâ??ll say it! Iâ??ll say it!â?

Vlad released the pressure so slightly off the trigger and pierced a glare through Viktor with his eyes.

â??Oh, so now you want to tell me who hired you?â?

â??Yesâ?

â??Isnâ??t that right? You know what? I donâ??t want to knowâ?.

â??Waitâ?¦ What?!â?

â??Iâ??ve found you, didnâ??t I? Iâ??ll find who hired you by myself. You deserve to die for wasting my timeâ?.

Just a fraction of second before Vlad can push the trigger, Viktor cut lose of his shirt using the combat knife that he had been searching and swung it directly at Vladâ??s abdomen. Luckily, Vlad pulled his back a little away and escaped from the sharp edge of the knife, but little did Vlad notice that Viktor had brought the knife directly to Vladâ??s throat. Perhaps Viktor was stalling Vlad until now and had no intention of giving up on his hirerâ??s nameâ?¦ perhapsâ?¦

â??I told you the truth. I had no intention of killing you and in the end, I even offered to tell you who hired me, yet you tried to kill me. You remorseless monster! I was trying to lead a different life! I was trying to be a changed man! No! Not anymore! Iâ??m going to kill you and many victims will follow!â?

Not an ounce of fear was on Vladâ??s face. His face had no expression but a vengeful lust for blood. Uncharacteristic to the situation, a smile bloomed across the corner of his lips.

â??Thereâ??s no changed life for an assassin, for a murderer. I knew you were stalling me until nowâ?.

â??Shut your fucking mouth and hand me over my goddamn weapon!â?, demanded Viktor.

â??But all Iâ??ve is a question to askâ?, resisted Vlad without losing the perpetual smile.

â??I was about to answer. Now you are dead! Youâ??ll never know the answerâ?.

â??No, Iâ??ve a different questionâ?.

â??What?!â?

Viktor looked baffled but Vlad seemed to be enthralled, which petrified the Assassin even further.

â??Which is faster? A blade in the hands of an assassin or a trigger at the finger tip of a lunatic?â?

[Infinity]

"Even the broken ones are beautiful." -Dirk Buchanan



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


https://www.planetware.com/photos-large/USCA/california-redwood-national-and-state-parks-boy-scout-tree-trail.jpg

A hacker?

...
Uh huh.

A computer hacker?

...
Mhmm.

Like, internet and tech stuff.

...
Yup.


Dirk Buchanan stands there hoping that Vega notices the frustrated glaze in his eyes. He doesn't. Vega is too busy staring up at the enormous redwood trees towering over all round him. He's simultaneously dumbfounded and awe inspired by the natural wonders the fill this forest. Dirk, being no stranger to the Redwood Forest, is more concerned with getting information out of Vega than admiring the scenery around him. The long pauses Vega takes before answering every question has already tested the transcendentalist's patience.


Seriously, any insight into our opponents would be greatly appreciated.


Vega subtly diverts his attention from the trees towards Dirk's direction, having at least noticed the slight change in his tone of voice.


Right, I'm sorry. I'm not trying to be a...


Dirk leans in with his head, waiting for Vega to finish his sentence, but he never does. Instead, he gets lost in his majestic surroundings once again. Buchanan shake his head while offering to finish Vega's sentence for him.


...jerk?


With a smile on his face, knowing he deserves it, Vega's nods while walking closer to Dirk.


Exactly.


Buchanan can't help but notice that even though Vega is walking towards him, he is actually looking passed him, still revering the beauty around him.


When you reached out to me, and asked to meet up in California before our match against Annie and Vlad, I thought you meant Los Angeles, the location for Meltdown. Then I got the travel directions. This your neck of the woods?

Some people consider Northern California part of the Pacific Northwest.

Do you?


Now it's Dirk that takes a moment to absorb his surroundings, taking a few moments to inhale it all in before replying.


I don't let things like topographical boundary lines rent space in my mind.


Vega takes a second to react to Dirk's phrasing.


If only I had the ability to evict the tenants that rent space in my mind.

You're mostly a city dweller, right?

Me? Yeah. I'm a penthouses in the sky kind of guy. Or, at least I used to be.

There's this notion about living in a big city. It's almost like living within this massive concrete fortress, and everybody inside this fortress is separated from anybody living outside of it. Safe from the outside world.

But trapped with the dangers within it.


The moment of silence between the two of them triggers Vega's memory. Dirk was inquiring about one of their opponents this round.


Yes. A computer hacker. Annie already knows more about you than you'll ever know about her. She could steal your identity, freeze your assets, and erase your existence before you take a sip of your morning coffee.

I'm not much of a coffee guy myself, but-

Soy chai latte, whatever. Look, I get it... you're new to the company and want to learn as much about our opponents as possible before Meltdown.

What is so bad about that?

Nothing. It's quite admirable, in fact. I was at Meltdown last time not for a match, but simply to scout opposition. My point isn't that you should never learn about your opponents past, I'm saying there's little point in doing so this time. Annie Halloway can name dead relatives from your family tree that you never knew existed. She can trigger off a proverbial apocalypse with a keyboard. But she won't have a keyboard with her at Meltdown. I find Annie's abilities to manufacture chaos to be wildly impressive, but the people we are in the world don't define the fighters we are in the ring. I met Annie backstage last Meltdown. Annie the person, the hacker. She impressed me. Then I met Annie in the ring, and my admiration ceased. Hacker or not, it didn't matter anymore. Not between those ropes.


For the first time Vega's not lost in the woods, instead he stares at the ground below. He crouches down, and gently grabs a hand full of rich California Redwood soil. He lets the Earth fall through his fingers and back down where it belongs.


Even the dirt here is beautiful.


As Vega studies the ground, Dirk studies him. Vega's curiosity for the scenery intrigues him.


I don't know if I agree with you.


Vega, still in a crouched position, looks up towards Dirk, inviting him to elaborate. Buchanan hesitates, but decides to plow forward.


I think the person we are in the world can absolutely define the fighter we are in the ring. At the very least, the two are interconnected. There are even times that the way we fight can change the way we live. Annie's ability to hack into people's lives may not literally translate in the ring, but the mentality of a person capable of learning and executing such a lifestyle certainly plays a role in the type of fighter she is or the type of fighter she can be. Someone like her, who revels in causing chaos, it'll translate in the ring. The way we live and the way we fight... they're connected.


Vega reverts his attention back towards the ground beneath him, still in the crouched position. Buchanan stands over him doing his best to read his body language.


But, I think you already know that.


Without looking up, Vega nods in agreement with an almost defeated demeanor.


Then, why say otherwise?


With his eyes still fixated on the soil, Vega stands up straight from his crouched position. He brushes his hair away from his face before solemnly responding to Dirk.


The way we live... huh?


Vega repeats Dirk's own words out loud back to him rhetorically while he tries not to lose himself in thought. He looks into Buchanan's eyes with a hint of remorse.


Do you know what I've done?


Buchanan stares back and answers solemnly.


I know what they say you've done.


Vega studies his stoic face before deciding he'd rather stare up at the trees again. Dirk watches him, and looks up wanting to see what Vega sees.


It's all true. Even the lies.


Dirk is amused by Vega's wit as the two stare up at the trees. The two continue while choosing to look up, and not towards each other for the time being. Perhaps a shared perspective can help the two understand one another better.


There's a reason you want to believe that the person we are in the world isn't the person we are in the ring, Vega. I may only know the stories about you, but that's all anybody knows about you. Your life is a mystery to everybody except you. I don't know what you've done in your past life, or when you stopped living it, but I do know that you've spent every day since running away from it. You want to believe you can escape it some how... and you see the ring as your escape. If you can't be good in the real world, then at least you can be good in the ring.


Although Vega's eyes are directed towards the beautiful treetops high above him, the look within them reflect more anguish than awe. He knows Dirk isn't entirely incorrect. Vega's tone sounds defeated, devoid of any emotion.


How we live is how we fight... that's what you believe, right?

Essentially.


Vega nods, accepting an idea he has been trying to deny as of late.


But I believe we can change how we live.


Vega's eyes widen, triggered by Dirk's reply. He looks over towards Buchanan as if he were about to deliver awful news.


I have zero doubt that somebody can change how they live. The moment I cast my eyes on Vlad Azarov, I knew that drastic change was possible.


A look of confusion comes across Dirk's face.


You've crossed paths with Vlad before, right?


Vega shakes his head vehemently.


Absolutely not. I have been in the ring with Vee A.D.Z. I've never encountered Vlad Azarov.

Aren't they the same person?


An almost mournful looks takes over Vega.


I believe there is a killer in all of us. The only difference is that some of us know it. Those of us that know, we can see it in other people's eyes. We can see if they know. Vee A.D.Z. didn't know. Vlad Azarov knows it with every fiber of his murderous being. He knows it just as surely as I do.


Vega can't disguise the look of remorse that he has become accustomed to showing as of late.


Somehow, he completely changed who he was with, what seems to be, zero recollection of who he used to be.


The remorse in Vega's face fades to anger.


I swear, part of me envies Vlad. The ability to completely forget about the person you used to be? That sounds like a God damn blessing if you ask me. You know Dunbar's Number?

Robin Dunbar, yeah. He came up with the theory that humans can only maintain stable social connections with a specific number of people. I think it was like 150, or something.

Pretty much. There comes a point where you can't fit anymore data into your mental database so you erase old knowledge for new. With me? I've seen so many terrible things... most of which have been my own fault, my own doing. I've forgotten worse things than others have ever done. I have no more room inside of me for darkness, Dirk. I see Vlad and I see what Vega used to be. A man that gleefully stands in darkness and claims it at his home. A man with the unmistakable understanding that he is truly at his best when he is at his worst. Vlad Azarov wants to do to WZCW what Vega did to it years ago. He wants to unleash mayhem on the entire roster from a source of darkness. When I see Vlad, I see the flaws in everything I used to be. I can't go back to that, Dirk.


Vega shakes his head, almost frightened by the mere thought.


I won't.


Vega starts walking away from Dirk and further into the woods. Buchanan takes this cue to follow a couple of steps behind him. As they walk, the pair come across a massive fallen redwood laying on the ground. Even laying sideways, the tree trunk towers over both men. Vega walks up to it and runs his hands through it's deep grooves and crevices. After surveying the fallen tree, Vega decides to climb up the side of it until he reaches the top.

With the width of this tree easily being at least a dozen feet, Vega finds himself over 12 feet above the ground. Gracefully, he walks along the giant tree trunk as Dirk watches him nervously, at first. His nerves are quickly put at ease with every effortless step that Vega takes as he fearlessly saunters forward. Dirk has to quicken his pace a bit to catch up. Vega speaks up loudly, so the Buchanan can hear him below.


You don't get this in the city, that's for sure.


Vega's voice subtly echoes throughout the forest at this louder volume. Dirk matches his volume, and projects his voice so that Vega can hear him clearly.


When was the last time you've been home?

If you're referring to that concrete fortress of mine known as New York City, it's been a while. We made a stop there as a company a couple of months back, but for the better part of the last year I've been a man with no home, traveling the world while appearing at Meltdown and Ascension.

You seem to be doing that a lot.

Doing what?

Creating distance.


Vega stops in his tracks atop the tree trunk as Dirk keeps walking. He thinks about Buchanan’s words for a few moments. Eventually Bega begins moving once again, now trailing Dirk who continues forward.


See, there are fortresses everywhere. We've got them, too. There's a reason I asked you to meet me here, Vega, and not Los Angeles. We'll spend plenty of time in LA come Meltdown. But this? There's something about nature that makes you feel more connected to this world, and the people that inhabit it. This place, though... the Redwood Forest? These trees can make as feel connected and insignificant all at the same time.


Dirk looks over at the fallen Redwood next to him. The massive tree laying on the ground next to him makes him feel like an insect crawling beside it. Buchanan’s eyes travel from the Redwood to his partner Vega as he watches him skillfully traverse across this splintered wonder.


Even the broken ones are beautiful.


Vega smiles as he further admires the tremendous example of nature with every poised step he takes.


The way that cities are built and engineered, it's as if they were designed to breed apathy. Apathy breeds more apathy. It's a vicious cycle, and soon enough it feels like nothing we do really matters. We as people have always suffered from this "fallacy of insignificance." Life is meaningless and we can't win. Nobody wins.

No, but you can lose slower.


This time, the smile on Vega's face seems forced. Dirk notices this, and forces an empathetic half smile back up in his direction.


I believe you can win, Vega. I believe even the smallest of acts can make a difference.


Vega nears the ends of the fallen tree, coming to the point where the enormous trunk snapped off from the bottom rooted into the ground. He stands there, with his hands at his hips staring at Buchanan. Dirk seems more concerned with how Vega will get down than Vega himself does. Vega isn't bothered by the sudden end of his path. He is, however, a bit taken back by his partner's outlook on life.


That's real touching.


Suddenly, Vega just steps forward and grabs onto random splintered edges while fluidly moving his feet in and out of grooves and crevices to swiftly make his way a dozen feet down the broken tree while exerting minimal effort. Dirk is impressed as Vega stands in front of him not even realizing he's done anything overly impressive in the first place.


Really, it is. That whole pebble in the water causes long reaching ripples that can turn into waves and yadda yadda.


Dirk rolls his eyes, realizing the facetious tone, before walking onward. Vega smirks as he follows along.


Yeah, I get it. The idea that we as humans are the care takers of the universe can be a very esoteric way of thinking. I bet a man like you even finds it naive.

So, if you understand this, what do you want?

I think I want the same thing you want, Vega.


Unconvinced, Vega gives Dirk a skeptical look without interrupting him.


Ultimately, all I want is for humanity to believe in itself again. I want for people to believe that they can change for the better.


Vega looks Dirk in the eyes, and for the first time they seem to be filled with hope. He inhales deeply, looking around at the beautiful Redwood forest surrounding them.


You know what, Dirk?

What?


Vega smiles.


I want to believe that, too.

[Wildcat66]

After Ascension 125:

Annie Halloway: My throat is numb.

That was all Annie could muster out as she entered the physician's office and lied down on the mattress. A sleeper, though simple it may be was no choice. It looks like a chokehold but domesticated and devoid of any illegal manner whatsoever. The physician was checking on Annie's neck and throat closely, focusing on the area where Vega's sleeper hurt the most.

Physician: Hang in there Annie, we've got you covered.

Annie sighed softly as the physician went to garner his gloves. Here she was, the one who once defeated Titus Avion. The WZCW world heavyweight champion. Now inside a glorified doctor's office.

Annie Halloway: Why must I be a pawn to Mikey and Matt's game? I'm above these petty squabbles!

Physician: Well Annie, I hate to say this but you should've been more careful with who you teamed with. That Matt Tastic is one slimy individual.

Annie Halloway, annoyed: Oh shut up and get me some ice.

Physician: Hey, i'm the physician here. You may be a criminal genius, but you still have to follow my orders.


Annie scowled at the Physician's order and returned to her forced slumber. The physician however was up and at em, straight to work on every detail, nook and cranny. Poking and prodding and investigating the neck until he came to the proper conclusion.

Physician: Keep any activity with your neck at a minimum. We don't need you aggravating any injuries or discomfort you may have.

Annie Halloway, sarcastic: Ah. That's helpful.

Physician: I know. I went to med school.

The smart-ass smirk on his face summed up the entire day for Annie. From bad to worse. By the time she was back in ATV headquarters, she was in no mood to talk to Ezekiel or anyone for that matter. She instead opted to resign to her private room early, slamming the door shut, changing out of her vest, tie and long purple dress and instead going for a more comfortable black floor length night gown and soon flopping onto her bed.

The Next Day:

â??Ms. Hallowayâ?¦Ms. Halloway?â?

Annie's eyes struggled to open up to Sidney's voice as she almost incoherently began to mumble.

Annie Halloway: Mum...I don't want to eat the broccoliâ?¦

Noticing the sorry condition Annie was in, Sidney tried to keep a smile on her face.

Sidney: Ms. Halloway, there's someone awaiting you on the phone. You want I ask him to call back later?

Now if you know Annie (which most people do), you'll know that Annie is quite fast on her feet. When she does wake up, it's usually not long before she's up and running. This once again was proven to be a fact when Annie's eyes finally shot up and she looked at Sidney. She put a hand on her head and rubbed her forehead, sighing before forcing a small smile of her own.

Annie Halloway: No, no. Duty calls dear Sidney. Now be a dear and head towards your station.

Sidney: Yes Ms. Halloway.

Despite her reluctance, Annie knew she had to get to whatever the task was at hand. She slumped out of her bed and trudged her way toward the closet to get her normal wardrobe. Once done she continued to slowly slink her way towards her main office to take the call. Once she sat down on her chair, she picked up the phone and began to put on her best business voice.

Annie Halloway: Hello? To whom am I speaking to?

Vlad Azarov: Vlad. Vlad Azarov.

Annie's eyebrows rose up slightly. She was familiar with who he was, but not in this fashion. She knew of a man named Vee A.D.Z, a man that had long since been dead.

Annie Halloway: Vlad...I've heard of you, but not in this fashion.

Vlad Azarov: Time has changed me in weird ways, but that's not important right now.

Annie nodded. It was time to get to the root of the matter.

Vlad Azarov: I was wondering if you had heard about our match next week?

Annie Halloway: Ah yes, weâ??re scheduled to join forces against the lowly Dirk Buchanan and this...still elusive Vega. Why do you ask?

Vlad Azarov: I was hoping we could arrange a meeting sometime tomorrow.

When Annie heard the news of a meeting, she internally screamed. She secretly hated these things and having to dress up or be at a certain environment. But she also recognized the importance of them. After all, they help you build up business relationships.

Annie Halloway: I think that can be arranged. Do you have a specific area for us to meet?

Vlad Azarov: Ah yes. I was thinking somewhere like...the headquarters of ATV?

Annie went silent for a few seconds. No one had ever requested to meet her inside her very own headquarters before. She could only smile a toothy-eyed grin knowing that she wouldn't have to travel far to meet him.

Annie Halloway: My, aren't you the unpredictable one.

Vlad Azarov: I have my ways.

Annie Halloway: Right, when I shall expect your arrival?

Vlad Azarov:I'm thinking around the early afternoon if that's alright with you.

Annie Halloway:But of course! I'll ensure everything is ready for you by then.

Vlad Azarov:Thank you so much Ms. Halloway. I hope to see you then.

Annie Halloway:Likewise Mr. Azarov.

When Annie hung up. She had to keep the smile on her face. Not only was she going to visit her tag partner, she was going to kill two birds with one stone. Take care of business and find a potential ally in Vlad Azarov. In the mean time, she would focus the remainder of her time studying up on Vega and Dirk Buchanan. She had no worries about Dirk, the nature was always going to be ruined by people even if ATV put on a divine intervention. As for Vega? Well, she could only laugh at that. If he thought Annie was going to lie down so easily to him, he was sadly mistaken.