Post by Gerard Angelo on Mar 10, 2024 6:46:07 GMT -5
Gerry sat on the hood of his rental, watching the sun start to lower against the backdrop of the Mojave Desert. He brushed the sand off his pants before pulling his phone out to check the time, furrowing his brow. They were over forty-five minutes late. Gerard was sure this was a mind game to get him agitated. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He needed to be calm and collected for this because flying off the handle at any moment could spell disaster.
Gerry wiped his brow and adjusted his sunglasses, wondering not for the first time why he was sitting in the middle of the open desert like an idiot. He thought about getting in the car and just driving away when he saw something in the distance. Angelo stared at it watching it grow closer until he could make out a dust cloud. It grew closer and closer until he could make out three black specks in front of it that grew until he knew for sure they were vehicles. Three SUVs pulled up, sending dust flying. Gerard covered his face with his arm as he watched the armed mercenaries of the Bronze Company file out of the first two SUVs, carrying rifles. He silently cursed himself under his breath, wondering if his fate was a shallow grave in the Mojave Desert after a bullet exited the back of his skull. Gerry watched the doors of the middle truck open and the iron-jawed captain of the mercenaries stepped out followed by Windthrope.
The doctor was quite the contrast to the captain. While the scientist held a handkerchief over his face to block the dust, the captain stood straight, clenching a cigar in his teeth. The captain had a full head of hair while the doctor was thinning. Gerry hopped off the hood of his car, staring at the two men as they walked towards him.
“Nice of you to finally show up to this Heisenberg ass meeting spot,” Gerard started, crossing his arms.
“Forgive me.” Windtrhope said, moving the handkerchief from his mouth, “I’m usually more punctual.”
“So where’s my father?”
“You’re not the one askin’ questions here, boy,” the captain barked. Gerry turned to him with a sneer.
“Don’t you have an army to get dishonorably discharged from? Perhaps a village of innocents needs to be murdered this week?”
“Watch your mouth.”
“What you gonna do, shoot me? You are pussy that hides behind a gun and a uniform.”
The captain took an angry step towards Gerry but Windthrope put a hand on his chest.
“Forgive my colleague,” Windthrope said, giving the captain a look, “To answer your question, Tony is fine. Still in a coma but fine.”
“In a coma because of you.”
“I wish you could see the bigger picture,” Windthrope sighs, “My work is going to be the single greatest achievement of mankind. Your father was going to cut the funding and ruin my work.”
“So your first thought was to kidnap him and replace him as a clone instead of having a meeting?”
“Have you ever tried changing his mind?”
“You’ve got a point.”
“But let me get to the reason I asked you here, Gerard,” Windthrope said, coughing into his handkerchief, “I’m not an evil man. I want to help the world.”
Gerry raises an eyebrow.
“We will give your father back, safe and unharmed if you can convince him to make the Phoenix Project a full branch of AngTech with unlimited funding. He’ll listen to you. The clone portraying him leaves one day and your father fits right back in seamlessly.”
“After everything you’ve done so far, you expect me to trust you?”
Windthrope shrugs.
“You don’t have a choice. I hold all the cards.”
Gerard just stares at the sand, knowing the doctor is right. Windthrope sighs again, rubbing the back of his neck.
“This is honestly just something that snowballed out of control. I’m trying to compromise here. I can give you an incentive,” the doctor said.
“I can do things nothing else in this world can, Gerard. You want to live forever? That can happen. Do you want a version of the woman you love who’s devoted to you and only you? I can do that,” he leans in and whispers, “I can bring the dead back to life.”
Gerard’s eyes go wide as Windthrope stepped back.
“Just take a some time and think about it. I expect an answer by the first of April, Gerard.”
Windthrope turns and makes his way back to the SUV, getting inside as the rest of the mercenary group gets into their respective vehicles. Expect the captain who glares at Gerard, spitting into the sand. Gerard flips him off in return. Castle, with seemingly inhuman speed, pulls his handgun from his holster. Gerry closes his eyes as a gunshot rings out, echoing in the desert. When he opens his eyes, Captain Castle is already in the car. Gerard checks himself to see if he was shot, only to see a flat tire on his rental. He watches the SUVs drive off as they leave him in the Mojave dusk.
“Fuck.”
Another Clash, another win for Gerry. Was there ever any doubt? Yes, Chelsea stepped up and gave me one hell of a fight, so much so that I’m sure my detractors are going to use it as proof of my mortality. But I did what I always do. I found a way to win and advance in the tournament.
In the second round, I face one of the most popular wrestlers ever in ADub. The greatest television champ of all time and ADub’s baddest bitch, Addy fuckin’ A. I’ll tell you what this is exciting for me. I always wanted to meet the person who listened to Lissie talk and said “Go bestie”. I’d say you need seven shades of shit slapped out of you for subjecting us to years of that but I don’t wanna make you cum.
We never got to have a one-on-one match when you were running buddies with Ol’ Lassie and that pencil-dick geek Bacchus. Two people that if they got hit by a bus, I’d turn my head and step around their mangled corpses so I wouldn’t get any blood on my Italian leather shoes. Naturally, I figured you were a dipshit like them. And honestly, I hated feeling like that because you had two really big redeeming qualities. By that I mean the pair of tan fun bags on your chest that you just wanna… focus, Gerry, focus.
Sorry about that, Addy. You remind me of the ring rats I used to fuck before I got super famous and I had a flashback. Maybe if you play your cards right, and you don’t cry about me stomping your head into the canvas, I’ll let you gimme a handy in the back of my limo. Afterward, I’ll drop you off at whatever bar or street corner you wanna work.
Let me get serious for a minute. You’re supposed to be the baddest bitch right? The only things your good at are fighting and fucking, no? People look at you and see a star, I see wasted fucking potential. You took almost a year off for what? Find yourself at the bottom of a tequila bottle or the base of some tourist’s cock?
And I’m supposed to think you take this shit seriously? Be fucking for real. The fact that the fanbase loves you has always masked the fact that you’re an underachiever. Supposed to be a World champ and you let that slip through your fingers. Supposed to be the face of CruiserClash and you fumbled that bag. You rode Lissie’s coattails to tag success. That GOAT TV title reign was built on the fact that you were wrestling dorks who should’ve been cleaning the arena’s toilets instead of wrestling in them. I’m sure you wanna dangle that little Cruiserweight strap in my face like it’ll impress me you’re the champion of the cosplay division. You’re still a fraud. I’ll have to be the one to dismantle and expose you in front of all those idiots who love you so much.
I’m the farthest thing from you. Everything I’ve ever said I was going to do here in ADub, I’ve done. From the US title to the Tag titles, All-In, and the World title. I came into this place with hype and pressure like LeBron James and just like the real GOAT, I exceeded all expectations. I could retire tomorrow and get inducted into the Hall of Fame this year. I’ve said it before and at the risk of sounding like a broken record, there are levels to this shit and none of you even come close to mine.
I’m going to advance to the next round, Addy. That’s what overachievers do. I’m going on to win this whole damn thing because while you’re used to happy endings, I get Hollywood Endings.
Gerry wiped his brow and adjusted his sunglasses, wondering not for the first time why he was sitting in the middle of the open desert like an idiot. He thought about getting in the car and just driving away when he saw something in the distance. Angelo stared at it watching it grow closer until he could make out a dust cloud. It grew closer and closer until he could make out three black specks in front of it that grew until he knew for sure they were vehicles. Three SUVs pulled up, sending dust flying. Gerard covered his face with his arm as he watched the armed mercenaries of the Bronze Company file out of the first two SUVs, carrying rifles. He silently cursed himself under his breath, wondering if his fate was a shallow grave in the Mojave Desert after a bullet exited the back of his skull. Gerry watched the doors of the middle truck open and the iron-jawed captain of the mercenaries stepped out followed by Windthrope.
The doctor was quite the contrast to the captain. While the scientist held a handkerchief over his face to block the dust, the captain stood straight, clenching a cigar in his teeth. The captain had a full head of hair while the doctor was thinning. Gerry hopped off the hood of his car, staring at the two men as they walked towards him.
“Nice of you to finally show up to this Heisenberg ass meeting spot,” Gerard started, crossing his arms.
“Forgive me.” Windtrhope said, moving the handkerchief from his mouth, “I’m usually more punctual.”
“So where’s my father?”
“You’re not the one askin’ questions here, boy,” the captain barked. Gerry turned to him with a sneer.
“Don’t you have an army to get dishonorably discharged from? Perhaps a village of innocents needs to be murdered this week?”
“Watch your mouth.”
“What you gonna do, shoot me? You are pussy that hides behind a gun and a uniform.”
The captain took an angry step towards Gerry but Windthrope put a hand on his chest.
“Forgive my colleague,” Windthrope said, giving the captain a look, “To answer your question, Tony is fine. Still in a coma but fine.”
“In a coma because of you.”
“I wish you could see the bigger picture,” Windthrope sighs, “My work is going to be the single greatest achievement of mankind. Your father was going to cut the funding and ruin my work.”
“So your first thought was to kidnap him and replace him as a clone instead of having a meeting?”
“Have you ever tried changing his mind?”
“You’ve got a point.”
“But let me get to the reason I asked you here, Gerard,” Windthrope said, coughing into his handkerchief, “I’m not an evil man. I want to help the world.”
Gerry raises an eyebrow.
“We will give your father back, safe and unharmed if you can convince him to make the Phoenix Project a full branch of AngTech with unlimited funding. He’ll listen to you. The clone portraying him leaves one day and your father fits right back in seamlessly.”
“After everything you’ve done so far, you expect me to trust you?”
Windthrope shrugs.
“You don’t have a choice. I hold all the cards.”
Gerard just stares at the sand, knowing the doctor is right. Windthrope sighs again, rubbing the back of his neck.
“This is honestly just something that snowballed out of control. I’m trying to compromise here. I can give you an incentive,” the doctor said.
“I can do things nothing else in this world can, Gerard. You want to live forever? That can happen. Do you want a version of the woman you love who’s devoted to you and only you? I can do that,” he leans in and whispers, “I can bring the dead back to life.”
Gerard’s eyes go wide as Windthrope stepped back.
“Just take a some time and think about it. I expect an answer by the first of April, Gerard.”
Windthrope turns and makes his way back to the SUV, getting inside as the rest of the mercenary group gets into their respective vehicles. Expect the captain who glares at Gerard, spitting into the sand. Gerard flips him off in return. Castle, with seemingly inhuman speed, pulls his handgun from his holster. Gerry closes his eyes as a gunshot rings out, echoing in the desert. When he opens his eyes, Captain Castle is already in the car. Gerard checks himself to see if he was shot, only to see a flat tire on his rental. He watches the SUVs drive off as they leave him in the Mojave dusk.
“Fuck.”
Another Clash, another win for Gerry. Was there ever any doubt? Yes, Chelsea stepped up and gave me one hell of a fight, so much so that I’m sure my detractors are going to use it as proof of my mortality. But I did what I always do. I found a way to win and advance in the tournament.
In the second round, I face one of the most popular wrestlers ever in ADub. The greatest television champ of all time and ADub’s baddest bitch, Addy fuckin’ A. I’ll tell you what this is exciting for me. I always wanted to meet the person who listened to Lissie talk and said “Go bestie”. I’d say you need seven shades of shit slapped out of you for subjecting us to years of that but I don’t wanna make you cum.
We never got to have a one-on-one match when you were running buddies with Ol’ Lassie and that pencil-dick geek Bacchus. Two people that if they got hit by a bus, I’d turn my head and step around their mangled corpses so I wouldn’t get any blood on my Italian leather shoes. Naturally, I figured you were a dipshit like them. And honestly, I hated feeling like that because you had two really big redeeming qualities. By that I mean the pair of tan fun bags on your chest that you just wanna… focus, Gerry, focus.
Sorry about that, Addy. You remind me of the ring rats I used to fuck before I got super famous and I had a flashback. Maybe if you play your cards right, and you don’t cry about me stomping your head into the canvas, I’ll let you gimme a handy in the back of my limo. Afterward, I’ll drop you off at whatever bar or street corner you wanna work.
Let me get serious for a minute. You’re supposed to be the baddest bitch right? The only things your good at are fighting and fucking, no? People look at you and see a star, I see wasted fucking potential. You took almost a year off for what? Find yourself at the bottom of a tequila bottle or the base of some tourist’s cock?
And I’m supposed to think you take this shit seriously? Be fucking for real. The fact that the fanbase loves you has always masked the fact that you’re an underachiever. Supposed to be a World champ and you let that slip through your fingers. Supposed to be the face of CruiserClash and you fumbled that bag. You rode Lissie’s coattails to tag success. That GOAT TV title reign was built on the fact that you were wrestling dorks who should’ve been cleaning the arena’s toilets instead of wrestling in them. I’m sure you wanna dangle that little Cruiserweight strap in my face like it’ll impress me you’re the champion of the cosplay division. You’re still a fraud. I’ll have to be the one to dismantle and expose you in front of all those idiots who love you so much.
I’m the farthest thing from you. Everything I’ve ever said I was going to do here in ADub, I’ve done. From the US title to the Tag titles, All-In, and the World title. I came into this place with hype and pressure like LeBron James and just like the real GOAT, I exceeded all expectations. I could retire tomorrow and get inducted into the Hall of Fame this year. I’ve said it before and at the risk of sounding like a broken record, there are levels to this shit and none of you even come close to mine.
I’m going to advance to the next round, Addy. That’s what overachievers do. I’m going on to win this whole damn thing because while you’re used to happy endings, I get Hollywood Endings.