Post by Marcus Welsh on Feb 26, 2023 20:00:34 GMT -5
Maybe you went ahead a bit and are confused as hell. First off, you need some patience. But we'll throw you a bone. Corey Smith’s life is more than just being the (admittedly amazing) manager for Harmon Egan. Corey’s shared his mind with an assassin from the future (Lux) and with a malevolent A.I. bent on creating existential chaos (The Engineer). He’s been to space. He may have even been to the gates of Heaven depending on what continuity you favor. The point is, Corey Smith has had a weird fucking life. So much so that he lost his former boyfriend Christian over it. But now, things seem to have gone even keel, though without losing their strangeness. He’s turned his lavish home (that he mistakenly inherited from the evil Madison Dyson, hooo boooy that’s a WHOLE other story) into a community center for the homeless and destitute. And he’s found love with, of all people, the dimension hopping fey creature known as Pan. AKA The basis for the children’s stories later written by J.M. Barrie. Why Pan?
Turns out he DOES age, just much more slowly than humans. And he’s sexy as fuck. Plus other positive but less carnal qualities.
So…we sorted? Well then read on. Still having trouble? Look, you’re welcome to read up on 3+ years of continuity if you want but I suggest you just roll with it, eh?
Small simian-like animals danced in the treetops above their heads, their lush rainbow hair bouncing off the evening sunlight. Corey considered them with some bemusement before returning to the task, and boy, at hand.
Pan was leaning on a tree, looking at Corey intently before he spoke. I need, for perhaps the one hundredth time, to ensure that you understand what you're doing.
It's been a hundred and two, and yes I understand. It's just like the force cave on Dagobah.
It's not just like the force cave on Dagobah. Pan scowled. This cave is not evil. It's just honest. Brutally, brutally honest.
Corey turned about on his heels to face the cave, gazing inside at its imposing blackness. He wondered how much he should be frightened of pure unvarnished truth. And then he realized what a stupid question that was.
Let's go over this again. Pan pushed himself away from the tree and circumvented a bed of rainbow roses to make his way towards Corey. The revelations shall be four. The first will be a reflection of your truest love. The second is a reflection of your truest rival. The third is a reflection of what your life's purpose is. And the fourth…
…the death card. Corey finished with some solemnity.
Yeah… Pan looked away. The death card. He looked back at his boyfriend. Corey you're still leaving before that point right?
Of course. Who the hell wants to know how they're gonna die?
I mean, you can leave at ANY point.
But I'm not leaving before the first three. Besides, I'm pretty sure I know the answers already.
Corey, everybody says that before they go in. People always assume they know themselves better than they do.
You're saying I don't? Corey wasn't trying to sound testy but it sounded as much anyway.
No…Corey, I'm saying… Pan trailed off, exasperated. I love you, okay?
Corey smiled at Pan. I love you too. And for the record, you are the one who told me about this stupid cave.
Pan winced with a touch of playfulness. I'm….aware…
What cave you may ask? Why, only one of the most storied locales in Neverland. But you won't read about it in any of the books. In fact, J.M. Barrie himself had been barred from entering, and he wrote THE book on the subject. Quite literally. The cave was considered by the denizens of Neverland to be something too much for a mere mortal to handle. It turns out being the lover of Peter Pan carried some heft however. And when Peter Pan's lover decides he wants to face the whole, unblemished truth of his loves, fears, and inadequacies in a magic cave designed to thrust you headfirst into the things you may be terrified to acknowledge about yourself, well, he gets what he wants.
But sometimes what you want can be, well….stupid.
I am so psyched for this! Corey pumps an arm in the air and points at the cave threateningly. The question is, ARE YOU READY FOR ME?!
I wish you’d take this more seriously.
I am. The bravado is just covering up the nagging urge I have to piss myself. Corey draws in a deep breath. But I think I really am ready.
Pan gets even closer to Corey, encircling him in his arms. You may find out things about yourself you didn’t want to know. Things your conscious mind was hiding from you for a reason.
Yeah, Freud’s a dick. Pan quickly jabs a finger beneath Corey’s rips, making him buck and giggle. I’m sorry, jokes are how I deal with stress. But seriously…
Corey perched himself up on his toes to plant a kiss on the love of his life. Pan received it gratefully, and when they parted Pan had to stifle the urge to kiss him again until he forgot all about this stupid endeavor.
So do I get like a walkie talkie or something? I’m assuming the phone reception in there is for shit.
No signals get through Corey. You’ll be on your own. Leave when it gets to be too much. Pan took out a piece of chalk and placed it in Corey’s hand. Use this on the walls to find your way back. The cave’s goal is not to get you lost per se, but it can still be disorienting.
Thank you. Then, defiantly, Let’s do this.
Pan gave Corey one last hug before releasing him. Corey meandered up to the mouth of the cave, looked in, shot one final look at Pan, and then disappeared beneath the inky darkness.
So, Corey took to this mysterious bastion with an admixture of fear and excitement. Chalk and industrial flashlight in hand, Corey soon came to a beautiful sight. It was a chamber with a pool of water in its midst. Strange bioluminescent lichen had formed at the bottom of the water, causing each ripple of the pool to play a carnival of colors across the walls of the cave. Corey stepped up to the water, enthralled.
It’s so… he mused, but before he could complete his sentence a tower of water abruptly rose up from the surface. With a cry of alarm, Corey skittered back and fell on his rear. The tower started to mold and fashion itself before Corey’s very eyes, until it was a representative image of a human being. It occurred to Corey then that this was his first revelation: the identity of his true love. Corey pulled himself to his feet, toeing the line of the pool as he beheld this watery totem. He smiled warmly as the features finished molding into the characteristic image of Pan.
I knew it.
Reaching out to touch the totem, he found it was just out of reach. He would have to step onto the pool to get any closer. However, in doing so he noted something else. With the smallest adjustment of his field of vision, the features on the totem also changed. They remained objectively the same, but much like an illusion Corey found that the image of the face was perceptibly altered whenever Corey refashioned his gaze on it.
Because now he was staring into the eyes of his former lover Christian.
Corey’s heart ached for the sight of him. Oh, Christian… he whispered. Christian… Then, taking further stock of this revelation, he pondered aloud what it meant. So what are you telling me, huh? That I’m still holding a candle for him? He paused, half wondering if the cave would reply. But the only reply was the burgeoning echo of his own voice.
Removing his shoes, and betraying a bit of frustration in the process, Corey stepped out into the water. But he stopped short when, once again, his change in vantage point revealed an entirely new sight.
Thad Duke.
Corey chuckled sardonically. So now I’m in love with Thad? He shook his head bitterly. And with that, Pan’s words returned to him.
People always think they know themselves…
Thad’s image continued to stare back out at Corey, fashioned by the water and unblinking. Corey tossed his arm out to his sides in frustration. So what the hell do I do with this information, huh?
The cave remained silent.
I…I don’t love Thad! Not like that! He’s a….a FRIEND!
You sound like you’re trying to convince yourself.
Corey gasped in fear and wheeled around. And what he saw then nearly stole what remained of his ragged panicked breaths.
It was Alias. Or the cave's figment of him. Former two time XWF Universal Champion. A man Corey counted as a friend.
Moreover, a man who was as inscrutable as he was unbeatable. A living cypher in every sense of the term.
Corey chuckled sardonically once more.
So now I’m in love with you too?
That’s not my role.
Corey canted his head in confusion. Then…what?
You know. A half grin tugged at Alias’ features. You’ve known since you left.
Corey’s own features slackened. No…no way…
No way, man. Corey shook his hands out in front of him. You’re not my rival. Madison Dyson, now she’s a fuckin’ rival! She’s who should be standing there, not you.
But that's not what the cave does, Corey. The cave…this place…reveals what you don’t want to see. Not what’s right in front of your face.
This is stupid. It doesn’t make any sense.
It makes all the sense in the world. Alias propped himself up on a boulder next to the water, drawing his legs underneath him Indian style. Why OCW, Corey? Why Harmon? Why…any of this?
“Why Harmon”? Jesus man, have you met the guy? He’s the goddamn future of the industry.
I haven’t met the guy. I’m just an arcane representation of your greatest frenemy.
Corey rolls his eyes. Just “friend”. Not “frenemy”
Then why did you run from me?
The question hangs between them like a garrotted man twitching in the wind. Corey frowns deeply. Alias’ expression remains neutral.
Before you tell me you didn’t run from me, answer me this. You know the XWF fans were clamoring for a match between us. You knew that that had marquee event written all over it. But instead of pulling the trigger on it, you retired with a mid card title around your waist and walked away. My question is “why”?
Corey’s features were stolid, bordering on angry. Because I was done. Because I was done letting the business take from me. Because I wanted to turn my attention to helping people rather than pumping my ego up on “marquee events”. That answer your question?
Corey. Corey. Have you forgotten what this place is capable of? I see right through you. The specter of Alias paused a moment before landing his next verbal body blow. It’s because you were afraid of me.
Snorting derisively, Corey turned away from the other. I never thought I’d encounter a cave with an ego problem but here we are.
But this Alias-thing was undaunted. You left the XWF because you didn’t want to lose to me. And then, is it any coincidence that months later, as soon as you got the itch again, you turned up in OCW? Far, far away from me and the promotion I called home?
Corey threw his arms up in the air, now full on angry. AS A MANAGER YOU TWIT! I came to OCW to coach the next generation of superstar and Harmon is IT.
The mock Alias canted his head in a sarcastic fashion. Corey, you’re 20 years old. YOU are the next generation of superstar. But okay. Fine. We’ll leave that. Then explain this to me. If you came to OCW with the benevolent intention of training up the next megastar, your own career be damned…
Don’t…dont even…
Then why would you enter the Illuminatus?
Corey’s hands curled into fists at his sides. Harmon got hurt, he…
You agreed to enter the Illuminatus before Harmon got hurt. In fact, you didn’t even run it past him. Corey…Alias leaned in….YOU want this. YOU want the OCW championship as a consolation prize. YOU wanted to go be top dog somewhere because you were afraid you couldn’t hack it in XWF anymore.
Oh fuck off! Corey, now fully alit with rage, wheels back around on Alias. Fine! You want to know?! FINE! YES! I WANT IT! I WANT IT FOR ME!
And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that!
Then why does it feel so fucking selfish? Why do I feel like such a…a coward? Deflated now, the young man slinks down onto his haunches, suddenly finding something of interest on the cave floor.
Something in Alias’ features softened. Corey, you’ve always held yourself to an inhumanly high standard. But it’s okay to doubt yourself. It’s okay to want things for yourself. It’s okay to run from your fears or covet something. It’s part of being human. Those little weaknesses. Those little foibles. And Corey, they don’t make you a bad person.
Corey sighed. I guess maybe a part of me did need to hear all that. He nodded. But of course I want the OCW championship. Of course I do. And while we’re counting “foibles” I am narcissistic enough to say that I have more than enough talent to claim it. Pic is good but he’s not "Alias good". And I am, after all, the one training the man who’s the fastest rising star in the whole company. The man who has already beaten a massive swathe of the roster. I dare say that makes me pretty deadly competition in my own right.
I dare say it does. But what about Harmon? What happens if you win? What happens when he claims his number one contendership match in March?
Corey looked baffled for a moment before sputtering out, I…I guess I don’t know. I guess I was so focused on showing I still got it that I didn’t even think that far ahead. He rubbed his hand down the front of his face in consternation. God, I’m an ass.
No, you’re HUMAN. We’ve been over this.
Yeah. That too. So tell me, do I win this?
Do you really want to know?
Corey smirked. I guess not. Then, more confidently. I think I can. If I survived the crucible that was the XWF, I think I can do this too. Plus, I've never headlined a company as just ME. This'll be righting a wrong. It's a chance to surpass what I did as The Engineer. To prove that this body has all the tools it needs to be the best without the albatross of all that evil about my shoulders.
It's a chance to stand alone. Confident. Resolute. The face of a company. All on my own. I need this. And I just might need this more than anyone else in the match.
But there's a lot of unanswered questions about who is in the match.
I know. And I'm sure this match will draw its share of hard cases. But my own rap sheet speaks for itself. Aside from you, or the REAL you, I've faced down the best of the best. The only difference this time is that they won't have the time to prepare for me.
Or you for them.
You are a ray of sunshine, you know that? Heh. Nah man. This is mine to win. This shit is a rebirth for me. A rebirth that'll carry me back to you and the XWF someday. A new beginning.
Very well. Alias hopped down off his perch. I think I’m done torturing you now about the OCW championship and your very human idiosyncrasies. It’s time now for…
Corey picked himself up and stood side by side with the phantom Alias. Alias gestured towards the gleaming waters. Just watch Corey, and your life’s purpose will reveal itself.
I hope it’s marrying a Kardashian, getting rich and fat, and coasting on my own ego as my career tanks.
It’s good to see your humor has returned.
Corey and the cave’s phantom both looked outward over the pool expectantly, waiting for something to rise from it’s depths, some indicator of Corey’s future. But, after a protracted moment, nothing happens. Alias’ smile falters.
Oh…
What do you mean “oh”?
Corey….I….
This just means my future isn’t written yet. Or maybe it’s what I’ve already been doing.
No. That’s not what this means. Alias’ voice was fraught, and this caught on like a contagion in Corey’s own cadence.
What does this mean?
Alias turned to look at Corey.
Tell me what this means!
It means…it means…you don’t have a purpose, Corey.
Corey’s anger flared to life again. That’s bullshit! How can I not have a purpose? I mean…fucking pick one! Helping the less fortunate! Winning the OCW championship! Teaching Harmon! LOVING PAN! His voice grew more passionate with each declaration. Fucking pick one!
Corey it means you’re going to die.
Corey stopped short, blinking in quick succession. Well duh. Everybody does.
No Corey. Alias looked reluctant now. Soon.
I need to know.
Alias turned to look Corey directly in the eyes. You need to think carefully about this.
Okay, but if I know what happens can I change it?!
The specter took a deep consoling breath. It's possible. But it's just as possible that it won't, and that what you see will break you.
But Corey's expression was already shot through with determination. Tell me where I need to go.
Slowly, Alias pointed at the entrance to an adjoining chamber. There.
Okay….okay…. Taking a nervous gulp of air, Corey proceeded towards the final chamber.
Finding the chamber black as pitch, Corey held his flashlight aloft as he stepped inside. In short order he saw a figure huddled against the wall.
Hey, who's there?
The figure turned about. It was Harmon. His eyes were rimmed with unspent tears.
Oh…it's… But Corey stopped short when he saw the gun in Harmons hands.
I'm so sorry Corey. Harmon spoke in a quivering voice before pulling the trigger.
No! Corey threw his hands up in front of him, but it was too late to stop the blossoming agony in his chest. The last thing he was aware of was hitting the Earth and feeling the sting of a single tear exiting his eye.
Because it would be more than a bullet that shattered his heart.
Turns out he DOES age, just much more slowly than humans. And he’s sexy as fuck. Plus other positive but less carnal qualities.
So…we sorted? Well then read on. Still having trouble? Look, you’re welcome to read up on 3+ years of continuity if you want but I suggest you just roll with it, eh?
NEVERLAND
Small simian-like animals danced in the treetops above their heads, their lush rainbow hair bouncing off the evening sunlight. Corey considered them with some bemusement before returning to the task, and boy, at hand.
Pan was leaning on a tree, looking at Corey intently before he spoke. I need, for perhaps the one hundredth time, to ensure that you understand what you're doing.
It's been a hundred and two, and yes I understand. It's just like the force cave on Dagobah.
It's not just like the force cave on Dagobah. Pan scowled. This cave is not evil. It's just honest. Brutally, brutally honest.
Corey turned about on his heels to face the cave, gazing inside at its imposing blackness. He wondered how much he should be frightened of pure unvarnished truth. And then he realized what a stupid question that was.
Let's go over this again. Pan pushed himself away from the tree and circumvented a bed of rainbow roses to make his way towards Corey. The revelations shall be four. The first will be a reflection of your truest love. The second is a reflection of your truest rival. The third is a reflection of what your life's purpose is. And the fourth…
…the death card. Corey finished with some solemnity.
Yeah… Pan looked away. The death card. He looked back at his boyfriend. Corey you're still leaving before that point right?
Of course. Who the hell wants to know how they're gonna die?
I mean, you can leave at ANY point.
But I'm not leaving before the first three. Besides, I'm pretty sure I know the answers already.
Corey, everybody says that before they go in. People always assume they know themselves better than they do.
You're saying I don't? Corey wasn't trying to sound testy but it sounded as much anyway.
No…Corey, I'm saying… Pan trailed off, exasperated. I love you, okay?
Corey smiled at Pan. I love you too. And for the record, you are the one who told me about this stupid cave.
Pan winced with a touch of playfulness. I'm….aware…
What cave you may ask? Why, only one of the most storied locales in Neverland. But you won't read about it in any of the books. In fact, J.M. Barrie himself had been barred from entering, and he wrote THE book on the subject. Quite literally. The cave was considered by the denizens of Neverland to be something too much for a mere mortal to handle. It turns out being the lover of Peter Pan carried some heft however. And when Peter Pan's lover decides he wants to face the whole, unblemished truth of his loves, fears, and inadequacies in a magic cave designed to thrust you headfirst into the things you may be terrified to acknowledge about yourself, well, he gets what he wants.
But sometimes what you want can be, well….stupid.
I am so psyched for this! Corey pumps an arm in the air and points at the cave threateningly. The question is, ARE YOU READY FOR ME?!
I wish you’d take this more seriously.
I am. The bravado is just covering up the nagging urge I have to piss myself. Corey draws in a deep breath. But I think I really am ready.
Pan gets even closer to Corey, encircling him in his arms. You may find out things about yourself you didn’t want to know. Things your conscious mind was hiding from you for a reason.
Yeah, Freud’s a dick. Pan quickly jabs a finger beneath Corey’s rips, making him buck and giggle. I’m sorry, jokes are how I deal with stress. But seriously…
Corey perched himself up on his toes to plant a kiss on the love of his life. Pan received it gratefully, and when they parted Pan had to stifle the urge to kiss him again until he forgot all about this stupid endeavor.
So do I get like a walkie talkie or something? I’m assuming the phone reception in there is for shit.
No signals get through Corey. You’ll be on your own. Leave when it gets to be too much. Pan took out a piece of chalk and placed it in Corey’s hand. Use this on the walls to find your way back. The cave’s goal is not to get you lost per se, but it can still be disorienting.
Thank you. Then, defiantly, Let’s do this.
Pan gave Corey one last hug before releasing him. Corey meandered up to the mouth of the cave, looked in, shot one final look at Pan, and then disappeared beneath the inky darkness.
Phase 1: The Lover
So, Corey took to this mysterious bastion with an admixture of fear and excitement. Chalk and industrial flashlight in hand, Corey soon came to a beautiful sight. It was a chamber with a pool of water in its midst. Strange bioluminescent lichen had formed at the bottom of the water, causing each ripple of the pool to play a carnival of colors across the walls of the cave. Corey stepped up to the water, enthralled.
It’s so… he mused, but before he could complete his sentence a tower of water abruptly rose up from the surface. With a cry of alarm, Corey skittered back and fell on his rear. The tower started to mold and fashion itself before Corey’s very eyes, until it was a representative image of a human being. It occurred to Corey then that this was his first revelation: the identity of his true love. Corey pulled himself to his feet, toeing the line of the pool as he beheld this watery totem. He smiled warmly as the features finished molding into the characteristic image of Pan.
I knew it.
Reaching out to touch the totem, he found it was just out of reach. He would have to step onto the pool to get any closer. However, in doing so he noted something else. With the smallest adjustment of his field of vision, the features on the totem also changed. They remained objectively the same, but much like an illusion Corey found that the image of the face was perceptibly altered whenever Corey refashioned his gaze on it.
Because now he was staring into the eyes of his former lover Christian.
Corey’s heart ached for the sight of him. Oh, Christian… he whispered. Christian… Then, taking further stock of this revelation, he pondered aloud what it meant. So what are you telling me, huh? That I’m still holding a candle for him? He paused, half wondering if the cave would reply. But the only reply was the burgeoning echo of his own voice.
Removing his shoes, and betraying a bit of frustration in the process, Corey stepped out into the water. But he stopped short when, once again, his change in vantage point revealed an entirely new sight.
Thad Duke.
Corey chuckled sardonically. So now I’m in love with Thad? He shook his head bitterly. And with that, Pan’s words returned to him.
People always think they know themselves…
Thad’s image continued to stare back out at Corey, fashioned by the water and unblinking. Corey tossed his arm out to his sides in frustration. So what the hell do I do with this information, huh?
The cave remained silent.
I…I don’t love Thad! Not like that! He’s a….a FRIEND!
You sound like you’re trying to convince yourself.
Corey gasped in fear and wheeled around. And what he saw then nearly stole what remained of his ragged panicked breaths.
It was Alias. Or the cave's figment of him. Former two time XWF Universal Champion. A man Corey counted as a friend.
Moreover, a man who was as inscrutable as he was unbeatable. A living cypher in every sense of the term.
Corey chuckled sardonically once more.
So now I’m in love with you too?
That’s not my role.
Corey canted his head in confusion. Then…what?
You know. A half grin tugged at Alias’ features. You’ve known since you left.
Corey’s own features slackened. No…no way…
Phase 2: The Rival
No way, man. Corey shook his hands out in front of him. You’re not my rival. Madison Dyson, now she’s a fuckin’ rival! She’s who should be standing there, not you.
But that's not what the cave does, Corey. The cave…this place…reveals what you don’t want to see. Not what’s right in front of your face.
This is stupid. It doesn’t make any sense.
It makes all the sense in the world. Alias propped himself up on a boulder next to the water, drawing his legs underneath him Indian style. Why OCW, Corey? Why Harmon? Why…any of this?
“Why Harmon”? Jesus man, have you met the guy? He’s the goddamn future of the industry.
I haven’t met the guy. I’m just an arcane representation of your greatest frenemy.
Corey rolls his eyes. Just “friend”. Not “frenemy”
Then why did you run from me?
The question hangs between them like a garrotted man twitching in the wind. Corey frowns deeply. Alias’ expression remains neutral.
Before you tell me you didn’t run from me, answer me this. You know the XWF fans were clamoring for a match between us. You knew that that had marquee event written all over it. But instead of pulling the trigger on it, you retired with a mid card title around your waist and walked away. My question is “why”?
Corey’s features were stolid, bordering on angry. Because I was done. Because I was done letting the business take from me. Because I wanted to turn my attention to helping people rather than pumping my ego up on “marquee events”. That answer your question?
Corey. Corey. Have you forgotten what this place is capable of? I see right through you. The specter of Alias paused a moment before landing his next verbal body blow. It’s because you were afraid of me.
Snorting derisively, Corey turned away from the other. I never thought I’d encounter a cave with an ego problem but here we are.
But this Alias-thing was undaunted. You left the XWF because you didn’t want to lose to me. And then, is it any coincidence that months later, as soon as you got the itch again, you turned up in OCW? Far, far away from me and the promotion I called home?
Corey threw his arms up in the air, now full on angry. AS A MANAGER YOU TWIT! I came to OCW to coach the next generation of superstar and Harmon is IT.
The mock Alias canted his head in a sarcastic fashion. Corey, you’re 20 years old. YOU are the next generation of superstar. But okay. Fine. We’ll leave that. Then explain this to me. If you came to OCW with the benevolent intention of training up the next megastar, your own career be damned…
Don’t…dont even…
Then why would you enter the Illuminatus?
Corey’s hands curled into fists at his sides. Harmon got hurt, he…
You agreed to enter the Illuminatus before Harmon got hurt. In fact, you didn’t even run it past him. Corey…Alias leaned in….YOU want this. YOU want the OCW championship as a consolation prize. YOU wanted to go be top dog somewhere because you were afraid you couldn’t hack it in XWF anymore.
Oh fuck off! Corey, now fully alit with rage, wheels back around on Alias. Fine! You want to know?! FINE! YES! I WANT IT! I WANT IT FOR ME!
And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that!
Then why does it feel so fucking selfish? Why do I feel like such a…a coward? Deflated now, the young man slinks down onto his haunches, suddenly finding something of interest on the cave floor.
Something in Alias’ features softened. Corey, you’ve always held yourself to an inhumanly high standard. But it’s okay to doubt yourself. It’s okay to want things for yourself. It’s okay to run from your fears or covet something. It’s part of being human. Those little weaknesses. Those little foibles. And Corey, they don’t make you a bad person.
Corey sighed. I guess maybe a part of me did need to hear all that. He nodded. But of course I want the OCW championship. Of course I do. And while we’re counting “foibles” I am narcissistic enough to say that I have more than enough talent to claim it. Pic is good but he’s not "Alias good". And I am, after all, the one training the man who’s the fastest rising star in the whole company. The man who has already beaten a massive swathe of the roster. I dare say that makes me pretty deadly competition in my own right.
I dare say it does. But what about Harmon? What happens if you win? What happens when he claims his number one contendership match in March?
Corey looked baffled for a moment before sputtering out, I…I guess I don’t know. I guess I was so focused on showing I still got it that I didn’t even think that far ahead. He rubbed his hand down the front of his face in consternation. God, I’m an ass.
No, you’re HUMAN. We’ve been over this.
Yeah. That too. So tell me, do I win this?
Do you really want to know?
Corey smirked. I guess not. Then, more confidently. I think I can. If I survived the crucible that was the XWF, I think I can do this too. Plus, I've never headlined a company as just ME. This'll be righting a wrong. It's a chance to surpass what I did as The Engineer. To prove that this body has all the tools it needs to be the best without the albatross of all that evil about my shoulders.
It's a chance to stand alone. Confident. Resolute. The face of a company. All on my own. I need this. And I just might need this more than anyone else in the match.
But there's a lot of unanswered questions about who is in the match.
I know. And I'm sure this match will draw its share of hard cases. But my own rap sheet speaks for itself. Aside from you, or the REAL you, I've faced down the best of the best. The only difference this time is that they won't have the time to prepare for me.
Or you for them.
You are a ray of sunshine, you know that? Heh. Nah man. This is mine to win. This shit is a rebirth for me. A rebirth that'll carry me back to you and the XWF someday. A new beginning.
Very well. Alias hopped down off his perch. I think I’m done torturing you now about the OCW championship and your very human idiosyncrasies. It’s time now for…
Phase 3: The Purpose
Corey picked himself up and stood side by side with the phantom Alias. Alias gestured towards the gleaming waters. Just watch Corey, and your life’s purpose will reveal itself.
I hope it’s marrying a Kardashian, getting rich and fat, and coasting on my own ego as my career tanks.
It’s good to see your humor has returned.
Corey and the cave’s phantom both looked outward over the pool expectantly, waiting for something to rise from it’s depths, some indicator of Corey’s future. But, after a protracted moment, nothing happens. Alias’ smile falters.
Oh…
What do you mean “oh”?
Corey….I….
This just means my future isn’t written yet. Or maybe it’s what I’ve already been doing.
No. That’s not what this means. Alias’ voice was fraught, and this caught on like a contagion in Corey’s own cadence.
What does this mean?
Alias turned to look at Corey.
Tell me what this means!
It means…it means…you don’t have a purpose, Corey.
Corey’s anger flared to life again. That’s bullshit! How can I not have a purpose? I mean…fucking pick one! Helping the less fortunate! Winning the OCW championship! Teaching Harmon! LOVING PAN! His voice grew more passionate with each declaration. Fucking pick one!
Corey it means you’re going to die.
Corey stopped short, blinking in quick succession. Well duh. Everybody does.
No Corey. Alias looked reluctant now. Soon.
I need to know.
Alias turned to look Corey directly in the eyes. You need to think carefully about this.
Okay, but if I know what happens can I change it?!
The specter took a deep consoling breath. It's possible. But it's just as possible that it won't, and that what you see will break you.
But Corey's expression was already shot through with determination. Tell me where I need to go.
Slowly, Alias pointed at the entrance to an adjoining chamber. There.
Okay….okay…. Taking a nervous gulp of air, Corey proceeded towards the final chamber.
Phase 4: Demise
Finding the chamber black as pitch, Corey held his flashlight aloft as he stepped inside. In short order he saw a figure huddled against the wall.
Hey, who's there?
The figure turned about. It was Harmon. His eyes were rimmed with unspent tears.
Oh…it's… But Corey stopped short when he saw the gun in Harmons hands.
I'm so sorry Corey. Harmon spoke in a quivering voice before pulling the trigger.
No! Corey threw his hands up in front of him, but it was too late to stop the blossoming agony in his chest. The last thing he was aware of was hitting the Earth and feeling the sting of a single tear exiting his eye.
Because it would be more than a bullet that shattered his heart.