Post by oldprydeaccountdoesnotwork on Apr 19, 2014 16:48:59 GMT -5
“I'm not fighting myself, will not follow,
'Cause my choices are mine, it's my fate.
And I'll never bow down from the sorrow,
I'll face all that is coming my way.
The lying, the devil, the silence;
Embracing the world on the edge.”
Sometimes all a man has is his identity.
I don’t mean like a driver’s license or a birth certificate, saying who they are. I mean the many ingredients that come together to develop the way the man lives, breathes, and acts. From the moment you’re out of the womb, you begin to interact with other people’s identities, and your own identity gets formed from those interactions.
Some people have great families and live well-adjusted lives. Those that don’t go into crime, die at an early age… or become professional wrestlers.
Let’s face it, we’re all fuck-ups in one way or another. Admit it to yourself. We all have problems.
But I’m one of the few who has done anything about it.
Starting with Pryde, I now have a new identity, a new outlook on life. And look how things have gone. I’m a champion. I’m in what I consider to be the strongest stable in OCW. I’m in charge of my own actions, no matter what President Dean wants.
Maybe some don’t like that. They’d like me to go back to my past, give up what has turned things around so completely for me and go back to the identity I was born with.
I don’t see that happening. That identity is dead. That life is dead. The future is now full of Pryde. Nothing more.
MJ Bell and Ana Archia would love to be the first to soil my new identity. MJ saw the mask get put on Kenshin; maybe she’ll want a mask in return. Ana, it’s hard to say what she will want. She might think she’d look better in this mask. For all I know she might, but she’s not going to get it.
No one will take my identity. No one will steal my way of life now. I like it. I’m keeping it. Deal with it.
~We are back in the basement area once again, focusing on the many computer monitors in the corner. The mysterious figure is leaning back in the chair, the hood still obscuring the sight of him or her. The figure’s arms are crossed in front, with all attention on the monitors. We are looking at different images now. It looks like the person has hacked into Spaceport America’s security feed, as we see different views of everything there. One camera feed in particular shows the tour group moving past. Pryde can be seen in the middle of the group looking around. He looks up at the camera for a second. Maybe some animal instinct has given him the feeling of being watched. But he moves on. The figure suddenly talks in a low, whispering voice~
Figure: Soon, my friend. Soon.
~We move in past the figure and focus tighter on the camera feed. The black-and-white images start to bleed in color, as we go from the feed to real life~
~We are now standing in the Spaceport Operations Center. Pryde is walking on now, but he’s still glancing around more than a tourist would. Something is off. All of his senses are telling him that. But what? Crystal, sensing his distraction, shakes the hand she’s holding~
Crystal: Are you okay? If you need the restrooms, I think the tour guide said that one of them is coming up shortly.
Pryde: I do not have to go. I just feel strange. But I will be fine.
~Behind Crystal and Pryde is Grant, who is looking around at everything quickly too. He’s looking at anything but the older lady who keeps trying to take his own hand, after their adventure on the bus. Grant hurries forward and gets next to Crystal and Pryde again~
Grant: How much longer is this tour?
Pryde: Are you not enjoying your date?
Grant: Date? You cannot be serious. This lady is stalking me now! Whatever happened was when I was asleep!
Crystal: Something happened?
Grant: I didn’t say that.
Crystal: Yes you did.
Grant: Well nothing did. I don’t think it did. I hope it didn’t. But I can’t wait to get away from here.
Pryde: You are that anxious to be back on the bus with her?
Grant: Point taken.
~The tour guide has stopped ahead and is explaining more about the facility~
Tour Guide: Over the years we have been here, we have launched over 20 successful flights from this location. On January 2nd, Spaceport America’s launch license was renewed by the Federal Aviation Administration, letting us continue our work in becoming the world’s greatest commercial spaceport.
~The tour guide moves over to a series of windows, which show inside mission control. Since there are no launches today, the place is quiet, but the view is still impressive~
Tour Guide: We are currently in the Spaceport Operations Center, or SOC. Soon, people will not be able to tour this area, so you are getting a special treat in being able to see what it looks like. Once the flights start going up on a regular schedule, this area will be closed off for security reasons. You can understand why. Next we will go outside and take a look at our main runways, Spaceway 16-34. This is where returning astronauts will be landing. Follow me.
~The tour guide directs them on further, taking the group through the building. The older lady moves in, patting Grant on the arm and making him jump~
Older Lady: Isn’t this so interesting young man? Doesn’t it get your adrenaline flowing thinking about flying into open space with a nice, big rocket?
Grant: I think you mean flying into a black hole.
Older Lady: If that’s what you want to call it.
~Grant spoke without thinking, giving the older lady an opening. He regrets it now. Crystal, shaking her head at her brother’s struggles, decides to come to the rescue. She comes to the older lady’s other side and takes her arm~
Crystal: Excuse me, but we’re about to take a restroom break, and you know us girls, we should all go at the same time, right?
Older Lady: What?
~Crystal and the older lady move off, with Grant breathing a sigh of relief. He knows the break is only temporary, but he owes his sister for it. He and Pryde slowly move to the back of the pack~
Grant: That settles it, I need to get a wedding ring.
Pryde: You want to get married? To who?
Grant: To no one. If I had a wedding ring, I could avoid the psycho hose beasts easier.
Pryde: I don’t know that a ring would make any difference to that woman.
Grant: You are probably right. Some women I will never understand. Like that Archia woman. Do you really think she is as psychotic as she seems?
Pryde: I would be the last one to be able to talk about how a person acts.
Grant: So you think her craziness might just be the way she wears her mask?
Pryde: I don’t know. I haven’t spent any time with her. This will be my first time in a match with her. But by the time the match is over, I am sure I will have a better impression of her mental state. Of course I hope her mental state by that time will be unconsciousness due to me coming out victorious.
~Crystal and the older lady have disappeared into the restroom, as the group disburses for a short break. Some are going to vending machines for water and cokes, while others are using the chance to sit down. Behind Pryde and Grant, the man in the sunglasses is still watching them, awaiting the moment~
Grant: Who do you consider the bigger threat?
Pryde: President Dean.
Grant: No, I meant in the match.
Pryde: Dean is the threat. He could do anything to change things. But if you mean wrestlers it is clearly MJ Bell. She only has one loss on her record and has beaten many people who could be considered top contenders. She has been trained by wrestlers like Kenshin Takemura and has the apparent backing of Ian Bishop, as well as Brianna.
Grant: How many allegiances does that woman have? She might be crazier than Archia.
Pryde: I don’t think so. She will work out who her loyalties lie with. But she needs to make up her mind soon.
~Grant and Pryde move to the side, where a large, painted picture of Sir Richard Branson sits against the wall. Brandon is smiling and pointing up at the stars, which glimmer in the night sky. Pryde nods to the picture, liking it~
Pryde: There is a true leader. Everything that Brandon has done, it hasn’t just been for the bottom line. He’s cared about people as well, and our future. Dean should take a few pointers from him, but Dean would never let anyone tell him he’s not the greatest.
Grant: Look at the people who have tried? The Great One was fired, Gavin got killed, Zeus got beat up.
Pryde: One of those things is not like the others.
Grant: True but it still makes sense. If you rise up against Dean he feels he needs to strike you down.
Pryde: That is what I think as well.
Grant: Maybe we should take a photo of this and send it to Dean. Tell him to try being a better leader.
~Grant steps up with a tourist camera, one of those that you wind yourself and turn into the film store once the film is done. You wouldn’t think those would exist anymore due to cell phones and the like but Grant is old-school, or just too cheap to get a new phone. He takes a couple of pictures. Behind them, the man in sunglasses signals to someone on his right. A security guard appears and walks over to them. Although the clothes are different, it’s the second man from the tour bus. Who knows where he got the uniform~
Security Guard: Excuse me sir, but taking pictures of this art is illegal.
Grant: Oh sorry, I did not know.
Security Guard: That does not change anything, I'm afraid, Grant. You will both have to come with me.
Pryde: Why? We could just give you the camera.
Grant: But I have other pictures!
Pryde: So you’d rather be arrested?
Grant: Here’s the camera.
~Grant tries to hand it over, but the security guard shakes his head~
Security Guard: Please do not make a scene. We can settle this in the security office down the hall.
~Having no other choice, Grant and Pryde move with the man towards the office. Behind them, the man in sunglasses takes up a position to block the hallway entrance. The trio gets to the door, with the security guard opening it with a keycard he pulls out of his pocket. The string hanging from the keycard shows it used to be clipped to a belt~
Security Guard: After you, Mr. Pryde.
~Grant moves forward and steps into the office. Pryde does so as well, with the security guard shutting the door behind him. Immediately Pryde turns and swings a big superkick, hitting the guard in the jaw and smashing him against the wall! The man slides back, holding his mouth, but doesn’t fall down~
Grant: Pryde, what the hell are you thinking?
Pryde: He knows my name, Grant. He knows yours too, he said it earlier.
Grant: So maybe he just watches OCW? Why was that a reason to kick him? Sir, I’m sorry about this.
~Grant moves towards the guard to try and avoid the lawsuit he sees in their future. But the guard pulls out a gun and grabs Grant around the neck, spinning him around and holding him between Grant and Pryde~
Grant: Fuck. This day keeps getting better and better.
Security Guard: Enough of this shit. Here’s how this is going to work, Pryde. I want your mask. You take it off, hand it to me, and I leave you and your boyfriend alone.
Grant: That’s brother-in-law, not boyfriend. Too many people make that assumption and it
Security Guard: Shut the fuck up!
Grant: Shutting up, yes sir.
Pryde: Why my mask? What value does it have to you?
Security Guard: Nothing to me, just to the man who well pay us well for it. Now hand it over or things start to get messy!
~Outside, you can hear loud voices, apparently some sort of argument going on. The security guard looks that way, but the gun never wavers from Grant’s paralyzed head. Pryde moves to a better position, taking in the look of everything in the room~
Security Guard: That’s far enough. What is it going to be?
Pryde: My mask comes off for no one.
Security Guard: Even with your guy’s life in danger?
Grant: Yes, Pryde, even with me in danger?
Pryde: I don’t know who your master is, but I will not answer to his dogs.
~The security guard angrily turns the gun towards Pryde~
Security Guard: I was hoping to do this the easy way. But this way will work too.
~Pryde jumps away, leaping onto a nearby desk, as the guard starts firing. Everything misses, with Pryde bouncing around the office like a tennis ball in a clothes dryer. Grant grabs the guard’s arm and messes with his aim, trying to pull away the gun, but the man knocks Grant down and shoots him in the leg! The guard turns and tries to track Pryde again but Pryde is incoming with a weapon in hand, smashing a Spaceport America snowglobe over the man’s head. He drops without a sound, unconscious. Pryde kicks the gun away and goes to check on Grant~
Pryde: Grant! Can you stand? Are you still with me?
Grant: There are, meanies at school, Mom. I want to stay home, with you, and bake brownies. I like to lick the spoons when you aren't looking. Yummy.
Pryde: What are you talking about? Grant?
~Grant’s eyes roll up and he is out cold. Pryde goes to check the leg wound and finds a shiny tranquilizer dart sticking out of his leg. Pryde looks around, finally realizing that the man wasn’t trying to kill him and Grant. He was trying to sedate them to take his mask away. Pryde picks up the tranquilizer gun, studies it, and turns, firing another dart into the security guard and leaving him. He moves to the door and takes a deep breath before swinging it open and pointing the gun out at the people there~
Crystal: Shit! Watch where you’re aiming that thing!
~Crystal and the older lady are the ones standing outside, flinching away from the gun. Laying between them is the man in sunglasses, although it doesn’t look like his glasses survived the fight. He isn’t moving~
Pryde: What happened?
Older Lady: This disrespectful young man wouldn’t talk to us, and then he had the audacity to call us bitches. In my day, you didn’t talk like that.
Crystal: When I cursed him back, he took a swing at me and pulled a gun. Luckily, Ms. Elsa here had her taser handy.
Ms. Elsa: You can never be too careful.
~Pryde finds himself having a little more respect for the older woman. Anyone who can take care of themselves is okay by him. He turns and aims the gun at the man, shooting him once in the ass~
Crystal: What the fuck?
Pryde: It’s a dart gun. They tried to use it on us. Help me drag him into the room.
~They put the man in the room with the security guard and leave both there, handcuffed together. Hopefully security will find them before long, once the tour has moved on. Pryde and Crystal then work to help Grant up, dragging him along, with Ms. Elsa trying to help by grabbing Grant from behind. At least that is what she seems to be doing. The tour guide looks up when they come closer and is alarmed~
Tour Guide: What happened?
Pryde: My friend passed out. Maybe it was the heat but he should be fine. We are going to take him back to the bus.
Tour Guide: Okay. Once we are done at the runway, we will come back. There is a nurse’s station available too.
Pryde: I am sure some water in him and he will be better. Thank you.
~Pryde and his group move off, leaving the building and heading to the tour bus~
Crystal: So what was going on? Why were you and Grant being hunted?
Pryde: All I know is that it had something to do with my mask. I don’t know who, and I don’t know why. But I will be finding out.
Ms. Elsa: When we get back to the bus, I’ll take care of your friend. What’s his name again?
Pryde: Grant.
Ms. Elsa: Yes. Grant. I’ll make sure he has a nice, long rest on the way back.
~They move to put Grant into the bus, but he’s not helping much, leading them to have to carry him in. They get him inside, and then Crystal and Pryde step back out, looking around~
Crystal: Do you think they’ll find the guards before we leave?
Pryde: I think they were trespassing anyway. That guard didn’t work there. I am sure of that. I think I remember seeing both of them on the bus.
Crystal: I do not understand any of this. But we may have to be more careful from now on.
Pryde: Yes, until I get to the bottom of this, we will. They were not afraid to threaten Grant to get what they wanted. Who knows what they would do to others. But you do not have to worry. I will find out the truth. I always do.
~Crystal leans back into Pryde and he wraps his arms around her. They stand against the bus, watching the gradually-lowering sun in the distance. As they do the colors bleed out again and it becomes a black and white shot~
~Inside the basement, a soft chuckle is heard. The camera view on the parking lot shows the mysterious figure exactly what has happened, but he is not surprised. He expected it from someone like Pryde. But the message has been delivered, the first shot in what will prove to be an entertaining struggle~
Figure: You may not know it yet, my friend, but your days of keeping your identity hidden are numbered. You shall be revealed, oh yes, for the entire world to so see. They will know your past, ‘Pryde’. They will know you for who you really are.
~The figure types away, sending off more emails, as the laughter continues. The person is already approaching more contacts, making sure that his operatives will not be apprehended at the spaceport. No losses on either side. The battles have just begun. The camera moves backwards and fades out~
The world always looks different to me now that I see it through a mask. But didn’t I always? Every person has their perspectives skewed by how they want to see things.
But I like the world as I see it now. I have become very comfortable behind the fabric, looking out when others cannot look in. Some can’t stand that, thinking I have the advantage. Which I do.
I knew there were people who were against me, but I did not expect anything this blatant. Was it an assault by Dean, with him wanting to take back the mask he allowed me to have when I came to OCW? Were the operatives paid for by one of the Family’s minions, or one of Team Brianna’s? What about MJ Bell or Ana Archia? It seems unlikely but everyone is a possibility at this juncture.
Whatever the reason and whatever the plan, it failed. I am still Pryde. I will go into Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, and defend myself against all attackers. Two have learned the hard truth about facing me. The next two will face the consequences.
Because now I’m not just determined. I’m angry. MJ? Ana? Whether you were involved or not, it doesn’t matter. Prepare yourselves for the fall.
