Brown stepped out from his lockerroom, CD player in his pocket, listening to something quiet. No-one in the backstage area took much notice of this. He normally spent some time before a match wandering around, in part to stretch his legs after a journey to the arena, and in part to try and control the nerves that always accompanied him before a match. The same nerves he had suffered from back in October two thousand three, when he stepped through the curtain to face Andrew Dalton in his debut for MCW. He could name every opponent he'd ever faced, and he had always suffered the same nerves - whether it was against Sands, Benjamin, Maelstrom, or Mike Diamond or Derek Stolz. His walks helped, and so did the music, but when it came time to walk through the curtain, the nerves returned, and it was only when he stood on the second rope, looking out across the blackness of the arena where the crowd was, that he felt calm.

"Well, there you are." Foxx leaned against the wall to his right, her head cocked slightly toward her right shoulder and her hands behind her back. She was dressed and set to wrestle when it was her turn. Her smile was wide, radiating what would appear a nearly overpowering happiness. The time before a match was always her favorite. The excitement, suspense, and butterflies always got to her. This time it was even better. Competing for a title was a beautiful sensation.

"I figured you'd come around this way eventually, ya never can stand still much before matches, but I suppose it's not for the same reasons as me, eh?" She chanced a glance downward at Brown's injured leg before resuming eye contact. Her smile faded a bit as she began turning her thoughts through her mind. She had meant to approach him for a reason, of course.

"Keeps it loose enough." He nearly smiled. He wasn't surprised at how quickly she'd risen through the ranks. Yes, he'd fought for a worlds title in only his third match, but that was in a company that had only recently started. He was, although he would never admit it, proud of her for rising so quickly in an established company. "Hard luck against Tariq, wasn't it?"

"Hm...Yeah...I screwed up. Foxx's smile disappeared for a brief few seconds as she recalled the event, but creeped back onto her face in time. "But it won't happen again." "Eventually I'm going to prove just how far being a heel, like everyone I've met so far, can take ya. Not far at all... This is the best chance ta prove it too."

"Yeah?" That did it. Karl cracked a smile. He'd read only the other day that the concept of face and heel, of good guy and bad guy, was a distant memory. He read on another that he was being considered by some as a heel, even though the fans in the arena still cheered for him when he stepped through the curtain. It was a concept he'd always tried his best to ignore. Often, he would tell people he didn't care if people cheered for him, booed him, so long as they weren't totally apathetic. To him, wrestling had been about challenging himself, but had become a job. At first, it'd been that the challenge drove him on, which was why he didn't mind if fans booed him. But for a little over a year, it's been different for him - a job. If people like what they see they'll pay to see it again. That's how he sees it now. In some small way, he was dissappointed.

"You do realise what you're trying to do?"

"Possibly." Foxx's hand moved to her mouth to stifle a cough, but as it moved away her expression had changed. The seriousness of the matter had kicked in.

"But if ya know what I'm tryin ta do, why don't ya say something? I'm sure you've got some thoughts on the subject."

Karl shrugged. "It's not my place to get involved. I get paid to go out there and wrestle in whatever match Dan wants to put me in." Karl remembered the first time he'd said that. It was against X, many months ago now, in the run-up to an Aggression taping. As he stood in the ring that night, Dan Ryan came out and changed the match to a chain match, no disqualification.

Of course, he had thoughts on what she was trying to do. He thought it too great a task for any one person. He thought that whilst it may be a noble cause, what she was trying was the impossible, and he'd given up trying for the impossible. He thought she was mad.

Karl almost seemed...apathetic now. Not the same person she'd begun with so long ago. It threw her off guard. She wasn't about to let him continue this way.

"Nearly correct, but still wrong. We get paid for this...yes, and we wrestle whenever we're supposed to, but have ya really lost the sense of challenge? You're about to compete for an Intercontinental Title for God's sake! Doesn't that mean anything to you? You've come so far...and ya don't even care."

Was it apathy? He couldn't tell.

"Win or lose, it doesn't really matter to me. I'm paid to wrestle. And, let's be honest, it's not like I haven't been in this situation before." He paused, trying to remember all the chances he'd had and failed. The MCW Worlds Title. The EPW Intercontinental title. The NWL Worlds title. And that was ignoring the tournaments and number one contenders matches he'd fought in and lost. Many had picked him from early in his career to make something of himself - here, they said, was one to watch, one of the people who's going to be a huge star. That was shortly after his match with Adam Benjamin for the MCW title, less than two years ago. He'd hid it well, the pressure he felt when he read those reports. Now... now was different. Today, in Madison Square Garden, he was going into another title match. Another big-money match. And he had lost every time before.

"I try not to get my hopes up these days. Hurts like hell when it goes wrong."

Foxx fought back a grin trying to pull its way onto her face.

"Obviously you've forgotten the reason for losin then. Whining after a loss doesn't get you anything. You learn from the loss and continue on stronger than before. If ya lose again ya have more to learn and a higher plateau to reach. There's a positive ta everything. Sure it's a slap in the face at first, but ya get over it. If I lose my match, then there'll be more chances to try again later down the line. Same with you. No matter how much it takes, you should never give up."

"Who says I've given up?" Karl grinned. Something about the way he grinned made him appear somewhat sinister. A friend of his used to get scared when he grinned. "If I lose, I've lost. If I've built myself up and failed, that's when it hurts. If you get too high on yourself, you make mistakes. If you treat each match the same, then you make fewer mistakes - your technique is sharper. And having a sharper technique has it's advantages."

This was getting confusing...and Foxx made no attempt at hiding it. She ran a hand absently through her hair as she spoke.

"I'm...not certain I understand."

Some would say Foxx was naive. This was all just a game to her. A game that she got paid for. Something she'd dreamed of all her life. She knew the basics of the business: put on a decent show and do her best, but that was about it. A view abstract from her own threw her off.

"You'll see for yourself, sooner or later." He sighed, pausing for a moment. He leant on the wall beside her. "Don't get cocky. This business has a way of humbling people. Winning is a nice surprise, but it's not something to strive for. Hurting someone is enough. They can win the match, but if you've hurt them they'll think twice before setting foot in the ring with you again."

Foxx's eyebrow twitched. Her eyes stayed fixed on him. There was that darker side again. The side she didn't like to see. The side she tried to pretend wasn't there...

"I don't make it my goal to hurt anyone. It's pointless to aim for something so rediculous. The point of wrestling is the competition, not the pain. You can inflict all the pain on some people that ya want, but they'll still keep coming back. The same methods don't work on everyone, ya know. And I'm not cocky; I'll keep at it for as long as it takes to be happy with myself. I don't go in expectin ta win, but I do go in expectin ta do my best and maybe prove a point or two. I don't see what's so cocky about that."

"I guess we'll see later tonight who's right, won't we?" He pushed himself off the wall and turned to her. "Is there anything else you want to talk about?"

"Just to wish ya luck in your match, I suppose." Foxx let out a long, drawn out sigh. "So...Good luck out there."

She couldn't hope for any more than that some of what she said had hit home somewhere in his mind.

"The same to you." Karl started off again, pressing the play button on his CD player. He still had some time before his match. Foxx followed him with her eyes, before sighing again.

[CUE UP: "Imperial March" - Rage Against the Machine. A video montage plays, featuring smoke-wreathed images of various wrestlers, some of them leaving blurred trails as they move.

CUT TO: Beast nailing the Absolution on Adam Benjamin.
CUT TO: Karl Brown coming off the ropes with a Quebrada.
CUT TO: Christian Sands standing victorious in the ring.
CUT TO: JA delivering the Karelin Driver to Ron Artest.
CUT TO: Adam Benjamin delivering a Shining Wizard to Karl Brown.
CUT TO: Joey Melton, mugging for the crowd.
CUT TO: Boogie Smallz lighting up a blunt.
CUT TO: Lindsay Troy dropkicking Beast.
CUT TO: JA and Sebastian Dodd locking up in the middle of the ring.
CUT TO: Dan Ryan sitting sedately in a chair, staring into the camera.

CUTTO: With a clash of metal, a two words appear across a black screen, its edges flickering over a darkened reverse contrast sunset.]

[Cut to the ramp, where a wreath of pyro explodes around the EmpireTron and several bomblike, smoky explosions ripple about the entry way. The camera zooms in on the screen as the pyro finally peters out, then blurs to roving shots of the roaring crowd as a small banner in the corner briefly appears to proclaim that EPW is broadcast en Espanol.]
[We cut to the broadcast booth where Dave Thomas, Mike Neely and Dean Matthews sit.]

DT: Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the world famous Madison Square Garden as Empire Pro Wrestling presents BLACK DAWN!!!

MN: Hell yeah…I’ve got the good suit on, the clean underwear and a smile, baby.

DM: Was Tide on sale?

MN: Funny.

DT: It’s a big night tonight full of some huge matchups but first and foremost on everyone’s mind has to be the big World Championship between Lindsay Troy and Cross. Cross has been waiting for this shot for a long time. Will he be able to overcome the Queen of the Ring?

DM: It’s gonna be a hell of a match for sure. Not only from the standpoint of Cross taking his first shot at the belt, but these two used to be close, Dave. I’m talking brother-sister close. It’ll be interesting to see if any punches are pulled tonight.

DT: There’s so much more to talk about – we’ve got the Cameron Cruise Project exploding as Joey Melton takes on Cameron Cruise in a steel cage, Blitz taking on The Entourage and…..

[CUT TO: backstage as we catch a shot of Zoltan and August De La Rossi being stomped into oblivion by Max and Jecht. Meanwhile, Leonard Johnson stands to the side leaning on a cane and looking on with a smile. After a few more stomps for good measure, Johnson steps forward and puts a hand on Max’s shoulder.]

LJ: That’ll do, boys.

[Jecht lays in one last stiff kick and the three turn and walk off calmly, leaving a mess of a once-nice dressing room.]

DT: Talk about your savage attacks, guys. The Entourage has been on the offensive around here a while, but this time the champs took things into their own hands it seems.

DM: Well, a man can only take so much before he has to stand up and start fighting back. You can’t let….

DT: Hold on guys, I'm getting word that Kenny Lombardo's found Blitz, maybe we can get a word on what happened.

[CUTTO: backstage. Kenny Lombardo is running, cameraman in tow, to catch up with Leonard, Max and Jecht as they make their way through the arena]

KL: Mr Johnson... MR JOHNSON!!

[The trio stops in their tracks, as Kenny reaches them. He's out of breath, as Leonard smiles at him]

KL: Mr Johnson... can I...

LJ: You want to know why we did what we did, don't you?

KL: ...Yeah... please...

LJ: It's simple. Two straight pay per view events, we've been attacked from behind - once by the Crimson Calling, once by Troy Windham's lapdogs. We let the Calling slip through our fingers. Russi and Zoltan - well, we couldn't give them that priviledge.

KL: But what about tonight? You guys are defending your titles against...

LJ: Do you realise that there have been new tag team champions at every single pay per view event?

KL: ... no...

LJ: At Black Dawn last year, the Crimson Calling won the belts. At Unleashed, the Cameron Cruise Project. At Wrestleverse, the belts made their way to Lindsay Troy and Christian Sands, and earlier this year, at Russian Roulette in Texas - Blitz finally won the titles.

KL: But what's that got to-

LJ: Simpleton. Max and Jecht have worked their way to the top. They are the longest serving team on this roster. The Entourage... they're comparatively new. Yes, the curse of the Pay Per View is against Blitz, but they've risen above adversity before. And they'll do so again at Black Dawn two thousand and five, when they become the first team to retain the belts. Not only will they prove to the entire WORLD that they are the perfect combination of power and speed in professional wrestling today - they'll also proof to the world that they are the only dominant force in tag team wrestling. What you saw earlier tonight was just a small taste - the kind of thing that you get given for free in a delicatessan when they want to try and sell a new product. What the world will see later, THAT'S the whole piece. And like a deli, you'll have to pay to get any more than a taste.

KL: So it wasn't fear?

[Leonard snatches up the microphone from Kenny, as Jecht, tired of the sound of Lombardo's voice, charges him down with a clothesline. He picks up the small, fragile frame, throwing him back down the corridor with minimal effort. Before he can follow up, Max restrains him in a scene the world hasn't seen in a while. Leonard walks over to Lombardo, standing straight and looking straight into the camera]

LJ: Fear? Why fear something that has absolutely no advantage over you? Fear implies a certain respect. Respect is a priviledge reserved solely for those who are worth the time. None of those men are worth the time. Tonight, when Blitz retain the titles... the whole tag team world will learn to fear the oncoming BLITZ.

[Leonard bends down, handing the microphone back to Lombardo]

LJ: Stand up straight, man. I thought you were a professional.

[Leonard walks out of shot, laughing to himself as the trio of Max, Jecht and himself move down the corridor.]

NEXT