Stein lay in the hospital bed the morning after Revolution in Phoenix, his back and ribs taped heavily. Draped over the chair across the room from him was the Iron Fist championship. Stein put his head back on the bed and sighed.

Dan Stein: “Still mine. You are still mine. Azraith attacked me, again, after the match, but you are still mine. I'm laid up here in this hospital, I'm bruised and sore, but you still belong to me.”

Stein nodded, throwing the covers off of his body as he worked to his feet.

Dan Stein: “Cade wants me to back out of the match with Donovan King. Jason Johnson tried talking me out of the match with King. Gemma tried. I'm sure everyone is trying to will me out of this match, but it wont happen. I will not sit this one out, not against Donovan King. Not against the most talked about man in SHOOT Project today.”

Stein sighed as he walked gingerly over to the title.

Dan Stein: “You're not on the line this week, but I will fight to the DEATH to prove that I deserve you regardless, back injury or not.”

* * *

The Lights: “Sorry, Donovan. I know how you like things done your way and what not. Got to come out of the gate right away to prove that I care, right? Something like that. I've been stuck in Phoenix the last couple days, rehabbing my back as much as possible to get ready for this slobberknocker of a battle I'm going to be walking into.”

“Yes, Donovan, I know who you are. Even before I came in here and took SHOOT Project by 'storm', I knew who you were. Donovan King, long time SHOOT Project curtain jerker, long time SHOOT Project joke, finally broke through. Revolution title, Jester Smiles against Donovan King for the Revolution title turned out to be one of, if not THE best match of 2007 in SHOOT Project. And then... you turned to setting up Cade Sydal. Perfect way to make a name for yourself, you know, since you couldn't do it the honest way before.”

Stein shook his head, putting his hands up.

The Lights: “I didn't mean that, sorry about that, Donovan. The truth is, you're good. You're one of the best right now. Not at wrestling... but at making people's lives hell; getting into the minds of your opponents and fucking them over, all that stuff. Congratulations, Donovan, you've reached the spotlight. You got a Revolution show delayed, congratulations. You've beaten... demolished SHOOT Project veterans, the Hall ofFamer types, congratulations. Definitely something to be proud of when you look back. Being one of the most controversial people in SHOOT Project history. I'd want to be remembered as the guy that set up a fellow wrestler just to get my name out there, and I'd definitely want to be remembered as the guy that made the Revolution title what it is today.

Stein sighed, patting his Iron Fist title.

The Lights: “Actually... the way that I want to be remembered? Fighting when I was hurt. Doing it clean. Winning because I was better than the guy across from me, not because I attacked his family and made him quit doing what it was that he loved because I was jealous of what the man created. I want to go down as the man that ended Corazon's fantastic Iron Fist championship reign. The man that took the Iron Fist title to heights no other man could. The man that defended the honor of not just himself, but everything that he thought to be right and true... maybe without the superhero bullshit. You know what I mean.”

Stein took the gold rimmed aviator glasses off his face and put them around his shirt collar.

The Lights: “You and I are a lot a like. Young, athletic. We both have dreams and admirations. Yours are to be the baddest mother fucker in the game, mine are to be the best mother fucker in the game. You want to be feared, I want to be respected. You want to be remembered for how you played the game, I want to be remembered for how I ran the game. Donovan, we are a lot alike. Sure, I don't practice reverse racism, and I'm not hypocritical when someone calls me a slang term. I don't further the misuse of a word that not even Eminem would use in a song, but hey. That's you. That's what you do. I don't want to be remembered as the ignorant thug that you 'pride' yourself on being. That's you, you like being public enemy number one, that's fine. I wont be using the same language that you do, or the same tactics that you do, but I will still be remembered.

Which is why I'm staying in this match with you, Donovan. That is exactly why I am not backing out of this match. The only time Azraith has gotten the one up on me, my back has been turned. NOBODY has beaten me one on one since I redebuted in SHOOT Project, not the CURRENT World Heavyweight Champion, not even the FORMER World Heavyweight Champion.

Bad back and all, Donovan, I will show up to that match with you because I want to prove that, one, you do not scare me, and, two, nothing will keep me from defending what men like Adrian Corazon, Ben Jackman, X-Calibur, The Real Deal, and even... Azraith DeMitri created, whether or not the title is on the line.”

Stein nodded, holding the Iron Fist title above his head for a few seconds.

The Lights: “The name is Dan 'The Lights' Stein, YOUR SHOOT Project Iron Fist champion. If you think this will be my last match on Revolution, if you think you've got what it takes to end my wrestling career, bring it, King. Bring that fire you let loose on OutKast for turning his back on you, bring that fire you took into the ring against Jester Smiles, week in and week out. Bring all the pent up hate you have towards me, just for being a pretty white boy. But if your research brought up 'Tech X' along with my name, and not 'Prototype-X' or 'Teknikal X2C', maybe you don't know as much about me as you think you do. Like you said, you chose not to fuck with me. You chose not to deal with me. You chose not to fuck with me. Now I'm going to get in that ring, less than 100 percent, and show you that you made the right decision in leaving me out of your problems with Cade.

And, Donovan, don't think you already have this match won. Don't think that you have an advantage over me, in any way. If you walk into the ring in Flagstaff with me already written off in your twisted little mind, I wont be the only one that's ended up in the hospital in Arizona.

What a great way to cap a wonderful tour of the Southwest.”

* * *

Stein walked up to the desk outside of his bedroom, his bag in his hand by his side.

Dan Stein: “I'm going to be checking out today.”

The nurse behind the counter looked up at him, rummaging through his folder.

Nurse: “Um, Mr. Stein... I don't think the doctor has released you yet.”

Dan Stein: “That's fine. But I'm going to be checking out.”

The nurse stood up, putting her hands on the ledge between Stein and herself.

Nurse: “I can't make you stay, but you do know why the doctor wants you to remain in treatment here, correct?”

Stein nodded, sliding his aviators back over his eyes.

Dan Stein: “Yep.”

Stein turned away from the counter, waddling semi-gingerly to the elevator. DING! The doors slid open. Standing inside was Gemma.