Past Meets Present II: APEX Returns (posting for Main)
Jun 3, 2023 22:19:41 GMT -5
Jim Caedus and Lycana like this
Post by Jim Caedus on Jun 3, 2023 22:19:41 GMT -5
(OOC: posting for Robert Main)
WEEKS AGO
"Robert, someone is here to see you."
"I'll be right there." He shouted...
Robert leisurely strolled around the corner from the kitchen, stopping dead as if he had just seen a ghost. His radiant smile fell from his face as his skin became pale his blood pressure rose. Robert felt a lump form in his throat as he attempted to swallow it back down to no avail; his brain went into absolute overdrive as a hurricane of mistakes, cynicism, and misplaced shame flooded his mind.
"Well, Robert, who is this?"
Robert ran his fingers through his dirty blond hair, pushing it to the back of his head while leering at the floor; his eyes scoured the room, trying to uncover an answer to the enigma that stood before him. An unsympathetic assassin stood before him. Robert thought momentarily, was the past here to finish the job? Or draft him for the future? The man standing in Robert's front room made a sham of his misery. Several times, he blew a hole in Robert's heart with an ice-cold magnum. Yet somehow, someway, there he stood. Robert looked at his pregnant wife as his gravelly voice boomed.
"This right here..."
Robert angrily pointed at the door with a quivering hand...
"This is the past, and it's leaving. Right now!"
Robert's wife folds her arms and gives Robert a look every wife gives their husband when he is being a prick.
"Robert, that isn't any way to treat a guest of our home."
Robert's wife gently laid her on over his heart, his jaw locked in place as he ground his teeth. From deep within, a scream was building to a crescendo propelling its way from Robert's mouth; it horrified his soul as he unleashed the demon from within and stepped forward, now nose to nose with his ole APEX compadre Jim Caedus.
"Olivia, this is Jim Caedus, the guy who has left me holding the bag more times than I can count. Jim, my wife, Olivia!"
"Pleasure to meet ya."
"Yeah, Olivia, could you go and get Jim and me some coffee? We are going to go into my office and have a little chat."
"Sure, Jim, do you like cream and sugar?"
"Yes, please!"
Olivia smiles as Robert guides Jim into his office. Both men eye one another, trying to evaluate the circumstances between them. Robert gradually made his way behind the enormous oak desk, reaching for a bottle of bourbon and one crystal glass. Robert poured himself a double while Jim watched the amber elixir swirl around the glass. Robert glanced at Jim again as he placed the glass to his cherry red lips, taking a miniature drink. Bourbon always seemed to turn down the magnitude of Robert's reflections. It carries memories of good times; Robert constantly attempted to let himself dwell on them rather than think. Jim took a seat, running his fingers over the immaculate oak desk free of any imperfections, made more remarkable by the passage of time and the age in the wooden swirls.
"How'd you find me..."
Robert grumbled.
Jim's brilliant electric blue eyes inspected the glass trophy case behind Robert, the empire Robert had constructed from XWF gold. The Universal Championship sat in the middle, encompassed by the likes of the Hart Championship, X-treme Championship, and four different Tag Team Championships held twice by Robert and Jim as APEX.
"It's a long story... But as you know, I have my ways. So, Bob, a wife and a kid on the way? How's Drew?"
Robert interrupts...
"Drew is retired and well and despises you. Yes, I've got a wife and my firstborn on the way any second."
Jim smiles...
"Congratulations, brother... You are living the way I always wanted. I'm genuinely happy for you, and I mean that."
Jim points to the trophy case behind Robert.
"You still retired?"
Robert peeks over his shoulder at the case while anxiously tapping his fingers on the desk...
"Those are days gone by, Jimmy; I'm done and out of the game for good. That chapter is closed."
"Rumors flew around where you could've gone; that you'd retired, or been horribly injured in a match gone awry, or gotten tired of the limelight and decided to retire. Regardless, the fact remained that everyone had come to acknowledge you were gone and never coming back. Robert Main had gone silently into the night, fading away into obscurity. Is that how you want to be remembered? Because if not, I have an opportunity for you to fix it...War Games!"
Robert shakes his head in disgust.
"I'm done with the XWF, Jim"
"I never said it was with XWF. It's with WGWF."
"Absolutely not; I'm out if it concerns Chris Page in any way, shape, or form. He's screwed me over more times than I can count. I'm not going down that road again. We tried to annihilate one another for two years. I won...end of story. That hatchet is buried, and that's where I'll leave it. Not to mention Jim, tell me why I'd even consider helping you. It's not like we've been on speaking terms."
"Because I've always been able to count on you. I know I've bailed before, left you hanging. I'm sorry...it won't happen again. Please bro."
Robert rolls his eyes, taking another drink...
"Jim, I can't... The whole Chris Page thing doesn't sit well with me, and I'm confident he won't want to see me, either! Page and I will never see eye to eye."
"There are assurances in place; Page won't get involved..."
"Jim, a leopard never changes it's spots."
"Mainaic, you are a Wargames master..."
Robert raises an eyebrow, leaning back in his seat. No one was certain what transpired with "The Omega," but one thing was unmistakable: the name Robert Main had been imprinted on an era of professional wrestling.
"Wargames eh..."
Before Robert can continue, the sound of a glass shattering can be heard from the kitchen.
"Olivia?"
Robert and Jim rush from the office to Olivia's side. She's bending back against the kitchen wall.
"I'm having contractions, Robert! Get the Doctor!"
"Jim, get Olivia to the bedroom! I'll be right back, just going next door!"
A few moments pass, and Robert returns, as Jim has just gotten Olivia safely onto the bed.
"How far apart are they, babe?"
"Close, Robert. The baby is coming."
"Dooooc! Hurry!"
The Doctor enters.
"Weeeeeell, Mister Caedus. How nice to see you again."
"Oh for fuck sake, no, THE Doctor? He's your neighbor?"
"Oh, you know it, bitch. No time for pleasantries, however. First things first, we must make sure everything is in order. Quickly Jim, drop your pants! Mmmmmmmyeeeeesss."
"What is happening?"
"We're just going to get right back into it, aren't we; I'm not showing you my dick, doc!"
"Perish the thought; I'm checking for a hernia. You wouldn't want to drop the baby, would you? Now hurry, present your massive balls."
"Okay that makes sense."
Jim starts unzipping his pants.
"Mmmmmmmyeeeeesss."
"Jim!"
"Goddamnit doc!"
Jim zips back up.
"Stop tricking my stupid ass and get to work!"
"Ever the party pooper. Fine. How far apart are the contractions, Olivia?"
"Really close, doctor!"
She groans in discomfort as the pain is more intense than Olivia had envisioned.
"Mister Main, take position next to your wife. She may need your comfort and support."
"You got it, doc."
"Mister Caedus?"
"Yes?"
"Take your pants off."
"Wow."
"This isn't the time doc!"
"Just a joke. Levity is important in these situations. Alright, Mister Caedus, please kneel at the foot of the bed."
"Wait, what?"
"This isn't normal operating procedure. I'll be damned if something goes wrong, and I'm held accountable and lose my license. Mister Main is your friend, so help him out, you selfish bastard! I'll be right back."
Meanwhile, Jim does as ordered, taking the position at ground zero.
"Robert?"
"Jim, don't let me catch you staring at my wife's business."
"Wha- What the hell do you want me to do, Bob-O??"
"Look away!"
"Fuck sake."
Jim backs off a bit and averts his eyes from Mainiac's holy grail as the Doctor returns.
Olivia groans again.
"It's coming, doctor!"
"Okay, Mister Caedus, just do as I say, and everything will be fine. Olivia, push."
Olivia does so, grimacing in pain.
"Keep pushing, Olivia."
Olivia squeezes Robert's hands.
"You got this baby. You can do it."
"Oh god, I don't feel so good."
Olivia tilted her head vomiting directly into Robert's hands. Robert took a moment peering down at his hands and then took three steps back away from the bed, turning a shade of green as everything from his stomach tried vacating the exact way it came in.
"I'm going to puke!"
"Mister Main, stop being so dramatic. These things happen during the process. Is it chunky?"
Robert's cheeks suddenly bulge...
"Now, mister Caedus, keep your eye on the ball! Get in there closer and see if something is wrong!"
Robert comes around, pushing the vomit back down his throat.
"But Robert told me not to stare at her holy of holies!"
"And I meant it!"
"Look, who's the Doctor here? Me! Get in there and check it out!"
Robert shoots Jim a look of death.
"Mister Caedus!"
"Okay! Okay! Mainiac, don't you dare hold this against me!"
Jim looks.
"I can't see anything; it's too dark! Bob, what do you have in the ceiling, a 10-watt bulb?"
"Get in closer, Mister Caedus!"
Jim leans in closer. The Doctor activates his smartphone's flashlight, spotlighting between Olivia's legs.
"Oh that's much better."
"Watch it, Jim!"
"I am!"
"I mean, watch what you say!"
"Oooooooooooo!"
Olivia squeezes Robert's vomit-covered hand harder.
"Push harder, Olivia!"
"I think I see something!"
Something indeed. Olivia launches a stream of liquid defecation directly into Jim's face. Jim squeals in horror and tumbles backward.
"FUUUUUUUUCK!"
The Doctor snaps a picture with his phone.
"Mmmmmmmyeeeeesss. That's a keeper. Mister Main never let her go!"
"I'm sorry, Jim, I'm so sorry! It was those darn enchiladas!"
Robert is laughing his ass off, then unexpectedly feels slightly nauseous again as the smell hits him right between the eyes.
"Worth it."
Jim jumps up, wet brown dripping down his face.
"I'm going to get pink eye!"
He runs out clumsily into the bedroom wall splattering poo everywhere, one eye barely open.
"Don't be such a pussy, Jim!"
Robert teases, still laughing.
"Robert, watch your langua- OOOOOOOOOO!"
"Mister Main, the baby is crowning! You'll have to deliver!"
"You got it, doc!"
In the bathroom, Jim is scrubbing his face ruthlessly.
"Fucking pink eye, I know it!"
Finishing, he angrily removes his shirt and runs it in the bathtub. From the bedroom, Olivia shrieks.... then, the most beautiful sound imaginable moments later. The cry of Robert's newborn son...
"He gets the miracle of life, and I get shit on!"
Later, the Doctor has taken leave, Olivia sleeps comfortably with the baby; Jim stands out on the front porch. Robert joins him, puffing on a cigar. He hands one to Jim. Jim takes it, and Robert lights it.
"Thanks for your help in there."
"Anything for my brother."
Quietly, they smoke for several minutes, nodding while watching the smoke from their cigars dance through the air and dissipate.
"Okay, Jim. I'll do it."
"Do what?"
"War Games. I'm in."
Jim grins.
"Oh hell yeah! APEX, bro?"
"APEX brother."
Jim hugs Robert uninvited. Robert nearly drops his cigar.
"Get off me."
Robert leans over the porch railing and heaves violently.
"Bob...you okay..."
"You just smell like shit!"
PRESENT DAY
Robert had chosen to leave the business, he had accomplished all that he'd set out to accomplish, he'd built a legacy around his name that no one could scratch from the history books and decided to retire. Now he had a wife and a newborn and everything was right in his world....until Jim forced his way back into it. The Omega had chosen to accept his APEX brother's offer to join him in War Games, one last ride, only to find that Jim had secretly gotten him involved with the mafia. Anger had hit Robert, he saw red, like a cascading waterfall of blood before his eyes. So he decided to tackle Jim and choke him. It felt appropriate.
Jim struggles as Robert squeezes, strangling the life out of him. Lycana places a hand on his shoulder.
"Robert stop! Jim can't be serious, he's just pushing the joke a little too far!"
"Guess...again!" Jim chokes out...
Lycana starts kicking Jim in the ribs.
"You"
kick
"really"
kick
"did"
kick
"this!?"
KICK
Lycana pauses.
"What're you two standing around for? He's open on the left!"
Dolly joins in, landing strikes to Jim's unguarded side. Lycana continues kicking.
"This isn't very productive." Spencer says...
"P................Pussy!" Jim coughs out...
"Heads up Robert!"
Robert releases the choke and stands. Dolly and Lycana step back. Jim sees Spencer standing over him holding a large expensive vase.
"You don't have the balls, mister."
SMASH!
A HALF HOUR LATER
"Well that was invigorating." Jim says...
He's leaning casually against the wall safely across the room.
"Everyone feel better? Thank you for the healing potion Ly."
Robert, Dolly and Spencer turn looks of anger upon her.
"We need him for War Games!" She says with a sheepish grin...
"If we make War Games."
"No kidding." Dolly adds.
"It's just a little light kidnapping gang, big deal."
"I have a wife and son, Jim, you selfish prick! I'm not watching my boy grow up from behind bars!"
"Better than from beyond the grave Mainiac."
"Jim I swear I'm going to kick your ass all over again! I don't want to die OR see prison!"
"None of us do!"
"Look, can we all agree that us dying is out of the question?"
Grumbling, Spencer, Dolly and Lycana all nod.
"Dying is out of the question."
"We need to relax. What say we enjoy a massage and pick this up later?"
Begrudgingly the team walks out leaving Main and Jim behind.
"You better fix this Jim."
"Trust me Bob-O."
"Yeah right."
"I know what you are thinking; where has Robert Main been, and what can I bring to the table? Now evidently, there are questions, and I'll give those answers in time if and when I see fit. Am I rough around the edges, or is there any ring rust, or does an icon in this business still have what it takes to compete in the squared circle?"
Robert chuckles under his breath.
"I'll say this, I'm the same man that I have always been, and rest assured, I'm coming to take a hand full of scalps. I'm armed to the teeth in anger. Let's be one hundred percent transparent I've never been an angel, and going into this War Games match, I'm prepared for anything hurled in my direction, including a handful of dip-shits who consider themselves the next best thing in professional wrestling. Now you might be asking yourself why my confidence is in the stratosphere. Because I'm one man whose record in this match type is unparalleled, and if you don't believe me. Take a look. The teams I have been on have grounded some of the best names in the business, past, present, or future. The horse and the saddle, and I'm ready for conflict galloping into War Games like I'm Django!"
Robert pauses for a moment.
"Looking at the team full of misfits assembled... What's there to be intimidated of? A bunch of remedial kids with a potato gun would be more trustworthy individuals than this group. Mark Flynn? A man Jim and I bodied for the Tag Team Championships? A cowboy who hasn't done a damn thing. Literally... Nothing at all in the WGWF promotion. Then you have Cholo, who's nothing more than an arrogant young punk too distracted over the next fiesta to improve his skills for taking on more than one opponent. Outcast? A relic from the past who was supposedly dead? A drunken drug addict who got one son killed with no remorse and kept on his dark and destructive path while the other abandoned him and then offed his father. That's the definition of a deadbeat if I have ever heard one. Yet this loser is presumed to strike trepidation into my heart? Get the hell out of here with that Micky Mouse bull shit. I'm coming in like a bat out of hell and cutting the leash on the beast I keep locked away, seeking blood, and I fully intend to leave Outcast tangled up like a pretzel."
The camera pans in closer.
"But the one person I want to hone in on for a moment is you, Peter Vaughn. To say that there is unfinished business between us would be an understatement; there has always been one thing about you that has annoyed me. You suggested to anyone who would listen that you were why Apex was dismantled and that there was a bold-faced lie. You didn't have a damn thing to do with it. At that point in my career, I had already ascended the mountain top several times, and I had been talking about hanging up the boots for some time. Jim lost his mind and was fired, and Drew withered away into obscurity because Jim and I were gone. I understand what this match means and that there might not be any turning back once that cage door locks. But that is a chance I am willing to take if I get the opportunity to repay you with my fists. I'll take each of you clowns down one by one, leaving you shattered in the middle of the ring. You will regret this mistake once the dust settles and the smoke clears. Peter, grinding your bones into a fine powder has been on my bucket list for two years. You will get bopped like morse code. Bring whoever you want; don't bring anyone you want back."
WEEKS AGO
"Robert, someone is here to see you."
"I'll be right there." He shouted...
Robert leisurely strolled around the corner from the kitchen, stopping dead as if he had just seen a ghost. His radiant smile fell from his face as his skin became pale his blood pressure rose. Robert felt a lump form in his throat as he attempted to swallow it back down to no avail; his brain went into absolute overdrive as a hurricane of mistakes, cynicism, and misplaced shame flooded his mind.
"Well, Robert, who is this?"
Robert ran his fingers through his dirty blond hair, pushing it to the back of his head while leering at the floor; his eyes scoured the room, trying to uncover an answer to the enigma that stood before him. An unsympathetic assassin stood before him. Robert thought momentarily, was the past here to finish the job? Or draft him for the future? The man standing in Robert's front room made a sham of his misery. Several times, he blew a hole in Robert's heart with an ice-cold magnum. Yet somehow, someway, there he stood. Robert looked at his pregnant wife as his gravelly voice boomed.
"This right here..."
Robert angrily pointed at the door with a quivering hand...
"This is the past, and it's leaving. Right now!"
Robert's wife folds her arms and gives Robert a look every wife gives their husband when he is being a prick.
"Robert, that isn't any way to treat a guest of our home."
Robert's wife gently laid her on over his heart, his jaw locked in place as he ground his teeth. From deep within, a scream was building to a crescendo propelling its way from Robert's mouth; it horrified his soul as he unleashed the demon from within and stepped forward, now nose to nose with his ole APEX compadre Jim Caedus.
"Olivia, this is Jim Caedus, the guy who has left me holding the bag more times than I can count. Jim, my wife, Olivia!"
"Pleasure to meet ya."
"Yeah, Olivia, could you go and get Jim and me some coffee? We are going to go into my office and have a little chat."
"Sure, Jim, do you like cream and sugar?"
"Yes, please!"
Olivia smiles as Robert guides Jim into his office. Both men eye one another, trying to evaluate the circumstances between them. Robert gradually made his way behind the enormous oak desk, reaching for a bottle of bourbon and one crystal glass. Robert poured himself a double while Jim watched the amber elixir swirl around the glass. Robert glanced at Jim again as he placed the glass to his cherry red lips, taking a miniature drink. Bourbon always seemed to turn down the magnitude of Robert's reflections. It carries memories of good times; Robert constantly attempted to let himself dwell on them rather than think. Jim took a seat, running his fingers over the immaculate oak desk free of any imperfections, made more remarkable by the passage of time and the age in the wooden swirls.
"How'd you find me..."
Robert grumbled.
Jim's brilliant electric blue eyes inspected the glass trophy case behind Robert, the empire Robert had constructed from XWF gold. The Universal Championship sat in the middle, encompassed by the likes of the Hart Championship, X-treme Championship, and four different Tag Team Championships held twice by Robert and Jim as APEX.
"It's a long story... But as you know, I have my ways. So, Bob, a wife and a kid on the way? How's Drew?"
Robert interrupts...
"Drew is retired and well and despises you. Yes, I've got a wife and my firstborn on the way any second."
Jim smiles...
"Congratulations, brother... You are living the way I always wanted. I'm genuinely happy for you, and I mean that."
Jim points to the trophy case behind Robert.
"You still retired?"
Robert peeks over his shoulder at the case while anxiously tapping his fingers on the desk...
"Those are days gone by, Jimmy; I'm done and out of the game for good. That chapter is closed."
"Rumors flew around where you could've gone; that you'd retired, or been horribly injured in a match gone awry, or gotten tired of the limelight and decided to retire. Regardless, the fact remained that everyone had come to acknowledge you were gone and never coming back. Robert Main had gone silently into the night, fading away into obscurity. Is that how you want to be remembered? Because if not, I have an opportunity for you to fix it...War Games!"
Robert shakes his head in disgust.
"I'm done with the XWF, Jim"
"I never said it was with XWF. It's with WGWF."
"Absolutely not; I'm out if it concerns Chris Page in any way, shape, or form. He's screwed me over more times than I can count. I'm not going down that road again. We tried to annihilate one another for two years. I won...end of story. That hatchet is buried, and that's where I'll leave it. Not to mention Jim, tell me why I'd even consider helping you. It's not like we've been on speaking terms."
"Because I've always been able to count on you. I know I've bailed before, left you hanging. I'm sorry...it won't happen again. Please bro."
Robert rolls his eyes, taking another drink...
"Jim, I can't... The whole Chris Page thing doesn't sit well with me, and I'm confident he won't want to see me, either! Page and I will never see eye to eye."
"There are assurances in place; Page won't get involved..."
"Jim, a leopard never changes it's spots."
"Mainaic, you are a Wargames master..."
Robert raises an eyebrow, leaning back in his seat. No one was certain what transpired with "The Omega," but one thing was unmistakable: the name Robert Main had been imprinted on an era of professional wrestling.
"Wargames eh..."
Before Robert can continue, the sound of a glass shattering can be heard from the kitchen.
"Olivia?"
Robert and Jim rush from the office to Olivia's side. She's bending back against the kitchen wall.
"I'm having contractions, Robert! Get the Doctor!"
"Jim, get Olivia to the bedroom! I'll be right back, just going next door!"
A few moments pass, and Robert returns, as Jim has just gotten Olivia safely onto the bed.
"How far apart are they, babe?"
"Close, Robert. The baby is coming."
"Dooooc! Hurry!"
The Doctor enters.
"Weeeeeell, Mister Caedus. How nice to see you again."
"Oh for fuck sake, no, THE Doctor? He's your neighbor?"
"Oh, you know it, bitch. No time for pleasantries, however. First things first, we must make sure everything is in order. Quickly Jim, drop your pants! Mmmmmmmyeeeeesss."
"What is happening?"
"We're just going to get right back into it, aren't we; I'm not showing you my dick, doc!"
"Perish the thought; I'm checking for a hernia. You wouldn't want to drop the baby, would you? Now hurry, present your massive balls."
"Okay that makes sense."
Jim starts unzipping his pants.
"Mmmmmmmyeeeeesss."
"Jim!"
"Goddamnit doc!"
Jim zips back up.
"Stop tricking my stupid ass and get to work!"
"Ever the party pooper. Fine. How far apart are the contractions, Olivia?"
"Really close, doctor!"
She groans in discomfort as the pain is more intense than Olivia had envisioned.
"Mister Main, take position next to your wife. She may need your comfort and support."
"You got it, doc."
"Mister Caedus?"
"Yes?"
"Take your pants off."
"Wow."
"This isn't the time doc!"
"Just a joke. Levity is important in these situations. Alright, Mister Caedus, please kneel at the foot of the bed."
"Wait, what?"
"This isn't normal operating procedure. I'll be damned if something goes wrong, and I'm held accountable and lose my license. Mister Main is your friend, so help him out, you selfish bastard! I'll be right back."
Meanwhile, Jim does as ordered, taking the position at ground zero.
"Robert?"
"Jim, don't let me catch you staring at my wife's business."
"Wha- What the hell do you want me to do, Bob-O??"
"Look away!"
"Fuck sake."
Jim backs off a bit and averts his eyes from Mainiac's holy grail as the Doctor returns.
Olivia groans again.
"It's coming, doctor!"
"Okay, Mister Caedus, just do as I say, and everything will be fine. Olivia, push."
Olivia does so, grimacing in pain.
"Keep pushing, Olivia."
Olivia squeezes Robert's hands.
"You got this baby. You can do it."
"Oh god, I don't feel so good."
Olivia tilted her head vomiting directly into Robert's hands. Robert took a moment peering down at his hands and then took three steps back away from the bed, turning a shade of green as everything from his stomach tried vacating the exact way it came in.
"I'm going to puke!"
"Mister Main, stop being so dramatic. These things happen during the process. Is it chunky?"
Robert's cheeks suddenly bulge...
"Now, mister Caedus, keep your eye on the ball! Get in there closer and see if something is wrong!"
Robert comes around, pushing the vomit back down his throat.
"But Robert told me not to stare at her holy of holies!"
"And I meant it!"
"Look, who's the Doctor here? Me! Get in there and check it out!"
Robert shoots Jim a look of death.
"Mister Caedus!"
"Okay! Okay! Mainiac, don't you dare hold this against me!"
Jim looks.
"I can't see anything; it's too dark! Bob, what do you have in the ceiling, a 10-watt bulb?"
"Get in closer, Mister Caedus!"
Jim leans in closer. The Doctor activates his smartphone's flashlight, spotlighting between Olivia's legs.
"Oh that's much better."
"Watch it, Jim!"
"I am!"
"I mean, watch what you say!"
"Oooooooooooo!"
Olivia squeezes Robert's vomit-covered hand harder.
"Push harder, Olivia!"
"I think I see something!"
Something indeed. Olivia launches a stream of liquid defecation directly into Jim's face. Jim squeals in horror and tumbles backward.
"FUUUUUUUUCK!"
The Doctor snaps a picture with his phone.
"Mmmmmmmyeeeeesss. That's a keeper. Mister Main never let her go!"
"I'm sorry, Jim, I'm so sorry! It was those darn enchiladas!"
Robert is laughing his ass off, then unexpectedly feels slightly nauseous again as the smell hits him right between the eyes.
"Worth it."
Jim jumps up, wet brown dripping down his face.
"I'm going to get pink eye!"
He runs out clumsily into the bedroom wall splattering poo everywhere, one eye barely open.
"Don't be such a pussy, Jim!"
Robert teases, still laughing.
"Robert, watch your langua- OOOOOOOOOO!"
"Mister Main, the baby is crowning! You'll have to deliver!"
"You got it, doc!"
In the bathroom, Jim is scrubbing his face ruthlessly.
"Fucking pink eye, I know it!"
Finishing, he angrily removes his shirt and runs it in the bathtub. From the bedroom, Olivia shrieks.... then, the most beautiful sound imaginable moments later. The cry of Robert's newborn son...
"He gets the miracle of life, and I get shit on!"
Later, the Doctor has taken leave, Olivia sleeps comfortably with the baby; Jim stands out on the front porch. Robert joins him, puffing on a cigar. He hands one to Jim. Jim takes it, and Robert lights it.
"Thanks for your help in there."
"Anything for my brother."
Quietly, they smoke for several minutes, nodding while watching the smoke from their cigars dance through the air and dissipate.
"Okay, Jim. I'll do it."
"Do what?"
"War Games. I'm in."
Jim grins.
"Oh hell yeah! APEX, bro?"
"APEX brother."
Jim hugs Robert uninvited. Robert nearly drops his cigar.
"Get off me."
Robert leans over the porch railing and heaves violently.
"Bob...you okay..."
"You just smell like shit!"
PRESENT DAY
Robert had chosen to leave the business, he had accomplished all that he'd set out to accomplish, he'd built a legacy around his name that no one could scratch from the history books and decided to retire. Now he had a wife and a newborn and everything was right in his world....until Jim forced his way back into it. The Omega had chosen to accept his APEX brother's offer to join him in War Games, one last ride, only to find that Jim had secretly gotten him involved with the mafia. Anger had hit Robert, he saw red, like a cascading waterfall of blood before his eyes. So he decided to tackle Jim and choke him. It felt appropriate.
Jim struggles as Robert squeezes, strangling the life out of him. Lycana places a hand on his shoulder.
"Robert stop! Jim can't be serious, he's just pushing the joke a little too far!"
"Guess...again!" Jim chokes out...
Lycana starts kicking Jim in the ribs.
"You"
kick
"really"
kick
"did"
kick
"this!?"
KICK
Lycana pauses.
"What're you two standing around for? He's open on the left!"
Dolly joins in, landing strikes to Jim's unguarded side. Lycana continues kicking.
"This isn't very productive." Spencer says...
"P................Pussy!" Jim coughs out...
"Heads up Robert!"
Robert releases the choke and stands. Dolly and Lycana step back. Jim sees Spencer standing over him holding a large expensive vase.
"You don't have the balls, mister."
SMASH!
A HALF HOUR LATER
"Well that was invigorating." Jim says...
He's leaning casually against the wall safely across the room.
"Everyone feel better? Thank you for the healing potion Ly."
Robert, Dolly and Spencer turn looks of anger upon her.
"We need him for War Games!" She says with a sheepish grin...
"If we make War Games."
"No kidding." Dolly adds.
"It's just a little light kidnapping gang, big deal."
"I have a wife and son, Jim, you selfish prick! I'm not watching my boy grow up from behind bars!"
"Better than from beyond the grave Mainiac."
"Jim I swear I'm going to kick your ass all over again! I don't want to die OR see prison!"
"None of us do!"
"Look, can we all agree that us dying is out of the question?"
Grumbling, Spencer, Dolly and Lycana all nod.
"Dying is out of the question."
"We need to relax. What say we enjoy a massage and pick this up later?"
Begrudgingly the team walks out leaving Main and Jim behind.
"You better fix this Jim."
"Trust me Bob-O."
"Yeah right."
"I know what you are thinking; where has Robert Main been, and what can I bring to the table? Now evidently, there are questions, and I'll give those answers in time if and when I see fit. Am I rough around the edges, or is there any ring rust, or does an icon in this business still have what it takes to compete in the squared circle?"
Robert chuckles under his breath.
"I'll say this, I'm the same man that I have always been, and rest assured, I'm coming to take a hand full of scalps. I'm armed to the teeth in anger. Let's be one hundred percent transparent I've never been an angel, and going into this War Games match, I'm prepared for anything hurled in my direction, including a handful of dip-shits who consider themselves the next best thing in professional wrestling. Now you might be asking yourself why my confidence is in the stratosphere. Because I'm one man whose record in this match type is unparalleled, and if you don't believe me. Take a look. The teams I have been on have grounded some of the best names in the business, past, present, or future. The horse and the saddle, and I'm ready for conflict galloping into War Games like I'm Django!"
Robert pauses for a moment.
"Looking at the team full of misfits assembled... What's there to be intimidated of? A bunch of remedial kids with a potato gun would be more trustworthy individuals than this group. Mark Flynn? A man Jim and I bodied for the Tag Team Championships? A cowboy who hasn't done a damn thing. Literally... Nothing at all in the WGWF promotion. Then you have Cholo, who's nothing more than an arrogant young punk too distracted over the next fiesta to improve his skills for taking on more than one opponent. Outcast? A relic from the past who was supposedly dead? A drunken drug addict who got one son killed with no remorse and kept on his dark and destructive path while the other abandoned him and then offed his father. That's the definition of a deadbeat if I have ever heard one. Yet this loser is presumed to strike trepidation into my heart? Get the hell out of here with that Micky Mouse bull shit. I'm coming in like a bat out of hell and cutting the leash on the beast I keep locked away, seeking blood, and I fully intend to leave Outcast tangled up like a pretzel."
The camera pans in closer.
"But the one person I want to hone in on for a moment is you, Peter Vaughn. To say that there is unfinished business between us would be an understatement; there has always been one thing about you that has annoyed me. You suggested to anyone who would listen that you were why Apex was dismantled and that there was a bold-faced lie. You didn't have a damn thing to do with it. At that point in my career, I had already ascended the mountain top several times, and I had been talking about hanging up the boots for some time. Jim lost his mind and was fired, and Drew withered away into obscurity because Jim and I were gone. I understand what this match means and that there might not be any turning back once that cage door locks. But that is a chance I am willing to take if I get the opportunity to repay you with my fists. I'll take each of you clowns down one by one, leaving you shattered in the middle of the ring. You will regret this mistake once the dust settles and the smoke clears. Peter, grinding your bones into a fine powder has been on my bucket list for two years. You will get bopped like morse code. Bring whoever you want; don't bring anyone you want back."