Bourbon Street [Hostile Intent #2]

[Seth Dillinger]

Seth is sauntering down Bourbon Street, sunglasses on, sporting a v-neck floral print t-shirt and messy hair.

SETH

Greetings from BEAUTIFUL New Orleans!

Seth does a twirl to show off his surroundings.

SETH

It's a shame I don't have more time to explore these iconic bars, but hey... one little teensy mid-day drink won't hurt, right?

Seth grins and turns off the street, pushing through two saloon-style doors into Bourbon Pub & Parade. He approaches the bartender and orders a whiskey-ginger cocktail, then retreats to a dimly lit back corner booth.

SETH

Even when it's not bustling, you can feel the electricity crackling in the air here in New Orleans. The air just smells different. You can taste the apocalypse on the wind.

He takes in a deep breath and soaks up the aromas.

SETH

And who knows? Maybe we're on the verge of yet another apocalypse. Except, unlike the ones we've faced for the past half a decade, this one isn't slow-moving. The Seventh Circle of Hell won't be some slow march to our fates, no no, this one will be violent and fast.

Seth reaches for his drink and sloshes the brown liquid around in it, clinking the ice against the sides of the glass.

SETH

It's an appropriate atmosphere, I suppose, for myself and Fox to finally be meeting up again.

He raises the glass.

SETH

Cheers, Fox.

Seth finally takes a good long sip of his drink and savors every droplet before continuing with a heavy sigh.

SETH

I've thought a lot about what I'd say to you. I've thought a lot about you, actually. More than you know. More than you think you know. Yeah, we had something great in LGBTKO. I think back to that time and think back to what happened. Destroying The Cure and Legion, ridding the Network of their cultish lies and depraved followers. We had a good thing going, didn't we?

He can't help but smirk as he reminisces.

SETH

But you know, Fox, while you got to move on from the pain and the bullshit, I did not. While you got to move on and focus on your career after taking my AWF Prestige Title, I did not. I got to lay in a bed and shit myself silly. So, you'll have to pardon my arrested development if I'm not quite ready to let things go yet. It's not just with you, by the by. I need to process some shit with other people too, but...

Seth trails off as he holds up his cell phone, clearly showing the picture and name of RYAN YOUNG as he dials the number. On speakerphone, it's easy to hear the loud tone followed by a robotic voice saying...

WE'RE SORRY. THE NUMBER YOU'VE DIALED HAS BEEN DISCONNECTED-

Click. Seth hangs up.

SETH

You're the only one that was reachable.

He shrugs.

SETH

Call it some sick fascination with you, call it some manchild-like inability to move on in life. Whatever you want. I don't need to apologize, Fox. You know why? It's not because I'm not sorry -- because I am. It's not because I don't regret my choices -- because I do. It's because it doesn't matter what I say, or how I say it. You don't need it, and you won't accept it.

Seth shakes his head and clicks his tongue.

SETH

It's a damn shame, because you and I together could take this entire Network by storm, like LGBTKO did once already. But instead we're swimming through a river of bullshit. We're a different breed, Fox. We're elite. We're built to be competitors! Shit, man, you saw Spike Kane this week, didn't you?

He sets down his drink and tilts his head down at the camera, putting on a gravelly voice to imitate the ever-grimdark Spike Kane.

SETH (as SPIKE)

Everybody only cares about the former AWF wrestlers. I'm important. I say fuck a bunch. I'm violent and scary. Aren't I menacing?

Seth drops the impression and rolls his eyes, waving a hand at the camera.

SETH

See, when he's talking about former AWF guys being too dominant around the Network, I'm thinking... damn, who's he talking about? I'm seeing the rest of this Hostile Intent card and... not a former AWFer in sight! Even outside of that, who is even around from our heyday? Keith Williams? Didn't he take his ball and cry all the way home? Chris Card hasn't been heard from since the AWF shut down. Neo James Carner, Subject #42, Betsy Granger... all gone, aren't they?

If you ask me, Fox... we're so intimidating, that just the two of us being present in this company has Spike Kane swinging at ghosts.

You want to avoid me in that match? Fine by me. But remember this: at the end, there's only one winner. And I don't intend to get eliminated early just to make your life easier. This may have started as some way for Gunn to put a hit on Cage, but that doesn't change the fact that it's a bonafide World Title opportunity. I don't intend to go away quietly. I'm not gonna tunnel vision on you either, Foxy, because god knows there's four others in this match with us that require our attention.

Cage and Spike are both bloodthirsty. Keahi is hyper-intelligent. Thespian is a wildcard, just as likely to sit and watch as he is to set us all on fire in some sort of theatrical metaphor for global warming. There's too many variables for us to be constants, Fox.

You don't want to talk to me?

Fine. Be that way.

But do keep in mind... if we make it to the end of this match, you're at least gonna have to say two words to me to get out of that Chamber.

Seth winks at the camera.

SETH

"I quit."

He grins as the camera wheels back away from him, leaving him alone with his drink.