Blaze of Glory [Last PPV -- Love Y'all, Thank You]
May 27, 2022 1:18:08 GMT -5
Mongo the Destroyer, Robbie A, and 3 more like this
Post by anthonycaffrey on May 27, 2022 1:18:08 GMT -5
In case it needed to be said, thanks everyone. Much love, for everything. Hope you learned something, hope you grew, hope you got something of value out of all of this. I really apologize on how late this final show is to the people I care about here. Thank you to Fizz for getting me through a year of this, and to everyone who has ever helped along the way, or ever contributed a segment, promo, or match. Now, enjoy. - Caff
______
Sam Sawyer, wearing all black, is staring down at the matchbox clasped between their hands. They continue to stare at it for a few seconds before opening the box and taking one of the matches. They strike it against the side, then hold it up at shoulder height. They stare at the flame, ignoring the camera, then eventually they lift their eyes to look down the lens. Their eyes still seem to lack emotion, but replacing the cold, inhuman glare seems to be a humble confidence. With a very faint smile, they speak in a soft voice.
Sam Sawyer: Thank you.
Smoke fills the view. Dimly, an approaching figure can be seen, a faint glow by his head. As he nears, it becomes clear it is Johnny Five, a lit joint in his mouth. Once clearly visible, he stops and takes the blunt from his mouth to speak.
Johnny: Everything ends. Institutions, buildings... people.
At tha last word he looks forlorn, lost almost. He shakes his head and carries on.
Johnny: FIRESIDE is no different. We all know it should be someone else standing here now, celebrating that end. But Misha's gone, and me? I'm kinda sad this is the final FIRESIDE show. Still, as someone once said: it's better to burn out, than to fade away...
He smiles, bringing the joint up and flicking it forward. Against all realistic expectation, it hits and ignites the traditional flame. Johnny blinks in surprise.
Johnny: Holy shit, I can't believe that actually worked!
We fade to see the “Light the Fire” Fire already ablaze at ringside, nothing but darkness outside the light. We hear footsteps as someone in a suit walks up to the torch. Once he’s in focus, we see it’s former President Curtis Kanyon! Carrying a bucket?
Curtis: Every fire eventually succumbs to the sands of time. Tonight… you can call me the sand man.
Curtis pours the sand from his bucket into the torch, putting out the flame. Curtis walks away laughing.
Wright: Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to FIRESIDE's Blaze of Glory, our final show!
Park: We're already at least a week late, so let's get right into the action before big ol' Oliver starts tearing up like he did before we went on air!
Wright: Hey!
Stanford: The following contest is scheduled for One Fall, and it is a Triple Threat match for the XHF Junior Heavyweight championship!
The arena pops loud!
Wright: Two of the greatest Philadelphians the XHF has ever seen, alongside XHF Junior Heavyweight champion Nelly Angel are about to battle it out for the gold!
Park: You know that somewhere in the distance, Cheez is watching this match, knowing he’ll get the next crack at one of these three men!
Stanford: Introducing first, weighing 180 pounds, from San Francisco, California, weighing in at 180 pounds, he is the XHF Junior Heavyweight champion, he is NELLLLLLY ANGGGGELLLLLLL!
The guitar riffs starting out "La Di Da" by Jet ring out as out from the back walks Nelly Angel with the XHF Junior Heavyweight Championship around his waist. The defiant tone of the song is reflected in his face as he looks down to the ring and the audience, some of whom are holding "#NellyisaHeel" signs. Once he's done scanning the arena he shakes his head, chuckles and smiles to himself.
Wright: Isn’t it odd that the champion is entering this match first?
Park: The champ has been feeling overlooked and stepped over ever since this match came into creation, and it’s hard to disagree with him! This might be another tactic from Caffrey and management to really get in his head, making him enter first!
The 20 year ring veteran makes his walk down to the ring, climbs the stairs, and from the ring apron climbs onto the turnbuckle and holds the belt up before jumping off the corner into the ring, ready to start things off.
Wright: Besides the Rumble itself, Angel is the competitor who has most recently competed. How will his recent title defense help him here?
Park: It’s hard to say; on one hand, he’s entering with all of this momentum, on the other hand, his opponents tonight are much tougher than some dick fom CAR.
Wright: I thought Angel was supposed to be a good guy?
Park: Against these two, in this city?
Stanford: And his opponents… first, from Philadelphia, PA, weighing 210 pounds…
"Aw, fuck yo' headphone!"
"Timebomb" by Beck blasts into the arena and all the lights change to a cool shade of neon blue. Seth Dillinger struts out to the top of the ramp wearing sunglasses, jeans, and a button-down shirt with the top two buttons undone. The crowd claps and cheers for the fan favorite. He can't help but smile as he pulls his sunglasses down and winks at the crowd, making women and men alike cheer even louder.
Stanford: he is... SETH! DIIIIIILLLLLIIIIIIINNNNGEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRR!
"We've got a warning light,
We've got a warning light!"
The lights in the arena shift to an alarm/siren shade of red as Seth finally marches down the ramp. He pauses at the bottom and stops to high five a few fans and sign an autograph or two before making his way all the way around the ring and running up the opposite steps. He ends by leaning against the corner rope, bouncing back and forth, waiting for the match to begin.
Wright: A hell of set up to get Seth Dillinger into this match, we’re being told that there has been a hefty donation to his foundation, but more importantly… Seth’s back?!
Park: One of the top five greatest XHF wrestlers is back, indeed. Thankfully recovering from his horrible injury, the two-time X-Crown champion and the longest AWF Prestige champion has come home for a brutal contest against the greatest rival he’s never gotten in the ring with.
Wright: And Nelly Angel.
Park: Expect Seth to be put through his paces tonight, but if there’s one person up to the challenge, it’s Dillinger.
Stanford: And their opponent…
The beats for “Stalker’s Tango” begins to play in the arena as a mix of boos sounds in the arena before a record scratches. “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark” gets a similar treatment, cut off almost immediately as well. A different tune begins to play in the arena, setting the scene for the finale as the Philadelphia crowd begins to lose their minds to a very iconic theme in the city, the song of the 2018 Super Bowl champions.
As the slow beginnings of the song play, the lights in the arena have turned off. There is a single spotlight on the ground on the entrance ramp, waiting for the man himself.
“Hold up wait a minute, y’all thought I was finished?”
As the beat drops, the man walks through the spotlight, taking it with him as purple pyro explodes in the Hearth, lighting the way for the Purple Emperor’s last match. The boobirds in the crowd have been thoroughly silenced as we get a good look at the owner of FIRESIDE. He looks out over a crowd strongly behind him, then turns his face back to his opposition before the emotions of the moment can overwhelm him. He walls up the ring steps and taps both of his ankles, before pointing at his opponents and making a snapping motion.
Wright: It is electric in here as the FIRESIDE owner gets his last call of respect tonight from this capacity crowd!
Park: It’s hard to go out a villain when you’ve built all this, Oliver. And a special tribute to his AXW title win with the Meek Mill.
Wright: I was wondering what that was!
The camera captures the upper part of Caffrey’s chest, where you can noticeably see the pacemaker scar.
Wright: Can the brains behind FIRESIDE last tonight against Dillinger and Angel and take home the title in his last match?
Park: We’ll see if that heart holds up, I can’t imagine doctors signed off on this one! There’s the bell, let’s go!
The bell rings and the arena is loud for the beginnings of this JHW Championship match. The energy in the ring hits differently as there is a staredown immediately between Caffrey and Dillinger, which draws the ire of the champion himself. The two try to just ignore him, ready for their own moment, to which Angel responds by absolutely clotheslining the hell out of the Purple Emperor, knocking him to the ground. The boos this elicits from the crowd are impressive as Angel pounces on Seth in the corner, hammering away with lefts and rights. An angry Angel demands his respect as he backs up for a few moments.
Wright: Nobody came to see you, Nelly!
Park: I think he damn well knows that! And he’s pissed about it, but it is FIRESIDE’s last crack at the title after all!
Randy Angel charges back into the corner at Dillinger, but by now the former AWF Prestige champion has slipped out through the middle rope, and responded by getting his legs up to kick Angel in the chest as he lands there. The kicks daze Angel long enough for Dillinger to spring off the top rope and come down in one solid sunset flip motion, including a pin!
…ONE!
…Kickout!
Wright: A fast start for Dillinger!
Park: It’s impressive how little ring rust the guy seems to have, as if he’s kept going all of this time, when in reality he’s been recovering from such a heinous injury!
Referee Chris Mardinly indicates it’s only a one count. Dillinger backs up but quickly has to fend for himself as Anthony Caffrey has grabbed him from behind, looking to lock in his arms for his full nelson known as Dreams and Nightmares. Seth escapes with an elbow to the gut and bounces off the ropes, leapfrogging Caffrey on the first pass through, but then as he tries to leap frog on the second, Angel cuts him out of midair with a brutal European Uppercut!
Wright: Angel hits just as hard!
Park: Both those men are in rhythm early, can Caffrey join them?
Dillinger grabs at his mouth as he goes down but the action is still focused on Angel and Caffrey, who are taking the opportunity to jaw at one another. The two lock up in a test of strength as the insults continue, with Caffrey constantly asking Angel who the fuck he is. Caffrey is doing this purposely as with a 45-pound, 4” advantage he’s able to overpower Nelly. Surprisingly, he manages to get lower than Nelly, getting his head under Angel’s arm before flipping him into a Northern Lights suplex, popping the crowd!
…ONE!
…TWO!
…Angel kicks out!
Wright: What is this, 2011? Caffrey just hit a suplex!
Park: A Northern Lights nonetheless!
Caffrey grabs at his neck/shoulder after the move, indicating that the pop might not have been worth it, and then it gets worse as a speeding Dillinger comes by to smack him into the mat with a low dropkick! The crowd is hot for Dillinger as Angel comes at him, throwing a wild punch before being caught with a hurricanrana and sent into the middle rope! Caffrey comes at him too, only to be sent right next to Angel with a drop toe hold!
Wright: Are we about to see it? We are in Philly, after all!
Park: Dillinger’s dialing up a phone call back to 2019!
Dillinger bounces off the opposing ropes and gets a full head of speed, charging and then grabbing the ropes, spinning into a double tiger feint kick that knocks Angel back!
Wright: 215! Vintage Seth!
Park: Wait!
In hitting the 215, Dillinger has committed one of the cardinal sins of wrestling Anthony Caffrey: giving him your feet! The wily veteran manages to block the impact for himself by catching the foot, yoinking Dillinger off the ropes as the crowd rises to their feet, knowing that the Process is about to be locked in!
Wright: The Home of Trust the Process might about to see the hold be locked in!
Park: Seth’s trying his damndest to avoid it, but it might be too late for him!
Immediately Seth manages to turn on his stomach and get his feet up, kipping up and hitting such an effective hurricanrana, it sends Caffrey crashing out to the arena floor!
Wright: Kip-up Hurricanrana! These two are made for battles like this!
Park: I’m so glad we finally get to see this match!
Dillinger positions himself at the ropes, waiting for Caffrey to get back up, before stepping up onto the top rope… and being dumped to the floor by Angel sneaking up behind him! The crowd boos!
Wright: Angel gets one over on Dillinger there!
Park: Damnit! No one wants him here anyway!
Angel yells at the Philadelphia fans booing him after he dropped one Rumble winner onto the other. If there’s a move he knows to get them on his side, it’s what he’s about to do as he climbs up the top turnbuckle and waits patiently for his opponents, before launching off the top and coming down with a corkscrew moonsault to the floor!
Wright: ON ANGELS WINGS TO THE FLOOR!
Park: Holy hell! What a move from Nelly!
The crowd reacts positively to Angel for maybe the first time in the match as all three men are down. Referee Chris Mardinly can do nothing as there are no countouts in this XHF Junior Heavyweight triple threat match, so while we’re here we’re treated to just various shots of the three men laying on the ground, breathing, and trying to recover from the impact of the big move. We can see on the replay that Angel may have hit his head on the landing, and Dillinger is holding his lower back, possibly wherein he had a few surgeries to sustain his life. Caffrey has rolled over, holding his chest, not quite in a position of life or death just yet, but definitely breathing harder.
Wright: All three of these wrestlers are fighting for the title, who can get it done?
Park: We’re going to get in trouble for saying this, but for Caffrey and Dillinger, tonight might be about more than just the championship!
Wright: What are they gonna do, sue us? We won’t be on the air anymore after tonight anyway!
Park: Yeah, you know what? Fuck ‘em!
Two of the three competitors begin to make it back to their feet as UnJoo’s rant about the XHF administrative system continues on. There’s some line about how some companies get support and others don’t as Dillinger and Angel make it back to their feet. To Angel’s continued dismay, his moments of sacrifice go largely unappreciated as the fans are right back to booing him and cheering Dillinger on every exchange of fist vs. kick. Nelly grabs Dillinger and delivers a strong irish whip, but Seth leaps at the last moment, landing on the announce table feet first instead of crashing through it!
Wright: Incoming!
Park: Well hello, Seth!
UnJoo is clearly a bit flustered by the sight of the LGBTKO icon this close-up, but her excitement is quickly dampened by the XHF Junior Heavyweight champion climbing on the table to fight Dillinger. The two men continue to scrap for position and leverage, knowing the other will be going through the table. Seth gets shoved towards the edge of the table, then turns around and tries to catch Angel with the Neon Crash, but the champion manages to limbo under the impact, causing Seth to have to reposition himself. Nelly grabs him in this moment of chaos and moves to rebalance Seth, capturing him for the beginnings of one of his trademark Tornado DDTs!
Wright: If the champ hits this DDT right here, it might be over for Seth!
Park: Not the way he would’ve liked to return!
BAM!
Angel goes down in a hurry, somehow still landing on the table, as he is domed with a steel chair, courtesy of the Purple Emperor! The crowd cheers, then boos for a bit as Caffrey uses the top of the chair, driving it into the back of Seth’s left leg! Caffrey hops up on the table and demands that the crowd get loud as he grabs both men, putting their heads underneath his shoulders!
Wright: What are we about to see here?
Park: One last chapter in the battle of Tables vs. Anthony Caffrey, and this time Caff’s writing it!
Caffrey realizes that a double leg kick is the same as a jump, so he leaps, driving both men through the table with a double Brotherly Love DDT!
Wright: Double Brotherly Love in the city full of it!
Park: This crowd is on their feet!
All three men are down as the crowd is still electric, cheering after the dramatic move through the table. Caffrey is the first one back up to his feet, looking on at his old friend, gone and splintered, before preparing to return to the action at hand. As he turns to get back up though, he clutches his chest, forced to stay down a little while longer.
Wright: Oh man, this match can’t be good for Caffrey’s heart.
Park: Lots of emotion and adrenaline running through that man right now, but we should have medical staff standing by!
Caffrey waves off Dr. Lagari, threatening to fire his ass if he comes a step closer as he grabs Dilllinger’s downed body and begins pulling him towards the ring. He stops for a few seconds to catch his breath before sliding him back into the ring. The formerly Sixty Minute Man climbs back into the ring and hooks both legs, going for the in!
Wright: Caffrey covers Seth!
Park: The cover and the count!
…ONE!
…TWO!
…NO! ANGEL SAVES THE MATCH WITH A DOUBLE AXE HANDLE!
Wright: The champion keeps the match alive!
Park: If Caffrey’s heart was still in this, he’d have been the new champion right there!
A frustrated Nelly Angel grabs Caffrey, gesturing for the crowd to shut up as he eyes up the top rope, hoping for his moment in the hot Philadelphia sun.
Wright: Nelly’s got him hooked for the Exclusive!
Park: He drops him with this, it’s over!
Nelly pushes forward and begins to pick up speed as he heads towards the corner, but Caffrey shoves him off at the last moment before he can ascend the top turnbuckle, then catches him with a bullhammer elbow as he turns around! Before he can pin Nelly, however, Angel rolls outside of the ring, his body hitting the ground awkwardly!
Wright: Here comes the Ex-- no, it’s the Jawn!
Park: Caffrey’s unable to make it truly the closing remarks of the contest though as Angel rolls out of the ring!
Caffrey turns around, knowing Seth will be right behind him, but the man with the checkered past doesn’t immediately blast him, instead taking a few moments to stare right into Caffrey’s soul. Cameras in the arena immediately begin flooding the Hearth with flashes as the two men stare down one more time, Caffrey the bigger man physically, but Dilinger the bigger man morally.
Wright: It’s the Xtraction Part Two we never got -- AWF vs. AXW!
Park: Dillinger was the heart and soul of the AWF, Caffrey’s made a legacy in spite of the place!
Wright: AXW vs. AWF, LGBTKO vs. the AVA, here is no love lost in this battle of the Key vs. the Kingpin!
The two trade fists with authority, both men clearly exhausted, but drawing equal cheers and boos from the crowd as the arena splits between the two checkered Philadelphians. The two men are back and forth on one another before Seth catches Anthony’s right hand, and then kicks him to lower him to his knees, before twisting into a modified mounted armbar!
Wright: What the hell are we seeing now?
Park: Shades of -- shades of DRAGO SANTIAGO!
Wright: That can’t be legal to say on Network television!
Park: Somewhere out there Duke Kosloff has to be kicking himself right now!
Seth holds tight on the right hand of Caffrey, desperately trying to break as many fingers he can as fast as he can. Caffrey bites his tongue but lets out a scream of pain as we are treated to an all too familiar sound--
SNAP!
The snapping of one of Caffrey’s fingers is so loud we can hear it throughout the arena! Seth works away at another finger as Caffrey pounds on the mat with a foot, trying to rally the crowd to a way out of this one!
Wright: The brutal move from an old friend has the Father of FIRESIDE on the verge of tapping!
Park: Imagine if his last night in the biz, he submits! He’d never live it down!
Dillinger yells at Caffrey but Caffrey isn’t willing to throw in the towel yet. The crowd’s attention shifts however as climbing the ropes is one Nelly Angel, who picks his moment to fly, leaping off the ropes and crashing down onto both men with a shooting star press!
Wright: The champ takes advantage with a shooting star press!
Park: The cover and the count on both men!
…ONE!
…TWO!
…T-NO! Dillinger and Caffrey kick out!
Wright: That was almost three!
Park: So damn close!
Angel pounds on the mat in frustration as he reaches down for whatever he has left, sitting up Caffrey and deciding to knock his block off. He charges the ropes and comes running right back, striking the owner with a brutal shining wizard! Caffrey begins to bleed as the kick strikes him right in the nose!
Wright: Shining Wizard! Caff’s busted open!
Park: Angel’s got him here!
…ONE!
…TWO!
…THR-NO!
Caffrey gets a shoulder up!
Wright: Not enough! Somehow, some way, not enough!
Park: Angel’s gotta be wondering what the hell he has to do to put either of these guys away and earn the respect he feels he deserves!
Nelly Angel does that thing you do in a moment of frustration where you drop low for a few seconds, as if you can’t believe what has just happened, before rising up, ready to put away Dillinger instead. He sets up Dillinger the same exact way he set up Caffrey, sitting him up before getting a running start, bouncing off the ropes…
Wright: Shining Wizard number t---
…except this time Seth limbo slides underneath, bouncing off the ropes on his own to catch Angel with his version of the Slingblade, the Neon Crash!
Wright: Neon Crash! That’s gotta be it!
Park: Here’s the count!
…ONE!
…TWO!
…NO! Nelly Angel kicks out this time!
Wright: This is insane! No one wants to go home, no one wants to walk away from this match without the JHW Championship!
Park: It’s a match about respect, old grudges, and determination! Who’s going to be able to dig down deep enough to get this one done?
Wright: It may be Seth, as he’s now in the driver’s seat!
Seth yells at Angel to get up, and when Angel does so, he kicks him in the gut, before delivering his springboard somersault stunner, the South Philly Stunner! He covers!
Wright: South Philly Stunner!
Park: The title’s going home with Dillinger now!
…ONE!
…TWO!
…THR-NO! Caffrey breaks up the three count!
Wright: Only two! Only two!
Park: The owner of FIRESIDE is not going to go quietly into the good night! He saves the match for himself and for the brand!
As Seth struggles back to his feet, Caffrey manages to push himself back off the mat, giving everything he can in a last ditch effort, charging forward and leaping, driving both of his feet down into Dillinger’s back with his version of the Omakude Press!
Wright: Phertilizer! Phertilizer! Shades of the Purple Emperors and the legendary Radu Matei!
Park: Win for Radu, Caff! This crowd’s about to explode!
…ONE!
…TWO!
…THR-NO!
Dillinger kicks out at the last possible moment!
Wright: NO! I can’t believe it!
Park: This is becoming a matter of pride between these men, no one wants to give the other an inch, or a second!
Wright: A second is the difference between the championship and your championship dreams dying!
Caffrey bangs on the mat, then gestures for the crowd to get on their feet a final time. He clutches his chest and bangs on it, trying to keep his heart going as he grabs Dillinger by the foot, then flips him over, locking in the Process!
Wright: THE PROCESS! CAFFREY MIGHT GET THE LAST LAUGH HERE, SUBMITTING HIS LONG-TIME RIVAL!
Park: The Key’s gotta find a way out of this, he’s on a ship to Reck out there in the middle of the ring, all by himself!
We can hear Caffrey screaming for the pie-eating sonofabitch to tap out, but Seth isn’t going down without a fight either! He tries his best to roll away, but Caffrey follows him step-for-step, showcasing some fancy footwork of his own. Seth grabs the ropes and you can get the feeling that this is it, this is a moment Caffrey’s wanted for years. It is almost if the world slows down.
Wright: Dillinger, Caffrey, and it all comes down to the Process!
Park: The heart and brains of the XHF for a long-time, who’s it gonna be?
Dillinger screams out in pain, but as he bangs the mat, it isn’t to tap out but it’s to dig deeper, to find some more energy, to become a new life force, to become an inspiration and a role model for all those who still believe in him on his long road back, who know of everything he is and still come out supporting him. He is in the grasp of a man who could never quite be him, a man who on his best day was half the man that Dillinger could ever be, a ruthlessly spiteful man trying to break apart a man who was once fueled by nothing but pure love. Whether he could get back to that version of himself was yet to fully be seen, but for now, in the heart of his city, he could feel his heart beating as he dug down deep for those who supported him the most.
On the other side of the submission, Caffrey is stuck in a moment of time. Each time he opens his mouth, he screams obscenities at Seth, the words almost blend into a labyrinth of strange tongues, each also encoded in a thick air of desperation. Time is running out for him; every tick of the clock matches a tick of a heart that he has declared that the end time is near. He is in deep fear as he shouts and screams, trying to reverse everything he can, maybe prove that he can go back to his moments of glory of years past, maybe he can prove that FIRESIDE should still be open, maybe he can win one more time and grow one more middle-finger raising sunflower in the garden of his legacy. But for now, in the heart of his city, he could feel his heart beating as he dug down deep for the one person who believed in himself the most: Caffrey himself.
Unfortunately as time began to speed back up, there was a third man in the match.
Wright: Neither man is going to quit!
Park: Dillinger’s ankle must be broken at this rat!
Caffrey screams one more time as Dillinger reaches out-- then gets rolled up! Angel gets a handful of tights!
…ONE!
…TWO!
…THREE!
The bell rings!
Wright: WHAT? NO!
Park: It’s over!
Wright: It can’t be!
Stanford: Here is your winner, and still the XHF Junior Heavyweight Champion, NELLY ANGEL!
A shocked crowd doesn’t even boo for the first few moments as they try to put together what just happened. Nelly Angel grabs his championship from the timekeeper with authority, not even bothering to have his hand raised by the referee.
Wright: Heartbreak in the Hearth tonight as Nelly Angel rolls up Anthony Caffrey and walks out with the win and title still in-hand!
Park: Angel, Dillinger, and Caffrey all gave it their absolute all, but in the end Angel took advantage of being underestimated and overlooked to take the title back home!
As Angel bangs on the championship and demands his respect, the camera captures his opposition. Dr. Lagari is tending to Seth Dillinger, who just spent the longest time ever in the Process without tapping, but may have an injury to one extent or another. But the story, at least for tonight, is on the face of one Anthony Caffrey, who just kneels in the ring, in absolute shock of what has just happened, that everything quickly washed over him so fast, that just like that, it was over.
Wright: What a way to go out in your last match--
Park: --he gave everything he had. No shame in going out like that.
There is a look in Caffrey’s eyes as he rises to his feet. The crowd gives him a roaring send-off, but he looks like he has his mind set on something. He leaves without even acknowledging them, passing through to the back.
Wright: I’ve never seen that look in him before.
Park: I hope he’s okay?
The shot opens on Sam Sawyer standing by a door. They knock on it loudly four times. Their calm expression suggests they used more force than they intended.
Washington: Yes?
Sawyer opens the door and the camera follows them inside. Marcus's eyes widen in surprise as he stands up from his desk.
Washington: Hi, Sam. ... Everything okay?
Sawyer: Hi, Marcus.
They smile, prompting Washington to smile back. An awkward silence follows.
Washington: What can I do for you?
They break eye contact with Washington for a moment, still looking calm, apparently trying to search for the right words. Slowly.
Sawyer: I want to say sorry.
Washington: What for?
Sawyer doesn't answer, and Marcus is quickly absorbed by their stare. Emotion starting to form in their eyes, Marcus stares back dumbfounded.
Sawyer: I... I did something to you. I think...
Washington narrows his eyes, more confused than ever.
Washington: You what?
Sawyer: I don't know. Maybe not. But... I was a pain in the... wasn't I?
Washington's face relaxes into a smile.
Washington: Yes... a little. But don't worry about it, Sam. It's water under the bridge.
Sawyer smiles a little, but doesn't look convinced.
Sawyer: Thanks. But...
A long pause.
Washington: Sam?
Sawyer: I don't know how to say it...
Washington: Just tell it like it is, Sam.
Sawyer: I'm sorry... I didn't talk to you sooner. Or Anthony. I'm sorry I didn't thank you.
Washington: You're thanking us now, Sam. It's okay.
Sawyer: Yes... but... I just want you to know that.
Washington: I know... I know. You did right. But don't feel too bad about it. We've seen worse. And you weren't yourself, were you?
Sawyer: I was.
Washington: Well... you're a teenager. A little trouble kinda comes with the territory.
The joke causes Sawyer's face to break into a relieved beam.
Sawyer: Yeah... I guess so.
Happy with the outcome, Washington smiles. However Sawyer's smile fades a little.
Sawyer: I hope my parents see it like that.
Washington: They'll just be happy to see you home. I mean... they'll be mad too, but...
Sawyer nods, the guilt returning to their face.
Washington: You'll be fine, Sam. Go out and make them proud tonight.
Washington frowns when Sawyer doesn't react as they expected.
Sawyer: I still haven't thanked you properly.
Washington: Sure you have.
Sawyer: No... I... I owe you. For everything. Thank you. For reaching out to me... and the contract... and... For letting me get away with everything, and letting me stay here. Thanks for... having my back. Tell Anthony thanks too. And Walter, and Oliver, and UnJoo, and everyone. I want the fans to know that you're good people. And that FIRESIDE was a good place to work. And...
Sawyer looks a little uneasy, and seems to focus harder on Washington's eyes.
Sawyer: And the fans too.
Washington looks at the camera and smiles.
Washington: That's nice of you, Sam, but why don't you thank Anthony and co yourself? They'd appreciate that. Anthony maybe a little too much. You're not scared are you?
Sawyer: No. I will when I say goodbye, but... it might sound... weird. Or empty. I'm not good with words. You can do it better than me. I want to make sure they understand.
Washington: I'll make sure they do.
Washington grins.
Washington: You leave nothing to chance, do you? I like that about you. Now... go. Get ready. Defend your championship with pride.
Sawyer: I will.
Sawyer smiles. Washington smiles sternly back, and watches them leave. A message buzzes out on his phone. He checks it and the camera is able to view the phone over his shoulder.
Text: I'm going. You going to be okay?
Text: You sure? I will be fine. Should get your heart checked. Still on for the party?
Text: I can't be here anymore.
There is a pause before the next text comes in.
Text: Thanks for everything. Love you.
The camera cuts.
The cameras cut back to Walter Stanford, the long-time announcer, standing in the ring. He looks around, knowing if there’s any moment to live in, it’s this last introduction. You can see in his face that the old man has been grateful for one last ride, no matter how long it lasted.
Stanford: Ladies and gentlemen, the following contest is for the Wildfire Championship, the SPARK Championship, the FIRESIDE Tag Team Championships, AND the FIRESIDE World Championship… it is a thirteen-on-thirteen tag team match with one fall, with no disqualifications, it is the Battle for the Soul of FIRESIDE…
The crowd cheers, knowing they’re about to get louder in about ten seconds.
Stanford: …and it is your MAAAAAIN EVENTTT OF THE EVENING!
There it is, one last really loud main event pop.
Wright: Oh man, I don’t want it to end! One last time, here we go!
Park: I’d be crying if I didn’t have goosebumps!
Stanford: …and it is your MAAAAAIN EVENTTT OF THE EVENING!
Wright: Here we go, Team Fizz vs. Team Kanyon, winners receive all the gold, losers go home empty-handed!
Park: It’s really gonna determine the vibes of the afterparty, isn’t it?
Stanford: Introducing first, members of Team Fizz -- first, from Area #51, weighing in at 325 pounds, they are SUBJECT FORTY TWOOOOOOO!
Wright: Starting out strong for Team Fizz tonight, one half of the former team Subject to Change, the former Destiny and X-Crown champion comes back to FIRESIDE!
Park: Probably as a favor to Caffrey!
The fans in the arena are hype and ready to go, ready to cheer on Subject. The music keeps going for what feels like an extra long amount of time, until you remember that yeah it’s just a long song, but still this feels like forever, and this match is already going to be long to begin with---
---then the camera cuts to the back.
In the back, we see a locker room door that a technician knocks on, and the monster is revealed to a large pop from the crowd. What quickly cuts the pop off is the presence of some of New Money’s goons just around the corner, along with the man himself, the former X-Crown champion, Evan Valentine Junior.
Subject #42: Ragh!
Wayne Tanner Jr.: Whoah whoah chief, slow down. Evan got you a little going away present for the last show!
Nick Von Erich: Yeah yeah, you’re gonna love it!
Subject #42: Ragh?
The actual cousins themselves are missing, but their presence is more than made up for with Evan Valentine holding… a pet carrier?
Evan Valentine Jr.: I got you somethin’, yeah. But you gotta make me a promise first.
The talks of a promise are suspicious as always -- Evan seems to have some kind of plan.
Evan Valentine Jr.: Dylan and the rest of my team, we don’t want any smoke. You can’t be smashin’ this face in, it’s North Korea, it’s Hollywood, it’s YouTube, TikTok, it’s everything. So uh, you just turn and around and leave. That asshole Caffrey doesn’t care about you anyway. But I found something that will care about you.
Subject #42: Ragh!
Subject isn’t amused by the offer as Evan turns the pet carrier and then opens it, revealing just the tiniest, furriest little three-legged kitten. The thing can barely stand on its own, missing one of its front legs, but when it does, it reminds you of a tripod.
Subject #42 immediately reaches for the kitten, but Evan shuts the gate to the carrier again. He sticks out his hand.
Evan Valentine Jr.: We have a deal?
There isn’t even a hesitation as the big lug shakes Evan’s hand so fiercely the grip hurts him.
Subject #42: Ragh!
Evan Valentine Jr:. AHHH let go you--- thanks. Enjoy.
Evan and his goon squad turn to go, leaving Subject behind. You can hear Evan bragging about the easiest $200 he’s ever spent. Subject opens the gate and reaches in for the kitten, grabbing it and bringing it closer to them. The kitty already has a tiny collar and a little name on the collar, marking it. The full name is “Cash Mewney”.
Cash: MEW!
The kitty grabs at one of Subject’s fingers as the camera cuts back to ringside.
Wright: As heartwarming as that was--
Park: --did we just see Evan be nice for once?
Wright: No, he did it to take out Subject before this match even started! Damn Valentine always has a plan, even on our last night!
Wright: Starting out strong for Team Fizz tonight, one half of the former team Subject to Change, the former Destiny and X-Crown champion comes back to FIRESIDE!
Park: Probably as a favor to Caffrey!
Stanford: Introducing next, from Detroit Michigan, weighing in at 185 pounds, he is JOOOOEEE NOOOOOOOOOBODDDDDDYYYYY!
The camera zooms into Nobody's face who smirks and adjusts his tie before making his way to the ring. As Nobody makes it up two steps, he stops before turning around to give a young fan his signature fedora.
Wright: One half of the first-ever FIRESIDE Tag Team champions is back tonight, here to get some revenge on the Bang Bros and Kanyon!
Park: Kanyon took his partner, took his championship, and took his job, and tonight might finally be vengeance!
Stanford: Introducing third, from San Diego, California, weighing in at 299 pounds, he is EDWAARDDDD ZEPPPPPP!
Wright: Edward Zepp, one of the tallest glasses of water here in FIRESIDE, effective, tough, and strong as hell!
Park: The man stands seven feet tall and you treat him like you’re selling a used car! He’s great!
The menacing synth and deliberate drums of "Blood Moon" by Dance With The Dead signals the arrival of Ed Zepp, or it would, if Zepp had passed through the curtain. The commentary team continues to fill the space, or tries to do so.
Wright: Son of Isiah Zepp, the aspiring politician… where is he?
Park: I don’t know--
The camera cuts to a different section of the backstage area, where Johnny Five is standing with President Curtis Kanyon. Kanyon has his trusty sledgehammer in hands as the camera reveals they’re standing over Edward Zepp, who is grabbing his knee, which is gushing blood. Zepp yells out in pain only to be struck again hard with the hammer.
Kanyon: Shut up!
Johnny Five: This isn’t right, man.
Kanyon: Since when do you care? You and Misha…
Johnny Five: You can’t just go around layin’ out every dude left and right.
Kanyon: All part of the plan. Misha isn’t here anymore. You want to win?
There is a glimmer in Kanyon’s eyes as he doesn’t even make eye contact, staring at the hammer, ignoring Five, who has his arms crossed. Five sighs.
Five: This is bullshit, I beat you---
For the first time, Kanyon stops looking at one of the instruments of his grand plan, and looks over at Johnny.
Kanyon: What?
Five crosses his arms.
Five: Nothing.
The camera cuts back to ringside. Fans are starting to clamor as Team Fizz is beginning to fade quickly.
Wright: Kanyon seems to have a master plan to take out his competition tonight!
Park: He’s already knocked out two seven footers, Fizz might be left with Nobody to defend with!
Wright: He’s got Joe!
Park: I said that!
Stanford: Introducing fourth and fifth, they weigh in at a combined 480 pounds, they are the team of EOIN O’ROURKEEEE AND APAAAATTTHHHYYYY!
“You’re going to have to prove me wrong, I don’t think that’s what you really want” plays on the arena speakers as the crowd pops for one of the most electric wrestlers in all of FIRESIDE and their partner.
"I love you...now die".
The haunting distorted voice of SKYND fills the arena, red smoke billowing up from the stage as the lights go down, bathing the arena in a sea of red. When the smoke clears, Apathy is nowhere to be found, and neither is their partner.
Wright: And here’s someone with big stakes going into tonight, where if Apathy’s team wins, they win the SPARK Championship from Donzig.
Park: Accompanying this absolute badass is their partner Eoin, making an ill-timed FIRESIDE debut, but hey, you can’t predict these things.
The atmosphere in the arena quickly turns to boos again as the pair don’t appear on the ramp.
Wright: Oh come on--
The camera cuts to the medical office of Dr. Lagari as Apathy just finishes getting examined by the man.
Elizabeth: Assume I’m good to go.
Eoin: Lizzy and I are already running late to this match. I can hear the music.
Still a bucket of nerves with a camera on him, Dr. Lagari tremors as he passes off a clipboard to Apathy.
Dr. Lagari: Yes, yes, you’re all good, just sign here.
Elizabeth: Why the nerves?
Eoin: He’s camera shy. No wonder no one uses him in promos…
The door of the medical office slams open to reveal Gavin Drake, Carbrey, Mormo, and Moloch all bursting in to mug the biggest threat to Donzig’s title reign. Mormo, Drake, and Moloch quickly overwhelm Eoin in a three-on-one assault but Apathy takes the clipboard and cracks it over Carbrey’s skull. Dr. Lagari catches an elbow in the fracas and goes down hard, spilling a box of masks everywhere. Drake charges forward to catch Apathy but immediately gets kicked in the gut and planted with a Death before Dishonor for his troubles!
Wright: They’re fighting them off!
Park: Donzig-gun got the jump on Apathy and Eoin, but Apathy is a one-wrestler wrecking crew and is doing their best to dispatch them!
As Apathy turns to face Moloch, she’s struck in the back with a crutch by the SPARK Champion himself, Donzig, accompanied by Sinclair! They go down and as Eoin tries to spring up and fight for his partner, he’s kicked below the belt and given an Event Horizon stunner for his troubles!
Wright: There’s so many of them! This is a freaking six on two!
Park: It’s messed up, is what it is! This was supposed to be a celebration of FIRESIDE talents and a battle for the soul of FIRESIDE, not a series of muggings!
Sinclair barks orders as Donzig reaches down and grabs the SPARK championship that’s been knocked to the floor, possessive of his championship as ever. He grabs it and throws it back over his shoulder as Mormo and Moloch get Apathy up… and Mormo moves to irish whip Apathy, but then uses the momentum to send her speeding back into Moloch’s arms, sending Apathy crashing through the examination table!
Wright: Damnit! Team Fizz is down four people and the bell hasn’t even rung yet!
Park: The soul of FIRESIDE is looking dark and bleak!
The camera cuts back to ringside as Stanford sighs, standing back up to keep announcing Team Fizz participants.
Stanford: Introducing sixth, from San Diego California, weighing in at 165 pounds, they are the Shining Star, they are MYOJIIIIIIINNNNNNN!
Are you ready?
The lights dim down while the catchy, fast paced rock of RAINBOWS by A9 echoes as a spotlight suddenly appears on the ramp. Once the beat finally kicks in, we expect to see someone filling the spotlight, but again, no one’s there!
Wright: Holy shit, again? What the hell is happening?
Park: Hang on, I’m getting word about something…
Wright: Imagine you’re Joe Nobody standing in the ring, and so far, none of your partners have come out. It’s looking more and more like Team Kanyon is going to win this damn thing by default!
Stanford stands up to make the announcement.
Stanford: Ladies and gentlemen, I’m told that MYOJIN isn’t in the building tonight, so moving on!
The crowd boos LOUDLY, like super loudly as Oliver Wright grows more exasperated.
Wright: After everything FIRESIDE did for that kid’s career, made them an X-Crown champion, an XHF Junior Heavyweight champion, for crying out loud…
Park: …and Caffrey basically forced him to tag with him in a losing effort to El Bang Hermanos, mind you.
Wright: Just a shame that’s how that story ends. Is anyone going to show up for Team Fizz besides Joe Nobody tonight?
Stanford: Introducing seventh, from Eugene, Oregon weighing in at 248 pounds, he is SHANEEEEE LOCKEEEEEE!
The first guitar chords hit. Then that voice leading into "A Country Boy Can Survive" by Hank Williams Jr hits over the PA. Almost immediately, pacing in tune with the music is a tall, strongly structured gentleman. He has simple green trunks with double yellow vertical stripes on each side. Black knee pads and tall black boots finish off the simple wrestling ensemble.
Locke wastes little time heading to the ring, not bothering with exchaning high fives, not bothering with jibes, simply keeping an eye on the ring. Locke's reddish-brown mullet is capped with a heavily worn John Deere cap and his strong looking but not necessarily "jacked" frame is wrapped with a sleeveless flannel work shirt. He has a thick neck, wide chest and back, body hair evident. He has a frame powered by a lifetime of hard work rather then a gym. His forearms are especially thick, capped with gnarled, thick hands and fingers.
Wright: Shane Locke has apparently arrived in one piece, making a second member of team FIRESIDE!
Park: Two out of seven isn’t looking the best, but they’ll do what they can do with the former SPARK Champ!
Stanford: Introducing next, fighting for the FIRESIDE Tag Team championships…
The camera cuts again to the back, this time to catering as Death Trap and Mistress Discipline are finishing discussing strategy for tonight’s match while finishing up a plate of delicious sandwiches. There are hilarious quips that have been edited out of broadcast for time, but the air in the room reaches a chill as our heroic pair find a Spike Kane at one end of the hall, and a Zolothach on the other end. The two almost wordlessly look at one another before splitting off to take the fight to the opposition.
The brawl between Zolothach and Mistress Discipline goes better for the good guys as after getting locked up in a side headlock and wailed upon by Zolothach, Mistress manages to counter and send Zolothach crashing into a brick wall, where she bounces off with a hard thud. On the other side, things aren’t going as hot for Death Trap, who manages to string together a series of punches before being german suplexed onto the cold hard floor!
Wright: Spike Kane and Zolothach thought they got the drop on Top of the Class, but at least half the group is holding their own!
Park: Mistress and Trap are taking the fight right back to them!
Mistress takes her eyes off the ball for a few seconds as she checks on Trap, only to find herself locked in a spinning cobra clutch from Zolothach, the Tranq Out! Discipline begins to fade as Spike mounts Death Trap, raining down lefts and rights, but the former X-Crown champion manages to take down his assailant by pulling on the legs of a catering table, tipping a table full of taco ingredients spilling on top of both men!
Wright: It’s taco night in the Hearth!
Park: That sour cream has gone everywhere!
The distraction allows Death Trap to escape and the moment of time to sock Zolothach in the back of the head, causing her to release her grasp on Discipline. Zolothach spins around to find herself caught in the grasp for a Cut the Strings cutter, but she shoves Death Trap away into a Blood God’s Wrath from Spike Kane, sending Death Trap through the catering table!
Wright: A powerbomb with authority, right through the side of the table!
Park: Spike clearly isn’t a man of being made a mockery of with salsa and other fine dips!
The heel pair grab Mistress Discipline and spot another table full of canned sodas, bottles of alcohol, and a very large glass bowl of what one can safely assume is a punch that envies the best collegiate jungle juice you’ve ever seen. Spike clears some of the table for the incoming corpse of Mistress, directing traffic until he finds the glass bowl crashing down on the back of his head and immediately shattering, courtesy of one Brad Kane!
Wright: Brad Kane just broke that bowl on his sibling and long-time rival!
Park: The taste of revenge is apparently fruit and alcohol-flavored!
Brad Kane kicks Zolothach in the gut, and Discipline finishes off Zolothach by dropping her through the drinks table with a sitout powerbomb of her own!
Wright: Shades of former SPARK championship matches with Mistress Discipline putting out Zolothach there!
Park: The good guys might be turning the tide, but is it too little too late?
As Discipline gets back to her feet, she looks over at Brad, who is still stomping on a now-bleeding Spike Kane. Once Brad has had enough, he backs off, but he doesn’t follow Discipline, who is headed to ringside to be ready for the tag match. Instead, he begins to make his way towards the exit.
Brad Kane: I got mine!
Brad Kane doesn’t even give a wave goodbye as he leaves, leaving Discipline almost dumbfounded. She checks on Death Trap, who is being helped by the trainers. He gives her his blessing to go kick ass.
Wright: Brad got his revenge and then bounced!
Park: Honestly? Kind of respect it. Man knows what he wants!
The announcements turn back to the ringside area as Stanford keeps announcing names.
Stanford: And their partner… from Houston, Texas, weighing in at 150 pounds, they are the WILDFIRE Champion, they are SAAAAAM SAWYYYYERRR!
The arena lights dim as a bassline begins to play. While a silver mist slowly fills the stage, the fans wait in anticipation. A deep voice starts singing in a whisper. Then, a dark figure walks through the mist. Completely decked out in black, the teenager slowly walks forward. The camera mostly keeps its distance. Different angles give a better look, but their face is still mostly obscured in darkness. After climbing the steps and entering the ring, the volume of the music increases.
"I hear the sons of the city and dispossessed
Get down, get undressed
Get pretty but you and me
We got the kingdom, we got the key
We got the empire, now as then
We don't doubt, we don't take direction"
The mist has thinned but the arena is still dark. The song quietens down.
"Lucretia, my reflection, dance the ghost with me"
Then reaches its loud finale. The lights come back on to reveal Sam Sawyer standing in the ring, their face quietly focused.
Wright: Sam’s been back and forth in the past, but I think they seem to be turning a new leaf, or a new page as FIRESIDE comes to an end!
Park: A tough fighter, a former X-Crown combatant, and tonight, they’ve got one last shot at defending their gold.
As Sam Sawyer enters, Mistress Discipline joins them, making four wrestlers in the ring for Team FIRESIDE.
Stanford: And finally…
The camera cuts one last time to the private locker room of the former world champion and the current world champion, Natalie Burrows and Vodka Fizz. Or rather, just outside of it, as our lovely robot boy Sico has taken the job of getting final words from the pair. He knocks on the door.
Sico: Happy Birthday Paulie?
We can hear what sounds like yelling coming through the other side of the door.
Burrows: We could just leave! Have you seen what’s going on out there? They’re beating our team! Caffrey went home, he never cared about you and me!
Fizz: This is my title, Nat! This is my show! I gotta do this!
Burrows: You don’t gotta do anything!
Wright: Sounds like trouble in paradise for these two!
Park: Maybe a hole in their chemistry?
There is more knocking from our robot friend.
Sico: Happy Birthday Paulie?
Fizz: What’s that supposed to mean?
Burrows: I’m going to go--
Fizz: Wait! I need--
As Burrows opens the door, she discovers that just around the corner, the duo of Otto Ritter and Alexander Von Blankenship are not only around the corner, but armed with baseball bats. She quickly closes the door halfway.
Burrows: Heads up, we’ve got two guys coming our way.
Fizz: Oh so now you want to help.
Burrows: I want to make sure you don’t get your ass kicked, yes.
Fizz: Fine. Let’s go.
Vodka Fizz grabs the FIRESIDE World Championship as the two emerge from their dressing room to find Ritter and Blankenship rapidly converging on their location with the bats. Burrows shoves Fizz out of the way of a charging Ritter, who ends up crashing into Sico.
Sico: Happy Birthday Paulie!
Blankenship has a head full of steam on his own as he goes after the former world champion, swinging wildly and just missing his own shot with the bat. As he reaches back for an overhead shot, Fizz gets his hands on the bat and tussles with him for it, giving Burrows enough time to regain her composure and catch a running Ritter with a hard Denial kick!
Wright: This is quickly becoming a helluva couples therapy session!
Park: Otto Ritter can’t catch a break!
Vodka Fizz manages to wrestle the bat out of Blankenship’s hands, only to get kneed in the balls for his troubles. Fizz drops and coughs in pain from the blow as Blankenship backs up for the superman punch, only to get crushed by Burrows’ Rydeen bomb straight into the hard floor!
Wright: Burrows pays back Fizz with the save!
Park: This attack didn’t go well for Fizz and Burrows!
Clearly in pain, Fizz has no choice but to ask for help. He reaches up with a hand out, and after thinking for a few moments, Burrows accepts. The two don’t embrace or anything of that matter, instead turning their heads towards the entrance.
Stanford: …weighing a combined 385 pounds, the team of NATALIE BURROWWSSSS and FIRESIDE World Champion VODKA FIZZZZZZZZZ!
The lights go down and blacklights come up, bathing the stage in purple. A hard, grungy bassline starts to play.
'Hey, turn the bass up. Turn the bass up!'
Fizz starts up his trusty golf cart and turns back, waiting for his partner to hop on.
Fizz: You coming?
Burrows checks herself, then makes her decision.
Burrows: Let’s go.
The base gets louder and grungier, and the lyrics come in as FIRESIDE World Champion Vodka Fizz drives out on stage with Natalie Burrows in the passenger seat in a golf cart retrofitted with huge speakers that are playing his music. He is dressed in a full-length white fur coat, white shutter glasses, and anover-the-top white top hat, and as he drives the golf cart down the ramp he toasts fans with a yard-long cocktail flask hung around his neck full of some florescent liquid he drinks from as he drives down the ramp.
When he gets to ringside, he drapes the fur coat over the seat of the golf cart and removes the top hat, keeping the shades on. he climbs up on the apron, turning to face the crowd and chugging the remnants of his large drink, finally striking a pose and spraying a mouthful of whatever it is up into the air and letting it rain over him. He grins and winks at the camera, then rolls backwards over the ropes into the ring. The Southern Belle slides into the ring, rolling onto her back before kipping up to her feet. The nearest turnbuckle is mounted as she looks out over the crowd, removing the title and holding it aloft with one hand to evoke more cheers. She lingers there for a few moments before hopping down.
Wright: A mixed bag of emotions between these two, lots of rumors in the air about their relationship past this show, not to mention Fizz just beat Burrows for the world championship!
Park: And she won’t get a chance at getting revenge or getting that title back. I can’t say I blame her, she’s been wronged by Caffrey, a man who beat up one of her good friends.
Wright: So they officially have seven of the thirteen have made it… Vodka Fizz, Natalie Burrows, Sam Sawyer, Mistress Discipline, Shane Locke, and Joe Nobody.
Park: That’s only six, Ollie. Less than half of the team ready to go due to the hands of Team Kanyon, though Team Kanyon isn’t at full staff either.
Stanford: And their opponents…
VROOM! VROOM!
Stanford: …riding in on the BANG BUS…
As the now-infamous Metallica song rings through the Hearth, a curtain to the side of the ramp is lifted to reveal an American-flag painted school bus driving into the arena. Behind the wheel is the team captain himself, but as they’re announced, one by one members of the Bang Bus keep pouring out, revealing what remains of the team. Stanford quickly realizes it’s best to just announce people as they come out.
Stanford: …the team of DINOSAAUR BONES…
Dinosaur Bones gets a pop but thankfully not of a pin variety before immediately going over to scare the shit out of Oliver Wright one more time.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wright: Jesus Christ!
Park: This isn’t 2020 anymore Oliver, you have to know this kinda thing is coming!
Wright: I didn’t know Dino Bones was back!
Stanford: …JOHNNY FIIIIIIIIIIVE…
Five gets a moderate pop when coming out of the BANG Bus, but man you can tell he really just doesn’t want to be here or on this team as he walks down to the ring.
Wright: Who shit in his Wheaties?
Park: This is a squad of El Combatiente and a bunch of bad men. I don’t blame him for not being enthused!
Stanford: …SPARK Champion DONZIIIIIG…
Donzig emerges to the loudest boos so far, carrying the SPARK championship over his shoulder. He shakes his head and ignores the crowd as he heads to the ring.
Wright: A long-time star of FIRESIDE despite double dipping elsewhere, Donzig finally captured championship gold!
Park: And now he has to defend it in this cluster!
Stanford: …the FIRESIDE Tag Team Champions, EVAN VALENTINE and DYLAN BLACK, NEW APPENDAGESSSSS…
The FIRESIDE Tag Team champions emerge from the bus to even louder boos, not amused with having to defend the championships they just earned in a brutal Rage in the Cage. They carry with them the scars of the match and the injuries, both men walking slower than normal.
Wright: This match has serious star power in it as these are just two of the former X-Crown champions on this team!
Park: It is an absolutely loaded line-up, that’s for sure. And this team, formed out of a weird battle royale, has been one of the most pleasant surprises as FIRESIDE is coming to a close, their brains and skills making them an effective team.
Stanford: …and finally, the trio of BANG BROS including STEVEEE AWESOMEEEEE, and the former FIRESIDE Tag team champions EL COMBATIANTEEEE and PRESIDENT CURTIS KANYOOOOOON!
El Combatiente emerges from the bus first, carrying something with the assistance of Javier as he exits the bus. It turns out to be balloon Steve, the likeliness of Steve Awesome in balloon form as the man is still missing. President Kanyon turns off the engine of the bus to look over his motley crew and soak in the atmosphere, happy that his plan has come together. Together, the three men and the balloon walk down to the ring one last time.
Wright: This would be all four members of the BANG Bros, but with Spike taken out by Death Trap, it’s just the three amigos tonight!
Park: Steve’s looking lighter on his feet than ever before!
Wright: You’ve got that right, but even lighter are the former FIRESIDE Tag Team champions, having lost the gold in Rage in a Cage. Now Kanyon is cashing in on a long-owed world championship match tonight, and hence we have this match.
Park: And you can see he’s come into this match with a plan already, having knocked out half the competition, while he on his side has himself, Combatiente, Valentine, Black, Donzig, Five, Bones, and Awesome!
As the group descends on the ring, we can see Oliver counting the participants from the destroyed announce desk.
Wright: Isn’t there supposed to be one more? Where’s Jason Long?
Park: Oh, you missed it-- Caff just invited him back to fire him again. Long was apparently turned away at the door tonight.
Wright: Really made him fly all the way out here to turn him away? That is extremely petty!
Park: He really did treat him like a small child, didn’t he?
The group gets into the ring at the same time, revealing an eight on six, or a seven-and-balloon on six.
Wright: It’s finally arrived -- no disqualifications, one pinfall or submission to determine the winner, and the winning team walks out with all the gold!
Park: Here we go!
The bell rings and almost immediately the bodies begin hitting the floor as the battle for the soul of FIRESIDE continues from its battles in the back to this time the heart of the Hearth. Most noticeably the first one hitting the floor from the ring is Shane Locke, who’s been dumped on his ass by a rampaging Dinosaur Bones. Bones pursues him, screaming as he goes!
AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wright: Bones is hungry and on the warpath!
Park: I’m not sure the former farmhand would taste of fruit and veggies, but Bones might eat him regardless!
Joe Nobody is out for blood and vengeance as he targets the Bang Bros in the earlygoings, looking to get his hands on Kanyon but having to settle for El Combatiente. Nobody strikes hard and early with a Perfect Placement, a Jumping Calf Kick that knocks Balloon Awesome out of Combatiente’s hands and the former FIRESIDE tag team champion out of the ring! Balloon Awesome lands in Nobody’s hands, and is set down in the corner!
Wright: Perfect Placement from Nobody!
Park: Moves like that are going to give the good guys the best chance of winning, especially with this being only one fall to the finish!
Donzig takes advantage of an already-tired Mistress Discipline, tackling her with a Lou Thesz press as both competitors go crashing down to the outside. Dylan Black manages to overwhelm Natalie Burrows with an early bout of fisticuffs, punching her into the corner and preparing for a big move. Evan Valentine is not as successful as he tries to jump Sam Sawyer from behind, only for Sawyer to grab him. The crowd knows what’s coming next as Sawyer rears back and delivers one of their stiffest strikes in FIRESIDE history, an open-hand slap!
Crowd: GGGEEEEEETTTTTT… FUCKED!
Wright: I’ll miss a slap like that!
Park: Just a beautiful move!
Sawyer turns and loses focus for a few seconds, acknowledging the cheering crowd.
Wright: A nice moment for Sam!
Park: Sam, turn around!
Proof that we can never have nice things in FIRESIDE, aka Curtis Kanyon, immediately clotheslines Sawyer over the mat to the floor, mocking their moment of humility. Vodka Fizz is on him like a moth to a flame though, striking him down with an enziguri.
Wright: Instant karma there!
Park: A John Lennon song that won’t make you wish the world would end!
Fizz turns and sees Burrows being lifted up onto the top rope by Black and Johnny Five, and so he charges into the corner, but Five sees this coming, and tries to get his feet up for a missile dropkick, yet Fizz manages to catch him and turn it into an inverted powerslam! As Fizz turns to deal with Dylan, he’s too late as Dylan catches a perched Burrows with a straight jab, knocking her off the top turnbuckle to the point where she thuds hard on the floor!
Wright: Too little, too late for the FIRESIDE world champion as the former X-Crown champion takes out his partner?
Park: Can we get a replay of that blow? Man, what a shot to the head there, that’ll mess you up!
As Vodka Fizz and Dylan Black go at it in the center of the ring, further up the ramp Shane Locke has managed to put some distance between himself and Dino Bones, but Bones is rampaging fast and hard. The beast charges forward and connects with a running hip attack, knocking Locke off the ramp!
Wright: Space Flying Tiger Drop!
Park: It’s just… a hip attack? Sure?
Bones immediately follows this up with a big BITE, causing red streamers to come shooting out of his mouth to mimic massive blood loss! Locke yells out in pain!
Wright: He bit him! He bit him!
Park: Bones is rampaging here!
As Bones prepares for a tail strike, he quickly finds that Mistress Discipline has not only gotten the upper hand on her situation but now has pinned his tail down to the ramp. He tries to swing back at her, but his short dinosaur arms do not exactly reach back to hit her. With Bones trapped in place, this gives Joe Nobody the opportunity to connect with a shining wizard to Bones’ back!
Wright: That’s one way to take down the big boy!
Park: Gotta do anything you can!
However, as Nobody turns around, he’s kicked in the gut and dropped to the floor with an Event Horizon, courtesy of the Herald of Oblivion himself!
Wright: No one keeps Donzig down for long!
Park: The SPARK Champion just took out Nobody!
Mistress Discipline comes at Donzig, but before she can hit him, El Combatiente drops her with a dropkick, then follows up with a quick moonsault right on the ramp!
Wright: The former champ makes an impact!
Park: Make that two!
Back in the ring, Black and Fizz trade blows, with Black unable to quite land the fist that will really knock back the champion out. Fizz grabs him and looks to lock in the Hanging Chad!
Wright: If Fizz can get the hold locked in, it might be over!
Park: Come on Voddy!
The modified Octopus Hold is a struggle to lock in as it has to be extra modified for Dylan, but it gets locked in! Black screams out in pain but doesn’t have to suffer long as the struggle has left Kanyon enough time to deliver a hammer shot straight between Fizz’s shoulder blades! Fizz hits the mat as the crowd boos loudly!
Wright: The powerful Mjolnir comes in for Kanyon once again -- the man’s spent what feels like his entire career with that hammer, and it pays off here!
Park: Fizz might be out! Kanyon might have this match won!
Kanyon covers!
…ONE!
…TWO!
…Natalie Burrows kicks Kanyon off of Fizz!
Wright: Burrows saves the partner and the gold for her partner!
Park: Nat, behind you!
As Burrows is about to gain momentum, a running snapmare from Evan Valentine Jr. quickly changes that fact to fiction! He stomps on her until the point she’s forced to vacate the ring, falling out to the floor!
Wright: Burrows saves the partner and the gold for her partner!
Park: Nat, behind you!
Wright: She’s really having rotten luck in this one!
Evan slides out of the ring to continue the assault, leaving Kanyon, Fizz, and Awesome left in the ring, along with Kanyon’s hammer. Kanyon grabs the hammer and looks it over, smiling as he prepares to put away the FIRESIDE world championship and attain the ultimate ending. As he rears back the hammer to put away the champ though, the crowd cheers, as an unlikely participant stops him!
Wright: What is Johnny Five doing?!
Park: It’s a betrayal, Oliver! And this crowd is loving it!
Kanyon shakes his head in dismay as the two men battle over the hammer, with Johnny Five eventually wrestling it from his hands! Five uses the hammer, striking him straight in the face with it! Blood begins to trickle down from Kanyon’s lip as the crowd roars!
Wright: Johnny is jumping ship from Team Kanyon!
Park: I don’t think he ever really wanted to be on that team! This is huge for Team Fizz!
To make matters worse for Kanyon, Five lifts him up, then drops him with the Fuck Yo Neck Burning Hammer!
Wright: Fuck Yo Neck! I can’t believe it!
Park: This crowd is rocking for Johnny!
As a “Johnny” chant reaches a fever pitch, he grabs the downed Fizz and throws him on top!
Wright: The cover and the count!
Park: This could be it!
…ONE!
…TWO!
Evan Valentine Jr. pulls Vodka Fizz out and to the floor before slamming him against the barricad!
Wright: Someone’s gonna have to figure out how to clear the ring of all these people if they’re going to win this one!
Park: Evan just saved his tag team championships there!
Johnny Five looks to hit another big move on Kanyon, but before he can, he’s chased out of the ring by a returning Donzig! He manages to hit a spinebuster on the charging man to buy himself some time, then scurries up the ramp, arm raised high!
Wright: Donzig stopped Five from completely ruining the match for him, but the damage has been done!
Park: And the crowd is loving it!
Five disappears to the back, not wanting any more of Donzig as the action picks up near the bowl of fire at the top of the ramp, with Dinosaur Bones, Shane Locke, Mistress Discipline, and El Combatiente going at it. Discipline is taking it to Combatiente and manages to get her knee up, striking him with a bicycle knee strike!
Wright: Final Bell from the first FIRESIDE signing!
Park: She is more than holding her own!
Not holding his own however is Shane Locke, who is once again a victim of the offense of Dinosaur Bones, who is firing projectile fireballs at him! Locke thankfully dodges out of the way, barely avoiding being caught by one of them!
Wright: There’s a lot of flammable stuff over there, Bones should watch where he’s going!
Park: I don’t think he can hear you!
As Discipline comes near Dinosaur Bones, Bones stomps the floor, causing a quake that almost knocks her off his feet while knocking down Shane! Bones jumps up and stomps down again, causing a bigger quake that this time knocks over Discipline as well!
Wright: A huge quake from Bones!
Park: Holy shit, he knocked the fire off its holdings too!
The crowd reacts loudly as the Lighting the Fire bowl is knocked from its perch, spilling the bowl containing enough fluid to burn the fire all night to the ground! The fluid begins to catch, lighting part of the stage on fire!
Wright: Fire! Someone get an extinguisher!
Park: Bones and Locke are so close, they may want to make a hasty retreat!
The sight of a fire leads Dinosaur Bones to quickly back the hell up, knocking into a technician running out with a fire extinguisher and knocking him over. Meanwhile the fire continues to engulf the area, leading Shane Locke to jump off the stage to the floor to avoid the flames!
Wright: You’ve got a family Shane, save yourself!
Park: If that fire spreads to the electrical area, it could knock out power to the building!
Thankfully, Mistress Discipline spots the issue at hand and grabs the fire extinguisher, but as she goes to put the fire out, she finds her face suddenly covered in a black mist courtesy of Donzig!
Wright: Black Mist!
Park: Donzig needs to grab that extinguisher and put the damn fire out! Don’t we have more extinguishers? Someone needs to do something!
Donzig grabs the extinguisher, but instead of using it to put out the fire, he instead slams it against Discipline’s back!
Wright: That fire is growing!
Park: The curtains are on fire now! This isn’t good!
Back in the ring, Sam Sawyer manages to dispatch Evan Valentine, but then spots the fire that is quickly starting to engulf the stage! They decide to turn up the offense into a fever pitch, striking Evan with the running Fire with Fire lariat! They hook the leg!
…ONE!
…TWO!
Kickout!
Wright: A kickout at two! Fire with Fire doesn’t get the job done there!
Park: Oliver, do something about the fire outside of the ring!
Wright: What do you want me to do?
The fire continues to envelop the curtains as Sam looks up at the ramp. Members of the crowd are now getting antsy as Shane Locke has straight-up passed through the curtain, getting himself the hell out of dodge.
Wright: Locke just left!
Park: Do you see the fire? We should go too!
Wright: We’ve got to finish this match, UnJoo!
Back in the ring, Dylan Black is back on his feet, managing to counter another Fire with Fire Lariat by jumping up onto the shoulders of Sawyer! He falls backwards, planting them with a poisonrana!
Wright: Headstrong from Black!
Park: Just pin them, Dylan!
Dylan hooks the leg!
…ONE!
…TWO!
Only two!
Wright: I’m told the medical team is getting the extinguishers together and is coming out now!
Park: Oh thank God!
There is now a wall of fire as the curtains surrounding the big screen at the top of the ramp are almost fully covered in flame. Dr. Lagari and his assistant are out with extinguishers trying to contain the blast, but Donzig rips one out of the hands of Lagari, then threatens the other person with the extinguisher!
Wright: What the hell is he doing?
Park: Oh my God, I think he wants this place to burn down! That’s fucking evil!
As Donzig turns around, he’s met with a running STO courtesy of Joe Nobody, who plants him solidly onto the ground right next to the fire!
Wright: Denial of Perfection!
Park: Yes Joe, now get to work while you still have time!
Nobody gets up to begin using the extinguisher, but as he does, a small electrical explosion occurs by the ramp as the fire has spread to the ramp! The power fluctuates for a few moments as a back-up generator gets going!
Wright: Oh shit!
Park: Oliver, there’s all those tables over there-- that’s wood, we have to get out of here!
Members of the crowd have gotten the message that things are going wrong -- 90% of them are still in their seats thinking it’s just part of the show, but the other 10% are up and out, grabbing their children and souvenirs and booking it for their nearest exits. Even Joe Nobody, realizing that the fire has gotten to be too much, passes through the only part of the curtain that isn’t still on fire, disappearing to the back. At ringside, ring announcer Walter Stanford looks conflicted as he tries to figure out if he has to warn the crowd to get out.
Wright: This is getting out of hand! Where the hell is Caffrey or Washington to save this place?
Park: I think they ditched us!
Back in the ring, Sawyer has been joined by Burrows, who is quickly evaluating the scene at hand as FIRESIDE World champion Vodka Fizz looks on at the burning fire which is now starting to make its way down the ramp. Extinguishers lay by the inferno as Donzig is pulled to safety by the rest of Donzig-gun. It is four-on-six as Mistress Discipline is still ringside, while on the other side of the equation Dinosaur Bones, Dylan Black, Steve Awesome, Curtis Kanyon, El Combatiente and Evan--- nope, Evan has just ducked out through the crowd, taking his half of the FIRESIDE tag team championships with him. Four on five.
Wright: Stanford, Stanford if you can hear me you need to make an announcement to get these people out of here!
Park: Seriously Walter, do it!
Water Stanford nods ferociously, realizing what he has to do, even getting up onto the barricade to make sure people see him. For some fucking reason, 70% of the crowd is still in their seats.
Stanford: Ladies and gentlemen, ATTENTION please! Ladies and gentlemen, please exit your seats in a calm manner as swiftly as possible! I repeat, ladies and gentlemen, please exit your seats and move away from the fire!
Amazingly, the first reaction to this announcement is booing. The second set of announcements is pure chaos and panic as no one in their right mind takes the ‘calm’ part well, fleeing with speed and even leaving merchandise as the fire has spread sideways from the electrical area to some of the fringe seating in the arena. The smell and the smoke begin to fill the Hearth as the fire continues to grow.
Wright: (coughing) Thank you Walter, thank you!
Park: We might need to get you out of here too old man, come on!
Wright: This place gave me my life back, I’m not leaving until it’s over!
Referee Melanie Davenport looks like she wants to throw out the match and have people vacate the area, but El Combatiente and Javier are keeping her from doing anything of the sort back ringside. The three wrestlers still in the ring for Team FIRESIDE -- Burrows, Fizz, and Sawyer, have to deal with the big boy as Dinosaur Bones climbs back into the ring on anothe rampage. Bones swings his tail, taking out Sawyer with a hard strike, leaving Burrows and Fizz partnered together on the other side of the ring. Fizz doesn’t quite know what to do as Bones charges the pair, leaving Burrows to shove him into harm’s way! Fizz gets massive air as Bones bends down and sends him flying with a big body drop!
Wright: Did Burrows just… turn on Fizz there?
Park: I’m not sure what we’re seeing with all this damn smoke!
Bones is still bent over from the body drop though, leaving Burrows the opportunity to level him with her scissors kick, the Closure!
Wright: Closure! Wrap this one up and let’s go home Natalie!
Park: Come on!
She hooks the leg!
…ONE!
…TWO!
Kanyon dives, saving the match for himself and his team!
Wright: Kanyon! It’s not worth the championship! Get out of here!
Park: I don’t think he’d listen to you!
Mistress Discipline spots the downed Sam Sawyer and the fire that has almost made it down the entire ramp to the ringside area and grabs Sawyer, pulling them out of the ring! Discipline communicates something to Sawyer, and Discipline grabs Sawyer’s Wildfire Championship before pulling them along over the barricade, leading them out of the arena!
Wright: Discipline just saved Sawyer!
Park: Discipline’s been one of the best since day one, thank you both for everything!
Wright: It’s two on five as that fire has gotten dangerously close to the ring!
Dylan Black looks under the ring for something, spotting the remaining extinguisher! He shoots it at the flames before looking around and seeing that his partner left minutes ago! He too decides to head for the hills, grabbing his half of the gold and leaping over the barricade!
Wright: Black’s deciding to fight another day!
Park: He’s always been a genius of a ring general, and I don’t blame him for trying to get out of--
POP!
The remaining BANG Bros look on in shock as the heat at ringside has led the Steve Awesome balloon to pop! Combatiente looks as shaken as he can be while under a mask before barking orders in Spanish to Javier to use the extinguisher that Black had just dug up to keep the flames at bay. It is slightly working, but not well. The fires continue to rage to the point that Walter Stanford gives up on announcing the finish of this one, and is helped out over the barricade by the timekeeper. The crowd reveals that just like in the show’s early days, the arena is now empty. The fire spreads to more of the seats.
Wright: Goodbye Walter!
Park: Oliver, how confident are you in your ability to sprint out of here?
Wright: I told you I’m not leaving!
Park: Come on!
UnJoo Park tries to convince Oliver Wright to leave, but Oliver is still seated at his chair, despite catching a handful of smoke. If a fire department has been called, we haven’t seen it yet. The sight of the fire at ringside seems to truly alarm Dinosaur Bones, especially with the popping of Steve Awesome, as Bones straight up goes through a barricade and begins to jostle up the steps as fast as his dinosaur legs can carry him.
Park: Seriously Oliver, even the dinosaur is leaving!
Wright: You don’t have to wait for me, you can go if you want!
Park: Come on!
We’re down to two commentators, four wrestlers, and a referee at this point. El Combatiente and Natalie Burrows are trading blows as each competitor looks to wrap up the match for their partner, with Combatiente getting the upper hand. He lifts Burrows up for Street Justice, his version of the Vertibreaker, but she manages to get free. She goes for another Closure, but he gets his head out of the way! He grabs her head for sliced bread, but she sends him off the ropes instead, before catching him in the tilt-a-whirl-slam known as the Grief Cycle!
Wright: Grief Cycle! This should do it!
Park: Please let this be the end!
…ONE!
…TWO!
…Kanyon saves the match again!
Park: Damnit!
Wright: Only two!
We hear a clunk at ringside as Javier has dropped his fire extinguisher. It’s hard to tell if he has emptied the extinguisher or just decided this isn’t worth it anymore, yelling at his client that it’s time to leave. El Combatiente is too hurt to flee right at this moment, signaling he’s heard with a subtle nod, but Javier takes off.
Wright: There goes Javier--
Park: I’m sorry Oliver, but I’m going too. Please get out of here and be safe!
Wright: Are you sure?
Park: We have to get out of here! It’s now or never! You’re going to die if you stay here!
As Oliver realizes the weight of her words, UnJoo bolts from the table, holding the collar of her shirt over her mouth to try to not breathe in any more smoke.
Wright: And so this match continues.
Natalie Burrows gets back to her feet, only to be met with a vicious BANG from Kanyon! He hooks both legs!
Wright: BANG! That’s it! New champion!
…ONE!
…TWO!
…As Burrows kicks out, Fizz makes the save!
Wright: So close!
Besides a very small section of the side of the ramp Oliver is sitting on, almost the whole arena is on fire at one point to varying degrees. UnJoo forcibly rips him from his seat, yelling at him that she cares too much to let him die. He seems to take the message to heart, finally broken of the siren song of calling this match, and the two begin to navigate towards an exit that isn’t currently on fire.
The fires around the ring have spread to the point this match has become a tag team inferno match. It is a dangerous situation to be in and the four people left in the ring -- wait, four -- are desperate to end the match and not get lit on fire, and most importantly, not die, or most importantly become the last FIRESIDE World champion ever. Fighting for those causes, Vodka FIzz looks down at his partner, trying to ensure her safety. He drags her into the center of the ring, pulling her body as far from the fire as possible…
…before turning around and walking straight into another BANG! Kanyon gets it! Kanyon gets it! He hooks the leg and audibly counts along!
Kanyon: One!
Kanyon: Two!
Kanyon: Three!
But as he turns to celebrate, he is left in shock and horror -- referee Melanie Davenport has already left, escaping through the fire! There’s no referee to make the count!
Kanyon: ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?
Kanyon sits up in the ring, completely lost with himself. He looks around at the raging fire, realizing he has gotten what he wanted: the destruction of FIRESIDE. He has succeeded, FIRESIDE is no more, and burning to the ground around him as he sits.
In getting what he wanted, he has lost everything.
EC: WE HAVE TO GO! NOW!
Kanyon: NO! I BEAT HIM! WHERE’S THE REF? I BEAT HIM FAIR AND SQUARE!
EC: WE CAN MAKE THIS UP LATER, GO!
Kanyon: HE OWES ME!
Kanyon’s screams of anger double with screams of pain as El Combatiente shoves him towards the ropes and ushers him out of the ring, the pair being forced to retreat the same way the commentators had just a few moments before. Left in the center of the ring is Natalie Burrows and the current FIRESIDE champion, the match having gone up in smoke. Unfortunately for the pair, a piece of scaffolding crashes down from the ceiling of the Hearth, blocking the last way out that the BANG Bros just took.
Burrows screams at Fizz, who can’t even reach outside of the ring to grab the FIRESIDE World Championship because the fire is too strong. The hardcam that this is being filmed on -- as the camera crew has long since left -- is beginning to melt in itself from the heat. Fizz stands in the corner with his head in his hands, looking for an exit. Burrows stands on the top rope, considering jumping to the barricade. There is another small explosion in the arena as the lights flicker off, the Hearth now being lit by flame only.
At least, until a strange hole forms in the center of the ring.
It is colored bright pink.
A golden light shoots through the bottom of the hole, lighting up the center of the Hearth.
And then, for the first time in eight months…
…a mystical piano begins to play.
Rising out of the hole, it is the first time we’ve seen MAJESTY -- let alone whole again. and they do not waste much time as Natalie Burrows immediately embraces them, breaking down into a sob of joy. MAJESTY uses a free force to push Fizz into the circle with them, before looking back at Burrows with a smile of the purest joy.
MAJESTY: Friend.
The gold light envelops the trio, then disappears.
The dashboard clock says 1:37AM as the engine is killed. There is a stack of Corona bottles in the passenger seat with a bag of greasy fast food as the shirtless driver stumbles out of the car, landing face down in the cold sand of a dark New Jersey beach. When the man regains his composure, we discover it is the Father of FIRESIDE. Looking back, we can also see he has smashed through a border with his vehicle to reach the beach. The man is bleeding as he removes his shoes, trodding barefoot in the sand.
It is a dark night on this beach and the waves are practically nonexistent as the man walks along the ocean water, the cold providing a shock to his system as he goes. Before long, he sits on a dry portion of sand, looking out among the sea. He digs into his pocket, looking for something. He produces a knife.
.
.
There is a loud, sustained scream on the beach. It is followed by a series of shorter screams, the pain unmasked.
.
.
When he is finished, Caffrey clutches the upper part of his chest. He is in great pain, but he smiles, feeling whole once more. The blood continues to drip down his torso.
.
.
Caffrey: Escape.
.
.
He begins his walk, forward, into the ocean.
.
.
After he is submerged, the camera pans back to reveal something electronic left on the beach.
.
.
He has carved out his pacemaker.
______
Sam Sawyer, wearing all black, is staring down at the matchbox clasped between their hands. They continue to stare at it for a few seconds before opening the box and taking one of the matches. They strike it against the side, then hold it up at shoulder height. They stare at the flame, ignoring the camera, then eventually they lift their eyes to look down the lens. Their eyes still seem to lack emotion, but replacing the cold, inhuman glare seems to be a humble confidence. With a very faint smile, they speak in a soft voice.
Sam Sawyer: Thank you.
Smoke fills the view. Dimly, an approaching figure can be seen, a faint glow by his head. As he nears, it becomes clear it is Johnny Five, a lit joint in his mouth. Once clearly visible, he stops and takes the blunt from his mouth to speak.
Johnny: Everything ends. Institutions, buildings... people.
At tha last word he looks forlorn, lost almost. He shakes his head and carries on.
Johnny: FIRESIDE is no different. We all know it should be someone else standing here now, celebrating that end. But Misha's gone, and me? I'm kinda sad this is the final FIRESIDE show. Still, as someone once said: it's better to burn out, than to fade away...
He smiles, bringing the joint up and flicking it forward. Against all realistic expectation, it hits and ignites the traditional flame. Johnny blinks in surprise.
Johnny: Holy shit, I can't believe that actually worked!
We fade to see the “Light the Fire” Fire already ablaze at ringside, nothing but darkness outside the light. We hear footsteps as someone in a suit walks up to the torch. Once he’s in focus, we see it’s former President Curtis Kanyon! Carrying a bucket?
Curtis: Every fire eventually succumbs to the sands of time. Tonight… you can call me the sand man.
Curtis pours the sand from his bucket into the torch, putting out the flame. Curtis walks away laughing.
Wright: Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to FIRESIDE's Blaze of Glory, our final show!
Park: We're already at least a week late, so let's get right into the action before big ol' Oliver starts tearing up like he did before we went on air!
Wright: Hey!
Stanford: The following contest is scheduled for One Fall, and it is a Triple Threat match for the XHF Junior Heavyweight championship!
The arena pops loud!
Wright: Two of the greatest Philadelphians the XHF has ever seen, alongside XHF Junior Heavyweight champion Nelly Angel are about to battle it out for the gold!
Park: You know that somewhere in the distance, Cheez is watching this match, knowing he’ll get the next crack at one of these three men!
Stanford: Introducing first, weighing 180 pounds, from San Francisco, California, weighing in at 180 pounds, he is the XHF Junior Heavyweight champion, he is NELLLLLLY ANGGGGELLLLLLL!
The guitar riffs starting out "La Di Da" by Jet ring out as out from the back walks Nelly Angel with the XHF Junior Heavyweight Championship around his waist. The defiant tone of the song is reflected in his face as he looks down to the ring and the audience, some of whom are holding "#NellyisaHeel" signs. Once he's done scanning the arena he shakes his head, chuckles and smiles to himself.
Wright: Isn’t it odd that the champion is entering this match first?
Park: The champ has been feeling overlooked and stepped over ever since this match came into creation, and it’s hard to disagree with him! This might be another tactic from Caffrey and management to really get in his head, making him enter first!
The 20 year ring veteran makes his walk down to the ring, climbs the stairs, and from the ring apron climbs onto the turnbuckle and holds the belt up before jumping off the corner into the ring, ready to start things off.
Wright: Besides the Rumble itself, Angel is the competitor who has most recently competed. How will his recent title defense help him here?
Park: It’s hard to say; on one hand, he’s entering with all of this momentum, on the other hand, his opponents tonight are much tougher than some dick fom CAR.
Wright: I thought Angel was supposed to be a good guy?
Park: Against these two, in this city?
Stanford: And his opponents… first, from Philadelphia, PA, weighing 210 pounds…
"Aw, fuck yo' headphone!"
"Timebomb" by Beck blasts into the arena and all the lights change to a cool shade of neon blue. Seth Dillinger struts out to the top of the ramp wearing sunglasses, jeans, and a button-down shirt with the top two buttons undone. The crowd claps and cheers for the fan favorite. He can't help but smile as he pulls his sunglasses down and winks at the crowd, making women and men alike cheer even louder.
Stanford: he is... SETH! DIIIIIILLLLLIIIIIIINNNNGEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRR!
"We've got a warning light,
We've got a warning light!"
The lights in the arena shift to an alarm/siren shade of red as Seth finally marches down the ramp. He pauses at the bottom and stops to high five a few fans and sign an autograph or two before making his way all the way around the ring and running up the opposite steps. He ends by leaning against the corner rope, bouncing back and forth, waiting for the match to begin.
Wright: A hell of set up to get Seth Dillinger into this match, we’re being told that there has been a hefty donation to his foundation, but more importantly… Seth’s back?!
Park: One of the top five greatest XHF wrestlers is back, indeed. Thankfully recovering from his horrible injury, the two-time X-Crown champion and the longest AWF Prestige champion has come home for a brutal contest against the greatest rival he’s never gotten in the ring with.
Wright: And Nelly Angel.
Park: Expect Seth to be put through his paces tonight, but if there’s one person up to the challenge, it’s Dillinger.
Stanford: And their opponent…
The beats for “Stalker’s Tango” begins to play in the arena as a mix of boos sounds in the arena before a record scratches. “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark” gets a similar treatment, cut off almost immediately as well. A different tune begins to play in the arena, setting the scene for the finale as the Philadelphia crowd begins to lose their minds to a very iconic theme in the city, the song of the 2018 Super Bowl champions.
As the slow beginnings of the song play, the lights in the arena have turned off. There is a single spotlight on the ground on the entrance ramp, waiting for the man himself.
“Hold up wait a minute, y’all thought I was finished?”
As the beat drops, the man walks through the spotlight, taking it with him as purple pyro explodes in the Hearth, lighting the way for the Purple Emperor’s last match. The boobirds in the crowd have been thoroughly silenced as we get a good look at the owner of FIRESIDE. He looks out over a crowd strongly behind him, then turns his face back to his opposition before the emotions of the moment can overwhelm him. He walls up the ring steps and taps both of his ankles, before pointing at his opponents and making a snapping motion.
Wright: It is electric in here as the FIRESIDE owner gets his last call of respect tonight from this capacity crowd!
Park: It’s hard to go out a villain when you’ve built all this, Oliver. And a special tribute to his AXW title win with the Meek Mill.
Wright: I was wondering what that was!
The camera captures the upper part of Caffrey’s chest, where you can noticeably see the pacemaker scar.
Wright: Can the brains behind FIRESIDE last tonight against Dillinger and Angel and take home the title in his last match?
Park: We’ll see if that heart holds up, I can’t imagine doctors signed off on this one! There’s the bell, let’s go!
The bell rings and the arena is loud for the beginnings of this JHW Championship match. The energy in the ring hits differently as there is a staredown immediately between Caffrey and Dillinger, which draws the ire of the champion himself. The two try to just ignore him, ready for their own moment, to which Angel responds by absolutely clotheslining the hell out of the Purple Emperor, knocking him to the ground. The boos this elicits from the crowd are impressive as Angel pounces on Seth in the corner, hammering away with lefts and rights. An angry Angel demands his respect as he backs up for a few moments.
Wright: Nobody came to see you, Nelly!
Park: I think he damn well knows that! And he’s pissed about it, but it is FIRESIDE’s last crack at the title after all!
Randy Angel charges back into the corner at Dillinger, but by now the former AWF Prestige champion has slipped out through the middle rope, and responded by getting his legs up to kick Angel in the chest as he lands there. The kicks daze Angel long enough for Dillinger to spring off the top rope and come down in one solid sunset flip motion, including a pin!
…ONE!
…Kickout!
Wright: A fast start for Dillinger!
Park: It’s impressive how little ring rust the guy seems to have, as if he’s kept going all of this time, when in reality he’s been recovering from such a heinous injury!
Referee Chris Mardinly indicates it’s only a one count. Dillinger backs up but quickly has to fend for himself as Anthony Caffrey has grabbed him from behind, looking to lock in his arms for his full nelson known as Dreams and Nightmares. Seth escapes with an elbow to the gut and bounces off the ropes, leapfrogging Caffrey on the first pass through, but then as he tries to leap frog on the second, Angel cuts him out of midair with a brutal European Uppercut!
Wright: Angel hits just as hard!
Park: Both those men are in rhythm early, can Caffrey join them?
Dillinger grabs at his mouth as he goes down but the action is still focused on Angel and Caffrey, who are taking the opportunity to jaw at one another. The two lock up in a test of strength as the insults continue, with Caffrey constantly asking Angel who the fuck he is. Caffrey is doing this purposely as with a 45-pound, 4” advantage he’s able to overpower Nelly. Surprisingly, he manages to get lower than Nelly, getting his head under Angel’s arm before flipping him into a Northern Lights suplex, popping the crowd!
…ONE!
…TWO!
…Angel kicks out!
Wright: What is this, 2011? Caffrey just hit a suplex!
Park: A Northern Lights nonetheless!
Caffrey grabs at his neck/shoulder after the move, indicating that the pop might not have been worth it, and then it gets worse as a speeding Dillinger comes by to smack him into the mat with a low dropkick! The crowd is hot for Dillinger as Angel comes at him, throwing a wild punch before being caught with a hurricanrana and sent into the middle rope! Caffrey comes at him too, only to be sent right next to Angel with a drop toe hold!
Wright: Are we about to see it? We are in Philly, after all!
Park: Dillinger’s dialing up a phone call back to 2019!
Dillinger bounces off the opposing ropes and gets a full head of speed, charging and then grabbing the ropes, spinning into a double tiger feint kick that knocks Angel back!
Wright: 215! Vintage Seth!
Park: Wait!
In hitting the 215, Dillinger has committed one of the cardinal sins of wrestling Anthony Caffrey: giving him your feet! The wily veteran manages to block the impact for himself by catching the foot, yoinking Dillinger off the ropes as the crowd rises to their feet, knowing that the Process is about to be locked in!
Wright: The Home of Trust the Process might about to see the hold be locked in!
Park: Seth’s trying his damndest to avoid it, but it might be too late for him!
Immediately Seth manages to turn on his stomach and get his feet up, kipping up and hitting such an effective hurricanrana, it sends Caffrey crashing out to the arena floor!
Wright: Kip-up Hurricanrana! These two are made for battles like this!
Park: I’m so glad we finally get to see this match!
Dillinger positions himself at the ropes, waiting for Caffrey to get back up, before stepping up onto the top rope… and being dumped to the floor by Angel sneaking up behind him! The crowd boos!
Wright: Angel gets one over on Dillinger there!
Park: Damnit! No one wants him here anyway!
Angel yells at the Philadelphia fans booing him after he dropped one Rumble winner onto the other. If there’s a move he knows to get them on his side, it’s what he’s about to do as he climbs up the top turnbuckle and waits patiently for his opponents, before launching off the top and coming down with a corkscrew moonsault to the floor!
Wright: ON ANGELS WINGS TO THE FLOOR!
Park: Holy hell! What a move from Nelly!
The crowd reacts positively to Angel for maybe the first time in the match as all three men are down. Referee Chris Mardinly can do nothing as there are no countouts in this XHF Junior Heavyweight triple threat match, so while we’re here we’re treated to just various shots of the three men laying on the ground, breathing, and trying to recover from the impact of the big move. We can see on the replay that Angel may have hit his head on the landing, and Dillinger is holding his lower back, possibly wherein he had a few surgeries to sustain his life. Caffrey has rolled over, holding his chest, not quite in a position of life or death just yet, but definitely breathing harder.
Wright: All three of these wrestlers are fighting for the title, who can get it done?
Park: We’re going to get in trouble for saying this, but for Caffrey and Dillinger, tonight might be about more than just the championship!
Wright: What are they gonna do, sue us? We won’t be on the air anymore after tonight anyway!
Park: Yeah, you know what? Fuck ‘em!
Two of the three competitors begin to make it back to their feet as UnJoo’s rant about the XHF administrative system continues on. There’s some line about how some companies get support and others don’t as Dillinger and Angel make it back to their feet. To Angel’s continued dismay, his moments of sacrifice go largely unappreciated as the fans are right back to booing him and cheering Dillinger on every exchange of fist vs. kick. Nelly grabs Dillinger and delivers a strong irish whip, but Seth leaps at the last moment, landing on the announce table feet first instead of crashing through it!
Wright: Incoming!
Park: Well hello, Seth!
UnJoo is clearly a bit flustered by the sight of the LGBTKO icon this close-up, but her excitement is quickly dampened by the XHF Junior Heavyweight champion climbing on the table to fight Dillinger. The two men continue to scrap for position and leverage, knowing the other will be going through the table. Seth gets shoved towards the edge of the table, then turns around and tries to catch Angel with the Neon Crash, but the champion manages to limbo under the impact, causing Seth to have to reposition himself. Nelly grabs him in this moment of chaos and moves to rebalance Seth, capturing him for the beginnings of one of his trademark Tornado DDTs!
Wright: If the champ hits this DDT right here, it might be over for Seth!
Park: Not the way he would’ve liked to return!
BAM!
Angel goes down in a hurry, somehow still landing on the table, as he is domed with a steel chair, courtesy of the Purple Emperor! The crowd cheers, then boos for a bit as Caffrey uses the top of the chair, driving it into the back of Seth’s left leg! Caffrey hops up on the table and demands that the crowd get loud as he grabs both men, putting their heads underneath his shoulders!
Wright: What are we about to see here?
Park: One last chapter in the battle of Tables vs. Anthony Caffrey, and this time Caff’s writing it!
Caffrey realizes that a double leg kick is the same as a jump, so he leaps, driving both men through the table with a double Brotherly Love DDT!
Wright: Double Brotherly Love in the city full of it!
Park: This crowd is on their feet!
All three men are down as the crowd is still electric, cheering after the dramatic move through the table. Caffrey is the first one back up to his feet, looking on at his old friend, gone and splintered, before preparing to return to the action at hand. As he turns to get back up though, he clutches his chest, forced to stay down a little while longer.
Wright: Oh man, this match can’t be good for Caffrey’s heart.
Park: Lots of emotion and adrenaline running through that man right now, but we should have medical staff standing by!
Caffrey waves off Dr. Lagari, threatening to fire his ass if he comes a step closer as he grabs Dilllinger’s downed body and begins pulling him towards the ring. He stops for a few seconds to catch his breath before sliding him back into the ring. The formerly Sixty Minute Man climbs back into the ring and hooks both legs, going for the in!
Wright: Caffrey covers Seth!
Park: The cover and the count!
…ONE!
…TWO!
…NO! ANGEL SAVES THE MATCH WITH A DOUBLE AXE HANDLE!
Wright: The champion keeps the match alive!
Park: If Caffrey’s heart was still in this, he’d have been the new champion right there!
A frustrated Nelly Angel grabs Caffrey, gesturing for the crowd to shut up as he eyes up the top rope, hoping for his moment in the hot Philadelphia sun.
Wright: Nelly’s got him hooked for the Exclusive!
Park: He drops him with this, it’s over!
Nelly pushes forward and begins to pick up speed as he heads towards the corner, but Caffrey shoves him off at the last moment before he can ascend the top turnbuckle, then catches him with a bullhammer elbow as he turns around! Before he can pin Nelly, however, Angel rolls outside of the ring, his body hitting the ground awkwardly!
Wright: Here comes the Ex-- no, it’s the Jawn!
Park: Caffrey’s unable to make it truly the closing remarks of the contest though as Angel rolls out of the ring!
Caffrey turns around, knowing Seth will be right behind him, but the man with the checkered past doesn’t immediately blast him, instead taking a few moments to stare right into Caffrey’s soul. Cameras in the arena immediately begin flooding the Hearth with flashes as the two men stare down one more time, Caffrey the bigger man physically, but Dilinger the bigger man morally.
Wright: It’s the Xtraction Part Two we never got -- AWF vs. AXW!
Park: Dillinger was the heart and soul of the AWF, Caffrey’s made a legacy in spite of the place!
Wright: AXW vs. AWF, LGBTKO vs. the AVA, here is no love lost in this battle of the Key vs. the Kingpin!
The two trade fists with authority, both men clearly exhausted, but drawing equal cheers and boos from the crowd as the arena splits between the two checkered Philadelphians. The two men are back and forth on one another before Seth catches Anthony’s right hand, and then kicks him to lower him to his knees, before twisting into a modified mounted armbar!
Wright: What the hell are we seeing now?
Park: Shades of -- shades of DRAGO SANTIAGO!
Wright: That can’t be legal to say on Network television!
Park: Somewhere out there Duke Kosloff has to be kicking himself right now!
Seth holds tight on the right hand of Caffrey, desperately trying to break as many fingers he can as fast as he can. Caffrey bites his tongue but lets out a scream of pain as we are treated to an all too familiar sound--
SNAP!
The snapping of one of Caffrey’s fingers is so loud we can hear it throughout the arena! Seth works away at another finger as Caffrey pounds on the mat with a foot, trying to rally the crowd to a way out of this one!
Wright: The brutal move from an old friend has the Father of FIRESIDE on the verge of tapping!
Park: Imagine if his last night in the biz, he submits! He’d never live it down!
Dillinger yells at Caffrey but Caffrey isn’t willing to throw in the towel yet. The crowd’s attention shifts however as climbing the ropes is one Nelly Angel, who picks his moment to fly, leaping off the ropes and crashing down onto both men with a shooting star press!
Wright: The champ takes advantage with a shooting star press!
Park: The cover and the count on both men!
…ONE!
…TWO!
…T-NO! Dillinger and Caffrey kick out!
Wright: That was almost three!
Park: So damn close!
Angel pounds on the mat in frustration as he reaches down for whatever he has left, sitting up Caffrey and deciding to knock his block off. He charges the ropes and comes running right back, striking the owner with a brutal shining wizard! Caffrey begins to bleed as the kick strikes him right in the nose!
Wright: Shining Wizard! Caff’s busted open!
Park: Angel’s got him here!
…ONE!
…TWO!
…THR-NO!
Caffrey gets a shoulder up!
Wright: Not enough! Somehow, some way, not enough!
Park: Angel’s gotta be wondering what the hell he has to do to put either of these guys away and earn the respect he feels he deserves!
Nelly Angel does that thing you do in a moment of frustration where you drop low for a few seconds, as if you can’t believe what has just happened, before rising up, ready to put away Dillinger instead. He sets up Dillinger the same exact way he set up Caffrey, sitting him up before getting a running start, bouncing off the ropes…
Wright: Shining Wizard number t---
…except this time Seth limbo slides underneath, bouncing off the ropes on his own to catch Angel with his version of the Slingblade, the Neon Crash!
Wright: Neon Crash! That’s gotta be it!
Park: Here’s the count!
…ONE!
…TWO!
…NO! Nelly Angel kicks out this time!
Wright: This is insane! No one wants to go home, no one wants to walk away from this match without the JHW Championship!
Park: It’s a match about respect, old grudges, and determination! Who’s going to be able to dig down deep enough to get this one done?
Wright: It may be Seth, as he’s now in the driver’s seat!
Seth yells at Angel to get up, and when Angel does so, he kicks him in the gut, before delivering his springboard somersault stunner, the South Philly Stunner! He covers!
Wright: South Philly Stunner!
Park: The title’s going home with Dillinger now!
…ONE!
…TWO!
…THR-NO! Caffrey breaks up the three count!
Wright: Only two! Only two!
Park: The owner of FIRESIDE is not going to go quietly into the good night! He saves the match for himself and for the brand!
As Seth struggles back to his feet, Caffrey manages to push himself back off the mat, giving everything he can in a last ditch effort, charging forward and leaping, driving both of his feet down into Dillinger’s back with his version of the Omakude Press!
Wright: Phertilizer! Phertilizer! Shades of the Purple Emperors and the legendary Radu Matei!
Park: Win for Radu, Caff! This crowd’s about to explode!
…ONE!
…TWO!
…THR-NO!
Dillinger kicks out at the last possible moment!
Wright: NO! I can’t believe it!
Park: This is becoming a matter of pride between these men, no one wants to give the other an inch, or a second!
Wright: A second is the difference between the championship and your championship dreams dying!
Caffrey bangs on the mat, then gestures for the crowd to get on their feet a final time. He clutches his chest and bangs on it, trying to keep his heart going as he grabs Dillinger by the foot, then flips him over, locking in the Process!
Wright: THE PROCESS! CAFFREY MIGHT GET THE LAST LAUGH HERE, SUBMITTING HIS LONG-TIME RIVAL!
Park: The Key’s gotta find a way out of this, he’s on a ship to Reck out there in the middle of the ring, all by himself!
We can hear Caffrey screaming for the pie-eating sonofabitch to tap out, but Seth isn’t going down without a fight either! He tries his best to roll away, but Caffrey follows him step-for-step, showcasing some fancy footwork of his own. Seth grabs the ropes and you can get the feeling that this is it, this is a moment Caffrey’s wanted for years. It is almost if the world slows down.
Wright: Dillinger, Caffrey, and it all comes down to the Process!
Park: The heart and brains of the XHF for a long-time, who’s it gonna be?
Dillinger screams out in pain, but as he bangs the mat, it isn’t to tap out but it’s to dig deeper, to find some more energy, to become a new life force, to become an inspiration and a role model for all those who still believe in him on his long road back, who know of everything he is and still come out supporting him. He is in the grasp of a man who could never quite be him, a man who on his best day was half the man that Dillinger could ever be, a ruthlessly spiteful man trying to break apart a man who was once fueled by nothing but pure love. Whether he could get back to that version of himself was yet to fully be seen, but for now, in the heart of his city, he could feel his heart beating as he dug down deep for those who supported him the most.
On the other side of the submission, Caffrey is stuck in a moment of time. Each time he opens his mouth, he screams obscenities at Seth, the words almost blend into a labyrinth of strange tongues, each also encoded in a thick air of desperation. Time is running out for him; every tick of the clock matches a tick of a heart that he has declared that the end time is near. He is in deep fear as he shouts and screams, trying to reverse everything he can, maybe prove that he can go back to his moments of glory of years past, maybe he can prove that FIRESIDE should still be open, maybe he can win one more time and grow one more middle-finger raising sunflower in the garden of his legacy. But for now, in the heart of his city, he could feel his heart beating as he dug down deep for the one person who believed in himself the most: Caffrey himself.
Unfortunately as time began to speed back up, there was a third man in the match.
Wright: Neither man is going to quit!
Park: Dillinger’s ankle must be broken at this rat!
Caffrey screams one more time as Dillinger reaches out-- then gets rolled up! Angel gets a handful of tights!
…ONE!
…TWO!
…THREE!
The bell rings!
Wright: WHAT? NO!
Park: It’s over!
Wright: It can’t be!
Stanford: Here is your winner, and still the XHF Junior Heavyweight Champion, NELLY ANGEL!
A shocked crowd doesn’t even boo for the first few moments as they try to put together what just happened. Nelly Angel grabs his championship from the timekeeper with authority, not even bothering to have his hand raised by the referee.
Wright: Heartbreak in the Hearth tonight as Nelly Angel rolls up Anthony Caffrey and walks out with the win and title still in-hand!
Park: Angel, Dillinger, and Caffrey all gave it their absolute all, but in the end Angel took advantage of being underestimated and overlooked to take the title back home!
As Angel bangs on the championship and demands his respect, the camera captures his opposition. Dr. Lagari is tending to Seth Dillinger, who just spent the longest time ever in the Process without tapping, but may have an injury to one extent or another. But the story, at least for tonight, is on the face of one Anthony Caffrey, who just kneels in the ring, in absolute shock of what has just happened, that everything quickly washed over him so fast, that just like that, it was over.
Wright: What a way to go out in your last match--
Park: --he gave everything he had. No shame in going out like that.
There is a look in Caffrey’s eyes as he rises to his feet. The crowd gives him a roaring send-off, but he looks like he has his mind set on something. He leaves without even acknowledging them, passing through to the back.
Wright: I’ve never seen that look in him before.
Park: I hope he’s okay?
The shot opens on Sam Sawyer standing by a door. They knock on it loudly four times. Their calm expression suggests they used more force than they intended.
Washington: Yes?
Sawyer opens the door and the camera follows them inside. Marcus's eyes widen in surprise as he stands up from his desk.
Washington: Hi, Sam. ... Everything okay?
Sawyer: Hi, Marcus.
They smile, prompting Washington to smile back. An awkward silence follows.
Washington: What can I do for you?
They break eye contact with Washington for a moment, still looking calm, apparently trying to search for the right words. Slowly.
Sawyer: I want to say sorry.
Washington: What for?
Sawyer doesn't answer, and Marcus is quickly absorbed by their stare. Emotion starting to form in their eyes, Marcus stares back dumbfounded.
Sawyer: I... I did something to you. I think...
Washington narrows his eyes, more confused than ever.
Washington: You what?
Sawyer: I don't know. Maybe not. But... I was a pain in the... wasn't I?
Washington's face relaxes into a smile.
Washington: Yes... a little. But don't worry about it, Sam. It's water under the bridge.
Sawyer smiles a little, but doesn't look convinced.
Sawyer: Thanks. But...
A long pause.
Washington: Sam?
Sawyer: I don't know how to say it...
Washington: Just tell it like it is, Sam.
Sawyer: I'm sorry... I didn't talk to you sooner. Or Anthony. I'm sorry I didn't thank you.
Washington: You're thanking us now, Sam. It's okay.
Sawyer: Yes... but... I just want you to know that.
Washington: I know... I know. You did right. But don't feel too bad about it. We've seen worse. And you weren't yourself, were you?
Sawyer: I was.
Washington: Well... you're a teenager. A little trouble kinda comes with the territory.
The joke causes Sawyer's face to break into a relieved beam.
Sawyer: Yeah... I guess so.
Happy with the outcome, Washington smiles. However Sawyer's smile fades a little.
Sawyer: I hope my parents see it like that.
Washington: They'll just be happy to see you home. I mean... they'll be mad too, but...
Sawyer nods, the guilt returning to their face.
Washington: You'll be fine, Sam. Go out and make them proud tonight.
Washington frowns when Sawyer doesn't react as they expected.
Sawyer: I still haven't thanked you properly.
Washington: Sure you have.
Sawyer: No... I... I owe you. For everything. Thank you. For reaching out to me... and the contract... and... For letting me get away with everything, and letting me stay here. Thanks for... having my back. Tell Anthony thanks too. And Walter, and Oliver, and UnJoo, and everyone. I want the fans to know that you're good people. And that FIRESIDE was a good place to work. And...
Sawyer looks a little uneasy, and seems to focus harder on Washington's eyes.
Sawyer: And the fans too.
Washington looks at the camera and smiles.
Washington: That's nice of you, Sam, but why don't you thank Anthony and co yourself? They'd appreciate that. Anthony maybe a little too much. You're not scared are you?
Sawyer: No. I will when I say goodbye, but... it might sound... weird. Or empty. I'm not good with words. You can do it better than me. I want to make sure they understand.
Washington: I'll make sure they do.
Washington grins.
Washington: You leave nothing to chance, do you? I like that about you. Now... go. Get ready. Defend your championship with pride.
Sawyer: I will.
Sawyer smiles. Washington smiles sternly back, and watches them leave. A message buzzes out on his phone. He checks it and the camera is able to view the phone over his shoulder.
Text: I'm going. You going to be okay?
Text: You sure? I will be fine. Should get your heart checked. Still on for the party?
Text: I can't be here anymore.
There is a pause before the next text comes in.
Text: Thanks for everything. Love you.
The camera cuts.
The cameras cut back to Walter Stanford, the long-time announcer, standing in the ring. He looks around, knowing if there’s any moment to live in, it’s this last introduction. You can see in his face that the old man has been grateful for one last ride, no matter how long it lasted.
Stanford: Ladies and gentlemen, the following contest is for the Wildfire Championship, the SPARK Championship, the FIRESIDE Tag Team Championships, AND the FIRESIDE World Championship… it is a thirteen-on-thirteen tag team match with one fall, with no disqualifications, it is the Battle for the Soul of FIRESIDE…
The crowd cheers, knowing they’re about to get louder in about ten seconds.
Stanford: …and it is your MAAAAAIN EVENTTT OF THE EVENING!
There it is, one last really loud main event pop.
Wright: Oh man, I don’t want it to end! One last time, here we go!
Park: I’d be crying if I didn’t have goosebumps!
Stanford: …and it is your MAAAAAIN EVENTTT OF THE EVENING!
Wright: Here we go, Team Fizz vs. Team Kanyon, winners receive all the gold, losers go home empty-handed!
Park: It’s really gonna determine the vibes of the afterparty, isn’t it?
Stanford: Introducing first, members of Team Fizz -- first, from Area #51, weighing in at 325 pounds, they are SUBJECT FORTY TWOOOOOOO!
Wright: Starting out strong for Team Fizz tonight, one half of the former team Subject to Change, the former Destiny and X-Crown champion comes back to FIRESIDE!
Park: Probably as a favor to Caffrey!
The fans in the arena are hype and ready to go, ready to cheer on Subject. The music keeps going for what feels like an extra long amount of time, until you remember that yeah it’s just a long song, but still this feels like forever, and this match is already going to be long to begin with---
---then the camera cuts to the back.
In the back, we see a locker room door that a technician knocks on, and the monster is revealed to a large pop from the crowd. What quickly cuts the pop off is the presence of some of New Money’s goons just around the corner, along with the man himself, the former X-Crown champion, Evan Valentine Junior.
Subject #42: Ragh!
Wayne Tanner Jr.: Whoah whoah chief, slow down. Evan got you a little going away present for the last show!
Nick Von Erich: Yeah yeah, you’re gonna love it!
Subject #42: Ragh?
The actual cousins themselves are missing, but their presence is more than made up for with Evan Valentine holding… a pet carrier?
Evan Valentine Jr.: I got you somethin’, yeah. But you gotta make me a promise first.
The talks of a promise are suspicious as always -- Evan seems to have some kind of plan.
Evan Valentine Jr.: Dylan and the rest of my team, we don’t want any smoke. You can’t be smashin’ this face in, it’s North Korea, it’s Hollywood, it’s YouTube, TikTok, it’s everything. So uh, you just turn and around and leave. That asshole Caffrey doesn’t care about you anyway. But I found something that will care about you.
Subject #42: Ragh!
Subject isn’t amused by the offer as Evan turns the pet carrier and then opens it, revealing just the tiniest, furriest little three-legged kitten. The thing can barely stand on its own, missing one of its front legs, but when it does, it reminds you of a tripod.
Subject #42 immediately reaches for the kitten, but Evan shuts the gate to the carrier again. He sticks out his hand.
Evan Valentine Jr.: We have a deal?
There isn’t even a hesitation as the big lug shakes Evan’s hand so fiercely the grip hurts him.
Subject #42: Ragh!
Evan Valentine Jr:. AHHH let go you--- thanks. Enjoy.
Evan and his goon squad turn to go, leaving Subject behind. You can hear Evan bragging about the easiest $200 he’s ever spent. Subject opens the gate and reaches in for the kitten, grabbing it and bringing it closer to them. The kitty already has a tiny collar and a little name on the collar, marking it. The full name is “Cash Mewney”.
Cash: MEW!
The kitty grabs at one of Subject’s fingers as the camera cuts back to ringside.
Wright: As heartwarming as that was--
Park: --did we just see Evan be nice for once?
Wright: No, he did it to take out Subject before this match even started! Damn Valentine always has a plan, even on our last night!
Wright: Starting out strong for Team Fizz tonight, one half of the former team Subject to Change, the former Destiny and X-Crown champion comes back to FIRESIDE!
Park: Probably as a favor to Caffrey!
Stanford: Introducing next, from Detroit Michigan, weighing in at 185 pounds, he is JOOOOEEE NOOOOOOOOOBODDDDDDYYYYY!
The camera zooms into Nobody's face who smirks and adjusts his tie before making his way to the ring. As Nobody makes it up two steps, he stops before turning around to give a young fan his signature fedora.
Wright: One half of the first-ever FIRESIDE Tag Team champions is back tonight, here to get some revenge on the Bang Bros and Kanyon!
Park: Kanyon took his partner, took his championship, and took his job, and tonight might finally be vengeance!
Stanford: Introducing third, from San Diego, California, weighing in at 299 pounds, he is EDWAARDDDD ZEPPPPPP!
Wright: Edward Zepp, one of the tallest glasses of water here in FIRESIDE, effective, tough, and strong as hell!
Park: The man stands seven feet tall and you treat him like you’re selling a used car! He’s great!
The menacing synth and deliberate drums of "Blood Moon" by Dance With The Dead signals the arrival of Ed Zepp, or it would, if Zepp had passed through the curtain. The commentary team continues to fill the space, or tries to do so.
Wright: Son of Isiah Zepp, the aspiring politician… where is he?
Park: I don’t know--
The camera cuts to a different section of the backstage area, where Johnny Five is standing with President Curtis Kanyon. Kanyon has his trusty sledgehammer in hands as the camera reveals they’re standing over Edward Zepp, who is grabbing his knee, which is gushing blood. Zepp yells out in pain only to be struck again hard with the hammer.
Kanyon: Shut up!
Johnny Five: This isn’t right, man.
Kanyon: Since when do you care? You and Misha…
Johnny Five: You can’t just go around layin’ out every dude left and right.
Kanyon: All part of the plan. Misha isn’t here anymore. You want to win?
There is a glimmer in Kanyon’s eyes as he doesn’t even make eye contact, staring at the hammer, ignoring Five, who has his arms crossed. Five sighs.
Five: This is bullshit, I beat you---
For the first time, Kanyon stops looking at one of the instruments of his grand plan, and looks over at Johnny.
Kanyon: What?
Five crosses his arms.
Five: Nothing.
The camera cuts back to ringside. Fans are starting to clamor as Team Fizz is beginning to fade quickly.
Wright: Kanyon seems to have a master plan to take out his competition tonight!
Park: He’s already knocked out two seven footers, Fizz might be left with Nobody to defend with!
Wright: He’s got Joe!
Park: I said that!
Stanford: Introducing fourth and fifth, they weigh in at a combined 480 pounds, they are the team of EOIN O’ROURKEEEE AND APAAAATTTHHHYYYY!
“You’re going to have to prove me wrong, I don’t think that’s what you really want” plays on the arena speakers as the crowd pops for one of the most electric wrestlers in all of FIRESIDE and their partner.
"I love you...now die".
The haunting distorted voice of SKYND fills the arena, red smoke billowing up from the stage as the lights go down, bathing the arena in a sea of red. When the smoke clears, Apathy is nowhere to be found, and neither is their partner.
Wright: And here’s someone with big stakes going into tonight, where if Apathy’s team wins, they win the SPARK Championship from Donzig.
Park: Accompanying this absolute badass is their partner Eoin, making an ill-timed FIRESIDE debut, but hey, you can’t predict these things.
The atmosphere in the arena quickly turns to boos again as the pair don’t appear on the ramp.
Wright: Oh come on--
The camera cuts to the medical office of Dr. Lagari as Apathy just finishes getting examined by the man.
Elizabeth: Assume I’m good to go.
Eoin: Lizzy and I are already running late to this match. I can hear the music.
Still a bucket of nerves with a camera on him, Dr. Lagari tremors as he passes off a clipboard to Apathy.
Dr. Lagari: Yes, yes, you’re all good, just sign here.
Elizabeth: Why the nerves?
Eoin: He’s camera shy. No wonder no one uses him in promos…
The door of the medical office slams open to reveal Gavin Drake, Carbrey, Mormo, and Moloch all bursting in to mug the biggest threat to Donzig’s title reign. Mormo, Drake, and Moloch quickly overwhelm Eoin in a three-on-one assault but Apathy takes the clipboard and cracks it over Carbrey’s skull. Dr. Lagari catches an elbow in the fracas and goes down hard, spilling a box of masks everywhere. Drake charges forward to catch Apathy but immediately gets kicked in the gut and planted with a Death before Dishonor for his troubles!
Wright: They’re fighting them off!
Park: Donzig-gun got the jump on Apathy and Eoin, but Apathy is a one-wrestler wrecking crew and is doing their best to dispatch them!
As Apathy turns to face Moloch, she’s struck in the back with a crutch by the SPARK Champion himself, Donzig, accompanied by Sinclair! They go down and as Eoin tries to spring up and fight for his partner, he’s kicked below the belt and given an Event Horizon stunner for his troubles!
Wright: There’s so many of them! This is a freaking six on two!
Park: It’s messed up, is what it is! This was supposed to be a celebration of FIRESIDE talents and a battle for the soul of FIRESIDE, not a series of muggings!
Sinclair barks orders as Donzig reaches down and grabs the SPARK championship that’s been knocked to the floor, possessive of his championship as ever. He grabs it and throws it back over his shoulder as Mormo and Moloch get Apathy up… and Mormo moves to irish whip Apathy, but then uses the momentum to send her speeding back into Moloch’s arms, sending Apathy crashing through the examination table!
Wright: Damnit! Team Fizz is down four people and the bell hasn’t even rung yet!
Park: The soul of FIRESIDE is looking dark and bleak!
The camera cuts back to ringside as Stanford sighs, standing back up to keep announcing Team Fizz participants.
Stanford: Introducing sixth, from San Diego California, weighing in at 165 pounds, they are the Shining Star, they are MYOJIIIIIIINNNNNNN!
Are you ready?
The lights dim down while the catchy, fast paced rock of RAINBOWS by A9 echoes as a spotlight suddenly appears on the ramp. Once the beat finally kicks in, we expect to see someone filling the spotlight, but again, no one’s there!
Wright: Holy shit, again? What the hell is happening?
Park: Hang on, I’m getting word about something…
Wright: Imagine you’re Joe Nobody standing in the ring, and so far, none of your partners have come out. It’s looking more and more like Team Kanyon is going to win this damn thing by default!
Stanford stands up to make the announcement.
Stanford: Ladies and gentlemen, I’m told that MYOJIN isn’t in the building tonight, so moving on!
The crowd boos LOUDLY, like super loudly as Oliver Wright grows more exasperated.
Wright: After everything FIRESIDE did for that kid’s career, made them an X-Crown champion, an XHF Junior Heavyweight champion, for crying out loud…
Park: …and Caffrey basically forced him to tag with him in a losing effort to El Bang Hermanos, mind you.
Wright: Just a shame that’s how that story ends. Is anyone going to show up for Team Fizz besides Joe Nobody tonight?
Stanford: Introducing seventh, from Eugene, Oregon weighing in at 248 pounds, he is SHANEEEEE LOCKEEEEEE!
The first guitar chords hit. Then that voice leading into "A Country Boy Can Survive" by Hank Williams Jr hits over the PA. Almost immediately, pacing in tune with the music is a tall, strongly structured gentleman. He has simple green trunks with double yellow vertical stripes on each side. Black knee pads and tall black boots finish off the simple wrestling ensemble.
Locke wastes little time heading to the ring, not bothering with exchaning high fives, not bothering with jibes, simply keeping an eye on the ring. Locke's reddish-brown mullet is capped with a heavily worn John Deere cap and his strong looking but not necessarily "jacked" frame is wrapped with a sleeveless flannel work shirt. He has a thick neck, wide chest and back, body hair evident. He has a frame powered by a lifetime of hard work rather then a gym. His forearms are especially thick, capped with gnarled, thick hands and fingers.
Wright: Shane Locke has apparently arrived in one piece, making a second member of team FIRESIDE!
Park: Two out of seven isn’t looking the best, but they’ll do what they can do with the former SPARK Champ!
Stanford: Introducing next, fighting for the FIRESIDE Tag Team championships…
The camera cuts again to the back, this time to catering as Death Trap and Mistress Discipline are finishing discussing strategy for tonight’s match while finishing up a plate of delicious sandwiches. There are hilarious quips that have been edited out of broadcast for time, but the air in the room reaches a chill as our heroic pair find a Spike Kane at one end of the hall, and a Zolothach on the other end. The two almost wordlessly look at one another before splitting off to take the fight to the opposition.
The brawl between Zolothach and Mistress Discipline goes better for the good guys as after getting locked up in a side headlock and wailed upon by Zolothach, Mistress manages to counter and send Zolothach crashing into a brick wall, where she bounces off with a hard thud. On the other side, things aren’t going as hot for Death Trap, who manages to string together a series of punches before being german suplexed onto the cold hard floor!
Wright: Spike Kane and Zolothach thought they got the drop on Top of the Class, but at least half the group is holding their own!
Park: Mistress and Trap are taking the fight right back to them!
Mistress takes her eyes off the ball for a few seconds as she checks on Trap, only to find herself locked in a spinning cobra clutch from Zolothach, the Tranq Out! Discipline begins to fade as Spike mounts Death Trap, raining down lefts and rights, but the former X-Crown champion manages to take down his assailant by pulling on the legs of a catering table, tipping a table full of taco ingredients spilling on top of both men!
Wright: It’s taco night in the Hearth!
Park: That sour cream has gone everywhere!
The distraction allows Death Trap to escape and the moment of time to sock Zolothach in the back of the head, causing her to release her grasp on Discipline. Zolothach spins around to find herself caught in the grasp for a Cut the Strings cutter, but she shoves Death Trap away into a Blood God’s Wrath from Spike Kane, sending Death Trap through the catering table!
Wright: A powerbomb with authority, right through the side of the table!
Park: Spike clearly isn’t a man of being made a mockery of with salsa and other fine dips!
The heel pair grab Mistress Discipline and spot another table full of canned sodas, bottles of alcohol, and a very large glass bowl of what one can safely assume is a punch that envies the best collegiate jungle juice you’ve ever seen. Spike clears some of the table for the incoming corpse of Mistress, directing traffic until he finds the glass bowl crashing down on the back of his head and immediately shattering, courtesy of one Brad Kane!
Wright: Brad Kane just broke that bowl on his sibling and long-time rival!
Park: The taste of revenge is apparently fruit and alcohol-flavored!
Brad Kane kicks Zolothach in the gut, and Discipline finishes off Zolothach by dropping her through the drinks table with a sitout powerbomb of her own!
Wright: Shades of former SPARK championship matches with Mistress Discipline putting out Zolothach there!
Park: The good guys might be turning the tide, but is it too little too late?
As Discipline gets back to her feet, she looks over at Brad, who is still stomping on a now-bleeding Spike Kane. Once Brad has had enough, he backs off, but he doesn’t follow Discipline, who is headed to ringside to be ready for the tag match. Instead, he begins to make his way towards the exit.
Brad Kane: I got mine!
Brad Kane doesn’t even give a wave goodbye as he leaves, leaving Discipline almost dumbfounded. She checks on Death Trap, who is being helped by the trainers. He gives her his blessing to go kick ass.
Wright: Brad got his revenge and then bounced!
Park: Honestly? Kind of respect it. Man knows what he wants!
The announcements turn back to the ringside area as Stanford keeps announcing names.
Stanford: And their partner… from Houston, Texas, weighing in at 150 pounds, they are the WILDFIRE Champion, they are SAAAAAM SAWYYYYERRR!
The arena lights dim as a bassline begins to play. While a silver mist slowly fills the stage, the fans wait in anticipation. A deep voice starts singing in a whisper. Then, a dark figure walks through the mist. Completely decked out in black, the teenager slowly walks forward. The camera mostly keeps its distance. Different angles give a better look, but their face is still mostly obscured in darkness. After climbing the steps and entering the ring, the volume of the music increases.
"I hear the sons of the city and dispossessed
Get down, get undressed
Get pretty but you and me
We got the kingdom, we got the key
We got the empire, now as then
We don't doubt, we don't take direction"
The mist has thinned but the arena is still dark. The song quietens down.
"Lucretia, my reflection, dance the ghost with me"
Then reaches its loud finale. The lights come back on to reveal Sam Sawyer standing in the ring, their face quietly focused.
Wright: Sam’s been back and forth in the past, but I think they seem to be turning a new leaf, or a new page as FIRESIDE comes to an end!
Park: A tough fighter, a former X-Crown combatant, and tonight, they’ve got one last shot at defending their gold.
As Sam Sawyer enters, Mistress Discipline joins them, making four wrestlers in the ring for Team FIRESIDE.
Stanford: And finally…
The camera cuts one last time to the private locker room of the former world champion and the current world champion, Natalie Burrows and Vodka Fizz. Or rather, just outside of it, as our lovely robot boy Sico has taken the job of getting final words from the pair. He knocks on the door.
Sico: Happy Birthday Paulie?
We can hear what sounds like yelling coming through the other side of the door.
Burrows: We could just leave! Have you seen what’s going on out there? They’re beating our team! Caffrey went home, he never cared about you and me!
Fizz: This is my title, Nat! This is my show! I gotta do this!
Burrows: You don’t gotta do anything!
Wright: Sounds like trouble in paradise for these two!
Park: Maybe a hole in their chemistry?
There is more knocking from our robot friend.
Sico: Happy Birthday Paulie?
Fizz: What’s that supposed to mean?
Burrows: I’m going to go--
Fizz: Wait! I need--
As Burrows opens the door, she discovers that just around the corner, the duo of Otto Ritter and Alexander Von Blankenship are not only around the corner, but armed with baseball bats. She quickly closes the door halfway.
Burrows: Heads up, we’ve got two guys coming our way.
Fizz: Oh so now you want to help.
Burrows: I want to make sure you don’t get your ass kicked, yes.
Fizz: Fine. Let’s go.
Vodka Fizz grabs the FIRESIDE World Championship as the two emerge from their dressing room to find Ritter and Blankenship rapidly converging on their location with the bats. Burrows shoves Fizz out of the way of a charging Ritter, who ends up crashing into Sico.
Sico: Happy Birthday Paulie!
Blankenship has a head full of steam on his own as he goes after the former world champion, swinging wildly and just missing his own shot with the bat. As he reaches back for an overhead shot, Fizz gets his hands on the bat and tussles with him for it, giving Burrows enough time to regain her composure and catch a running Ritter with a hard Denial kick!
Wright: This is quickly becoming a helluva couples therapy session!
Park: Otto Ritter can’t catch a break!
Vodka Fizz manages to wrestle the bat out of Blankenship’s hands, only to get kneed in the balls for his troubles. Fizz drops and coughs in pain from the blow as Blankenship backs up for the superman punch, only to get crushed by Burrows’ Rydeen bomb straight into the hard floor!
Wright: Burrows pays back Fizz with the save!
Park: This attack didn’t go well for Fizz and Burrows!
Clearly in pain, Fizz has no choice but to ask for help. He reaches up with a hand out, and after thinking for a few moments, Burrows accepts. The two don’t embrace or anything of that matter, instead turning their heads towards the entrance.
Stanford: …weighing a combined 385 pounds, the team of NATALIE BURROWWSSSS and FIRESIDE World Champion VODKA FIZZZZZZZZZ!
The lights go down and blacklights come up, bathing the stage in purple. A hard, grungy bassline starts to play.
'Hey, turn the bass up. Turn the bass up!'
Fizz starts up his trusty golf cart and turns back, waiting for his partner to hop on.
Fizz: You coming?
Burrows checks herself, then makes her decision.
Burrows: Let’s go.
The base gets louder and grungier, and the lyrics come in as FIRESIDE World Champion Vodka Fizz drives out on stage with Natalie Burrows in the passenger seat in a golf cart retrofitted with huge speakers that are playing his music. He is dressed in a full-length white fur coat, white shutter glasses, and anover-the-top white top hat, and as he drives the golf cart down the ramp he toasts fans with a yard-long cocktail flask hung around his neck full of some florescent liquid he drinks from as he drives down the ramp.
When he gets to ringside, he drapes the fur coat over the seat of the golf cart and removes the top hat, keeping the shades on. he climbs up on the apron, turning to face the crowd and chugging the remnants of his large drink, finally striking a pose and spraying a mouthful of whatever it is up into the air and letting it rain over him. He grins and winks at the camera, then rolls backwards over the ropes into the ring. The Southern Belle slides into the ring, rolling onto her back before kipping up to her feet. The nearest turnbuckle is mounted as she looks out over the crowd, removing the title and holding it aloft with one hand to evoke more cheers. She lingers there for a few moments before hopping down.
Wright: A mixed bag of emotions between these two, lots of rumors in the air about their relationship past this show, not to mention Fizz just beat Burrows for the world championship!
Park: And she won’t get a chance at getting revenge or getting that title back. I can’t say I blame her, she’s been wronged by Caffrey, a man who beat up one of her good friends.
Wright: So they officially have seven of the thirteen have made it… Vodka Fizz, Natalie Burrows, Sam Sawyer, Mistress Discipline, Shane Locke, and Joe Nobody.
Park: That’s only six, Ollie. Less than half of the team ready to go due to the hands of Team Kanyon, though Team Kanyon isn’t at full staff either.
Stanford: And their opponents…
VROOM! VROOM!
Stanford: …riding in on the BANG BUS…
As the now-infamous Metallica song rings through the Hearth, a curtain to the side of the ramp is lifted to reveal an American-flag painted school bus driving into the arena. Behind the wheel is the team captain himself, but as they’re announced, one by one members of the Bang Bus keep pouring out, revealing what remains of the team. Stanford quickly realizes it’s best to just announce people as they come out.
Stanford: …the team of DINOSAAUR BONES…
Dinosaur Bones gets a pop but thankfully not of a pin variety before immediately going over to scare the shit out of Oliver Wright one more time.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wright: Jesus Christ!
Park: This isn’t 2020 anymore Oliver, you have to know this kinda thing is coming!
Wright: I didn’t know Dino Bones was back!
Stanford: …JOHNNY FIIIIIIIIIIVE…
Five gets a moderate pop when coming out of the BANG Bus, but man you can tell he really just doesn’t want to be here or on this team as he walks down to the ring.
Wright: Who shit in his Wheaties?
Park: This is a squad of El Combatiente and a bunch of bad men. I don’t blame him for not being enthused!
Stanford: …SPARK Champion DONZIIIIIG…
Donzig emerges to the loudest boos so far, carrying the SPARK championship over his shoulder. He shakes his head and ignores the crowd as he heads to the ring.
Wright: A long-time star of FIRESIDE despite double dipping elsewhere, Donzig finally captured championship gold!
Park: And now he has to defend it in this cluster!
Stanford: …the FIRESIDE Tag Team Champions, EVAN VALENTINE and DYLAN BLACK, NEW APPENDAGESSSSS…
The FIRESIDE Tag Team champions emerge from the bus to even louder boos, not amused with having to defend the championships they just earned in a brutal Rage in the Cage. They carry with them the scars of the match and the injuries, both men walking slower than normal.
Wright: This match has serious star power in it as these are just two of the former X-Crown champions on this team!
Park: It is an absolutely loaded line-up, that’s for sure. And this team, formed out of a weird battle royale, has been one of the most pleasant surprises as FIRESIDE is coming to a close, their brains and skills making them an effective team.
Stanford: …and finally, the trio of BANG BROS including STEVEEE AWESOMEEEEE, and the former FIRESIDE Tag team champions EL COMBATIANTEEEE and PRESIDENT CURTIS KANYOOOOOON!
El Combatiente emerges from the bus first, carrying something with the assistance of Javier as he exits the bus. It turns out to be balloon Steve, the likeliness of Steve Awesome in balloon form as the man is still missing. President Kanyon turns off the engine of the bus to look over his motley crew and soak in the atmosphere, happy that his plan has come together. Together, the three men and the balloon walk down to the ring one last time.
Wright: This would be all four members of the BANG Bros, but with Spike taken out by Death Trap, it’s just the three amigos tonight!
Park: Steve’s looking lighter on his feet than ever before!
Wright: You’ve got that right, but even lighter are the former FIRESIDE Tag Team champions, having lost the gold in Rage in a Cage. Now Kanyon is cashing in on a long-owed world championship match tonight, and hence we have this match.
Park: And you can see he’s come into this match with a plan already, having knocked out half the competition, while he on his side has himself, Combatiente, Valentine, Black, Donzig, Five, Bones, and Awesome!
As the group descends on the ring, we can see Oliver counting the participants from the destroyed announce desk.
Wright: Isn’t there supposed to be one more? Where’s Jason Long?
Park: Oh, you missed it-- Caff just invited him back to fire him again. Long was apparently turned away at the door tonight.
Wright: Really made him fly all the way out here to turn him away? That is extremely petty!
Park: He really did treat him like a small child, didn’t he?
The group gets into the ring at the same time, revealing an eight on six, or a seven-and-balloon on six.
Wright: It’s finally arrived -- no disqualifications, one pinfall or submission to determine the winner, and the winning team walks out with all the gold!
Park: Here we go!
The bell rings and almost immediately the bodies begin hitting the floor as the battle for the soul of FIRESIDE continues from its battles in the back to this time the heart of the Hearth. Most noticeably the first one hitting the floor from the ring is Shane Locke, who’s been dumped on his ass by a rampaging Dinosaur Bones. Bones pursues him, screaming as he goes!
AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wright: Bones is hungry and on the warpath!
Park: I’m not sure the former farmhand would taste of fruit and veggies, but Bones might eat him regardless!
Joe Nobody is out for blood and vengeance as he targets the Bang Bros in the earlygoings, looking to get his hands on Kanyon but having to settle for El Combatiente. Nobody strikes hard and early with a Perfect Placement, a Jumping Calf Kick that knocks Balloon Awesome out of Combatiente’s hands and the former FIRESIDE tag team champion out of the ring! Balloon Awesome lands in Nobody’s hands, and is set down in the corner!
Wright: Perfect Placement from Nobody!
Park: Moves like that are going to give the good guys the best chance of winning, especially with this being only one fall to the finish!
Donzig takes advantage of an already-tired Mistress Discipline, tackling her with a Lou Thesz press as both competitors go crashing down to the outside. Dylan Black manages to overwhelm Natalie Burrows with an early bout of fisticuffs, punching her into the corner and preparing for a big move. Evan Valentine is not as successful as he tries to jump Sam Sawyer from behind, only for Sawyer to grab him. The crowd knows what’s coming next as Sawyer rears back and delivers one of their stiffest strikes in FIRESIDE history, an open-hand slap!
Crowd: GGGEEEEEETTTTTT… FUCKED!
Wright: I’ll miss a slap like that!
Park: Just a beautiful move!
Sawyer turns and loses focus for a few seconds, acknowledging the cheering crowd.
Wright: A nice moment for Sam!
Park: Sam, turn around!
Proof that we can never have nice things in FIRESIDE, aka Curtis Kanyon, immediately clotheslines Sawyer over the mat to the floor, mocking their moment of humility. Vodka Fizz is on him like a moth to a flame though, striking him down with an enziguri.
Wright: Instant karma there!
Park: A John Lennon song that won’t make you wish the world would end!
Fizz turns and sees Burrows being lifted up onto the top rope by Black and Johnny Five, and so he charges into the corner, but Five sees this coming, and tries to get his feet up for a missile dropkick, yet Fizz manages to catch him and turn it into an inverted powerslam! As Fizz turns to deal with Dylan, he’s too late as Dylan catches a perched Burrows with a straight jab, knocking her off the top turnbuckle to the point where she thuds hard on the floor!
Wright: Too little, too late for the FIRESIDE world champion as the former X-Crown champion takes out his partner?
Park: Can we get a replay of that blow? Man, what a shot to the head there, that’ll mess you up!
As Vodka Fizz and Dylan Black go at it in the center of the ring, further up the ramp Shane Locke has managed to put some distance between himself and Dino Bones, but Bones is rampaging fast and hard. The beast charges forward and connects with a running hip attack, knocking Locke off the ramp!
Wright: Space Flying Tiger Drop!
Park: It’s just… a hip attack? Sure?
Bones immediately follows this up with a big BITE, causing red streamers to come shooting out of his mouth to mimic massive blood loss! Locke yells out in pain!
Wright: He bit him! He bit him!
Park: Bones is rampaging here!
As Bones prepares for a tail strike, he quickly finds that Mistress Discipline has not only gotten the upper hand on her situation but now has pinned his tail down to the ramp. He tries to swing back at her, but his short dinosaur arms do not exactly reach back to hit her. With Bones trapped in place, this gives Joe Nobody the opportunity to connect with a shining wizard to Bones’ back!
Wright: That’s one way to take down the big boy!
Park: Gotta do anything you can!
However, as Nobody turns around, he’s kicked in the gut and dropped to the floor with an Event Horizon, courtesy of the Herald of Oblivion himself!
Wright: No one keeps Donzig down for long!
Park: The SPARK Champion just took out Nobody!
Mistress Discipline comes at Donzig, but before she can hit him, El Combatiente drops her with a dropkick, then follows up with a quick moonsault right on the ramp!
Wright: The former champ makes an impact!
Park: Make that two!
Back in the ring, Black and Fizz trade blows, with Black unable to quite land the fist that will really knock back the champion out. Fizz grabs him and looks to lock in the Hanging Chad!
Wright: If Fizz can get the hold locked in, it might be over!
Park: Come on Voddy!
The modified Octopus Hold is a struggle to lock in as it has to be extra modified for Dylan, but it gets locked in! Black screams out in pain but doesn’t have to suffer long as the struggle has left Kanyon enough time to deliver a hammer shot straight between Fizz’s shoulder blades! Fizz hits the mat as the crowd boos loudly!
Wright: The powerful Mjolnir comes in for Kanyon once again -- the man’s spent what feels like his entire career with that hammer, and it pays off here!
Park: Fizz might be out! Kanyon might have this match won!
Kanyon covers!
…ONE!
…TWO!
…Natalie Burrows kicks Kanyon off of Fizz!
Wright: Burrows saves the partner and the gold for her partner!
Park: Nat, behind you!
As Burrows is about to gain momentum, a running snapmare from Evan Valentine Jr. quickly changes that fact to fiction! He stomps on her until the point she’s forced to vacate the ring, falling out to the floor!
Wright: Burrows saves the partner and the gold for her partner!
Park: Nat, behind you!
Wright: She’s really having rotten luck in this one!
Evan slides out of the ring to continue the assault, leaving Kanyon, Fizz, and Awesome left in the ring, along with Kanyon’s hammer. Kanyon grabs the hammer and looks it over, smiling as he prepares to put away the FIRESIDE world championship and attain the ultimate ending. As he rears back the hammer to put away the champ though, the crowd cheers, as an unlikely participant stops him!
Wright: What is Johnny Five doing?!
Park: It’s a betrayal, Oliver! And this crowd is loving it!
Kanyon shakes his head in dismay as the two men battle over the hammer, with Johnny Five eventually wrestling it from his hands! Five uses the hammer, striking him straight in the face with it! Blood begins to trickle down from Kanyon’s lip as the crowd roars!
Wright: Johnny is jumping ship from Team Kanyon!
Park: I don’t think he ever really wanted to be on that team! This is huge for Team Fizz!
To make matters worse for Kanyon, Five lifts him up, then drops him with the Fuck Yo Neck Burning Hammer!
Wright: Fuck Yo Neck! I can’t believe it!
Park: This crowd is rocking for Johnny!
As a “Johnny” chant reaches a fever pitch, he grabs the downed Fizz and throws him on top!
Wright: The cover and the count!
Park: This could be it!
…ONE!
…TWO!
Evan Valentine Jr. pulls Vodka Fizz out and to the floor before slamming him against the barricad!
Wright: Someone’s gonna have to figure out how to clear the ring of all these people if they’re going to win this one!
Park: Evan just saved his tag team championships there!
Johnny Five looks to hit another big move on Kanyon, but before he can, he’s chased out of the ring by a returning Donzig! He manages to hit a spinebuster on the charging man to buy himself some time, then scurries up the ramp, arm raised high!
Wright: Donzig stopped Five from completely ruining the match for him, but the damage has been done!
Park: And the crowd is loving it!
Five disappears to the back, not wanting any more of Donzig as the action picks up near the bowl of fire at the top of the ramp, with Dinosaur Bones, Shane Locke, Mistress Discipline, and El Combatiente going at it. Discipline is taking it to Combatiente and manages to get her knee up, striking him with a bicycle knee strike!
Wright: Final Bell from the first FIRESIDE signing!
Park: She is more than holding her own!
Not holding his own however is Shane Locke, who is once again a victim of the offense of Dinosaur Bones, who is firing projectile fireballs at him! Locke thankfully dodges out of the way, barely avoiding being caught by one of them!
Wright: There’s a lot of flammable stuff over there, Bones should watch where he’s going!
Park: I don’t think he can hear you!
As Discipline comes near Dinosaur Bones, Bones stomps the floor, causing a quake that almost knocks her off his feet while knocking down Shane! Bones jumps up and stomps down again, causing a bigger quake that this time knocks over Discipline as well!
Wright: A huge quake from Bones!
Park: Holy shit, he knocked the fire off its holdings too!
The crowd reacts loudly as the Lighting the Fire bowl is knocked from its perch, spilling the bowl containing enough fluid to burn the fire all night to the ground! The fluid begins to catch, lighting part of the stage on fire!
Wright: Fire! Someone get an extinguisher!
Park: Bones and Locke are so close, they may want to make a hasty retreat!
The sight of a fire leads Dinosaur Bones to quickly back the hell up, knocking into a technician running out with a fire extinguisher and knocking him over. Meanwhile the fire continues to engulf the area, leading Shane Locke to jump off the stage to the floor to avoid the flames!
Wright: You’ve got a family Shane, save yourself!
Park: If that fire spreads to the electrical area, it could knock out power to the building!
Thankfully, Mistress Discipline spots the issue at hand and grabs the fire extinguisher, but as she goes to put the fire out, she finds her face suddenly covered in a black mist courtesy of Donzig!
Wright: Black Mist!
Park: Donzig needs to grab that extinguisher and put the damn fire out! Don’t we have more extinguishers? Someone needs to do something!
Donzig grabs the extinguisher, but instead of using it to put out the fire, he instead slams it against Discipline’s back!
Wright: That fire is growing!
Park: The curtains are on fire now! This isn’t good!
Back in the ring, Sam Sawyer manages to dispatch Evan Valentine, but then spots the fire that is quickly starting to engulf the stage! They decide to turn up the offense into a fever pitch, striking Evan with the running Fire with Fire lariat! They hook the leg!
…ONE!
…TWO!
Kickout!
Wright: A kickout at two! Fire with Fire doesn’t get the job done there!
Park: Oliver, do something about the fire outside of the ring!
Wright: What do you want me to do?
The fire continues to envelop the curtains as Sam looks up at the ramp. Members of the crowd are now getting antsy as Shane Locke has straight-up passed through the curtain, getting himself the hell out of dodge.
Wright: Locke just left!
Park: Do you see the fire? We should go too!
Wright: We’ve got to finish this match, UnJoo!
Back in the ring, Dylan Black is back on his feet, managing to counter another Fire with Fire Lariat by jumping up onto the shoulders of Sawyer! He falls backwards, planting them with a poisonrana!
Wright: Headstrong from Black!
Park: Just pin them, Dylan!
Dylan hooks the leg!
…ONE!
…TWO!
Only two!
Wright: I’m told the medical team is getting the extinguishers together and is coming out now!
Park: Oh thank God!
There is now a wall of fire as the curtains surrounding the big screen at the top of the ramp are almost fully covered in flame. Dr. Lagari and his assistant are out with extinguishers trying to contain the blast, but Donzig rips one out of the hands of Lagari, then threatens the other person with the extinguisher!
Wright: What the hell is he doing?
Park: Oh my God, I think he wants this place to burn down! That’s fucking evil!
As Donzig turns around, he’s met with a running STO courtesy of Joe Nobody, who plants him solidly onto the ground right next to the fire!
Wright: Denial of Perfection!
Park: Yes Joe, now get to work while you still have time!
Nobody gets up to begin using the extinguisher, but as he does, a small electrical explosion occurs by the ramp as the fire has spread to the ramp! The power fluctuates for a few moments as a back-up generator gets going!
Wright: Oh shit!
Park: Oliver, there’s all those tables over there-- that’s wood, we have to get out of here!
Members of the crowd have gotten the message that things are going wrong -- 90% of them are still in their seats thinking it’s just part of the show, but the other 10% are up and out, grabbing their children and souvenirs and booking it for their nearest exits. Even Joe Nobody, realizing that the fire has gotten to be too much, passes through the only part of the curtain that isn’t still on fire, disappearing to the back. At ringside, ring announcer Walter Stanford looks conflicted as he tries to figure out if he has to warn the crowd to get out.
Wright: This is getting out of hand! Where the hell is Caffrey or Washington to save this place?
Park: I think they ditched us!
Back in the ring, Sawyer has been joined by Burrows, who is quickly evaluating the scene at hand as FIRESIDE World champion Vodka Fizz looks on at the burning fire which is now starting to make its way down the ramp. Extinguishers lay by the inferno as Donzig is pulled to safety by the rest of Donzig-gun. It is four-on-six as Mistress Discipline is still ringside, while on the other side of the equation Dinosaur Bones, Dylan Black, Steve Awesome, Curtis Kanyon, El Combatiente and Evan--- nope, Evan has just ducked out through the crowd, taking his half of the FIRESIDE tag team championships with him. Four on five.
Wright: Stanford, Stanford if you can hear me you need to make an announcement to get these people out of here!
Park: Seriously Walter, do it!
Water Stanford nods ferociously, realizing what he has to do, even getting up onto the barricade to make sure people see him. For some fucking reason, 70% of the crowd is still in their seats.
Stanford: Ladies and gentlemen, ATTENTION please! Ladies and gentlemen, please exit your seats in a calm manner as swiftly as possible! I repeat, ladies and gentlemen, please exit your seats and move away from the fire!
Amazingly, the first reaction to this announcement is booing. The second set of announcements is pure chaos and panic as no one in their right mind takes the ‘calm’ part well, fleeing with speed and even leaving merchandise as the fire has spread sideways from the electrical area to some of the fringe seating in the arena. The smell and the smoke begin to fill the Hearth as the fire continues to grow.
Wright: (coughing) Thank you Walter, thank you!
Park: We might need to get you out of here too old man, come on!
Wright: This place gave me my life back, I’m not leaving until it’s over!
Referee Melanie Davenport looks like she wants to throw out the match and have people vacate the area, but El Combatiente and Javier are keeping her from doing anything of the sort back ringside. The three wrestlers still in the ring for Team FIRESIDE -- Burrows, Fizz, and Sawyer, have to deal with the big boy as Dinosaur Bones climbs back into the ring on anothe rampage. Bones swings his tail, taking out Sawyer with a hard strike, leaving Burrows and Fizz partnered together on the other side of the ring. Fizz doesn’t quite know what to do as Bones charges the pair, leaving Burrows to shove him into harm’s way! Fizz gets massive air as Bones bends down and sends him flying with a big body drop!
Wright: Did Burrows just… turn on Fizz there?
Park: I’m not sure what we’re seeing with all this damn smoke!
Bones is still bent over from the body drop though, leaving Burrows the opportunity to level him with her scissors kick, the Closure!
Wright: Closure! Wrap this one up and let’s go home Natalie!
Park: Come on!
She hooks the leg!
…ONE!
…TWO!
Kanyon dives, saving the match for himself and his team!
Wright: Kanyon! It’s not worth the championship! Get out of here!
Park: I don’t think he’d listen to you!
Mistress Discipline spots the downed Sam Sawyer and the fire that has almost made it down the entire ramp to the ringside area and grabs Sawyer, pulling them out of the ring! Discipline communicates something to Sawyer, and Discipline grabs Sawyer’s Wildfire Championship before pulling them along over the barricade, leading them out of the arena!
Wright: Discipline just saved Sawyer!
Park: Discipline’s been one of the best since day one, thank you both for everything!
Wright: It’s two on five as that fire has gotten dangerously close to the ring!
Dylan Black looks under the ring for something, spotting the remaining extinguisher! He shoots it at the flames before looking around and seeing that his partner left minutes ago! He too decides to head for the hills, grabbing his half of the gold and leaping over the barricade!
Wright: Black’s deciding to fight another day!
Park: He’s always been a genius of a ring general, and I don’t blame him for trying to get out of--
POP!
The remaining BANG Bros look on in shock as the heat at ringside has led the Steve Awesome balloon to pop! Combatiente looks as shaken as he can be while under a mask before barking orders in Spanish to Javier to use the extinguisher that Black had just dug up to keep the flames at bay. It is slightly working, but not well. The fires continue to rage to the point that Walter Stanford gives up on announcing the finish of this one, and is helped out over the barricade by the timekeeper. The crowd reveals that just like in the show’s early days, the arena is now empty. The fire spreads to more of the seats.
Wright: Goodbye Walter!
Park: Oliver, how confident are you in your ability to sprint out of here?
Wright: I told you I’m not leaving!
Park: Come on!
UnJoo Park tries to convince Oliver Wright to leave, but Oliver is still seated at his chair, despite catching a handful of smoke. If a fire department has been called, we haven’t seen it yet. The sight of the fire at ringside seems to truly alarm Dinosaur Bones, especially with the popping of Steve Awesome, as Bones straight up goes through a barricade and begins to jostle up the steps as fast as his dinosaur legs can carry him.
Park: Seriously Oliver, even the dinosaur is leaving!
Wright: You don’t have to wait for me, you can go if you want!
Park: Come on!
We’re down to two commentators, four wrestlers, and a referee at this point. El Combatiente and Natalie Burrows are trading blows as each competitor looks to wrap up the match for their partner, with Combatiente getting the upper hand. He lifts Burrows up for Street Justice, his version of the Vertibreaker, but she manages to get free. She goes for another Closure, but he gets his head out of the way! He grabs her head for sliced bread, but she sends him off the ropes instead, before catching him in the tilt-a-whirl-slam known as the Grief Cycle!
Wright: Grief Cycle! This should do it!
Park: Please let this be the end!
…ONE!
…TWO!
…Kanyon saves the match again!
Park: Damnit!
Wright: Only two!
We hear a clunk at ringside as Javier has dropped his fire extinguisher. It’s hard to tell if he has emptied the extinguisher or just decided this isn’t worth it anymore, yelling at his client that it’s time to leave. El Combatiente is too hurt to flee right at this moment, signaling he’s heard with a subtle nod, but Javier takes off.
Wright: There goes Javier--
Park: I’m sorry Oliver, but I’m going too. Please get out of here and be safe!
Wright: Are you sure?
Park: We have to get out of here! It’s now or never! You’re going to die if you stay here!
As Oliver realizes the weight of her words, UnJoo bolts from the table, holding the collar of her shirt over her mouth to try to not breathe in any more smoke.
Wright: And so this match continues.
Natalie Burrows gets back to her feet, only to be met with a vicious BANG from Kanyon! He hooks both legs!
Wright: BANG! That’s it! New champion!
…ONE!
…TWO!
…As Burrows kicks out, Fizz makes the save!
Wright: So close!
Besides a very small section of the side of the ramp Oliver is sitting on, almost the whole arena is on fire at one point to varying degrees. UnJoo forcibly rips him from his seat, yelling at him that she cares too much to let him die. He seems to take the message to heart, finally broken of the siren song of calling this match, and the two begin to navigate towards an exit that isn’t currently on fire.
The fires around the ring have spread to the point this match has become a tag team inferno match. It is a dangerous situation to be in and the four people left in the ring -- wait, four -- are desperate to end the match and not get lit on fire, and most importantly, not die, or most importantly become the last FIRESIDE World champion ever. Fighting for those causes, Vodka FIzz looks down at his partner, trying to ensure her safety. He drags her into the center of the ring, pulling her body as far from the fire as possible…
…before turning around and walking straight into another BANG! Kanyon gets it! Kanyon gets it! He hooks the leg and audibly counts along!
Kanyon: One!
Kanyon: Two!
Kanyon: Three!
But as he turns to celebrate, he is left in shock and horror -- referee Melanie Davenport has already left, escaping through the fire! There’s no referee to make the count!
Kanyon: ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?
Kanyon sits up in the ring, completely lost with himself. He looks around at the raging fire, realizing he has gotten what he wanted: the destruction of FIRESIDE. He has succeeded, FIRESIDE is no more, and burning to the ground around him as he sits.
In getting what he wanted, he has lost everything.
EC: WE HAVE TO GO! NOW!
Kanyon: NO! I BEAT HIM! WHERE’S THE REF? I BEAT HIM FAIR AND SQUARE!
EC: WE CAN MAKE THIS UP LATER, GO!
Kanyon: HE OWES ME!
Kanyon’s screams of anger double with screams of pain as El Combatiente shoves him towards the ropes and ushers him out of the ring, the pair being forced to retreat the same way the commentators had just a few moments before. Left in the center of the ring is Natalie Burrows and the current FIRESIDE champion, the match having gone up in smoke. Unfortunately for the pair, a piece of scaffolding crashes down from the ceiling of the Hearth, blocking the last way out that the BANG Bros just took.
Burrows screams at Fizz, who can’t even reach outside of the ring to grab the FIRESIDE World Championship because the fire is too strong. The hardcam that this is being filmed on -- as the camera crew has long since left -- is beginning to melt in itself from the heat. Fizz stands in the corner with his head in his hands, looking for an exit. Burrows stands on the top rope, considering jumping to the barricade. There is another small explosion in the arena as the lights flicker off, the Hearth now being lit by flame only.
At least, until a strange hole forms in the center of the ring.
It is colored bright pink.
A golden light shoots through the bottom of the hole, lighting up the center of the Hearth.
And then, for the first time in eight months…
…a mystical piano begins to play.
Rising out of the hole, it is the first time we’ve seen MAJESTY -- let alone whole again. and they do not waste much time as Natalie Burrows immediately embraces them, breaking down into a sob of joy. MAJESTY uses a free force to push Fizz into the circle with them, before looking back at Burrows with a smile of the purest joy.
MAJESTY: Friend.
The gold light envelops the trio, then disappears.
The dashboard clock says 1:37AM as the engine is killed. There is a stack of Corona bottles in the passenger seat with a bag of greasy fast food as the shirtless driver stumbles out of the car, landing face down in the cold sand of a dark New Jersey beach. When the man regains his composure, we discover it is the Father of FIRESIDE. Looking back, we can also see he has smashed through a border with his vehicle to reach the beach. The man is bleeding as he removes his shoes, trodding barefoot in the sand.
It is a dark night on this beach and the waves are practically nonexistent as the man walks along the ocean water, the cold providing a shock to his system as he goes. Before long, he sits on a dry portion of sand, looking out among the sea. He digs into his pocket, looking for something. He produces a knife.
.
.
There is a loud, sustained scream on the beach. It is followed by a series of shorter screams, the pain unmasked.
.
.
When he is finished, Caffrey clutches the upper part of his chest. He is in great pain, but he smiles, feeling whole once more. The blood continues to drip down his torso.
.
.
Caffrey: Escape.
.
.
He begins his walk, forward, into the ocean.
.
.
After he is submerged, the camera pans back to reveal something electronic left on the beach.
.
.
He has carved out his pacemaker.