Samhain 2007

[Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune]

TK spikes the implement into the mat in frustration and rises to his feet; he backs up before taking a mighty run-up and punting the faulty appliance out into the ether (drawing a big pop in the process). He places his hands at his side and looks up into the lights and just then ....

Maxwell McNally: Alicia with a roll up out of nowhere!

ONE


TWO


TH... KICK OUT!!!

Thunderkiss tries to get up first after kicking out but AK gets there first. She puts TK into the FALLING STAR and drops him face first to the mat! Once there, Alicia begins to work away on his already damaged knee by ramming her own into it a few times. Seething in pain, things only get worse for TK as she slaps on a figure four leglock.

“Fast” Eddie Edison: What the heck is she doing?! Doesn’t she know she can only win via pinfall?

Maxwell McNally: She knows EXACTLY what she is doing Eddie. Take away the base of a tree and what happens?

“Fast” Eddie Edison: …..”Tiiimmm-baaaah”?

Maxwell McNally: Exactly.

Thunderkiss is not about to panic himself in this situation; he holds the trump card in the form of his weight and power, and begins at once to drag himself to the ropes. Knowing that she can’t keep him down for long, AK really cranks back the hold and forces as much pressure through the joint as she can. Reaching out, TK barely touches the bottom rope but does indeed make it, the ref forces AK off and she rises to her feet instantly and prepares a knock out strike. Hoping TK uses the ropes to climb back up onto his feet, he does exactly that. She hits the opposite ropes and launches herself off of them for a huge Flying Leg Scissors - however, Thunderkiss pulls down the rope and AK goes flying over the top of it and crashes down face first onto the timekeepers table!

McNally: Ugh, that was not a good fall to take, in more ways than one.

Speciality weapons for tonight’s match scatter all over the floor and TK’s mind over floods with joy as he now has anything he wants at his disposal. Then out of the corner of his eye he sees the perfect weapon, one that he made sure would be here tonight. He reaches down and grabs it and those watching gasp in horror as soon as they see what’s in his hand.

“Fast” Eddie Edison: He has a ...... tattoo pen!? What the hell?

AK is once again seeing stars and is completely defenseless as TK pulls down the back of her lace panties and prepares to put “pen to paper.” This time security are ahead of the game and keep the overheated section of the crowd back at a proper distance.

Thunderkiss: Time to leave you with a little souvenir, slut!

Alicia Kitsune: I couldn’t agree more!

His eyes widen in fear as he realizes Alicia has been playing possum. She has a wide open shot right underneath him and she takes it. Using her forearm to lash out backward, she drives the tattoo pen directly into his chest! It sticks in like a syringe and creates a nasty rend at the point of impact.

...GUH....

Is the only sound that escapes his lips as he looks down in horror at the tattoo pen stuck in the middle of his pectoral muscle. Pulling back from the table, his hand shakes as it reaches up to pull it out, and the distraction gives AK time to stand back up. She breathes deeply, watching as TK dislodges the implement from his body, and something in the atmosphere changes.

Kiss has no sooner dropped the tattoo pen to the ground than AK is behind him. He instinctively turns and pivots, protecting his weak knee – but AK instead twists around and mule kicks him in the groin, her stiletto boots making this even more painful than it would otherwise be. There is a distinct “CRACK” from the force of the impact-

Edison: ….What on earth was that?!

McNally: Sounds like Thunderkiss took precautions and is wearing some sort of cup, and who can blame him? But I think Alicia just broke through that line of defense.

[Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune]

Even with protection, the sensation TK feels is appalling, and more than enough to prevent him blocking AK as she kicks him a second time, this time in his now exposed knee. With a cool demeanor, AK continues to batter TK with strikes; TK is not about to just let her do it and forces his way back to his feet, but AK moves backward and TK has to go after her, every step now adding more and more pressure to his compromised lower limb. As AK moves back around one side of the ring, she ducks down momentarily and then rolls back inside; she needs nothing other than an icy stare to drive TK into a fresh state of anger, and the God of Thunder pulls himself on to the apron. He ducks rapidly under the ropes to get clear of the hazardous edge – but not quite quickly enough, for even as he does so AK advances, ducks a swinging forearm and-

~!~ZAP~!~

Thunderkiss’ body immediately hits the ground and goes into convolutions. Wondering what the hell just happened, all eyes focus onto the place where TK was last upright and there stands Alicia with a small, black object in one hand.

Maxwell McNally: A tazer? Heavens, it has been a long, long time since I’ve seen Alicia be this vicious, Eddie.

“Fast” Eddie Edison: Yeah, but what choice does she have Max?

Maxwell McNally: I didn’t say she did have a choice to make. Even so, this is uncomfortable viewing.

The tazer, intended to neutralize dangerous criminals, has done its work well, and Alicia takes a moment to regard her handiwork. Her usual tongue-in-cheek approach to weaponry has completely vanished, and the crowd now understands for the first time just what TK has provoked from the former World Champion. Victory, as a certain person put it earlier in the night, is insufficient…

She moves quickly to the edge of the ring, pacing swiftly until she sees what she’s looking for and slides out to get it. Re-entering, she keeps her eyes on TK, whose body is still utterly failing to co-operate with him; sprawled on the mat he twitches like a beached Mako. Reaching down she pulls his leather chaps back, exposing his buttocks for all to see, and takes a test swing through the air with her item of choice so that the audience finally gets a good look at it.

McNally: Oh, no. I remember this, I hoped we’d seen the last of it…

~!~WHIP~!~

It’s hard for the crowd to judge what’s worse – the shriek of the Cat O’ Nine Tails through the air that precedes the blow, or the sight of the damage to the skin on TK’s behind. Thunderkiss’ body responds to the pain on its own, he still does not have full control and struggles to move his arms and legs, but they shake uncontrollably and that’s when it hits him - he is AK’s bitch and there is nothing he can do about it. After three ferocious blows, AK examines the cumulative effect, and decides that TK won’t be able to sit down comfortably for days. She discards the Cat, making sure to throw it well clear of the ring.

At this moment she could easily roll him over and pin him, but she’s not done yet. Untying her lace gloves, she pushes TK over on to his back so that he can see her, and slips them off to reveal the tips of her fingernails have been cut down to sharp points. Her eyes meet those of Thunderkiss; she wants him to understand without question that what he is about to experience is by her own hand, without weapon or accomplice.

The crowd inhales sharply, expecting her to launch into some sort of frenzied attack. Instead AK simply paces around; she can see that the effects of the tazer are diminishing, and she wants to be ready for the coup de grace.

The next 90 seconds are the worst TK has ever experienced. His fury is beyond description, but he is still weak, and as he fights his way back to his feet, AK eases around him like some sort of vengeful poltergeist, kicking his exposed ribs and knee, and then-

~!~SCRATCH~!~

She gets behind him, and rips her nails down the length of his back in a single swift motion, drawing a long set of parallel crimson lines. TK tries to catch hold of her, strike her, but his speed is reduced from what he can normally muster, and AK continues to lacerate every inch of exposed skin available to her. The effect is not as dramatic as that of a huge, scalp-splitting chair shot; instead, it is disturbing, to the point that many fans turn away – though just as many yell out for more.

To TK, it is as if there is no part of his body which is not torn and bombarding his brain with pain signals. But it is not the physical sensations which hurt him the most; it is the realization that in a very real sense he has been exposed, paraded and then defiled in front of his own supporters…

Alicia maintains an impassive expression throughout; internally, however, she is just barely managing to contain the warring halves of her conscience. With TK a shuddering, bleeding hulk, she decides that she has done what is needed, and with a silent kind of relief moves to wrap things up. Drawing together her remaining reserves of energy, she lets rip with the EMP, and TK’s attempt to dodge is not fast enough. She drops and goes for the pin…

ONE


TWO


TH... KICK OUT!!!

Crowd: OOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!!!!

[Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune]

But she doesn’t get it, and one fractional second of a glance at his face tells her why. She knows what’s coming and braces herself for what’s about ready to happen.

It appears that Alicia just received a one way ticket to Thundertown.

His body is once again going into convolutions, but the cause this time it’s the electricity of Thundermania. AK isn’t about to give up, and she attacks afresh, but try as she might her attempts to slow him down by striking his knee fail and she soon finds herself on the wrong end of a BOX OFFICE SMASH! Stunned, she falls directly into a SCOOP SLAM which is the set up to the Elbow Drop to end all others - the Thunder’s Kiss! Yelling out his famous catchphrase, TK drives his elbow straight into the heart of AK. As he prepares for the Senton Drop pin he suddenly realizes - he has to win via submission.

“Fast” Eddie Edison: What’s he doing?

Curiosity takes hold of the arena as TK reaches down and grabs AK up by the hair and places her onto his shoulders. Rarely seen, only a few know what it is. This move is known as the Appetite for Destruction, an Argentine back breaker rack. As her body gets bent nearly in half, Alicia doesn’t scream in pain but instead remains silent. She’ll never allow him to the pleasure of hearing her torment and can only fight back with sheer determination as she struggles to get free.

Her vertebrae are being crushed into her spinal column, but yet, she doesn’t submit.

Her legs begin to go numb, but yet, she doesn’t submit. TK’s flushed, scarlet face is evidence of both his anger and his mounting desperation.

Thunderkiss: TAP!

She still refuses to tap and this causes TK to take a knee in the middle of the ring to add even more pressure onto her back. AK’s spine is now bent in a terribly unnatural way and the result is a gruesome sight. She tries one last ditch effort to break free of his clutches by wiggling her body as hard as she can to break his grip. His big meaty hooks dig in even tighter and Alicia has reached another dead end.

There is only one logical thing for her to do at this point and it’s going to take a whole hell of a lot in her to do it. She possesses the pride of all true wrestlers, pride that does not buckle easily. However, she is also a wife and perhaps one day, a mother. She will not allow this man to take those things away from her, no matter how hard the alternative is; she hopes that she has done enough to prove to TK that while he may be able to defeat her in the ring, she will no longer be intimidated or cowed by him. She closes her eyes and moves her hand up and down in front of the referee.

TAP, TAP, TAP

SAMHAIN WINNER: THUNDERKISS!

As soon as he hears the bell, Thunderkiss drops her off his shoulders and pumps his hand in the air in both relief and celebration. Fans of AK can only look on in concern as she lays prone on the mat motionless.

[Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune]

It has come to an end. Sighs of relief come from the crowd as they watch Thunderkiss take a knee in the corner to rest and reflect on the last 25 minutes of hell. Others watch Alicia struggle to her feet, her body registering pain all over thanks to TK’s Appetite for Destruction torture rack.

This task is soon made easier as Victor comes rapidly from the back to comfort his wife and lead her away from this experience; Alicia knows better than to hang around and steps through the ropes, her husband supporting her and lifting her down to floor level. Inaudible words are exchanged between the pair and Latino wants nothing more than to get Alicia out of there as soon as he can, beginning to usher her away from the ring. Expecting him to roll out of the ring to gloat towards the Laureanos, the Kiss Army becomes quickly confused as Thunderkiss heads in the direction of ACW’s ring announcer, Phillip, still standing at ringside.

Thunderkiss: Give me that.

Ripping the microphone from Phillip’s hand, Thunderkiss now commands the sound system. Philip backs off at once, recognizing instinctively from Kiss’ posture that something is amiss. Kiss has the win… but he has lost something far more valuable – and he is hellbent on getting it back.

Thunderkiss: Did you like that baby? Well, I hope you did because that is what your life is going to be like from now on out. This is not over. This will NEVER be over. You had an opportunity to take yourself to the next level and leave your mediocre laden life behind but you threw it away. I could have forgotten about that over time, but when you took it upon yourself to FUCK with my mind you signed your death certificate as far as I’m concerned. Know this Alicia, in every shadow, I’ll be there. When you talk a walk alone, I’ll be there. When you feel the hairs raise on the back of your neck, I’ll be there. When you eventually have children - I’LL BE THERE FOR THEM TOO.

The murmurs of confusion are becoming ones of distinct unease, which even the most diehard Thundermaniacs are experiencing.

Thunderkiss: I will never stop. I will never cease. I will find a way to ruin *YOU* and those close to you every chance I get, starting with your beloved husband!

Thunderkiss pivot turns to Latino and looks directly into his eyes as he delivers the following message with a lick of the lips.

Thunderkiss: First, I’ll break his kneecaps and tie him up so he’ll be forced to watch what I do to you. I’ll violate you right in front of his eyes and then afterwards I’ll bash his brain in so much that it will drown itself in its own blood. His final thoughts will be those of anguish and pain, but more importantly, shame - shame that he couldn’t protect his own wife!

What happens next takes no more than a handful of seconds. Latino fixes Thunderkiss with a sub-zero stare, and is seen by those closest to mouth one word to Alicia.

“Go.”

In the next instant, he’s in motion, pouncing tiger, raging dragon. He leaps as if about to take flight, but instead lands on the apron and smashes Thunderkiss with an almighty punch; Kiss reels back, but returns with double the power to deliver a well-placed clothesline.

“Fast” Eddie Edison: My God! TK just took Latino’s head off with that lunging clothesline!

Latino crashes backward on to the outside mats and lands badly, striking his head against the thin mats. Thunderkiss leaps over him onto the floor; he is momentarily torn over where to turn his attention, but like an animal he is drawn to the chase, and begins his hunt. His heart beats irregularly and his breathing becomes heavy; he craves blood and flesh and heaven help those who get in his way.

Having come to a halt upon hearing the sounds from behind her, Alicia takes off running up the ramp way to the backstage area once again in an effort to get Thunderkiss away from her husband. It works.

Thunderkiss: Run Rabbit ... RUN!

Running on nothing but fumes and swelling, blistering fury, Alicia miraculously manages to keep distance between her and TK though she can hear his footsteps getting dangerously close. She seeks out her own territory for her stand, and arriving at her locker room door, she heads inside and quickly slams it behind her. Exhausted, her back slides down it in an effort to use her own body to barricade the door. This moment of silence soon comes to an abrupt end as she is jolted straight off of it by one of TK’s maniacal kicks..

~!~BOOM~!~

She grabs a nearby chair and props it up against the door to try to slow him down but this proves to be futile. The door begins to splinter near the handle and reality sets in; he simply will not be stopped.

Her own heart hammers in her chest; she forces herself to breathe regularly, and the fog of doubt which has clouded her mind since this whole episode began is swept away by the stark choice in front of her. Moving with speed but not with panic, she rolls to her feet, checks the room for anything out of place, and puts her hand to the light switch.

Alicia: Thunderkiss… Listen to-

~!~BOOM~!~

The sound shudders right through her; she flinches very slightly.

Alicia: LISTEN, KISS.

There must be something in her tone which momentarily brings the battery to a halt. She takes a deep breath.

Alicia: Enter this room, and I promise you, you will regret it for the rest of your days.

A pause, then what sounds like muffled and utterly heartless laughter.

~!~BOOM~!~

Her eyes narrow, and then all is darkness as she kills the lights.

~!~BOOM~!~

Unseen, she crouches, and slips behind the couch, calculating where the light from the corridor will fall when the door gives.

At this one precise moment in time, she no longer cares what happens beyond the next couple of minutes, as long as it is utterly devoid of the corrosive impact of Thunderkiss. Everything Joachim has said to her tonight suddenly makes absolute sense.

No one else is going to go through this. Not her family, not anyone’s family.

No One Else.

~!~CRACK~!~

Thunderkiss: HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERE’SSSSSSSSSS THUNDERKISS!

The door handle shoots off the frame like a cannon ball and the rest flies into the attached wall. There he is, standing in the door way gazing into the darkness of the room. His eyes do not pierce this veil of darkness, but his ears do as he hears her breathing not far away. Taking a step in that direction, her voice cuts the chilling silence.

Alicia (whispered): All right then, you worthless waste of oxygen… come on.

The last thing the camera sees is the vicious smirk of anticipation on TK’s face as he steps further into the darkness, and arrogantly shoves the broken door back behind him, it hanging by one hinge. The single camera pulls back, the sound of the cameraman’s own laboured breathing echoing into the mic; but it does not override the sounds which suddenly emanate from the blackness.

A scuffle is heard, a series of footfalls, something falling and breaking...

...until without warning a piercing howl of incredible pain shatters the air, too twisted by agony to determine whether a man or a woman made it.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

~!~THUMP~!~

Something heavy hits the floor and with it, the screaming stops.

All is silent.

All is calm.

The seconds drag like hours.

And then she staggers out of the locker room, limping and only wearing one stiletto. Something is wrong. Something is terribly, terribly wrong. Ashen-faced, she manages to grab onto the camera man’s arm for support.

Alicia Kitsune: Gu-Ge-t .. the EMTs. Fast.

The camera image wavers as if its going to enter the darkness of the locker room but AK manages to pull the cameraman back before this transpires. She shakes her head “no” towards him a few times before finally crumpling onto the floor; her body finally succumbing to the pain and anguish.

The camera is almost dropped to the floor as the cameraman moves to try and help her, and the sound of other people running is the last thing which anyone hears before the camera equipment malfunctions and switches off…

[FADE]

[Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune]

Match 9: ACW International Title Match
The Senator vs. Adrian Flamingo (Credit: Senator)

Maxwell McNally: This following match is going to be quite a confrontation. Senator Phillips has been constantly annoyed by Adrian Flamingo over the last few weeks, and if that wasn’t bad enough, Flamingo’s taken part in some horrific beatdowns on the veteran as of late. You can bet that the Senator wants to take his shot at Flamingo.

“Fast” Eddie Edison: Yeah, but does he want that as much as Adrian Freakn’ Flamingo wants the International Title? I’d have to shout a big NO to that answer!

Soon, “Hello” plays, and a swirl of pink and yellow lights cover the inside of the ACW Arena. A few signature clips from the Alphatron play on full screen, and soon, Adrian Flamingo is seen standing in the entranceway.

Phillip Jones: Announcing first, in this ACW International Championship bout, weighing in at just under two hundred pounds, hailing from Venice Beach, Florida, the challenger in this match, Adrian Flamingo!

Before long, the lights dim, and “Eye of the Tiger” hits the PA system. A blast of red, white, and blue tickertape shoots up from the entranceway, just as Steve Phillips walks up through the curtain.

Phillip Jones: And announcing next, weighing in at two hundred and five pounds, hailing from Washington DC, he is your ACW International Champion, Senator Steve Phillips!

The Senator strides into the ring, holding his belt up high at all four sides of the ring, before handing it off to Phillip Jones, and facing a cocky Flamingo in the middle of the ring. Adrian Flamingo

***BELL RINGS***

As referee Cliff Mortimer withdraws from the middle of the ring, an incensed Steve Phillips rushes in, throwing a knife edge chop at his opponent, but Adrian Flamingo is not about to begin the match with a striking contest, and ducks it, placing the Senator into a cravate hold right as he turns around. Flamingo knows he can not hold onto the basic move for long, but instead, snapmares the Senator over, now going into a basic rear chinlock. Phillips quickly pushes the hands off from under his head, but a quick knee to the back from Flamingo keeps him in the seated position, which gives the challenger the opportunity to re-apply the chinlock. Flamingo wrenches back on the submission, firmly planting his knee in the small of the Senator's back.

McNally: Adrian Flamingo seems intent on keeping that rear chinlock applied, likely knowing full well that he would be best off wearing the Senator down at a slower pace, rather than risk setting him off.

Edison: But, but, it's almost like he's trying to put us to sleep!

The Senator, realizing that the crowd is close to starting up a "boring" chant, whips to the side, only for Flamingo to follow him there, now locking in a grounded side headlock, and leaning back to fully wrench his opponent's neck out of place. Phillips lunges up, managing to catch Flamingo into a headscissors takeover, only for his crafty opponent to roll it into a modified jacknife pin...

...

...1

...The Senator kicks out before Mortimer can reach the two count! Flamingo rolls back up to his feet, and takes Phillips back down with a side headlock, yet again. The International Champion, instead of either lingering in another aggravating resthold, or resorting to repeating the classic headscissors escape, explodes up off his feet, going for a vicious backdrop suplex, but again, Flamingo seems to be a step ahead, as he twists in midair, into a cross body pin...

...

...1

...

...2

...Phillips gets his shoulders off the mat! Adrian Flamingo does not allow his opponent to regain any sort of momentum, planting a boot on the back of his head as he stands up, and arrogantly grinds the Senator's face into the mat.

McNally: I think that Flamingo has finally felt confident enough at this point to show off a bit, and with the long string of injuries suffered by Phillips, starting from Omega Effect earlier this year, and culminating in that double team a week ago or so, from Flamingo and Alexander Starkweather, one has to wonder if this match was a bad idea.

[Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune]

Phillips reaches up, dislodging the boot from his head, but this only puts him in position for Flamingo to execute a short knee drop onto his throat, standing up just as Cliff Mortimer makes his way over, and shrugs in the general direction of the referee before dropping the knee again, and leaving it on the Senator's throat, prompting Mortimer to start a five count...

...1

...2

...3

...4

...5

Cliff Mortimer: Ok, break it up already!

Adrian Flamingo poses in the middle of his improvised choke, daring Mortimer to physically knock him off, and when the referee tries, Flamingo merely deflects him to the side. However, the showboating and the effort exerted from that move allow the Senator to finally make his move, turning to the side, dumping Flamingo off, and in the same motion, catching him, and standing up into the Tax Cut elevated half crab. The Senator, in a highly demonstrative show of releasing the frustration that had built up through the match, now returns the favor, in stomping on Flamingo's head, repeatedly doing so, and even throwing a short kick to the face for good measure, while still applying pressure with the submission. Flamingo struggles mightily, and gets to the ropes, but now, it's the Senator's turn to hold on while Cliff Moritmer tries to break things up.

Edison: Dirty cheater, Flamingo's on the ropes!

McNally: It's not actually an illegal maneuver until the five count is signaled. From there, Phillips has to break, but before then, unless already warned, he's perfectly in the clear with holding on.

As Mortimer reaches the five, the Senator releases his opponent, allowing Flamingo to roll to the outside, and "regain his senses." The challenger holds his back in an exaggerated manner, stumbling into the announcers table, where he promptly grabs Eddie Edison's bottle of water, and takes a quick drink from it, before tossing the mostly empty bottle at Phillips.

Edison: Of all the dirty, he stole my water! That total jerkface!

The Senator, if it can be imagined, is even more irate than Edison, and rolls under the ropes to engage his opponent. Flamingo, rather than getting caught on the outside, runs forward and dives into the ring, a split second before the International champion can catch him. Phillips starts to re-enter the ring, but having seen this scene unfold a thousand times before, pulls back at the last second, as a Flamingo stomp barely misses his head. Adrian Flamingo tries to step away, but the Senator is able to grab his feet, and pull him under the ropes, to the outside, greeting him with a ferocious knife edge chop to the chest, the impact of which is audible far past the front row of the ACW Arena. Phillips repeats the strike again, and finishes with a big roundhouse kick to the chest, resulting in Flamingo slumping against the apron. Before Flamingo can get out of the way, the Senator takes a step back, and kicks him in the side of the head, while referee Cliff Mortimer starts the ten count…

…1

…2

…Phillips rolls back into the ring, and graciously steps to the middle, giving Flamingo plenty of space to re-enter…but the challenger prefers to take his good time, halfway sprawled out under the ring…

…4

…5

…Adrian Flamingo gets up to his feet, looking into the ring, and catching his breath…

…6

…7

…8

…Flamingo starts to turn around, walking away from the ring. The Senator, tired of the stalling, decides to take a running slide to the outside, and continue the fight…and at that moment, Flamingo spins around on his heel, and blasts his opponent in the midsection with a steel wrench!

…9

…The Senator doubles over, as Flamingo takes a bow to the jeering audience, continuing to walk around the ring, towards the entranceway. Cliff Mortimer, having not caught the swing of the wrench, due to having his view obstructed, seems reluctant, but has no other option, but to finish...

…10!

Phillip: This match is a draw, due to a double count out!

The Senator, incensed by the cheap tactics, manages to stumble over to Phillip Jones, clutching his ribs, and grabs the microphone. Adrian Flamingo, who at this point, is up at the entranceway, turns around at the sound of his opponent’s voice, smiling in response.

The Senator: You utter coward! Come back here and continue this match! I will not have my title reign tainted by retaining it off a cheap double count out! Adrian Flamingo, you are scum, through and through! Get back here! I am not through with this!

Flamingo’s grin does not waver through the Senator’s rant, and a quick wave is all that Phillips receives from his opponent, as Flamingo exits through the entranceway.

McNally: That was a most unfortunate turn of events, if I might say so myself. Not just for the Senator, not even just for the fans who paid to see competition, but even for Adrian Flamingo, who by all accounts, was holding his own with Phillips in this match.

Edison: Yeah, but Maxie, did you see how he wrestled? Flamingo stalled around, he worked basic submissions, and he ticked the Senator off, more and more, until it reached a crescendo! And when it got to that point, when Old Man Phillips finally exploded, Flamingo bailed out, and let him simmer in his own broth, or whatever that analogy says! It’s all about the mind games, what would you expect from someone associated with Alexander Starkweather? And you know, you just know they’ll want a rematch, and there will be a rematch, no doubt!

McNally: Yes, that makes sense, although for Samhain, that was nothing short of a disappointment. One can only wonder, though, what Flamingo has planned next…this certainly can’t be the end of this story.

Fade Out.

[Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune]

Segment (OTA): I Am Ahab (Credit: Hunter)

Why is the darkness so comforting to him? Shouldn't it be the other way around? He wants it to be. He's caught in a position where the person that he wants to be is the person he cannot be, and the person he is is the person he hates. He does not want comfort in darkness, he wants the adoration of light. But we are all born into our own ways of life, we are all who we want to be deep inside. There's a greater reason for this strange desire of his, regardless of whether or not he wants to admit it. Sometimes the things we want are completely unattainable, and no matter how great of a desire we may have for these things, it will not change the difficulty of getting it. Life is hard; if it were easy, there would be no fun to be had. He knows this better than anyone.

He sighs. It is the first noise that he makes in almost an hour. He likes the silence too, but that doesn't make him feel any stranger than usual. He always has enjoyed the silence. It is a bigger part of what he likes to refer to as his hypocrisy. When he speaks to someone, he will not stop. But when he does not speak, it is impossible for him to start. He likes the calm little moments before the storm, because those tend to be the most relaxing. It's an ethereal feeling when one feels like they are the only person around for miles. And for all he knows, he is. For all he knows, this is a dream. His eyes may have adjusted to the darkness ages ago, but he prefers to keep his eyes closed. It's the eternal darkness that brings him this comfort, the eternal silence...

He opens his eyes slowly. He has no interior clock, but he figures that his match is more than likely approaching. He does not sit up from his laid down position on the bench, and instead raises his wrist slightly above his face, look at the watch that rests on it. He sighs once more and drops his wrist lazily. Less than ten minutes are left for him. He has been playing through every single possibility of what could happen tonight, and he has also been playing through every single spoken word and every single solitary action for the past month. He wants to know what lead him here. Because somewhere down the line, he feels like he made a mistake. Never mind the mindless babbling about winning, losing, being the best, or any of that. Those are just words. He thinks it went wrong.

And yet he cannot help but feel that it didn't. He always has nerves before a match, but today they are simply stronger than usual. Maybe it's because he hasn't had a match like this in a while. A year and a half, to be precise; the last time he ever held that World Championship in his hands. He misses that feeling. Most people want that championship, he knows, because they are power hungry. Because they feel that having that championship makes them the most important person in ACW, and that's their only option. It rarely is. But in his case, it actually is the only option. The last time he felt any sort of excitement, any sort of joy. But then he recalls what happened during the period. He recalls why he lost that title in the first place. No, lost is a bad word. He recalls why he gave it away.

It's surreal to him that the most painful part of his life was also the most enjoyable. No, bad word. He's got to get off it. But...there has been nothing for so long. It has been almost half a year, and there has been nothing. Nothing. He was wrestled. He has won, he has lost. But there has been nothing else. He doesn't want to say that he misses it, but...maybe he does. Maybe...no, there's no time for that. He quickly sits up and reaches into his bag, fumbling around for his wrist bands. For a moment, though, his hand falls onto a piece of hard, cold steel. He shudders briefly, and then finds his wrist bands nearby. He pulls them on, and then sighs for the third and final time. Part of him is still doubtful that he has made the right choice. But at the same time, he knows what he wants. He knows what he needs. There is no other way to end it...

End.

[Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune]

Segment: "Makes the World Go Blind" (Credit: T-Kiss / AK)

[As the action switches back to our announcers, immediately those watching at home can tell something is wrong. Their uneasy and somber attitudes carry into their voices as they do their best to prepare a live TV audience for what is to come.]

Maxwell McNally: Folks, we’d like to show you some footage taken just moments ago right outside the locker room of Alicia Kitsune. Now I must warn you, what you are about to see is both very disturbing and very graphic in nature. If you have any young children, we’d like to ask you to have them leave the room right now.

[Maxwell's image is replaced by said shot after a pause, and again we see the outside of Alicia’s locker room, now illuminated with light. A gurney is being wheeled out of it with TK as its passenger, and a clutch of medical staff swarming around it. In the lead is Dr. Trace Gibson, looking harried and deeply concerned.]

Gibson: I want everyone out of the way, we have a critically ill patient here!

[The corridor does seem to have become full of rubberneckers, whom Gibson has no compunctions about swatting aside – that is if they’ve not already turned away in horror. The camera swings around to briefly show TK’s face, and as the gurney passes, there is a clear cry of shock from the audience. ]

Sticking in TK’s left eye is the fractured heel of AK’s stiletto.

[Delusional and dismayed, he reaches out for his sports agent, William Charles Wilcox, for both support and guidance. Also by his side is the Chairman of ACW, Gingerdude. As a person, Gingerdude could care less about TK's well being, given the circumstances of the injury; as an investment, he cares quiet a bit. TK puts asses into seats and money into his pocket and based on his current condition he is very nervous. Ginger edges up to Gibson as they move rapidly through the corridors.]

Ginger: What’s his condition?

Gibson: The eye’s beyond saving, it’s been burst like a ripe tomato. We won’t know what the extent of any underlying brain damage is until he gets an MRI scan, he’s almost certainly bleeding into the cranial cavity. Make no mistake, this man is extremely fortunate to be alive at all, now please, we have to make haste, he’s not out of the woods by any means.

[The convey carries onward, now heading for the main doors to the parking lot. Thunderkiss is evidently disorientated and in bad shape.]

Thunderkiss: Are we going to the hospital?

Wilcox: Yes we are Kiss.

Chairman Gingerdude: Don't worry TK. We'll get you the best care money can buy. You have my word.

Thunderkiss: Who the hell does she think she is? Wilcox I don’t deserve this.

Wilcox: I know you don’t, big guy.

Thunderkiss: I didn’t do anything to that woman. My name is Thunderkiss and I shouldn’t be here.

[Ginger frowns, unable to affirm that he shares such a view. Instead, he barges through the exterior doors, waving away any distractions or questions from those clustered around. The medics push TK's gurney into the ambulance and help Wilcox step inside; slamming the doors behind both of them. TK rests his head back and tries to pull out the shard of high heel now stuck in his eye.]

Medic: Keep your hands down big fella. Come on guys, hold his damn hands down!

Wilcox: TK, relax. Everything is going to be alright.

Thunderkiss: Wilcox I can’t see very well. What did I ever do to that woman? This isn't right.

[Impatient and short tempered, Gingerdude snaps at the sight of the ambulance sitting idle for over 10 seconds. He slaps the back of it in anger and shouts out -]

Chairman Gingerdude: Come on driver! Let’s go!

[The sirens kick in and the ambulance shoots out of the parking garage like a bat out of hell. Ginger watches it go, a cold wind whipping around his shoulders; slowly he turns, sensing someone’s eyes upon the back of his head.

Latino stands in the doorway, silent. His expression conveys absolutely nothing but contempt for either of the men he considers responsible for tonight’s events; Ginger looks back, but after a few seconds drops his gaze, and walks past Latino into the building without saying a word.

With that, we switch back to a live shot of our announce team, still looking very shocked and sickened.]

Maxwell McNally: What a tragic end to a situation that completely escalated out of control.

“Fast” Eddie Edison: You can’t say he didn't have it coming! What choice did she have? Honesty! He pushed her to this point Maxwell.

Maxwell McNally: I honestly can’t argue with you Eddie. Even still, that is very, very hard to watch.

[Maxwell takes a moment to pause and recollect his thoughts.]

Maxwell McNally: Well folks, like they say, "the show must go on." Up next is the Main Event, so hold onto your hats.

[FADE]

[Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune]

Match 10: House of Mirrors Match - ACW World Title
Starkweather vs. Hunter (Credit: AK/Hunter)

The camera shot segues smoothly from the commentators to Philip in the ring; he looks, like much of the crew, like he’s had a long night. But as the mirror-lined cage is lowered close to the ring, he remains composed and professional.

Philip: Our final match of the night is a House of Mirrors Match, and it is for the ACW World Championship….

The introductions occur without mishap; Hunter first, then Starkweather. Once they are in the ring, Philip exits, and the cage is secured.

It is time.

Bell Rings.

As has befitted much of Samhain, there is a distinct unease amongst the crowd as they watch Hunter and Starkweather size one another up through the two-way mirrors; this is wrestling at its most voyeuristic, and they anticipate what is to come like a theatre audience settling into viewing a taut thriller. Within the confines of steel and glass, however, the two competitors are faced with a different conundrum as their myriad reflections mimic and shadow them; keeping track of what’s real and what is not is not as straightforward as a causal fan might imagine.

At least, it isn’t for most people, and this is where Dr. Starkweather gains his most significant advantage in his signature match; rarely if ever fooled, he is the first to move and launches into a close-quarter attack on Hunter with a blaze of knee strikes. Hunter pushes him back, only for Stark to spin him around in turn, and Hunter finds himself face to face with several images which it takes his brain a second or two to sort out. In that time Stark is more than able to prepare himself, and before Hunter can turn Stark rushes him from behind, tackling him into the glass with a charge. The crowd winces as Stark hooks Hunter up under the arms, and pulls him away from the now cracked glass before performing a neat german suplex.

Never one to tolerate another person controlling a match, Hunter is up on his feet quickly, and using a combination of forceful forearm and elbow strikes he is able to shut down Stark’s offensive charge for a few seconds. Stark switches plan and attempts to trip Hunter, but Hunter sees it in time and hops over, runs to the ropes and uses them as best he can with the cage and mirror there to get acceleration into a running lariat. Stark ducks it, only for Hunter to follow through with a pivoting high-angle kick which catches Stark on the jaw and makes him stumble. At once, Hunter grasps his foe’s arm and whips him full force into the nearest mirror wall; Stark smashes into it with sufficient power to create a spider-web of cracks, and a few small shards drop off and reveal little patches of cage wire.

The fracturing of the wall creates some interesting visual effects; as Stark and Hunter exchange blows it looks from one reflection as if we’re watching some sort of super-deformed Japanese treatment of the match. Curiousities aside, both men have one thing at the top of their priority list, and that’s to strip away sufficient coverage of the mirrors to allow an escape to be made. The result is that for a good seven or eight minutes, periods of tightly-balanced brawling are regularly punctuated by whips and collisions with the mirrored surface, some deliberate and some accidental. The causes plenty of cosmetic damage, but not much actual destruction of the mirrors themselves, and it requires a little more thought from both men before they find an answer to the problem.

[Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune]

In the meantime, there’s plenty for them both to do in terms of wearing their opponent down. Starkweather’s chosen tactic is to single out Hunter’s shoulders and upper arms, for in a cage match of any sort hampering your foe’s ability to climb is a smart move. And Stark has just the kinds of skills needed for his plan; Hunter repeatedly finds himself subjected to armbars in multiple flavors, chickenwings, and the hugely frustrating experience of having his whips reversed with maximum wrenching on his shoulder and elbow joints. This strategy allows Stark to manipulate the match for a few minutes, but then Hunter wises up and demonstrates why he’s still known in many quarters as the Master of the Counter, switching or reversing his foe’s holds and constantly sending him against the nearest available piece of glass. More pieces start to drop away…

… and without any warning Hunter suddenly DDTs Stark and makes a dash for the most exposed piece of wall. It’s an audacious move and nearly pays off – Hunter is halfway up the wall before Stark recovers. Without so much as flinching, Stark hurls himself at the wall just below and to the right of Hunter; Hunter does not have sufficient hand-holds on the upper part of the cage, and he falls back to the mat. As he does so, a large piece of glass chooses this moment to detach itself from the wall, and falls straight toward the superstar; Hunter raises his arms instinctively and manages to catch the sheet so that it lays flat above him. At once, Stark sees a chance for some real damage, and starts stamping on the mirror with a piston-like action (it reminds some in the crowd in a twisted way of one of the scenes in Jurassic Park, with the difference that this time they don’t actually want the “Rex” to break through). The glass begins to crack, and Hunter sees that he’s in big trouble if it does give; gambling, he pulls his feet up to the glass and shields his eyes with one arm as he kicks upward at the same time as Stark stomps down, and the glass shatters impressively, peppering both men.

The first real blood of the contest is drawn as Hunter removes a sharp fragment from his arm; Stark simply takes this a cue to step things up even further, and now with some serious debris lying around, the mat comes into its own. Hunter takes a strong discus lariat on to it, but rebounds to his feet and breaks out a neat chain of suplexes culminating in his Elbow Driver. The temptation to keep on wailing on the defending champion is strong – but Hunter is not quite the same, headstrong man he was the last time he held the title in his hands, and he leaves Stark on the mat, going instead for the nearest exposed area of cage for another escape attempt. Stark is a resilient and imposing foe, however, and he catches up to Hunter before he can get up on the cage properly; just too late Hunter realizes that he’s in a very vulnerable position, and Stark is able to easily get Hunter into the wheelbarrow position to execute the Frontal Lobotomy. The impact makes more of the glass collapse, and Stark is seemingly gifted with a clear ascent to the top and out…

He begins to climb, and the crowd gets increasingly vocal. Little bits of stray mirror rain down, and Hunter has to roll aside before he becomes the second ocular casualty of the night. With the energy of the crowd now reaching him, Hunter backs up and then runs at the ropes, using them to spring up and grab on to Stark’s upper leg. The impact makes even more glass tumble so that now the mat is a veritable minefield; Hunter tries to stop Stark climbing, but the doctor resolutely continues until he’s about two thirds of the way up. Then, he earnestly tries to shake Hunter off; Hunter clings on… and then suddenly Stark lets go of the cage and drops, landing in a sitting position on Hunter’s shoulders. The crowd goes nuts as Stark bends backward into a hanging choke-like hold, crushing Hunter’s neck with his lower limbs; in dire trouble, Hunter takes a huge risk and kicks away from the cage as hard as he can. Both men fall, and Stark fortunately straightens so that they both land on their back… but the impact spares neither of them, and they are left for several seconds to lie on the unforgiving glass-strewn canvas.

[Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune]

Hunter is the first to move after this spot, and it takes him a few moments simply to get on one knee. He looks at the nearby chain link fence and puts his fingers through, and then proceeds to pull himself up. He sees that Stark is doing the same thing a few feet away, but nevertheless Hunter begins to climb. Before he's even halfway up, though, Stark grabs his leg from behind and begins to pull. Hunter refuses to let go, but eventually Stark applies enough force and pulls Hunter off, causing Hunter to fall onto a pile of broken glass! He recoils off the ground and begins to yell, his chest now full of tiny little cuts and tiny pieces of glass. Stark takes the chance and quickly executes a successful Falling Pendulum Clothesline, knocking Hunter into one of the open parts of the cage. Stark approaches this part and steps on Hunter's shoulders, jumping off of him to get a higher position on the cage. He begins to climb up, but Hunter quickly gets to a standing position and sets Stark up for a powerbomb, which he nails directly into the same pile of glass!

Hunter remains on his feet after this, and then returns to the same part of the cage and begins to climb. He reaches roughly midway up, and then curses when he notices that there is still a mirror above this open part. He tries to reach up over it, but this proves an impossible task. He then sees Stark's reflection, but he does not have enough time to properly react, as Stark runs into him full force, causing his face to smash into the mirror, shattering it instantly. Hunter falls to the ground while Stark covers himself from the falling pieces of mirror, some of them still finding their way into his back. Stark picks Hunter up after this and instantly puts him into the proper position for the Relapse II...but Hunter pulls his weight back and stays in position, then pushes him into one of the last mirrors at ground level. Stark turns around the exact second that Hunter charges at him for his beloved Killer Spear, which knocks Stark back first into the mirror, shattering it instantly!

The fans are completely aghast by the carnage they are now witnessing, but each and every one of them cannot wait to see how it will end. Hunter is the first to his feet, and he does not waste a single second; he grabs the nearest part of the cage and begins to climb. Stark gets to his feet shortly after, and begins to climb right behind him. Hunter gets to the top of the cage and sits on top of it, facing out, and now all the fans are on their feet, knowing full well that the end is coming. Stark knows that same, and so just as Hunter jumps off the edge, Stark grabs him midair in position for the Frontal Lobotomy once again, keeping Hunter hung upside down above the ring! Stark knows full well that he cannot hit the move, and so instead he uses this position to pull Hunter back up. Hunter continues to hang upside down, his hands clinging on to the chain link fence to make sure he doesn't fall. He wiggles around as much as he can, and then by sheer luck gets one leg free from Stark's hold. He kicks Stark a few times until the latter lets the other go, and then Hunter promptly kicks Stark in the chest with both legs, causing the doctor to fly back into the ring! Hunter then lets go of the chain link fence and falls down, his legs awkwardly hitting the ground. And then the bell rings.

Philip: Ladies and gentlemen, here is your winner.............and the NEW ACW World Champion, HUNTER!!!!!

The fans explode into cheers as "No Sympathy for Fools" hits the speakers yet again. Hunter continues to lie down on the ground, almost completely out of it, still unsure if what he heard was the truth. The referee helps pick him up, and then hands him the World Championship. He looks at the title for a few moments, both surprised and emotional, unsure of how to react. He tries to walk, but he seems to have lost most of the feeling in his legs...but then a hand appears under his arm and helps lift him back up. Hunter turns to his right to see the Senator's smiling face helping keep him upright. Together, the two begin to walk up the ramp, but not before Hunter looks back into the ring at his opponent. Stark is standing perfectly still in the ring, and there is a still solid two-way mirror between them. But this does not stop Stark from staring directly at him his entire trip up the ramp. Eventually Hunter turns away, and when he reaches the top of the ramp, he raises the title triumphantly above his head. To him, this was the best way to end it.

So a new champion is crowned… and if recent history is anything to go by, he’s going to have his work cut out keeping it.

Samhain has had its fair share of shocks, scares and violence… so where do we go from here?

Has TK’s obsession cost him his wrestling career as well as his eye?

Will Flamingo and the Senator ever resolve their smouldering feud?

What happens now to the stable-which-must-not-be-named?

And what on earth is the next PPV going to be called anyway?

Remember, remember, to watch in November…

Fade to Black.

End of Show.

[hunter]

Good show.

[Commissioner Zero]

FANTASTIC SHOW!

[Thunderkiss]

WHAT A TERRIFIC PAY-PER-VIEW EXTRAVAGANZA!

[jontaylor]

Nice show.