The Climb

[Masao Akiyama]

Legacy.

Devlin is stretching out his leg and pushing weight on the knee trying to will some strength back into it even as the Japan show rolls on without him, away as he wasn’t booked , wasn’t even in the same country and watching the happenings, freezing in place as Cross makes his grand gesture to Steve Awesome.

The weight slammed down as Devlin left the machine, committing a Gym sin as he moved for his phone calling home, calling Kate, making assurances.

All the while something stirred in the back of his head, like a drill burrowing at the back of his skull towards his forehead, building as he looked at the man in the mirror.

He took along breath and looked down hands on the side as he muttered.

“The hell do I have to do?”

He looks up and smirks into the mirror and seems to hold a quiet conversation with himself.

“You were hurt, nothing you could do you’re back and you have the world as your oyster, wait and see what comes you fight them on their terms and they win, you know that.”

He sighs and turns away from his reflection looking at the screen even as he watches Ryan Shane celebrate and Devlin’s eyes look up to the sky and then back to the screen and he mutters.

“Son of a bitch.”

Devlin turned and slammed both fists into whatever was closest with a shout.

“SON OF A BITCH!”

He sighs, closing his eyes as he pulls hands out of glass and fruit, taking a long moment to pull his hands out and start cleaning himself off counting to ten mentally as he looked at the cuts and gently prised the shards free even as he muttered to himself.

“No more.”

Time to work

“Chaos is a ladder. Many who try to climb it fail and never get to try again. The fall breaks them. And some, are given a chance to climb. They refuse, they cling to fame or religion or love. Illusions. Only the ladder is real. The climb is all there is.”

We fade in on Devlin, sat, dangled across a throne looking at the camera and idly dangling a crown from one finger before he huffs a breath and examines it.

“Made in Taiwan.”

He drops the crown and watches it bounce helplessly down the stairs and out of shot even as he stands and looks at the throne before pushing it over with a good placed kick and smiling to the camera.

“Hey Guys and dolls! It’s me! Devlin Raine stood in an empty throne room waiting to be claimed, Our current champion and king fights in battle defending us all, meanwhile the Heir to the Throne rises and how short memories are when the bright lights come calling right? But I’m not bitter, I will –earn- my Man of Steel shot back , one way or another because I am assuming our little dance is off the cards now. I could be wrong but we’ll see right?”

Devlin shakes his head and smirks.

“Let’s focus less on my past and more on my very immediate future, this week I’m called to play nice with three others in a fight against well what do they call themselves again? I forget I mean they only say their name every other week..”

A click of fingers and appoint to the camera.

“The Senate!.. No..The Council, the boys who thought making a deal with a woman calling herself the Wolf of the Abyss was a good idea and then seemed every surprised when one of her own started to beat their horses to the post I mean, well played gentlemen, very Machiavellian.”

A slow, sarcastic clap starts to come from Devlin and he shakes his head.

“So To say I’m on the same page as my partners is an understatement, so no offence to you boys but I’m gonna get into the meat of this and start talking to the guys who have promised to remodel my workplace, and by remodel I mean they just wanna take all the belts and swing like a bunch o monkeys, right? I mean that is the goal right? That’s always the goal I mean you didn’t –actually- think anybody believes the revolution spiel you have going?

Devlin pauses and shook his head.

“I mean, I was amused by some of your antics and sure you shook it up, but then you had to go and beta on folk for, to be honest very little good reason, I mean C’mon Sandman Tyler Jacobs The guy might like to run his ,mouth but what you did crossed the line form badass to stupid in less than five minutes hell you’re lucky he hasn’t pressed charges and had you thrown in jail, which by the way he’s more than entitled to do, but you aren’t interested in petty little things like law or goodness just stomping on folk because it makes you feel good, all the while you..”

Insert annoying air quotes fingers

“…‘Bend the knee’ to Men like Xavier Cross if you know what I’m saying gargling his Kool aid whilst he plays your fragile shaved ego like you were a mean spirited Chinchilla. Everybody big hand for the man!”

Devlin listens as he opens his hands about to clap and then he looks about at the empty room.

“Nobody? Oh yeah I forgot, human piece of garbage. ‘Kay thanks for playing! I’m gonna look forwards to hearing your teeth flush down the nearest cistern after they’ve processed with whatever else you call food.”

A long pause and Devlin seems to stop pacing as that smile stays on his face but he shakes his head before taking a breath and nodding.

“You see I don’t take too much pleasure in my work, I mean I like it it’s fun I’m good at it but rarely do I get a chance to take active –pleasure- in laying Knees to face like I will come sacrifice, if only for this night I feel like I could take on anybody anyone , all of you I might lose but I would spit in each of your faces and call you coward…”

Devlin reconsiders his words and rolls back.

“No not all of you. Ulf Hendir is a victim in all this a very strong ,capable victim and of the four of you he might very well be the best of you and you Ulf I say this. Walk away from this battle and take a good long look at who it is you signed up with and more importantly why you know you’re being played from all sides, cut the rope and seize your own fate… That’s how heroes are born. Hell that's how anyone of worth does their work.”

Devlin rubs the back of his own head and licks his lips.

“Kole Kaos, another guy whose whole deal is to spread ruin wherever you walk and gout to get the belt the big one, also following along behind Cross and likely waiting until it suits you to stab him in the back the minute you sense the winds of change come, again you’re so clever belittling your allies and claiming your own strength is superior even as you wait for the next fight , wait am I reading Sandman’s rap sheet or yours? I forget you seem so similar, a thug wearing the guise of a master, step in line Kole , I’m not afraid of any of you. Because the ladder I mentioned earlier? the Ladder of Kaos?”

Devlin smiles brightly

“Rowan kicked it out from under you, and you haven’t realised you’re falling yet but man when you hit the floor it Is going to suck. ”

Devlin manages a dark somewhat amused chuckle before finally picking up that crown to dust it off and smirking.

“And so I come to the head of The Council, the man who is very much trying to herd the cats despite what he says inviting stone cold psychopaths to his side and wondering why nothing seems to be actually getting accomplished a man who thinks he’s better, who sits on high and has an ego that eclipses Robbie Verona’s in its scope but is dwarfed in its actual ability, the pretender to the crown. Xavier ‘Spike Kane’s personal pinata’ Cross.”

Devlin looks down and wrings his hands.

“Man, the face of the rebellion and least likely to do anything, you’re a coward Cross, a sanctimonious, egotistical hack who desperately wants to cling to fame long forgotten you –yearn- for the days like Spike Kane nailing your carcass to a cross hanging you for all to see, you yearn for the bright lights, news flash Cross? You are doing one thing keeping your name relevant by extravagant act after extravagant act and it will only be a matter of time before people get tired of your routine, oh wait we already are.”

Devlin shakes his head and smirks with a sigh.

“You don’t measure up to Spike Kane, Robbie Verona or nay of the ‘evil’ guys you say are holding you down the only reason you got any traction was chronic bask stabbing syndrome, the only reason you haven’t been squashed like the bug you are is because Verona likes to create division among people, he thrives off it. He climbs that ladder I mentioned harder and faster than anyone hell he’s on an entirely different no not even a ladder he’s on an elevator.”

He rubs the back of his head rolling a wrist and listening to the sounds for a moment.

“Come Sacrifice me, Jay, Mason And Chris Card, a more disparate set of people will face you and your Council, and we’ll show you just how strong the IWF –really- is You will not beat me, you will not win.”

Devlin leans towards the camera.

“See you there.”

Fade out