End of line

[Bryce De Jager]

From the beginning of history, the few have always exploited the many. This is the cornerstone of civilization. The blood in the mortar that binds all bricks. Whatever it takes, make sure you're one of the few, not one of the many.

Bryce ruminated on this lesson even as he stared out the window of the car.

Arizona reminded him of home, that god forsaken barren wasteland of concrete and greed, it was like a warm embrace; cities everywhere are the same, people were not too much better based on his observations.

It just made his choice of vocation all the easier, the writing of stories, the future of a boot stomping on a human face forever.

In between all of that came moments like this watching a poisoned orange sunrise leak over a tar black vein as they approached a city named for the bird of Hermes, a bird of reincarnation.

So many birds …not enough shotguns.

He’d fish is phone from out the pocket of his jacket even as he finally adjusted the shades not really paying attention to the sycophantic noise that came from the concierge as he wound his way to the penthouse, he could have gotten a house on the outskirts..But the room service here is to die for.

So they say.

His fingers danced across the screen even as the elevator carried him towards the terminus of this journey piped in musak a cheap copy of a tune interpolated and rehashed to be almost but not quite what it should be, all to skirt that beautiful beautiful law.

How's the purchasing going?

Not good, arbitration of the old owners means they’re having to hold the sale until the lawsuit is paid. The lawyer on the case is hot shit.

Then we wait, let the flower wither and die and we’ll sweep in and collect on the back end in the auction name will be poison after the mess, they aren’t smart enough then they deserve everything they get, you get the old talent register?

Give me a little credit B. Of course I did; it’s on it way.

Alright, do your thing.

Bryce rubbed his eyes as he was getting ready to purchase some dumbshit fed out in Japan that was folding like origami after decades of mismanagement, the assets would prove useful after the place would be gutted and he could use the idol connections to start turning over a nice vein in musical talent, but the name couldn’t stay. He’d already tapped a slightly smaller palace in Osaka to pull big names in and legends to help rebuild.

Invest in infrastructure and infastructure invests in you.

Easier said than done really, as he went from one business to another he’d stop by the fully stocked fridge of the hotel, picking out a bottle of high filtration PH neutral water.

It tasted like shit, naturally but it was hydration, hydration and a Picky nature lead to poor choices.

He didn’t do poor choices.

---

We open up on Bryce a glass of amber liquid in one hand , sunglasses on as he rubs under his nose and he seems to be spread across the bar with his arms climbing the space with his person as he lifts that glass with a small smirk.

“Here’s the camera, right on time, Sit down, gather ‘round and I'll spin a tale! As old as time and twice as pretty as TJ Hooker, takes on yours truly in yet another tale of a boot tattoo on his face.”

He shook his head a bit and sipped at the whiskey with a small happy face.

“You see I remain as of yet unbeaten, that could be a testament how good I am .. Or a serious indicator of just how wide the talent gap as Roberto Verona or whoever puts this shindig together obviously enjoys watching me play with my food. Because I can’t say your year has been unblemished has it? What RAM put your arse down? Bounced you under a pile of step ladders? Facing Nick Danger every week wasn’t doing numbers?”

He managed a wry laugh as he shook his head with a slight smirk.

“Of course you want new challenges so do I you’ve got that plucky Brit Oi m’ governor courage one hand out for a coin, you might think me Cruel TJ. But life is cruel, So just think more me as a metaphor for your upcoming TikTok career after I use a turnbuckle to straighten your nose back into joint.”

Another dismissive look into his glass as he rubbed at his nose with his free hand, eyes seeming to not really focus on anything at all before he looks back..

“I could needle you all day Alexander, but let's face it this is a s much a test of me as it is a measure of you, and I don’t intend to waste my time doing anything more than walking through you like an open door.”

He shakes his head.

“God I Hope you don’t make it that easy but The mood I’m in I feel I could take a Cardboard cutout with me into the ring and it’d do more damage to me than your inspired Offence ‘bruv’. I can hear the same empty words pouring out your hole now again and again and again..”

He pantomimes a -bad- London accent as he spoke.

“Listen Bruv guv, I luv a good trainin’ session loik I’m the best in Moi division’ Guv , Bruv , Bruv!”

He kills the accent going back to his South African tones.

“You could call that low hangin’ fruit but it’s a summary of what you’ll do and say, tryin; to take the high road looking to stand firm in the face of the new wave sweeping the IWF. You don’t get it do you? Your ending’s already been written Alexander…Like a Gordian knot it’s just waiting for the blade to fall and night to come.”

He makes a slicing motion with his free hand and wriggles his brows.

“You do have skill Teej, I’ll give you that you haven't sank back under the water of developmental yet, but you lack a certain..Je ne sais quois.”

Bryce does a little chef’s kiss with his free hand before taking another sip of whiskey and looks at the empty glass with a note of mild disdain, like it dared to empty .. now he’d have to pour another

“You Teej are one of life’s great prey animals, one of the sheep to be feasted on by the wolves, you get a win every so often, you fight, you run… But ultimately you lay on your back gasping for air as the lights shine bright above you… and the story gets to feed again and move on..The cycle begins again.”

He rolls his eyes.

“The sun will go down, as the seats fill up, you find yourself in the ring with a different kind of animal, a different kind of monster, I will tear down your flashy backside to my level and twist your limbs like the square mile Tory Ken doll you are.”

A click of his fingers pointing at the camera as he puts the empty glass on the bar and start to move around speaking as he fishes out a bottle and starts to unscrew the cap and pour himself another glass.

“I’ll expand, You’re an empty void waiting to be filled with somethin’ more interesting than vapid words and a moveset that makes the guys in the 19th row glaze over more than a cheap doughnut. Every time you speak I could seriously just copy paste a name in between the blanks and It'd all sound the same, like a vocal version of that scene from the Shining in an accent that only Guy Ritchie could love.”

He finishes pouring to put the bottle down and mimics typing on the bar counter.

“All Bruv and no Play makes Teej da Game Changer.”

Bryce shakes his head, picking up the glass to

“Sam Reich you aren’t Teej. He might at least get a smile out of me rather than the hole I feel boring it’s way in the back of my skull whenever you speak. Tell you what, I’ll bring a cardboard cutout of you, the result will be the same, you’ll not get your hole kicked to the other side of the planet and it’ll have more charisma!”

He takes a pause and a sigh as he raises a hand before he takes a sip.

“So Teej, show me something different, show my you have stones, grit..Bear some teeth or accept that you are in this scenario, the blonde running away from an advancing camera, waiting to be fed to the story that grows.”

Another longer sip and a nod.

“When all is said and done, the stars turn black I scratch your name off the board and I want to see who the next meal is, you? We’ll see if the Phoenix sun makes your complexion any better.”

Fade out to Bryce picking up the battle and glass and wandering off camera slowly.