" I'm just saying nothing is ever what it seems" those words kept going round and round in James' head. It seems to be the endless litany of each and every TCW worker they've met since the ink dried on their contracts
"Nothing is ever what it seems" old mysterious men who want to recruit them to be his knights in shining armor told them that same thing while trying to get them to do his dirty work.
"Nothing is ever what it seems" a couple of Hellions even warned them after drugging Frankie and then mysteriously letting him go
And now DeSean goes "Nothing is ever what it seems" and that creep-a-zoid Shadow backs it up by buying them drinks just to really get across how much of a mind-fuck this whole experience has been. The fights, hell they've been to some, once as participants but at least it was voluntary even though Hawk knew that not everyone who he fought that night was there under their own free will.
He could take that, yeah odd, yeah not something Jimmy in accounting would ever stumble across but they had chosen to make a living in this crazy, mixed up bizzaro sport known as Professional wrestling. Now the old man obsessing over Shadow, yes admittedly that was odd and his rantings about Shadow being this really bad guy... admittedly neither Frankie nor James ran into freakshows like that very often.
"Heh you know after everything we've been told I wouldn't have pegged you for a "sit down with the enemy" kinda guy" Hawk says just to make conversation as he drank his beer.
"Been told?" Shadow asks, his guard is up immediately.
"Erm... yeah by people in general" Hawk says, he's not sure if Shadow even knows about the guy who's been plotting against him.
"People in general and... and who?" Shadow asks.
"No one, look just forget I ever said anything" Hawk says and then takes another drink from the bottle.
But Shadow isn't about to forget it, he senses something and he's not sure if he likes it.
"Who?" Shadow asks once more, well more like demands this time round.
"Just some guy on the bus" Hawk says figuring that the best answer is the truth but not the whole truth.
"And he told you about me? Not Inifnity or DeSean but about me?" Shadow probes.
"You know, just bits and pieces" Hawk tries to sound nonchalant but it's really succeeding "It's no big deal really"
"Then tell me!"
"Alright fine" Hawk says with a sigh, after all it's not as if he has a crusade against Shadow or anything "This old timer shows up, says he's going to help us beat you, not in the ring mind you"
Shadow doesn't say anything he just focuses intently on what Hawk is saying.
"We say no of course"
"Why "of course"?" Shadow asks.
The question surprises Hawk a bit "What do you mean why? We don't need his help to beat you two" Hawk says
Followed by a pregnant pause as everyone realizes that Hawk just said they could easily beat the tag-team champions.
Not wanting any more trouble tonight Hawk quickly modifies his statement "I mean we either beat you on our own or we lose, we're not looking for an unfair advantage"
The answer seems to calm DeSean down and he goes back to holding the cold beer bottle against his nose, it's still throbbing from where he got hit in the cage and his alcohol level isn't high enough yet to negate it. Shadow on the other hand looks like he still doesn't understand why someone wouldn't want to get every advantage they can, fair or unfair.
"You guys are weird" Shadow says.
"What?" Hawk almost spits out the mouthful of beer he was drinking after Shadow made such a weird comment "WE are the weird ones? Now I'm not one to speak ill of a guy while he's buying us beers but have *YOU* looked in the mirror lately?"
Shadow turns his head and looks at his reflection in the mirror behind the bar, he studies himself for a few moments before turning back to the conversation at hand "Nope you guys are still weird"
"Says the man dressing like a rejected design from G.I. Joe" Hawk mutters and takes another drink of beer.
"Why wouldn't you take his help?"
"You do realize he was targeting YOU right?" Hawk asks.
"Of course I do, it was the first thing I made note off and don't worry I will deal with him in due time" Shadow replies in an ominous tone.
"We're just here to wrestle pal, we're not here to be his "Heroes that stand up to the ultimate bad guy" or whatever it was he called it. Boy did he have a weird tale to tell about you"
"Really?... about my wrestling career perhaps?"
"Naw nothing like that" Hawk admits
"Ah yes my business exploits of course, well they are the stuff of legends if I do say so myself" Shadow says and then takes another drink of beer (Don't worry the mask was pulled up, he didn't drink it THROUGH the mask)
"Naw about you and your dad"
*PPPPPPPPPPPPPSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSHHH!!!*
*Spit take*
That comment seems to have surprised Shadow enough for him to spit his beer out the moment Hawk makes it. Then he turns to Hawk with a crazed look in his eyes (I mean like crazier than normal too)
"He said something about my dad??"
"Well yeah" Hawk says thinking that maybe it was a mistake to open his big trap.
"What did he look like?" Shadow demands as he grabs Hawk by the shirt
"Come on now" Hawk says and tries to pry Shadow's hand off but to no avail it's like a steel vice.
"What... did... he... look... like?" Shadow hisses
"Older guy, and I mean even older than me I'd peg him as in his late fifties or maybe sixties it's hard to say. Big guy." Hawk begins to describe the few things he knew "He had this way about him, like he felt like he was superior to everyone and very used to getting his way. "
Each word seems to cut Shadow like knives
"I dunno what else to tell you other than the fact that he's got it in for you and BAD! He led us to that stupid Gladiator place. This big black bastard is out to get you"
Shadow's head snaps round as he stares right at Hawk
"What did you say?"
"Oh jeesh I mean "African American" not black, sorry man I wasn't thinking" Hawk apologizes thinking that's what set Shadow off.
"He's black?"
"Well yeah"
"Why did you not lead off with this information?" Shadow hisses, then he turns to DeSean "You've got the Infinity gold card I got the group right?"
"Yeah buddy"
"Then pay for the drinks, I've got to go" Shadow says and heads off muttering "I should have known!"
After Shadow storms off in a huff James, Frankie and DeSean are left behind just looking at each other, it seems that not even DeSean really knows what that was all about. Hawk sits there for a moment and then figures a bit of small talk couldn't hurt.
"So that girl your fiancée?" Hawk asks DeSean
DeSean's facial expression quickly changes from confused to annoyed
"I see... touched a nerve? Is that why she left 20 minutes ago?" Hawk asks.
"She left?"
"Well I assume she did, I've been walked out on by women a lot and them getting their coat and purse and walking away in a huff usually means they're leaving" Hawk says, he was surprised that DeSean didn't even notice.
"Oh for the love of... "DeSean mutters "30 minutes is too much to ask for?"
"Well maybe you should go after her" Hawk asks.
DeSean sits there for a moment pondering the question, he doesn't look like he's ready to just jump up and run after her, then after a moment or two he stands up, pays the bill and then reluctantly says
"Yeah I suppose so"
"There goes a man with women problems" Hawk says.
"James... can we go find a doctor now" Frankie says as he slumps over the bar still bleeding from several cuts and gashes after the horrific beating he took in the cage earlier.
"Oh god I totally forgot how beat up you got" Hawk admits, then looks at the 4th wall and wonders how he could have forgotten.
"I didn't really want a beer either, I may have a broken rib after all but well it'd seem impolite to turn them down" Frankie says and grins through the blood on his face.
"So you just sat there the whole time bleeding on your cocktail napkins?"
"You know me Hawk, I don't like to complain... but well would you mind if I pass out now?"
"If you must"
Apparently Frankie must as he collapses forward onto the bar, the pounding he took by the giant in the cage finally got the better of him. Hawk could have kicked himself for totally ignoring Frankie's condition, he could only blame being too wrapped up in the escape and then Shadow's ultraweirdness.
"Excuse me? We need an ambulance" Hawk says to the bartender "and then a beer and some peanuts while we wait.
0^=^0
Shadow's mind was reeling as he walked down the sidewalk. He has his cellphone in his hand furiously dialing a number
"Yeah it's me, we need to talk"
0^=^0
DeSean's mind was reeling as he walked down the sidewalk. He has his cellphone in his hand furiously dialing a number
"Yeah it's me, we need to talk"
0^=^0
Hawk's mind was reeling as he sat in the waiting room while the doctors checked Frankie out. His experience told him that it probably wasn't as bad as it looked
Or maybe he just hoped it wasn't as bad as it looked, going 2 on 1 with DeSean and Shadow didn't quite appeal to him after all.
He sat there flipping through a National Geographic from 1989 while waiting with 5 or 6 other worried people.
"He'll be alright" Hawk says to himself, he HAD to be.
"Nothing is ever as it seems" still runs through his mind, but to Hawk it seemed like it was. DeSean was a dedicated worker who got sidetracked by everyone else's desires but his own and Shadow... Well Shadow lived in his own little makebelieve world where he thought he was some sort of supervillain.
At least that's what Hawk figured, not being a shrink he didn't know exactly what Shadow's delusion was.
The images on the TV catches his eye, it's pictures of a body being carried out from an office with the picture of that Michel Branlette shows right after.
"Excuse me" Hawk said to the man sitting next to him "You speak English?"
"A little yes"
"What's that story on TV about?" Hawk asks and points to the screen.
"Ah yes, local scumbag business man Michel Branlette has just been found dead in his office, throat slashed and erm... how do you say... castrated" the main explains.
An explanation that Hawk had rather been without.
He sank back in his seat as all blood drained from his face, Branlette was dead? Murdered?.... Shadow didn't??
Did he
*Fade out as James Hawk realizes that maybe the phrase "Nothing is ever as it seems" is more apt in TCW than anywhere else he's ever been *
