Post by Kaz on Jun 13, 2014 19:17:15 GMT -5
[Segment 1 – In the Cosmos]
Colin Marshall: (Voiceover) When you have something to fight for, you’re willing to put it all on the line. You’ll put your heart on your sleeve and defend anything you say with an equal action. My goal may have been the Internet Championship…but what I was fighting for was everyone I cared about. But most importantly, I was fighting for myself. I was fighting for validation that what I spent my entire life wanting and working for was all worth it. I was fighting for my very soul.
I looked across the ring at Caliban; this punk ass kid with a loud mouth. I was putting everything I had in to this match. I want the Internet Championship. I just want to kick Caliban in the face even more. I charge towards him as he does the same. We met in the middle and began hitting each other with all we have. My fist connected with his head as he kicked me hard twice, once in the leg and once in the side. I brought my knee up hard in to his wounded abdomen and he fell back in to the ropes. He hit them hard, but I saw him rearing back as he did. He leaped towards me, his foot extended outwards in attempt of a superkick. My eyes widened, but I didn’t lose my cool. I brought my leg up into a superkick of my own, but as I felt my foot connect with his face, my vision went black. I hit the mat hard and began to fade out.
?: Colin…You have such bravery…
A raspy voice cut in through the black. My vision faded in and out, blurry as it went. I saw the referee standing over me. He asked me something, but his voice was thousands of years away. My vision went dark again.
?: You must come here, Colin…come to the city of New York…There is much to be told, yet…
I felt my arm wrap around the soft elastic of the ring ropes. My legs felt like jelly and I struggled to stand as my feet slipped again and again on the mat. I felt hazy and I collapsed again, blacking out once more.
?: Please, Colin…come to New York…it is crucial
The voice echoes in my head as I completely lose consciousness.
[Segment 2 – New York Style]
I had just left Table 87 for the third night in a row. If Diablo Calzone was ever right about anything in his entire life…It was that this New York style pizza was the best god damn pizza in the world. The mozzarella cascaded off the crust like cheesy oozy lava. The pepperoni was so fucking fresh that I swore I heard the lips and assholes mooing in the back of the pie shop. Table 87 had been my go to pizza place since I had arrived in Brooklyn three days ago. I had been in a phone conversation with Patrick inside the restaurant that continued out in to the New York night.
Patrick McCoy: So, something told you to head to New York and you just up and did it?
Colin Marshall: Well, it sounded pretty fucking important, Patrick. I don’t hear voices often…but when I do, I follow them blindly.
Patrick McCoy: So…are you not focusing on your match against Diablo Calzone? I mean, this fella is a monster.
Colin Marshall: You think I’m scared of that footsie pajama bitch? I’m sorry his mom wasn’t around to change him out of his baby clothes. If he had half a brain he would have done that by now…but he only has a half shell, and after I’m done with him on Sunday that fools going to be living a half-life. I think that voice that called me to Brooklyn…I feel like it has something to do with Diablo. I don’t know why….I can just feel it.
Laughter could be heard from the other end of the phone, but not just Patrick’s. I could hear a girl giggling in the background.
Patrick McCoy: Well…I gottsta go. Business to take care of and such.
I wished him luck and said goodnight. After my phone was tightly snug in my pocket, my mind began to wander to the other night. A voice had led me here on a mad goose chase for an objective that was yet to be made clear to me. I had gone out in search of whatever it was every night but to no avail.
Robert: (Voiceover) Don’t give up so easily, Colin. I heard that voice, clear as day. Somebody was trying to get a hold of you, however they could. I think you need to keep your mind open and your eyes peeled.
I listened to Robert, no matter how much I felt like it was hopeless. I kept trudging through the dark night, eventually coming to an empty street. The street light at the end kept flickering in and out and went it did come on, the light barely illuminated anything. I walked down the street with my hands in my pocket. As I passed a dark alley, I heard people whispering in hushed voices.
Man 1: …make a single noise, I’ll cut you up and leave you here…
Man 2: Hahahaha, don’t think he won’t do it bitch. I’ve seen it up close…and personal.
I heard a woman’s groan come from the alley. I whipped my phone out of my pocket and headed down the alley, as quiet as a rodent. A new voice cut through.
Man 3: Let’s get started all ready…I’m getting, haha, impatient, if you know what I mean.
I didn’t have any more time to waste. I pulled my phone out and turned on my flashlight app, shining it down in to the alley.
Man 2: Hey! Who the fuck are you?
Colin Marshall: I’m the guy who's going to shove that knife up your ass. Step away from the girl and maybe I won't hurt you too bad.
The first man laughed.
Man 1: You think you can take on all six of us?
As he said that, three more men walked out from behind the corner.
Colin Marshall: Oh shi…
Two of them charged me. One of them was unarmed and the other was holding a knife. The guy with the knife lunged at me first. I grabbed his wrist just as he came close. I wrenched it back and the knife clattered to the ground. I brought my leg up in to his side, knocking him to his ass. The second guy came at me and I brought my knee up in to his groin, putting him out instantly. Through all that, I had held on to my phone.
Man 1: Oh…you fucked up now, kid…What are you assholes starin’ at? Go get em!
The three other men came towards me. I looked around for something to use to my advantage, but the knife had bounced out of reach. The three guys were on me fast though. I dropped my phone as they pushed me against the wall. The light shone against the building opposite me. Just as I closed my eyes in expectance of the pain these guys were about to unleash on me, I felt their grip loosen. I heard a scuffle occur, alongside four new voices. They whispered back and forth to one another. As the fight stopped, I felt a new grip push me against the wall.
?: Who are you? Why are you with these guys?
Colin Marshall: I’m not with them…I came down here to help the girl, that’s all…
The grip remained on my arm, but I felt it loosen, almost hesitantly.
?: Let him go, Raph...
The hand let go of my arm and I relaxed. I saw my phone light ascend and one of the guys handed it to me. I grabbed it and shone the light towards the voice.
Colin Marshall: Whaa…what?
I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. Before me stood four humanoid turtles, each wearing a different colored headband and wielding a different weapon. My phone hit the ground before I did.
[Segment 3 – My Fifth Son]
I awoke to the sound of running water. I looked around and saw I was in some kind of stoney abode. There was a large fifty inch t.v. directly in front of me. I was laying on a pretty nice couch, with my head propped up on the most comfortable pillow I had ever felt...And whatever I smelled…it was incredible. Almost like…
?: Pizza!
I propped up and over the couch, looking towards the direction of the voice. There, once again, were the four turtles. They were hunching around a table over open pizza boxes. The voices were aargumentative, most likely over who got what slice of pizza.
?: I wanted the Hawaiian style. If you wanted Hawaiian style, you should have ordered Hawaiian style, Donatello.
?: Michelangelo, give your brother a slice of the Hawaiian. Don’t make me reach over this table and ninja kick your ass.
Michelangelo: Leo, if I was afraid of that happening, dude, I wouldn’t take you to school every day, bro.
Leonardo: Cool it, Mikey. Just give him a slice.
I heard the sound of a plate clattering against a wooden table and the four turtles stopped.
Raphael: Hey…he’s awake.
The four turned to me, staring intently in to my eyes. It stayed like this for what felt like forever, before Michelangelo broke the silence.
Michelangelo: You hungry, dude?
As he asked me, I felt my stomach rumble.
Leonardo: Hey…it’s ok, Colin. We’re not going to hurt you.
The blue head banded turtle, Leonardo, sounded very reassuring. Donatello, the purple one, also nodded his head, holding his hands up in a non-defensive posture.
Michelangelo: Yeah dude, we got pepperoni, cheese, Hawaiian, and anchovies if you’re in to that nasty stuff.
Donatello: Lay off dude, anchovies are delicious.
Michelangelo: Then you eat em’ dude! Lay off my Hawaiian!
The two began smacking each other in the arm back and forth, increasing the strength of each hit. A raspy voice cut in and I recognized it almost immediately; the very same voice that beckoned me to Brooklyn to begin with. Whoever spoke from it was blocked by the four turtles huge shells.
?: Michelangelo! Donatello! Quit acting like teenagers!
Michelangelo: But we are tee…
Donatello quickly slapped his arm again; telling him now was not the time for jokes.
Michelangelo: I mean…yes, Master Splinter.
Master Splinter: I see our guest has finally arrived. Welcome to our humble home, Colin Marshall.
The four turtles stepped out of the way and through the gap stepped a hunching humanoid rat. He walked with a stick and wore a fine silk robe over his body. He stepped forward and began talking.
Master Splinter: Please, come eat with us, Colin.
The next few hours flew by. I sat around the table, talking with Leo, Donny, Mikey, and Raph. Splinter told me the story about how they came to live in the sewers of New York City, what they were about, and why they remained where they were. We ate pizza and had a merry night. As the night wound down, the four turtles ventured off to bed and left Master Splinter and I alone.
Master Splinter: Come with me, Colin. We have much to discuss…
He stood from the table and beckoned for me to follow. I got up and did as he had asked, following him through a tunnel and in to a darkened room. I strained my eyes, hoping to see through the darkness. Master Splinter lit a candle on the opposite side of the room. I followed the shining light across and stood across from him.
Master Splinter: Please sit down, Colin.
I sat on the cushion opposite him and waited for him to break the silence again.
Master Splinter: I have a story to tell you Colin…This story would vindicate me from my sons, for it holds my deepest, darkest secret; something that I have kept from them to this day. It is the story of my fifth son.
Master Splinter paused. I watched a single tear stroll down his cheek in the candlelight. He choked the rest back and continued with his tale. I folded my hands together and leaned forward.
Master Splinter: I lived a long time ago in Feudal Japan. My name was Hamato Yoshi. I was a warrior for my clan. I had a wife and five sons. My five sons were very bright, athletic, brave... Starting at a young age, I began teaching them the ways of the ninja. They excelled at it…but my fifth son learned much faster than the others. He began to mock them for not being able to keep up with his abilities. He reacted violently one day when Leonardo bested him in one of their exercises. I reprimanded him for this shortcoming, telling him it was not the way of the ninja. He said his apologies and we moved on from it. I found him in the woods one day. He had been killing and maiming animals; more specifically, rats and turtles. I didn’t know what to do about this so I hid it away. I couldn’t let there be something wrong with my perfect sons, but by the time I was ready to admit something was terribly awry with him, it was already too late…
I took a deep breath, realizing I had stopped right as he started talking.
Master Splinter: I came home from the market…and the scene that lay before me haunts me to this day. There on the ground, lay my beautiful wife and four of my handsome sons…they were dead. When I rushed to their bodies, I heard laughter from behind me. Out stepped my fifth son soaked in what I assumed to be his own kin’s flesh and blood. We exchanged words before ultimately ending up in mortal combat ourselves. I struck him down…but not before being mortally wounded myself. Before I died, I prayed. I prayed for my wife and my sons…I prayed for them to be given a second chance…but I did not pray for my fifth son.
I blinked, my eyes watering in the dim light.
Colin Marshall: That’s how you came back? That’s why you are the way you are?
Master Splinter nodded. I was still confused, though.
Colin Marshall: But why are you telling me this, Master Splinter?
This time, Master Splinter let out a hearty sigh.
Master Splinter: Because, Colin, my fifth son has come back. He has returned and he is leaving a wake of violence in his trail. He is attempting to mask it with fake sincerity…but I know his true intentions. I come to you and tell you this…because you will be facing him at Sunday Night Slam!
I gasped…Diablo Calzone was Master Splinter’s fifth son?
Master Splinter: That’s right, Colin. He goes by the name Diablo Calzone, a name likely given to him by the devil in disguise, Buddy Roman. That man is nothing but a slithery serpent, using my son’s confusion and violent ways to do his own bidding. Buddy Roman cares for nothing but himself. Even though he murdered his own family…I still love him.
More tears poured from Master Splinter’s eyes. He was obviously hurting, so I walked across the room and wrapped my arms around him. A spindly hand touched my back in acceptance of the hug. I took my seat again on the cushion.
Colin Marshall: What…do I need to do, Master Splinter?
Splinter answered without hesitation.
Master Splinter: You need to stop him, Colin Marshall. You need to fight Diablo Calzone and finish him; one way or another. I don’t know how he came back…but it must be for a reason. Good or bad, I don’t know, but as long as he’s working alongside Buddy Roman, he will never know the light from the dark. You must be the one to shine that light on him, Colin.
Colin Marshall: Don’t worry, Master Splinter. I will do everything in my power to make Diablo Calzone see the light. I went to find Diablo after he staged a little smoke and mirrors show to try and throw me off my game during my match with Peter Quinn. After I caught up with him, Buddy Roman kept throwing himself in between Diablo and I. I got the sense that Diablo had no idea what was going on…but I don’t know.
Master Splinter: Don’t underestimate him. At first, he seems naïve…but he is capable of great violence. The battle begins before you face him at Sunday Night Slam. My sons and I…we can only work from the shadows, but you can go out in the world. You have to be the one to do this, Colin. I cannot let my sons know the truth behind their deaths…it would only exist to hurt them. I must carry this burden with me for the rest of my life…something I have accepted with a heavy heart. I failed with Diablo…but I must protect my remaining sons.
Colin Marshall: Yes, Master Splinter. Where do I start?
Master Splinter: You must do something, Colin, something to make your presence known to him. Something that will make him stand up and take notice. I have a friend who can get your message out there, if you need help?
[Segment 4 – Live, From Channel 6 News]
April O’ Neil: This is April O’ Neil, live from the Channel “6” News Chopper. We’re circling around the Brooklyn Bridge, where a man, age twenty three, is standing at the top. He has requested a media presence and we at Channel “6” in our constant quest to bring you the hottest stories, have abided. He seems to be talking in to a megaphone now…
[Segment 5 – I Speak The Truth And Everyone Else Knows It]
I stand at the top of the Brooklyn Bridge…probably one of the most suicidal things I had ever done. I carried a megaphone with me…anything to be heard over the loud sound of the traffic below and the constant whirring blades of the helicopter feet away from me. I spoke in to it, with all my heart.
Colin Marshall: Diablo Calzone…You interrupted my challenge to the People’s Champion. I wanted what was mine and you couldn’t stand to see me get what I wanted…and you reacted jealously. That act would be the start of your downfall. You set in to motion something that can’t be stopped now. Now it travels like an avalanche, like cheesy oozy lava off a New York style crust.
I paused for a moment.
Colin Marshall: Last week, I accomplished what I set out to do. I defeated Peter Quinn…but I tied Caliban in my Internet Championship bout. I think it was earthly intercession…somebody wanted me to pass on that chance. Somebody told me to come to Brooklyn and look for something I needed. It wasn’t a weapon, Diablo. It was knowledge. I needed somebody to tell me not just that you needed to be flattened in to a bleeding mess, but why it was required. They told me why, Calzone…and I won’t let them down.
I swiped my hair behind my head and continue shouting in to the megaphone. I begin to get fired up.
Colin Marshall: You claim to know who pulls the strings. You claim to fight the powers that be…but here we are, Calzone. I threw down the challenge and you accepted. But why? It’s because you know who the future is. You know Colin Marshall is The Real Deal and you want to capitalize. I lay out the beat that you all march to now. The Real Deal is here and he’s gone and planted a seed. One that will continue to grow until it is unstoppable. You walk around here like it’s you Diablo…but take away Roman and McMorris and what are you? Just another bitch baby wearing his fucking scrub pajamas. You won’t be able to get inside of my head like Marina and Stacy. Sunday Night Slam, the Marshall’s coming…and his justice is swift. I will rescind you, Diablo Calzone. I will crack you, you Demon in a Half Shell. Your make of colored hand band retribution will not be sufficient in this battle. I have the heart and the resolve to not only defeat you…but I will end your reign of terror. Your sweet words don’t fool me. I see right through them! I will deliver the Shine and you will be left Shell-shocked! The time for words are over, Calzone. Now all we have are actions! And after this Sunday, there will be no doubt in anyone’s mind that Colin Marshall is IT! And he’s here to stay!
I stand there, staring in to the camera as the rain pours down, soaking me from head to toe.
