Post by TactilizingOne on Apr 25, 2022 22:59:35 GMT -5
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“All my love…” Larry echoed the words from the man named Salazur Catt, as he sat in his home office, the blue-light glow of the laptop on his standing desk bathing his tired face. It was nearing midnight and he needed to get some rest. He had been working extra hours to catch up on Cesar’s accounts, on top of building business meeting stops into his ongoing wrestling commitments. However, that wasn’t actually what was draining him the past couple weeks. It was tracking down the man who had found his way into Larry’s room at Penn Hospital, following The Last Of Us, Part II. The words he said were significant in more than just a threatening manner.
If Salazur had said them, which was difficult to be sure, since Larry had been under quite a bit of morphine during their ‘conversation’ in Penn Hospital. Either way, those words had lingered in Larry’s mind for weeks. Haunted him, even. Their significance from the past was palpable.
“Sweetheart, are you coming to bed?” Cindy Winstead stood in the doorway of the office, wearing a green silk robe, her long legs peeking out from the crease in the robe below the knee.
Larry hadn’t even noticed her open the door, having been lost in thought. He shook his head, “Sorry, babe. I was doing some account follow-up and seeing if I can make a breakthrough on this Salazur situation.”
“Oh, right, right. Didn’t you have someone trying to find information for you on that guy? You said he seems like a ghost, so you may just need to be patient. If he’s not showing up on the web at all, it may take a deeper search,” she walked in and wrapped her arms around one of his, nestling against his chest.
“It’s so bizarre, with all the technology at our disposal these days, and it’s so difficult to find one man,” Larry remarked. “I mean, he’s got to have a digital footprint somewhere, right? It’s extremely unlikely that he kept himself from creating any accounts or even, like, made online purchases at some point. It’s like, who doesn’t use Amazon these days?”
“Maybe he’s an anti-Amazon activist,” Cindy laughs quietly. “I think you can only do what’s within your power right now, hon. Believe me, I am so thankful that you’re trying to protect our family from whatever this asshole has planned. To think he got into your hospital room… that’s grounds for legal action, and a big one,” and Larry could feel the Juris Doctor in her bubbling up.
He placed a hand over her forearm and began massaging lightly. “It’s that, but also the fact he didn’t do any harm. He left me there. And the words he said… ‘All my love.’ It’s so reminiscent of something Laz would say, when he had one of his puzzles for me to solve.”
“Larry, I… I know you’ll always hold your brother near, and just… everything that happened with him, of course. From what you’ve told me over the years, it sounds like that was devastating beyond belief. But at the same time, I don’t want you to… to get your hopes up,” Cindy looked up, and Larry continued staring at the screen. “I would have loved to have known Lazarus, and I’m sure he was someone who was as ahead of his years as you say. It wasn’t meant to be, though. He left this world too soon,” she reached up with a hand and turned his face towards hers. “Please, don’t let that old scar start itching, an get you picking at it,” she gave a small, gentle smile.
“Who said I thought Laz was… I know, Cin. I know he’s… gone.”
“Okay, and I know you, too. The toughest challenges you face tend to be the ones where you don’t have control of a situation. Times where you don’t have the power to shape what’s happening to you, or those around you. That’s why I wanted to pull Logan from the team sports. I thought it would be a relief for you to know he wasn’t in a situation where he could be confronted by this man.”
Larry wanted badly to correct his wife on that, since she should have admitted that she wanted Logan safe and sound at home as much as Larry, if not moreso. She supported his sports ambitions and had come around to recognition of the real talent her son possessed. Still, it was her preference to have him home studying, so he would make it to college on an academic scholarship rather than a sports one. But Larry learned years ago to not go looking for a fight, especially with his wife. Instead, he relented on the point, “Sure, but Logan knows how to take care of himself. Plus, it’s not as if he’s alone. He’s got entire teams and coaches around him. It would be gross negligence for no one to notice a stranger around him, much less having time to nab him. Logan would get defensive, and I don’t like anyone’s chances with him in that mode,” Larry gave a little smirk at the thought. “Anyway, it’s a puzzle. All of this. That’s why I’m so fixated on those words. Laz would give me puzzles to solve, it was a pasttime for him, he created them in classes when he was putting up with the bland, average questions from other students who were dumbfounded by the mere prospect of learning. He would give me a puzzle and say, ‘Made with love, Larry,’ as if he was apologizing in advance. He was kind of a cocky little kid, actually, thinking I wouldn’t solve those puzzles…” Larry chuckled.
“Did you?” Cindy prompted, and Larry furrowed a brow.
“Well, I mean, some of them got to be fairly complex,” he backpedaled, but thought back fondly. “He was a big fan of the old school Myst games. I got pretty far in those, but some of the stuff they want you to draw conclusions towards seemed a little frustrating. Laz, though? He would finish those games and look for others. The kid was ahead of his time.”
“While he was ahead of his time, I’m sure he knew the value of good rest, too,” Cindy poked her husband a couple times in the chest. “So don’t go too far down a rabbit hole where the dirt around it is unsteady. I don’t want you seeing the path out closing and using it as an excuse to steamroll further down. Come to bed and I’ll give you something to find… just not with your mind or your hands,” she gave him a kiss on the lips and let her hands trail over his arm before she winked and walked out.
Larry cursed inside as he looked back at the screen. He knew a more fruitful use of his time was waiting in the bedroom, but he felt like every day that passed without a bead on this Salazur was sand leaving the hourglass. He didn’t know if there was more to this man than merely a chance encounter, but he had the feeling that there was something happening, something approaching him. It was more than mere happenstance, it was…
The ding of his laptop was accompanied by a popup in the lower corner, indicating a new email was waiting for him. He clicked on it and found what was perhaps the last, and best, hope he had. It was from his contact who was doing some background investigation, albeit on their own timeline, since Larry had no other method other than email to get in touch. In this case, they had come through.
The message was from the mysterious Fanatic, and it simply read: “Next week, I will reconvene with you. A date and time to be determined. There is much to discuss on this matter. We have a mutual acquaintance who would like to meet. Next week.”
Larry felt a buzzing between his ears as the rush hit. He may not know much about this Fanatic, but they came through when he called upon them. “A mutual acquaintance,” he mused, stroking his chin. “Sounds promising.”
Satisfied as he would be from this development, Larry found himself feeling renewed with the feeling that he was getting his hands around this issue. He was going to find out what this guy wanted with his family, and beyond that, why he had to tamper with Larry and Cesar’s friendship. Neither was one that could be explained without repercussion, but Larry was willing to hear out his victims before moving onto retribution. In this case, the pleasure would be all his.
After practice, Logan Tact had caught a shower and was in the locker room, getting dressed. He picked up his phone and scrolled through his unread messages. Among them was one from a number that hadn’t been saved to his contacts. In the message preview, he recognized a cue that had been provided to him before. The message started with a series of symbols ‘∞∞∞’ that told Logan who had sent the message. It was his friend, Salazur, whom he hadn’t met with in weeks.
He had told Logan as much would happen, given some ‘business’ he had to take care of. Logan didn’t feel like prying, but then the other week he had heard Salazur’s name come from his father’s own mouth. He had asked Logan if he had heard of anyone with the name, or seen anyone strange around – something Logan wasn’t prepared to hear, and leaving him confused about what was going on. He had never gotten an ill vibe from Salazur, but it seemed like his father wasn’t keen on him. Logan was able to play it off cool enough to avoid his father interrogating him. He didn’t want a repeat of when he had come home from his friend Tiffany’s house party, and found both his mom and dad waiting. That was a rough breakfast, and not just thanks to the punch bowl and kegs Tiffany’s parents had allowed to be brought into their house. Logan had learned from that particular experience not to let his parents find any mismatching threads in his stories. If they caught wind of something that didn’t seem right, they would tear the truth out of Logan. In his father’s case, he literally could stretch it out of him, but Logan figured he could last a couple rounds with his senior. He wasn’t sure he wanted to put it to test, though, given some of Larry’s recent work.
Logan snapped back into the moment, tapping on the message and finding it brief, to his dissatisfaction. “Let’s catch up. We should meet next week when you’re out of school. There’s someone I’d like you to meet. I’ll let you know where and when. Good luck with SATs and finishing the season strong.”
Logan felt heartened by the support, and looked forward to meeting up with Salazur again. He didn’t know what the part about meeting someone meant, but he really never felt like Salazur had the crazy murder psycho vibe at all. He was just someone who had life figured out, chilling at the arcade, taking care of his business when he needed to, and otherwise indulging on the passions he had for life and living. He lead the kind of life Logan could see himself in, too. It looked like a successful life to him.
He pocketed the phone in his jeans and zipped up his grey hoodie. He slung his black duffel bag over a shoulder and across his chest, going to catch the subway back home.
Inside of the Void, a space of white light that captured the landscape of dreams and visions from those who inhabited it, two people stood in the dream haven. One is the masked enigma known as Fanatic, with blue and orange patterned bodysuit on, along with a blue mask that is blank aside from the series of interconnected ∞∞∞ infinity symbols that are tilted vertically and stitched on the mask. Next to Fanatic stood the man known as Salazur Catt, dressed in a white suit and black dress shirt underneath. Salazur addressed Fanatic cordially, but in a respectful manner, “I am not sure I’m making the correct choice in scheduling this meeting.”
“It is, by my understanding, a leap of faith,” Fanatic responded in their level, soothing tone. “There is no certainty that either one will react the way you would find ideal, however… it is sometimes all the better to be surprised. This is not a notion that we may fathom from mere data or encounters in a… more or less… controlled setting.”
“See, that’s where I believe you may be wrong, my friend,” Salazur countered, making a gesture with his arms around the white space. “This Void in itself has granted us a piece of the answer. With The Land’s technological advancements, we have been able to collect data that is quite relevant to this project. Larry himself contributed his dreams, and his past memories, which has been a great help to working on my vision for the future. With it, we will develop technology that will advance our understanding of the mind, a largely uncharted territory,” he smiles widely, but then it fades and he tucks his hands in pockets. “That’s a longer term goal, of course. In the more immediate, those dreams of Larry’s will help me see what types of reactions he has had. I will find within them a raw emotion, and impulses that will help me See. His reaction may be a surprise to someone without that data, but I have the answers on hand. A cheat code, if you will. Now, boot up what we’ve collected on Larry and begin feeding it into my headset at once. I need to See it all, again.”
In a room that looked like a digital laboratory of some sort, Fanatic removed a headset from his own head. He stood and moved over to a laptop and tapped away until he gave one final press of a button. He looked over to a seat near his, where Salazur sits and has a headset of his own on. It looks like the visor changed to different colors, indicating a data feed was being initiated. Fanatic observed and nodded after several seconds, “You will have the answers you need, boss.”
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“I suppose it’s about time we dispersed with any small trash talk, Ziggy. It’s time we got down to the real talk, and the match at hand.”
Larry Tact sat behind the desk of his executive office at Tact Enterprises. He looked dapper in a blue suit and solid silver tie, his hair bound behind his head. He had a smirk on his face as he kept his hands rested on the desk.
“I suppose it isn’t truly you I’ve been exchanging barbs with on Twitter, anyway. It’s that fanboy partner of yours. I hope he isn’t afraid to show himself at EXP 24, since I’d love the chance to have some real life interactions with the guy. He’s got quite a lot to say behind a screen, after all. I’m sure he’d be riveting I-R-L.”
Larry chuckled and waved a hand dismissively.
“No, I kid. It’s not about him, is it? In fact, he’s nothing more than a gnat who has purportedly been taking up the propaganda machine for you, since you’re afraid computers may suck the life force out of you, or something. I don’t know about Donny Mason, but there’s at least one person who looked up the recording of your interview with ole Glazer, and that was me. But before we get there, let’s take a step back.”
He looked off to the side for a moment, collecting his thoughts before continuing.
“In all my years of being in the wrestling industry, I must say I haven’t found one of your kind before. That being, someone who not only hates modern technology, but swore it off entirely. Yet here you are in the wrestling world, of all places. In a sick and twisted way, it almost makes sense. I’ve come across stunt doubles turned wrestlers, wrestlers with backgrounds in various martial arts, more than one hacker, and plenty of others. You’re the first of this take, so I can at least applaud your bravery for giving it a shot. That said, it seems you’re quite intent on making a mark very quickly. I’ve said this before but, when it comes to wrestlers who are newer to the industry, I have a motto of sorts:”
“You won’t make your name off of mine.”
He gives another chuckle, although it sounds a little hollower.
“It’s not a matter of whether you have the ability to make it here in Level Up. Given the Developer is someone who would seems set on having all the freaks and geeks inhabiting the walls of this company, that checks out. No, it’s more that I’m a man of principle. When it comes to your principles, they entirely run counter to my own, and so I take that as a challenge. Who has the stronger devotion?”
“For my part… I have an entire group of associates, you may know them – The Game Changers. They all have found my principles and mission for improving Level Up to be quite relevant and inspiring to their own goals. We’re set on making sure that we have our principles and Level Up aligned, and you’re quite frankly in our way right now. The Power title is one that I have taken as my prize. It’s one I will defend to quite an end, and if you think your disconnected ass is going to handwrite a plan that will override my veritable technological war room of data and research? Well, quite simply I’d call you ignorant, but it seems you embrace that lifestyle. Ignorance is bliss, right?”
“The fact of the matter is, this is actually a unique challenge. I was given a reminder that I’m intrigued by the prospect of those who are ‘off the grid’ more or less. Those who are unable to be tracked as easily, making my typical methods less effective. In this match, I feel like you’re going to present a similar challenge. You’re not going to present the same old trendy mindset or move set. You’re going to give me something to really think about, Ziggy. I can appreciate that, but at the same time, don’t expect that means I won’t be ready to unleash the hell that is the Power division rules upon you. I know how this division is supposed to be run, and frankly, you’re in the wrong place at the wrong time. With DOOM coming up, I’m poised with the Game Changers to have a celebration of our influence and efforts. I’m one step away from being there, and you are the final hurdle.”
He stands up and we find strapped around his waist is the Power title.
“For all the clarity your unconventional lifestyle may provide you, or maybe the way it challenges you may be a better way of putting it… I’ve gone the other direction. In that interview, I noticed you still remember the unfounded attack on me from The Last Of Us. I remember it, too, and I haven’t forgiven you for it, Ziggy. In fact, I’ve put my resources to use to explore just what new and painful ways I can find to give you tactful retribution for what you did, interfering in Game Changers affairs.”
“Come EXP 24, you will find that I am more than ready to make your first title opportunity here… a humbling experience.”
He smirks and pats the title as the drone cam fades to black.
