Post by TactilizingOne on May 8, 2022 22:58:49 GMT -5
****ON CAMERA****
We open inside the executive board room of Tact Enterprises. Red paint shocks the walls, and the eyes of those prospective clients entering to discuss terms of partnerships. On the walls, we find various large framed pictures of Larry and his associates at office ribbon cuttings for successfully expanded startups, on the deck of the Intrepid Museum, Larry at the podium giving a speech at a keynote conference, and scenes frozen in time of Tact Enterprises executives posing with businesspeople that they have agreed to enter a partnership with. Centered in the room is the long conference table that has about twenty seats circling it in total. There are large 4K UHD screens embedded on either side of the room, for presentations, and a podium for making said orations.
Currently standing at the podium is Larry Tact himself, wearing a checkered grey suit and solid crimson tie with a pressed white Versace dress shirt underneath – all dry clean only. His golden blonde hair is tied back behind his head, and silver cufflinks complete the ensemble. Larry looks at the drone camera as it hovers before him, settling on a shot that captures the podium and his frame above it.
“Level Up fans… this is your moment. This is your time to have your voices heard, through the actions of those who represent you. The months of arduous toil and bare-knuckled grinding you’ve watched to this point? It’s only been the means to an end that is this event: DOOM. Week after week, you watched these wrestlers strive to meet your expectations. You saw within them the hope for a better period of time; more prosperous and fulfilling than when undeserving, overhyped talent, corrupted by the prospects of glory and greed, angled to reign supreme over the rest of Level Up. Those wrestlers were gaining momentum, but you held strong and collectively pined for the moment when there would be a group to challenge that rise of mediocrity. Well, I’m here to tell you that the wait is over…”
He smirks, knowingly.
“The Game Changers have truly arrived, and at War Games, we will cement our reign.”
The drone cam zooms out to posit Larry on the right side of our view. The left side shows the wall screen lighting up with a photo of the Game Changers as we know them today: Larry Tact, Emmanuel Armitage Blizzard, Isaac, and Drake. They are standing in the ring, spotlights on them with Larry and EAB raising their Power and Courage titles, respectively, in the air.
“The days of so-called superstars has passed in Level Up. We know the truth about these types now…”
Photos appear on screen as Larry ticks off names, then they all appear together in a collage.
“Jack Michaels. Lex Collins. Wendy House. Legion. They were nothing more than bees buzzing about at the potential easy payday for a shot at glory in The Last Of Us gauntlet, or a subsequent title shot. They thought they could net themselves glory in a small pond where they thought themselves big fish. As it turned out? They weren’t aware that erosion was happening to the land around them, and the pond opened up into a lake that exposed their shortcomings and their inability to keep pace with the current. They drowned and sank to the bottom of Level Up’s graveyard. Abandonware, as it were.”
He clears his throat, and takes a drink of water from a glass at the podium. The images have been wiped off of the screen and are replaced by a new round, in the same manner.
“There were some survivors of that initial ‘wave’ of ‘talent,’ if you will. Magdalena Lockheart. Robert McAlroy. Antonio Ricci. Sidroy Covington the Fourth. Don Tirri. A few others. They were certainly put to tests, the harshness which was beyond that of the others who had already lost their lives, and opted not to Continue. Lockheart, of course, rose to the top rapidly, and held post. Sidroy also gained a piece of the Triforce, and held steadfastly to it. The others I named each received an opportunity to face our Final Boss for her championship. They all failed. From here, more attrition, although almost all of this group survived. At the end of the year, Robert finally succeeded in his second bid where everyone else with an opportunity had failed, and captured the title of Final Boss. Of course, we know where that story ended. Pity.”
The images faded from the screen, leaving the Level Up logo. Larry props his forearms against the podium, leaning in a bit.
“You may be wondering what this has to do with the Game Changers and Doom? To that I say, allow a storyteller to do his damn work, and sit there enjoying it as you chomp your chips and get popcorn kernels stuck in your buck teeth!”
He pauses, again clears his throat, and recovers composure.
“As I was saying… where were the Game Changers in all of this? It’s perhaps the most interesting tale Level Up won’t tell you, but I’m here to shed light upon. You see, with the exception of Mister Blizzard, we were all Level Up originals, for all intents and purposes. The Wizard – whom, as far as I’m concerned, can RIP – had Isaac and Drake flanking him, mainly for the purposes of flaunting his influence on them and his bunch of goons he called a following. He truly did not know the potential he could wield because he was too busy getting in their damn way, and making things all the more difficult for himself. As for myself? I admit I needed some direction, myself. I was looking for something to truly spark me, and in these times it’s of the utmost importance to self-reflect and humble yourself. It was an experience of baring the rawest flaws of myself, and looking at what I needed to do to adapt, in order to stave off my extinction. To my credit, I was able to work through the process, and with the Extra Lives Round Robin tournament, I discovered exactly what I was looking for. Truly, an achievement I could not have accomplished without my painstaking examination.”
He nods and calls attention back to the screen, where an image of the Level Up Final Fantasy matches appeared.
“This was where it all began to come together for the Game Changers. While we were not all victorious, the lesson that no one seems to learn is that, victories only equate to moments in time. What matters is the gravity of the impact those victories makes. The ripple effects that you send with the moment of claiming victory, and what surrounds them. For me, what Final Fantasy truly represented wasn’t simply about winning a title and beating a legend…”
“It was about making statements.”
He takes another drink from the glass as the screen now shows scenes of Sidroy Covington IV being taken out and Duncan Shepard being attacked, along with McAlroy, Ahmya, and others battling with the Game Changers.
“Are you beginning to understand the point of this? If not, that’s because you don’t think in terms of the grander view, and merely get caught in minutiae and see what’s shown in front of you. At Final Fantasy, it’s true we took full advantage of Duncan Shepard’s weakness. It’s true that we defended ourselves against the likes of Sidroy Covington the Fourth, and dealt him a blow so crippling that he has yet to be physically seen at a Level Up show since. Robert and Ahmya and all the rest at that show tried to fend off my advances towards gold, futilely so. They shouldn’t have stuck their noses where they didn’t belong in the first place, but well, that’s Robert for you.”
The screen now fades to images of the current Game Changers lineup, then fades to an image of EAB.
“Let’s address the principles, though. Mister Blizzard? While he did have a shot at the Final Boss title last year, it was clearly set up for him to be a man on an island, stripped of precious resources that have allowed him to thrive in every other facet of his life. Even so, he was oh-so-close to capturing the Final Boss Championship. After that, it seemed clear he was going to be punished and given grief now that he had been unjustly foiled. When I approached him, it was clear he had all intentions in the right place. He was trying to move in a direction that would progress Level Up Wrestling, and yet, this place that had at first rewarded those who merely talked about how they would elevate Level Up; it couldn’t bring itself to embrace a man with all the fire and brimstone to actually move this mountain. He needed a helping hand, and I could relate to the struggle of trying to part the chattering waters of mediocrity. I was here for Mister Blizzard’s ambition, and those like him.”
The screen then focuses on Isaac and Drake.
“When you think of game-changing talent, you could say that discovering a diamond in the rough and a monstrous force who is so charged with the desire to destroy would be two pieces you’d want to channel. The Faction was only flawed because The Wizard – RIP – allowed his conceit and arrogance to dominate the front lines. He was suffocating the pathways for progress. When I approached Isaac and Drake, they were also looking for a foci to their careers. They wanted to have a fair chance to show that they weren’t the pawns they had been portrayed as. When it comes to a place dominated by those who seek to clutch onto the status quo, however, it’s tough to shake your place. What you need to do, of course, is change the game. Be the change you want to see. With my advisement, and their renewed spirits, these two have become undisputed earthquakes. Isaac shined in The Last Of Us, Part Two, and like the X-MEN’s Havok, Drake is learning how to control and harness that chaotic impulse of his. He will only become more potent and dangerous with his destructive abilities, so long as he continues on the current trend.”
The screen then goes to the shot of all four again.
“When it comes down to it, there has been no resistance we have not handled, simply because we are the change Level Up has been waiting for. Yes, I may have been a bit tongue-in-cheek about the fans at the start of this. As I’ve said time and again, they don’t know any better. They’re merely looking at who’s in the top spot at the moment, and what established names are around in a given company. They’re fickle and fetishizing wrestling as a static land with no evolution. The Game Changers, meanwhile, see evolution as the only way to Level Up’s survival.”
“Where were we before? We were building our bonds. We were setting our foundation. Then, like any tactful grassroots campaign, we have been growing and proceeding vertically, all the while strengthening our bond. It’s a formula for success that too many impatient supposed ‘talents’ are incapable of cultivating to fruition – but not me. If anything, the Developer should be thanking me for the continued success Level Up is experiencing. When you build tactfully and humbly, it’s bound to attract greater interest. The Developer is almost as bad as the fans, indulging themselves in the moment and slurping the success stories they stumbled upon. They should be held to account for the near collapse of this place, thanks to an overreliance on a diet of blowhard veterans and bullshit, oversensitive and overconfident youths that were never going to stand the trials of a new company. They failed, and from the ashes the Game Changers have built a foundation of ascendant talent and momentum that will not be… stopped…”
Larry trails off as a phone number suddenly appears on the TV screen. Larry’s phone must have been mirroring its own screen, and he answers the call. We cannot hear the conversation, but after a few seconds Larry hangs up the phone, and looks at the camera, flinching as he realizes it is still filming. He glares back at us for several tense seconds before pushing on his phone.
FADE OUT.
****OFF CAMERA****
As he entered, he found the lights on and two figures standing in the ring: the masked enigma, Fanatic, and the equally mysterious man he had asked Fanatic to find for him, Salazur Catt. The man was dressed in a purple suit and shoes, a white tie over a purple dress shirt and gloves, and had large black sunglasses that obscured some of his features. His hair was concealed under a purple fedora, although Larry could see blonde at the edges. He strode towards the pair with every intention of being blunt and fearsome with his directive: Stay away from his family. Don’t mess with his associates. Get the fuck out of his life.
“Salazur! Is that you, Salazur Catt,” Larry said with firm disdain.
“Larry,” Fanatic began, in his cool and collected tone, “It would be best if we could have a … civil discourse amongst us.”
“Look, Fanatic. I appreciate your getting this setup, I do. As of now, you can step aside because I have quite a lot I’d like to get across, with extreme prejudice, to this man,” Larry bristled. “It’s about time we resolved whatever issue there is between us, and you understood exactly what will happen if you don’t.”
Fanatic was about to interject until Salazur raised a gloved hand. Fanatic immediately took a step back, which prompted Larry to stop on the ringside mats. Fanatic was taking direction from this man? “Wait, what is… Fanatic, what are you doing?”
“Larry, it is so good to meet you,” Salazur said. “Again. Apologies for the little mishap at the hospital. I was a bit pressed for time there, as you can imagine, given the circumstances of my presence there. It would be difficult to explain should anyone have been alerted, say, by your signaling them. That’s why I needed to handle things as I did, although I’ll admit I took too much liberty administering the morphine on your behalf,” he said, voice a bit raspy but perfectly clear. “There is a reason I brought you here, today… all of you, in fact,” he concluded, and stepped aside.
Behind the pair in the ring was a third. Leaning against the ropes, dressed in casual denim jeans and a hoodie was Larry’s son, Logan. At this, Larry immediately rolled into the ring and stood, but Fanatic got between he and Salazur. Logan, for his part, looked up from a magazine and waved. “Hey, dad. You gotta believe me—”
“LOGAN! WHAT did I tell you?!” Larry’s eyes were bulging at the nonchalance of his son. “You were supposed to buddy up with a classmate, and NOT go along with anyone else from school! You were absolutely not to take unsolicited invitations from strangers, and this guy in particular! I TOLD YOU… Salazur—"
“Dad, chill out for a damn second!” Logan yelled back, looking irritated by his father’s tone. Larry was not calm, but Logan looked him dead in the eye. “I’ve known Salazur for a while, dad. He’s not here to hurt me, or our family… he’s not who you think he is. Actually,” he paused for a moment, trying to find the words to express. All he could come up with was, “He’s like… family. Just hear him out.”
“What in the hell did they do to you?” Larry asked, sounding like the air had come out of a balloon. He looked at Fanatic. “You lied to me. You were never wanting to help me. You just wanted to set me up to get Logan and I here to… to…”
“To do what, dad?” Logan interjected. “You’re obsessed with the idea of Salazur being an enemy, which couldn’t be further from the truth. Not everyone is looking to take you down, jeez dad,” he felt another wave of irritation towards Larry, looking back at his magazine.
“I must accept fault of my own, Logan,” Salazur spoke up. “You may be more accepting of the truth, for you are still untouched by the harshness of life. It’s understandable your father wishes to protect you. As I told you, you are his priority, above all. Family does come first for Larry, and so, I am hoping he will accept me under that same premise,” he turned to look at Larry.
“What is going on, already? I’m tired of dancing around this,” Larry demanded. “Did you or did you not tell Cesar that I had a hand in his father’s death?”
“I did not tell him that, in that frame,” Salazur replied, frankly. “Your protégé had a perception of what happened to his father. I answered several questions about the circumstances of his demise, who was present in his inner circle during that period. I honestly did not have any idea he would take things to the extreme he did,” he held his hands up in surrender. “I did not intend for things to unfold the way they did.”
“Whatever you told him, it pushed him towards a conclusion that I was directly responsible. That’s not how it happened,” Larry retorted. He waved Fanatic away. “I’m fine. If I were here to take him down, he’d already be on the ground.” Fanatic gave Larry some space to focus on Salazur. “Now, I’m going to have to try and mend the damage you helped to inflict on our relationship. But I’m also wondering, what exactly my son is talking about. Before you answer, I want him over here. Now.”
“Not a problem. I invited Logan here to attest that I mean no malice towards you, Larry,” Salazur stepped aside for Logan to walk by.
“Dad, if I go to you, do you promise not to attack them?”
“Logan, you aren’t dictating anything. If you think you aren’t in for a serious lecture after this, you’ve really had some spell put on you,” Larry jerked a finger to an empty space next to him. “Get the hell over here, right now.”
“Dad, I’m not like, a kid an—”
“NOW.”
Logan scoffed and rolled up the magazine tightly, his grip twisting the pages back and forth in anger. Larry had set him off. “Fine, whatever!” He stomped across the ring to Larry’s side.
“Out of the ring,” Larry motioned.
“God dad, come on! I’m part of this, too!”
“Logan. Don’t make me insist.”
“Right, you’re all over it, yeah, gonna do everything on your own…” Logan muttered as he left the ring, waiting against the railing.
“Now,” Larry gathered his thoughts, having never broken his gaze from Salazur. “I don’t have time to make idle chit-chat. There had better be a very brief, and very honest answer as to what the hell this is all about. Messing with my associate? Involving my SON? Forget the police, I’m about to take care of this myself, Salazur. The only thing I’m needing from you, is a wrong answer, and you’ve got plenty of options,” Larry cracked the knuckles on each hand. “In all honesty, I cannot even imagine what answer would stop me from giving you exactly what I came here to,” he glanced over at Fanatic. “As for him? Yeah, he’s a tough nut to crack. But I’ve sparred with the man enough times. I’ll handle both of you, if I need to.”
Salazur tilted his head at Larry, then raised his hands slowly and gave applause. “Your spirit is sincerely ablaze once again, Larry. I don’t remember a time in the past year when you’ve been so motivated towards your goals. Be it with the Game Changers, and the upcoming conflict at the event known as DOOM; or your navigating of the Watcher, the Land, and Fanatic. I am simply inspired by your resolve, your passion, and your spirit. It is a magnificent spectacle to behold from where I stand.”
Larry began to approach, but Salazur held up a hand. “Larry, you are aware of how rapidly technology has advanced these past twenty years. I even could surmise you have an idea of how much there is to still grow into. First, please don’t allow rage to blind you to reality. Unfortunately, I was not able to be at this meeting, in person,” Salazur stated. “This is but a projection of myself, via hologram and imaging technology that is within a realm the general public has rarely witnessed. I admit, I did it in part for my protection, along with the protection of Fanatic, but he wished to be there with you, for advisement. That’s because he is invested in your well being, and does in fact consider your connection valid and true. He is my associate, but he is also your friend. I hope that we, too, can be friends, someday.”
Larry looked at Fanatic and then back at Salazur. He stepped up to the man, and upon reaching at the very solid person before him, he found there was nothing solid about him. Somewhere in his mind, he was blown away, but he wouldn’t dare show it. He took a couple steps back, frowning. “Then what was the point of all this? Why are we even here?”
“Because this has gone on long enough, Larry,” Salazur explained. “You did deserve answers to what caused Cesar to do what he did. You deserve to know the truth… about him, and also, myself.”
“I’m not impressed, and I’m still waiting, you worm, burrowed deep wherever you are,” Larry spat, crossing his arms.
“It is all a puzzle, Larry,” Salazur struck a nerve within Larry. For the first time, however, it didn’t provoke rage, but instead something deeper. “Where I am, what I’ve been doing, for twenty plus years now. I’m ready to share it with you,” Salazur reached up with a hand to his hat, and removed it. With a shake, golden blonde hair fell down to his shoulders. Next, he reached up to his glasses. “Understand, Larry, that Salazur Catt? That was merely a puzzle, as well.”
“What?!?” Logan exclaimed.
“Apologies, Logan, but I couldn’t let you know. I admit, in this long a time, it wouldn’t have done to give either of you clues to it. Especially for you, Larry, they may have only been painful and scraping a scar from the inside-out. I have no intention of that, but I possess the confidence to give you the truth…”
As Salazur moved to remove the sunglasses, Larry understood. He could feel his face flushing, and his eyes beginning to get itchy against his will. “Not an anagram… you can’t be serious…” But he wanted to hope beyond hope.
His face was different, features had been worked on perhaps, but the eyes. It was all in his eyes. Larry had never seen such a green hue, as rich and vibrant in his life.
It was only ever in one kid. The one he couldn’t love enough because there hadn’t been time enough to do it.
“Salazur Catt… is Lazarus Tact…” Larry whispered, afraid to speak it to reality.
His brother stood before him. Alive.
****ON CAMERA****
“I don’t need to say anymore to the point of where the Game Changers came from,” Larry continued as he fired up the drone cam again. He was now sitting on a ring apron in his wrestling training center. His suit was discarded, along with the tie, leaving his white shirt partially unbuttoned. He looked solemn, but something in his face was resolute. Determined even more than when we last saw him. He was dead serious with each word he spoke.
“As far as DOOM goes? We are facing what amounts to a ragtag bunch of hopefuls to maintain the status quo. Brody Adams and Eli Goode? They clung onto their Multiplayer Gloves only thanks to a technicality. The Developer making it a non-title match was to their benefit, and to no benefit of EAB nor myself, which makes easy sense as to why they will want to continue opposing us. It serves their own self-preservation but at Doom, we are going to leave no doubt that the Game Changers are the uncrowned Multiplayer Champions.”
“I didn’t get to show one of the slides that was in my presentation,” he chuckled, shaking his head. “It’s truly the most insignificant thing to care about now, a presentation. What does matter is, Mac Bane is coming to send toxicity and waste on all of you in War Games because that’s akin to a playground for him. He’s surely going to focus that fury at Paul Freedom, who dissed and disparaged both Mac and Amber in The Last Of Us Two. Paul, I’ll largely leave you to Mac, but just know at some point? We’ll all be sending your green ass around the carousel of suffering for your insolence the past month. You’ve earned yourself a humbling, and War Games could merely be the start, if you don’t make it your end.”
“Dionysus and Centurion? You’re practically two peas in a pod. I have a broader message for you. Look at what history has taught us. The Game Changers, whether it’s been myself, EAB, or Isaac – we have your number. What exactly are you going to do to us that we haven’t soaked and returned fire on before? Here’s the main point you should get through your ego-swollen heads… you think that we’re going to be served a receipt for what we’ve done over these past months. You think our actions have repercussions, and you’re the ones to dole them out.”
Larry laughs, spreading his arms wide.
“The humble reality couldn’t be further from your grasp. We know exactly what we’ve done, and it’s been succeed and progress. Change doesn’t come easily, nor does it come by catering to a status quo that is actively working against you, and I include The Developer and their actions in that. What we are doing, our methods, are justified and in fact, should be applauded. We don’t allow our efforts to be impeded by some corrupted moral code or fallacy of ethics.”
“We are here to be Game Changers. Until you realize what that means, and what we are truly capable of? You won’t ever win this war, and the War Games that you all step into will be summed up with one simple conclusion…”
He hops off the apron and points his finger like a gun.
“Your collective Tactful Surrender.”
He then ‘fires’ and stares resolute at the camera.
“Game Over.”
FADE OUT
