"The...  Drought?"  A genuinely dumbfounded Taylor inquired.

"The Drought.  Some of your peers seem to have caught onto it, if only to a minute degree.  You may know it better as 'The Big Comedown' or your 'Downward Spiral'..."

Coughing up something resembling a chuckle of relief, Taylor replied: "Oh...  That.  Nothing but a work of fiction, Chester."

"What makes you so sure?"  Chester coolly shot back.

"Well," Taylor began but fizzled out.

"Is it because you blew it off and not one man on the roster was well enough informed to argue?"

That was it, but Taylor would never admit it.

"...Just as I thought.  You may think those cold eyes of yours give you some sort of shield of immunity.  They don't.  I'd advise you to realise that.  Regardless, The Drought couldn't be any more real.  It's not a simple case of staff incompetence or inconsistent booking, John.  It's the second phase of the test.  The Screening Process yielded you, by far, as the prime candidate.  The potential was there.  However, as I'm sure your wasted years in HKWF managed to show you on more than one occasion, it takes more than simple potential to make it in your profession."

Wanting to avoid a potential 'incident', Taylor conceded with a nod and a low grunt.

"In theory, John Taylor was perfect to lead GroundZero Wrestling 2K1 into the future..."

"...But that wasn't enough, right?" Taylor asked, wanting to sound as unenthusiastic as he possibly could so as not to give this man any more leverage.  It was just a conversation, sure, but under no circumstances would he ever allow himself to be talked down to.

"Correct.  This model needed to be put into practice.  And so you were subjected to a series of field tests."

"As you said."

"The first phase was linear and straightforward.  You were given all but a free run in the promotion.  Things ran smoothly for you because they were told to run smoothly.  The abrupt rise and fall of Tonya Glory as a main eventer...  Paul Spartan being quietly demoted to the W.C.E.K. Television Division...  The Lord Of The Coliseum tournament featuring non-established stars like Jay Jameson, Seven and Kaine..."

"Don't even try to tell me that was rigged, Chester.  You want to play that card?  Look at who Deacon Kane had opposing him in 2002's tournament..."

"No, no...  That's not what this is about.  It's just that things were made considerably simpler for you last year."

"Made for me?  That just doesn't fly.  Look at all I accomplished for myself."

"John...  Nobody is disputing your efforts and abilities.  If that were the case, why would they have gone to the trouble of sculpting the tests specifically for you?  I speak the truth, stop trying to blow it off.  For your own sake."

"If what you're saying is true, then explain to me Nathan Williams sabotaging Return To Glory or James Corbin's frequent attacks and-"

"You have to understand that these people - this Entity, those pulling the 'invisible strings' - are not without their own problems.  It's not as if they function totally unopposed.  It was made public months ago that John Profit organised that oaf's appearance in the cage that night...  But from his perspective, can you blame him?  Here he is, a behemoth of a promoter, yet he knows his power is not absolute.  He's not alone.  Key members of the GZW2K1 board are aware of this Entity's presence as well, John.  And you can bet they're not happy.  They were the various kinks in the road.  Why do you think you got such a vicious reaction 'back home' in Hong Kong for those Wyldesyde appearances?"

"Uh...  Because Seth Raide saw it fit to label me a traitor?"

"Yes and no.  Yes, that's where the grunts and foot soldiers got the idea, but where do you think 'The Downfall' got it in the first place?"

"Profit...?"

"Let's say yes and go further...  Who do you think might've slipped the referee during the Bane/Taylor HKWF Title match the idea that perhaps Lord Taylor had a little too much on his plate and that it wouldn't be a tragedy for Bane to get the upset?  Who gave the green light on the decision and closed the case of the referee's itchy counting hand before it could even be made public?"

"Profit...?"

"You're beginning to see it-"

"Hold on - If Profit's working against the Entity and trying to sabotage these tests, why go out of his way to sanction my 'Coliseum match with Nathan Williams as a HKWF Title defence?"

"This is a little tougher to explain.  While there are certainly those upset that there is a power far higher than themselves, one whose members' identities are so classified that even the higher-ups aren't authorised to know about, there are likewise those all in favour of the Entity.  There are those who rest comfortably in the pocket of this faceless, formless committee."

"And they're supposed to work for the Entity and against their own co-workers and colleagues?"

"Something like that, but it's all very hush-hush.  So much so that it's downright impossible to tell who exactly supports who."

Taylor exhaled heavily, trying to let this new information sink in even somewhat.  "So if Profit and whoever else were against me last year, why haven't they stepped in to support me during The Drought, if only to further undermine these tests?"

"Who's to say they haven't?"

"Now you've lost me, Browne...  I look back on the past three months and I see embarrassing losses, sneak attacks and-"

"Then look deeper.  Have you been forgotten?"

"No.  But that's no thanks to anybody but me.  I mean, I probably wouldn't have been booked in two matches this year had I not pushed the bookers hard enough."

"And that's only right.  The Drought isn't simply the polar opposite of your experiences last year, John.  It's a lot more flexible.  It doesn't have a set time frame or expiration date.  The Drought will cease to be as soon as you come to the realisation that you have the power to overcome it.  You're lined up for a possible 'out' test soon enough."

"Out test?"

"Yes.  This World Heavyweight Championship number one contender's match."

"What about it?"

"John, if you are truly to become 'Mr. GZW', you'll have to prove to Sincere and The Entity that the tests haven't thrown you off completely.  You've got this ongoing examination with Sincere, but that's only a part of it."

"I thought you told me the whole point was to outwit Sincere..."

"That's only part of it" repeated the old man, "Each stage was put in place for a reason.  The Drought, however, was the least conventional stage.  It was designed to kick you in the balls, for lack of a better term, and see if you had it in you to get back up off the floor.  However, the nature of these tests means that you have no choice but to multi-task.  You're being prepared to lead the company to great new heights, but at the same time, you're still a full-time wrestler.  It's not as though you're sitting this test in some hall on your own time, no.  This was set up to give you the biggest possible challenge across a wide spectrum of areas."

"Y-What?"

"Sincere's appearances on GZW TV...  During your matches.  They were set up each and every time so you would face a dilemma.  The wrestler in you would naturally want to ignore him and win, but the man in you wanted to forget the match and rip off his head.  The ideal balance at the end of the tests is for you to be able to do both.  For example, this four-way match next week.  No sign of Gabriel or Sincere being involved.  Why?  Because this particular test is focussing on the wrestler in you.  You know as well as anybody that you won't walk out of Crimson with at least some interaction with The Jade Dragon, but if you go out and become number one contender to Pimp Bizkit's title, then the endless circle of attacks can stop and you'll move on to the next step."

"There's more to come?"

"That isn't for you to concern yourself with right now..."

"Wa- Actually, it is.  Just wait a damn minute here."  Taylor scrambled up off the stone slab of a seat then and stepped away from the makeshift 'table' altogether.  The 6'4 Lone Gunman approached - and towered over - the short, seated Chester Browne as he went on, "Why the fuck am I sitting in the middle of nowhere listening to some random old man rambling on about conspiracy theories that he's got nothing to do with?  Tell me THAT!!!"

Not intimidated in the slightest, Chester peers up at the pissed-off Taylor.  "If you sit back down and just listen, I think you'll find that our meeting today is far, far from 'random'..."

"No."

"No?"  Repeated the old man, as if Taylor had been speaking double Dutch.

"Correct...  I'm not going to sit down and I'm not going to listen to another word until you tell me who exactly you are!"

"I told you - I'm Chester Browne."

"Hilarious.  Why did you get me to come out here of all places?"

"Why did you come out here, of all places?"

Taylor could've killed the man, there and then, but decided against it.  Finding himself overwhelmingly irritated at the almost insulting calmness of the man, Taylor just stamped his left foot down hard on the freshly cut grass, leaving a large, ugly shoeprint.  "I've had enough of this crap..."  He said as he began to walk away.

Chester said nothing, and didn't follow.

Taylor would've killed to see the look on the old man's face, but couldn't bring himself to turn back around.  He headed in the general direction he'd come from earlier that afternoon, not that he actually had a clue where he was. 

After a brisk five minute walk through the forest, Taylor stopped by a rock.  He was content that he hadn't been followed, and so he took a rather uncomfortable seat, just avoiding a dried-out patch of moss.  Sweating from both the sweltering sun through the tops of the trees and the intense humidity of the wooded area, Taylor removed the jacket of his suit and balled it up. 

It was genuinely boiling even without the heavy-enough jacket.  To whatever God'd listen, he prayed for even a drop of rain as he rolled up his shirt sleeves.  Of course, the rain wouldn't come.  Browne's words of droughts had Taylor convinced of that.

"Crazy old bastard..."  He tried, in vein, to convince himself of Chester Browne, whilst at the same time every word the old man had said was lodging itself deeper and deeper into his brain.

Even if Browne was lying, what he'd said made sense.  A lot of sense.  Taylor couldn't simply ignore it.  Standing up and away from his resting point, Taylor reached into his pocket and fished around for his cell-phone.  It wasn't there.  All he found was the scrap of paper with Chester's name on it.

He'd made a mistake by walking out on Chester, and he was now going to pay the price for it.  He was in the armpit of absolute nowhere without a clue where his car was and no means of communication.  It was getting dark, too.  Crawling back to Chester Browne was his only option.  If not just for the phone and the way home, he'd vent a little of his frustration by squeezing a few choice answers out of his 'host'.

And so back he went.