Betcha thought I was bluffing, didn't you? Well, check it out, hommes...
The scene opens in one of the hallways of the Cox Arena. The door to Cyrus Cannon�s office opens and he steps out...right into Nova, who�s passing by. Cyrus� papers fly out of his hands and scatter across the floor.
�HEY!� Cyrus says angrily. �You wanna watch where you�re going?�
�Do YOU wanna look both ways before stepping out into a high-traffic hallway?� Nova replies.
Cyrus� nostrils flare and his eyes grow wide, but he calms himself and smiles.
�I�m sorry,� Cyrus begins. �Maybe you don�t know me...I AM new here. I�m Cyrus Cannon, the head of Rage TV, and NEW is on my watch now.�
�Congrats,� Nova says. �Welcome to the war zone.�
Nova begins to walk off.
�Excuse me!� Cyrus says.
Nova turns around. Cyrus points at the floor.
�The floor, I know,� Nova says. �It�s below the ceiling but above the support structure. Have a good one.�
Nova again begins to walk off.
�Hey!� Cyrus yells after him.
�What?� Nova says irritably, turning around.
�My papers?� Cyrus asks, gesturing at the mess.
�Are you kidding?� Nova says with a laugh. �You bumped into ME, Jack. Be more careful next time.�
The scene fades as Nova walks off and Cyrus stares after him angrily.
Neil Fracas is seen walking down the hallway when he is stopped by Cyrus Cannon.
�Excuse me,� Cyrus says. �Who is the man with the long blonde hair, a beard, and the blue headband?�
�Nova,� Neil says gruffly. �Why?�
�I don�t know,� Cyrus says. �I�m not getting the respect around here that I deserve, and it�s really starting to piss me off. I wish I could teach that asshole a lesson that would show EVERYONE here in NEW who the fuck I am and what I�m capable of.�
For a second, it seems as though Neil is about to turn and walk off, but then a sly grin begins to spread over his face.
�You can,� Neil says. �Give me twenty minutes.�
�I�ll be in my office,� Cyrus says, and the scene fades as the two part.
Cyrus Cannon is sitting behind his desk on the phone when he hears a knock at the door.
�COME IN!� he yells.
Neil Fracas enters the room. He walks up to the desk and tosses a blue duffel bag onto it.
�What is this?� Cyrus asks.
�Nova�s personal affects,� Neil replies with a satisfied grin. �Take a look.�
Cyrus rummages through the bag for a moment.
�Tacky clothes and a Sega Nomad...so?� Cyrus asks.
�Observe,� Neil says, and reaches inside the bag.
He fumbles for a zipper that�s tucked away, hidden in the side, and unzips it. He retrieves a crumpled brown bag and hands it to Cyrus.
�Take a peek,� Neil says.
Cyrus rummages in the bag before looking up at Neil with a grin. He removes two half-ounce bags of marijuana, a bowl, and a small bong.
�The fucking idiot was liquored up one night after a show and told me where he kept it,� Neil says with a smirk.
�Why are you doing this?� Cyrus asks. �What�s in it for you?�
Neil shrugs.
�It�s easier to beat the shit out of nineteen people than twenty people,� he says matter-of-factly. �I�m just saving time and energy I�ll need for my World Title run.�
With that, Neil turns and walks toward the door, leaving Cyrus to examine the paraphernalia.
The scene opens in Bryan Chase�s office. There�s a knock on the door.
�Come in,� Bryan says as he shuffles through some paperwork.
Cyrus Cannon walks confidently through the door, strides up to Bryan Chase�s desk, and tosses the brown bag onto it.
�This was in one of your boys� luggage,� Cyrus says, his voice dripping with accusatory tones.
Bryan opens the bag and looks inside.
�Who?� Bryan asks, looking as though he�d rather not have the answer.
�Nova,� Cyrus says, sounding as victorious as he possibly can.
Bryan sighs and puts his hands to his temples.
�How�d you find it?� Bryan asks slowly.
�What the fuck does it matter?!� Cyrus explodes. �I found it!�
�And what do you want me to do, Cyrus?� Bryan says angrily, looking up.
�I want you to can his ass,� Cyrus says, his eyes glowing.
�You want me to fire him?!� Bryan says, shocked, standing up.
�Yes,� Cyrus says coldly.
�Fire Nova?!� Bryan repeats.
�YES!!� Cyrus yells, his face now inches from Bryan�s.
�In a few months, he could be a top draw,� Bryan hisses. �Are you out of your mind?�
�You WILL fire him or I�ll pull the whole fucking show off of Rage TV,� Cyrus spits.
�I think you need to cool down, let me toss that bag in the dumpster, and forget this ever happened,� Bryan says sternly.
�Is this how you run a company, Chase?� Cyrus growls. �You pull Nova, or I�ll pull the network sponsoring AND take this to the police...you want to see if THEY�LL throw it in the dumpster?�
�Why are you doing this?� Bryan asks.
�Just doing my job,� Cyrus says with a big grin on his face.
Bryan looks for a moment like he might explode. He takes a deep breath.
�Then get out of my way and let me go take care of it,� Bryan says as he storms past Cannon.
He flicks the lights out behind him, and Cyrus Cannon smiles in the darkness.
Nova is sitting in the locker room in boxer-briefs, scrubbing his head with a towel, when he hears Chase enter. He looks up.
�Hey, Chaser...what�s up?� Nova asks.
�Well, since there�s no easy way to say it, I�ll just say it,� Chase says. �I�m pulling you.�
�Jesus,� Nova says with a laugh. �I know I lost the match, but Yama and Joe are pretty tough, Chaser...�
Chase rubs his head, and Nova quickly stops laughing.
�You�re serious,� Nova says.
�Cannon wanted you fired, but I�m indefinitely suspending you instead,� Chase says softly.
�Cannon!� Nova growls. �That fuck! How? Why?�
�Somehow, he found weed in your bag,� Chase says.
�The fuck?� Nova says, his eyes narrowing.
�He threatened to pull the show from the network...and I can�t let happen, Nova,� Chase says quietly. �We NEED Rage TV...and he also said he�d take it to the police.�
�FUCK!� Nova yells, getting up. �I swear to God, I�ll...�
Nova moves for the door, but Chase stops him.
�I don�t know how or why this happened,� Chase says. �But it did...and I�ve got to handle it. And you�ve gotta let this one go...�
�The fuck I do,� Nova hisses. �I�ll leave, but he�ll leave on a stretcher.�
�He�ll turn you in to the police...for assault AND the pot,� Chase argues.
�Fuck him,� Nova says and opens the door, but Chase slams it shut.
�You�ve got a wife due,� Chase says softly. �You wanna be there when it�s born, or do you want to be in jail?�
Nova steps back and sits down.
�This is fucked up,� Nova says.
�I know,� Chase replies.
�So that�s it, huh?� Nova asks, looking up at the NEW CEO.
�That�s it,� Chase replies sadly.
Nova nods as he lights up a cigarette. Chase moves for the door.
�Thanks, Nova,� Chase says as he opens it.
Nova takes a drag and stares off into space. Chase walks through the door and closes it behind him. The scene fades.
There's the truth, once and for all. Now get back to watching my promotional video...asshole.