The scene opens up to the streets of New York City. Cars are passing by as pedestrians make their way to their various destinations. The shot then cuts to inside a cab. In the front seat is Dr. Schwartz. In the back seat is Phobia and Cindy. Phobia looks as though he does not want to be there, while Dr. Schwartz looks very excited.
Phobia: "Okay...Tell me again why we're here?"
Dr. Schwartz: "It's another step in your treatment."
Phobia: "Does my treatment have to take place here in New York? Damn, I hate this place."
Through the windshield, it is evident that the taxi has reached Times Square. The cabbie pulls the taxi over and the three get out. The doctor pays the cabbie before the taxi pulls away. They stop and look around a bit before their gazes, in unison, shift slightly upward...At the big Sony screen, which reads:
16 hr: 22 mn: 08 sc
The doctor looks down at his watch for a second.
Phobia: "What's that all about?"
Dr. Schwartz: "What's what all about?"
Phobia: "That countdown that's up on the screen?"
Dr. Schwartz: "Oh, it's nothing...Probably just some sort of publicity ploy for some company around here."
Phobia: "Yeah, it's probably some Internet company counting down to when it offers it's Initial Public stock Offering."
Dr. Schwartz: "Yes, yes. That must be it. Anyway, we must start looking."
Phobia: "Looking for what?"
Dr. Schwartz: "But first we must stop at a sporting goods store."
Phobia: "What? What are you talking about?"
Cindy (pointing): "Doctor, there's one over there."
Sure enough, right where she is pointing sits a rather large sporting goods store called Steve's Sports Den. Dr. Schwartz and Cindy start to walk towards it. Phobia stays behind for a few seconds, confused, before he starts to follow them.
Phobia: "You mind telling me what's going on here, doc?"
Dr. Schwartz: "I'm curing you, that's what."
Phobia: "Would you mind being a little more specific?"
Dr. Schwartz ignores Phobia as the three of them enter the front door. The doctor walks hastily around the store, muttering to himself, searching for something. He picks up a golf putter and holds it up. He looks satisfied with what he's found, but, after sizing up Phobia, decides it's not what he's looking for.
Dr. Schwartz: "No, no...He's much to big for that."
Phobia: "You're buying me golf clubs? That's your treatment? I gotta tell ya doc, I don't mind you spending money on me, but golf's really not my game. I'm more of a baseball fanatic. When I hit a ball, I want someone else to go chase it."
Dr. Schwartz ignores Phobia again and drops the putter. He then heads over to the tennis department and picks up a tennis racquet. He holds that up for a few seconds and then puts it back down.
Dr. Schwartz: "Who am I kidding? That wouldn't do any damage."
The next section is the hockey equipment. The doctor picks up a hockey stick and manually measures the weight in his hands.
Dr. Schwartz: "No, no...I could never swing this fast enough."
Phobia: "Swing a hockey stick? What the hell are you talking about?"
Dr. Schwartz throws the hockey stick down and heads over to the baseball equipment. He picks up a baseball bat, then puts it right back down to pick up a much bigger one, made by Louisville Slugger. He gets a great big smile on his face and laughs.
Dr. Schwartz: "Yes! This is perfect!"
Phobia: "Actually, doc, I prefer a Worth. The CopperHead series is the best series of bat ever made, so if you're going to get a bat, you should get one of those."
The doctor looks at the bat again, shrugs his shoulders and puts it down. He then picks out a sizeable Worth CopperHead bat off the rack and begins walking towards the front. Phobia, thinking he just got the doctor to buy him a new bat for when he goes to the batting cages, follows him, grinning. Dr. Schwartz bypasses the long lines at the registers, and as he's passing the last one, he pulls out his wallet and throws down a $200 bill on the counter and just walks out of the store. The cashier starts to yell at him, but then sees the money and puts it in the register.
Now outside of the store, the three of them stand on the sidewalk. Phobia looks rather nonchalant, while Dr. Schwartz and Cindy frantically look around the sidewalks, searching for something, or someone. They both look back up at the big Sony screen that looms high above the square. It reads:
16 hr: 03 mn: 57 sc
Cindy and Dr. Schwartz start walking, rather quickly up the sidewalk, with Phobia in tow.
Phobia: "Where are we going? Are we going to the batting cages?"
As is the custom today, Phobia is once again ignored as the psychiatrist and his assistant walk all around the square, their eyes darting all around, searching. All of a sudden, out of nowhere, a kid of about sixteen sneaks up behind Phobia and punches him in the back of the head. Phobia, more out of surprise than anything else, stumbles forward a couple of steps and then turns around. Instinctively, he grabs the kid by his shirt and pulls him close to him.
Phobia: "I knew the people in New York were socially inept, but this is ridiculous...What the HELL are you doing?"
Kid: "I'm trying to get my prize."
Phobia: "Your what?"
Kid: "If I beat you down, I get a prize, right?"
Phobia: "Kid, the only thing you get for hitting me in the back of the head is a class ass whompin."
Kid: "So it's not you then?"
Phobia: "What's not me? Doc, what's this kid talking about? Doc...Doc?"
Phobia looks around for Dr. Schwartz, but both he and Cindy are nowhere to be seen. Phobia then turns his attention back to the kid, who now has a look of pure terror on his face.
Kid: "Look, Phobia...My man. I didn't mean anything by this. I just heard that some bWo superstar is wandering the streets of New York and anybody that beats him down gets a prize. When I saw you here, I figured it had to be you."
Phobia: "Well, kid, you figured wrong. I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. You're lucky I'm in a good mood because the doc just bought me a new bat."
Phobia shoves the kid away, sending him to the ground. The kid scrambles to his feet and runs away. As soon as he turns around, Phobia is met with a fist to the face by a rather large man, of about forty years old or so. Phobia takes a step back and checks to see if he is bleeding, which he is not.
Phobia: "What is wrong with you people?"
Man: "I'm going to get my money!"
With that, the man unleashes a barage of punches on Phobia's face. Phobia takes one step back, catches the man's fist as he tries to punch once more, and twists the guy's arm around his back.
Phobia: "Look, buddy, I'm not the guy that's offering money to get beaten up, so if you'll please stop, it would be much appreciated."
Man: "I know it wasn't you. It was Tombstone, but I figured if I softened you up for him, he'd give me an even bigger prize than for beating him up."
Phobia: "Wait a second here...Tombstone offered a prize to anyone that can beat him down?"
Man: "Yeah...Can you let me go now?"
Phobia: "Have you seen him around here at all?"
Man: "He was here a few hours ago, but I haven't seen him since. You mind letting me go? You're hurting my elbow."
It finally hit Phobia. He continued to hold onto the struggling man with his hand pinned behind his back as he thought about the situation. This part of his 'treatment' as the doctor so loosely referred to it as didn't involve him doing anything. No, they were in New York to try to beat down Tombstone. The doctor knew that Phobia didn't want him interfering in his match on Tuesday, so he's doing whatever he can to ensure a victory for Phobia. He's going to do what he can to take out Tombstone so that he won't be 100% for Takedown. Phobia quickly gets extremely angry at Cindy and Dr. Schwartz.
Phobia: "I've got to find those two."
Man: "Could you please do it without me?"
Phobia just now realizes he's had this man's arm pinned against his back for quite some time now. He lets go of the guy who rubs his elbow a bit before walking away. Phobia starts looking all around the square and sees no sign of the doctor or Cindy. He turns around to start walking and as soon as he does, he is met with yet another punch in the face, this time by a guy in his twenties, wearing an Industry shirt.
Phobia: "Damnit! I'm not Tombstone! He's the one giving away a prize to get beaten up! It's not me."
Industry Fan: "I know. I just don't like you."
Phobia: "Well that's different then."
Phobia rears back and nails the guy with one punch so hard that it sends the guy reeling back. He falls on his ass and is actually knocked out for a few seconds. Phobia's attention has already returned to the search of his 'friends' as the guy groggily gets up. Phobia heads down the street and eventually catches sight of Cindy's beautiful blonde hair in a crowd. He runs over to her and the doctor is with her.
Phobia: "Look, you two, I know what you're doing and I won't have any part of it. I'm leaving right now."
Phobia hails a cab that's passing by, which slows to a stop right in front of him. Phobia turns back to the therapist and his assistant.
Phobia: "I can't believe you dragged me all the way to this hellhole for this crap. Now, are you coming with me?"
Phobia stares at the two as they don't move an inch. Phobia climbs into the cab and shuts the door. He rolls down the window to say something to the doctor.
Phobia: "You call hunting down and beating another man with a baseball bat treatment?"
Dr. Schwartz: "I'm doing this for your own good, Phobia."
Phobia steps out of the cab and rips the baseball bat out of the doctor's hands.
Phobia: "I'm taking this and going to the batting cages. That's all the therapy I need."
Phobia hops back into the cab with the baseball bat. Cindy looks at the doctor, shrugs her shoulders, and gets into the cab with Phobia. Dr. Schwartz looks incredulous as the taxi pulls away. Determined, he continues his search for Tombstone.
