Okay, I know this is getting a little redundant, but here we are, once again, at the orphanage where Phobia grew up. It's now late night. This is even after the gangs have gone home and gone to bed...Even tough thugs need their shut-eye. The darkness makes the place look almost a little spooky. Angel Guardian Children's Village. The name sounds like a safe haven for kids, doesn't it? Well it wasn't. Phobia stands in the doorway, exchanging glaces of the living room for glances of the stairway, and back again, a million thoughts racing through his head. His face is dead-pan as his thoughts range from Cyanide X to the beatings he used to receive here. He takes one step forward, about to head towards the kitchen where the boys ate slop for breakfast, lunch, and dinner when he hears a noise behind him. Phobia turns around to see the silhouette of a man, but is unable to discern who the figure is.
Figure: "Phobia, you've got to stop coming back to this place every time you get a little confused."
Phobia immediately recognizes the voice as Zach Zeller's. Phobia is a little relieved to hear the familiar sound of Zeller's voice, though he would never tell him that.
Phobia: "Dammit, Zeller. I've told you before not to bother me when I come here."
Zeller: "Come on, Phobia. Let's get out of here and get a cup of coffee or something. You need to get out of this place."
Phobia: "You know, that's not a half-bad idea."
Zeller: "Plus, I think you've been depressing the whole country with your sob-stories. I think four people have committed suicide this week in Boston alone."
The two of them laugh a bit, Phobia letting Zeller get away with one for a change because...well, because he was in need of a laugh right about now. The two of them start to walk out of the building and head down the street to the T-station up ahead.
Phobia: "You're lucky you found me here...If you didn't, you probably wouldn't make it out of this neighborhood alive."
Zeller: "Are you kidding? I can handle myself in da 'hood."
Phobia: "Riiight. Sure you could."
They descend the stairway to the T station, pay the fare and wait for the next train.
Zeller: "So where can we go this late at night?"
Phobia: "Don't worry, I know a place."
The next train comes and Zeller and Phobia climb on. They sit, a couple of seats apart, in total silence. Sitting across from them is a man, probably in his late sixties, dressed in raggedy clothes, his face dirty and scruffy. There are plenty of people like this on Boston's public transportation, so this was not an odd sight. What was odd about this man was that he had a brand new Aiwa discman with headphones. He has the volume turned way up, loud enough for Phobia and Zeller to hear. The man pays them no attention as he just sits and listens to the cd that is spinning in the player. Phobia and Zeller do their best to hold back their laughter as they hear "Oops I did it again" by Britney Speares blasting from the headphones. The train stops and Phobia and Zeller get off the train. As soon as the doors close, the two of them burst into laughter, Zeller doubling over.
Zeller: "That was classic."
Phobia: "God, I feel sorry for the little girl that guy stole that discman from."
The two head back up to street level and walk down the sidewalk a few hundred yards before Phobia jogs across the street and Zeller follows him. Phobia stops in front of a little cafe, letting Zeller catch up to him. They proceed inside and sit down at a booth.
Phobia: "I gotta tell ya, Zeller...I'm extremely glad you got me out of that place."
Zeller: "Well, it was all I could do to help. You looked like you were going to go insane."
A waitress comes over and fills a cup of coffee for Zeller. Phobia declines the coffee and asks for some juice, instead, and also asks for a chicken cutlet sandwich. The waitress scribbles down a few lines on a pad of paper and disappears.
Zeller: "So Cyanide X seems to be taking you pretty lightly."
Phobia: "Yeah."
Zeller: "That's all you can say? 'Yeah'? I point out that your opponent thinks that he's going to mop up the mat with you and you can only say 'Yeah'?"
Phobia: "Yeah, pretty much."
Zeller: "I can't believe you don't have anything else to say about it."
Phobia: "Why should I? It's obvious to me that the guy's not even paying attention to what I say, so why should I bother even saying anything about him? I swear, it's like the guy just sees that I said something and just assumes that he knows what it was."
Zeller: "What makes you say that?"
Phobia: "Because no matter what I say, he still thinks that I haven't done anything to deserve that title shot. Haven't I been saying that all along? I know I hear words coming out of my mouth, but does anyone else?"
Zeller: "Well, I know someone that has been paying attention to what you've been saying."
Phobia: "King."
Zeller: "Ding ding ding, we have a winner. He is none to pleased with what you had to say about hardcore wrestlers. Care to retract what you said? I mean, now that you know he heard you."
Phobia: "No."
Zeller: "Are you sure? This could land you into a heap of trouble. I know you've never been one to take my advice, but you may want to back down from this one."
Phobia: "Zeller, for about two years now, I've been making my own decisions when it comes to my wrestling career, and I'm not about to stop now."
Zeller: "Fine...fine, I understand. But what about the Invasion?"
Phobia: "Let me tell you something about the Invasion, Zeller. Let me tell you something about our little 'family', as King put it. I don't have any brothers. So would I treat one of my brothers like this? No, I would not. King may think that he introduced me to the man, Matt McLean, but King seems to have a short memory. See, Matt McLean ran a promotion of his own a little while back that King, Chaos, and myself were all a part of."
Zeller: "The GFWA."
Phobia: "The GFWA. I tried out for the GFWA and McLean picked me up right then and there. I was tearing through the federation, starting off better than anyone else there ever had except for a guy named Hellsbane. Before I got my hands on any gold, the fed shut down for retooling. That's how I was introduced to Matt McLean. Not by Adam King."
Zeller: "What does that have to do with your friends in the Invasion."
Phobia: "My friends, Zeller? All my friends are strangers. Chris Cage and General Carnage? Sure, we were in the NWWF together and from what I understand, they did pretty damn well for themselves, but I'll be completely honest with you. I didn't notice them in my one-day stint in the federation before being brought into the bWo. Are they a couple of great guys? From what I've seen, yeah. Do I consider them my brothers? Definitely not."
Zeller: "Hmm...They might be a little upset to hear that. And what about Chaos?"
Phobia: "Chaos I knew from the GFWA, albeit, very little. When I first got there, I was pretty much starting out against the lower tier of personalities, and Chaos always seemed to be holding onto some belt the whole time I was there. We never crossed paths as friends or as enemies. It just never got to that point. Again, from what I've seen of Chaos, he's definitely someone I'm happy to be associated with, but I wouldn't consider the two of us to be a part of a family."
Zeller: "And the man you took a shot at earlier, King?"
The waitress comes by with Phobia's sandwich and his juice. Phobia takes a bite, ignoring the question for a few chews.
Zeller: "Well?"
Phobia: "What?"
Zeller: "King?"
Phobia: "The way I look at it, it wasn't a shot. At least, it wasn't intended to be. I mean, think about it...Of course I knew he was going to hear it. It was broadcast all over the country on bWo television."
Zeller: "Well, I don't see how you could say that. You basically tore through his style of wrestling, essentially calling it a crock."
Phobia: "And it is. Hardcore is a crock. Most of the wrestlers that claim to be hardcore are just pansies."
Zeller: "How can you say that's not a shot at him? Hardcore isn't just his style, it's his life."
Phobia: "Most of them are pansies. Not all of them. Like I said about Cyanide X, I was happy to see that he's no longer fighting in that division because, well, because he's better than that. The same can be said for Adam King. King's so eager to bash someone in the head with a singapore cane, that he doesn't even realize that he can beat just about everyone around here with his bare hands. I would venture a guess that King's been Hardcore Champ in just about every single fed he's ever been in, demolishing the competition. What he doesn't realize is that it's not because he's the best hardcore wrestler out there, but because he's one of the best wrestlers out there. A good wrestler will beat any hardcore pissant on his best day. King, moreso than any other member of the Invasion, is one person that I know a lot about. And I mean a lot. It's not because we've become close since the formation of the Invasion, because we haven't. It's because when I was in the GFWA, he was World Champion. When I joined that fed, I paid close attention to him, just like I do with any World Champ because I know that someday I'll be up there with the likes of them. When I was doing this in the GFWA, I saw King rising above his hardcore status and beating the pure wrestlers of the federation without the asylum of all this hardcore crap. So, do I think hardcore is a cop-out? Most definitely. Do I think that King is a cop-out? Yes, but I think that he doesn't have to be. He's selling himself short and I just wish he'd realize it."
Zeller: "Wow."
Phobia: "Now, obviously King and I have different views on hardcore. We also have very differing views when it comes to this Invasion thing. I do not consider us a family at all. Hell, we're hardly friends. Well, that's not quite true. King and Chaos are the best of friends. Cage and Carnage are pretty tight, as well...I even think that the four of them have hit it off well with each other and hang out pretty often. Not me, though. I tend to keep my distance and run alone. Don't let that be a reflection on them, however. That's just how I am. As far as stablemates go, I couldn't ask for a much better crew. They're all pretty decent guys and all of them kick a lot of ass in the ring. And I know they'll be there to back me up when I need them, just as they have been since we got to the bWo. And they should know that I'll be there whenever they need me. Not because I feel like I should help a friend in need, but because of the principle of the whole thing. We started this together and if it's up to me, we'll run this fed together until we all retire some day. King doesn't have to worry about me stabbing him in his back because I would never do that without being provoked."
Phobia takes the last few bites of his sandwich and drinks up the rest of his glass of juice. Zeller yawns, looks at his watch, and cringes after noticing what time it is.
Zeller: "Well, too bad this whole thing with King and the Invasion had to come up...It kept you from getting out a lot about Cyanide."
Phobia: "That's okay...He doesn't seem to have much to say about me, either."
Phobia reaches into his pocket and pulls out his wallet. He drops a twenty on the table and the two head out of the little cafe, ready to hit the hay after a long day and night.
