Post by Ernie on Sept 8, 2022 1:47:04 GMT
THE STUFF THE AUDIENCE SEES BUT THE OTHER WRESTLERS DON'T. EXCEPT CRUZE, BECAUSE HE'S THERE.
Inside the XBI headquarters…
On an undisclosed planet, or moon, because, as Max Moonstone always tells Pluto, "There's nothing wrong with being a moon," Max and CruZe are inside one of the experimental labs. CruZe sits with his feet up on one console, while Max reads readouts on another. There are all sorts of cool tubes and beakers filled with bubbling liquids, gases, and solids of different colors, and other cool equipment, but the object of Max Moonstone's interest is THE Moonstone, which sits in some type of scanner.
"Once I unlock your secrets," Max muses to the Moonstone, "no one in the universe will be able to stop me."
"I hate these long flights," CruZe complains, "why couldn't we have just teleported here?"
"You know what happened to my carpets the first time we beamed him onto the flying saucer," Max cringed, referring to their newest stablemate Axis. "I'm not cleaning that up again!
"Hmm… Interesting…" Max observes.
CruZe perks up at the possibility of Max having found something. In one swift motion, he swivels around in his chair, swinging his feet from the console to the floor. He pops up and crosses over next to Max, planting one hand on the edge of the console and leaning in to look at the screen. "What did you find?" CruZe inquires.
"Well, I found out that this isn't working," Max answers.
Their heads turn as El Gringo Loco comes sauntering in.
"Buenas noches, amigos," the Cartel leader beams. "So, Max, have you unlocked the secrets of your precious new artifact, yet?"
"No," Max replies, placing a hand on the Moonstone. "Nothing yet. I just can't seem to figure it out. I'm one step away from trying magic words like 'hocus pocus' or 'alakazam!'"
As Max is speaking, our old wise owl notices a loose plug on the floor. EGL steadies himself with his cane and stoops to plug it in. Suddenly, sparks fly, and an enormous orb of pale, green light flashes from the Moonstone!
CruZe and EGL both shield their faces. Max, who is standing directly in front of the Moonstone, is knocked back, and eventually engulfed in the growing flash of light.
CruZe calls out, "Max? Max, are you okay? Max!"
THE STUFF THE OTHER WRESTLERS CAN SEE, TOO. OR THEY COULD IF THERE WERE ANYTHING TO SEE.
Somewhere in the vicinity of a place…
Maybe? But maybe not a place. It's all very discombobulating. Who knows what's going on? There's a voice. Is that a voice? Nothing works the same here. Does 6x9=42 now?
"I am the Bearer of the Moonstone, wielder of unimaginable power," Max Moonstone's voice echoes into what can best be described, if I were compelled to offer a description, which I am, as the ether. Only, that's not accurate, either.
"I have come to WrestleVerse to obtain this object, and obtain it, I have done. The Moonstone will be the source of my power, allowing me to alter future events."
Max' voice continues, "Tommy Gunn and Chase Andrews, you two have been a team, what some say are the first true team in WrestleVerse, since day one. You are a cohesive unit. On the flipside, my partner, Quinn Castillo, and I have never teamed before. In fact, at New Ground, Quinn Castillo pushed me to the limit on the MOON, a place where I held the home field advantage.
"But there never was any personal animosity between us leading up to that match, just a prize of paramount importance with both of us standing in the other's way of grasping it. I won the Moonstone, but Quinn Castillo proved that I was right to give him my respect."
The echoes fade away into the vast somethingness as the voice takes a brief pause.
"I'd say he won my respect in the Project Moonstone match, but the truth is that we had him on our shortlist for potential XBI teammates ever since day one. Well, night one. It was after the inaugural battle royal at the inception of Eternal. But you get the point."
Something starts to glow… something, rock-shaped and Moonstoney.
"The Moonstone gives me the opportunity to challenge any of the champions in the WrestleVerse, but this tag team match gives me its own opportunity. I have the opportunity to mend a fence, to build a bridge, maybe even form a bond with a man who nearly defeated me for the prize I have sought so desperately.
"At the Red Rock Amphitheater, Quinn Castillo and I will prove that we can be a cohesive team, too. We already know each other's moves, after our grueling match on the moon. And he has the type of ethic that won't allow him to let me down, even if it isn't me he's doing it for. He'll want to compete. No matter what.
"Quinn Castillo and I can get on the same page in this tag team match and go from there. He'll bring the muscle, and Tommy Gunn and Chase Andrews, you won't even see me coming."
The last echoes of Max Moonstone's voice dissipate. Is the scene fading away? It seems to be, but it's so hard to tell. Was it even here in the first place?