Post by C̸̣̠̑̊ŗ̸̙̔͠u̵̗̾̾Z̴̗̺̿̀e̷̛͓͕̕ on Oct 5, 2022 7:22:53 GMT
The whole ship was silent or would have been if it weren’t for the constant buzzing and whirring noises within Max Hopper’s flying saucer. Inside the ship, Axis and CruZe had sat in silence for most of the journey, if you could even call it that.
“Why do I still see Earth down there,” asked Axis at length, breaking the silence. “I thought we were takin’ a trip somewhere?”
“We’re orbiting it,” CruZe responded while staring out the porthole in boredom.
“Well, that’s great. I coulda’ been home with my family, but instead I’m sittin’ here lookin’ at Gemini with you,” Axis said with a sigh.
CruZe squinted his eyes as he looked at the large constellation which sat before them. His eyes widened as he realized Axis was completely right. They were looking at Gemini. “Damn, you have a good eye,” CruZe accidentally said aloud, inadvertently complimenting Axis.
“‘Preciate it,” Axis replied, making CruZe realize he actually had said that aloud. “That’s the by-product of years of hard work on a ranch. I’ve spent a lot of my time outside during the night, ‘specially with Bucky,” Axis added before his voice trailed off.
CruZe turned from the view of Gemini stretched out before him to look back at Axis, feeling the other man’s pain over his lost horse. “He was a good horse, huh,” he asked sympathetically.
Axis simply nodded as a response, “Reagan —my mare— has been havin’ some trouble dealin’ with his passin’ so it’s been pretty hard lately, but such is life. We all have to experience loss at some point in our lives. I miss Bucky, but I did what I had to. That’s the life of someone like me.”
CruZe nodded thoughtfully, but he had no response. What was there to say? “Well, I’m sorry about your family’s loss, but what made you decide to come up here with us instead of being with your family?”
For the first time since CruZe could remember, Axis looked him directly in the eyes from under the brim of his Stetson. “El Gringo Loco,” he said at length. “He asked that I try to find common ground with ya.”
CruZe was taken aback. “And you agreed?”
“Look, bud, when I called you out,” Axis began, piquing CruZe’s interest greatly, “it was never personal. But, I also never thought I would allow myself to lose to ya. I believed that I could motivate myself enough to overcome the challenge you presented just like any other challenge I’ve ever faced. Unfortunately,” he paused for a moment, “I was wrong. We’re all just on a journey tryin’ to take the best path we can find, and my path was through you. Or I thought it was.”
“Honestly, Axis,” CruZe chimed in, “it still could be. I have a lot of respect for the fight you brought to me. It wasn’t the longest match, but I don’t think I’ve had someone ever hit me as hard as you did. You’re still new to professional wrestling, and I have been in it for years now.” CruZe leaned toward Axis. “Don’t tell anyone I said this, but you’ve got a shit-ton of potential, and maybe one day you’ll be holding the Moonstone once Max cashes in.”
A hint of a smirk appeared on the rancher’s face. It seemed that Axis appreciated the kind words from his apparent formerly-reluctant partner. “I don’t believe my ears, CruZe.”
“Well, you better,” CruZe responded as he sat back toward the porthole, leaning against the bulkhead, “because I ain’t saying it again.”
Axis chuckled, “Speaking of the Moonstone, I actually have an idea about it that I think we should bring to Max’s attention, but we’ll talk about that later. In the meantime, I feel like there’s some sort of reason why Max and El Gringo Loco brought us two to see the Gemini Constellation, don’t ya?”
“You may have a point. Max does like to take trips to help people come to realizations,” CruZe pointed out.
“It ain’t like we’re not partners, and the two of us constantly bickering and fightin’ amongst ourselves ain’t doin’ anyone any good, is it?”
“Except for maybe our enemies,” CruZe replied.
Axis shot at the Eternal Champion with a simple finger gun. “So, what are we gonna do about it?”
CruZe turned his gaze back toward the constellation outside of the porthole. “I guess Gemini is the answer, huh?”
“I’d say so.”
“What exactly does that mean though? We’re not twins; hell, we’re not even brothers.”
“I think you’re takin’ it a bit too literally, bud,” Axis said wisely. “We don’t have to be twins or brothers to care about one another or work well as a team. We are some of the greatest competitors WrestleVerse has to offer. Hell, you’re the Eternal Champion; that’s all the proof ya need. There’s a chink in our armor though. It’s as simple as saying: ‘United we stand, Divided we fall.’”
“Why the change of heart though,” CruZe asked as he turned once more to face Axis.
“Because El Gringo Loco helped me realize something,” Axis began. “Ultimately, you and me, CruZe, we want the same thing. We both want to make a big impact on WrestleVerse. And, if we both want that, why shouldn’t we want it together? We’re on the same team after all so all of this descent does us no good.”
“So Gemini, huh,” CruZe noted with a smirk with a newfound gleam in his eye as he turned his gaze just enough to see the Gemini Constellation outside of the porthole.
“Gemini,” Axis agreed as he turned his gaze toward the looming constellation.
“So,” CruZe said while still looking out the porthole, “tell me about that idea you had for the Moonstone…”
Present Day...
As the recording begins, Axis is in his room. A green screen used for impromptu gaming streams is rolled up in the corner, barely on screen.
“My name is Axis. But it’s not the same Axis that all of you were introduced to some time before the battle royale. I’m a new man, and I plan on staying that way for a long time.”
“Let me begin by addressing the end of the fourth episode of Eternal. I’m going to get to the point and say I have no regrets for what me and Reagan did at the Mall of America, because this is the start of the most powerful alliance in wrestling history. What CruZe and MaX-Files have taught me in the past few weeks is that sometimes, the dark side is necessary to be successful.”
A tiny smirk appears on Axis’s face.
“Which brings me to the Wild Things. Let’s be honest, both Amelia Winston and Kyle Williams went through absolute heck to get the Parallel titles. Unfortunately for them, those same titles are the only ones occupied outside of the XBI. We don’t just want the WV Championship… or the Eternal Championship for that matter. We want all the gold, and we are coming for all the gold.”
“A lot of people have written me off as a competitor. They say that a win for Amelia and Kyle is universal fate. But there is only one universal fate… the constellation Gemini.”
“Get ready, Wild Things. You can call yourselves the Mild Things after this Friday.”
With that, Axis presses the red square on the camera to end the recording. Instead of the feed going black though, it begins to glitch. Out of the pixels, we begin to recognize a face before us. After the resolution smooths out, we can clearly see CruZe with the Eternal Championship over his shoulder.
“What you all are witnessing before you is a renaissance. A renaissance of what though? Wrestling? A team in the making? A masterpiece?” CruZe questioned his audience. “To be honest, you can call it what you will, but something great is taking place and the Xtradimensional Bureau of Investigation is at the forefront of it. We lead this renaissance and every-damn-thing in the Wrestleverse. Up until Eternal #4, everyone was so damn sure they would see Axis turn on the XBI or at the very least me, but that’s all a distant memory now. I mean, did you see our teamwork to ensure KERBEROS kept his nose out of Max’s business?” CruZe gets closer to the lens with that devilish grin wide and proud. “You’re all stupid idiots. It’s as simple as that. We let everyone believe exactly what they wanted to believe.”
“At this point, there is literally only one title that has evaded us so far, and there’s only one reason why.” CruZe holds a single index finger up in front of the recording device as if to make a point before continuing on his rant. “Because we haven’t had our opportunity at that title. I’m, of course, talking about the Parallel Championships. To the holders of those titles, this whole place is a playground, a game. Kyle Williams will have you believe that I’ve done nothing here in the WrestleVerse to deserve my place, to solidify my spot as a top competitor. He cracks his little jokes all over the place then suddenly becomes serious when faced with certain failure. That’s exactly what he did before Eternal #4. He questioned my validity as a champion. Claimed that I just whine all the time.” CruZe rubs the faceplate of the Eternal Championship. “Well, Kyle, this proves otherwise. And, your partner, Amelia Winston, can piss and moan all she wants about me taking this out from under her, but guess what, baby girl? Those are the rules whether you like it or not. You should grow a pair of eyes in the back of your head or something.”
“I've said it before Eternal #4 and I’ll say it again, you two are one badass team, but we are unlike anything you’ve had to deal with up to this point. And, while beating you in a Six-Person Tag Team match was satisfying, it was only playtime. The real struggle for power within Parallel Team competition has yet to begin. Sure, Bonnie Derryberry may have won a contender’s match for your titles, but she has no partner so it looks like you two may need some competition for those titles, yeah? Well, once we beat you at Eternal #5, consider that victory our challenge to you that we’re coming for your gold once and for all.”
“When —not if— that happens, you will understand exactly what I mean when I’m talking about a renaissance. It all continues with a win over the Parallel Champions as we take control into our hands. Soon, we will be what the future holds for anyone who hopes to hold gold in the WrestleVerse.”
The resolution of the feed begins to break up again. Before it does, we hear CruZe say one last thing: “Welcome to Project Gemini.” The feed breaks down into a pixelated mess before the scene goes completely black.
