The driver's window rolls down, and
Vincent Picasso pokes his head out
of the window.

'THAT was a fun evening, ladies and
gentlemen. Beaumont finally gets
what's coming to him, the tag belts
get retired with all the respect due
them, I get an easy win over the
Legendary Gol, and Jin Akujin is
turned into a rag doll, courtesy of
EEI.'

'The only annoyance was the way the
crowd reacted. You don't understand,
do you? Has MTV completely
destroyed your long-term attention
span, people? Let me explain things
to you. If there was any justice in
Mercury, EEI would hold all the belts.
We would be headlining every show.
We've got the most talent, the most
charisma, and the most willpower of
anyone in this sorry fed. This isn't a
new development, either. We've been
the cream of the crop from the
moment we entered. But where has
the respect been?'

'When Dirge and Brimstone got
here, Beaumont got a little nervous.
When Johnny and I showed up, he
was terrified. We were a group of
newcomers who had never been in
LCW, and we the talent to make
anyone on the roster look like the
bush-league talent they were. How
would LCW have looked if people
like Harbinger, Slate and Gravity got
destroyed by us 'rookies?''

Picasso shakes his head. 'So
Mercury Politics reared its ugly head.
Beaumont shoved us forcibly out of
the spotlight and did all he could to
make us look like a joke. We were
never taken seriously, despite all our
talent. Hell, we had to spend our own
money to manufacture some T-shirts
for the fans who recognized our true
abilities. Sure, The Elite won the tag
belts. But Beaumont never cared
about that division, because he never
found good competition for us. He
tried his damndest to break our
spirits because he was scared of
what we could do.'

'It got so bad that Brimstone and
Johnny both walked out. Do you
know how bad conditions have to be
for those two warriors to walk away
from a fight? Dirge and I stuck
around, because we were still under
the delusion that talent and ability
actually meant something in this
place. How wrong we were.'

Picasso steps out of the car and
walks closer to the camera. 'And
then Oblivion came into the picture.
And Davey Boy was so threatened
that he made his worst mistake: He
brought EEI back into the picture.
Johnny and Brimstone came back,
and we even added Keith Summers,
and all the while, Beaumont
promised us the world if we
destroyed Oblivion.'

'Then, and only then, came the
accolades and the respect. Dirge
and Brimmy finally got noticed as
wrestlers. The Elite was finally given
our dues as the best tag team
champions ever. Beaumont kissed
all our asses when his back was to
the wall, and he thought he could
control us.'

'News flash, asshole. We destroyed
Oblivion because they annoyed us,
not because you pointed your finger
at them. Keith destroyed Sickness
because he hated her and Hollow,
not because he was defending your
honor. You stupid deluded bastard.'

'So what are you gonna do now,
Dave?' Picasso asks, his face now
only inches from the lens. 'You can't
shove us out of the spotlight now,
can you? Everyone knows we're the
heart of Mercury. You get rid of us
now, you kill your own federation.'

'So there's going to be some
changes here, Dave. We're taking
control, and if you're smart, you'll stay
the hell out of our way and let us go
about our business. Because,
Beaumont, what's good for EEI is
good for Mercury.'

Picasso heads back to his car, and
then turns arouns, snapping his
fingers. 'Right, Subdued. I
completely forgot. Well, Subdued,
you've come a long way. You've been
here less time than I have, but you're
already getting your title shots. Well,
I'm a little tired of seeing people like
you and Jin and Inferno get titles and
title shots when I haven't. So my plan
is to walk through you and anyone
else in my way until I take that North
American championship away from
old Rag Doll Akujin. I trust you're
alright with that, Subdued. Number
one contender or not, that belt's
going to be around my waist a lot
sooner than it will be around yours.
So be prepared for a beating on
Fusion, because I've got a point to
prove and you're in my way.'

Picasso jumps back in the
Lamborghini and speeds off into the
night, leaving behind a cloud of
smoke.

(fade out)