Conflict of Interest

[Nathaniel Havok]

Empires Erased II: Conflict of Interest


[The scene opens up as the following words flash across the screen…

“Action Packed Wrestling Presents…
In association with Havey Creations…
Conflict of Interest”

The Underworld in shambles, with a leader that has reappeared for the first time in over a year. The scene opens up as we listen in on a conversation between Nathaniel Havok, and Cole Turner. As the two men argue over the importance of tasks at hand, Nathaniel seems to have the upper hand.]

Cole Turner
You need to be focused on Aiden Payne!

Nathaniel Havok
I need to be focused on Trevor Hyatt!

Cole Turner
That guy is nothing, a nobody!

Nathaniel Havok
That guy could do the same thing that Little Lenny did last week, and you know it!

Cole Turner
You would have won that match, had it not been for Alexander Duvall. I think we might actually have a case of Conflict of Interest, here.

Nathaniel Havok
No! No lawsuits! No legal action, no nothing! I've already politicked my way back into Action Packed Wrestling. I'm not going to wave the rights of my new contract, just because Alexander Duvall wants to take an interest in my match. I overreacted last week. He could have been there to distract Lansbury. Maybe that's why he ran off after the match? We don't know, yet. That's why we shouldn't even be thinking about it. As a matter of fact, conversation over. We're not going to talk about that anymore. Understood?

[Cole nods his head, obeying the command of the Source of all Evil.]

Nathaniel Havok
I know that Duvall has something against me, the whole world does! I mean, the man not only cut my microphone off twice, but he reinstated Amy Zing, just so she could come down to the ring and try to shut me up! I mean, since his whipping boy Little Lenny couldn't get the job done, he sent in his new lackey! She wanted back in APW so bad, that she's obviously joining Duvall in his quest to shut me the hell up! So let me handle this, Cole! Let me take care of my business, without your input of legal action! I need to do this, Cole. I HAVE to do this by myself. No legal action, no lawyers snooping into technicalities, nothing. It's a matter of getting what I'm entitled to, and that contract, it entitles me to a lot more than what Duvall is delivering.

If he happens to go against the contract, then we'll take care of it your way. But for right now, just sit back and watch me work. I have a few more tricks up my sleeve, before I let Duvall off the hook with legal action. Before I do that, we're going to try my approach to the situation. And my approach, is a lot more lethal, a lot more dangerous, and a whole lot worse for his health! If I don't get what I want, then we'll talk about it. But I have all the confidence in the world that after I'm done with Duvall, things will swing in my favor.

[Nathaniel walks across the room, contemplating his matchup with Trevor Hyatt once again. Sizing up the situation, Nathaniel knows that his recent string of losses to the Guv'nor, could very-well carry over. Something that the Enforcer of Sorrow DOESN'T need right now.]

Nathaniel Havok
Aiden Payne is going to be tricky to catch. Tricky to catch, tricky to kill, and tricky to KEEP dead. It's going to be difficult, even more difficult than you and I can imagine. It's going to take a lot of careful preparation, as well as time. So for right now, let me focus on APW and Trevor Hyatt.

Cole Turner
I think you're overestimating Aiden. The guy is banished, nobody wants to work with him! There's not a demon in the entire Underworld that would help him, especially since you're back on the throne.

Nathaniel Havok
Overestimating Aiden Payne is the best thing to do. As a matter of fact, always overestimate, that's the golden rule. Overestimating leads to easier battles. You know that better than anybody else, Cole. Besides, you think I trust any of those assholes? They're demons, Cole! You know as well as I do, that any of them would take my throne if they could! I wouldn't put it past any of them, to be working with Aiden. Especially Barbus!

Cole Turner
That's right! What are you going to do about Barbus?

Nathaniel Havok
I'm going to...

[Nathaniel thinks about what he's going to say, but stops mid-sentence, coming up with a better idea.]

Nathaniel Haovk
Use him.

Cole Turner
Use him!?!? What in the hell are you thinking, Nathaniel? The last time you used him, he turned on you!

Nathaniel Havok
And that's why we're going to turn on him first. But again, that's going to take some planning. Cole, we've got a lot going on right now. Aiden, Barbus, rebuilding the Underworld, recovering and expanding power... There's a lot on our plate right now. So what we need to do... What YOU need to do... Is start coming up with ways that we can use our time more-wisely. Be productive, and do more with less. Understand? But for right now, for fuck sake, please, let me focus on Trevor Hyatt. This week, I refuse to let this asshole beat me.

Cole Turner
And what would you suggest?

Nathaniel Havok
I suggest that you let me focus on APW, for the time being. While I understand the magnitude of what we're doing down here in the Underworld, you've also got to understand that it's going to take time. Hell, we might not even be finished a year from now! I know how impatient you can be, and I also know how this long and strenuous task could very-well make your head explode. But trust me, we need to take our time. As of this moment, it's just you and I. Once we form a faction, things might move a little faster, and a little smoother. But for right now, let me focus all of my energy on APW.

Cole Turner
Fair enough. But I do think your timeline is a little... Long.

Nathaniel Havok
Yeah, and so is my dick.

[Cole doesn't seem amused, as he continues to look at Nathaniel with a stern look on his face. Nathaniel understands that Cole doesn't see the humor in what he said, so to ease the tension, Nathaniel comes up with a compromise.]

Nathaniel Havok
Remember what I said about overestimating? How I said that it's better to overestimate, because it makes the battle easier? Well, that's what I'm doing with my timeline. One year, Cole. If we're done before then, that means the job was done in a timely manner. I'm simply overestimating again, to make the mountain climb a little bit easier. But for right now, I need my attention focused on Trevor Hyatt.

[Nathaniel waves his hand, and with that, a hologram appears in front of him, showing highlights from Trevor Hyatt on Monday Night Meltdown.]

Nathaniel Havok
This guy... He's good. Quick, agile, smart... He's got everything it takes to be a star in this business.

Cole Turner
Any weaknesses?

Nathaniel Havok
One that I know of already. He's currently a tag team wrestler.

Cole Turner
Ah, a singles star he's not. So, what? Wear him down, get him all blown up?

Nathaniel Havok
Who in the hell are you, Yoda?

[Nathaniel mocks his lawyer in a Yoda-like voice.]

Nathaniel Havok
A singles wrestler, he's not.

[Nathaniel chuckles, as Cole seems none too pleased.]

Nathaniel Havok
Don't look at me like that! But back on subject, I could. But I don't see it being that easy.

[Nathaniel and Cole study the hologram for a minute. Impressed by what he sees, Nathaniel continues to think about his strategy.]

Nathaniel Havok
Look at him, Cole. So much untapped potential. Too bad he's a jackass. I could really see he and I doing some major damage in APW. But you know me, I could never align myself with a jackass like that.

Cole Turner
Yeah, instead you align yourself with a jackass like...

Nathaniel Havok
Keep your mouth shut!

[After a brief moment of awkward silence, Nathaniel sees something that grabs his attention.]

Nathaniel Havok
That DDT... It took a lot more out of Hyatt than you actually see. He might have been able to come back and win the match last week, but his head HAS to be fuzzy. I mean, even a week isn't long enough for a man to recover from a blow to the head like that.

Cole Turner
Speaking of a blow to the head, I...

Nathaniel Havok
You didn't laugh at my sex joke, so don't you dare try making one of your own, asshole!

[The continue to study the hologram.]

Nathaniel Havok
It might sound simple, but it's not going to be that easy. This guy has been on one hell of a role with Martin, but I'm curious as to how he's going to fare in our match this Monday night. I mean, he might surprise the world! He might be able to come out like a ball of fire, and who knows if I'll be able to put it out, Cole!

[Both men stare at each other with fear on their faces. After a moment, both men burst into laughter.]

Cole Turner
Yeah. Puppies can fly, Barack Obama is a great President, and Elvis is still alive.

[Both men continue to share a good laugh.]

Nathaniel Havok
When it comes to this guy, there's no such thing as overestimating. I mean, he depends on a tag team partner to get the job done! Now he wants the spotlight to himself? I mean, we both know who the real man in that tag team is!

Cole Turner
Actually... His partner is a...

Nathaniel Havok
Jackass, I know! What I'm trying to say is... This guy has to depend on his tag team partner to carry him. What makes him think that he's going to do ANYTHING against someone like the Enforcer of Sorrow? Seriously, he's as delusional as Alexander Duvall and Sienna Harrison! The guy hasn't been here for a very long time, he's not exactly "up to snuff" with the singles division on Meltdown. Since everyone found out that I returned, the landscape has changed drastically. And now that we have a whole new outlook on the Meltdown singles roster, this guy wants to throw his name into the hat? No, I don't think so!

It's like I said last Monday. There's going to be a new pecking order established on Monday nights, and Nathaniel Havok is going to be at the top of the list! Why a guy like Trevor Hyatt is being given a match against Nathaniel Havok, is far beyond my comprehension! Maybe he's just like Amy Zing. Maybe Duvall has reached out to yet another Meltdown Megastar, promising him the world if he can take me out! Maybe Duvall is desperate, and went into the tag team division to find someone. I don't know. But what I do know, is that Trevor Hyatt is in for a very rude awakening, if he thinks that he's in for a cake walk this Monday night.

Meltdown is now my show, and people need to realize that, Cole! So what I'm going to do to Hyatt is simple. I'm going to make an example out of him by beating his head into the mat, not letting him get in a single flurry of offense, if I have it my way! He's as much a part of that group of guys I was talking about on Meltdown, as anyone else. He has a little success on the tag team scene, and all the sudden, he's got a big head? Out of the blue, he thinks he can compete with someone like the Enforcer of Sorrow? I can't wait to get my hands on this guy! After I'm finished, he's going to tuck his tail between his legs, and run back to his pretty little tag team partner! Watch, Cole! Just watch!

Cole Turner
Did you ever stop to think that this guy might have a few tricks of his own, Nathaniel? Touching on what you just said... Did you ever think that if he IS working with Duvall, that they might have something planned?

[Nathaniel strokes his chin, contemplating what Cole has just said. It's obvious that Cole has struck a nerve, as Havok now looks a little uneasy.]

Nathaniel Havok
See what I mean, Cole? This is why I need to be completely focused on APW right now. It's shit like this, Cole! I don't need this shit!

[Nathaniel continues to think about the possibilities, before closing the hologram with the wave of a hand.]

Nathaniel Havok
That guy, he's obviously got something up his sleeve. Duvall, Sienna, somebody is working with him, Cole. Why else would he decide to "strike out on his own", and get a match with Nathaniel Havok right from the start? Same thing happened with Lansbury, and now it's happening with Hyatt. You're right, Cole. This guy has something going with Duvall, and they're planning on bringing it to the forefront during our match this Monday night on Meltdown.

[Nathaniel begins to pace the floor, almost as if he's nervous.]

Nathaniel Havok
You know what, let them! As a matter of fact, tell them that I personally told them to bring everything they've got! I'll be ready for it, I'll be ready for anything! I'm not going to let them get the better of me, I'M THE MASTERMIND, DAMMIT! Duvall can bring whoever he wants! Zing, Lansbury, Hyatt... They're not going to get the job done! None of them can, nor will they! Like always, I will come out on top, win or lose! There's nothing that Duvall or anyone else can do! Nothing to do, say, or plot... Nothing they do will ever work! I have the contract, which means that I have the power!

Cole Turner
Don't get too ahead of yourself, Nathaniel! But most of all, don't panic! You see, you're already letting them get inside of your head! IF Duvall is working with Hyatt, then you'll already be ready for it! If not, then you've overestimated his ability, just like you talked about earlier. And if that's the case, then there's nothing that he can do to stop you from beating him senseless. All it will do, is make the job that much easier to do! So before you start to panic, think about all of the possibilities. You've got this, my liege. This match, it's yours for the taking!

[Nathaniel stops pacing for a moment, letting Cole's words sink in. After a few moments, Nathaniel smiles, putting his hand on Cole's shoulder.]

Nathaniel Havok
You know, I've always considered myself both the brains, and the brawn of this operation that we've got going here. I always thought that I had you around for my business endeavors, and a loyal piece of muscle down here in the Underworld. But the more you and I plot, the more we plan and scheme... I realize that you're just as much the brain as I am. Cole, I couldn't do this without you.

Cole Turner
Oh yeah? Well, if that's the case, then why don't you give me a raise? I mean, I have been with you for your entire run.

Nathaniel Havok
Aside from the fact that you can make anything you want appear right in front of you with just one simple question... Remember, I did save you from purgatory. I wouldn't push it, my friend.

[Both men share a chuckle.]

Cole Turner
So do you feel better? Feel like you've got this under control?

Nathaniel Havok
Trust me... This Monday night... The pecking order will be established, and Trevor Hyatt will be heading right back to the tag team division. Right where he belongs!

Cole Turner
Good, now can we get on to planning these attacks?

Nathaniel Havok
Fine, what do you have in mind?

[The scene fades to black as the two begin to discuss their strategy.]