MoMo: And we’re back! I’m told both Catalina and Kieran have reached the top of The Great Illuminatus.
Hood: Who you got?
MoMo: Cat? I mean sure has 2/3 of the TRIAD.
Hood: Yea but King has been on a roll, man. And if you ask me...the Wit Trials were the strongest.
Hood: We can talk about it all we want...but what’s the point? We’re about to witness it! Folks, this all started a year ago. There have been highs. There have been lows. And it’s all led to this.
Hood: You gonna say the thing?
MoMo: LET THE TRIALS BEGIN!
~Kieran King enters first. He looks around...his expression dips a bit. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting but it wasn’t the exact same layout as before. But, that’s what he’s got. He wears his Wit Triad proudly and awaits his opponent. The door slides open and King smiles as he sees Catalina Cortes step into the chamber. Cortes smiles back, sporting her supersized TRIAD piece~
MoMo: These two have yet to meet. I’m not sure they’ve ever crossed paths.
Hood: Nope but they are well aware of each other.
MoMo: As they should be.
~They turn, watching the strange being that’s reffed all the matches try to enter...but it gets blocked. The final chamber will not let it enter. The being lowers its head, dejected and sad. It vanishes. Cortes looks kinda sorry for it. King looks curious to know who is going to ref this. A laugh sounds out and in walks TONY THE SPIDER~
MoMo: Hey! There he is!
Hood: There’s our guy!
MoMo: Nobody more pure of heart than ole Tony!
Hood: It’s only right he gets to ref this final match.
~Tony is set. King and Cortes are set. King’s TRIAD starts to glow blue. The double sized TRIAD in Catalina’s possession starts to glow violet. The two pieces pull away from their owners and rise above. Cat and King watch, as does Tony. The pieces reach the apex of the final chamber and they join! The TRIAD is whole! It emits a heavenly glow. A serene, peaceful moment lingers as all three people in the fifth tier look on. We cut outside at a shot of TLS looking on, sitting up, lower his shades. The fifth tier of the Great Illuminatus shakes the dust off and reveals the metallic exterior. It shines out and begins to rise above the rest of the pyramid~
MoMo: There it is, Hood. The TRIAD.
Hood: Do we have any idea the last time this thing was whole?
MoMo: No clue...centuries, at least.
Hood: Somebody up there is responsible for this thing uniting and we’re about to find out who.
~The fifth tier finishes levitating and rests several hundred feet above the rest of the structure. A bright light shoots out. It connects with all the ancient pyramids of the world. Residents in Egypt. Near the Mayan structures. They look up into the sky and see an image of Catalina and King squaring off~
MoMo: This is evidently being broadcast via…
Hood: Magic?
MoMo: Tesla was on to something with those pyramids, man.
Hood: No shit.
~Cortes looks down at King...he returns. It’s a pretty cool feeling resting above their contemporaries while being broadcast to the entire world. But, they’ve still got one job left to do. The two warriors circle one another...and then they lock up!! As they do, a blast reverberates from the fifth tier down into the rest of the pyramid! The metallic exterior shakes...it starts to shatter, it starts to break. TLS gets out of his chair, a look of concern on his face~
MoMo: Oh no...I think the rest of the pyramid is going to crumble!
Hood: We gotta get everyone out of there!
one
~King forces Cortes back...she drops to one knee to try and half his progress. She manages to grab his arm and toss him forward into a corner. His shoulder hits. He spins around. Cortes comes flying in with her new knee...but King catches her and falls back with Snake Eyes!! Catalina stumbles back, holding her face in pain. King kips up and runs her over with a clothesline!! She hits the mat hard...Kieran then looks up at the TRIAD humming above~
MoMo: King with the early lead here. Have we seen anybody leave that pyramid yet?
Hood: That thing was dragging them out but...no. I don’t see anyone down there with TLS...I figured they just wanted to avoid his nakedness.
MoMo: I’d call for help but...we sent everyone away.
Hood: At least we aren’t in there.
MoMo: Where are we, anyway?
Hood: An undisclosed location.
~Cortes grabs King and rolls him over with a schoolboy...but he kicks her off. She spins around and lands on her feet. He kips back up and she delivers a roundhouse kick...but he catches her leg! She responds with an enziguri that smacks him right in the ear!! Kieran staggers into the ropes, his face still wearing the crimson mask Welsh’s attack gave him. Catalina rushes at him but he hoists her up and into the air, over the top rope. She lands on the apron. He turns to her and she hits him with a forearm!! He stumbles back. She hops up onto the top rope and springboards off...she goes for a hurricanrana...but King catches her, spins around and drops her with a Blue Thunder Bomb!! He holds on for the pin...Tony slides in~
1!
KICK OUT!
MoMo: Nice try but it’s going to take way more than that to stop Catalina.
Hood: Just ask ALIAS
MoMo ~deadpan~
~We cut to the fourth tier. PIC feels the foundation shaking. The inside starts to crumble. He wakes Welsh up. Welsh isn’t sure what happened...PIC tells him they gotta go. PIC hurries to Meyhu and helps him up. Meyhu is still knocked out from his match. PIC carries Meyhu to the exit. He turns back to Welsh, “C’mon!” Welsh waves him off...he’s still holding out hope he can get to that fifth tier. PIC throws his hand at Welsh and leaves with Meyhu~
MoMo: PIC getting out of there and saving Meyhu in the process.
Hood: What the fuck, Welsh. Get out of there!
MoMo: He thinks he can still get to the top. Maybe influence someone.
Hood: Let go of that greed, man! You’re about to get crushed!
~Back in the fifth tier, Catalina kicks King in the face while kicking out of the Blue Thunder Bomb. King rolls backward, over his head, to one knee. Cat throws her legs at his face again, but he catches them both and stands, hooking them under his arms. He leans back for a catapult but Cat just takes him down with a Thesz Press and hammers him with forearms! The back of King’s head smashes into the mat...he rolls over as blood trickles from his head wound. Cat immediately takes him over with Cat’s Cradle!! It happens so fast we barely catch it!! Tony slides in with the count~
1!
2!
3...NO!
MoMo: Whoa!
Hood: Catalina Cortes damn near won the TRIAD.
MoMo: She’s so quick, man. So quick.
~King gets to his knees. Catalina pops to her feet...King hooks her around the waist and drives her into a corner! She pounds him with forearms but he drives his shoulder into her midsection over and over and over. She starts to suck wind. He then rises and knees her right into the gut. She doubles over and he hoists her up and slams her into the mat with a hip toss! Cat hits hard, arching her back in pain. King charges in and kicks her in the back as hard as he can! She arches her back and rolls onto all fours. King hits the ropes and comes off looking for a Curb Stomp...but Cat moves and King’s foot slams into the mat. She backs into the ropes, bounces off and dives at King with a crossbody...but he catches her and dives straight into the mat, slamming her hard. He gets to his knees as she arches her back once again in pain~
MoMo: The action is fast paced and efficient. Both competitors have come so far. They don’t want to leave anything to chance.
Hood: No sense in taking your time, leaving any opportunistic windows open. Move ahead, keep pushing forward and hope you beat the other to the finish line.
~We move back into Tier 4. Welsh feels around for a secret passage way. A giant rock falls from above and crashes through the floor next to him. The entire chamber shakes. He grabs onto the ring post impaled into the wall for balance. Once it stops he looks through the hole down into the chamber below where PIC is standing with Meyhu. PIC looks up, “Last chance!” Welsh nods, “Okay, okay. Hold on.” He prepares to drop down into the lower tier when he glances over and sees a hole in the wall. On the other side is Vhodka. She’s still unconscious and prone to whatever’s about to go down. PIC yells up, “You coming or not?” Welsh yells back, “Hold on!” He screams “FUCK” and marches toward Vhodka~
MoMo: I can’t believe it. He’s going to help someone other than himself.
Hood: And the woman he hates the most, too.
MoMo: Does he, though?
Hood: I don’t even know. He’s a weird guy.
~Back up in the fifth tier, King pulls Cortes off the mat and slings her into the nearest corner. She hits hard. He charges in and delivers double knees into Cat’s body. He then grabs onto her head and looks to hit Ugly on the Outside!!! But Catalina knees him in the gut with her new knee! King stumbles back, doubling over. Cat rushes forward, jumps on King and takes him over with a Canadian Destroyer!!! King spikes and pops back up to his feet where Catalina leaps up and wraps her legs around him with a Hurricanrana!! She holds on for the pin and Tony slides in~
1!
2!
KICK OUT!!
MoMo: Kickout by King but that was close!
Hood: Cat’s so quick she could beat you with a fuckin side headlock takeover. It’d take you at least a second and a half to realize what the fuck just happened.
~Catalina pops back to her feet and hits the ropes. King sits up. Cat charges at him with MARLOWE MASSACRE! But King rolls out of the way! Catalina spins around and King hits her with a SUPERKICK!! Catalina’s body slams into a corner, violently. King rushes in and jumps on her...he falls back with a monkey flip!! Catalina flips all the way over, landing on her feet. She spins around and eats a spinning roundhouse kick!! Catalina falls back, hitting the mat hard as King takes a second to catch his breath~
MoMo: Huge impact there from Kieran King!
Hood: Cat ate all of that, man.
MoMo: She has to be quick because her size dictates she can’t absorb too many blows like that.
~King measures Catalina up. She tries to sit up but fails. She tries again. King yells out and charges forward...he hits her with MARLOWE MASSACRE!!! She flattens out!!! King dives on top of Cat for the pin!! Tony slides in with the count~
1!
2!
3!!!
NO!
MoMo: Oh thank goodness!
Hood: Bro. Uniting the TRIAD by beating your opponent with their own finisher. That would’ve been fuckin ruthless.
~King slaps the mat and looks over at Tony. He smiles...that would’ve been so sweet. But he returns his focus, snaring Cat by the hair. We drop back down into the 4th tier. Welsh is carrying Vhodka to the only exit left out of the fourth tier. PIC looks up, “She’s still up there?” Welsh nods and drops her down. PIC and Meyhu help escort her safely to the next level. PIC looks up, “Wow, I’m surprised.” “That makes two of us,” Welsh responds. “Alright, come on down.” Welsh nods...he then pauses as he sees something sparkling in the corner. “Welsh!” PIC yells. “Hold on, let me check on this…” Welsh heads for the shiny object. He reaches for it only to discover it’s an optical illusion. He shakes his head...he then hears a loud thud and turns around. The escape passage is blocked by part of the roof that just caved in~
MoMo: Welsh is trapped!
Hood: Fuckin asshole. Thought he saw a diamond or some shit. Now he’s fucked.
MoMo: I hate it but he made his choice.
Hood: Fuckin idiot.
~Back on the fifth tier, King whips Cat into the corner hard. He charges in but she gets both feet up, booting him right in the face! He stumbles back. She leaps up onto the middle buckle and jumps off with Meteora!! She drives him into the mat before doing a front flip back to her feet. King sits up, holding his chest and shoulders. Cat runs past him...he looks up...she runs toward him with MARLOWE MASSACRE...but King rolls out of the way, under the bottom rope and to the apron. Cat stops in her tracks...she looks at him and shakes her head. King struggles to his feet...she runs at him and leaps over the top rope, wrapping her legs around his head...but he holds on, lifts her up and runs into the ring post, slamming her back first into the steel~
MoMo: Ouch! That had to hurt!
Hood: Yea, I’d say it did.
MoMo: Cat’s quickness has been impressive but it’s King that’s landing most of the punishing hits in this one.
~King slams her into the post again and again. He then turns and delivers a sitout powerbomb onto the stone!! HUGE thud!!! Tony dives through the ropes as King holds onto her legs for the pin~
1!
2!
3...NO!
MoMo: Cat kicks out!
Hood: Geezus. Did she know what she was doing or was that one of those ‘instinct’ kick outs?
MoMo: Looked like the latter.
~King tosses Cat’s legs off him and returns to his feet. He urges Tony to count faster. He grabs Cat and whips her into the ring post...her back slams into the steel!! He then picks her up and places her on the top buckle. King climbs into the ring and meets her up there...he punches her in the gut a few times before hooking her for a superplex!! He gets her up...but she knees him with her new knee just once...it’s enough to rock him. She twists free and lands on his shoulders...she then throws her body back and takes him over, off the top and to the mat with Cata-Rana!!!! A poisonrana off the top!! King flips over and lands HARD on the mat!! Cat remains down, holding her back~
MoMo: Holy shit!
Hood: Wish we had a crowd for that one.
MoMo: We got a world audience my man!
Hood: You know what I mean!
~Back in the 4th tier, Welsh can’t find an escape. A rock falls from the ceiling and hits him in the head, knocking him loopy. He drops down and takes a seat. The ceiling is really starting to come down now. He breathes heavily and laughs to himself. He looks over and sees the strange being staring at him. “You gonna come chill with me before this all ends?” The being just vanishes. “Great,” Welsh throws his arms in the air, “Not even the creepy thing wants to hang with me.” He leans back and reaches into his pocket, removing his phone. He pulls up a photo of him, Adi, and Zybala celebrating the night Zybala was inducted into the Hall of Fame. He leans his head against the wall and smiles as the entire roof starts to cave in. We cut away and down to the third tier. PIC hears the noise above and turns to Meyhu. “Nothing we can do, we gotta get moving.” Meyhu agrees. They help Vhodka along as they exit the third tier~
MoMo: I don’t want to think the worst but, I mean.
Hood: Yea.
MoMo: Let’s just hope we can get the rest of them out of there.
Hood: Amen
two
~Catalina crawls over toward King. She’s seeking a cover. She gets near him but he sits up and grabs her by the head!! King gets to his feet and Cat can’t break free! King then leaps over and takes Cat to the mat with Crowning Achievement (Asai DDT)!!!! He barely gets all the way over for it, but he makes it!! He grabs her leg and covers her for the pin!!! Tony slides in~
1!
2!
3!!
NO!!
MoMo: Kickout!! Kieran King reached deep into his bag for that one…his old primary finisher.
Hood: Dude ain’t as young as he used to be but he can show glimpses from time to time.
MoMo: He’s throwing a lot of haymakers at Catalina. Eventually one of these is gonna knock her out.
~King slaps at the mat, frustrated. He grabs Cat by the hair and pulls her back up. Again, he whips her into the corner...she hits hard. King charges in with a big splash! He backs up...Catalina stumbles forward. King catches her for a scoop slam...but Catalina spins around his body, grabs his arm and takes him down with a Crossface!!! King yells out in pain as Tony gets in position for the submission!! Cat rears back, applying the pressure~
MoMo: There’s no rope break...this could be it!
Hood: If this is it then I quit.
MoMo: That’s fine. It’s our last night anyway.
Hood: I hate you.
~King yells out and powers up with Cat on his back. He jumps backward for a Samoan Drop!! But Cat takes him over with a Crucifix Pin!! King kicks out almost instantly. He gets to his knees and MARLOWE MASSACRE!! But he ducks just in time as Catalina’s leg flies in between the ropes, spinning her around. King jumps up for UGLY ON THE OUTSIDE!! But Catalina catches him and powerbombs him into the mat!! She flips over, holding onto his legs for the pin...Tony slides in~
1!
2!
KICK OUT!
MoMo: Kickout by King. Man, he’s avoided Marlowe Massacre a few times...the last one the most narrow.
Hood: She’s trying to take his fucking head off, man.
MoMo: He does not need to get to his knees the rest of the match.
Hood: Nope. That’s the danger zone.
~We go back to inside the pyramid, PIC, Meyhu and Vhodka reach the second tier. As they do, they run into Parker, Raven, SEB, Warstein, and Knox. PIC asks them what’s going on and they point out that the exit is blocked by a big piece of rock that fell. PIC motions that they all try to remove it...but they can’t~
MoMo: Oh no. They’re all trapped on that second tier.
Hood: Great. TRIAD is about to kill off the entire main event scene of this sport.
MoMo: There’s got to be a way out of this.
~PIC places his hand on the rock and lowers his head. He looks at his free hand and sees a bit of electric current running through it. “Back up,” he says. They do. PIC then gets his shoulder under the rock and he yells out, utilizing all the power King gave him to push the rock aside. The rest of the field stare on in disbelief. “Go! Hurry!” PIC’s holding it in place, it won’t last for long. They all rush through the opening. Meyhu is the last one. He pauses, asking PIC if he needs help. PIC just tells him to go. Meyhu hesitates and then exits, limping heavily. He turns to aid PIC but the rock falls back into place, locking PIC inside~
MoMo: NO!!
Hood: Geezus. PIC’s trapped.
MoMo: He used all the power King gave him to heal his back so he could free those trapped wrestlers.
Hood: The man gave up a return to the ring to save them.
MoMo: I…
Hood: Take a minute, man.
~We go back to the fifth tier, Catalina hits the ropes. King crawls out of the ring, wanting no part of what she’s got planned. She stops at the ropes and look down at him. She jumps up but he holds onto her leg. He gets to his feet and drags her out of the ring...but she blasts him in the chest with both feet and he slams against the stone wall. Catalina kips up and runs forward, throwing her knee at him...but he moves and her knee cracks the wall. King turns around and throws a clothesline at Cat but she ducks. He spins around and she hits him with BLAZE KICK!! King stumbles toward the ring, falling through the ropes. Cat rushes for the corner. She gets to the top. King staggers, getting to his feet...she leaps off with MARLOWE MASSACRE from the top!!! But King ducks!! Catalina spins around and King catches her with UGLY ON THE OUTSIDE!! He hits it!! She lands flat on her back!! King makes the cover!~
1!
2!!
3!!!
NO!
Hood: He didn’t get it! She kicked out! She’s still alive!
~King looks over at Tony, stunned. Tony shows two fingers. King rips Catalina off the mat, more determined than ever. He whips her into the ropes...she ducks a clothesline. He spins around and she catches him with Cata-Clysm!!!! They’re both down!! Tony paces the ring, waiting for one or both to get up~
Hood: Unbelievable action. They are throwing everything they’ve got at each other in the hopes that at some point one of them MIGHT stay down.
~We cut to outside the pyramid. The rest of the field exits. Vhodka shares an embrace with Strat and Wolf. The members of Team TLS hug and shake hands. All 12 wrestlers have been safely removed. TLS nods, looking around. He does the math once more and finds he’s coming up short. He stands up and asks, “Where’s PIC?”~
MoMo: I’m back, sorry.
Hood: Dude, it’s good. I got this.
MoMo: I’m gonna finish calling the action. It’s what Steve would want.
Hood: Alright. I got you, man.
~Back in the fifth tier, Cat struggles to her feet, staggering around. King rises, holding his neck. He boots Cat in the gut and goes for another UGLY ON THE OUTSIDE!! But Catalina flips over, landing on her feet. King struggles to his...he can only get to one knee...and then...MARLOWE MASSACRE!!! She hits him right in the face!!! He falls over and she covers him!!! Tony slides in~
1!
2!
3!!!!!
NO!
MoMo: Shoulder up! King got the shoulder up!
Hood: He kicked out of Marlowe Massacre AND that new knee!
MoMo: I can’t believe it!
Hood: And neither can Cat!
~Catalina looks up, her eyes wide in disbelief. King remains down. We cut back to outside the pyramid. Meyhu walks up to TLS, “He’s still inside.” “Inside where?” TLS asks, hoping it isn’t the pyramid. Meyhu nods toward the pyramid. “Why’d you guys leave him in there?” TLS asks, growing increasingly concerned. They have nothing to offer...it’s tough to explain. TLS says, “Well I’m gonna go get him.” Meyhu urges him not to. CYPH3R tells him to ask the computer. TLS grabs the computer and asks if he should go back in for PIC. The computer says ‘Hell nah’. TLS slams it against he ground, “Computers are stupid anyway.” He then turns toward the pyramid. Someone asks, “Why are you going back?” TLS pauses and replies, “PIC may be a bitch. But he’s my friend.” TLS then takes off, sprinting for the pyramid. His loincloth blows away so we’re all left with an image of his bare ass shaking as he jogs inside~
MoMo: If that’s the last image we ever get of TLS it’s, well, it’s an image.
Hood: That’s not a bad ass, I must say.
MoMo: Might be the nicest thing you’ve ever said about him.
three
~The rest of the field look up at the battle being waged above them. Catalina gets back to her feet...she slides down her ‘C’ knee pad and measures King up. He gets to his knees. She yells out and charges forward. But King springs to his feet and he hits her with a V-Trigger!!! Catalina stumbles around, out on her feet! King boots her in the gut and picks her up...he drops her with F Ur Head (Brainbuster)!!!! She lands right on her head and flattens out...King then gets to his feet and points toward the nearest corner~
MoMo: We haven’t seen this, I don’t believe. Up until now, anyway.
Hood: What’s he doing? Where’s he going?
MoMo: He’s going for King Maker. It’s a 450 splash. It used to be a 630 but given his age he decided to scale it down a bit. Go for the number he knows he can still hit.
Hood: Wow, I didn’t ask for his life story.
~Kieran gets to the top and he looks down at Catalina. He leaps off with KING MAKER!! The 450 Splash!! He comes down and he HITS IT!!! The ring shakes with impact!!! King covers Catalina!! Tony slides in~
1!
2!
3...NO!!!
MoMo: Catalina with the shoulder up! Just barely!
Hood: Damn, he should’ve stuck with the 630.
MoMo: Unreal. King’s hit her with BOTH his finishers and he can’t keep her down.
~King gets to his knees and shakes his head. He looks up to the TRIAD. Is he supposed to win it? Is fate telling him this isn’t his destiny? Catalina reaches up and takes him over with Cat’s Cradle!!! But King gets out of it quickly! He rises back to his feet...but she’s already there and she hits him with UGLY ON THE OUTSIDE! King’s finsiher!! Kieran drops to his knees...Cat hits the ropes and MARLOWE MASSACRE!!! King is out!!! Catalina covers him!! Tony jumps in~
1!
2!
3!!!!!!
NOOOOO
MoMo: King with the shoulder nudge off the canvas! Half an inch!
Hood: FUCKIN HELL
MoMo: Catalina said turnabout is fairplay and she gave King his own finisher followed by hers and it STILL wasn’t enough.
Hood: Somebody needs to be handed a gun.
~Catalina recoils back into a corner, staring at King in disbelief. TWO Marlowe Massacres with her new knee...and one WITHOUT the kneepad. She, like King, looks up at the TRIAD. Doubt seems to be creeping in. She then looks over at King...he’s struggling to his feet, looking back at her. Catalina pulls herself up. King extends a fist. He nods. Catalina nods back and bumps fists with the only wrestler great enough to join her in this moment. The two then start slugging it out! Forearms and fists! Kicks and chops! The entire world looks on as neither competitor seems willing to give it up~
MoMo: The ultimate show of respect. Two of the greatest talents at the top of their game.
Hood: We might be here all night.
MoMo: The TRIAD has waited centuries. What’s a few more hours, right?
Hood: Speak for yourself. I’m on salary.
~Catalina delivers some palm strikes that send King stumbling into a corner. He lifts a knee, doubling her over. He throws her shoulder first into the ring post but she grabs the second turnbuckle and throws her legs out, kicking King in the gut. He stumbles back and she runs up the buckles performing a moonsault! King catches her on his shoulders and throws her like a dart at the top buckle. But she lands feet first atop the buckle and leaps off with a spinning roundhouse kick. King ducks and Catalina lands on her feet, center of the ring. She takes off and hits the ropes. On his knees, he turns around with a look that says he knows what’s coming. She charges in with MARLOWE MASSACRE!! King rises and throws her over his head! She gets crotched on the top!!! King staggers around on his feet~
MoMo: King knew that she’d go for Marlowe Massacre if he were on his knees!
Hood: Smart! Dude’s got the wit, we know that!
~King pulls Cat off the top and onto his shoulders...he then throws her over with a BURNING HAMMER!!!!!~
MoMo: The elusive Burning Hammer!
Hood: The white whale of pro wrestling moves!
~King stumbles for the corner. Cat is out. He drags himself to the top and looks down at his adversary. He looks up at the TRIAD and sees his mission. He bends his knees~
MoMo: He’s going for King Maker!!
~King leaps off but he isn’t going for the 450. He’s going for the 630!!~
MoMo: The 630!!! He’s going for it!
Hood: Unreal!
~King comes down but he can’t fully rotate!! He lands awkwardly on his legs and stumbles...he drops to his knees. Cat pops to her feet and takes off. King immediately realizes his error and reaches his feet. He spins around...Cat springboards off the middle rope, spins around and hits a springboard MARLOWE MASSACRE!!!!! She lands on top of King and hooks the leg!! Tony slides in!!!~
1!
2!!!!
3!!!!!!!!!!!!!
MoMo: Is that it? Is it over?
Hood: It’s over!!
MoMo: Catalina Cortes has done it!!
Hood: I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it.
MoMo: HERE IS YOUR VICTOR...AND THE CHAMPION OF TRIAD...CATALINA CORTES!!!!!!
~Catalina is helped to her feet by Tony the Spider. She struggles and stumbles. The exhaustion of this entire journey making her legs and body weak. She falls into a corner and stares up at the TRIAD. She looks down at King, who remains down. She looks over at Tony. Outside the entire Pyramid comes tumbling down. The wrestlers all brace themselves as debris flies toward them. The oasis is suddenly covered with dust and dirt like it was before. All that remains is the fifth tier hovering above~
MoMo: Look out!
Hood: Everybody good down here?
MoMo: I think so.
Catalina suddenly feels better. Her injuries healed. Her exhaustion cured. She’s standing in the fifth tier but it’s different. It’s opulent and comprised of the most precious objects one could imagine. The ring is gone. In it’s place a map of an ancient world with what looks like a tomb at the center of it.
Cortes approaches the tomb and looks inside. It’s empty.
The room, however, isn’t. Feeling the presence of another, she spins around and is confronted by a majestic being. It looks very similar to the one that’s been refereeing the matches only this one appears far more benevolent and mystical. It gazes down upon Catalina and smiles with its eyes.
It does not speak. Instead, it looks up at the TRIAD. The TRIAD lowers in between Catalina and this majestic being. It glows, it brightens, it then travels into the chest of the being.
A feeling of restoration permeates. A sudden balance where shaky ground once stood.
Cortes tries to hide her disappointment. The object she fought so hard for being taken from her. The being notices and places a hand on Catalina’s shoulder. With their other hand they conjure up a new piece of metal.
It’s form is crude and undefined. The being looks to Catalina for guidance. With a smile, the being receives instruction and fashions the metal into a plate, attaching it to a thick strap of black leather. It then finds its way around Catalina’s waist.
A quizzical look from the being at the form Catalina seems to have chosen. But it’s the choice she earned.
Catalina looks down. The being does the same. The pitiful creature counting all the pinfalls stands beneath them, head lowered. It’s then summoned upward and allowed to enter the final chamber.
It stands before the superior being, shameful. The superior being lifts its head up and offers a warm embrace. The lower being happily accepts as Catalina looks on.
They vanish into the sky, leaving Catalina behind.
MoMo: What happened to the TRIAD? It’s a belt now?
Hood: I guess. Looks good on her though.
~King and Tony are down with the others looking on as Catalina glides down to the surface. The fifth tear disintegrating behind her. Her feet hit the dirty, old soil as the rest of the field greet her. She slowly removes her belt and holds it high above. We get a still shot as the vibrant colors turn old, the clear scene tattered~
“And that, my dear, is the story of Catalina Cortes and the TRIAD,” the benevolent voice of a grandfather speaks to his granddaughter.
He sits at the side of her bed as she lays under the covers, staring ahead with all the wonder and imagination her brain can muster.
“But what happened to Catalina? What did she do with the TRIAD? What about Kieran King and Vhodka? PIC? That jerk Meyhu?”
“I’m afraid that’s a story for another time,” he leans in, kissing her on the forehead.
He moves to exit.
“Grandpa?”
“Yes?”
“Is that story true? My dad says it’s just a fairytale.”
He pauses and chooses his words wisely, “What do you believe?”
She thinks, “I believe it’s real.”
“Well then,” he smiles, “that’s all that matters.”
“Goodnight, Grandpa,” her ebullient voice beams.
“Sweet Dreams.”
