[// FORWARD \\]

With War Games fast approaching, now only a few days away, we've already heard from many participants in the three massive 10-man tag team matches. As was expected, we've seen teammates at odds with each other, sometimes questioning the loyalties or commitment from certain members. We've seen former adversaries form uneasy alliances, putting aside their differences to come together for one night only, brought together by a common goal. This is War Games, and the men who stand beside you on the battlefield become your brothers in arms until that goal is accomplished. In a few short days, the talking will cease. Some men will rise to the occasion, whilst others will be found wanting. For Team Eli, such ludacrisy is not an option. When the bell tolls and the hammer strikes, blood will be shed and bones will be broken, though it is the shattered ego's that will bare scars for the unsuccessful for months and years to come. War knows no true victor, merely those lucky enough to survive it. For Team Azrael, their luck.. and time.. is fast running out.

[// END FORWARD \\]

:: It's been three days since I passed my psych examination and left good ol' Dr. Grayson with a little stamp of my own to remember me by. I've since made the trip back home to Philadelphia to continue my preparations for War Games. My debut. It's close, so close I can almost taste it. Things have been pretty stock-standard of late. No more dreams, no more visions.. I haven't had a brain snap since, but maybe that's because I haven't really left the comfort of my own home. I've been training, watching tapes on my opponents.. and, oh yeah.. I've also been listening to them do a fair bit of jaw-jacking too. It doesn't bother me, I find it quite amusing. Their confidence is nothing shy of laughable. Today is a little bit different. I've made arrangements to shoot a promo for the upcoming match at War Games. Now, when I say I made arrangements, I didn't actually arrange anything. That's my managements job. Apparently there's been such little interest garnered from the unprovocative garbage my opponents have been coming out with that the XWF is turning to it's "rookie" in an attempt to save pay-per-view buy rates and lift the interest levels surrounding this match.

It's 10:30am and I'm just preparing to leave the house to go and grab a coffee.. I slept in a little today, okay? There's a nice little spot just down the road.. it's low-key, just the way I like it. As I sit on the end of my bed pulling on my black and white size 13 Nike mid-tops to sit just over the hem of my faded black jeans, I listen to the rain lashing the window and the steady wind whistling through the remaining leaves that are yet to come to rest from their branches. It's a perfect day outside. I'm not your typical sunshine and rainbows kind of guy, if you haven't already noticed. I don't hate bright sunny weather, but there's something about the darkened clouds overhead and steady beat of rain against pavement that makes me feel calm, even sedate. I grab my overcoat from the rack in the bathroom and make my way outside. As I cross the threshold of my front door and it closes behind me, the brisk chill of the wind caressing my face sends a slight shiver through my body. I draw in a deep breath, filling my lungs with the cold air. I put my left arm in my overcoat and throw it around the back of me, catching it and sliding my right arm into the toasty warm sleeve. I button up the front and pull the collar high around my neck. I make my way down the front steps and take the short walk to my front gate, turning left onto the sidewalk. The coffee shop is only a couple of blocks away, but it could be miles for all I care as the first few raindrops kiss the bare flesh on my hands and face. I can feel the crunch beneath my feet of the discolored leaves which have been strewn across the sidewalk even though they are damp from the steady rain. I press forward, staring at the cracking pavement beneath my feet, thinking about War Games.. that, and my coffee. I'm left hoping that my opponents at War Games are saving their best for inside those two rings, for surely this week they have shown me only their worst. To think they have the audacity to make a mockery of my name - my un-originality - when they, like so many before them can find nothing else to use against me but just that. It's quite hilarious really, that one of the very best the XWF has to offer - or at least by reputation, in Azrael Erebus - would need to resort to such cheap and unimaginative banter.

I can hear the rumbling of a car engine behind me, which snaps my train of thought like a twig under the weight of a truck. I look up from the pavement and my breath shortens. It's as though I am staring down the street through a slightly out-of-focus wide-angled lens. My short, sharp breaths produce wisps of fog in front of my face. I can hear the drawling noise of muffled car horns in the background. I spin around, it's as if my surroundings have suddenly begun to exist only in slow motion. A few cars seem halted, or at least moving very slowly - I can't really tell, on the road. I can see their occupants hanging out of the windows and hear their muffled voices as if they are screaming with mouthfuls of cotton wool. I turn back to see what is causing the commotion. A lone man is walking ever so slowly down the middle of the road, a much smaller and far scrawnier man following him with a camera. I recognize him instantly. Even from behind, his tattered clothing and matted, disheveled looking green hair leaves him unmistakable. It's Ghost Tank. But how? What is going on? I try to call out to him.. ::

"Ghost..."

"He can't hear you."

:: The voice, it was back. I stop walking and simply watch. ::

"What's happening?"

"Oh this? It's nothing interesting, I am merely forming a more viable connection between us and our teammates for War Games."

:: I tilt my head to the side a little bit, all the background noise seems to fade away. ::

"Our teammates?"

:: I question the voice, already knowing the answer before it even responds. ::

"But of course, Justin. We're a team, you and I. Together we are far more powerful than anybody inside the XWF - or outside it for that matter, could ever conceive. Trust me, I know what we must do. Come War Games, Team Eli will truly be one unit. There will be no question as to where any of our teams loyalties lie."

"There is no question. As far as I'm concerned, Team Azrael has sealed the envelope that contains their fate within it and at War Games, I'm going to stamp it shut with the blood of their fallen."

"Oh of that I have little doubt. The way in which you dealt with our good friend the psychologist the other day.. it was pleasing, to say the least."

:: I pause for a moment, pondering the voices words. ::

"You.. you saw that? How, I never.."

"I see and hear everything. I am inside your head after all, arent I? Though it's not only that which I have seen. I have also witnessed your opponents going about their day to day activities, reveling in their own misguided opinions of themselves. They found a dragon you know.."

"So I heard. [I smirk to myself as the voice sounded amused] It's of no concern to me what they find. Inside the confines of that demonic structure, nothing, not even a dragon will save them. It's all academic really, you've said so yourself. This team that Eli has put together, it is as formidable as any that has ever been assembled. The evil we will unleash at War Games will be... unspeakable."

"Indeed. I have seen that which is to come - victory awaits those who are prepared to surrender themselves to insanity. Remember Justin, don't worry about these.. visions.. you are having. Know only that they will benefit you far greater in time than you could ever imagine. The line between what is real and what is not may seem blurred to you, but believe me when I say, in due course that will change. After all, your own reality is for you alone to decide."

:: The sounds of my surroundings start rushing back to full chorus as time seemingly catches up with itself. I look up the street to see Ghost Tank finally making his way across towards the sidewalk and the traffic begins moving again. I can still hear the car horns though. I turn around to tell the drivers to can it - forgetting in my annoyance that they're not real - but as I do a car comes flashing past my, it's front left wheel dipping deep into a large puddle on the side of the road... SPLASH!

I feel as though somebody has hit my square in the jaw with a fist made out of ice water. I close my eyes and brace myself under the impact. I throw my hands up to my face and wipe my eyes as the last of the water goes crashing onto the pavement like a mini-tsunami. As I open my eyes, I stand there in bemusement. The road is empty, not a car in sight. I look down the road further - no Ghost Tank. Clutching at my overcoat around the chest area I notice that I'm still obviously wet from the steady rain that is falling, but not drenched as I would be after being cascaded by a waterfall of muddy water. I look around to make sure nobody in neighboring houses has seen me, some weirdo fighting off invisible puddles. I draw the ever-increasing weight of my overcoat higher over my shoulders and dig my hands deep into my pockets as I resume walking. Now I really need that coffee. ::

:: After the events of earlier today, I am quite keen to get a few things off my chest. As requested by my management, I'm going to shoot this damn promo. They want pay-per-view buy rates to go up? I can sell rice to a Chinese man, I can sure as hell sell blood and destruction to bloodthirsty wrestling fans. I set up a camera in my living room, facing my black leather sofa. There's a few pictures on the walls, a 60" LCD TV high on the wall opposite the sofa. I take a seat in my faded black jeans and black "Just Insane" t-shirt. Maybe I should send a box of these bad boys to Team Azrael since they are so obsessed with my name? Ha, idiots. I stare down the barrel of the camera lens, my gaze exuding the self-confidence of a man who knows he is walking into victory at War Games. ::

"So, here we are. Welcome to my home."

:: I point behind myself and move my hands around to my lap in a 180 circle, encompassing the whole room. ::

"What? You were expecting maybe padded walls? A pile of straight jackets in the corner? [I chuckle slightly] I must apologize, sometimes I forget about my silly little name - you know, the one EVERYBODY seems to get a good laugh out of. Oh don't worry, Team Azrael, you're not offending me. Truth is, I get a good laugh out of it too, though not for the same reason as yourselves. No. I find it funny because no matter where I go or who I face, it's always the same thing. Everybody wants to talk about my lack of imagination in coming up with such a stage name, and yet, just like everybody else your own lack of original thinking keeps bringing you back to my name because you really can't come up with anything else in those half-witted brains of yours. Let's see if you still find my name as amusing after War Games when it's posted in the winners column.

Speaking of War Games, the hour draws ever-closer. For days now I have had to sit back and listen to every single member of Team Azrael shoot off at the mouth about how dominant they are going to be. Boys, please, a little friendly advice? Stop making yourselves look so damn stupid. Now, I can understand to a certain degree, truly I can. I don't expect you to come out and admit inferiority or even say that your chances of walking out of War Games with a victory are slim at best.. but those are the facts. That is the reality you all face. Understand this - Eli James has put together the most formidable team this company has ever laid eyes on.. and it happened right under your nose, without you even realizing it. Azrael, you were stupid. Blinded by your own arrogance and lack of faith, you let slip the greatest unknown on the XWF roster - ME! This secret weapon could have been yours to unleash as you saw fit, but instead you've landed yourself with a bunch of average-at-best performers. Either you saw something in them that nobody else yet has, or you seriously are so full of yourself that you honestly believe you can carry your team to victory on your own shoulders. Whichever it is, Azrael, you are so mistaken. You say that for you "this 'war' isn't a war at all? This is clear victory for us."? I'm guessing that on whatever planet it is you come from, your species isn't among the most intelligent lifeforms that inhabit it."

:: I snigger to myself. I am very controlled and measured in my approach to this promo. There is a lot I have been wanting to say and I must be sure to convey my message clearly. I sink back further into the comfortable black leather sofa and continue. ::

"Firstly, the man leading the charge for us is the Universal Champion and he is so for a reason. As I sit here right now, talking to you, he is the best in our business. He knows no equal and he sits upon the mountain top looking down on the likes of you and your 'team'. Further to his talents inside the ring, he is clearly of far greater intellect than yourself. He chose wisely you see, so wisely in fact that you were doomed from the start. The moment Team Azrael was drawn to face Team Eli, your fate was sealed. Please don't give yourself false hope as it will only lead to further disappointment. But it's not just Eli you have to worry about Azrael, it's not just the rookie [I chuckle before saying my own name] Justin Sane..

No, we are the least of your worries. You see, for as far as I am willing to go in order to get the job done at War Games, there is another... an individual that is so sick.. so deranged, so literally head-fucked that I would stop short of even calling him a man. Watching him over the past couple of weeks and seeing what limits he is willing to push his body to even outside of a match has made me realize the true genius of Eli James. Again, he saw what you did not. Then there is Tyroil - like myself, perceived by you to be a weak link. Your ability to underestimate what you do not know in undoubtedly your greatest flaw. I, like you, know nothing of Tyroil except that he is an athlete. What he brings to this unit is unrivaled enthusiasm and a willingness.. no, a need to please his coach.. Eli. Now, as for your team Azrael..."

:: I pause and a smirk breaks across my face. My eyes flash at the camera, a dangerous flicker that screams a warning my lips do not yet utter. ::

"Oh wait... I almost forgot. There is one more member of Team Eli, isn't there Azrael? Evertrust! If you fear not what is already laid before you, I know you fear that name. At least, you should. I know it sends chills down your spine when you hear the words.. "I, Evertrust.". It screams superiority, echoes an undoubted sense of foreboding for anyone stupid enough to find themselves in his path. You and your team, Azrael, have strayed. You have lost your footing and stumbled into the firing line. You think you are the only being in this match with a grasp on the supernatural? This man has you covered on every front. Evertrust, just like Eli, is another who has full faith in what I am capable of.. he sees what lies beneath layers of flesh and bone and is waiting to be unleashed. Between Eli, Evertrust, Ghost, Tyroil and myself - what chance to you really think you have? What do you have to offer that could possibly contend with the likes of us? Avery Martin Alden?

Ah yes, your number one draft pick. Tell me Azrael, exactly what was it you saw in Avery? I mean, besides his absolutely thrilling seminar on how aliens - you - weren't real. Fascinating that was! And then his girlfriend found a dragon egg of all things! How bizarre! And now he and that pretentious knight are on some sort of quest to find out exactly what it all means, yadda yadda yadda [I roll my eyes as the obvious boredom becomes very apparent in my tone]. Now, I have a theory and it might sound a little bit crazy but bare with me here. I'm guessing, that all of this has something to do with you and you're going to deliver all the answers on the eve of War Games and make believers out of your whole team - basically some bullshit story I'm sure wouldn't even win a creative writing contest in a primary school. If this is your number one pick, then what does that say about picks three, four and five? Not a fucking lot, trust me.

Aerial Knight is of little note. He, like you, had nothing to say that invoked even the slightest bit of emotion from me as he too reverted to the very tiresome play on words with regards to my name. He did, however, promise to make me insane by the end of the match - not through his dulcet tones, but through.. what was it? "Flattening me out" to the point where it drove me mad. [I chuckle] You insolent fuck. If you only knew the horrors that await you at War Games. You know nothing of which you speak, you've not yet seen even a glimpse of what I am capable of and yet here you are, acting like this will nothing short of child's play. You're right. It will be child's play - but not for you. I see that of late you've been concerning yourself with a particular member of our team, Ghost Tank. Probably the best and worst decision you have made this week. Lucky for you, that takes you out of the focus of myself, Evertrust & Eli... however..."

:: I draw in a deep, rattling breath as my eyes narrow ever so slightly, that look of danger ever-apparent. ::

"Ghost Tank is as blood-thirsty a monster as you will ever come across. I get goosebumps just thinking about what he will do to you inside that demonic structure.. the good kind of goosebumps. I am going to enjoy every second of watching him tear your limbs off and stick them in that big mouth of yours. Perhaps it will be you Jonathon, not I, who prays for death before the end.

Your buddy Kessler? Again, as I've said before, he talks a good game but that's where it ends. That's where this all ends. It matters little what any of you say or do, this script has already been written. War Games is our night. You can know all the submissions in the world Steven, but I promise you that its a lot harder to lock in a fujiwara armbar when you're swallowing your own teeth than one might think. You're just another lamb that Azrael is sending to slaughter - you all are. Don't get it twisted, the man who came from the stars cares nothing for any of you. To him you are nothing more than inferior beings, pawns in his own sick little game of chess. But us? Team Eli? Oh, we are so much more than that. We not only share a common goal but we are more as one than you could ever possibly imagine. I have no beef with you Kessler.. not yet. You simply stand between me and what is rightfully mine - glory. You either take the high road and get the fuck out of my way, or you take the low road and try your luck. This ain't blackjack though kid, you better bring some loaded dice to the table because this is my casino.. and the house always wins.

I nearly forgot your fucking grasshopper Azrael, how rude of me. I doubt I'll even need to get my hands dirty with such an insignificant member of your team. In fact, I could probably just sit back and enjoy the show with the rest of the XWF universe. After reeling through what your team has to offer, I'm sure that my teammates are more than capable of getting the job done on their own. Unfortunately, you'll have no such luck. You see Azrael, you've pissed off the wrong guy. I don't care that you make fun of my name like it's your first day of high school.. I've heard that a thousand times before. No, but what does piss me off? Is when you fucking underestimate me. Nobody underestimates me. I don't give a fuck who you are.. or what you've done, you write me off at your own demise. Oh and don't worry.. it will be at your demise. I'm not here to carry the drinks.. I'm not here to make up the numbers.. I'm walking into War Games a nobody and I'm walking out with one hell of a fucking reputation. I dare you Azrael.. I dare any of you.. just try and stop me."

:: I lean forward, and force a painful smirk. ::

"You all love making fun of my name so much? Because you all get it right, I'm Just Insane? Well how's this one for you. Evening newsflash, hot of the press. This Just-in.. Sane stands victorious on the bodies of the fallen. Because for you, the games are almost over.. and Team Eli is ready to wage war."

:: With that, I reach forward and switch off the cam-corder. ::