"I lost."

 

[While the words are said matter-of-factly, there is an air of disappointment amongst them.  Clearly The Last Nighthawk isn't in the greatest of moods (and who could blame him), but one cannot accuse him of being broken.]

 

[Here he stands, with the front edge of a board room table in front of him, and an unused white board behind him. Red and black markers sit on a ledge on the white board next to an eraser, and in the upper-left corner of the board is a Faces of Death logo.]

 

[As for Christian, he wears a pair of gray sweat pants and a plain black T-shirt, and the gleam of sweat from a recent workout is all over his forehead.]

 

"The Last Nighthawk" Christian Light:

Yeah, ultimately, I was cheated by some combination of Kai Scott, Jeff Andrews, and a belt that should by all rights be mine.  The Untouchables stole one right out from under me, and people tell me I shouldn't feel bad. That I was cheated out of a win that should have been mine.

 

But this was about so much more than a 3 count.

 

This was about crushing a rebellion. Sending Jeff and his band home with their collective tail between their legs, hopefully a lesson learned. Instead, Jeff Andrews now gets louder and more obnoxious with each passing day, and the Untouchables now feel more emboldened. 

 

More eager. 

 

More in control.

 

I am Jack's severe self-disappointment.

 

[With the Fight Club reference behind him, Light sighs, shaking his head.]

 

Light:

No doubt Jeff now enjoys the ability to send me to the back of the line, so to speak. He relishes the opportunity to tell me I'm staring back up a mountain if I want another shot at him.

 

So now I have two choices. I can wilt.  I can surrender my command.  I can bend my knee to the altar of Jeff and admit that the Untouchables are the dominant force in Defiance.

 

Or I can pick myself up, dust myself off, and come back stronger. Fiercer. More determined. I can bring out the warrior once more and recognize that if I want to see this through till the end that it’s going to be long, drawn-out...

 

...and bloody.

 

[The word "bloody" is almost growled.  It's an unusual sound to come from Christian, and it seems out of place. But there's no one else it could have come from.  And just like that, Christian's voice returns to normal]

 

Light:

As I'm sure you can tell, I chose to pick myself back up.

 

I chose to fight back.

 

And if I have to go through any and all of the hoops ever made to get my rematch, then so be it.

 

I will make you focus on me, Untouchables.  I will force you to dedicate resources to me every single show until either I've cut everyone down that stands in my way and have my rematch...or someone else from the Good Fight gets the opening and takes you down.

 

That is my choice.

 

[Pause.]

 

Light:

Now, Dragon Jones, it is your time to choose.

 

You have the opportunity of a lifetime here in front of you. This is a match in which you can propel yourself up the rankings and make The First a household name in Defiance.

 

And to make things more interesting, I already have a significant disadvantage going in.

 

You can either choose to wrestle this match like a sportsman. You can choose to stand alone, be your own man, and meet me in fair combat. No dirty tricks, no Folding Chair, and no more unfair advantages. If you choose to do that, then we can have as much of a contest of skill as the match stipulations allow, and once we're done, we can shake hands and go our separate ways.

 

Or.

 

You can choose the other side of the coin.

 

You can decide that having one arm tied behind my back isn't a significant enough advantage for you. You could go for Folding Chair, or you could take liberties with similarly dirty tactics.

 

Or, in a similar fashion, you can decide that you want to get on Jeff Andrews' good side and make some kind of example of me.  You can make up your mind to be on the wrong side of the war when its all said and done.

 

And believe me, it is the wrong side of things.

 

I hold no grudges for the Heritage vs. Evolution thing. There wasn't the personal choice then that there was now. But if you pick wrong...if you choose Untouchables...

 

...well, I'm not going to outright steal The Faces' catchphrase in their own facility. But I think you've heard it before, and you get the gist.

 

Choose wisely, Dragon.

 

[End.]