+ Retrograde: The Darkness [II]

[Archer]

++ "Retrograde: The Darkness" ++

He didn't quite like Texas. Maybe at one time he did, but he couldn't remember why and thus, it didn't matter right now. The Archer that existed from just after Vendetta to now, simply does not enjoy Texas. It's too hot, weird people. However, Emma seemed to like it here, and she had done so much for him already, he'd never ask her to leave. Besides, he wasn't quite sure where to go.  Archer was still very unsure about quite a lot of things.

"Come with me, love, I have something to show you."

He was sitting on the porch when Emma walked up next to him. While they were there together, they both understood the value of time spent with oneself, it had been roughly a day since he'd seen her last. First, he noticed the scratches, but didn't ask. He just nodded as Emma took him by the shoulder, guiding him through to the backyard. Still, they continued walking, going through the yard itself, to a small shed in the back. She lead him into the dark room, yanking the light chain above her.

There on the carefully prepped table, lie a young female. She was still fully clothed, with similar scratches across her body, arms tied and bound, some sort of cloth placed in her mouth. There was also a blindfold around her eyes. The man once known as the Architect of Ultraviolence was shocked, his own eyes becoming incredibly wide.

"Doesn't she look like Mondae? Don't you have something to say to her?"

The girl strapped to the table screamed through the gag rag, and Archer did notice her dark hair for the first time. That's probably the reason why Emma blindfolded her, covering her eyes made the likeness more plausible. He began stepping towards her, cautious at first, nervous, but ultimately deciding to proceed.

"You got lucky, Mondae... freak accidents are rare but they still occur. The best of the best land wrong after a flight from the turnbuckle, after running through their enemy, after some ungrateful wench tries to blindside her biggest competition. This injury of mine in no way, shape, or form, discredits my path of death and decay. You told me you beat some nobody you had a personal vendetta against in a Torture Chamber match? And who were these twenty-three men you survived a beating from when a few guards can toss you from a hospital? I'm untested. I almost killed Raven MacDemare on public television for the hell of it. I believe you saw that...actually yes, I just re-watched that episode of Vendetta, I had handcuffed you to the ringpost after kicking you in the face, so of course you saw."

There was some new cheekiness, a sort of sarcasm to the way Archer was speaking. It was unlike our usual Architect of Ultraviolence, but as Archer stood next to the girl, Emma hoped she'd have her Archer back soon enough.

"My actions speak for themselves, I've seen them, you can't reject facts, Mondae. The damage your lead pipe caused was nothing more than a stroke of luck, plain and simple, and it seems you've had a decent amount of it in RSW, thus far. The way I've seen it, through my speed study sessions of RSW, you're a lackluster performer, who hasn't managed to do anything worthy since signing your contract, yet you run around with Arianny like you have. You couldn't even make it to the finals of the Supreme Championship tournament. I'm tired of all your excuses, at the end of the day that's all they are."

He took a handful of her hair now, twisting it all around and leaning in close, speaking into her right ear now. His voice was rising with anger, with rage, and tears began to stream down from behind the girls blindfold.

"But what else should I expect from a rich, spoiled brat? Emma told me that's one of the reasons I absolutley despise people like Raven and Lord, but you don't measure up to anything different. I should have known you'd turn out the same, Mondae. But somehow worse. You usually see those annoying children in the grocery stores - kicking, screaming, crying, because they couldn't get their way. Little Money has proven she is the little kid in the grocery store of RSW, and as her parents, it's our job to make sure she sits there, wallowing in her own self-pity until she grows up. If anyone doesn't belong in this match, it's you. Not only did you NOT manage to earn a title shot to begin with, but your..."

He thrusts the girls head back down towards the camera, standing back up himself.

"Best friend forever...also failed to secure you a title shot. You've had more chances at success than anyone else here, simply based off who your parents are and the company you keep, but have fallen on your face everytime. You're only here now because you've weaseled your way into MY main event, No Holds Barred, against Lord at Screamfest!"

"Cut her...cut her, Spencer. Watch her bleed."

Emma extended her hand towards Archer, that now held a scalpel. She was grinning with anticipation, as Archer took hold of the utensil. The dark-haired girl on the table begin to scream and cry again, flailing about as hard as she can, but Emma grew up with a tough SOB brother that taught her how to tie knots. Archer laughed, dragging the silver across her cheek, slightly.

"If there's one thing you and Lord will never understand, it's that this darkness inside of me isn't going to disappear. It consumed me long ago, and even though I've lost my memory, I can't get rid of this desire for pain, this lust for destruction. I want to cut you so badly. To end you, Mondae, bleed you completely dry upon this table. I want to watch your life go out right here. But I know you aren't Mondae Chaos, this isn't real. SCREAMFEST is real! That's when I'll bleed you dry. I may not know who you are, but I know I want your head on a stick and I know you can't stop me!"

Slowly, he walked back over to Emma, and placed the scalpel in her hand. She looked almost disappointed, walking back to the girl and cutting loose the knots. Archer is a little confused as the woman calmly sits up, pulling off the blindfold.

"Well, it's a damn good thing he decided not to slit my throat now, isn't it?"

Jazzy, Emma's sister-in-law, shook her dark hair free and massaged her wrists a bit. However, she looked completely fine. The girl was never in any danger. In fact, Archer knows her personally, but can't place her face for obvious reasons. Emma doesn't look very happy about the news, and still looks almost disappointed.

"But my Archer would have..."

The darkness inside of him may be enough to win the RSW Supreme Championship, it may even be enough to end both Lovey and the Mean Girl Mafia, but would it be enough to make him remember why it'd all be worth it?