Immortal.

[Falcon]

Just lay back and relax, this will be over in no time.

I don't like these machines really. The enclosure seems foreign, like I'm being experimented on. The buzzing of the machine working, the weird off colored lights. I have to close my eyes to keep from becoming nauseated by the experience.

Starting scan now...

Of course, my mind never has a zen place, no matter how hard I try, and even while I'm awake, when I'm in a place like this.. I dream.

We're face to face
Where Loyalty is what I need to see from you

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Oh see there's the Spike, we know and love..

Not afraid to pull any punches.

I could.. in fact I probably should be upset that a personal friend would pull out something I'd rather simply forget and wave it in front of my face and out there for the world to see. I should be furious that a close friend would do that sort of injustice to me, stoop to that level of disrespect. A normal man would just walk up to your door and sock you one, or at the very least string together several four letter words in a threatening phone call.

But no, I am no normal man.

The point of the human memory is to understand, accept, and grow from our decisions, both the correct choices and the mistakes. By pushing what I wanted you to remember at you, in the form of a backhanded insult, it made you remember. And that..

Will make you into a Spike Kane that is twice as dangerous as you already believe yourself to be.

You and I, we don't need to win this match. Our careers are validated the world over, a hundred times more than most people can even comprehend. No, winning now is just a bonus, like an extra side objective that gets you a cool new weapon to use.

You and I, are the proving ground. And I couldn't be happier right now.

Even if you stole my schtick with the song cuts.

That'll be seven fifty.

You're insecure
I can see the fear that breeds in your heart

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I feel someone grab my head, covering my eyes with their hands and pressing me against their body. Of course, I don't really feel this as this is a daydream... right?

Hi'z... Guess who?

Hmm.. small hands..warm body.. big fake boobs.. I'mma say.. Aly Gardner..

I meant that as a joke, but she let go and walked around me. As she turned, the blonde hair became a fiery red, and standing in front of me was Aly Gardner.

I could be if you want...

Uhhh...

She giggled, and the image morphed back into Ayla.

Hey, it's your dream you know..

Can't be, if I was dreaming you'd be wearing..

Suddenly she was wearing the skimpiest little outfit I'd ever seen. Thankfully, the black boxes associated with TV covered most of what should not be seen on TV. But since they're figments of my imagination, it worked on me too.

Ok, so it is..

You are such a man..

Well, can't help that..

You know this is just the calm before the storm, right?

This little daydream here..?

Mhm.. you know this isn't going to end well..

Why not.. I'm here, with my darling girlfriend, who is wearing very little, and I'm apparently in control.

Suddenly, Ayla disapeared. Another voice, this one male, came from behind me.

That's what you think, in your little naive way.

That sounds like.. no..

You're dead.

Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide
I see the blood drip from your eyes

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You asked why I needed this, Jake.. and that question has a different answer depending on what you mean by this. If by this you meant the prestige of the title of Gladiator, or the promise of a world title match, then the answer is right in front of you.

I don't need that.

But that's not why I'm here. I'm not here to win this just for the sake of being called Gladiator until this time next year. Not in it just for the chance to face off against either Todd or Lex at A Night to Remember. And if you honestly can't see that, I don't know what else to tell you.

I'm here, because there are five wrestlers in this match, and the idea of testing myself against the five of you is enthralling. Which is what I've been about my whole life. You could wave a match with a corpse at me for the world title, and I wouldn't care.

That's what seperates me from you.

That's why I am here.

And why you can't wrap your head around it.

If I win, which I am going to try to do, because that's part of my job, then it's just another chapter in the storied history of Kyle Braddock, the Falcon. But it continues on either way, Gladiator or no, third world title or no..

I can tell you're hungry Jake, but here's the catch.

I'm the predator, I'll decide when it's time to eat.

Who will survive?
Let's get it on
And we'll FIGHT

[/center][/i]

Not dead enough it seems.

My father. A voice that still won't stop ringing in my ears, even though I haven't heard it since I was seventeen. I suppose there's some unresolved issues there, but it's hard to not have any when a man dies before you can have resolution.

What do you want?

I don't know, you conjured me here.

Gee, thanks. Lay this all at my feet like you always did.

I only layed the blame on you when you deserved it.

Hardly. I can't see how your anger at me following my dreams is in any way my fault. I thought parents were supposed to be supportive.

So is that what you need, my approval?

I didn't need your approval for anything, that's why I simply left.

But it's what you wanted.

Ok, fine. I wanted my father's approval of my dreams. Like any other American kid does. Is that what you wanted to hear?

I don't want to hear anything. I'm dead, these are your issues Kyle.

Well, forgive me for not knowing when you were gonna die so I could call you up before then and solve everything.

He shrugs at me. Which always annoyed me to no end whenever he did.

Shouldn't have left.

I wasn't going to sit there and be miserable because you thought what I wanted to do wasn't worth doing, so I left. Despite all the guilt trips Uncle Max tried to give me about 'breaking my mother's heart.'

What about me, Kyle?

I know who you are
The Leader of lost souls
You can't kill me, I'm Immortal

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So, here's the thing Will.. I'm a person who can see behind what you say and find out what you really mean.

You say you don't need this... I'm pretty sure you think you do.

Let's drag this out for a second. Two years ago, you were the King Dog of the Coliseum, you were the one people looked at and said, yea.. there's the future. And then, shortly thereafter..

Will Washington, the invincible soldier that never quit, walked away..

I'm not here to poke fun at you for leaving, the reasons you left are your own, and I can certainly understand when a person's heart isn't in their job. Whatever reason you chose to be the foundation for what you did is your own demon that you may have to slay one day, but what it does say to me, is that you lost sight of why you came here in the first place.

You're not one of these hum drum kids that plays dress up and dreams of holding that world championship.

You're like me, you live on the thrill of the next challenge.

And that's why I believe you need this more than you let on. You had half of the success that came from overcoming the challenge.

Now, you want the other half.

If you didn't need this, you'd of called your woman. Though, honestly, if she thinks this is hell, she hasn't been around wrestling much, and I only see that leading to more problems.

You want to win this match Will? First thing, you need to be honest with yourself as to why you signed on that line in the first place. The difference between a want and a need is how far you'll go to get it. A need.. you'll go through hell..

Looking at this Coliseum, looks like hell to me.

I'm not afraid to die
My soul will travel on
You can't kill me, I'm Immortal

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I turned around to stare at my mother, but when I turned back around my father was gone. Great, even in my own head the lectures never cease.

Did I become John Edwards all of a sudden?

You never could be serious when it mattered, could you?

The sad part is, Mother, I was always serious. You just never took me seriously.

Like when you made a silly kid's decision to run off and try to be some hero on TV?

Like when I decided what I wanted to do with my life. Hate to break it to you, but it's all I've actually done with my life. All I've wanted to do..

Even at the cost of hurting me and your father?

Did you expect me to sit at home, do whatever you wanted me to do, make myself miserable for your sake?

.....No. But you did. You've been tormenting yourself, thinking you're nothing but a disapointment to everyone and anyone you meet. Me, Your father, Ed, Angel, Spike, Zelda, Rob, Ayla, the fans.. everyone.

I had nothing to say.

You've been hiding it from the world, thinking that cold methodical uncaring Falcon was better for the world to see than you were actually human.

Nothing..

It'll all be over soon, I promise.

...Wait... what?

She didn't say anything further, just smiled at me...

No, tell me.. what does that mean!?

I need the rush
There's nowhere you can hide before you die

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Courage and Honor are great words, truly they are. And they mean something different to everyone. But courage is a character trait, courageous simply an act, the same with honored and honorable.. I'm not here to say which of us in this match is which and nit pick over small details like that.. but these are not new facets.

Nor are they restricted to one group of people. Be it Marines, the soldiers of the revolution, the Texans who fought for Independence.. or even back so far as the Spartans at Thermopolai. All it takes is a person's desire for a cause.

So it seems Nate Webb's cause is Nate Webb. And that's all well and dandy. But the real question Nate, is are you looking for people to remember you, or do you have the strength to let them choose?

Immortality is impossible, unless you're in a movie or like a frickin mummy. I mean real immortality, not just the concept of it. The key to being immortal, is people choosing to remember what you've done.

I've poured my heart into this business Nate, as you believe you did the same with the armed forces. As long as you put that kind of passion into everything you do, you'll never go wrong. And even when people say you're undeserving, you'll know in your mind that you're where you are because of the steps you've put forth.

There are six of us in this match, legends, prime potentials, the next big thing, all just labels to differentiate the supposed differences between us. But all those labels will be empty when that bell rings and the first of us are locked in the cage.

We've heard all week about which of us is willing to sacrifice the most, which of us is willing to kill, willing to die..

You're all forgetting one thing..

You can't kill me..

I'm immortal...

Why won't you face me?
I can see the fear that's in your eyes

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The scan was over, and I was snapped out of my daydream by Ayla touching my arm.

You're.. sweating.. is that normal?

The technician and I shared a look, then he shrugged.

Not unheard of..

Oh.. how do you feel?

I feel fine...

A small lie, I suppose.

Are we through?

Yes, sir. We'll have the results for you soon.

Thanks.

We exited. As I was putting my windbreaker on, I saw the technician point at the screen where my scans were. My doctor peered closer, then he frowned. I'm a fairly good lip reader, so I picked up quite clearly when the tech said "Do we tell him?". My doctor and I locked eyes for a moment. He's been a fan of mine since before I came to see him, and he knew what was going on. I simply saw him say.. "No.".

Something wrong babe..?

No, let's go..

I could tell she didn't believe me, but she didn't say anything. She knows me like that.

Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide
I see the blood drip from your eyes
Who will survive?
Let's get it on and we'll FIGHT

I know who you are
The Leader of lost souls
You can't kill me, I'm Immortal
I'm not afraid to die
My soul will travel on
You can't kill me
I'm IMMORTAL

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