Do you ever get that funny feeling, that itch right below the skin?
That itch down by your wrists that only a razor blade can scratch?

        (( It's a dark nighttime. Darker than usual. Even what moonlight there is shining down on the Bay doesn't help illuminate San Francisco any better. The occasional draft of wind creates an odd atmosphere for people busy walking the streets.

        Across the city, Jake's Used Car Dealership has been closed for hours. But, the large amount of vehicles and equipment in the parking lot would beg to differ. A large van with the initials "HEW" across the side of it is parked center, surrounded by an assortment of cars and technical equipment. Lights are setup at different angles, casting a false light to compinsate for the lack of a moonlight. Microphones with large goosenecks are strewn up highly, arcing back down. Monitors are setup at 4 points. Two are on stands at the end of the van. The other two are facing each other across a large plain void of any technical equipment.

        In the center, of all of the euipment is a short, balding man. He is sitting in a chair marked "Director". Beside him, sitting in a similar chair, is a taller, more younger looking man. He has a big grin of his face, for he is the owner of Jake's Used Car Dealership, and his logo will be in the background of this shoot. Around the two men, at three different angles, are cameras. Their operators are standing nearby, waiting their cue to begin filming.

        All of the euipment and personel are positioned in a U-shape around a row of cars parked door to door. At the farthest end is a Chevy Cavalier, obviously in prime condition. Next to it is a Honda Civic, which, despite a lack of gloss, appears to be fine. In the middle is a Toyota Tercel, which appears to be almost new. Next to it is a Buick, which, although old, appears to have been kept in good shape. The same, though, cannot be said for the closest of the five cars. An old, dented Chevette, which has a miscolored door, and a busted windshield and driver-side window, rounds out the row of cars.

        Back at the director's seat, the Director and Jake are eagerly talking about the promo shoot. Jake is excited about all the upcoming publicity that his dealership will be getting. ))

        Jake: "So, you're sure this will increase my profits by 200%? That was the deal, you know. I let you'll shoot this here for free, and I'm promised free publicity."

        Director: "Rest assured, your company will become a bigger force here in this area. Why, with the rankings that HEW has been pulling lately, your company might even beat out the new car dealerships."

        (( That made a big grin come across Jake's face. ))

        Jake: "Great! Oh, and your sure that having that Chevette in the promo isn't going to hurt my business? I mean, I could of supplied you'll with a car. You'll didn't have to bring your own for the filming."

        Director: "Don't worry about that. We had to use something that we could smash up, so we got that from a junk yard. We didn't need to use one of your new, er...."slightly used" cars. And hey, plus, it goes right along with Zero. Trash for trash. Have you seen what he drives? His Blazier saw better days 5 years ago. I'm sure he could afford a new vehicle now after receiving a few pay checks from the HEW."

        (( They both laugh a little amongst themselves. ))

        Jake: "Yeah. Oh, where is he anyways? I've never seen him before, but I hear he's kind of a nut. Always ready to go off, and not to clear thinking. Always seems to be in another world when he talks. Is that true? Heh, maybe being in jail changed him up a little...from the inside out!"

        Director: "(( laughing )) You might have a point there. I think Kevin Powers once brought that up. Maybe there is truth to that. But, uh yeah. Not too stable of a guy...."

        (( They hear a door slam from far off. They turn, and look in the direction that it came from. The camera man turn, as well, and then start moving towards their camera. ))

        Director: "Alright, here he comes. Just talk with short answers to him, if you talk to him at all. In the meantime, just sit back where you are and watch how we cut a promo here in the HEW!"

        (( The technicians in the van slowly turn the lights down that surround the row of cars. It creates a fullmoon setting, with a slight ray of light coming in from the left. The camera men assume their roles behind the camera, and get into their accustomed angle for all the shots.

        Zero comes walking up to the row of cars, and stops, just staring at the setup they had made for him. His hair has grown back out to it's normal length, and it's spiked up and blue. He has a spiked bracelet on his left arm, and his long chain wallet on. His pants have a rip in the knee. His shirt is a different color of his "Anarchy: Punk's Not Dead" t-shirt. He raises a cigarette, and takes a drag. As he does, and small stream of blood runs down his knuckles, and past his wrist, stopping before it reaches his elbow as Zero lowers his hand. ))

        Director: "(( Talking through a megaphone )) Alright Zero, I know you looked at the write up of how this was supposed to happen. Let's just do this in one take, hopefully, and we can be finished."

        (( Zero looks at the director, but doesn't say a word. He takes his time, and finishes his cigarette. Flicking it to the ground, he twists his foot on it. He then climbs up onto the hood of the Chevette, and this sits down on the roof.

        The lights go a little lower. Zero puts his head in his arms. The director is waiting pantiently for Zero to be ready. Finally, he takes matters into his own hands. ))

        Director: "Alright Zero, we're about to begin shooting, regardless if you're ready. So get ready! Cameras, on three........1......2......3"

        (( Zero holds his head down in his arms for a moment longer.... ))

        Director: "CUT! Zero, get your damn head up. We're wasting money here."

        (( The camera man are starting to get restless. Zero is back into one of his stages where he doesn't want to go with the flow real easily.

        Jake, on the other hand, is enjoying himself quite nicely. He actually feels like he is apart of something that the HEW is doing. ))

        Director: "Ok, Zero, maybe keep your head down for the opening of the shoot, but you have to raise it and begin talking. (( while Zero's head is still down, the director again does the countdown. )) Ok, take 2, on my count of 3. 1.....2.....3....!

        (( Zero keeps his head down. The director is getting agitated, and is about to call cut, just as Zero slowly raises his head up.... ))

        Zero: "All you care about is money. Is that the center of everyone's ambition's in this world? Is that the force that can drive a man on, even to the point of mental breakdowns. You're position as director is hardly the person that should be worrying about money....."

        (( The director jumps out of his chair. Zero is totally ruining the shoot. He's talking to him, not about his career in the HEW. ))

        Director: "No, no, dammit! You're ruining it. Quit talking to me! This is a promo for HEW. Cut! Cut! This take is ruined."

        (( But Zero ignores the director's antics. He continues to speak. ))

        Zero: "Our world is plauged by people driven for the one goal of money. You, the director, are not the exception, you're a follower of everyone else. Even everyone in the HEW. Money, greed, prestigue. Those are the only things important to those people. They see everything as a stepping stone. No one is ever content at where they are. No one ever cares for being themselves, and going after a single goal, not the goal of everyone else.

        When I cam back to the HEW, I had hoped things had changed. But I was wrong. Things were worse. Everyone had forgotten their purpose in the HEW. Greed had overtaken everyone. Prestigue had become an illness for anyone who would receive it. Money had a lot to do with it. Everyone started assuming a status once the HEW became fullscale on the market. Now, liscenes for every product imaginable is availible bearing wrestlers for HEW's likeness. And, it is all because of greed.

        No one ever goes after a belt simply for the joy of having it. Simply to say you acheived something in your personal goals. No, everyone sees everything as a raise. It all started with Randy Harders, wanting to be World champ just so he could afford finer things for his wife. He didn't want the title so he could acheive the rank of World champ. He was driven by greed."

        (( Out of camera range, the director is going mad. This wasn't even the topic for the promo. It was supposed to be about Zero's defeat to Kevin Powers, and also about Terror Inc.

        Jake, meanwhile, was enjoying himself. Even though he considered Zero to be a little "unstable", he was still enjoying Zero go all out about how he felt about money. Jake couldn't back Zero, though. He would soon have a second house in Hawaii, and he enjoyed the thought of becoming even richer off of this promo shoot. ))

        Zero: "And since then, everyone has looked at the title as more money for themselves. But it's not just that title. It's every title. All the wrestler's see each title as a slight raise in their pay.

        I was the Hardcore champ. I rejected a pay raise after recieving the belt, though. I wasn't in it for the money. I didn't want to change my lifestyle. I just wanted the personal satisfaction of fulfilling a goal of mine. But now, I don't know if I would even want a title. Everything is simply money. Kevin Powers, you undoubtedly are keeping ahold of your title simply because it pays the salaries of your personal prostitutes. It's not about the honor of being recognized as the elite of the Hardcore."

        (( The director is getting tired of Zero airing his agitation of the money undermining professional wrestling. He has to make him stop, and get on with the real promo. He goes back to the van, and opens the back door to talk to the technicians. He finds them playing a Game-Boy game against each other, totally ignoring what is going on. ))

        Director: "You idiots! Stop playing with your shitty games and do something about Zero. He's filibusting out there, and won't shut up. Turn the lights lower, off....something!"

        (( The two men look at the director, and wrap up their game. The director doesn't have time for that, though. He, the HEW, is wasting precious money in this moment of Zero talking. He pushes the men out of his way. Their chairs fall over with a thump. The director stands over the controls, not really knowing what he's doing, but try's to adjust the settings.

        Zero, outside of the van, has gotten of of the car, and is standing near it. He has moved on from his topic of greed to the topic of respect no one will show a man who simply follows his own way of living, instead of the normal, beaten path. ))

        Zero: "People talk about me. I know this. They call me a little abnormal. Maybe a little off. (( The lights start to flicker a little, and then a spark flies from the light directly left. Then, the lights go dead, excpt for one light, still left on in the corner, beside the back of the van. This is all the light Zero needs. )) They look down on me because of my past, and my way of living now. I can see this clearly from what the HEW gives me as a setting for a stupid promo. They consider me the lower level, someone they can keep happy by merely giving me a chair and an opponent. But I'm not like that. My views are clearly in a whole different dimension than that of everyone else's."

        (( Zero walks over to a monitor setup near a non-functioning light. ))

        Zero: "Well, I can only ponder behind reasoning for the assumption that I can be pleased by scraps while others recieve steaks. That is not my way of doing things."

        (( Zero grabs the monitor, and raises it into the air. The director is just stepping out of the van, and sees Zero raising the monitor high above his head. ))

        Director: "Put that down! No!!! That cost a lot of money. Put it down!"

        (( Zero takes a glare at the director. ))

        Zero: "I'm not the puppet that everyone else can be to you. As far as the money goes, the HEW can pay for it by reducing the checks of so many of their overpriced "athletes"."

        (( Zero turns, and looks at the Chevette. As the director screams, Zero throws the monitor into the car, smashing the rear side of the car, and demolishing the monitor. Gas leaks out from the hold punctured in the gas tank by the monitor. ))

        Zero: "If the HEW thinks that since I came back, I can become a puppet for whoever is pulling the strings, they better learn that I do things my way, and nobody elses."

        (( Zero reaches into his pocket, and grabs a cigarette. The director, Jake, and all of the camera crew start running from the filming zone in fear of sparks touching the exposed gasoline all over the ground. ))

        Zero: "Let that be the start of who decides to call the shots."

        (( Zero takes a drag, and then flicks the cigarette high into the air. He then turns, and starts walking off into the dark night of San Fransisco.

        The director, Jake, camera crew, and now the technicians who have found out what is going on, watch as the cigarette reaches it's arc into the air. Then it starts making it's fast drop back to the ground. The men are frozen in panic, unable to take their eyes off of the destruction that will soon take place. Jake starts to cry.

        The cigarette rapidly approaches the gas on the ground. Landing, it instantly lights the gas. The fire speedily follows the trail that the gasoline had made, heading staright for the gas tank of the Chevette. With flames getting higher with each passing milisecond, the crew start a mad dash for safety as far from the unavoidable doom as possible. As they reach a point right beside the driveway, an explosion goes off as the fire reached the gas tank. The crew dive forward, becoming incased in mud and gravel.

        Slowly, they turn back to view what is happening. The Chevette is burning, along with the Buick as well. Zero is no where to be seen. Jake starts to cry again. ))

        Jake: "My cars, my company.....I'm doomed.....no wait, I can still make some money off of this after all. I'm sueing the HEW!"

        (( The director, though, is paying no attention to Jake. He is thinking of what a great promo this would of made after all. ))

        Director: "Camera guy, you! Please tell me the tape was still rolling. Please tell me you used your own good judgement for once, and left the machine rolling. Please! This could mean a raise for me if we could use this promo."

        (( But, the camera man had followed exact orders, even if he thought he should of left the camera running. And this meant the director wouldn't be getting that raise he wanted. Who is truly to blame for this? ))

midi: "Infected" by Bad Religion