Title: "Flight 909"        

         The time had came.

         Zero packed light as he had a taxi carry him to the airport. The tickets to Richmond, Virginia were reserved at the airport for Flight 909 out of Los Angeles. He just had to take them and board the plane. That could turn out to be the hardest part for him. Once it touched off, Zero was destined for that trip to the wrestling ring.

         Realizing what fate he was walking into, he forced himself not to turn back as he took his steps into the plane. He was taking a step for more than just himself.

         Walking into the coach area of the seating, Zero looked around for his row. Down from him, he saw an older man take a seat next to another who was gazing out of the window. Zero looked back down at his ticket, seeing that his traveling companion was to be an older man. He was hardly what would be welcomed for a flight across the country.

         As Zero took his seat, he placed his bag under the seat in front of him. Leaning back into the chair, it was then that he caught the glimpse of the eyes that stared at him from his left. Ever so slowly as he leaned forward in his seat, he turned his head to meet those eyes. The eyes... of Mason Xavier, the man known as Havoc.

         Instantly, Zero's head slammed full of the flashbacks from the two. His muscles tightened in the natural reflex that they had formed because of this man. Only two seconds had passed, but the realization that both he and Mason could be on the same flight, let alone sitting on the same row as each other, was a hard reality to believe.

         Reality or not, it had just happened. Collecting and throwing himself into the neo-natural state that he had learned to put himself in when he and Mason were in the same presence, Zero cleared his throat. "What are you doing here?" he asked. He said it without a glitch of surprise or other tone that might have been expected.

         But Havoc only had a cold response to Zero. "What are you doing here?" His eyes dug deep into Zero. He maintained a cool, calm position as he spoke.

         "It's a public flight," said Zero. He didn't feel like being the second echo inside of the plane. One was enough.

         He saw Havoc raise his hand into the air. It appeared to be a ticket, but Zero didn't pay it much regard. He only listened as Havoc said, "Well... I've got a ticket, too." Havoc's face didn't let up. It didn't show any transparency of what was going inside of his head.

         Nice to see things never change, Zero thought. Still leaning forward and staring into Havoc, Zero affirmatively replied with, "That you do." Taking one final look at Havoc, Zero leaned back into his chair. The man in the middle of them blocked their view of each other.

         It was going to be a long flight. Zero knew it already. Whether or not it would turn out to be dangerous, well that just depended on what happened between the two whose lives had been turned completely chaotic because of each other.

         Suddenly, the man in-between them got up from his seat. Probably a quick bathroom stop before the plane lifted off.

         Zero could feel Havoc looking over at him for a brief moment. He didn't return the gaze, but knew that they would not be able to last an entire plane trip without speaking to one another in some way, shape, form or fashion.

         Zero thought back to the last time that they had seen each other. It had been inside the ring at the HEW Tribute PPV. It had been a match up to standards of the two. Some had said it surpassed their previous encounters. But one thing Zero did remember was the knee injury that Mason had suffered at his hands. It hadn't been the usual pull or strain. Something had gone definitely wrong during the course of the match.

         Zero turned his head toward Havoc's vicinity. He glanced down at the knee that had been injured. Did he see a knee brace showing through Havoc's pants? He wasn't sure. Instead, he glanced back up to Havoc's face. "How's the knee?" he asked. Perhaps there was a tone of concern when he said it. But deep inside, Zero also knew that there was a pot of satisfaction that he had only began to sip from.

         Havoc sharply turned his head toward Zero. "It's holding," he replied. Very matter-of-factly was his reply, almost as if it was something Zero was supposed to know. It was obvious from his tone that he didn't want to talk about it.

         Zero narrowed his eyes at the tone of Havoc's voice. Lowering his own voice and grabbing that matter-of-fact trick, he coldly said, "That's good for you." With that, he turned his head away from Havoc. Closing his eyes, Zero laid his head against the top of the seat.

         "How's your body holding up?" Zero heard Havoc ask him. Perhaps it was to turn the center of the story around?

         Zero didn't want to look at him. He kept his eyes closed as he replied, "It's seen worse." Now if that wasn't a lie. Perhaps the physical damage was lacking, but Zero knew that the sudden tragedies from his town had weakened his body somewhat. Somewhat… no, immensely. Weaker than it had ever been in that category. That was something that he did not and would not go into discussion with to Havoc, though.

         For a moment, neither spoke. But finally, it was Havoc who broke silence that rang louder than their words.

         "Where are you headed?" he asked. Havoc's eyes held a cool, smug look to them.

         It was the kind of expression that had always thrown up red flags for Zero. Raising his head and masking his face into a simple cloud of actuality, he replied to Havoc by saying: "Some place. You?"

         Havoc smiled over to Zero. Zero could only guess that it was because of the obvious refusal of either to commit to something that involved facts amongst each other. "My destination," were the words that Havoc etched out through the teeth of his scheming smile.

         Zero responded to that smile with a snarl. "Nice to see nothing has changed." Zero flicked his chin towards Havoc as he said that last word. He could feel his blood as it began to stir. They were about to open Pandora's box. It was something that he knew neither of them would want to have out and exposed while on a cross-country flight.

         Havoc stirred in his seat. He quickly leaned over in his seat, an obvious display of his own blood as it began to boil.

         "What…"

         But Havoc was cut off as the man awkwardly made it back to his seat in-between them. His facial expression reddened as he could feel the tension from where he sat. He questioned how wise it was to get that seat.

         Suddenly, Havoc leant forward across the man. "What is that supposed to mean?" demanded Havoc. He inhaled deep as he spoke.

         Zero tossed his arms into the air. "What do you think it means?" His eyes narrowed as he leaned forward. His eyes met Havoc's. "You haven't changed since the last time I saw you." Slowly, he leaned back into the back of his seat.

         "'…The last time I saw you.'" Havoc repeated aloud to himself. Shooting back, he retaliated with, "Well... a lot's changed since September, Lint... A lot's changed since then. But you know something... I can honestly say I feel the same about you now that I felt about you then."

         Zero felt the spit from Havoc's mouth. He was angry. Zero was nearing that point, as well.

         From in-between them, the man shot his face back and forth. Realizing and expecting the worse, he pleaded with them. "Hey guys, not here, ok? Can this just wait?" He looked to Havoc, but felt an arm press against his chest.

         Zero didn't care to hear the man's request at that moment. He threw his arm across the man's chest and looked at him. "In a minute…" he forcefully told the man. Zero then turned his head back to Havoc. The traces of what Mason had just said were still running hot through Zero's head. "No, you listen, Mason. My feelings on you will never change. But everything has ended. The war is over." He glared at Havoc.

         Havoc shook the anger from his voice. He paused for a moment and stared at Zero. "Is it?" he quietly asked.

         Zero slowly removed his arm from across the man's chest. He leaned back towards the isle, but kept his focus on Havoc. "Yes, it is." He paused for a moment and took a deep breath. "The battle lines," he said, "have been washed away. It's our past." He leaned in closer to Havoc. "I regret seeing you again, but I've put all that has happened into my past."

         Havoc quickly shook his head, appearing as if he couldn't believe what he had just heard. " ...You regret? YOU regret? Sorry to inform you, Z... but you're not the only one with the scars... you're not the only one with the half-mended bones and aching joints." His face was beginning to redden, as if he was becoming hot… or with anger.

         That triggered a reflex inside of Zero. He threw his hand out, pointing straight at Havoc. "As neither are you." Zero knew full well that his own body was finally beginning to heal from all of the abuse that he had put it through. What nerve Mason had to insinuate that he didn't know what he was talking about.

         But slowly, Zero pulled his pointing finger away from Havoc. Instead, he pointed back to himself. "I regret, for wounds have a way of healing as time goes by." He sighed. The thoughts of months and years past flooded through his mind at that moment.

         Across from him, Havoc shook his head. "It's always been easy for you to just... walk away, hasn't it? To forget where you've been... what you've done... Who You've Hurt..." He hung on those last few words, letting them have time to sink in.

         But Zero didn't let them work. Instead, he shot his own rebuttal back at Havoc. "And it's always been your trademark to have a selective memory. Don't let your past concussions serve as a way for you to forget the trials that actually happened." He cocked his head to the side as he finished those last few words.

         Zero saw Havoc emit a small grin as he said, "Always wrong. You can never face up to the facts."

         Zero didn't even want to begin to debate it. Mason Xavier was wrong. Zero was right. Inside, Zero knew that. There was no need for him to debate it with a stubborn man who could not see truth for what it was. Instead, he disregarded Havoc's last message and replied with something concluding. "Mason, I never thought I would run into you again. But as this plane lands, may it be for the best of both of us if we never meet again. Those wounds need to heal."

         "Maybe you're right," was the only reply that Havoc gave. It was a quick reply. He followed it up by just turning his head to the window of the airplane.

         "I think I am," concluded Zero. As he said it, he grabbed his back and got up from his seat. Whether or not Havoc said something else, Zero didn't know. He was on his way towards a flight attendant in request for a new seat. He knew he wouldn't be able to sit beside Mason for hours upon end without something coming of it.

         And he didn't need that in his life right then. It took all the power that he could to hold is heavy head atop his shoulders. Mason would have just been the brick that toppled the castle.

         Zero took a new seat further back into the plane. Neither he nor Mason was in each other's view. Resting his head against the seat and closing his eyes, Zero knew he didn't need the added topic of Mason.

         Not then… nor ever again.