A little late, maybe a lot late, Freakshow steps out from the curtain, a cigar in his fingers, straight off the yacht. With a look of utter contempt he stops a top the stage, holding the microphone. He waits for the inevitable booing to die down before he graces the audience with his speech.
"Salem... Come on kid," The blonde sighs, "What's this all about? I mean really. Because I don't think you quite understand what you're up against now," He leans into the mic. "You're lucky I'm feeling diplomatic, really, you are. If I wanted to I could snap my fingers, they'd be peeling you off the mat for your match with Killman later,"
Casually the New Yorker puffs the cigar. "But see, the weathers good, the stocks are up and I just had some steak, I'm in an understanding type of mood, as it stands," Freak starts pacing slowly. "Which is good. Cause' there's some things I understand that you, well, don't,"
The agent pauses. "We both understand that you beat me in one match. I understand that a lot has changed since then. A lot. Let me explain. This whole thing, my operation, is bigger than you. It just is. The fact of the matter is Salem, by virtue of my recent luck, I've got a lot of backing. If I wanted you done with, you'd be done with. It's real, real simple. Even these guys get it," He gestures to the fans.
The Marauder smiles at the expected reaction. "Now, look... I got involved in your match, of course. I could stand here, I could tell you why I did it. I could get into the economics. How it benefited me, my assets, paint the big picture for you. I could very easily rationalize things and make them understandable from a logical, business standpoint. But then we would be avoiding the reality of the situation. The reality being, that I can't stand you, your stupid fans, or this company."
The blonde holds his hands up defensively. "I came to this place with a goal. Call it a hostile takeover, call it whatever you want to call it. I knew there'd be obstacles. I knew the biggest one would be the world champion. The fact that it just so happened to be you, Mr. Croft, was, oh how do you say, collateral. But things are changing, pal. I've got doors closing and other ones opening. My presence in BBW will only be expanding from this point forward. " He pauses.
"Now, Salem, you could easily let this whole enterprise flatten you, in fact, that's what my plan is. You could do the intelligent thing, step out of the way, bury your head in the sand. Or, take a third option.." The manager trails off..
