Annie Lennox Vs. Sebastian Hawke

January 27th -- Baltimore City Zoo



“Dude, this is amazing, thank you SO much for everything!”



Frankie Jennings wasn’t one for planning, seeing as he is fifteen. However, his companions, Carnage World Champion Silvio Leon and one half of the Carnage Tag Champions Axton Gunn round the corner to the front entrance of the zoo; were only too happy to be involved. Super excited to pick up his custom art piece from Silvio, Frankie had a sudden idea to throw Sebastian a surprise party to celebrate his win over Lord Raab and his subsequent and upcoming Chaos Title match; an idea Silvio was only too happy to be involved in and invite Seb’s closest friends.



Ensuring his wraparound sunglasses were securely on his face, Axton Gunn rounds the corner first, almost as excited as Sebastian would be at the idea of going to the zoo. He stops short though as Silvio and Frankie come up behind him and see that the entrance is closed and locked, a note indicating that they wouldn’t open for another two days. Axton glances back at Silvio, “Houston, we have a problem.”



“Ah, heck,” Silvio murmurs with a wince as the ‘problem,’ comes into view.



Walking up to the gates, Frankie rests his hands on the lock and pulls as hard as he can. Of course, it doesn’t budge and he shakes his head in disbelief, “I… I was here last year! They’re supposed to be open!” Frankie starts to panic, his eyes wide and his face growing redder by the second as tears begin to come. Just as Silvio makes his way over to console Frankie though, Sebastian shows up.



“Frankie? Got a message to meet you here for a ‘surprise to beat…’” He stops as he zeros in on the situation, trying to figure out what he had just walked into, “‘to beat all surprises.’ Is everything ok?”



“NO!” Frankie whips around, wheezing as he does so, breath labored as a bright red rash forms across his nose in the shape of a butterfly. “This was supposed to be an epic surprise party for a celebrity that I never thought I’d have a chance to meet. This was supposed to be a celebration of what you’ve accomplished so far Seb, that you are just as brilliant in the ring as any one of those people that… Carry… A… Bel…” Frankie’s heavy breathing forces him to take a seat where he stands, right in the middle of a wet puddle. He shivers slightly but doesn’t seem to notice as anyone standing close by could hear the sound of his wheezing. “It wasn’t…” He gestures uselessly toward a wrapped package he was carrying, the wrapping paper metallic blue and silver, Sebastian’s colors. He sniffles and wheezes again before laying down and closing his eyes, “I’m proud to be a fan…”



His voice, strained as it was, gives out in the last sentence as Ax, Silvio, and Sebastian rush forward; Axton being the first to reach for his phone to call 911.



Kneeling beside Frankie, Silvio gives him a couple of firm jabs to his shoulder.



“Hey!” he says in a clear, loud voice. “Frankie! Can you hear me?”



Knowing CPR, Silvio had always hoped he’d never have cause to use it. He remembers Frankie mentioning, ‘Make-A-Wish,’ and feels his heartbeat start to climb, his mind making a desperate but futile attempt to figure out what exactly Frankie’s sudden symptoms might indicate.



“But, what’s wrong with him?” Seb kneels and tries to sit Frankie up as gently as possible to help keep airways open. It didn’t take long for an ambulance to show up.

---

“Life is weird isn’t it Annie?”



An empty stage save for a lone Sebastian Hawke, sitting in the middle with his legs draped over the edge, lightly kicking them against the stage. The light taps come randomly to punctuate the space between Seb’s words.



“When this card was announced, hell, when I found out I was going to be starting the new year swinging up against Raab to get a shot at Chaos gold, I wasn’t sure what road I was on. The Entourage and the drama surrounding all of us and if I wanted any semblance of a ‘wrestling family’ to go with my newfound home, required my attention. I honestly didn’t want the match against Raab at first…”



His voice trails as he gets up and walks to center stage as a spotlight shines down from the theater’s heavens. Grabbing his phone from his pocket, Sebastian pushes the screen briefly, and "New York, New York" performed by David Hasselhoff starts to play. Sebastian smiles as he hits a few dance moves as he begins talking again.



“Family is always the most important, or at least it SHOULD be the most important. Maybe I’m young and naïve to believe that once a group is formed, everyone else’s interest begins to morph into one, big, blob of a joint mission statement. To have fun, to support each other, and to push each other to greater heights. The song choice isn’t coincidental by the way Annie, think about it. Small town dreams making things happen and turning those dreams into big-time reality. THAT was what I was imagining when I joined The Entourage. Lost my singles debut and since then, saw major success in tag team action.”



He shakes his head as he shakes his feet out a few times and stretches his legs out briefly before continuing.



“The Entourage imploded as I’m sure you’re aware Annie and if I spent any more time on the topic, I’d be at risk of overlooking you. For all of his faults, Raab said something to me that was helpful, that has spurred me to turn away from my troubles and focus solely, on… YOU. He said that I have only won because I had people by my side. I can only win a tag team match and even then, put any kind of pressure on it; a tag match against savvy ring vets or a tag team title opportunity for example, and my record just isn’t what I feel like it should be. I love myself, I love this job, and I love my fans…”



He pauses as his lip quivers ever so slightly but forces himself to continue,



“I’m so much more than just another upstart who will only ever see tag team success. Chaos 105? It’s going to be my pleasure to meet you Annie and let the world watch as we do battle, and I teach you exactly what I mean.”



David finishes the song big, his voice crescendoing into the dark corners of the theater. Sebastian pauses to appreciate the bravado in the voice before he gives the camera a knowing smile and a wink before the screen cuts to black.

---

“Is he going to be ok?”



Sebastian had to pause and give himself a quick breather as he waits for the answer from Mr. Jennings, Frankie’s father. The day was a whirlwind, surprise text from Frankie to meet him at the zoo, the gates closed when everyone arrived, and then Frankie collapsing. Sebastian called the young man’s parents on the way to the hospital and was surprised when they met him there. Allowing the hospital workers to do their jobs, Seb stepped away and was quickly embraced by Frankie’s mom and given a firm, ‘hand on the shoulder’ grip from Frankie’s dad.



Albert Jennings will always and forever be known as a hard-working, self-made man. A zest for cooking, he started his family restaurant, married his high school sweetheart, and started a family he had always dreamed of having. Peering through the window at his son, he looks over at Sebastian and nods, “Frankie will be fine, he just… Got over-excited. Stressed. If he gets worked up about something beyond his control, well, you can see what happens.”



Sebastian looks in through the window at a sleeping Frankie. After the ambulance ride, the hospital was able to stabilize him and give him a room, for “observation” they said. “So he’s not… I’m sorry for asking like this but, is he going to… You know…” He didn’t want to say it so instead he swallows a golf ball-sized lump of air in his throat. Albert smiles kindly and shakes his head.



“No, Frankie isn’t terminal. He has a disease called Lupus.” Noting the confused look on Sebastian’s face, Albert smiles again as he explains, “Think of it like this, it’s a disease that affects Frankie’s immune system and causes it to just, overreact and become too active. Symptoms typically range and it’s hard to spot because the disease can impact any organ in his body.” Sebastian nods in understanding, suddenly picturing the butterfly rash that had covered Frankie’s face.



“Would it be ok if I went in to talk to him? Is he awake? I could always come back…”



Albert laughs lightly and gives Sebastian’s shoulder another friendly squeeze, “He’s awake and I think he’d like for you to go in and say ‘hi’ very much.”



Nodding, Sebastian opens the door and heads inside Frankie’s room, closing the door behind him with a soft yet audible “click.”

---

A green light appears at the top of Sebastian Hawke’s screen and he watches as his first official webcast starts up. In a continuing effort to become a person worth the support of The Legion, Seb felt that it would be best to follow in the footsteps of someone who started with none and worked her way to being a living legend in the span of a few months before being forced to retire; Adrienne Levi. Remembering her very first, the sheer awkwardness of it all, put a smile on his lips as he leans back and smiles at the camera, trying to ignore the lack of people viewing him. Maybe once word got out that he was doing them, that would change… Maybe.



Leaning back, Sebastian raises his arms above his head and exclaims, “Carnage Legion! Welcome to my humble abode!” Sebastian spins around in his chair as the camera remains stationary. It didn’t take much positioning to fit the entirety of his small studio all in one shot. Scooting closer to the camera, Sebastian rests his elbows on the desk in front of him and looks into the camera as he speaks.



“So, I wanted to try something new. Something that would connect me with all those members of The Legion that look to me as their, ‘number one favorite.’ Am I number one on anyone’s list? I honestly don’t know. What I DO know though Legion, fans and non-fans alike, is how I want to proceed in my Carnage career.”



He smiles and sits back in his chair. Unfortunately, he leans too far and nearly falls backward barely catching his balance in time. He smiles sheepishly as he rests his elbows on his knees instead and clasps his hands in front of him.



“Opportunities come and go. Dom and I missed a shot at the Carnage tag team titles and lost to my pals, Axton Gunn and Jon Willis, Team Rock Lobster. I hold no grudges against them. It sucks losing gold but to be part of the kick in the ass those two needed to make it to a championship level? It could be considered an achievement.”



Sebastian shrugs.



“Ax, Jon, and Dom have their shit to figure out but the good news is that it has jack to do with me. I have one last trick up my sleeve though and I’m more than happy to play that card in exchange for bringing back The Entourage. I’d love for Jon to come too because at the end of the day? The more the merrier. That’s what that group means to me. The love of fun. The love and respect for each other to push one another to new, previously unattainable limits, and then shattering those limits as well. All the while having fun, putting smiles on peoples’ faces, and doing what we all love doing. We all LOVE to be in that ring.”



He smirks blushing slightly.



“Love… That’s a lesson in and of itself, isn’t it?”



Shaking his head, Sebastian brushes a hand through his hair before cautiously putting his feet up on the desk and looking thoughtfully up at the ceiling as he thinks out loud.



“Think about this and Annie, I hope that you’re listening; if not right away, sometime down the road. We all have grown up in this world where the very concept of ‘love’ can be viewed as the most disgusting and vile insult known to the existence of humanity. People fall in and out of love while others war against people who love others that they aren’t used to people loving. Like, I’m a young guy, this is all foreign territory for me but based on what little I know, at some point recently, ‘love’ mutated into something more. It used to be complicated enough. Had the power to heal and bring peace. When a person finds someone they can look into the future and see themselves with, it’s called ‘love.’ But at the same time, that same force can shatter a person into unrecognizable pieces in the worst of ways…”



A lightbulb idea comes to Sebastian and he sits up, looking through his computer and clicking a few items before, "The Power of Love" performed by I Fight Dragons plays softly in the background. Satisfied, Sebastian leans back again and continues to think out loud.



“The first line of the song, ‘the power of love is a dangerous thing.’ It’s so true isn't it? Love is fire. Healing and deadly all at the same time…”



His voice fades as he looks down at his hands and then back at a package, wrapped carefully in silver and blue wrapping paper. He smiles warmly and then looks into the camera again,



“A good friend of mine, who shall remain nameless but who I’m also dedicating my Chaos Championship match at 105 to, recently taught me a lesson. Now, I’ve learned a lot of lessons since being in Carnage. How to take a beating courtesy of Mitch Heart. How to earn opportunities and how to be a member of a group and some humility to boot. My friend just taught me probably the MOST important lesson of all.”



Sebastian’s smile widens, lighting up his features like so many people are used to seeing as he unwraps his present and pulls out a black duster. Tears come to Sebastian’s eyes but he blinks them away as he puts the coat back in the box and once again turns his attention back to the camera.



“A present from my friend. See, he’s currently stuck in a hospital due to some shitty disease named Lupus. He’s… He’s fifteen the world in front of him but is currently stuck in a hospital; recovering from a sudden onset of symptoms of Lupus because he got too stressed that the surprise party he wanted to throw for me wasn’t going to happen without a flaw. Now, this kid, if it were me at least, I’d be angry. Spiteful. I wouldn’t want to go outside again because what would the point be if I had to learn to live within the confines of the trickiest of diseases? Man… I visited him before I did this cast mind you, so I’m still trying to wrap my head around it all. A kid that young, with an issue that he’ll most likely carry with him the rest of his life, taught me that fighting out of hatred? Dislike? Contempt, or whatever else dark and scary people fight for, leads you down a road where you desperately and constantly look for darker ways to wash away the guilt of being there in the first place. When you fight for love though? Well, I guess we’ll see come 105 won’t we Annie? I can tell you that win or lose, at the end of that match I’m going to offer my hand in friendship to you. I know I’m in for a battle, I know I’m in for a war because I know what it’s like to be in a title match with everything on the line. I know how to lose those matches Annie and I’m sure that somewhere down the line, you learned the same lesson. What makes me different and better than all of that though? I’d *love* for a chance to learn what it takes to be a champion and I’m oh so friggin’ close. In exchange Annie, I hereby vow to teach you how to lose graciously to a young upstart like me.”



Sebastian winks at the camera, his trademark grin evident.



“So that brings us to the end of what I wanted to tell the world. I’m sorry we didn’t get to more pressing matters, like whether or not I’m single, but there’s always next time isn’t there? Now, I’m told that it’s always good to sign off of these things with a cool catchphrase or trademark. I’ve been thinking long and hard about this and I got the perfect thing. So until next time Legion… It’s time to fly!”



Sebastian salutes and hits his head a little harder than intended, causing him to overbalance and tumble backward out of the chair! Recovering quickly and keeping a low profile, Seb quickly raises a thumb to indicate he’s ok before pounding on random keys before the screen finally turns to black.

---

“Hey, dude, what’s up?”



Sebastian proceeds cautiously over to Frankie’s bedside, the young kid smiling weakly up at his favorite Carnage star. They make eye contact and Sebastian breaks first, pretending to look out the window.



“Quite the view you got here. I’m kind of jealous…”



Sebastian’s voice sounds strained and Frankie could tell he was trying so hard to be strong. After all, right outside his window was a supreme view of the opposite wing of the hospital.



“Dude, I’m fine. Sit.”



Sebastian jumps at being instructed by Frankie but does as he’s told, sitting in a chair by Frankie’s bedside table, a large package wrapped in foil silver and blue paper on top of it.



“You’re not used to being around sick people are you?”



Sebastian nods.



“Guess not. In my defense, though the last time I saw you, you were unconscious in a puddle. I just… I was scared.”



Seb falls silent as Frankie winces. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the first conversation like this that Frankie has had. Sighing, Frankie sits up and lightly jabs at Sebastian’s shoulder.



“See? I’m fine. Not dying, not even close to my death bed. Doctors say that I’ll live a long and happy life as long as I can keep symptoms in check. But…”



Frankie falls silent and looks embarrassed only for a moment before continuing.



“Look, this day was supposed to be about you. I wanted to do something special because I know you’ve had it rough with everything between Ax and Dom. I never dreamed of being able to do this so, I asked Silvio to help plan a party. Cake, presents the works.”



Sebastian blinks at his young friend.



“But, my birthday was in December.”



Frankie laughs a sound that puts Sebastian at ease.



“Dude, I’m a superfan, remember? I know that. I just feel that you deserve a little bit of recognition for how far you’ve come. I heard rumors that you were a real jerk backstage to people when you first came. You cooled down, you joined The Entourage, and look at you now. You have friends…”



Sebastian smiles.



“More like a second family. Yes, you’re included… I guess.”



Frankie jabs at Sebastian’s knee as the two share a laugh and Frankie continues.



“Even better. You have a family after being viewed as nothing more than a guy that wouldn’t make it. A young dude that would eventually just, move on to greener pastures. Fast forward to now and you’re going to a title match. No, it isn’t for the World Title or the Baltimore Title. In my eyes, it’s better.”



Sebastian’s eyes widen,



“The Chaos title better than the other two? No way dude! S’much as I love you, you’re a bit delusional. It’s nothing more than a bottom of the rung…” Sebastian stops himself as he catches Frankie’s glare.



“Dude, look harder and stop being a chode. It’s a title named for the main show for Carnage. The champion is the face of that show. Sure, you don’t represent Carnage as a whole or The Legion in Baltimore; but you ARE the face of the show. The champion is the person the network execs. Put on to get ratings. The one person in the company that no matter what will go out and put on a show for The Legion. THAT’S what the Chaos Title is. Not a bottom of the rung title, but one that…”



“Propels. Opens doors…”



Sebastian nods, finally getting “it.” Frankie smiles as he watches Seb put everything together.



“The champion gets to show the world they love what they love to do. That’s…” Sebastian looks at Frankie and smiles, “so poetic.” Sebastian gazes off into the distance at nothing in particular.



Filling the silence, Frankie pulls the package off the table and places it in front of Sebastian.



“You could keep going and fighting for respect that’s going to take a long time to earn. Or you can do what you love while showing those you love what it means to be a member of the Chaos roster. Seb, you GOT this. There’s no ‘if’s.’ There isn’t anything left for you to prep for. You went through it all and you got banged up along the way, distracted by maintaining a family that just needs to take a chill pill and talk things out. That’s on them though. You’re different because you show the world it’s ok to love again. That’s… That’s a champion worth watching. You deserve this Seb… Sorry, but I’m going to sleep now if that’s coo…”



He doesn’t have a chance to finish as Frankie slips off into the land of dreams. Sebastian smiles and picks up his present, before heading out the door.