(Scene opens with a shot of what appears to be a rather large and lavish hotel suite. We cannot truly be sure, as the hour is late and the room is dark, but it appears to be a suite the likes of which are reserved for foreign dignitaries and elite businessmen. Then again, appearances can be deceiving, and with the right skills one can dress up the most modest of accommodations to appear to suit a King. What's more, failing that, with the right skills the lowliest pauper can convince those in charge that he deserves the accommodations of a king, so the wise man is sure to never judge too soon. A ringing emits from a cell phone placed on a table across from the bed, and the form the previously slumbered deeply begins to stir. After a few moments the figure, now evidently a man, pulls himself into a seating position and swings his legs off of the bed. Grabbing a fancy silk robe and sliding it over his shoulder, he stands and walks over to the beeping phone. As he draws closer to us and picks up the phone to answer it we are able to make out enough of his figures to determine his identity as that of UWS manager Kevin O'Reilly.)
O'Reilly- (into the phone) Hello?
(The voice of "the Sentinel" Gabriel Blade answers his greeting, barely audible to us through the phone.)
Gabe- O'Reilly, it's me. Sorry about the late call.
O'Reilly- (surprised to hear Blade's voice) Gabe, is something the matter?
Gabe- I've been sitting here thinking about Blackened and Hellfire and the rest of the Acts of God all night. I haven't been able to get any sleep, I've got to talk to someone about some things, and I was hoping that you'd be available. (slight pause) But you must have been sound asleep, it was rude of me to call, I'm sorry, I'll talk to you tomorrow.
O'Reilly- No, no, no, Mr. Blade, I pride myself on giving my clients assistance in whatever way I can, and if it will settle your nerves, I would be more than happy to talk to you. Are you in your room? I can come down and talk things through with you.
Gabe- No, I'm in the lobby. I need to get out of the room, I've been pacing the hallways. I think the staff is starting to worry I might be some sort of a psycho.
O'Reilly- Not to worry, Gabe, I picked out this hotel personally, I assure you the staff are complete professionals. I'll be down in a few minutes and we'll see if we can resolve some things.
Gabe- Thanks, O'Reilly.
O'Reilly- Don't mention it.
(The scene shifts to the first floor lobby a few minutes later as O'Reilly, having managed to slip into one of his exquisite suits in record time, steps off the elevator. He glance from left to right before spotting Gabe, dressed in a plain white T-shirt and gray sweatpants, sitting at a nearby cluster of chairs. O'Reilly walks quickly over to him and takes a seat across from him.)
Gabe- Thanks for coming down.
O'Reilly- It's what I'm here for. Now, what seems to be the trouble?
Gabe- ... I've been thinking about this match with Hellfire, and this whole situation with the Acts of God, and I'm nervous.
O'Reilly- (surprised) Do you doubt your ability to beat Hellfire at Blackened?
Gabe- No, that's not it at all. It's just... I wrestle Sin one on one for the OWF title, and I beat him, but the Acts of God just grow stronger. I wrestle the entire team along with Lee, Tumbler, and Slamm, and we eliminate all of them, but they don't miss a beat. I prove that I deserve to be the OWF champion by beating Eric Manson in the middle of the ring, but the Acts of God are alive and well. Now I'm scheduled to go one on one with Hellfire, and I have to ask myself, is this the answer? Will I accomplish anything. I can wrestle him, and I can beat him in the middle of the ring. But will that do a thing to stop their evil from spreading?
O'Reilly- (after a pause, slowly and with measured words) I'm glad to hear you raise these questions. I've been thinking similar things myself for some time. You're write, you can wrestle these individuals each and every week, but it won't necessarily stop them. They are a much peskier thorn in your side than that, and it will take more than that to remove them. I think the mindset you need to have going into this is that this match is part of the battle, but it's not the war in and of itself. Much more will have to be done before the day is won.
Gabe- But what more? More matches, more victories in the ring? Evil, their evil must be stopped, at all costs. But is that the way?
O'Reilly- That will be a part of it, but that won't be all either. They are too resilient and too convicted to their plans for that. We will have to step up or offense. We're going to have to go farther and push harder to take them out. And we're going to have to realize that we may have to step outside of the ring to do it. And we're going to have to realize that you alone may not be able to do it. You are a Warrior, Gabe, I know, a champion of light, and a great one. But you are not all powerful. We have to consider that there are other resources at our disposal, resources that we will need to employ if the Acts of God are ever to truly be removed from your path.
Gabe- So what am I supposed to do?
O'Reilly- You are supposed to go upstairs and go to bed. You are supposed to concentrate on your match with Hellfire, make sure you are ready for it, and put everything else aside for the time being. The match has to be your top priority right now, but I will do some thinking on this, we'll see if we can set some things in motion. You focus on Hellfire and the ring, let me take care of the rest for now. Just remember, if our war is to be won, extreme measure must be undertaken. There will be no room for doubt or hesitation. When the time comes to act, you must act without question. Never forget that, and these monster can be beaten. Now, go, try and get some rest. You need to be healthy and rested if any fights are to be won.
Gabe- Ok, I will. Thanks, O'Reilly, you're a life saver.
O'Reilly- I'm simply very good at what I do. If I wasn't, I wouldn't be managing the best in the business today.
(Gabe gives him a weak smile before answering solemnly.)
Gabe- Thanks.
(Both men stand and O'Reilly pats Blade on the shoulder.)
O'Reilly- We'll talk more tomorrow.
(Blade nods and walks back toward the elevator, boarding it and heading for his room as O'Reilly sinks back into his chair. Steepling his fingers, he appears to be deep in thought. Slowly that indescribable, irrationally irksome smile spreads across his face.)
O'Reilly- With the right angle, every situation an become a positive.
(With that he quickly gets to his feet and heads toward the elevators himself as the scene...)
