At a random gymnasium in Anchorage, Armand von Krauss stands across from a man with a cybernetic arm. Like it’s obviously cybernetic. Armand pulls out his special new switchblade from a pocket. 

Von Krauss: Now, when I jam this into your arm, it should shut down your cybernetic arm. 

The man looks at his arm, examining it over. He shakes his head.

Man: Nope. No holes for a switchblade to be able to enter my arm and shut it down. 

Armand narrows his eyes as he regards the man across the ring from him.

Von Krauss: You do understand the point of a blade right? It makes its own hole. There’s no need for there to be one already. 

The man frowns, seemingly holding his arm in a protective position.

Man: I’m not going to let you put a hole in my cybernetic arm!

Von Krauss: Now, Jake. You were paid to allow me to experiment with this device to see if it will really shut down your cybernetic systems.

Jake frowns and gets into a fighting stance, his hand glowing red with little flames coming up from the palm. 

Jake: Then, the deal has changed. I’ll take that little toy from you and shove it into your eye socket. How does that sound?

Armand grins coldly, settling into a defensive stance.

Von Krauss: It sounds delightful. Do try your very best. Keine schwächelnden Kampfkünste hier, mein Freund.

Jake holds his palm out facing Armand, sending a fireball in that direction. Armand easily dodges it, but it's a feint! Jake launches himself into the path of where Armand moves to and punches Armand in the gut. 

Armand doubles over, but still manages to swing at Jake, catching him in the side of the head with an elbow. Jake responds by stomping Armand's foot to give him the distraction that he needs to karate chop the wrist of the hand that holds the switchblade, knocking it to the mat. 

Jake then hits Armand in the side of the head with a robotic elbow, sending Armand spinning to his knees. Jake then grabs Armand by the head and slams him face first into the mat! 

Jake: Take that! Not so happy without your toy, are you? I tell you what. You look like you carry quite a bit on you. Empty your wallet and we'll call it even. 

Armand gets up to his knees, blood flowing freely from his nose. His cold grin remains in place. 

Von Krauss: And if I refuse? 

Jake holds his hand, palm out, to Armand's face. 

Jake: Then, I will send you to whatever Hell you believe in. 

Von Krauss: Good. 

Jake blinks in confusion and in that moment, Armand jams the switchblade through Jake's hand and into the wrist. He presses the button to activate it and rolls backward to his feet. 

Jake backs up, cursing at his hand being stabbed. When his arm doesn't shut down, he just smiles at Armand. 

Jake: Failure. You've been cheated, Armand. I'll just melt this down for scrap metal…

Jake's hand to his elbow is engulfed in flames as he turns up the juice on his cyber abilities. The cheap switchblade with lights melts. 

Jake: Should have dealt with a better weapons dealer. Now, you die. 

Armand lunges at Jake, taking him down with a spear. He mounts Jake and begins pounding him with lefts and rights in a rage. He eventually grabs Jake by the shoulder and rips the cybernetic limb from Jake's semi-conscious body. 

Jake screams in pain as blood begins to spray from the wound. Medical staff at the gymnasium begin to swarm the downed wrestler. Armand shouts at them. 

Von Krauss: Save his life! I won't have a murder on my...record. 

Armand tosses the cybernetic limb to the medics who are trying to stop the flow of blood from Jake. Armand keeps his eyes to the camera, his fury visible. 

Von Krauss: You betrayed me, Vastrix! 

Jeremiah Vastrix sits in a chair at ringside. Well, he is handcuffed to the chair. 

Vastrix: Are you shocked? 

Armand gets out his smart phone and begins flitting through contacts until he finds whom he is trying to call. The video call is starting to connect when he begins to speak. 

Von Krauss: Sticky! Jeremiah has betrayed us and so I need you to kill Olivia Cooke for me. 

Armand turns the phone to Jeremiah so that he can see his fiance get killed by the clown on the call, but there is only silence. No pleading and certainly no killing.

Von Krauss: Why aren’t you in despair at your fiance being murdered right before your eyes?

Armand looks into the screen of the phone and surprisingly, he doesn’t see Sticky’s face. He sees Dylan Black! 

Von Krauss: What is this? Where is Sticky? 

Dylan turns the camera of the phone so that Sticky the Clown can be seen laid out on the floor, unconscious. He turns the camera to show Olivia Cooke, alive, well, and unbound. 

Black: You think us stupid enough to know that you would pull some blackmail scheme? It’s your go to card. Saw it coming a mile away and prepared for it. See?

Jeremiah Vastrix’s cybernetic eye flashes blue, sending a tiny beam of power down at his cuffs where he destroys them. He stands up with a bright smile.

Vastrix: Thank you, Dylan. Anything you need, you come to me.

Armand looks down at the smiling Dylan Black on his phone with a sneer.

Von Krauss: I will not forget this interference, Black.

Armand crushes the phone in his hand and then looks to Jeremiah. 

Von Krauss: Well? Do you want to step into the ring? I’m sure you want some revenge for Sticky grabbing Olivia.

Jeremiah just shakes his head and begins walking toward the exit of the building.

Vastrix: Nah. I’ll just let my boy, Dylan, shame you.

Von Krauss: FIGHT ME! Fight me so I can kill you…

Armand sighs as Jeremiah Vastrix leaves the building. Medics had likewise gotten Jake out of the building and loaded into an ambulance. Armand looks down at the blood pooled on the mat that’s starting to dry.

Von Krauss: Fight me. Fight me. Fight me…

Armand von Krauss notices that, he too, is covered in bright blood that had sprayed from Jake’s torso. He begins to make his way to the locker room to shower the gore off of himself and change into new clothing.

Von Krauss: Dylan Black. You think you’re so special. Der Antihel. The fans get behind you, even though you lie and cheat to get what you want since your enemies are often worse than you. Often more of villains than you are. 

I am not one of those villains. I am merely a man with ambition. I am mere a man with enough taste of power that I want more. Much more. I won’t let some robot man, some young luchador, or some Peurto Rican imposter come between me and the greatness that is rightfully mine. I will not be denied.

If I have to rip each cybernetic limb from your body to defeat you and put you through the burning table. I will do it with a smile. You want to interfere in my plots, Dylan? I can respect that, but do not expect  me to go easy on you from now on. No more schwächelnde Kampfkünste from me. I will break your limbs, rip them from your body. Should you die in the middle of the ring because of blood loss? It’s not my problem. You will just become a casualty of our...great sport.