Shoot For The Moon

-LAS VEGAS-

"...I'm sorry this is so sudden. I wish there was something I could do, but..."

The tall, mustachioed, middle-aged man looked down at his desk, unable to look his employees in the eye any longer. "My associates and I are available to help anyone who asks if you need assistance looking for work. I... wish you all the very best in your future endeavors."

After 6 years in business, VEW - Vegas Extreme Wrestling - was closing its doors for good. The news had been a surprise to most of the people employed there, but Wayne, the owner, had known the writing was on the wall. Attendance had been down, and his stubborn refusal to cut the salaries of the hard-working men and women on his roster had placed the indie wrestling fed in a tight spot, but it was still doable... and then a World Creature Wars arena had opened two blocks down, and it was all over.

Slowly, Wayne's former employees filed out of his office. Only one stayed behind. Wayne didn't have to look up to know she was still there.

"Silence. I'm so sorry. You've been there since day one. You carried this company on your shoulders when we were trying to get off the ground." Wayne sighed. "I've let you down."

Silence remained motionless. Wayne slowly raised his head. She approached him. They stared into each others' eyes a moment before Silence nodded once, turned, and left.

"...She was never good with conversation... but I understand what she meant there." Wayne said quietly to himself. "She doesn't blame me. She'll be okay.

Hopefully."

---

Silence always drew attention when she walked down the street - attention she didn't want. It was one of several reasons as to why she preferred to go outside in the wee hours of the morning - a time that was low in activity, even in Vegas.

But wouldn't you know it, she drew attention anyway.

"Hey."

Silence stopped in her tracks. The man under the lamppost ahead was looking at her. He was wearing a green biker outfit and his face was obscured by a helmet.

"Listen. I've got a proposition for you."

Silence glowered menacingly at the one who dared bother her, but didn't move.

"I saw you take out that boxer asshole the other day, Silence. You're a dynamo."

No response from Silence.

"So, uh, there's been some rumors going around that the fed you work for is in trouble. How true are-"

The fist stopped inches from Blade's face.

"...I see. Well, if you're not tied down at the moment..."

The biker held out a flyer. Silence looked down at it, awkwardly took it, and stared at it for a while. Her visible eye squinted.

"Can you read it?"

Silence finally handed it back, shaking her head.

"I will, then. Ahem... 'The King of Beasts has relocated! Fans of the former Zoofights Corporation, known for its zoological pugilism, are welcome to-'"

Silence leaned in. Blade struggled to read her expression, but she seemed interested.

"...Zoofights? You know about them?"

Nodding.

"Good. Then you should know about the Big Bar Brawl."

Silence ceased nodding.

"No? So you only knew about the animal fights. Okay, here's the deal. Once a year this crazy-ass ghost rounded up all the people he could find and threw them into an arena. Last man - or woman - standing is immortalized as a champion. There might be an actual prize too, I can't remember. Anyway, I know about the kind of people who enter that thing. They're nuts. Most of them have magic powers or guns that could drop a rhino. But you... You're different. I can't tell you how ecstatic I would be if someone from the streets showed up at the Brawl and out-bruted the kobbers. And if you can beat the kobbers, you'll never be short for work or money."

Silence pounded a fist into an open palm.

"Waiiit a second. Those rumors about your fed said that World Creature Wars-"

More nodding. Blade grinned under his helmet.

"Need a hookup?"

---

Meanwhile, on the other side of the continent...

-MANHATTAN-

Nobody visited the last house on Derry Avenue. It was a run-down, ramshackle little place that brought down property values and attracted bad rumors. It wasn't utterly collapsing or anything, but you can't help but think the place was too hot in the summer, too cold in the winter, and probably leaked when it rained.

Newcomers to the area were routinely surprised when they found out someone actually lived there.

"Pumpkaboo, guess where WE'RE going?"

Viola Nightshade spoke with a surprising cheerfulness. Her Pokemon, a small pumpkinlike ghost, sat on her dining room table and listened with rapt attention.

Viola eagerly waved around a flyer and a ticket. "We're going into SPACE!"

Pumpkaboo squeaked.

"I'm not kidding. You and I and the rest of my Pokemon are leaving this summer to visit another planet. I've researched all I can here. I need to go deeper." Viola clutched the sides of her pumpkin ghost and lifted it, looking into its' eyes. "We have to go deeper. We will go into the shadows and uncover that which no one was meant to know. And the voices will stop. I've always wanted to silence them."

The voices. Viola had been talking about them more lately. Pumpkaboo tried to offer a reassuring squeak.

"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. Haven't I always been fine?" Viola giggled, setting her pet back down on the table. "The voices just get annoying sometimes, that's all."

God, what a freak show.

She lives in that shack with a bunch of Pokemon. Utter weirdo.

God, her sense of fashion is ATROCIOUS.

Don't touch me!

Get away from me, you nerd!

"Oh, they'll see... They'll all see! I'll bring amazing truths to light, and then the voices will stop, and then I'll- no, I'm getting ahead of myself. Ehehe..."

Viola slinked away to the kitchen to prepare dinner. Her Pumpkaboo stared after her.