"Why so Sirius?"
Oct 12, 2019 1:29:55 GMT -5
Post by OrochiGeese on Oct 12, 2019 1:29:55 GMT -5
*We fade into a well-furnished room on the 9th level of a nondescript office building. There is a large display projected onto a wall running Micro open source presentation software. A blonde woman named Megan Williams, who is wearing a dark grey business suit, holds a digital pointing stick. She is trying to get the attention of Ruby Moreno whose glance is nervously alternating between the video screen, window, and door. Agent 1, who is guarding the door and smoking, notices this.*
[Agent 1:] "He's nowhere near us. If the boss trusts me to scout and lock this place down, you should too."
[Ruby:] "He's your boss, not my boss, and he works for Destiny. I don't have the same messianic faith in him as you seem to. Frankly, I question your judgement right now. You weren't supposed to directly engage with O'Brian, just distract him long enough to get him out of the picture. He's right, you are emotionally involved and that compromises all of us."
[Agent 1:] "You made your position clear on that. But I don't care about Furis and that's who you are scared of."
[Ruby:] "You should be too. We have him and O'Brian tracking us. Preparing only for one will guarantee the other."
[Agent 1:] "I found this building which is not remotely connected to Destiny. I have plain clothes guards downstairs and roaming the perimeter. Given your lack of security background, I can't imagine what else you could want from me."
[Ruby:] "The heartfelt understanding that if I fall, your boss falls too."
*Agent 1 lights another cigarette to hide what appears to be a hint of a smile.*
[Agent 1:] "Then, like you said, my messianic belief in him won't let that happen. So why don't you relax and focus on your cute little presentation there. Looks like Ms. Williams is anxious to start. Stayed up all night preparing?"
*Megan enthusiastically nods, not realizing the patronizing tone. Ruby glares at Agent 1 one more time before enthusiastically turning her attention to Megan and giving her a genuine smile of confidence.*
[Ruby:] "Now, Megan, this is the biggest project I've ever given you. Make me proud."
[Megan:] "As directed, I have compiled a list of suspects as to the identity of Sirius Mask."
[Ruby:] "Let's run through them."
[Megan:] "First, a disclaimer. Assuming that Sirius was telling the truth about only wrestling once in UBL, that would disqualify just about everyone here. I am operating under the impression that Sirius is lying or twisting the truth."
[Ruby:] "Anyone under a mask, by definition, is deceitful. I accept that premise. Please proceed."
*Megan clicks a button on her device then points it at the screen causing a graphic to appear*
[Megan:] "Kyle Walker: He is rather high on the list of those who hold grudges against Destiny. Plus, he is adept at hiding his identity while holding them. He once hid under a mask for years to fool Geese before almost ending his career. He has an 'ends justify the means' approach. Despite not caring for Titles, he once co-held the Battalion Tag Championship with Jason Hyde just to antagonize UBL. Last month he saved Matthew against James Ward and Cosmic KID, saying he wanted Matthew to lose the Title the 'right' way. It certainly seemed like he intends on being the one to cleanly defeat him."
[Ruby:] "All that you said is reasonable but also completely irrelevant. His sister is set to wrestle me on that same date in OG-Joshi. He knows that when Robin loses to me, her life is essentially over due to our stipulations. He will do anything he can to prevent that fate. As much as he'd like to humiliate me, avenge Geese against Matthew, and take the NEXUS Title away from Destiny, his loyalty and protective instincts for his sister are his primary driving force. Furthermore, Kyle has wrestled Matthew numerous times before at the Walker ranch but Matthew said Sirius Mask was a complete enigma to him. Even if Kyle tried to change his style, Matthew is too astute to not recognize him. There’s no way Sirius is Kyle."
[Megan:] "Noted, moving on."
*Megan looks somewhat embarrassed but clicks the button on her pointer, causing the picture to change again.*
[Megan:] "Jason Hyde: He has never been openly antagonistic to Destiny. However, he may not have wanted to be as it could risk his sister Angelina's standing in LAWL and OG-Joshi if he openly vied for the NEXUS Title."
[Ruby:] "We haven't seen Jason in a UBL ring since Jinchuu disbanded 9 years ago. He never had any personal issues with Matthew beyond Matthew fighting against Jinchuu in general. I don't think Jason carries a grudge. However, Jason and Kyle were at one time close. Perhaps Matthew's manipulation of Kyle and Geese angered Jason? It's possible. I like him as a candidate more than Kyle and he also cares a lot more about Championship gold. I'll have Matthew prepared for him. This was a good selection, Megan. You did your homework and provided a suitable candidate and argument."
*Megan smiles and then changes the picture.*
[Megan:] "Joachim: Obviously, as an apostate, he has a clear intention to hurt Destiny. *Ruby fake wretches*. And I was thinking that perhaps the reason we never saw his match with Sirius Mask was because he is Sirius Mask. Much like Kyle and Jason, we have not seen Joachim in the ring for a long time before his sudden return this year. So he would be capable of totally changing his style to be mysterious enough that we couldn't directly identify him from the few matches he had. We know that he trains when he travels around the world. At the very least, he's well-versed in different styles."
[Ruby:] "All of that is sadly true but Joachim is also disgustingly honest and 'noble' about things like this. His perception of his honor has always been more important to him than strategy. I don't see him wearing a mask unless it was part of a deviant bloodletting ritual. Plus, Sirius Mask came to the aid of Joachim and Jang Bae a few times. That would mean there's more than one Sirius Mask and then this entire meeting becomes an exercise in futility. It's not him, let's move on."
*Megan briefly frowns but then realizes Ruby wants her to continue. The picture changes*
[Megan:] "Luke Kisiera: He isn't generally hostile to Destiny like some of the others are, but there are a lot of reasons that he may have personal issues with you. Since Jean Carter is his girlfriend, he may hold resentment over your interactions with her in OG-Joshi eight years ago. Also, his loyalty to the Walkers could lead to anger at what you and Matthew did to Geese last year and what you will do to Robin soon. He was also once one of Matthew's best friends so he may either feel betrayed or the misguided need to help him. He also currently owns Peter Venkman Memorial Arena so he's close enough with UBL management to allow for his quick rise to the top of the NEXUS Division. Perhaps this is a quid pro quo situation? Before Luke retired, Matthew believed he had in ring potential. Due to training with the Walkers, he probably improved. We have no idea how he'd even wrestle now but we know he once had a confusing, inexplicable wrestling style."
[Ruby:] "True but Matthew would have still detected him a mile away. They trained together constantly, including at the Walker ranch not that many years ago. There's no way Kisiera's 'heart of a hero' could beat any differently and he wouldn't wear a mask as well. He's also a little tall for Sirius Mask and there's no way to cut off inches even when wearing a mask."
*Megan looks embarrassed but she continues to the next picture.*
[Megan:] "Thomas Mills: He is also a former training partner of Matthew but not as close a friend as Luke was. Matt saw Thomas as having a lot of untapped potential though. Mills improved enough in the Prestige promotion, and had access to different training partners, which could allow him to make his style undetectable by Rivers. It had been years since they trained together. We know Thomas and his father have a grudge against Destiny based on the 'Parlay at the Presidio' incident a few years ago. Thomas' return to the UBL has been mostly unimpressive, short of a close match with Gushiken, but perhaps he was intentionally throwing matches to divert our attention from him?"
[Ruby:] "I don't think he would have cheated himself out of winning the Circuit Title. But the motive to get one over on us is certainly there, especially now that Kisiera bought back the arena from the Mills family. Thomas is a good choice for a dark horse candidate to be Sirius. I'll have Matthew prepare for this but I'm not really that concerned. Thomas, at his best, was never half as good as Matthew. Even with years of training, there's no way his training partners were as good as Matthew's. The element of surprise only goes so far. Mills doesn't seem agile enough either to do what Sirius did."
*Megan nods and the picture changes. Ruby looks angry at the next image.*
[Megan:] "Sorry for the out of date picture but I'm guessing that's not why you are upset. Obviously, we know Cosmic KID has an agenda that involves you. But what about Matthew? Cosmic KID may dislike him for being one of the icons of the 'new' UBL which KID hates. Matthew's old friends, now enemies, helped kill the secret Jinchuu plan that KID put together with James Ward. KID is agile and possesses a mysterious enough style to do what Sirius Mask did in the ring this year. Matthew never wrestled him so he wouldn't be able to easily identify him. There's also a similar 'space' theme between the masked identities of Cosmic KID and Sirius Mask. Plus, out of everyone listed here, KID just had one match in the current UBL: losing to Corey O'Brian. Granted, KID was a large part of the old UBL but I'm not sure he'd acknowledge that now."
[Ruby:] "There are a lot of reasons this makes sense but I don't buy him as Sirius. KID had a business proposition for us in the parking lot. While it didn't take much for him to turn to intimidation, I don't think he's after the NEXUS Title. I have a strong suspicion of what was in that briefcase. And, if I'm correct, defeating Matthew is tangential to KID's plans."
*Megan nods and the picture changes. Ruby lets out a small "ooh" that shows her interest.*
[Megan:] "Tsaoring Chou. Rivers never directly wrestled him or even trained with him. By the time Chou joined the roster, Darius was the Field Leader for his rookie class. Chou is also agile and talented enough to do what Sirius Mask did. We don't know his intentions which means he may not care about Destiny at all, or may be hiding them from us."
[Ruby:] "He's not our man for this investigation because he's too short to be Sirius Mask. Without the powers of the spirits he prays to, he couldn't wear lifts and be as agile in the ring as he is. However, I do agree there is something secretive about him. I still have my eye on everyone that was near ringside during the March Debased event when Kyle pulled his barbed wire bat out from under the ring. Remember how Chou had a gym bag full of T-shirts earlier in the night?"
[Megan:] "Are you saying those weren't really t-shirts!? Or that they were...counterfeit!?"
*Agent 1 face-palms but Ruby ignores him.*
[Ruby:] "No, I'm saying he may have had more than just t-shirts in there. You know, like a barbed wire bat? The problem is that I have nothing else to tie Chou and Kyle together."
[Megan:] "For that matter, Chou may not have even known if there was a bat in there."
[Ruby:] "Dear, even one bat would weigh enough to significantly affect the weight of a shirt-filled gym bag."
[Megan:] "Oh, so like one pound of bats isn't equal to one pound of shirts?"
*Ruby's fingers find her way to her temples as she deeply sighs.*
[Ruby:] "It's not Chou, Megan. Let's move on..."
*Megan shrugs her shoulders in confusion but changes the picture. Ruby gets angry again.*
[Megan:] "Yeah, I thought you wouldn't be happy to see this guy again. The former UBL Field Leader: Darius Korvin. He hates Destiny as much as anyone on this list and is also close with Furis. They want Dr. Schassberg back and intend on punishing us...like we had anything to do with it! *Ruby politely smiles and blushes at Megan's earnest statement. Agent 1 suppresses a laugh.* Even though Furis has returned to the UBL, Darius hasn't publicly done the same. But maybe he is already back and under the mask. He used to look up to Matthew and is likely angry that he turned to Destiny. Darius is versatile and we haven't seen him wrestle in a long time. He could have added more agility-based moves to his style."
[Ruby:] "I like the analysis on this. I'll brief Rivers as well. I'm not sold though because Darius has broader shoulders and more natural muscle tone than Sirius Mask. However, that can be obscured and there is no doubting how much he would relish taking the NEXUS Title from us. The fact that Furis just returned may mean he's going to interfere to distract us and cause Darius to win. This is the most credible suggestion on the list so far but I am not concerned if it actually is him."
*Megan looks proud and confident, before changing the picture to a sight that Ruby recoils to the most to.*
[Megan:] "As I can see, it's time to get concerned now. This is Mr. Clyde. We have not seen him for years. We can assume he is still loyal to the Walkers though. And, out of everyone on the list, his in ring style is the most mysterious, fluid, and effective. He'd be fully capable of incapacitating Jeff in one blow while also defeating the others he faced over the past few months. Matthew also mentioned that, during his time at Walker ranch, Clyde was not there. So he did not have a chance to train with him. But Matthew said the reason for Clyde's absence was because he was on a secret mission."
[Ruby:] "Interesting. I always wondered why, during the raid on our headquarters, Clyde was strangely absent."
*Agent 1 lets out a sarcastic laugh before looking incredibly frustrated.*
[Agent 1:] "Are you both that ignorant?"
[Ruby:] "EXCUSE ME!?"
[Agent 1:] "No, I won't excuse it. Mr. Clyde was there the whole time! He was their inside-man at the compound. If you had actually read our intelligence reports, filed by me, you would have let us interrogate Joachim's coven further."
[Ruby:] "You can't interrogate the dirt. They were insignificant peasants."
[Agent 1:] "So insignificant that you literally shot one with a golden gun?"
*Ruby thinks back and frowns.*
[Agent 1:] "Brother Baram, or whatever he was calling himself...brace yourself, detectives. That was Mr. Clyde in deep cover."
*Megan looks to interject but is uncomfortable. Since Ruby is thinking, she gestures for Meg to speak.*
[Megan:] "But Mr. Clyde wears a mask. We've only ever seen him wearing a mask."
[Agent 1:] "Exactly. No one knows what he really looks like. That means even though he only got one shot at doing this, he could take off his mask and be completely undetected. His true identity was his cloaking device at the compound."
[Ruby:] "But that could go for anyone that fits his general size? Why do you accuse Baram?"
[Agent 1:] "The same way you said Rivers could feel Walker's energy is the same way I could recognized Clyde's the night you shot him. History isn't something you can take for granted right now. My old post was with Genji Security and I had plenty of experience working with both Clyde and Figaro. I asked the boss to convince you to allow us to interrogate Baram further but you refused. I never got the chance because we were invaded and he, along with all of Joachim's men, escaped. Do you remember what he did leading up to getting shot? He almost took out an entire Gauntlet strike team."
[Megan:] "So...it really could be Clyde."
[Agent 1:] "It was Clyde.
[Megan:] "As Sirius!?"
[Agent 1:] "No, Clyde was Baram but he definitely isn't Sirius."
[Ruby:] "Then why did you waste our time!?"
[Agent 1:] "So you can acknowledge your gaping blind spots and do better."
[Ruby:] "Then who do you think Sirius Mask is?"
[Agent 1:] "I wasn't put on that project so I have no way of knowing. But if I were to guess, no one on her list would qualify. The more obvious they are, the less they would even need a mask. If they're on the list to begin with, they are obvious enough that they'd already know you would be considering them. So I suggest you stop wasting your time."
*Agent 1 resumes smoking as Ruby sits there with a blank expression.*
[Megan:] "Uh...that concludes my presentation. All feedback is welcomed!"
*Ruby places her hands over her ears and buries her head in her arms.*
[Agent 1:] "I'll bite. You did a nice job. Time well spent on those title card wipes."
*Megan smiles and curtsies as the scene fades.*
[Agent 1:] "He's nowhere near us. If the boss trusts me to scout and lock this place down, you should too."
[Ruby:] "He's your boss, not my boss, and he works for Destiny. I don't have the same messianic faith in him as you seem to. Frankly, I question your judgement right now. You weren't supposed to directly engage with O'Brian, just distract him long enough to get him out of the picture. He's right, you are emotionally involved and that compromises all of us."
[Agent 1:] "You made your position clear on that. But I don't care about Furis and that's who you are scared of."
[Ruby:] "You should be too. We have him and O'Brian tracking us. Preparing only for one will guarantee the other."
[Agent 1:] "I found this building which is not remotely connected to Destiny. I have plain clothes guards downstairs and roaming the perimeter. Given your lack of security background, I can't imagine what else you could want from me."
[Ruby:] "The heartfelt understanding that if I fall, your boss falls too."
*Agent 1 lights another cigarette to hide what appears to be a hint of a smile.*
[Agent 1:] "Then, like you said, my messianic belief in him won't let that happen. So why don't you relax and focus on your cute little presentation there. Looks like Ms. Williams is anxious to start. Stayed up all night preparing?"
*Megan enthusiastically nods, not realizing the patronizing tone. Ruby glares at Agent 1 one more time before enthusiastically turning her attention to Megan and giving her a genuine smile of confidence.*
[Ruby:] "Now, Megan, this is the biggest project I've ever given you. Make me proud."
[Megan:] "As directed, I have compiled a list of suspects as to the identity of Sirius Mask."
[Ruby:] "Let's run through them."
[Megan:] "First, a disclaimer. Assuming that Sirius was telling the truth about only wrestling once in UBL, that would disqualify just about everyone here. I am operating under the impression that Sirius is lying or twisting the truth."
[Ruby:] "Anyone under a mask, by definition, is deceitful. I accept that premise. Please proceed."
*Megan clicks a button on her device then points it at the screen causing a graphic to appear*
[Megan:] "Kyle Walker: He is rather high on the list of those who hold grudges against Destiny. Plus, he is adept at hiding his identity while holding them. He once hid under a mask for years to fool Geese before almost ending his career. He has an 'ends justify the means' approach. Despite not caring for Titles, he once co-held the Battalion Tag Championship with Jason Hyde just to antagonize UBL. Last month he saved Matthew against James Ward and Cosmic KID, saying he wanted Matthew to lose the Title the 'right' way. It certainly seemed like he intends on being the one to cleanly defeat him."
[Ruby:] "All that you said is reasonable but also completely irrelevant. His sister is set to wrestle me on that same date in OG-Joshi. He knows that when Robin loses to me, her life is essentially over due to our stipulations. He will do anything he can to prevent that fate. As much as he'd like to humiliate me, avenge Geese against Matthew, and take the NEXUS Title away from Destiny, his loyalty and protective instincts for his sister are his primary driving force. Furthermore, Kyle has wrestled Matthew numerous times before at the Walker ranch but Matthew said Sirius Mask was a complete enigma to him. Even if Kyle tried to change his style, Matthew is too astute to not recognize him. There’s no way Sirius is Kyle."
[Megan:] "Noted, moving on."
*Megan looks somewhat embarrassed but clicks the button on her pointer, causing the picture to change again.*
[Megan:] "Jason Hyde: He has never been openly antagonistic to Destiny. However, he may not have wanted to be as it could risk his sister Angelina's standing in LAWL and OG-Joshi if he openly vied for the NEXUS Title."
[Ruby:] "We haven't seen Jason in a UBL ring since Jinchuu disbanded 9 years ago. He never had any personal issues with Matthew beyond Matthew fighting against Jinchuu in general. I don't think Jason carries a grudge. However, Jason and Kyle were at one time close. Perhaps Matthew's manipulation of Kyle and Geese angered Jason? It's possible. I like him as a candidate more than Kyle and he also cares a lot more about Championship gold. I'll have Matthew prepared for him. This was a good selection, Megan. You did your homework and provided a suitable candidate and argument."
*Megan smiles and then changes the picture.*
[Megan:] "Joachim: Obviously, as an apostate, he has a clear intention to hurt Destiny. *Ruby fake wretches*. And I was thinking that perhaps the reason we never saw his match with Sirius Mask was because he is Sirius Mask. Much like Kyle and Jason, we have not seen Joachim in the ring for a long time before his sudden return this year. So he would be capable of totally changing his style to be mysterious enough that we couldn't directly identify him from the few matches he had. We know that he trains when he travels around the world. At the very least, he's well-versed in different styles."
[Ruby:] "All of that is sadly true but Joachim is also disgustingly honest and 'noble' about things like this. His perception of his honor has always been more important to him than strategy. I don't see him wearing a mask unless it was part of a deviant bloodletting ritual. Plus, Sirius Mask came to the aid of Joachim and Jang Bae a few times. That would mean there's more than one Sirius Mask and then this entire meeting becomes an exercise in futility. It's not him, let's move on."
*Megan briefly frowns but then realizes Ruby wants her to continue. The picture changes*
[Megan:] "Luke Kisiera: He isn't generally hostile to Destiny like some of the others are, but there are a lot of reasons that he may have personal issues with you. Since Jean Carter is his girlfriend, he may hold resentment over your interactions with her in OG-Joshi eight years ago. Also, his loyalty to the Walkers could lead to anger at what you and Matthew did to Geese last year and what you will do to Robin soon. He was also once one of Matthew's best friends so he may either feel betrayed or the misguided need to help him. He also currently owns Peter Venkman Memorial Arena so he's close enough with UBL management to allow for his quick rise to the top of the NEXUS Division. Perhaps this is a quid pro quo situation? Before Luke retired, Matthew believed he had in ring potential. Due to training with the Walkers, he probably improved. We have no idea how he'd even wrestle now but we know he once had a confusing, inexplicable wrestling style."
[Ruby:] "True but Matthew would have still detected him a mile away. They trained together constantly, including at the Walker ranch not that many years ago. There's no way Kisiera's 'heart of a hero' could beat any differently and he wouldn't wear a mask as well. He's also a little tall for Sirius Mask and there's no way to cut off inches even when wearing a mask."
*Megan looks embarrassed but she continues to the next picture.*
[Megan:] "Thomas Mills: He is also a former training partner of Matthew but not as close a friend as Luke was. Matt saw Thomas as having a lot of untapped potential though. Mills improved enough in the Prestige promotion, and had access to different training partners, which could allow him to make his style undetectable by Rivers. It had been years since they trained together. We know Thomas and his father have a grudge against Destiny based on the 'Parlay at the Presidio' incident a few years ago. Thomas' return to the UBL has been mostly unimpressive, short of a close match with Gushiken, but perhaps he was intentionally throwing matches to divert our attention from him?"
[Ruby:] "I don't think he would have cheated himself out of winning the Circuit Title. But the motive to get one over on us is certainly there, especially now that Kisiera bought back the arena from the Mills family. Thomas is a good choice for a dark horse candidate to be Sirius. I'll have Matthew prepare for this but I'm not really that concerned. Thomas, at his best, was never half as good as Matthew. Even with years of training, there's no way his training partners were as good as Matthew's. The element of surprise only goes so far. Mills doesn't seem agile enough either to do what Sirius did."
*Megan nods and the picture changes. Ruby looks angry at the next image.*
[Megan:] "Sorry for the out of date picture but I'm guessing that's not why you are upset. Obviously, we know Cosmic KID has an agenda that involves you. But what about Matthew? Cosmic KID may dislike him for being one of the icons of the 'new' UBL which KID hates. Matthew's old friends, now enemies, helped kill the secret Jinchuu plan that KID put together with James Ward. KID is agile and possesses a mysterious enough style to do what Sirius Mask did in the ring this year. Matthew never wrestled him so he wouldn't be able to easily identify him. There's also a similar 'space' theme between the masked identities of Cosmic KID and Sirius Mask. Plus, out of everyone listed here, KID just had one match in the current UBL: losing to Corey O'Brian. Granted, KID was a large part of the old UBL but I'm not sure he'd acknowledge that now."
[Ruby:] "There are a lot of reasons this makes sense but I don't buy him as Sirius. KID had a business proposition for us in the parking lot. While it didn't take much for him to turn to intimidation, I don't think he's after the NEXUS Title. I have a strong suspicion of what was in that briefcase. And, if I'm correct, defeating Matthew is tangential to KID's plans."
*Megan nods and the picture changes. Ruby lets out a small "ooh" that shows her interest.*
[Megan:] "Tsaoring Chou. Rivers never directly wrestled him or even trained with him. By the time Chou joined the roster, Darius was the Field Leader for his rookie class. Chou is also agile and talented enough to do what Sirius Mask did. We don't know his intentions which means he may not care about Destiny at all, or may be hiding them from us."
[Ruby:] "He's not our man for this investigation because he's too short to be Sirius Mask. Without the powers of the spirits he prays to, he couldn't wear lifts and be as agile in the ring as he is. However, I do agree there is something secretive about him. I still have my eye on everyone that was near ringside during the March Debased event when Kyle pulled his barbed wire bat out from under the ring. Remember how Chou had a gym bag full of T-shirts earlier in the night?"
[Megan:] "Are you saying those weren't really t-shirts!? Or that they were...counterfeit!?"
*Agent 1 face-palms but Ruby ignores him.*
[Ruby:] "No, I'm saying he may have had more than just t-shirts in there. You know, like a barbed wire bat? The problem is that I have nothing else to tie Chou and Kyle together."
[Megan:] "For that matter, Chou may not have even known if there was a bat in there."
[Ruby:] "Dear, even one bat would weigh enough to significantly affect the weight of a shirt-filled gym bag."
[Megan:] "Oh, so like one pound of bats isn't equal to one pound of shirts?"
*Ruby's fingers find her way to her temples as she deeply sighs.*
[Ruby:] "It's not Chou, Megan. Let's move on..."
*Megan shrugs her shoulders in confusion but changes the picture. Ruby gets angry again.*
[Megan:] "Yeah, I thought you wouldn't be happy to see this guy again. The former UBL Field Leader: Darius Korvin. He hates Destiny as much as anyone on this list and is also close with Furis. They want Dr. Schassberg back and intend on punishing us...like we had anything to do with it! *Ruby politely smiles and blushes at Megan's earnest statement. Agent 1 suppresses a laugh.* Even though Furis has returned to the UBL, Darius hasn't publicly done the same. But maybe he is already back and under the mask. He used to look up to Matthew and is likely angry that he turned to Destiny. Darius is versatile and we haven't seen him wrestle in a long time. He could have added more agility-based moves to his style."
[Ruby:] "I like the analysis on this. I'll brief Rivers as well. I'm not sold though because Darius has broader shoulders and more natural muscle tone than Sirius Mask. However, that can be obscured and there is no doubting how much he would relish taking the NEXUS Title from us. The fact that Furis just returned may mean he's going to interfere to distract us and cause Darius to win. This is the most credible suggestion on the list so far but I am not concerned if it actually is him."
*Megan looks proud and confident, before changing the picture to a sight that Ruby recoils to the most to.*
[Megan:] "As I can see, it's time to get concerned now. This is Mr. Clyde. We have not seen him for years. We can assume he is still loyal to the Walkers though. And, out of everyone on the list, his in ring style is the most mysterious, fluid, and effective. He'd be fully capable of incapacitating Jeff in one blow while also defeating the others he faced over the past few months. Matthew also mentioned that, during his time at Walker ranch, Clyde was not there. So he did not have a chance to train with him. But Matthew said the reason for Clyde's absence was because he was on a secret mission."
[Ruby:] "Interesting. I always wondered why, during the raid on our headquarters, Clyde was strangely absent."
*Agent 1 lets out a sarcastic laugh before looking incredibly frustrated.*
[Agent 1:] "Are you both that ignorant?"
[Ruby:] "EXCUSE ME!?"
[Agent 1:] "No, I won't excuse it. Mr. Clyde was there the whole time! He was their inside-man at the compound. If you had actually read our intelligence reports, filed by me, you would have let us interrogate Joachim's coven further."
[Ruby:] "You can't interrogate the dirt. They were insignificant peasants."
[Agent 1:] "So insignificant that you literally shot one with a golden gun?"
*Ruby thinks back and frowns.*
[Agent 1:] "Brother Baram, or whatever he was calling himself...brace yourself, detectives. That was Mr. Clyde in deep cover."
*Megan looks to interject but is uncomfortable. Since Ruby is thinking, she gestures for Meg to speak.*
[Megan:] "But Mr. Clyde wears a mask. We've only ever seen him wearing a mask."
[Agent 1:] "Exactly. No one knows what he really looks like. That means even though he only got one shot at doing this, he could take off his mask and be completely undetected. His true identity was his cloaking device at the compound."
[Ruby:] "But that could go for anyone that fits his general size? Why do you accuse Baram?"
[Agent 1:] "The same way you said Rivers could feel Walker's energy is the same way I could recognized Clyde's the night you shot him. History isn't something you can take for granted right now. My old post was with Genji Security and I had plenty of experience working with both Clyde and Figaro. I asked the boss to convince you to allow us to interrogate Baram further but you refused. I never got the chance because we were invaded and he, along with all of Joachim's men, escaped. Do you remember what he did leading up to getting shot? He almost took out an entire Gauntlet strike team."
[Megan:] "So...it really could be Clyde."
[Agent 1:] "It was Clyde.
[Megan:] "As Sirius!?"
[Agent 1:] "No, Clyde was Baram but he definitely isn't Sirius."
[Ruby:] "Then why did you waste our time!?"
[Agent 1:] "So you can acknowledge your gaping blind spots and do better."
[Ruby:] "Then who do you think Sirius Mask is?"
[Agent 1:] "I wasn't put on that project so I have no way of knowing. But if I were to guess, no one on her list would qualify. The more obvious they are, the less they would even need a mask. If they're on the list to begin with, they are obvious enough that they'd already know you would be considering them. So I suggest you stop wasting your time."
*Agent 1 resumes smoking as Ruby sits there with a blank expression.*
[Megan:] "Uh...that concludes my presentation. All feedback is welcomed!"
*Ruby places her hands over her ears and buries her head in her arms.*
[Agent 1:] "I'll bite. You did a nice job. Time well spent on those title card wipes."
*Megan smiles and curtsies as the scene fades.*