(As the rapid “tap, tap, tapping” resonates through the Pain Syndicate’s apartment, the WWA camera wanders down the hallway, looking for the sound’s source.)

Agony: Tag me in… tag me in!

(If we didn’t know better, we might assume the Pain Syndicate has settled into a vigorous training session for their tag title defense at Birthday Bash. But we know TPS far to well.)

Agony: Tag me in!

Desolation: I don’t know how!

Agony: The circle button. THE CIRCLE BUTTON!

(With the TV’s glow radiating on their faces, Desolation hack their thumbs up down on controllers for a their Playstation 2.)

Desolation: It didn’t do anything!

Agony: You have to come to the corner first!

Desolation: He won’t let me…

(Desolation moves head so that his face is only inches away from the screen. He shouts at the computer generated character.)

Desolation: STOP HITTING ME!

TV: 1… 2…

Agony: Kickout! KICKOUT!

Desolation: I’m trying, I’m trying!

(Desolation lays the controller on the floor and starts pounding on it with his fist.)

TV: …3!!! DING, DING!!! YOU LOSE!!!

Desolation: [sigh] Dammit…

(Des picks up the case for the game. It reads “WWA Meltdown: the Video Game”.)

Desolation: This game is so fake… there’s no way we’d ever lose to Vain and Vicious. Not even with the skill level turned all the way up to Super Duper Hard.

Agony: I would’ve kicked out…

Desolation: Yeah, well you’re good at this game, because it’s rated M.

(Des points to the black and white M on the back of the game case.)

Agony: Yeah, so?

Desolation: M as in moron. You have to be a moron to be any good at this game.

Agony: Maybe the M stands for… mastermind. You’d have to a brilliant mastermind like me to be good at it.

Desolation: Well… maybe it stands… stupid dumb head. ‘Cause that’s what you are.

Agony: That doesn’t even begin with an M, dumbass.

Desolation: If you’re going to be that way, then maybe I don’t want you to play my game, after all.

(Desolation crosses his arms and turns his head away from his brother, sticking his nose in the air.)

Agony: Well, fine then. I didn’t want to play your stupid game anyways.

(Agony gets up and stomps out of the room.)

Desolation: [yelling] And I better not catch you playing it while I’m asleep!

Voice: Hey kid.

(Desolation looks around)

Voice: Psst… down here.

(The voice is coming from the TV)

Desolation: What the…

(A computer-animated version of Vain and Vicious are standing on the screen, talking directly to Desolation.)

Computer Animated Vain: Are you going to let him talk to you like that?

Computer Animated Vicious: Yeah, if I were you, I’d crack his skull open with the umbrella in the corner.

(Desolation looks behind him at the umbrella. He turns back to the TV.)

Desolation: I don’t know, Computer Animated V&V. That doesn’t seem right…

(A computer-animated version of the Pain Syndicate appears on the screen.)

Computer Animated Desolation: Don’t do it, kid. It wouldn’t be the right thing to do…

CompAni Vain: Don’t listen to him! He’s just a computer animated version of your. Now, ask yourself, what would the real Desolation do?

Desolation: I don’t know… I’m so conflicted.

CompAni Vicious: Just think, kid. When has a video game steered you wrong when it comes to violence.

Desolation: He does have a good point.

CompAni Vain: You hear that… a good point.

(CompAni Vain sticks his tongue out at CompAni TPS. CompAni TPS takes offense and they jump at CompAni V&V. A crazy, animated brawl ensues. Agony... the real one, that is... pokes his head in the doorway.)

Agony: Hurry up! We’ve got some iron to pump before our big match! And, who are you talking to?

Desolation: Uh… uh… nobody. Nobody at all.

(Agony shrugs at his brother’s odd behavior. He leaves the doorway. Des gets up to leave, too.)

CompAni Vain: Wait a second.

(The computer-animated version of V&V is now alone on the screen. They’ve obviously kicked the asses of the version of TPS on the other side of the screen. Vain nods his head towards the umbrella in the corner.)

Desolation: [whispering] Maybe later…

(Desolation turns the “power off” switch and the TV goes black.)