I have spent many a year setting up things just how I like them. The monsters I’ve spoken to, the innocents I’ve betrayed, all to get access to the freaks of Arcadia before anyone else.

I imagine all of these people are linked, like a network, each one feeding their information directly into me, yet only receiving back the packets of data I want them to see. But that feels a little robotic, don’t you think? For me it actually feels more tendrils –  living cables suckered on to the skin of everyone in this web I’ve weaved over the years.

Say this civil war takes out Ajax? Within mere hours my network would have three new strongmen for me to pick between. Isn’t that brilliant? I wouldn’t lose even a shows worth of profit – a win for old Klaus Way!

But the problem is, take away one of those tendrils, and it feels like one of my ARMS has been cut off. I feel it so deeply that it truly hurts me, you know? And although I might feel a little phantom pain, the tendril would be cut. The information that tendril could feed into my resources would be lost forever.

And we can’t have that.

The freaks of Arcadia are mine, and I need access to them all INSTANTLY.

So Nero. I don’t like your nature. You like to prod and poke, and hack and disrupt, and take down networks. Each cable you remove is another tendril ripped out at the root from my poor aching body. And each patch you install using your plinky plonky computer keyboard does nothing but shut down all the backdoors.

Do you want to run my circus? Do you you want all of the freaks? Then why would you cut off my network, Nero? It’s not so easy to understand, for the normal man.

But I think I do. I think I understand it. You’re a little freak yourself! If only I could look into your eyes I would know for sure, but I’m almost certain that it’s true. Because you are compelled to take down a network when you see it aren’t you? You don’t have any sort of code you follow. There’s no rhyme or reason. It really is as straightforward as this. You see network? You kill network.

Well the one tendril you forgot about, Nero – the one cable you left plugged in – was the one connecting you and I. And you’d better believe I have made it count. I already sent the signals through the suckers, and it’s running through your body towards your brain as we speak. Any second now it will download into that mainframe of yours, and you’ll realise the answer was there all along.

We can FIX you. We can harness your chaos and make it WORTHY.

You will learn how to dismantle only those networks that deserve dismantling. Oh Nero, if only you knew how important you are in this war.

Plug in, baby! Welcome to the FREAK SHOW, let us show you the Way!