I don't need a friend who changes when I change and who nods when I nod; my shadow does that much better. - Plutarch
{Unnamed Studio - Chicago IL - “Clearing the air”}
I stood on the “x” as indicated by the production staff. I stood there in freshly starched jeans, black button-down, holding a white stetson in my hands. I wear an almost somber expression.
“With the start of the new year and more importantly the beginning of the Global Challenge, you’ll see a lot of people talking about the changes they are making.”
I roll my eyes, followed by a smirk.
“Not me, I’m the same asshole I’ve always been. No changes, no filter, no fucks given. Well, maybe one fuck given. I didn’t end the year as I had hoped against Tony. Not too terribly salty about that, because I’ve known Tony for a long time. Wasn’t the first time we’ve shared a ring and won’t be the last either. I lost my shot at the Chaos championship. That at the end of the day is all I lost.”
I feel my eyes harden and my jaw sets.
“The field for the Global Challenge is set, while I’m not thrilled about the block I’m in, I can deal with it.”
As I move my arms I can hear the sleeves of the long-sleeve button-down shirt I’m wearing brush against the denim of the jeans I’m wearing. My right elbow rests in my left hand as I bring my lower arm up so that my hand slightly obscures my face. I begin ticking off the names.
“Lucy Wylde”
I lower my thumb.
“Travis Peirce”
I lower my index finger.
“Zane Scott”
I lower my pinky finger.
“Ragdoll”
I lower my ring finger so that the only one left is my middle finger.
“Those are my initial thoughts on that and most of the people that stand between myself and a shot at the world title. Not the only thoughts, just the beginning.”
Fade.
{Unnamed Location - Chicago, IL - “My transgressions”}
January 3rd, 2022
3:45 PM.
[Off-Camera]
Recently I had been spending a lot of time in Colorado, training at “Hell’s Gate”, a facility owned and operated by an old friend turned mentor, Whisper. What she taught was exactly what I needed to have back in my game. I had spent so much time cultivating the “Gentleman Wolf” personae that I had lost myself along the way. So, that being said, I hadn’t been able to spend as much time at home as I’d wanted and this week would be no different. This week, “Global Challenge” kicked off and my first opponent was Lucy Wylde. That didn’t make me happy, I had always considered Lucy to be a friend, hell if I was honest, she and Kyra were family. That’s what made what I had to do this week that much harder. I knew Lucy would understand because business is business. For the moment, I was standing outside the precinct where a couple of weeks ago, Hide had been arrested. There is nothing more heart-rendering than seeing a man go nuts at seeing his family for the first time in such a long time. That pulled at this old man’s heartstrings, to say the least. I might not be a nice person, but I do have a heart.
November 19th, 2021
“MITSUKO! KENICHI!”
Hide yelled their names as loudly as he could and began running towards them. I thought, dear God, that must be his family. The ones he thought were dead. The woman, Mitsuko, was trying to move quickly to get their son into the car. It didn’t take long for a police car to block their getaway and a darks sedan to pull up behind them to prevent any escape at all. That didn’t stop Hide though, He yelled again identifying himself. I watched on and cringed when he issued the threat to the men and police officers that were there. “GET AWAY FROM THEM OR I’LL KILL YOU ALL!!!” The men in dark suits merely glared at Hide as he continued to approach them at a full run. The officers that had not exited their vehicle did so once he was in range. One taser was fired by an officer but it had little effect on Hide. My only thought at the time is that the man must have been so enraged that nothing was registering for him at that moment.
What did register and resonate with me was what happened next. The officers on the scene dogpiled Hide, more tasers, and batons until he was finally subdued. When they finally got off of him, he was cuffed, both his hands and his feet. I thought they had killed him at first as I continued to make my way towards the scene. As you can imagine there were many onlookers gawking at what they saw. No one pulled out a cell phone, it must have been fear that kept them from doing that. Chicago police had a reputation nationally and not the good kind. One of the officers checked Hide, nodding to the others that he was still breathing. They loaded him up in one of the squad cars and started to pull away. I made note of the car number, which would make it easy for me to track to a precinct. I watched as they drove away, still stunned at what I had seen. It literally made no sense to me.
A short time later
I showed up at the precinct and approached the bulletproof window. A young lady sat behind that window and looked at me with a sense of trepidation. I could understand that, with the varying degrees of an asshole they had to deal with on a daily basis. “Excuse me, ma’am,” I started and her trepidation disappeared almost immediately as she probably heard manners for the first time all day. “There was a man arrested earlier, Hideyoshi is his name. Has he stood in front of the judge yet?” She nodded as she processed the information I had given her. “Yes, his bail has been set.” I in turn nodded along as she spoke. “I would like to pay his bail if they will release him to me that is.” “Let me make a call and I’ll let you know.” I nodded, “Thank you.” I stepped back away from the glass and found a place to sit.
A short time later, a plainclothes detective made his way to where I sat. “Mr. Bane?” He asked in a polite manner. “Yes sir, that’s me,” I responded with an equally polite voice and a smile. “The gentleman you are here to bail out, he’s a rather dangerous sort.” I accepted his statement and responded, “He and I are peers, co-workers if you will. I’m sure he will be fine with me.” The detective tried his best not to sound incredulous. “It took 6 officers to subdue him. What makes you think you can handle him?” I smiled as he said it. “Detective, do you have a family of your own?” He nodded in response, so I continued my train of thought. “Wouldn’t you do anything if you suddenly found out that the loved ones you thought were dead were in fact very much alive?” He without another moment of hesitation handed me the clipboard. “You’ll find the bail amount on that form. We will release him to you.” He then got up and walked away. I filled out the form and went back to the window. I paid his bail and a short time later he appeared.
“Bein, naze anata ga kore o shita no ka wakarimasen ga, arigatō. (Bane, I don't know why you did this, but thank you.)” He then gave me a bow, so formal that I’m sure it was reserved for royalty. I did the same in return, “Hideyoshi, kazoku kara hanarete wa ikenai otoko. (Hideyoshi, no man should be separated from his family.)” I’m not sure how long it would have taken Johnny to find him and I’m sure that Hitmaker would be very concerned about Hide. As for my part in this, it was simply doing the right thing, because it was the right thing to do. I had no beef with Hide, all of our interactions had been professional if not friendly. Mutual respect between competitors was in short supply these days. I felt like it was time for that to become the next big trend in our business.
Current day
“And I hope that man, finds all the happiness he deserves,” I say to myself as I continue to walk back towards the small apartment that I had. “Hideyoshi is a good man, I hope that Johnny continues to calm the fuck down but that’s a thought for another day.” The truth be told, I respected them both far more than I’d state in public. I look up and find myself at my destination. I sigh a heavy sigh, it was time to get back to work. Time to prepare to destroy a friend.
Fade
{Unnamed bar, near downtown Chicago. - “Preparation for War”}
[Off-Camera]
January 5th, 2022
9:00 PM
The training I had been putting myself through over the last several months was paying dividends. My focus was much more clear and my intensity was through the roof. “Hell’s Gate”, had some amazing trainers. They taught a variety of things but the one that was nearest and dearest to my heart was Whisper’s philosophy of “Unapologetic Violence”. For those who have known me for longer than a cup of coffee, they knew this is who I was, “back in the day” as people like to say. Speak Easies was another thing they would reference that way. Just because it’s not a popular topic on social media doesn’t make it less true. They still existed in and around Chicago. These days though it wasn’t about illegal booze, it was about illegal fighting. My blood lust was stronger these days than it had been in a very long time. These were the risks I was willing to take in order to prevent myself from hurting someone who didn’t deserve it. I walked into the bar with my gym bag slung over my shoulder. The black mask that I would fight in was securely in place to prevent my face from ending up on the evening news. All forms of identification were left at home just in case this place got raided. It didn’t happen often, especially with Mayor Beatle Juice getting paid off. It did happen occasionally though if someone was slow with the payment.
“Ah, the wolf has arrived,” said the bartender as I approached. “Sam! How the hell are ya?!” I said it with enthusiasm mostly because Sam the bartender was a good dude. Also because he made sure my favorite scotch was in stock and available at no charge to me. “Is the little man here yet?” He nodded and motioned with a head nod towards the back. I looked out at the bar and noticed that the cage was not up yet. I thought that curious as I made my way towards the doors, just as he was coming out. “Ah, The Gentleman Wolf has graced us with his presence.” He said it in a quiet, almost deadly way.” That was odd, I thought to myself, did I miss an event? So I asked him, “Did I do something to anger you?” He studied me for a long moment, before finally responding. “Tonight there will be no fights here. We are on the hitlist for the city, so tonight we are just a bar.” Evasive as always but, it made no sense. I pulled the mask off and tucked it in my gym bag. “Then tonight, I am merely a pro wrestler who stopped in for a drink.” He nodded and started to leave. “What’s going on?”, I asked him. He turned to me, “Do not involve yourself in affairs that have nothing to do with you. If you do that, we may have further contact.” I nodded and taking his queue, I left. So, whatever family that was the controlling interest in the fight scene may have also been responsible for the trouble that Hide had. I made my way out into the night air of the windy city. I had made it about a block away when I heard the sirens and watched as half a dozen squad cars descended on the bar.
“Talk about timing…” I said to the night air because there was no one else around to listen. I continued on toward the train station with nothing but my thoughts for company. The barely controlled rage in my heart needed an outlet. With the fight scene off-limits for me now, I had to find something else. A piece of paper slammed against my chest, I almost ignored it. An audible sigh escaped me as I angrily grabbed the paper. It was a flyer for a local carnival, not really what I had in mind but I thought why not? It would at least serve as a distraction for a bit. I looked off in the distance and could see the lights from the carnival as the music played oh so faintly. That would be my next stop.
A short time later
I sat in the makeshift stands watching them erect a wrestling ring. I smiled as the workers hustled to get it done quickly. The people who worked in carnivals for the most part were decent folks. There was always a snake oil salesman or two in every carnival but still good people by and by. It didn’t take them long to get the ring set up, I was impressed with the speed and efficiency. It literally took a ring crew years to be able to do it well. The safety of others was paramount in that job. This bunch made it look easy. I took my recently purchased popcorn, heavy on butter and salt, because that’s the only way to eat it, and made my way down to the front row. “This oughta be good,” I mused out loud. A teenage boy sitting not far away looked up at me. “Dude…you should wrestle,” he exclaimed. It made me chuckle. Maybe Amber was rubbing off on me after all. The kid didn’t know who I was and that was a good thing. “Me? Nah, I’m too old for that.” I smiled as I said it. Any further retort was broken up by the arrival of several of the in-ring talents and their master of ceremonies.
He was a glorified hype man and that’s what the job was really. I cringed as he spoke of the unbeatable nature of any of his guys. Holding up his hand, “I have 500 dollars here, for any man, woman, or child who thinks that they can beat any of my guys.” I barked a laugh as he finished. Arching an eyebrow at my laughter, he approached me. “You think it’s funny?” I gazed into his eyes, he was angry now. Because I laughed at him, I suppose. “Nah, I think you’re funny trying to talk these guys up.” His blood pressure was on the rise now, the vein near his temple was throbbing. “Step up or shut up Mister.” He said while spraying me with his saliva. I took the napkin from my lap and wiped my face. “Look Chief,” I started and one of his wrestlers walked over. I nodded, finally having had my fill of this. I stood up and took my jacket off. The crowd began to buzz as I took my shirt off. “Fine, tell ya what slick. Put me in the ring with your entire squad. A four-on-one handicap match. I have…”, I dug into my pocket and found the cash I was looking for. Pulling it out, there were roughly four thousand dollars there. “I have about 4 grand in my pocket. If any of them can actually pin me, it’s there’s.”
The wrestler that had come over, was trying to tug on his shirt to get the em cee’s attention. It was too late though, all he saw was green. Without another word, he unblocked the barrier and allowed me to come through. I looked back at the kid, “I’ll be right back, make sure no one gets my popcorn, okay?” The kid, dumbfounded just nodded his head. I went to the ring and the four men all joined me there. Three of the four were laughing like this would be an easy night for them. The fourth man evidently had recognized me. He stood outside on the apron with no intent on getting in the ring with me. I smiled and nodded to him. The other three though weren’t so smart. They were nothing beyond thugs that they hired off the street. Predictably they rushed me. The fight was over before it even began. The master of ceremonies shaking his head in disgust called for the bell to end the match. We both won tonight really, I was able to take some of my edges off and he had a crowd like never before. “Next time, you might want to make sure of who you are talking to.” He called out, but I was done and on my way back to the apartment.
Fade.
{back in the studio.}
[On-Camera]
January 6th, 2022
9:45 AM
The scene returns to where it left off. I stand there with my middle finger extended and then slowly lower it.
“Lucy Wylde.”
I sigh audibly.
“Definitely would not have been my first choice of who I wanted to face as we kick the Global Challenge off. The last one really.”
I smile a fond smile remembering old times, both good and bad.
“You, my dear are my friend, and let’s be real about it. You and Kyra are family.”
The fondness disappears.
“Two of the baddest women on the planet. If you believe for a moment that you have the upper hand going into a match with either of them, you’re fucking up.”
I can feel the edge building, not just in my voice but in my appearance. The intensity is on the rise as is my fury.
“Lucy is an icon here in the coalition, and rightly so. She’s won many titles here over the years, while I’ve only been here for a cup of coffee. I could wax on for hours literally about how great she is and how much I respect her.”
My eyes harden and my jaw sets once again.
“But I won’t.”
With nostrils flaring and eyes that burned with rage.
“None of the platitudes carry any weight, my opinion doesn’t matter, at least it shouldn’t.”
Remaining in control of my rage and dropping my voice to almost a whisper.
“Lucy, I love you but this match is far more important to me than it is for you. I’d never sell you short or call you names just because we have a match against each other. I don’t operate that way and never have. I leave that to people with a limited vocabulary and no sense of originality.”
Maintaining my focus and my roll, I continue.
“Talking about the differences between us as far as the size differences makes no sense.”
I allow my visage to soften slightly.
“As far as talent? The jury is still out on that one. This sport is so damn unpredictable, we are never assured of victory just because we say so. This will be our first match one on one against each other. You have no idea what I’m going to do, just as I won’t know what you might do. Outside of studying match footage. If you know me at all, you know I’ve done a ton of that.”
A smile tugs at the corners of my mouth.
“I could take the low road and talk about ancient history and failed relationships, but again, that would be pointless and hardly worthy of note in a match such as this. I did however make note of your disdain for someone crowing loudly about a victory he had struggled to attain for this past year. That young man deserved to be loud and proud of that accomplishment. Not many can claim to hold a one on one victory over Maggie.”
The predatory smile blooms now as I get ready to wrap this up.
“I wonder why that would matter so much to you because it was Maggie? Must have been a trick of the light or something. Friendship and family relationships are a grand thing.”
“Outside the ring.”
“Inside of it though, we all know, business is business. I’ll shake your hand before and after our match. I hope we can still be friends afterward, but only time will tell.”
Fade.
