You lot know the age old story right? Come back at a supercard, fired up and the work out there's not the card space to have you actually make true to your words? Well, that was the situation me, Os, Kenz and Charley found ourselves in. We came back, we added Cassian Reed and Nick George officially to the group, it's come out since that Lincoln Daniels is an associate of ours, we were ready to take over, but nah, we got lost like a fart in a bath because of card space and all that. Then Blast From the Past came along, perfect chance to get ourselves out there. I get lumbered with Ruby Steele, out.... outlandish partner if I ever saw one.
This was meant to be a distraction, the big return, meant to be a distraction from everything that's happened over the last year. I always made it very clear that we were business first, wrestling second, problem is just under a year ago, the business world crashed and boots on the ground businesses, like ours, took a massive hit. We didn't get richer like Amazon, we suffered like most other boots on the ground businesses.
We still don't need wrestling any more now than we did then, but that is why we wasn't really around during this pandemic. You've seen me, from what I let ya see, but you've never seen me sit and be the boss. Well, I had to then, and steer the good ship London Underground through turbulent times. Let me take you back there.
The pandemic was in full swing and Daniel, Osbourne, Charlotte Elliot and Mackenzie Page had found themselves cut off from the outside world, regardless of living in Las Vegas, they, for the sake of safety for themselves and others around them, has headed to The Saxon Hotel along with most of the roster. There was just Daniel sitting in his hotel room, conversing on video chat with his brother, Daniel staring in to a laptop.
"Look, you might not see it sitting over there, but we're in the shit here." Daniel's younger brother, David says as he paces up and down the office in London, England.
Daniel runs his fingers over his chin as he looks at the screen.
"This has barely begun." Daniel quickly fires back. "But here's the thing, we don't know which way this is gonna turn out."
"They're talking of shutting everything down over here." David says with lowered eyebrows. "Everything you'd get out of bed for, closing. No pubs, no clubs, no fancy restaurants, no football, no bookies, no nothing. That is a hell of a lot of our revenue, not to mention the casino over there."
"Casino's fine." Daniel quickly returns.
David continues to pace up and down before leaning down, putting his elbows on the desk and looking at the camera.
"It's fine for now." David agrees. "But it's a fucking casino. No people in the door means millions lost, so we need to start cutting corners there. The casino is our biggest expense, so it's time to cut corners, or flog it. We've made good dough out of it."
Daniel shakes his head slowly.
"We are not selling the casino, David." Daniel says in a firm tone. "There's not a chance we're selling the casino. It's the reason we're allowed in America, it's the reason we look like legit businessmen, it's the reason we can expand over here. Selling it is not an option."
"It could send us to the poor house if things close there for a long time." David argues back.
"It is not gonna send us to the poor house." Daniel replies with a smile. "Whatever happens, this is not gonna go on forever. It's gonna burn itself out trying to find a way not to kill humanity, or it will turn out to be like the flu. This is a case of listen to the rules and it'll be fine."
"Listen to the rules..." David says before his tone gets louder. "Listen to the rules.... Us? We've spent a lifetime not listening to the rules."
"Yeah, well a poxy virus hasn't been profitable to us." Daniel bats back.
"And we're not gonna be profitable unless you let those staff go or something." David quickly returns.
Daniel slowly shakes his head, looking down the camera towards his now stationary brother.
"There's not a chance in hell we can let those staff go." Daniel says with a very firm tone. "Charley and Kenz looked in to each and every one of them, making sure that they would have no reason to steal from us, making sure that they are not from rival places, making sure that there was no connection to the old bill. They put together the best staff we possibly can to avoid unsavoury going on's at the casino, so there is no way they can go. We can not start over when things open up, and these people need to pay their mortgages, they can not sit there and lose their houses, they'll move on. We need to keep them close."
"And how do you plan on doing that?" David asks as he removes his glasses and rubs his eyes.
Daniel runs his hand over his chin and sits with a moment of thought, looking down the camera at his brother.
"I got an idea." Daniel says. "Break the bank money. We can get it in the account, move to the pay out account, switch some to the pay out account for our English interests, and keep paying out. No one here, nor there loses their jobs, understand?"
An awkward silence fills the room as the two brothers look at each other through the wonderful world of technology.
"This better work." David says slowly. "If not, we're all bollocksed."
"It'll work." Daniel says with a smile. "I know what we've got in the vault, it'll cover everyone's wage for years."
"Well, go put it in place." David says followed by a sharp exhale.
Daniel waves his finger at the camera.
"Remember, no one loses their jobs." Daniel says with a serious look to match his serious tone.
"Yeah, yeah." David brushes off. "No one."
With that, the laptop screen goes black and Daniel takes a deep breath, thinking about what's been said.
"Right, I need to meet the others." Daniel mutters to himself.
Daniel stands up and shuts the laptop lid and picks it up, moving towards the door and opening it, luckily enough to run straight in to Brooke Saxon.
"Hey Daniel." Brooke says with a slight nod of her head.
"Brooke, just the lovely lady I was about to go looking for." Daniel says with a smile.
"Oh?" She replies curiously. "What can I do for you?"
"This place has pretty much everything, right?" He says, knowing the answer. "But I'm wondering if you have a conference room free for say the next hour? I'm kinda trying to work from here and the casino is in a state of uncertainty. I need to get some ducks in a row."
Brooke reaches in to her pocket and pulls out an electronic device, quickly tapping away at it before looking back up at Daniel.
"Conference room B is free and I've reserved it in your name." Brooke says with a smile.
"You Brooke, you're a superstar." Daniel says with a wink.
The two share a warm smile before going their own separate ways, and Daniel reaches in to his pocket, pulling out a phone and quickly hitting the front of it and holds it to his ear.
"Charley?" Daniel starts. "Meet me in conference room B with everyone else as soon as you can, and get Nick on the video call. I think that place has TV's and cameras, should be able to get his mug on the big screen."
Daniel continues to walk down the hall, before scene cuts to the conference room. Daniel sits at the head of the table, with Osbourne to his right, Charlotte and Mackenzie to his left, and Nick George's face on a television screen opposite Daniel.
"I bet I look amazing in high def." Nick says with a smile.
"No, we can see your nose hairs." Charlotte quickly says.
"And those grey hairs creeping in." Mackenzie adds.
Nick's smiling face turns in to a fake pout.
"Well, that's just mean." He says with a mock whiny tone. "No hugs for you two when I see you."
Daniel leans back in his chair with a smile.
"Ok children, settle down." He says with his own cool, calm smile on his face. "It's time to talk grown up business."
The attention of the room instantly turns towards Daniel.
"So I spoke to David earlier and he obviously threw in a few suggestions on how we deal with the fact that The Golden Ring Casino is closed at the moment." Daniel says seriously. "And the fact we're all here means I can not be as hands on as I usually am, so Nicky, you're the outside guy, I need you to step up."
"Disastrous." Mackenzie says with a shake of her head.
"Not so." Nick bounces back. "I can follow instructions when it comes to business. All fun and games until we need to be serious."
"That we do." Daniel says with a solitary nod. "David suggested we let everyone go, and even sell the place. That we've made the money and can let the rest go."
"Fuck that." Mackenzie quickly says.
"I agree with that sentiment." Charlotte adds. "We spent a long time getting that place together, I think we should ride the storm."
"I agree." Daniel says with a nod. "I mean it's stupid to open more things up in a pandemic, but I don't see the urge to close things down and move on."
"So you have a plan?" Charlotte asks.
"I do." Daniel says as he looks at her. "Plan is no one loses their job and we keep going."
"Can we afford this?" Nick asks as he sits in The Golden Ring Casino.
Daniel presses his hands together and nods.
"Gonna take some work but we can afford not only to cover things here, but back home." Daniel says as he looks around the group. "Nicky, you need to run point on this."
Nick nods his head on the big screen and Daniel looks around the group.
"What do you need me to do?" He asks.
"Right, we need to get money in the casino accounts. It will be eligible for tax, but it's better than nothing." Daniel says in a boss tone. "I need you to empty every vault in the casino except the office one, and that stuff we got for Linc and the boys, needs to be moved on in the next day or two, cash only. We take that and add it to the five mil we got in the main vault, the never break the bank money, you check the cashier desks for every pound note you can find."
"Right...." Nick says slowly.
"I call the bank and tell them with this lock down, it's not smart to keep all this money in the Casino." Daniel continues. "We're open to be robbed, with that amount sitting there underground, so we want it taken to the bank. We'll drop Linc and his boys fifty large to escort it all, as well as pay out for extra security. They won't find it odd because it's our money and they'll see it's at risk sitting there in a fairly empty building."
"Makes sense." Nick says with a nod of approval.
"When that goes in, take one and half and put it in the account that pays the staff." Daniel instructs. "And one and half to the England staff account. That will cover everything for a long, long time so no one has to work and no one gets fired."
"And what about the staff?" Mackenzie asks.
"Well, this is where we all need to roll up our sleeves." Daniel says as he looks around the table. "This is where we all need to split it and tell the staff."
"No job losses?" Charlotte quickly asks.
"None at all." Daniel says as he looks at Mackenzie. "We pay them as normal to sit at home and watch TV."
"So how do you want it handled?" Nick asks.
"I need you to get Dani involved here. I know you're at loggerheads, but I need her involved." Daniel tells Nick. "She needs to talk to the bar staff and waitresses, as well as have a word with the head chef to tell everyone it's no work. Get her to tell the waitresses and bar staff that their wages will be bumped up fifteen percent to make up for lack of tips."
Nick slowly nods his head.
"When Christina appears here at the hotel, cause she works for everyone who pays her." Daniel says. "I'll get her to cancel events for the next three months, try and move them and see where we stand there, staff to still get paid."
"What do you want me to do?" Nick asks.
"I need you to talk to all the retailers in the casino." Daniel tells him. "Get them to sign something that says we'll freeze their rent and extend their contracts for no extra money for the time they're closed, as long as they pay their staff. Get a staff record of everyone who works for them, and get letters sent out to every staff member saying if they don't get paid, to get in touch with us to deal with it."
"Not a problem." Nick says with a confident smile.
"We'll cover talking to floor staff, cashiers, cleaners." Daniel says. "We need to talk to the security companies and see where we stand there. Casino's closed means a few petty little wankers might be considering hitting them to see what they can scavenge. Security is the only sector outside yourself I want in that place, send Dani home too. If need be, we'll see if Linc and his lot are up for a little security earnings."
"How long do you think this will last?" Mackenzie questions.
Daniel runs his hand through his hair.
"I don't know." Daniel says honestly. "But there's enough money there to keep everyone going, no one loses their house, no one goes hungry. I want it clear to every staff member you talk to, you make that very clear, and if there is a danger of that, I want them to get in touch with us."
Daniel leans forward in his chair.
"These are times that are gonna be hard for everyone." He says seriously. "We've put together a family here and we don't let family members starve and we don't see them out on the streets. I don't know if this will blow over in a month or if it's a plague of our life time, but until we know one way or the other, we need to keep pushing on and keeping everyone safe."
A lot of nods of agreements seem to come back in Daniel's direction, no one questioning his leadership.
"It's gonna be a tough old time." He says with a frown. "But there will be a day when having these businesses and people around us ready to go, will pay off and pay off well."
Daniel stands up and looks around the group.
"Ok, let's get started on this stuff." Daniel tells them all. "I'm gonna go and speak to Christian."
"About what?" Mackenzie asks.
"Well, they need a place big enough and clean enough to host supercards." Daniel says with a smile. "And we have a big empty casino."
Smiles appear on the faces around the table and on the screen.
"Let's get to work." Daniel says. "Charley, floor staff, Kenz, cashiers, Os security. Nicky, do your thing. I'll deal with the cleaning crew."
With that, the group stand up and start to leave the room.
"Oi!" Nicky calls out. "Still on the screen here."
Mackenzie smiles towards the screen, picking up the television remote and switching the screen off as the camera fades out.
The camera cuts in to the office of Daniel J Morgan as he sits behind his desk, a suit and tie is his chosen attire. The camera is set up in front of him and a glass of whiskey sits on a coaster by his right hand.
"You're probably wondering why I chose to tell you the story I did today." Daniel says with a cool, calm look. "People like to talk big, they like to think that they're a leader of men, but there's very few that happen to be just that, but me? I'm one of them that can lead anyone through a storm. That's a quality that translates over in to the ring too. I'm sure you lot have heard of the term ring general. Well that's me in everything I happen to do. It's something I need to do during Blast From The Past too."
Daniel pauses as he looks deep in the camera.
"Probably wondering how." He questions. "You've seen my partner right?"
Daniel nods his head slowly.
"My partner is a kid." He says matter of factly. "Inexperienced in the ring, more in to music than being in the ring, so I gotta step up and lead if I need to push through this place and I know she's going up against Bella Madison. Bella is no slouch in the ring, in fact, I would probably say Bella might just be in my top five female wrestlers in SCW, so I need to step up and lead this one. To be fair, I probably need to take the lead in most of them."
Daniel picks up the glass.
"I mean I can step in the ring with Os, Charley or Kenz as my partner and we know each others thoughts, we know what's happening three steps ahead, good training." Daniel says with a slight smile. "But this is about stepping up and leading a partner who has very limited tag experience. This is where we need to make a statement."
Daniel takes a sip of his drink before putting it back down.
"And then I saw who I gotta make an example of." Daniel says with a frown. "My old mate Lincoln."
Daniel exhales sharply.
"It's very well documented that Lincoln is my friend." Daniel starts. "It's very obvious that Linc and I work very well together away from these prying eyes but now, we have to show you what we can do together in the ring. This is something I'm looking forward to. I've never really trained with Linc, but I've watched every match Linc's been in, I've told him what I thought of it. Without knowing Linc, I've had you scouted for a long, long time. I've watched everything you've done in the ring and now I get to jump in there with ya."
Daniel looks away from the camera and looks back after a few seconds.
"I think that you'll get this one very well." Daniel says, building to something. "Everything we've done away from the ring, everything we've done away from prying eyes, has all been about business. It's been a good business relationship that has worked out well for us both, and this is pretty much the same thing. This isn't about a pissing contest, this isn't about who's got the biggest chopper, this is all about business."
Daniel leans back in his chair, his point - he feels - going across well.
"This isn't about taking a no face and beating them up." Daniel says confidently. "It's about getting in that ring and showing what we can do. The thing is Linc, I know you're not expecting me to step in there and take it easy on you. I'm not expecting you to do the same. I'm expecting to come out of this match hurting for days, but also I plan on walking out with a smile plastered all over this."
Daniel points to his face.
"When I signed up for Blast From The Past, I had every intention of winning." Daniel says seriously. "Every intention. I didn't think about who my partner could be but there was a lot of strong candidates on that side. Blast From The Past is simple, doesn't matter who your partner is, all about the bloke who stands in front of you. That point, it didn't matter to me, but I didn't expect you to be the first in front of me Linc. The end game doesn't change though, it doesn't matter who stands in front of me, the end game will always remain the same. It doesn't matter if Despayre, Max Burke, Jake Sullivan, Joshua Acquin, anyone who signed up on that male side, I planned on going through them like a dose of salts and the same thing with you Linc. Everything is just business, everything is just the means to an end. The end is me using Blast From The Past like I've seen other GO Gym members do. Evie and Fenris made their names in this, Evie's name is the name you think of when you think Blast From The Past. Fenris stepped on up in Blast From The Past. Now we've been here for a long, long time, filling in, giving that tag team division some credibility, but now's the time to break away and show what we are really capable of, using the same tournament that launched a lot of names."
Daniel takes a deep breath.
"This is my turn to be launched up to the other great names coming from the GO Gym that has got a leg up using Blast From The Past." Daniel says convincingly. "And I'm sorry you're in the way Linc, I truly am, but things like this, I gotta go for the goal. From the second I signed up, I knew I'd go through everyone put in front of me to get what I want, show you all that London Underground are not just card fillers, that we are gonna make a difference."
Daniel picks up his glass again.
"I'm sorry you're the first I put out Linc." Daniel says with a slight nod. "But needs must when the devil calls."
Daniel takes a sip of his drink as the camera fades to black.
