[Mac]

What I Want

The White Wolf vs. The Gentleman Wolf


“When you let it get personal, the cost becomes personal too. You’re opening your own heart here. You sure you want to do that?”
― Michael Marshall Smith, Stories: All-New Tales

{Unnamed Location - “Making it clear”}
[Sunday, April 17th - 8 A.M.]

[On-Camera]

After naming Matt Knox the number one contender, I knew that would ruffle some feathers so to speak. That was exactly the reason I did it. I wanted all the so-called stars in Sin City to be mad as hell. I wanted them to target me with all their rage and their hatred. It was very important to me that they disliked me as much as possible. One thing I’ve discovered over the years is if you do things a certain way, it will bring out the worst in people. Even in people, you respect.

I spoke my piece on this at the last Climax Control in Crete.

I shrugged and smiled at the camera. I had prodded Ben Jordan about losing his smile. I had verbally castrated Mark Cross for his arrogance. I had also warned Fenris about allowing this to become personal.

People lost their minds over the selection of Knox. That’s the way it always is when huge egos are involved. Even with someone the caliber of The White Wolf. Fenris is a highly respected competitor in my opinion.

I spread my arms out wide.

You took my not selecting you as a personal shot of some kind and I don’t understand that Fenris. You could have come to me at any time and voiced your concerns man to man.

I allow my arms to fall back to my side, never taking my eyes off the camera, I continue.

No, you took to social media instead.

I cocked my head to the side, my neutral expression remained the same.

I told you then and I’ll say it again. You could have come and talked to me at any time chief. You put me on blast on social media instead.

Straightening my head back up, I then shook my head in disgust.

Man, I thought you were better than that.

I frowned a bit, then continued to emphasize this.

That being said, I also understand your frustration.  Look at the record of the White Wolf. In the last year, he’s lost exactly one match.

I soften my expression to a more neutral one.

The one match he lost was to Jack Washington. That had to of been a fluke. Maybe you were hurt and didn’t tell anyone? It’s not even that, that confuses me. It’s the fact that you not being selected pissed you off so much that confused me.

Bowing my head ever so slightly, I say in a soft voice.

If you win, it changes nothing. You were always on my radar, and none of this was meant to disrespect you.

Fade.

{Hotel Room - Crete, Greece - “Reflection”}
[Off-Camera]
[Tuesday, April 19th, 4 P.M.]

I’ve often wondered, is the sacrifice ever truly worth it? As professionals, we risk everything to win ten or fifteen pounds of gold and gemstones. We will sacrifice all for the sake of the title. Our lives, relationships, business opportunities, and everything in between. . Those were my thoughts as the rays of morning sunlight bounced off the surface of the Sin City title belt. The design itself was nothing too fancy, nor did it need to be. That didn’t stop me from running my right hand gently across the surface. I rubbed my thumb across the nameplate, where my name had resided since December of last year. “It hasn’t been a historic run but at least it wasn’t a one and done this time.” Amber rubbed the back of my neck, “It’s been a damn good run.”

I set the belt aside and stood up, time for stretching exercises and to get some work in. “That’s different,” Amber said from behind me. I looked and smiled, “Yeah, this I usually do when no one is around. Ever heard of Krav Maga?” She nodded, “I’ve known many who practiced it.” I nodded, “The United States Navy insists that anyone who is going to go on any operations with special forces, learn it.” I often thought fondly of my first instructor or Sensei if you will. Kalei Hale was an elite-level Krav Maga practitioner. It was another one of the things that I had never told anyone.

With the struggles we had as a couple, I decided it was time to let one more secret out for her scrutiny.

several years earlier

“Do you understand now, Seaman Bane?” she asked me in a very nonantagonistic way. I gulped the pain away, nodding my head, “Yes Ma’am.” She released the lock and offered her hand to help me back up again. I took it without question or comment and it brought me back to my feet. “You may go back to your position,” she said in that same fashion. I bowed deeply and said, “Kido” as a formal way of showing respect and ending the lesson. She smiled and bowed, repeating the phrase. “You learn quickly young man.” I nodded, “Thank you, Ma’am.” I retreated back to my spot in line. My squad was dismissed shortly after that but she singled me out again and motioned for me to approach. “I hope you understand why I did what I did in using you to set the example.” I nodded, “I think so. Of all the men in my squad, I am by far the biggest.” She nodded, “in part, yes, but you also have the hardest time accepting authority from anyone really, but I guess from women especially.” I scratched the stubble on my face, “You may have a point with that observation, although I never really considered that.” She had a lovely smile when she was amused or pleased that the student understood.  “Knowing is half the battle, yes?” I smiled again, “Yes, Sensei.”

“Mac, when you have time, even if it’s after your enlistment is over, come see me in Chicago. I have a feeling you could go far with advanced training.”  I gave her a look that probably radiated my confusion, “What do you mean?” She smiled again, probably amused at my lack of forethought. “Combat sports are on the rise back home, you could excel at that. You could even go the mercenary route if you choose. Not that I recommend that, not a long life expectancy.”

Return to present

Amber, “And did you, go visit her?” “I did, and she taught me so much,” I said as I remembered the lessons fondly. “She was a great teacher, and a patient one. She closed some of the gaps that the military left in my discipline, tough love is something she excelled at. She’s also the one that really instilled my killer instinct.” I smiled at the memory, “I would later find out why she really wanted me to learn from her as well.” I chuckled as I showed Red the picture that I had kept in my wallet. “This woman, was actually my wife, Melissa’s Aunt.” She looked at me in surprise, “She was Asian?” I smiled again, “Japanese American, to be more precise. Her name was actually Melissa Lin.” She smirked at me, “You’re just full of surprises, aren't you?” I smiled, “Well, I got to figure out how to keep you on your toes,” I quipped. With that, she threw a pillow at me. “The reason I told you this story, is because I wanted you to feel included. I needed you to understand that I will never keep anything from you, not ever.” She nodded in acceptance, “I’m going to go for coffee, you want some?” “Sure, I appreciate that.”

I watched as she quickly left the room as I continued to get warmed up. It hadn’t surprised me,  that she left in a rush after I had offered up yet another piece of my soul. There were a lot of things she was not willing to talk about. I could appreciate that and respect it, which was far more important to her.

Fade

{Unknown Location - Respect and Honor}

Wearing all black, slacks, jacket, shirt, shoes and skullcap. My arms were folded in front of me and my head bowed.

One of the first, what I call hard losses I experienced here was at the hands of Fenris. We went toe to toe in a fight that people may have forgotten about. Even though I lost, I’ve considered it probably my best match of all time.

My neutral expression remains in place, my poker face if you will.

My old sensei, Kalei would be disappointed in me right now. For a number of reasons. First and foremost, my lack of humility.

I smiled at the memory, if only for a moment.

She forgave me many of these types of transgressions due to my ability. That doesn/t mean much to you, I realize that.

I bow slightly to the camera, that way in case she might be watching. I always paid respect to her and her teaching.

So, when you look at the complete body of work. Someone like Fenris leaps off the page. I think he’s had like six losses here in Sin City in his time here. I know that he was one of the longest-reigning champions of all time.

I nod slightly to that fact.

I know all of this must seem strange to the viewers at home. The fact that I’ve always shown Fenris respect should not be lost on anyone. It’s strange to people because I don’t show that same respect to others. Do you know why that is? They don’t deserve it, he does.

I pause to take a quick breath, allowing my expression to slide into something more somber.

Many will use this against me, saying that I’m not being honest. That I should be tearing this man down. There are times, that my opponent is not what he seems to be. Fenris has always been exactly who he says he is. Because our personalities are similar, I thought that he and I could be friends. Of course, that was before I started winning titles. Before he started seeing slights when there were none.

I shake my head regretfully, and when I look up, the somber expression is gone. A more neutral expression replaces it as I continue.

I want this to be heard, and I cannot put it any more clear than this. I am proud to fight you again Fenris. You’re an honorable man. No one from my team will interfere in this match. Chris Page will not do so either. Not unless Ben Jordan does something. My intent is that this is a clean fight with a clear winner.

I bring my left hand up in an open palm and complete the motion by bringing up my right hand. I form a fist and enclose my fist with the open palm.

Win or lose, I know neither of us will make excuses. We are warriors and it all gets left in the ring.

Fade.

{Flight from Greece to the US - “Hopeful”}

It would be a long flight from Greece to the United States. I rubbed my shoulder where the nicotine patch rested, hoping to generate some relief. “You know, you really should quit smoking,” she said to me in a tone that relayed how much she cared. “I really should, it’s one of those life choices I regret. I should have never started smoking, to begin with.” It didn’t take all that long and It did after a while and I was able to relax a little. My wife, Amber sat next to me as she was doing something on her phone. The serious expression meant that she was likely putting serious thought into what she was saying. Probably twitter again, maybe she was picking fights with Ken or Kyra again.

I really wasn’t sure until my phone buzzed in my shirt pocket. What I saw made me smile, she saw the smile and then the reply. In a very Amber way, it was one of the sweetest things she had said to me in a while. She smiled a bit as well, or as close to one as you can get from her sometimes. Depending on how angry she was and who she was angry at. I held her right hand and raised it up, planting a kiss on the top of her hand. “Thank you, love, I love you too.” She smiled and it radiated something I hadn’t felt from her in a while. The sparkle in her eyes. “Still?” I almost laughed out loud, “Always.”

The flight attendant started making her rounds as Amber and I sat quietly, engaging in small talk. I made sure not to mention her trip to the islands with Knox or our garage. Those were still subjects that would trigger her in the worst way. Earlier in the day, I had gotten a message from my old friend Jeff Castello.

“Mac, some good news today. We got the deposition from Del Gado’s wife and young boys. The judge would not grant him bail. He is in custody until the trial begins. I feel that his wife’s testimony may not be enough. I’m hoping you’ll be willing to provide a deposition as well. Hit me up when you are back stateside.”

“Jeff, I’d be glad to. This world would be a much better place without those families running anything. The number of people they’ve hurt can’t even be measured. Talk soon.”

This was good, it would allow me to get some closure on the Del Gado and Mixon thing. I would also need to talk to the Mixon kids and finish our agreement. I had told them that since they were so helpful, I would sell the stock back to them at a reasonable price. I always tried to keep my word.

Fade.

{Unnamed Location - “The Warriors Way”}

The path of the warrior is not for everyone. Some might even argue that I don’t follow that path at all. That means they are not paying attention to the things I’ve done and said. I stand in front of the camera once again, in the same outfit as before but in contrast, the room is solid black. The only part of me that is visible, is my face.

The Path of the warrior, or as some would call it the Warrior’s Way. Not everyone can live up to the expectation that is set, nor do they understand what it really means.

I pause, breathing in and out in a very measured way.

You take a look, a hard look at the way that Fenris carries himself. He doesn’t lower his standards to that of other people. The way he acts is in accordance with his own personal code of honor.

The slimmest of smiles appears on my face.

Just as I do. Some will mock me for saying this. However, if I didn’t have my own personal code of honor. Would I have cared if Supreme Machine did what he did to the family of Matt Knox? The single-word answer is no.

The smile turns into a half-hearted frown.

So, I did what any decent man would do, I dropped him on his head for his decision. Like I had said before, he was simply the bait. Very dispensible.

My neutral expression returns, but only briefly as I think about how he failed in the match to determine the number one contender for the Internet Title.

Yes, I went to ringside when he was in a match against one of my people. I did not interfere, he took the bait and got beat. The company then decided that he should get a title shot. So, once again he got to fail upwards.

I shake my head in disgust at the memory of the match.

We then broke the ring. We were both injured in that match. I did all of that to him to teach him a lesson. A lesson in humility, and my thoughts on harming noncombatants. 

I recall the Twitter feed that occurred between Fenris, and Matt Knox.

Unpopular Opinion, by winning the blast from the past, I got to choose my number one contender. Unlike what many have thought, I didn’t choose Matt because I thought it was an easy win. I chose him for the complete body of work. There are other reasons as well that I won’t go into at this time. Trust me when I say, he knows what he did.

The lights slowly come up, revealing more of my body. I am bare to the waist, wearing jeans, combat boots, and my hair braided in the tradition of the Celtic warriors of old is draped across my shoulder and covering my chest on the right side.

Like Fenris, I won’t lower myself to the standards of someone like Mark Cross. This will also be the last time you hear his name from me.

I gently brush the single braid back over my shoulder. The lights come up a little more.

My honor, my integrity, and my ethics as a champion have been called out. It was Fenris that called me out for my selection, even though he knows full well it was mine to make. I could see this from your perspective if I went to the bosses and said, “Hey, can I get someone easy to defend against?” If I had asked that Milo be next in line, or Augustino. Then, yes at that point your crying foul would be legitimate to me.

My eyes narrow, and I set my jaw.

You are one of a select few, who I have respect for in this company. I’ll hope that after our match, we’ll still be able to respect one another. I will offer to shake your hand before and after the match. It’s up to you from there.

My facial expression doesn’t change, only my nostrils flare as I breathe.

Don’t make me add the pelt of a white wolf to my wall.

Fade.

{The Bane Home - Las Vegas, NV - “Progress”}

OOC - This is continued from where Amber’s ended.

I knew that what she was telling me was difficult, it always is when you’re trying to explain something to someone that you love. At the completion of each sentence, you hoped that being honest, it wouldn’t cause the other person to pull away.  It wouldn’t cause irreparable harm to the relationship. I never flinched nor dare move a muscle as I recognized this for what it was. It was her way of trying to right the ship. I couldn’t have been more proud of her at this moment.

“Just the idea of being in love makes us all do really stupid fucking things, Mac. Makes us choose the worst decisions by justifying that there's something there at the end unconditionally… It's the consequences though, that determine whether it was ever really worth it.” I still held her hand as she was finishing the tale of how she became involved with Reverend McCrae and Dominic Del Gado. I had listened intently and things were starting to make a little more sense to me now. The things that she and Dominic had done were illegal first and foremost. That didn’t matter to me, some of the things that I had done while in the military were technically war crimes.

“I can understand that, Red. Like I told you before, knowing this doesn’t change anything for me. It doesn’t make me love you less. I don’t think God could do that, to be honest.” I paused there, for a moment to let those words sink in. She grabbed my hand with both hands and kissed my scarred knuckles. The simple action caused my heart to swell, and my eyes to well ever so slightly. “Has anyone ever told you, that you have great hands?” I smiled, “Not until today they hadn’t.” I gently squeezed her hands with my own. She returned the gesture, “It’s not because your hands are so much bigger than mine, it’s the shape of them. The way the veins are so prominent.” I’ve been told a lot of things in my time but this was a first. Cuyon had reached the end of his patience and stuck his head under our joined hands. “Alright pal, you get some love too,” I quipped, and using my free hand, I scratched him behind the ears. He seemed satisfied with that and rested his head in Amber’s lap now. Even he could sense the easing of tensions. I smiled down at him as Amber scratched his chin.

“More coffee?” I asked her in a more cheerful tone. She nodded her head, and so I stood up and took her cup, I went around the corner and poured us both more coffee, black. She gave me a quizzical look as I set her cup down and took the seat closest to her. “When did you start drinking black coffee?” She looked rather amazed. “Not long after you had left honestly,” I said while looking at my cup. “I had a hard time dealing with that, Red. I won’t lie about it, and I certainly don’t blame you. Things got out of hand.” I studied her face, it wasn’t really a storm of emotion, not like you would expect. It was more an acceptance of what she was being told. “Is that the reason that we have rather new patches on the wall in the living room?” I nodded and grunted the affirmation. She smiled very broadly at that and rolled her eyes. I shrugged and smiled rather sheepishly, “At least I cleaned up my mess.” She patted my hand, “Yes you did, and good work as well.”

Now it was my turn to smile and roll my eyes, “Thanks, Boss.” She laughed and the smell of cinnamon filled my senses. Thankfully it was only that and not the smell of K-Mart cologne. Little by little, we were working through things, and my anger diminished by the second of having her here at home. I could tell the walls that she had put up were starting to crack a little as well. I was glad about this and I think she was too. That beautiful smile, that matched the twinkle in her eyes gave me hope that we were in fact making progress. We weren’t back to where we were by any stretch of my imagination. It was a much more positive track. “I hope your right about McCrae, Red. When I met him and shook his hand.” I shook my head, “His hands are too soft, I’ve shaken hands with women who had rougher hands than his.”

She studied me for a moment as I allowed that to sink in. “He’s a very…guarded person, doesn’t reveal much about himself.” I nodded, “Makes sense when your face is all over television. He’s some kind of evangelist on the east coast, isn’t he?” She nodded, “The biggest of them all.” I sighed, “Well, I hope what he asks for in return won’t cause us a lot of grief.” She chewed on her bottom lip. “Don’t worry, Love, we’ve got this. We’ll handle this together.” There was the smile again and she leaned forward and gave me a soft kiss. “Always,” she said in a voice that was barely a whisper.

Fade.

{Unknown Location - “Same as before”}

I am still bare to the waist, wearing jeans, combat boots, and my hair braided in the tradition of the Celtic warriors of old. Now with my braid behind me as it was before the last break. I was still thinking about the words I used to close out the previous promo.

Nothing has changed about me over the course of my career. Many would disagree with that statement. They would also be wrong. I never felt like I owed anyone an explanation for the things I do. I’ve never felt obligated, and I still don’t. Men like you and I do things our own way independent of what others think or believe.

My facial expression shifts to a more intense and predatory smile. A wolfish grin if you will.

Now, I’ve been forced to defend what I’ve done, and that doesn’t sit well with me, K.  I’ve tried to do everything in my power to make this place a better company to work for. I’m not trying to remake anything in my own image. I’m working towards driving out the slackers and the dumbasses who don’t want to work for what they get.

I pause only briefly for what I’ve said to be absorbed by the audience.

You’ve never been a target for that agenda. Protecting just myself would be self-defense. The work I’ve been trying to do is the protect this company from itself. No one seems to recognize that for what it is. That’s fine, really.

I smile and bow my head only slightly as if studying my shoes.

The warrior is not trained to fight, he or she just fights. When you hit me, and you already know this. When you do, you know I’ll step forward, toward you, without reservation or fear. I already know what you are capable of from our previous meeting. Just as you know, I don’t backpedal and I don’t back down. Not from you or any other man on this roster.

Looking back up, I continue.

Maybe that’s foolish or even suicidal, to me it’s just who I am. That is who I will always be. That’s why I can say that I am the same as before. Nothing can change who I am at my core.
Fade.