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« on: October 21, 2017, 09:59:54 PM »
High Stakes Fan Event
Las Vegas Convention Center
Tuesday, 17 October 2017.
OFF-Camera
It had been a long day. Even worse, it had come at the end of a long flight. Flying from Australia, back to the states had always been a flight that he hated, and being released from the hospital just a couple hours before boarding had not made it any easier. He had slept off most of the flight, which was not hard to do on a mostly empty private plane, and was at least a little refreshed by the time he landed. However, that was hours ago. He spent the morning at his table, signing autographs and shaking hands. It was the kind of thing that he had been indifferent about until recently, but now enjoyed. It also meant having the same conversation dozens of times in a day. Everyone is your biggest fan. Everyone is curious about the change of heart. Everyone wants to see him win at High Stakes. He understood, because otherwise, why would they be in his line? Why would they want to take a picture to show off to their friends and family? So he endured. Not because he had to. He could have left. In fact, he had left dozens of these events early in the past. When he got up from his desk, the crew around him expected that he would be continuing the trend. He enjoyed the surprise on their face when he told everyone in line that he just needed some fresh air and would be right back. Kris scooped up the SCW Roulette Championship off of his table, and put it over his shoulder. With a wave, he disappeared behind the curtain that functioned as his backdrop, and out onto the convention center floor. Almost immediately, several crew members surrounded him, and walked him through to a back exit door. They formed a barrier between Kris and anyone that would look to follow him, and the champion disappeared through it, out to the back lot of the facility. He closes his eyes as the sun hits his face, and takes a deep breath.
Fan: “...and here I was thinking that I was wasting my time because you don’t smoke anymore."
Kris spins on his heel, sliding the championship off of his shoulder, down his arm, and into his hand. His left hand balls into a fist, ready to take a shot at whoever owned the voice that caught him off guard. When he lays eyes on the man, he has his hands raised up in innocence. In his right hand is a cigarette, burned most of the way down. Kris’ eyes dart around their immediate surroundings, seeing several identical filters on the ground at the fan’s feet. He had been out here for a while, but that is not what bothered the Roulette Champion. If his words were any indication, he had been waiting for Kris, and that never turned out well.
Fan: “Tommy Crimson really has you all fucked up, doesn’t he? Look at you!â€
The fan drops one of his hands, and points at Kris’ clenched fist with a smile on his face. Kris had not even realized that he had made a fist, or was prepared to fight. The reaction was completely instinctual, and once it was brought to his attention, he relaxed. He sizes the man up, seeing he had both a height and weight advantage. The fact that he was a fan made him less intimidating as well. There was something that left the champion unsettled though. This man knew who he was, knew what was going on, and was waiting to talk to him.
Fan: “Calm down. I saw Climax Control. I understand why you would be on edge after getting dropped like that…. And when you were doing so well too… It was almost sad to see."
This was not what he came out here for. Kris just needed a few minutes away from the questions, and the advice. He needs a time to breathe, and recenter himself. Kali had been sent home following the attack. Heather was not on tour with them. For the first time in a long time, he was entirely on his own. This was supposed to be a break from everything, not a lecture.
Kris: “Look man, no offense, but I’m just trying to get some air. You have something you need to say, or want a picture, there is a line back that way."
The champion points back at the door he came out of in the hopes that it would end the conversation. However, almost as soon as the words were gone, he knew that they were not going to have any impact. The fan shrugs, and flicks away his cigarette without finishing it.
Fan: “Don’t lump me in with the rest of them. I might be a fan of yours, but I am not one of them. Sin City is not the only company promoting things today. Yeah, High Stakes is a big deal, but you’re not the only company in town."
The fan steps forward, and extends his hand. Kris notices that it is his left. In addition to the information that he had already thrown at Kris, obviously he was also well aware of his handedness. The uneasy feeling that the champion had when he came through the door was starting to come back, but he steps forward, and accepts the man’s hand into his own.
Fan: “Kyle Kavanagh, and you can trust me when I say that I actually am your biggest fan."
He points back over his shoulder, and shakes his head.
Kyle: “Those people in there are not fans. They are sheep. If you pander to them a little, they will love you. If you turn on them, they will hate you. They don’t know what it means to be a real fan. They are the equivalent of the people who change sports teams based on who won the last championship."
Kris lets go of the man’s hand, and takes a step back. He was not sure where this was all leading, and now the fandom was bordering on stalking. The man was not physically intimidating by any means. He was wearing a plain white t-shirt, black cargo pants, and shoes that were not meant to run in. If it came to blows, Kris was confident he could take him. If by chance he was wrong, he knew he could outrun him.
Kris: “Thanks for following me… I guess. It is nice to know that people think I---â€
Kyle cuts him off, and finishes Kris’ thought for him. The timing of the words, the lightly joking tone, and even the pause to chuckle were identical to the way that Kris repeated the line to fans over and over again at every event.
Kyle: “I’m interesting enough to pay attention to. This is all that I ever wanted to do with my life… at least once drugs were off of the table."
Kris’ brow furrows as he raises his eyebrows and a slight smirk comes across his face. He raises his hands, but Kyle is quicker to the motion. The two both sarcastically clap their hands lightly three times. Kris cannot stop the words from coming out of his mouth at the same time as Kyle’s.
Kris: “I’m impressed."
Kyle: “I’m impressed."
The smirk disappears, and Kris’ voice raises. He was done playing this game with a man that he did not even know. If he was honest, it was bordering on creepy. Something about this whole meeting had him just as on edge as when he was in the room with Crimson. Kyle holds up his hands though, and tries to ease his fears.
Kyle: “I told you that I am a fan. It means I have been paying attention Kris. I have watched your whole career in SCW. I even caught your stuff in Pride, and Force 1. You can’t expect to talk to me like you do the people in there. Crimson might tell you that he can see behind the curtain, but rest assured that I know which parts of what you do are an act, and which parts aren’t."
Kris shakes his head and brings the Roulette Championship back up onto his shoulder. He takes a step forward, looking to go around Kyle and back into the building. Before he can though, Kyle steps into his path, and cuts him off from the door.
Kris: “You can let me go around you, or I can go through you, but I don’t have to stand here and have this conversation with you. I don’t know you. I don’t owe you anything. I definitely don’t need you to tell me things that I already know."
Kyle is not caught off guard, or even remotely surprised that Kris’ tone changes. He knew it was going to come to this. Nobody ever wanted to participate in a conversation full of hard truths. It was actually what made most people hate Kyle. What Kyle knew that Kris did not, was that Kris needed to hear what he had to say.
Kyle: “You can’t go into the match as a Nobody. You can’t be Kris Halc, or Halich anymore. If you do, you’ll lose. Crimson will beat you and you will have nobody to blame but yourself."
Finally, Kris snaps. There were no cameras around, and this was not a social media platform. Whoever this guy was, he knew which buttons to push and which order to push them in, because Kris explodes. His voice raises loud enough to cut through the door.
Kris: “I have to. I can’t hold back anymore! You saw what happened on Climax Control! I let him push me! I let him dig at me! I tried to blow it off! I wasn’t going to let him get at me, and look what happened! He took Kali, tied her up, and then used her to get the drop on me! The old me? The Nobody? If he wants that guy so bad, that guy can take him apart for all I care!â€
The door pops open, and two of the security guards step through. As soon as Kris lays eyes on them, he closes his mouth. Kyle turns to look back over his shoulder, not intimidated by the fact that each of the two men were at least twice his size.
Kyle: “This is a private conversation gentlemen, can we get some space?â€
His tone is cool and collected, which catches both men by surprise. Kyle even goes as far as to sell it with a smile that eases their fears. Both men look up at Kris, who shakes his head and raises a hand to wave them off. Without argument, the two go back inside, and close the door behind them. Kyle watches the door closed, and appears proud of himself when he turns back to Kris.
Kyle: “Those are some impressive trained dogs you have there. Did it take long to housebreak them?â€
Kris laughs, welcoming any change of subject following his outburst. He nods towards the door.
Kris: “The bigger one still shits on the floor occasionally, but the ugly one takes care of it for me."
Kyle is already done with the distraction though. He reaches into the leg pocket of his pants, and pulls out a soft pack of cigarettes. He slaps the top of it, and one pops up through the top. He raises it to his lips, and pulls it from the pack without touching the filter with his fingers. One hand works the pack back into his pocket while the other finds his lighter.
Kyle: “Tell me why you saved Mikah…â€
The words are slightly muffled, but clear enough to be understood through the cigarette. He raises the lighter as Kris struggles to figure out what he is talking about. Kyle takes a long drag from the cigarette and pulls it away from his lips. He exhales, and then helps Kris out.
Kyle: “On your birthday. Mikah’s little wardrobe malfunction. You saved the day, and possibly her career. Before the cameras caught anything you scooped her up and got her out of there. Her opponents would have used that against her for months, but you stopped it. You were the guy that wasn’t supposed to give a shit about anything, but you stepped in to protect her."
Kyle meets Kris’ eyes, and takes another drag from the cigarette. He does not exhale before speaking, and small bits of smoke come from his mouth alongside his words.
Kyle: “I mean you had been talking about getting her top off on social media for weeks at that point. You were given the chance, and you chose to save her the embarrassment."
He exhales the rest of the smoke, and shakes his head.
Kyle: “Your opponents could have used that against you. I would have. I mean it was one of the first looks that we got behind the mask. It was a little crack in the armor that was Kris Halc. There was more to it than that though. You showed us all something new. Why?â€
Kris struggles with it, but something tells him that lying his way out of it was not going to work. Every time he tried to blow Kyle off, he had his reaction scouted. With nobody around to corroborate the story, Kris figured there was no harm in answering honestly.
Kris: “I didn’t want her to lose everything because of a party she organized for me. I didn’t want it to turn her into a punchline. If that meant that people made fun of me for being soft, I could handle that. I was undefeated for a long while at that point. I had control of the show. Anybody that spoke out against me, I could have taken care of one way or another. She didn’t need to live through that."
Kyle raises his free hand up, and brings the tip of his thumb together with the rest of his fingers. He repeats the motion a few times, a way of making fun of Kris for talking a lot but not saying anything.
Kyle: “It’s simpler than that and you know it."
Kris takes a sharp breath in, trying not to explode again. He forces all of the negativity into the back of his head, and says the first thing that comes to mind.
Kris: “It was the right thing to do for a friend."
Kyle shakes his head. He was closer, but he was not there yet.
Kyle: “So if it had been anyone else you would have just enjoyed the sight? You would have pointed and laughed if it were Mercedes, or Veronica, or Jessie?â€
Kris opens his mouth, but again Kyle says the words before he can get it out. His pacing, and even the sound of his voice mimics Kris’ perfectly.
Kyle: “Well… no."
Kris locks onto Kyle’s eyes with his own and yells out louder than before.
Kris: “STOP DOING THAT!â€
Kyle shrugs, and takes another drag from the cigarette. He holds it away from Kris, and flicks the end of it, sending ashes flying through the air.
Kyle: “Stop lying to me then."
Kris sighs heavily and moves towards the door.
Kris: “I don’t owe you anything dude…â€
He reaches for the door, but as soon as he pulls the handle, Kyle spins and brings his leg up to kick the door closed. Kris moves his hand from the handle, and swings at the smaller man, but Kyle hops back, avoiding contact. He tosses the cigarette, and uses his free hand to bat Kris’ second shot away before it can make contact with him. Kris swings a third time, and Kyle ducks under his arm. On the way under though, Kyle reaches out and grabs the bottom strap of the Roulette Championship. He pulls it away from Kris while he is off balance, and holds it in his hand. Kris turns back towards him infuriated, but Kyle holds it out in front of his face.
Kyle: “Crimson is going to do the same thing if you don’t shut up and just listen to me…."
He extends his arm and offers Kris the championship.
Kyle: “...and he’s not going to give it back as easily."
He seems hesitant to take it, but Kyle makes no move to pull it away when he reaches out. Kris takes it, and positions it back on his shoulder.
Kyle: “You helped Mikah because you started to realize what people like me have always known. You got dealt a shit hand in life, and you bought into the idea that you were a piece of shit. It wasn’t enough that everyone else thought it about you, you believed it about yourself. It’s why you got into the drugs. It’s why you competed while hurt in Japan. It’s why your career, until this last year, has been a series of disappointments."
Kris rolls his eyes, but Kyle reaches out and slaps him across the right cheek. It is not hard enough to hurt, but it definitely gets Kris’ attention. His eyes ignite when he refocuses on Kyle, and the smaller of the two men can tell that the champion is having a hard time not lashing out again. The fact that he holds back only works to prove his point though. He knew that whatever Kyle had to say was important enough for him to take this chance talking to him.
Kyle: “You came back with the right attitude, and you started winning. Something was different. Something was better. You weren’t miserable anymore, you were having fun. Yeah, you stumbled. It was never thrown out there, but Jet City broke up because you were struggling again, didn’t it?â€
Kris knew exactly what he meant, even without saying the words. He flashes back to the conversation he had with Jason in that hotel room. He had slipped, and everyone was willing to bury it but Jason. As much as he blamed his half-brother publicly, Kris knew it was his fault. He opens his mouth to say as much, but Kyle raises his hand and stops him.
Kyle: “...and that’s fine, because it brought on Kali. It also brought on everything that happened to you this summer. The thing that a lot of people miss, is that you didn’t change. You are exactly the person that you have always been under that mask. I saw it when you saved Mikah, and that was way before Kali came to Sin City. She didn’t change you. She helped you strip away that lie you told yourself over and over again."
Kris looks down. This had been his worst fear for a long time. The whole reason for separating his feelings from how he acted on camera was to prevent this from happening. Yet, here he was, standing behind a convention center with someone that could tear through the layers of bullshit and see what was happening beneath the surface. He was starting to understand what Kyle was saying, but there was something he needed an answer for first.
Kris: “...and why do you care? What’s in this for you?â€
Kyle shrugs his shoulders, and sighs lightly.
Kyle: “Getting to say I told you so. That’s all that’s ever in anything for me. A while back, you got into an argument with someone that might mean something to me. I told her she was wrong about you when she blocked you. I told her there was something else in there. I intend to prove myself right."
It was all starting to make sense now, and Kris was surprised that Kyle would admit his motivations so easily. Other people would have tried to circle around to some moral obligation to do the right thing. There was something different about this guy though. Something that made Kris think that no matter what he asked, he would get an honest answer. On one hand, it was comforting. On the other, it made him incredibly jealous that someone could be so open.
Kris: “So all of this is selfishly motivated? You’re not even just here to do me a solid?â€
Kyle shakes his head with a laugh, and then searches the ground for his discarded cigarette. When he does not immediately spot it, he seems disappointed, but lets the idea go.
Kyle: “Nothing in life is free. If I didn’t get something out of it, I wouldn’t be wasting my time. I’m not important though. It’s you we’re talking about."
The door swings to the building swings open again. This time, instead of either of the two large security guards, the man that steps through is more Kyle’s size. He has a headset on his head, with one of the two earpieces pulled back behind his ear. He has a clipboard in his hand, and looks back and forth between the two fighters. Kris looks to Kyle confused, and for good reason. Kyle addresses the man before either of the two others can say anything.
Kyle: “I said just give me a second, okay? It’s not like there are people waiting to see some rookie with one match. I’ll be there."
The man with the headset turns around, and goes back inside the door. Kris moves to follow him, but Kyle’s words stop him.
Kyle: “You’re not the Nobody. You’re not Kris Halc. You’re not ‘Pure’ Kris. You’re not an accident. This person you are, this ‘Miracle’ is the real you."
Kris stops, and turns back towards Kyle.
Kris: “...and what am I supposed to do with that? Crimson already proved to everyone he could manipulate that person."
A smile crosses Kyle’s lips, and it reminded Kris of how he looked just before signing off of his promos.
Kyle: “I actually had a few thoughts about that too…â€
Kyle moves towards the door. Kris pushes it his direction, and the smaller man catches it, holding it open wide. Kyle reaches into his front pocket and hands Kris a small business card before stepping through the doorway and into the building.
Kyle: “Remember who the real you is."
Kris turns the card over, looking down at the message scribbled on the other side. When he looks up confused, Kyle is gone, lost in the crowd. The security guards close in on Kris as fans take note of his coming back in and try to approach him. The Roulette Champion shakes his head, trying to push the conversation to the back of his mind. He slides the card into his back pocket and makes the short walk back to his table, somehow feeling lighter.
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Learning Experience
ON-Camera
“This is where it started, Crimson."
Kris is standing in front of the camera as the scene comes to life. Behind him is an empty bar. The display behind the counter lights up the bottles so that they draw attention away from how shoddy the craftsmanship was around the rest of the space. None of the tables sit at the same height. All of the lights hanging above the booths came down different lengths. Not even the lightbulbs matched. Some tables were brightly illuminated with LED bulbs, while others could barely be seen older, dimming ones. Nothing captures the attention of the fans like the red hoodie that Kris is wearing though. It had come up often lately. The debate about it was all over social media. Half of everyone seemed to support his putting it back into the ring with Crimson. The rest thought that he would be doing himself a disservice.
“When I first started in this business, it was from right here. I stood in this bar, I hustled people out of some money. I bragged about how things were not always as they seemed. According to you, that is the real me, not the guy that has been walking around the locker room of Sin City lately."
The camera follows him as he walks, and he runs his fingertips across the wood railing of one of the pool tables.
“It’s a convincing argument. I certainly enjoyed my time here. People liked me. I could pretend to be wasted, and they would just let me take their money. We had fun every single night. When it was all over, I would show up in one of a handful of companies, work a sloppy match, get paid, and start the cycle over. It didn’t matter if I was homeless. It didn’t matter what I was putting in my body. It just mattered that I was having a good time. I didn’t have anyone in my life that mattered. All I wanted to do was tear people down, and make a few people laugh while I was doing it."
He laughs, and then shakes his head. If he was really being honest, he needed to correct himself a little bit.
“I guess it didn’t really matter if anyone other than me was laughing. That’s kinda the point though, isn’t it? As long as I was entertaining myself, I could live with it. As long as I felt like I had taken a step forward, I was happy with where I was. I did that, everyday. You know, I never realized what would happen though. I never realized that, in pushing forward, that I was moving towards something. I had plans. I had goals. That is not what I mean though. I was moving towards something that I would have never expected. It was not something that I could even wrap my head around until after it happened. I used to be the cynical guy that called people weak when they showed they cared about something. I used to be the one that would cross any line, just to do it. I used to be the guy that fit in here."
He looks around, and then back to the camera.
“At one point, this was one of the most important places in my life. Now, I look around and all I see is a shit hole. I don’t have a good time looking back. I look back and remember people blowing their rent checks on alcohol while their kids were at home being babysat by a television. I remember people that were so despicable that they would steal wallets from people that just happened to walk in off the street without thinking twice. I remember the shooting gallery in the back office that everyone pretended didn’t exist. I associate this place with throwing years of my life away. You say that is the real me. I say I don’t know who that person is. I don’t even recognize that person. More importantly though, I’m saying that eventually you are going to look back and think the exact same thing about yourself."
He taps his lips with his index finger, trying to organize his words. After the third time, he holds his hand up to stop Crimson from arguing with his screen, if he was indeed watching.
“I know you’re going to say that I am wrong. I know you are going to say that I sold out. You already touched on it at Climax Control. You said that I am the best competitor on this roster, but I have made myself beatable. You said that I have run out of steam. You think that I am tired, injured, and ready to have someone unburden me from the trials and tribulations of being Roulette Champion."
The smile on his lips shows exactly what he thinks of the accusations. It does not seem to be weighing on him at all.
“To you, I am in the middle of an identity crisis, and you are here to expose and embarrass me. You insulted, pushed, prodded and picked at me all night, and you couldn’t get me to life a finger. You had your people put their hands on someone that I care about, and then took advantage of that distraction and knocked me unconscious. I can’t really be mad, because that is the same kind of thing that the man that used to frequent this place would have done. In fact, that is the kind of thing that I HAVE done. What was surreal was talking to Stoner about how it is like looking in the mirror when you talk, only to have you do the same thing that I would do. Once my ears stopped ringing, I actually found it kind of funny. Last week was a learning experience for sure."
This time he holds up both of his hands, not wanting anyone, Crimson included to jump to conclusions.
“I didn’t learn that I could be manipulated. I didn’t learn that I was wrong. I learned that SCW thinks the best weapon to use against me, is a less evolved version of me. Crimson, whatever your goals, whatever your motives, I’m sure you think you’re doing everyone a favor by putting me out of my misery. You look at me and see someone who needs a break. You see someone who is weighed down. Whether you’re right or not does not matter. What matters is that you think that you are right. You think that you NEED to beat me. Sure, you want to beat me because of what it means for your career here, but it is more than that. You see someone that used to be so much like you, but has found a better way. You feel the need to validate your existence by tearing down what I have. If you can beat me, it shows you that you’re right. If you beat me, you can sleep easy knowing that your way is the best way to the top."
He laughs, and this time cannot hold it in at all. One hand comes up to his mouth to cover it, but it is of no use. It takes him a few moments to compose himself.
“If you had done as much research as you claim, you will have seen my record here. You would see that on the list of the best ever here, my win/loss ratio is not looking so hot. You would see that I needed this year long winning streak just to break even. Right now I have lost as many supercard matches as I have won. I went on a losing streak that lasted through two separate runs in this company. The really funny part, is that I did all of it at my worst. I did all of it as the person that hung in this place. I did all of it, as the person that was so much like you."
He unzips the famous red hoodie, and shrugs his shoulders out of it. He pulls his wrists free, and tosses it off camera. The shirt underneath came with the phrase that he had not yet said printed across the front. Everyone watching was now painfully aware that he was definitely going to get to it this time, and he was amping up to it.
“I changed in the last year. It wasn’t because of a crisis of faith, it was because I was shedding all of the things that were wearing me down. I changed my name, because my name should have never been tied to the person that attempted to raise me. I opened up about my family, and had Kali tour with me because I had gotten to a place where I was comfortable just being myself and letting people know that I was having a good time doing it. Back when I walked around acting like a badass, I made a lot of mistakes. It took me the entire last year to make up for them. It took me a year of busting my ass to even make my record look reasonable. It took me a year to make up for coming up short when I went for the Roulette Championship in both my third and fourth matches with this company. It took me a year to realize that being you, was not going to get the job done. I already walked your path. I already came up short. I already wasted my time learning the lesson that I’m giving you right now for free."
He is forced to stop, having gone as far as he could without a breath. Each word had come out faster and faster, and had did not stop to break between them. It was more excited than fans had seen him in a while.
“It took me four years to right all the wrongs and fix all the mistakes, and all because I couldn’t grasp the things that you can’t grasp. You actually said that this championship was your key to the main event. You think that beating me, the best person on the roster, and the champion of champions, is going to launch you up to the top. That shows your profound misunderstanding of the way that things work around here. See, I maybe the best here, but how many main events have you seen me in? I have been unpinned for an entire year, and have only been in a few. Holding this championship keeps you at the bottom, even if you are the best. That is why I had to beg and plead with Christian and Mark to give me a shot at it. That is why when I did it, everyone said I was taking a step back. The only thing that has kept me going this long, was that I had a record to break. The desire to be better than Equinox, to right those mistakes I made in my first year, was enough to carry me through to being the longest reigning SCW Roulette Champion in company history. That desire came from getting my ass handed to me by the best person in SCW in my third match. Just like so much of my career, that desire is a feeling that you are going to be really familiar with after High Stakes."
He takes a step towards the camera now, and his face is lit up like it has not been since his promo from New York City before he won the Roulette Championship.
“I think what stung the most was that after Equinox beat me, and shut me up, he left. I could never come back and beat him. I could never prove that I was better in the ring. Instead, I had to attack his record. You told me that I looked tired on Climax Control. To tell you the truth, I am tired. I am tired of this title. I am tired of not knowing what stipulation I am walking into. I am tired of the endless string of brutal matches. I have suffered through watching two people less talented than me work main event after main event. I have listened to people call me the best while seeing my name placed in the opening match of card after card. The Roulette Championship is not your ticket to the top, it is a weight around your ankle that keeps you grounded at the bottom. It is a championship that means you will face every sorry excuse for a competitor that comes into this company, likely in their first few matches. It is a title that means you defend against people like Steve Ramone and Joshua Acquin who couldn’t buy a win with all of the money in the world. You say I am tired. I say for the last 150+ days, I have been asleep. I would have stayed asleep if not for you. You may have even beaten me in this match without your little stunt. Now, just like Equinox did to me, I am going to beat you, and then move on."
He gets to the camera, and reaches under it, taking the strap of the Roulette Championship into his hand, and holding it up in front of the camera.
“I can see how bad you want it. I can see how badly you want in my head to twist me up. I see the lengths that you are willing to go, but I have lived the fact that you are wrong. I could throw this match. The old me probably would have come out all fucked up, and enjoyed losing. Before Climax Control, I may have just blown off really taking this seriously. You bit off more than you could chew by waking me up. All of this could have been yours, but it is going to be so much more satisfying to deny you the opportunity. I will carry this title until my contract with this company is up. That doesn’t mean anything to most people, because it is just another couple of weeks. It means everything to you though Crimson. It is denying you the opportunity to be champion, and passing off the title once you are at the back of the line. It is letting you know that no matter how good you think you are, you’re not better than I am. It’s about teaching you how much better you will be once you grow up, and stop trying to be so intimidating. I want you to remember this moment, because it is the beginning of a very rocky road."
He brings the championship up and drapes it over his shoulder.
“All you had to do was keep your mouth shut, and maybe you would have beaten me. You had to go out of your way to get my attention. You just had to step up and give me a reason to defend this championship one more time before moving up to bigger and better things. I’m gonna need you to do that just one more time at High Stakes. Step up, and #JustTakeTheL."
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Home
Jet City Sports Lab
Thursday, 19 October 2017.
OFF-Camera
The gym had been closed for a few hours at this point, but it did not stop Kris from stopping. The imported white sportscar his half-brother made a spectacle out of was parked around the back of the Jet City Sports Lab, meaning that Jason was undoubtedly working late. He punches the keycode into the pad next to the door, and waits for the green light to pop on before pulling on the latch. The door swings open into the storage area, and Kris can hear voices talking. He walks through the hallway, finding Jason’s door ajar. The two voices inside are familiar, and he smiles as he pushes the door open.
Kris: “It’s good to see you up and around, white girl..."
Kirsten Reynolds turns in her chair, and looks back towards the door. She sees Kris standing there and looks back and forth between him and Jason. The older of the two brothers nods with a smile, and she gets up from her seat. She makes short work of the distance between them, and wraps her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. He puts his arms around the small of her back, and hugs her back. His lips hover close to her ear, and he speaks low enough so that Jason cannot hear him. When the two separate, she looks him in his eyes, and places a hand on both of his cheeks so that he cannot look away.
Kirsten: “You better hurt this guy."
She smacks his cheek with her right hand, and shoots and look back at Jason.
Kirsten: “We can finish this later."
She does not even wait for a response before turning back towards the door. Jason shakes his head with a smile on his face.
Jason: “I’m not changing my mind...â€
She waves her hand in his direction but does not turn back towards him.
Kirsten: “That’s what you always say…â€
She squeezes around Kris and out into the hallway. Kris watches her go, and then makes his way into the room, taking her chair. He puts his arms up on the rests, and then lifts his foot up to place against the side of the desk. The smile on his face catches Jason off guard. It was not something that he was used to seeing.
Kris: “It was easier when it was just the three of us, wasn’t it?â€
Jason leans back in his chair, and lets out a laugh that he was not sure that he still had in him. The idea was insane of course. When it was the three of them, he and Kirsten were arguing nonstop, and most of it was about which rehab they were going to try and convince to take Kris. It was clear that the two remembered the times differently, but Jason was not about to take that away from him. The two of them had enough problems already. Instead, he redirects a little.
Jason: “Easier doesn’t mean happier. Look at us. You just had the owner of the company you work for say that you ARE the company. We built Jet City. I brought back Pride. We are both married with kids, or kids on the way. Easier? Maybe. Better? Not a chance in hell."
Kris laces his fingers together, and rests his hands on his chest. They had agreed to keep up appearances as far as anyone else was concerned, but now that Kirsten was gone and away from earshot, the energy faded from the room. Jason’s smile disappears, and he falls silent. If Kris had come by, he needed something.
Kris: “I’ve been thinking a lot about something that you told me."
Jason shrugs. He knew better than to try and interrupt or lighten their conversation. Every time he had tried at the wedding, he had been shut down. He could not hold back though.
Jason: “I was under the impression you never listened to me."
Kris does not look up, or even acknowledge the comment. He spins his thumbs in a circle around one another.
Kris: “You said that I needed to separate myself from everything. That I should keep the parts of myself that I wanted fans to see separate from the person that I was around friends and family. It was to protect me. It stops people from really being able to use my own feelings against me."
Jason nods, not quite understanding where Kris was going. It was strange that words from four years ago were suddenly on his mind.
Jason: “It’s like with Emily. Or Lindsay. Or Talia. You don’t see people bringing that up and hammering me about it on Twitter or even when I was competing. I don’t put that part of my life out there. We even hired JJ as a manager so that people would make comments about which of us were banging her instead of focusing on anything important. It is all crafted so that nothing that someone says before a match can get in your head."
That was the point though. As soon as the words come out of his mouth, he realizes why Kris had it running through his head.
Jason: “...and that’s what you’re worried about. You created that persona. You lived it for most of your career. Now that you decided to be more like yourself, you think you fucked up."
He laughs, and it brings Kris’ icy glare up from his hands. Most others would be intimidated, but Jason had seen the look more often than anyone, Heather included.
Kris: “What?â€
Jason shakes his head, and takes a second to get his wits about him. When he is finally able to quell the outburst, Kris is about to blow up.
Jason: “Your ability to blame yourself for everything knows no limits does it?â€
Kris averts his eyes. His mouth falls open, and he mumbles some sarcastic comment that Jason does not quite pick up. For Jason, it was a familiar look. Every time Kris failed a drug test and they had another rehab talk, he had gotten the same look. The relationship between the two was already broken though, so holding back was going to get Jason nowhere. Where he normally would have backed off, he pressures Kris instead.
Jason: “Seriously. You are going to put Kali getting kidnapped on your own shoulders? Because you didn’t snap and beat the guy right there in your locker room? Because you didn’t take him seriously? Now it is your fault that Kali got tied up, and you got knocked out? You’re the one to blame, right? All because you did not listen to me. You let too much of yourself shine through and now the sky is falling. Is that what you think?â€
Kris does not bother looking back in his direction. He was not going to argue with him, because it was not the reason that he came. He was glad that Jason was able to walk himself through the majority of the problem. It meant that Kris’ job became easier and their conversation became that much shorter.
Kris: “Somebody said something to me… well kind of…â€
He thinks back to the card Kyle had given him just days before. The words printed on it were kicking around in his head no matter what he had done. That was the reason he found himself sitting here.
Kris: “... nobody is a villain in their own story."
Jason laughs, and nods his head.
Jason: “It is a George R.R. Martin quote. The rest of it is, ‘We’re all the heroes of our own stories.’ Like nobody goes out of their way to be a hateful person just to be a hateful person. Even the worst of the worst people think that they are doing the right thing. It is all a matter of finding their motivation and understanding them. Why would someone say it to you?â€
He was not quite sure yet, but he was starting to figure it out. His eyes dart back and forth, thinking through his conversation with Kyle to put together what he was trying to tell him. More importantly, even though Jason had given him the rest of the quote, it did not explain the second line on the card. Something told Kris that now was not the time though. He looks back up at his half-brother, and switches gears.
Kris: “If it were you? You have the choice of taking the high road, as unproven as it is, or going low and walking away unscathed. What do you do?â€
Kris knew the answer before Jason even had a chance to open his mouth. It did not change the fact that he needed to hear it though.
Jason: “If someone put their hands on someone I cared about, I’d burn their whole world to the ground. You’ve seen me do it. I made a career of doing it. There are no lines. There’s no holding back. You do what you have to do to make sure that they suffer. You walk into a match knowing one of the two of you aren’t walking away from it. Then you make sure that person is you, no matter the costs."
It was only then that Kris realized what it was that Kyle was trying to tell him. He shakes his head, but more importantly than that, his eyes light up. Jason sees it like a cartoon light bulb switching on over his half-brother’s head.
Jason: “Did that help?â€
Kris shakes his head, not even checking his tone for rudeness.
Kris: “No, that was bullshit, but you did give me the answer though."
He gets up out of his chair, and turns towards the door, but Jason rises out of his seat.
Jason: “Wait."
Kris spins, and is genuinely surprised to see Jason caught off guard by his running out. It takes Kris a second to process that it bothered Jason that he did not understand. The single word he managed to spit out was dripping with desperation.
Jason: “What is it that you figured out?â€
Kris laughs, not sure that Jason would understand.
Kris: “Something our marooned friend told me before he left. There’s a difference between playing the hero, and being one. Put that with what Kyle said, that everyone thinks they are the hero of their own story, and what do you get?â€
Jason smiles, thinking the whole thing over to try and get to Kris’ point. It only takes a second, and he is almost ashamed of himself for not getting it sooner..
Jason: “You could use Kali to justify being that person. You can spin it to make it sound like Crimson deserved you to be your worst. You could give him exactly what he wants, and leave him to regret that decision, but you would know…â€
Kris nods.
Kris: “I would know that it was just an excuse to take the easy way out. I have a chance to beat him my way, to play my game, to prove him wrong. Beating him any other way, wouldn’t really be beating him. I’m always going to be the hero in my own head. It’s not me that matters though."
Jason chuckles a little, and adds to the sentiment with some of Kris’ own words.
Jason: “When in doubt, follow the fans."
Kris smirks, remembering telling the confused Scott Oliver to do the same thing.
Kris: “I think it’s time that Tommy Crimson met The Miracle."
==============================================================
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The Miracle
ON-Camera
“This week has been eventful. It kicked off with a concussion and and long flight. I had fan events that really flipped my world upside down. I stopped by Jet City and did the family thing for a while. Then, I jumped on a flight to come all the way back out here to Australia all on my own. Crimson made sure of that fact, didn't he? Fool me once, shame on me. There will never be someone to fool me twice, because I'm a fast learner."
The scene comes to life with Kris standing in the Margaret Court Arena in Melbourne, Australia. The show is still a week out, so nothing has been set up. The floor that he is standing on is hard wood, and the stands around him are completely empty.
“Anyone paying attention on social media knows that I have been going back and forth about something else as well. Maybe that is why the fan events had me so twisted up. I left Climax Control last week thinking that there was nothing that I wouldn't do to beat Tommy Crimson. I ran through all of the foul things I was going to do during this match during every second of the CT scan that I got following your cheap shot. I talked to friends, family, and people that I had never met before in my life. I honestly got more advice in the last week than I have in my entire life. That's not the only surprising thing that happened either. For the first time, I actually listened to what a lot of these people had to say. You know what I realized? I don't need to be a Nobody to beat you, but you need me to be a Nobody in order to beat me."
He smiles widely, and the camera starts to circle around him. The champion stays stationary, but his head turns with the camera as it crosses in front of him.
“Why else would you tell me that the version of me that exists now is not good enough to challenge you. As an opponent, as an underhanded and pathetic excuse for a human being, why would you want me to be at my best? Also, if you really wanted me to be at my best, why would you take me out in a way that could have taken me completely out of this match? The easy, and most obvious answer, you gave me. It's all some game that you are trying to play. You tried to bait me into snapping in my locker room. When that didn't work, I forced you to play Kali against me. When I maintained my cool, you got frustrated and took your best shot. Well I have news Crimson, I'm still here. I'm still standing. I'm ready for this match."
The camera passes behind his shoulder, and he pauses for the time it is behind him. It moves back around his side, and he turns his head towards it as it rotates back in front of him.
“It was all part of your mind fuck, right? You see The Miracle. You see me having a name that I can be proud of. You see me surrounding myself with positive influences. I have been building towards this since I first came back a year ago. I will give it to you. You almost had me. You almost got me to buy into the idea that the people around me only worked to make me weak. You had me believing that if I went back to how I used to do things, I had a better chance. It didn't matter if it was The Accident, The Nobody or Pure, anything was better than the fraud that I had become, right? So you pushed, and you pushed. You did everything that you could to get me to change my tune. You overplayed your hand though. Had you not taken your cheap shot, maybe it would have eaten away at me over the course of this week. As it stands, you made this easier than you could ever know."
He steps forward and the camera follows behind him as he walks forward. He starts to make his way towards two double doors leading to the main lobby of the arena. As he nears them, two security guards reach for the handles and pull the doors open. The hallway outside is empty, but the camera picks up a ton of background noise. It sounds like a large group of people all having individual conversations. Kris turns, still walking backwards but now facing the camera.
“You say being surrounded by people makes me weak? How weak does this sound?"
Kris turns back around, and steps through into the lobby. The camera follows him, and catches the reaction of all of the fans standing by a makeshift stage set up just outside the doors. The outcry of cheers from the crowd makes the audio on the recording equipment cut in and out a few times. Kris makes his way up the stairs and onto the stage as the camera moves around to take its place at the back of the crowd. There is a podium at the center of the stage, and he makes his way to it, but only long enough to take the microphone off of the stand attached to the top of it. He spins it in his hand, and then moves around the podium. He points down at the crowd, who back up a little to allow him some space to sit down on the edge of the stage. Instead of speaking, he reaches out, shaking hands of everyone that can get close enough to reach him. The crowd packs in around him as he raises the microphone up to his lips.
“I was talking to Tommy Crimson a little before coming out here..."
Kris points towards the camera, and the fans follow the trail, booing loudly as they turn. Most stop when they realize that it is just a camera, and not the man himself, but the point was made.
“He thinks that I'm wasting my time by talking to you guys. He thinks caring about people or things is weakness. To him, the world should burn, and all of us with it. Now I have already talked a little about that. I have said it sounds like me. I have said that he is wrong. What I haven't said, and probably the most important thing that I could say, is that it sounds awfully lonely out there by himself. I think everyone in here would agree with me that having people around that want to see you succeed is a good thing, right?"
The crowd roars back with cheers in response. It takes a second to organize, but they break into a undeniable chant of "YES!". Some even turn to point at the camera, sending a message to the man set to challenge their champion.
“Crimson says that I need to turn my back on all of you to beat him. He says I need to stop worrying about what you think because it makes me beatable. I think it's exactly the opposite. I think all the energy that I wasted picking on you guys, and irritating you is put to better use these days. I mean the second that I stopped trying to piss you guys off, I started winning. I let you guys into my life starting back at Summer XXXtreme and all of you have been supportive. I put up a poll about changing my name and you backed me up, even if it meant that things got a little confusing for a while. I never gave any of you a reason to be on my side, but all of you came around. I couldn't have broken this record, or beaten everyone that I beat, as many times as I had to beat them, without you guys in my corner. Crimson took it upon himself to challenge that. He decided that he was going to try and drive a wedge between us. He put Kali in jeopardy so that there was no way that I would bring her to High Stakes."
The crowd boo again. Kali had quickly become a popular person at fan events. In the last few months, the two had rarely been seen separate. Kris raises a hand, trying to calm them down.
“Don't worry, she is fine. We just thought that maybe it would be better for her and Heather to watch from home. I got myself a six foot tall, two hundred and fifty pound babysitter in the form of Aaron Isaacs, so they know I am not going to get into too much trouble. At least back in Seattle, she doesn't have to worry about some white-eyed failure at life to put their hands on her."
The crowd laughs, and Kris laughs with them. It was clear that he was starting to enjoy his back and forth with them.
“So Crimson may have succeeded in separating me from one person for this match, but I think I am bringing a few thousand people with me that he has no chance of scaring off!"
Again, the cheers short out the audio equipment in the small space. The sound becomes choppy as the whole lobby area seems to vibrate in excitement. When the crowd dies off, Kris is still smiling.
“So I'm not gonna say that he should call an ambulance, or that there's gonna be an accident. I'm not gonna say that right now I'm a nobody, and he's going to make me a somebody. I'm not going to sit out here and find a dozen different creative ways to make him a more pure individual. I am just going to say that it is miraculous that I can sit here after all this time, and have you people in my corner."
On cue, the fans pop again, but this time Kris talks over them.
“I have spent my whole life letting other people tell me what they think I should be. I have gone through dark times, I have had some truly amazing experiences. I have died. I have been injured. I have had my family taken away from me, and I have had my family returned to me after more than twenty years away. In the last year, you have all taught me that it's not worth being in this business if I am not enjoying it with all of you, instead of in spite of all you. I promised to come back and make things right, and you guys gave me that opportunity. I had no idea that it was going to change me, but it has. It took time. It wasn't overnight. It wasn't because of one person. Each and every one of you had a hand in it, and I just wanted to say thank you."
He stands up from the stage, and points out at some of the security crew. They all seem to come together in front of the stage, right in the middle of the crowd. There is a lot of pushing but Kris is focused up on the camera.
“Hey Tommy! You want to know my name? I am 'The Miracle' Kristopher Ryans, and in a little over a week, I am going to beat your ass with the help of all these people. Right now though, I think I'm going surfing."
He tosses the microphone aside as the crowd roars in approval. He backs up, and gets a running start before leaping off of the stage. Mostly it is security members that catch him, but as the camera starts to fade, the crowd carries him away from the stage and deep into the heart of the crowd. The last shot that the camera picks up is Kris, riding on the hands of his fans, raising the SCW Roulette Championship up in the air.
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