Date: 2003
Location: Somewhere in Iraq
The scene opens with bullets cracking against an eight foot stone wall, fragments and dust flying upward with every impact. For a better part of the day, U.S. forces have been fighting street to street and house to house. As forces from the 3rd armored division line up against the front side of the wall, a radio guy starts barking out instructions back to command, speaking them ver batum from his platoon leader.
"Eagles nest, Eagles nest. Stiff resistance at coordinate...."
As he begins barking out the numerical coordinates, light and heavy rounds continue to pound the top of the wall, just above his head. Little did any of them know, a future high profile target was only about 100 yards away, barking out commands of his own. Nasser al-Wuhaishi who had been one of Osama bin Laden's top people since the early 1990's was in Iraq, and was coordinating Al Qaeda's resistance of the United States military, along with Iraqi forces still loyal to the Saddam Hussein regime.
Had command known that Wuhaishi was there, maybe the debate would have lasted a bit longer. However, the reply came swift and it wasn't to be argued.
"Negative on any airstrikes. Your location is heavily populated with civilians and we can't risk any collateral lives. Continuing pressing forward as best you can."
Hearing the command given, 2nd LT. Chris Boyle's head sunk. Any airstrikes by A-10's or Apache attack choppers would make the advance easier through the streets, thus saving the lives of his soldiers. But without them, his men would be in the line of fire with an unseen enemy, with unknown strength capabilities.
"Shit, I can't believe this."
LT. Boyle knew that eventually, they were going to have to move beyond the point of this wall. They needed to push out, to get across several blocks of a looming fire zone in order to open up a major highway for their tanks. Taking a deep breath, Boyle looks to his men.
"We're going to have to fight our way through. They can't give us air support because it will risk innocents."
Nothing else needed to be said, the looks on their faces said it all. Once beyond the wall, they were going to be subjected to enemy fire from all sides, and casualties were almost a certain.
As LT. Boyle moved up to the opening, horrific thoughts of the allied invasion of Normandy came to mind. He remembered watching movies such as Saving Private Ryan where American troops stormed the beaches, only to be slaughtered in large numbers by German machine gun positions, most before they could even get off of the landing crafts.
That sent chills up and down his spine. The thought of seeing his men dropping like flies as soon as they push around the opening sickened him. But, to the point position he now stood, steadfast in the ideal that he wouldn't ask a single man to do anything he wouldn't do himself.
"Alright men, when we round this corner, stay off of the wall and cover all avenues of fire. Push forward, keep your heads down, and your eyes open."
Boyle watches as the instructions are passed back, with lightning fast precision and hopefully, complete understanding."
"Push forward in seven man teams, three to five second rushes, and keep as much cover and concealment as possible. According to intel, we have to push forward for several blocks until we can get to the highway where our convoy is stalled. However, approximately 150 to 200 yards...."
As LT. Boyle's voice begins to trail away, the camera shot is forced upward and away from the American soldiers along the wall. In a rapid forward movement, the camera begins to move along the street, ducking and dodging everything in it's path. Within moments, the camera is now on the third floor of a hotel where Nassir al-Wuhaishi is hunkered down, looking out the window as rounds from his Al Qaeda group strike the stone wall.
"Stop firing you idiots" Nassir screams in Arabic. "We want them to come out into the open. None of you are hitting anything, AND you're wasting ammo."
Within moments, all firing stops and Nassir immediately trains his eyes on the open spot of the stone wall. He waited patiently for what he knew would be there, young American soldiers, inexperienced in land wars, and now about to run into a trap. A trap set up by Nassir himself.
Ever since the American invasion of Iraq, Nassir had planned such a meeting, where his Al Qaeda group could kill the American invaders, igniting another explosion of new recruits for the terrorist network. Up to now, bin Laden's master plan of a holy war to unite the Muslim world had largely failed, but Nassir knew that where bin Laden had failed, he would ultimately succeed, and that success would come on the ground in Iraq.
As that first soldier rounds the corner, fire begins to tear towards his direction. One of those rounds is now moving in the direction of the soldier, the tip of the round slowing in his rotation ever so slightly, a wobble beginning to take shape....
Then, everything goes dark.
As everything stay dark, a woman's voice breaks the silence, forcing that darkness to lift and no longer are you looking at the battlefield in Iraq. Now you are looking at the evil Jezebeth Vanessa, looking into the mirror, and at a down LT. Boyle, struck in the upper shoulder by a bullet.
Vanessa: "I can't believe you allowed him to die like that. You knew that American soldier would have been the one to kill Nassir, but yet, you allowed him to die. Why?"
Without even looking back, she knew that the dark shadow was behind her. Because an answer wasn't readily fired back, Vanessa spins around to once again ask the question. But this time, face to face.
Vanessa: "You know what Nassir did to my family, what he did to me. I want my...."
dark shadow: "Your revenge?"
Before Vanessa can answer, the dark shadow continues.
dark shadow: "You don't have anything, not even revenge. It doesn't go by what you want, only what I want. Nassir's actions, as evil as they were, is exactly what I'm looking for. His actions involving your family is what I'm looking for, and it is those actions that will help in my plans for the future."
Vanessa turns back and faces the mirror, watching as LT. Boyle's body is pulled back to safety, the damage already done.
dark shadow: "Besides Vanessa, look at what Nassir's actions have done for you. Because of him, there isn't a man in this world who can resist you. Because of his actions, you now can have any man you want, eating out of your hands."
As the dark shadow walks up behind her, his hands stretch out onto both shoulders, gripping them ever so slightly. The touch, causes the evil Jezebeth to close her eyes, multiple emotions rushing through her.
dark shadow: "Look at what you've accomplished with Sean Jackson."
A lone tear begins to run down her face. As evil as she's become, there is still a part of her that remembers the brutality that Nassir al-Wuhaishi unleashed on her family.
Vanessa: "Sean was always your master plan, not mine. I didn't choose him, you did. You chose him back in 2010, just like you had Nassir choose my family fifteen years ago."
With a wave of her hand, the scene in the mirror changes to that of a small Vietnamese village in 1999. As several vehicles are seen coming up the dirt road, many of the villagers begin to run into their small houses, grabbing up children as they ran. As the vehicles come to a stop, doors begin to open and heavily armed men exit, making their way towards different houses.
One of those men is Nassir al-Wuhaishi.
Before the scene can continue, the dark shadow waves his hand and the mirror fades to a reflection. A reflection of them both.
dark shadow: "Nothing can come from re-hashing old wounds Vanessa, nothing. Yes, Sean Jackson was the focal point behind my plan, and yes the end justifies the means. But you've screwed up my plan once already, and I won't tolerate you doing it again."
Again, the dark shadow waves his hand in front of the mirror and this time the reflection shows Michael Hardy standing in the ring during last weeks Climax Control. As Hardy cuts his promo, the dark shadow continues.
dark shadow: "You want to take your revenge out on someone, then do it to Michael Hardy. Imagine Hardy to be Nassir al-Wahaishi and have Sean treat him accordingly."
A second tear streams down her face.
Vanessa: "It isn't the same. Michael H..."
dark shadow: "Just remember Vanessa, you were nothing until I came along. You were nothing more than a piece of trash in that Thai whorehouse. Instead of faulting Nassir for what he did, why not fault all of those men who used you...."
With a wave of his hand, the reflection now shows that Thai whorehouse, the one where there were no rules and everything went if the price was right.
dark shadow: "The men who abused you, the men who treated you like shit under their shoes. Those are the men who are represented by Michael Hardy. Those are the men who will be punished by you and Sean Jackson."
Vanessa turns her head in shame, anger beginning to swell inside of her. Anger that the dark shadow can once again play on, to get her to do exactly what he wants.
dark shadow: "Yes Vanessa, the Michael Hardy's of the world. The Nassir al-Wahaishi's of the world. You can get your revenge on them all, by having Sean destroy Hardy."
His words, searing deep into her mind, feeding the hatred in her black heart. As she begins to step towards the mirror, the dark shadow once again waves his hand until a hotel room is shown in the reflection. Once stepping through, she comes out into that room, Sean Jackson fast asleep. Taking a running start, Vanessa dives until she disappears into Sean's body, causing him to fly up suddenly before his body flops back down.
Thus beginning something that hasn't happened since his days in the NWA. A brutal mental attack.
Trapped in his own mind, Sean is standing in the middle of a room, glowing eyes in all of the shadows.
Jackson: "Vanessa?"
You can hear the concern in his voice as the room looks familiar. It is the same room that he was in when Vanessa brutally attacked him, the prelude to the NWA King of the Death Match tournament.
Jackson: "Why am I here?"
As one pair of the eyes begins to move, Vanessa begins to speak.
Vanessa: "You need a reminder Sean...."
As the glowing eyes comes out of the darkness, the evil Jezebeth is shown, her eyes glowing red.
Vanessa: "You need a reminder on the punishment of failure..."
Jackson: "Failure? what failure Vanessa? Haven't I done ev..."
Vanessa: "What failure? your failure to make everyone afraid of you, that failure. Last week, Michael Hardy called you out. Last week he came out and referred to himself as a soulfull creature, as someone who could some day be on your level..."
As Vanessa moves closer, her fingernails begin to grow, almost an inch with every step. Which causes Sean to back step.
Vanessa: "And if he has the guts to do, then everyone else will have the guts to do it."
Now backed up against the wall, he can't go any further as now Vanessa is standing a mere couple of inches from him, her long fingernails now running along his face.
Jackson: "But I wasn....."
Vanessa: "SILENCE!!!!"
With that, Vanessa takes her left hand under his chin and lifts him violently off the floor, his feet dangling underneath him.
Vanessa: "IF YOU DON'T HAVE THE HEART TO DESTROY MICHAEL HARDY......"
She then takes her right hand and impales him through the chest, pulling his heart out and watching it beat in front of her.
Vanessa: "THEN I WILL TAKE IT FROM YOU!!!!"
As if waking up from a horrible dream, Sean shoots straight up in his bed and immediately checks his chest. His heart is pounding and his breathing is so fast, he almost passes out. The message was delivered and he read it loud and clear.
He must destroy Michael Hardy.
Fade to black.
