RP #11- "Make The Right Call"

[Promo - The Undeniable Words #11, 5/5/08]

I hate to sound like I'm bragging here, but... well, I told you so.

I told Nicholas Jaxx that the sweetest way to bring him down in flames would be for him to come as close to victory as he possibly could- to have it so close that he could just about taste it- only to have it snatched away at the last second, and to watch the look on his face as he realized that in spite of all his arrogance, his posturing, his threats, that airheaded chick getting involved, and all that stuff, he lost. He now has to look in the mirror every day and realize that fact. I consider it a... suitable punishment for his arrogance. In some ways, it might be excessive, because for someone who's as... blind and deluded as he is, the truth is likely to be very, very painful. Finishing him off with the Bloodshed title belt... making it the last thing he saw before being denied access to it... was just the icing on the cake.

But I don't have all day to put the boots into Jaxx. As nice as it would be, it's been made rather obvious that I cannot sit and rest on my laurels this time around. Because as tough as the match at the PPV was- and it was tough, I'll concede that much- I don't exactly have a Disclosure off to recuperate. Hell, I don't even have an easy match. Or a medium difficulty match. Nope, it looks like I'm diving straight back into the 'really freakin' hard' pool after drying off, as it looks like I'm being slotted up against none other than the Platinum Champion himself, and a... somewhat unusual competitor, Joshua Payne.

If this sounds like I'm complaining, then you haven't been listening right. I've been hanging on for challenges, and it looks like I'm getting them in spades. I've proven a fair bit by retaining my title- something that the last two Platinum Champions couldn't do- but now I have to prove that I can recuperate from doing that fast enough to be able to take Payne down. All things considered, that's one way to make damn sure I'm back to being at the top of my game- the PPV win did partly redeem me after the tag team loss at Disclosure, but defeating the Platinum Champion would wash the stink of defeat off me completely.

Then again, Joshua... I'm fairly willing to bet this isn't just me being tested. You've got the Platinum Championship now, and ostensibly, that makes you the top man around here. That also means there are a lot of people who would like to supplant you, myself being among them. Does that mean I'll be challenging you for the title next week? Not necessarily, it's probably not yet time for that. But it does mean you have a certain... reputation to uphold. I think one thing that you demonstrated about Ryba last week was that if you show any kind of weakness, you're prey for just about anybody to sink their teeth into you. I mean, after all, you did come out of literally nowhere after everyone thought you were history to dethrone him. Therefore, I think you understand the ramifications if I bring you down. It doesn't just mean I'm a contender, but it makes you look just that much less of a danger- and that in turn brings more contenders after you.

But it's obvious you've got some kind of power now, Payne. I mean, you didn't just take the Platinum Championship, but it went a little bit further than that. You and Pete Ebdon- at the very least- have made some kind of power play to seize some kind of control here in Platinum. I mean, you guys got your message across pretty clearly when you formed the Pantheon that night and made an example out of Ryba. You clearly sent out the message that you're taking over, that you run this joint now, and that anybody who doesn't lie down and take your message of liberation is going to end up like Ryba did. We all got that much out of it. I suppose the question's going to be asked by some people- will I be the one to stand up and lead some kind of counter-revolution? To stop you two before this gets out of hand? The honest truth is, I probably won't- not yet. Star might be freaking out trying to keep her show under control, and a few wrestlers probably will want to mount some kind of counterattack, but I'm going to see where this goes before I launch some kind of pre-emptive strike.

But with that said, I will be damned if I let you or Ebdon try to lord it over me, Payne. Call yourself a Messiah, call yourself the new God, call yourself the Evil Lord Xenu who's finally come back to Earth to destroy humanity and its false God Tom Cruise, call yourself whatever you want, I won't be bowing to you, I won't be accepting your sovereignty, and... well, let's just say if you try to tell me what to do, then you can refer to the last several lines of 'Killing In The Name Of' by Rage Against The Machine. That is where I stand regarding you and your Pantheon. I'm not moving against you- yet- but you'd better believe that trying to force me to see things your way, or to make an example of me, or to do just about anything to piss me off, would be a huge freakin' mistake.

And maybe that's something I intend to show you in this match, Payne. I intend to show you just how dangerous I could be to you, and to the Pantheon. If I have it my way, then by the end of this match you'll be wanting to stay well clear of me- kind of like how you wouldn't want to piss off a cobra, because it'd be the stupidest and probably last thing you do. If I have it my way, you and Ebdon will be looking at your 'Pantheon hitlist' or whatever it is you have set up, and you'll be specifically making damn sure your plans swerve around me.

This match isn't about you sending a message. Or about making an example of me. Or continuing striking down the undesirables. This is about me drawing a line in the sand and telling you to stay the hell out of it if you know what's good for you.

[MAIN STORY]

DATE/TIME: 6:30 PM, Sunday May 4, 2008
LOCATION: The Shack, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

[WTF are u, man? I called u lyk 20 mns ago. Get ur ars up here. Dougy]

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming..." Steve Jason muttered as he peered at the screen of his cell phone, which was lit up with the abysmally-spelled text message from, presumably, Dougy. He was at the foot of a concrete stairwell at Dougy's entertainment complex in Philadelphia, colloquially known as The Shack. Empty and sterile, with little to really brighten up the gloom of the place, the gray, winding set of stairs were quite obviously only intended for passage between floors- no more, no less. No carpets or other pretence and opulence, and not so much as a view to the outside world. Steve, on the other hand, was a tad more descriptive, decked out on the stylish end of casual- a white rugby polo with blue stripes covering his upper body, and decent-priced jeans and black boots sealing off the lower frame.

Victory had come with a price at Dishonorable Discharge, as could clearly be evidenced by the bandages covering the stitches on Steve's forehead. But unlike the last time victory had come at such a heavy price, Steve had no time to recuperate or to take injury time off- he was straight back into the game, and in a major way. Thus it was that Steve didn't exactly waste much time legging it up the stairwell at a steady, jogging pace. He gritted his teeth as his muscles loosened up, and before long he'd rounded the stairs and was straight up at the top of the stairwell itself, seizing the wooden door in front of him before finally shoving it open.

"And so then I said 'who lit the fuse on your tampon?'" Dougy's voice, puffed up with the egotistical tone of one bragging, was the first thing Steve heard as he stepped into the room. Unlike the lower floor of The Shack, which had been converted into a number of sections for the public, the upper floor was wide open, and it was exclusive to Dougy and anybody who he chose to invite up into the area- which most of the time meant anyone who showed up to The Shack except for whenever a meeting between friends was required.

This was one of those times. The broad, wide-open upper floor was all one room, stretching out for a considerable distance in all directions. The walls of the building were blue-painted concrete, and windows were mounted in them, stretching around to provide an almost 360 degree view of the immediate area around The Shack- and even a few of the larger buildings in Philadelphia were visible, outlined against the pinkish-red pre-sunset sky. A bar area was set up on one end of the room, and a door leading to a long balcony encircling the building was not too far away. Dougy himself, clad in his Hawaiian best, was slumped in a large black recliner at the center of the room, Corona in hand. Directly in front of him was a black plasma TV, and to the sides of him were black leather couches. Seated on one of those couches was Marcus 'Stretch' McNamara, decked out in a black polo and cargo pants. On the other was one Kaitlyn Hawking, her dark hair pulled back into a pony-tail, clad in blue jeans and a purple fluffy-looking sweater.

"That's disgusting." She was also, by the looks of it, none-too-amused by Dougy's anecdote.

"Hey, it's not like there weren't fifty other parking spaces! Just because I parked across two, she gets all uppity? Clearly, she's on her rags..."

"Oh, yeah, like you can't afford the fine..." Steve announced himself suddenly, all eyes in the room tracking towards him as he strode over towards the couch, his ears virtually pricking up at the sound of the music playing in the area, "'Vagabond' by the Greenskeepers? Didn't think it would be up your alley, Dougy."

"Nah, I'm not usually into this wanky indie rock artsy crap, but I've been playing Grand Theft Auto IV for the last few days and heard it on there. Surprisingly catchy, so thought I'd put it on the old sound system. What's going on, SJ?"

"Shaking off the last of the aches and pains from last Sunday." Steve shrugged.

"That was fast..." Stretch remarked.

"Don't really have a choice, Payne's just around the corner and I can't have it slowing me down. Other than that... business as usual, really. It's been quiet. No Diablo nonsense for a while."

"Yeah, I noticed that too. One day Jim Diablo's pissed and wants to take my business off me, the next he falls off the radar. It's weird."

"Count your blessings, I guess..." Steve shrugged, making his way over towards the spare spot on the couch next to Kate, who shifted her legs to allow Steve to sit down, "..but don't get too complacent. I doubt it'll be too long before we'll be hearing from him again. But to be honest, I'm glad. I could use the quiet. I'm already going to be on the back foot against Payne, and I need every second I can get to try and get ready to take him down."

"Was gonna ask you about that, SJ," Dougy perked a brow, "You're back in an interesting scenario right about now. Confronting a Platinum Champion. Second time. Gotta be a sign that a shot can't be far away, no?"

"I don't know..." Steve shrugged, "Could be that I'm just the one who drew the short straw. And I'm not sure it'll be so easy this time. The Pantheon are out there now, and that makes the stakes so much higher. They're no doubt going to want to show they can push just about anybody around. I'm going to show them otherwise."

"But aren't you worried?" While Steve himself wasn't, the sudden wideness in Kate's eyes, a sudden hint of it in her voice and the softness in her face indicated she for one was, "I mean... you saw what they did to Ryba, Steve. They tried- did- make an example out of him. And they didn't do it lightly. They're not even sure of his status after what they did to him. How do you know they're not going to do the same to you?"

"Because I'm not going to let them." was Steve's firm reply.

"That's all well and good, but they might try, and they might outnumber and overpower you. Think about it, Steve. They sent one message- that they were taking over and that nobody was going to stop them. Now that they are in a serious position of power, it's only logical that they're going to try to send another message- namely, what's going to happen if anyone tries to stand up to them. Let's face it, you've built a pretty hefty reputation for yourself. If anyone's in a position to actually be powerful enough to stand up to them, it's you. Maybe Julian, but he's got other problems. I just..." She slumped back in her seat, her arms and chest slumping as a sigh escaped her, "I'm just worried about you. I think you might be walking into a trap."

Dougy and Stretch could only share a glance between themselves, electing not to put themselves in the conversation. Steve chewed on the outside of his lip thoughtfully, then replied.

"Be that as it may, there's nothing I can do about it if I am. I can't just not show up to the match. No-showing is not an option- it's beneath me and beneath what I believe in. I have no choice but to contend the match- and to be honest, the payoff could be worth the gamble if I actually take Payne down. No, I need to go into this- and I need to go into it with the intention of seeking and destroying. Can you understand that?"

"No..." she admitted, her eyes flashing back up to regard his, "...and I'm not going to say something like 'but if you think you can do it, it's OK with me'. Cause it's not, and I'll still worry about you and what they might try to do to you. But it's your life, Steve. If you want to take that risk, it's your choice. I just hope it will pay off."

"So do I, Kate..." Steve's agreement was amiable as he sank back into his chair, "So do I. I won't tell you not to worry, since I imagine it's in your nature to do so. But trust me, when I say I'll do my best- it's a pretty heavy statement to make."

"Alright. Look, I know you guys have a lot to talk about, so I'm going to go downstairs for a bit. I really need a coffee." She drew herself up out of the chair, rising to her full height before sweeping a gaze at all three men, "I'll see you guys later."

"Catch ya."

"See ya round."

"I'll talk to you later, Kate." Steve offered. She offered a slight smile at that before rounding on her heel and heading for the door to the stairwell. As the sound of the door slamming could be heard, Steve turned to Stretch and Dougy, a brow slightly quirked.

"What was all that about?"

To Steve's amazement, Dougy responded to that by bursting into a round of uproarious laughter. Stretch, always more sedate than his brother, simply chuckled softly, but nevertheless there was a somewhat smug look on his face, as if there were something Steve wasn't quite getting.

"Oh, come on, Steve. You know what that was about."

"No, I really don't. Your guess is as good as mine."

"You honestly don't know, do you?" The expression on Dougy's face was one of sheer amusement- as if something deeply entertaining was going on unbeknownst to Steve, "Shit, SJ. For someone who's known for mentally mapping out his opponents and understanding their thought processes to the point where he can use them against them, you're surprisingly dense right now."

"Dense? Coming from you?" Steve punctuated that point with a sharp laugh, "That's a big statement. But since there's obviously something vastly entertaining that you boys seem to be able to see, why don't you share it with those of us who aren't catching on quite as fast?"

"Dougy's probably going to taunt you endlessly about it for the next fifteen minutes without actually telling you anything, so I'll just cut through the misery and tell you." Stretch shifted back on the couch, kicking his feet up on the coffee table in front of him and collecting a bottle of Coke Zero set on it before continuing, "Haven't you noticed that dear, sweet little Kaitlyn Hawking's been acting weird over the last few days or so? Regarding yourself, I mean?"

"Little bit," Steve shrugged, "You guys weren't there for it, but she was pretty damn concerned once I came out of Dishonorable Discharge. And... well, hell, you saw her concerns about the upcoming match, too. I thought I was the one who'd be stressing out the most about the Pantheon trying to make an example of me, not her."

"See, and that's just the stuff you've been noticing. We as outside observers have seen quite a few things, too. The way she's been acting, the way she's been speaking around you, the way she's been holding herself. It's rather obvious what's going on here, SJ."

"You're not trying to tell me..." At last, the meaning of the McNamara brothers' words finally clicked into place in Steve's head, a single brow raising over inquisitive ice-blue eyes.

"Like Dougy said, we found it rather hard to believe that you hadn't picked it up already." Stretch paused, then in an almost philosophical fashion, raised a finger in the air, contrasting with the Coke Zero bottle held in the other, "But then again, that does seem to ironically be the way the world works. It's always the object of one's affections that's the last one to find out, while just about everyone else on the planet knows and laughs up their sleeves about it."

"Hell..." A sharp breath worked its way out of Steve's throat, taking a lot of the sudden surprise of the revelation with it, "How long have you guys known?"

"That'd be the latter part of the period we were in New York. Just before Dishonorable Discharge. It was just a few little things at first- her reactions to a few things you said while we were with Sergei's crew in Brooklyn, and things just became more and more apparent."

"Can't be right though, surely. I mean... come on, she's a glamor chick. I'm not their type."

"Wasn't your first girlfriend- who, coincidentally, happens to be related to the girl- a glamor chick, and didn't you waste two years thinking you weren't her type before she practically came after you, SJ?" Stretch pointed out.

"Not to mention, I don't think you quite know the reputation you have back at home, SJ..." Dougy pointed out, "You ran away from the rep you had in California, and you seem to have slipped into a relatively quiet existence here in Philadelphia, but back home, you're something of a living legend. SJ, the hero of the Sunset Coast! The biggest thing to have come out of there in years! Possibly ever!" Dougy's voice deliberately exaggerated each of those claims, causing Steve to roll his eyes in exasperation.

"Now, for us, we all know you're different. You're just one of us, doing what he can. But when Kate moved to the Coast, word about what you were doing was filtering back home, and these legends and myths were starting to fire up. She sees you differently to what we do. At least part of her vision's been colored by everyone at home talking about you and hyping you up like some kind of mythological hero. And let's face it... the whole honorable act fuels the fire. When you really think about it, it's not too surprising."

"Go freakin' figure..." Steve muttered, his hands going to his temple in an attempt to alleviate the stress of the recent revelations, "Shit, no wonder she's worried about me fighting Payne. That's gonna make this harder, you know. It's... easier when the only person I have to worry about is myself. The whole 'tons of other people being worried about my matches' thing is one of the reasons I got out of California. I don't like it."

"It's kind of unavoidable though, Steve." Stretch shrugged, "Someone's always worrying about you. Dougy does. I do. I think even Sergei has his concerns at times, although the stand-offish bastard has a funny way of showing it. And that's not even getting into your family and friends. You've just gotta accept it. Kate's slightly different, sure, because she happens to have a colossal crush on you, but it's not that out of the ball park. The question I want to know is, what are you going to do about her?"

"I don't know, Stretch..." Steve shrugged, "It's complicated. There's the whole 'I used to be with your sister' thing... plus there's the fact that this could be nothing but hero-worshipping infatuation. If what you said is true, there's a chance this could be nothing more than being star-struck by the so-called Hero of the Sunset Coast, and I don't think I should be taking advantage of that."

"That's not a no, SJ..." Dougy grinned.

"You're right. It's not a no. It's a 'I don't know and I'm not sure I'm going to know for quite some time, so anybody deciding to do something stupid on my behalf is going to find themselves being thrown head-first in the Delaware River'. We clear?" That came out a little harsher than Steve had expected, and there were more than a few tones of protectiveness to the voice that came out of Steve, causing Dougy to flinch back and for Stretch's brow to rise curiously. Rather than allow his brother to make the next statement, Stretch made it for him calmly.

"We're clear. It's entirely your problem to deal with, Steve, and we'll let you go through it. We won't interfere- will we, Dougy?" That last part was stressed, as if to hammer home a major point. Dougy grimaced, then nodded.

"Alright, alright. It's your call, SJ. Nobody else's. We'll leave it in your hands. Just make sure you make the right call."

Making the right call. That was a line that struck a certain nerve with Steve, particularly now that he was looking down the barrel of a major conflict with Joshua Payne. This match could have had a lot of major ramifications- and not just in the simple 'beat the champion and be considered a major contender' way. Steve had to ruefully admit that he'd have to make damn sure he 'made the right call' for the match this week- odds were this match would determine just where Steve stood in the eyes of Payne and the Pantheon. Easy pushover, an example to their cause, a formidable enemy, a danger to be avoided, a danger to wage war with at all costs- all of those things Steve could potentially be seen as after this match. Both his words and his actions in the ring would likely shape how he would be seen.

Was Steve one to roll over? Not quite. He was never the lapdog time, and he was never the kind to be shoved around by anyone. Therefore, he had to focus on making damn sure that the Pantheon saw him as what he wanted them to see him as. To risk them seeing him as something else was... not a good thing to be doing at this point. Therefore, the onus was on him to send the message he wanted to send- with his words, and with his fists and feet. It seemed the matter of one Kaitlyn Hawking and her affections wouldn't be the only thing he'd have to make the correct call on- odds were he'd have to make a few fatal decisions with far-reaching consequences regarding the Pantheon, too.

With all that in mind... it looked like 'making the right call' was going to be the prime focus of the week.

[CONTINUED: Promo - The Undeniable Words #11, 5/5/08]

I've got to say, you're an... interesting character, Payne. I'll say that much. I've encountered a lot of self-proclaimed Messiahs- hell, I've even clashed with a few people claiming to be dark Gods- in my time. Not here, but I've squared off with them in the past. And yet, you at least seem to be waving a different flag to most of them- who all seems to be engulfed in some kind of 'bring darkness to the world' mumbo-jumbo. Seems to me that the gripe you have is with the apparent injustice and inherent wrongness of our society. And you know something? You're not a hundred percent wrong. This ain't a perfect planet- far from it. People do some screwed-up stuff to each other. People are arrogant, selfish, corrupt, malicious. People kill each other to take what they have- or they degrade themselves to be given it. It's horrible. And in that sense, Joshua, you are right. Things do need to change.

But I've got just one question- what makes you the man to do it? Who precisely died and made you savior of the known world? So far we've heard all this stuff about how you're going to change stuff and how you're the chosen one to do it. You can say that, fine. But I can say I'm dating Megan Fox and that doesn't make it true, now does it? Fact is, Payne, there are two schools of thought on you, I'd imagine. Some probably actually do believe this stuff you're spouting out, and that you're legitimately some kind of new Messiah out to lead us from the nasty little mess we've made for ourselves- and then there's another, far, far larger group who think you're just another whacked-out nutjob who's watched Fight Club one too many times and goes gallivanting around like some kind of Jesus-meets-Tyler-Durden Frankenstein.

Where do I stand on that? To be honest with you, Joshua, I haven't made my mind up on that just yet. If you really want to prove yourself as the 'Messiah', then you'd better show me! And here's a hint- waving a straightjacket around and ranting and raving on about how shit's going to change won't do it for me.

Now, there's something I wanted to actually run by you, Payne. I'm not exactly ignorant to what goes on around me, and I generally notice key things that are said leading into a PPV- even if they're not pertaining to my actual match. I tuned in to some of what you had to say to Ryba regarding the PPV, and I believe my name even cropped up at one point. I believe you were linking the fact that I took Ryba down at one point to the idea that he was slipping up in the ring, that he was lacklustre. That's right, Josh. Didn't think I wasn't listening, did you?

For the record- I don't deny for a second that Ryba's slipped. I know it just as well as everyone else did. By the time he lost the title, he was easy prey. But I've got to wonder, Joshua... do you honestly believe that was the only reason I beat him? Evidently, you've got a brain in your head, as you did actually admit that I've got some skills- that's better than a lot of people do- but I have to wonder, do you honestly think I wouldn't have beaten him were he at his best? You might consider it an irrelevant question, but it could determine whether or not you win this match.

Because I do believe I could have beaten him were he at his best. Probably wouldn't have been easy, and I'm not saying it would have been a definite, but I reckon I could have. My skills back it up, the difficulty of the opponents I've taken down certainly doesn't rule it out, and my record's probably one of the best this place has at the moment. It was an upset, sure, but with the firepower I was bringing, I think I could have beaten him regardless. And that... makes it interesting for any comparison between you and I. Sure, we've both beaten the champ, but we've also both beaten him at his worst. He didn't miraculously get good when you beat him, you know. So I'm not really sure what you're trying to get at. If it's beneath Mike Ryba to lose to me, then it's also beneath him to lose so readily to you, too.

The thing is, Payne, as fearsome as you make yourself out to be- and you do quite a good job of that, you're considerably larger than me and you have a vicious streak to match it- I simply cannot afford to be intimidated. I imagine you'll start ranting and raving about how I'm the example of everything that's wrong in the world this particular week and how it's scum like me the Pantheon are out to eliminate, and basically try to make it sound like I'm alone facing an indomitable force- but that's nothing new to me, Joshua. I don't let on too much about my past, because quite frankly I'm happy to leave it behind me, but I've faced things that have threatened to change the world against its will before, and I've faced things that make it sound like I'm a mere ant up against a stampede of elephants, and I have prevailed. There is far too much for me to gain here- or potentially to lose if you aren't all that benevolent- to let myself be intimidated.

I don't fear you, Joshua, nor do I fear your Pantheon- hell, I didn't fear Ebdon when Jaxx was blatantly holding the man up his sleeve, and I don't now. You'd better know that pretty damn well when you get into the ring with me, because your attempts at using intimidation or fear to make me back down or lose my focus in this match will fail. You will be facing a fearless, even dare I say defiant man at Disclosure- and you can rest assured that I will have absolutely no qualms or anything holding me back from lashing into you with everything I have.

So don't go expecting that, and don't go expecting me to roll over and make this easy for you. On the contrary, Joshua, I intend to make you do your utmost to prove that you're actually worthy of the belt you took from Ryba. And I intend to beat you anyway.

And that... IS UNDENIABLE!