RP #13- "When The Past Catches Up - Part 1 of 2"

[Promo - The Undeniable Words #13, 5/19/08]

Alright, ladies and gentlemen. I'm not going to waste any time messing around here. Nicholas Jaxx has said a few things to me in the leadup to this week's Disclosure, and I'm guessing that you're probably all milling around waiting for my verbal response.

You're going to be disappointed.

With every word I use now, that's one bit of resolve and righteous retribution wasted. As far as I'm concerned, I'm saving every venomous word, every counterattack, every assault and every piece of heavy-duty violence for when Jaxx and I meet again in the ring. So Nicola, kindly stop wasting your time on stuff that I won't be responding to until the time has come for us to fight. But don't think for a moment that I've simply shrugged off or ignored anything you've said. On the contrary- I've stored it up, mulled it over, and will have it all ready to respond to in some point in the coming weeks when you and I finally have it out one more- and one final, if I have my way- time. I've sent my message and I've marked you for termination- I suggest you take the time out to reflect on the various stupid mistakes you've made and try to work out some way to wriggle out of this mess, for all the good it'll do you when I finally get my hands on you.

My focus is solely on the match this week- and what a pre-PPV preparation match it's going to be. I didn't think I'd be back up against Joseph St. John so soon, but evidently people have been watching and have been learning enough to know that it's generally one hell of a clash every time we face off. Once again, we're not alone. Joseph's got Hannah in his corner, and I've got... well, I've got none other than Joseph's current arch-nemesis himself, and somebody who I'm no stranger to myself, the PDW Prodigy Champion, Julian Dark himself.

Let's not mince words here. What I'm about to say might sound highly egotistical and a little full of myself, but let's face it, it's the truth. Ever since Julian Dark and I had our first big square-off, people have been waiting... just waiting... for the chance to see this team in action. Matter of fact, I dare say it's probably one of the most anticipated teamings in recent PDW history. The two of us seem to have each other's numbers down so damn well, and every match we've had has come so close and so down to the wire that it's more or less no doubt that this team will be one hell of a smash. I'm actually looking forward to that... Jem got taken out before we could make any serious impact as the Unkillables here, and my last teaming was... well, I'll just be nice and say that it was a little disappointing and wasn't quite the devastating duo that some had seen as possible. Now it looks like I might finally have a tag partner who will be able to do the job to the same effect as Julian does.

I mean, look at our title reigns. They started at the same time, and while just about every other title has managed to switch hands during that period, including the Platinum title- twice- we've managed to retain our titles against some serious odds and against some serious contenders. I think if there are any two champions who've been able to prove our mettle in the last couple of months, not to sound full of myself, but the two of us are it. Add that to the fact that our fighting styles actually complement each other pretty damn good. He's faster and aeronautically-skilled, I'm technically sound and can slap on submissions like no tomorrow- and I've got a few martial art and general wrestling tricks up my sleeve for good measure. Make no mistake about it, ladies and gentlemen- this is going to be one hell of a teaming to take seriously.

So I guess rather than ramble on about how awesome a teaming this is for the rest of the night, I'd better actually get into my opponents. Hannah, you're up first.

It's been a while since we last fought, Hannah. Long enough that I notice both of us have picked up championship gold. Cyber Championship, Bloodshed Championship, Prodigy Championship, the guy who's continually after the Prodigy Championship... man, it's just a championship-fest up in here. But back to the point at hand.

Some might argue that you and I are peripheral to this match- that we're secondary to the ongoing clash that is the Joseph St. John and Julian Dark affair. That we're just side-players or spectators providing a supporting role to this clash. Personally, I think that's a load of crap. While it's obvious that feud'll be hanging over this match, I for one refuse to play second fiddle to it- and I refuse to shrug you off as second fiddle to it as well. As far as I'm concerned, this is just as much about myself duking it out with you- or anyone, for that matter. Fact is, despite the... disdain that Jem had for you, I do have to admit, you put up a good fight the last time we fought, and I'm curious to see just how it'll go once again.

One reason I'm particularly interested in fighting you is that you could very well be the next one down my sights with larger stakes one of these days. I intend on disposing of Jaxx very soon, and when I do, somebody else is going to have to try to fill those contenders' shoes. There are a lot of people who aren't quite ready for that yet, but I dare say you might be one of the few who are. If you lose the Cyber Championship in the near future, it could be me you come after next- and if that's the case, I want to have all the early advantage I can get. Or maybe you'll be slotted into the Platinum Cup, in which case, once again, I need that early advantage.

I actually kind of expect you'll be a tougher nut to crack this time around. After all, you took Kindred London down. You've taken down people who were supposed to be lightning-in-a-bottle newcomers and kept your title in the process. You seem to have built a serious reputation for yourself as a formidable power here in PDW, and I don't for a second think my weight advantage or my gender will be reason to assume I've outright won this.

The mistake you made last time we fought was assuming I would underestimate you because you're a giiiiiiirl and all that crap. By assuming I'd underestimate you because of that, you underestimated my intelligence. I'm not a powerhouse like your husband and I'm not a high-flier like Julian, Hannah- I'm a tactician and I'm versed in combat superiority. Combat superiority doesn't allow for any underestimations. I take everything at full possible value- hell, sometimes I overestimate just to be on the safe side. And I can assure you, making any assumptions about me like you did last time will result in judgment errors that I will capitalise on. Just as much of my success, if not more, comes from my mind as much as my speed or strength, and as a result you must take my mind at full value to stand a chance. You had one chance to learn this and you did not. Now you've got a second chance, and I do hope you'll seize it. Don't ever assume I'm that stupid again, Hannah. It would be catastrophic if you did.

[MAIN STORY]

DATE/TIME: 2:30 PM, Sunday May 18, 2008
LOCATION: Penn's Landing, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

"You know, I'm amazed we've never come by here before, SJ..." Dougy McNamara remarked casually in mid-stride.

'Here' in this case was referring to none other than Penn's Landing, one of the popular waterfront areas of Philadelphia. While Philadelphia wasn't yet in the full swing of summer, it was definitely much nicer out than the winter months. The sun was shining its light down in the blue sky above, reflecting off the calm, steady river that Steve Jason, Dougy and Stretch McNamara were walking not too far away from. They were on a stretch of brick and concrete that passed close by to the river itself, a small distance from the main collection of buildings that made up the main part of the Landing, but still not so far away that there weren't a good number of people of all ages that they were passing. The three men were dressed casually for a change- Steve in a simple green t-shirt and blue jeans, Dougy in an orange version of his Hawaiian shirt and shorts, and Stretch decked out in a red t-shirt and white boardshorts, and almost seemed to blend in with the crowd- well, except for Dougy- as they walked along.

Despite having lived in Philadelphia for a good three months now, Steve hadn't taken the time out to actually visit Penn's Landing itself. He'd heard things about it of course, and had seen the waterfront area on TV a few times, and had always subconsciously 'sorta planned' to visit a number of times, but such plans, as they so often did in the world of a busy professional wrestler, never really ended up materializing. In fact, it took a business-related trip by Kaitlyn Hawking herself to get Steve mobilised- she needed a ride for a job interview close to the landing itself, and Steve, Dougy and Stretch had all seen it as the perfect opportunity to finally visit. With all three of them being coastal-aligned men, waterfronts were almost their natural habitats, and thus it was that the three of them seemed relaxed, calm and even dare one say it right at home as they strode along the riverside walkway.

"Tell me about it!" Stretch agreed with his brother, casually sipping from a bottle of Coke Zero in his hand as they walked along, "Why didn't you tell me this town had a decent waterfront, SJ?"

"Eh. I never really got out there that much until now..." Steve shrugged, "Had my mind on other things."

"Let me guess. Cooped up in a gym or in your apartment preparing for the next big match, eh? Gotta make sure that training doesn't deprive you of valuable coast time, SJ."

"This isn't the coast, though." Steve chuckled, "But yeah, you're right. I've been cooping myself up a bit recently. I kind of have to though, it's been a hard few weeks."

"Tell me about it..." Dougy smirked and was about to continue as the three men reached an intersection in the path, where the river itself met a long stretch of grass. However, somebody caught the three men's eye coming down from the grass itself- one very satisfied-looking Kaitlyn Hawking.

Unlike her usual casual or glamorous look, Kate had gone for the professional look going into her interview, decked out in a smart business jacket and pants over a white blouse, her dark hair pinned back with a somewhat professional look. That was in stark contrast to her pleased, outright excitable look as she virtually glided over the grass towards the three men, a pearly smile telling Steve what she was going to say before she actually said it.

"I got the job!" she exclaimed happily, instinctively running over towards Steve and throwing her arms around him. Steve, almost baffled by the young lady's sudden show of exuberance, had to struggle to stay on balance before laughing quietly.

"Wow! Nice going! What're you doing?"

"Well, I'm going in on the ground floor as an assistant at first, but I'm going to be working with a fashion designer. I'm hoping it'll give me the exposure I need, and then pretty soon I can start doing my own design stuff! It's a great start, that's for sure."

"Nice work," Steve grinned, "Geez, with you and Dougy the cafe/bar/surf shop operator, looks like there's quite a business-minded group of people among us!"

"Yeah, thanks for subtly hinting I'm a bum, SJ..." Stretch added with a quiet, impudent laugh, "Cafe owner, fashion design assistant and wrestler. I've gotta top that somehow."

"Well, you're a tall guy..." Dougy grinned suddenly as something occurred to him, "Maybe you could be SJ's answer to that carbon blob from Samoa that Jaxx is having follow him around!"

"Whoa. Forget that. No offense, but I'm not stepping anywhere near that. I'm a pacifist, remember?"

"Well, someone's gonna have to stop him! We all know Jaxx'll be sending him after SJ!" With that said, Dougy turned to regard Steve, "Am I right?"

"I'm not going to deny it. Jaxx's new lackey is obviously pretty fearsome. And odds are he'll be thrown at me in the coming weeks. But with that said..." Steve fell quiet, his ice-blue eyes suddenly scanning the area cautiously. While he had no problem saying what he was about to say to his friends, it was better that word not be bandied about the PDW locker room without Steve first authorizing it, and that meant that he had to be sure nobody with the federation was around to hear it. His eyes flickered over the various faces passing by- male, female, young, old- to pick out any identifying features. Finally, having seen none, he turned his attention back to his friends' attentive faces and continued, "...I've got a plan. Something that might just counteract Jaxx's continual obsession with flunkies."

"No shit? You've come up with something that can encounter the South Pacific's answer to Fat Bastard? OK, this you've gotta share with us..." Dougy's emerald eyes were alight with interest now- and even Stretch and Kate showed a certain burning desire to know just what Steve was about to say. Unfortunately, they were going to be disappointed.

"Can't share, guys. It's still coming together to be honest- it's not even concrete. And I'm taking a pretty big risk just saying I've got a counteract in the works. I don't think I want to go into specifics in the middle of Penn's Landing. I'm sure you understand."

"Aw, man, you can't do that! Build up all that suspense and make it sound like you're about to crash the Death Star on Jaxx's house and then clam up and pull the 'I'm afraid that's classified' card!" The disappointment on Dougy's face was clear.

"I'll tell you, but I can't right now. What I'll say is that I've thought it through. It might escalate the conflict..."

"...wait, wait." Kate cut in over the top of Steve suddenly, her brows raised, "You threw Nicholas Jaxx on the ground, took out a knife and sliced the side of his face and said that meant that you'd tagged him for extinction, and you mean to tell me that you're going to do something that'll 'escalate the conflict'? Jesus, Steve, don't you think you're taking this too far?"

"Probably." Steve managed a carefree shrug at the question, "But I think we've both made it pretty clear that it's completely alright to go too far in this conflict. He wants a war, he'll get one, and it'll end with me curb-stomping his skull. Restraint means nothing now, and..." Before Steve could get any further, the sound of 'No More Violence' by Pnau - Steve's current ringtone- could be heard emanating from his pocket. He reached into his pocket, unflipped his phone, and spoke into it casually.

"This is SJ."

The reply on the other end was prompt- and if Steve's ears could have pricked up, the voice certainly would have caused it. He knew the quiet, American-with-a-tone-of-Irish accent straight away, although he hadn't expected to hear it again for quite some time. It was a voice that had been... seriously ingrained in his past for the last three years up to very recently, and to hear it again almost had Steve reminiscing right then and there. It was only the urgency of that voice that brought Steve back into the here and now as he took in exactly what she had to say.

"Steve? Finally, I was starting to wonder if I'd ever get your number instead of somebody else's. It's Chloe."

Yep. It was her. Steve gritted his teeth slightly, mentally noting to seriously shout down whoever leaked his number, then shrugged it off and responded in a calm, casual tone of voice- with a hint of friendly surprise.

"Chloe! I'm a little surprised to be hearing from you."

"And I'm a little surprised to have finally caught you. Where are you? You vanished off the radar months ago. You're supposed to tell your attorney when you disappear to the other end of the map like that. Have you got any idea how worried I was? I was starting to wonder if Judas or someone like that had finally caught you and..." Before Chloe's almost frantic voice could continue, Steve cut her off- albeit gently, simply talking over her rather then abruptly butting in.

"You haven't been watching much MTV2 recently, have you?"

"I hate mainstream music. Why?"

"Heh. You'd know exactly where I was if you watched it- even if I instructed Talia to keep her mouth shut on my whereabouts."

"I know you're not in California or Nevada. You obviously left town or something..."

"That's right. I got out of there a long time ago. I'm too well-known on the West Coast and to be honest I'm tiring of it. If you've really got to know, I'm working for Platinum Dynasty Wrestling at the moment. I'm on the East Coast now. Philadelphia, to be precise- and far, far away from almost everybody I've known up until this year."

"Hmm, OK." There was an awkward pause on the phone, as Chloe seemed to be at a loss for what to say. After a few short seconds, she continued, "Look, I think it's probably pretty obvious by the fact that I've been going through just about every possible channel to get a hold of you that there's something pretty important I have to talk to you about. Philadelphia's... actually a fair bit shorter than the distance I thought I'd have to go to get a hold of you. If I wanted to go over there to talk to you about it, would you let me?"

"Probably." Steve replied, "What's this all about, Chloe? Somebody's not suing me, are they?"

"No, this isn't a legal matter, Steve. I don't plan to see you as your attorney. I plan to see you as your friend- but it's still absolutely vital that you hear what I have to say. So I'll ask again- is it OK if I come over and see you?"

Steve had known Chloe for long enough to know that when she was serious... she was serious. And the somewhat urgent tone in her voice more or less spelled it out loud and clear for Steve- even if he'd said no to her, she'd have found a way to find him and get what she had to say said. So it was that he breathed out a calm sigh before nodding and voicing his affirmation.

"Well, if you say it's vital, then I'll take your word for it. We've known each other long enough now for me to know when you're being straight with me. If something's going on that I need to know about, then come to Philadelphia and tell me all about it."

"Alright then. I can't leave the firm right now, I've got a mountain of work to get through... but if you can give me a few days, I'll be able to come over. Then we can talk. Is that OK with you? You don't have a lot going on?"

"Well..." Steve chewed his lip thoughtfully, "To be honest with you, I've got a Pay Per View to get trained up for during that period. But I should have enough time out of that to catch up and hear what you've got to say. Alright. Call me in a few days and we'll set something up."

"Excellent. I'll call you then, Steve. Take care."

With that, the familiar click of the phone hanging up from the other end could be heard, and Steve responded in kind by snapping his phone shut. Dougy, Kate and Stretch were all watching from where they were seated, the looks on all of their faces clearly showing that they had been listening in perhaps a little more than they should have.

"Was that... was that Chloe, SJ?" Dougy wasn't exactly the most subtle about it.

"It was. Turns out she's got some important stuff to talk to me about."

"Serious?" Dougy's brow raised in concern, "I thought you'd made it pretty clear you weren't to be contacted unless it was extremely important. Something bad hasn't gone down, has it?"

"I don't know. She wouldn't say. Whatever it was, she made it clear it was pretty urgent, so I'm guessing it's going to be something major." Steve let out a half-frustrated sigh as he slumped into his seat, "Great. Just when I think I've finally left it all behind, the past just keeps catching up. It's almost like I can't outrun the damn thing no matter how hard I try."

"You're not going to let it bother you, are you?" Kate asked, concern visible on her face.

"Probably not, because I can't really afford to." Steve shrugged, "I've got too many other things to concentrate on right now. I've got to focus on Hannah and Joseph right now. They're the main focus. Once I get past that, then maybe I can start worrying about what Chloe's coming to me with. But I've just got that niggling feeling in my gut that things are about to get just that much more complicated."

"Are they ever not, though?" Stretch piped up with a cheeky grin on his face.

It had seemed like an innocent enough, even smart-alec statement, but perhaps Stretch was more right than he actually knew. Life had been complicated in the last few weeks- more so than usual. With Jaxx dogging Steve's every step, refusing to admit defeat and continuing to make threat after threat while continuing to try to hurt Steve and crush his resolve enough to make him prey to lose the title, it wasn't going to be simple until Steve resolved that issue once and for all- he now had to have one eye over his shoulder and another peering around in every possible direction just to make sure Jaxx or that new lackey of his wasn't on his tail.

And this week didn't exactly make it easier, either. Joseph St. John was no pushover. The last two times they'd fought, Steve had been both on the winning and the losing end. The man had a dedication to matching Steve and doing what was necessary to defeat him that Steve had to grudgingly admire. And with his continual feud with Julian Dark over the Prodigy Championship, it looked like Steve was about to be caught in the crossfire of yet another gold war- as if he didn't have his own gold war to worry about.

And it certainly didn't seem like it was going to get any less complex any time soon. With Chloe's revelation and with an almost dead-certain rematch with Jaxx over the horizon, the events in Steve's life were no doubt about to reach boiling point, and things were bound to get just a little explosive. He was prepared, of course- and he knew he'd march straight into the storm with all guns blazing and, with a little luck, come out victorious. Not unscathed, but definitely victorious. Nevertheless, it was with a cynical half-laugh that Steve replied to the older McNamara in a calm, but decidedly edgy voice.

"Heh. Good point."

[CONTINUED: Promo - The Undeniable Words #13, 5/19/08]

Then there's you, Joseph St. John.

Well, here we are. Round three. I think once again we can safely say that it was only a matter of time before it happened once again. It's been... interesting every time that we've fought to be honest. We've never really had that classic victory over the other- one of us pinning the other, or one of us making the other tap. Even though I have one win and you have another, it's always been someone else other than us who wound up getting beaten. First time around, Jem made Hannah tap, and second time around, you brought Tank down with the Now That's Gangsta.

In a way, I think that's kind of heightened the anticipation for when one of us does finally beat the other in the ring. Some would say that maybe it'll have to wait for a one-on-one before one of us finally gets that shot. Me personally? I'll take just about any chance that I can get, to tell you the truth. If I'm in that ring with you and I'm in a position to finally score a pinfall over you, then I'll take it. As it is, right now we're tied, we're hanging in limbo. One and one. To your credit, you get to be known as half of the team that handed me my only loss on the PDW record books, and that's something that actually gained you a surprising amount of respect in my eyes. Some could argue that I could claim you didn't actually beat me, but the fact is I was unable to prevent you from winning.

That's one thing I'm actually curious to find out. Why exactly was it that I lost the last time we fought? Was it really just The Tank's fault? Was it the added advantage of Julian's firepower in your corner that gave you the edge to win? Or was it indeed an evolution of your skills, an ability to withstand my attempts to bring you down? We honestly don't know the answer to that question- with a 1-and-1 record it could honestly be anybody's game. There's only one way to actually prove myself as a decisively better wrestler, and that's to pin you and put the question to bed... at least until next time.

As always, Joseph, you've shown that you've actually got a brain in your head. Given that odds are my next match will be against a certain retard by the name of Nicholas Jaxx, I should probably celebrate the fact that this is my last match without having to fight an idiot. The hilarious thing is, unlike Jaxx, you actually get it. You actually seem to have some idea of what's required to beat me- not blinding yourself, not lying to yourself and not sticking your head in the sand. You observe the truth of what I'm capable of and you take that on board. And it's obvious that you've been watching every single match I've had in preparation for the battle ahead. You haven't even had to wait for a next time to be announced- you were getting ready straight from the get-go.

That's good, cause so was I. The moment you scored a victory in our last match, I was determined to work out exactly how it happened, and how best to avoid it happening again. I mean, that was The Tank, after all. For every bit of abuse you witnessed me soak up and still keep fighting, I witnessed you show absolutely devastating stopping power against another big guy. I'm smaller than Tank was- considerably so. Odds are you could hit me and throw me around even harder than you did him. Yet I have to be able to take all of that and still have the energy and the vitality to kick out. Not an easy feat, I'll say that much. But I've been observing it all. I'm no physics teacher, but I can observe the force you used to stop Tank, where you dropped him, how exactly you unleashed the most damage, and I'm determined to do everything in my power to avoid the same happening. I'm not just training to avoid your attacks, Joseph- although that is a major component of what I'm doing. I'm training so that if you do manage to hit them, I'm able to do something at the last second to shave off a little more of the pain factor, or to try to swerve desperately to land in a less-devastating spot. Of course, planning that out and putting it into practice are two different things, but I intend to make it very much possible to do that by Disclosure.

I'll refer to something that you claimed you'd do to win, Joseph. You said that you'd do more or less anything you can to score yourself the win. Even stuff that would usually be considered a bit... extreme. In your exact words- 'Ropes,  pull of the tight, foreign object. Steel chair. kitchen sink, a car.'. Well, at least I respect your honesty there, Joseph. Most people would try to lead me down the primrose path. But Joseph, I've got to tell you this- you're dealing with the Bloodshed Champion, mate. All of those things have been very real threats to me for the last couple of months. Before winning this title, I wasn't used to matches where these were very real possibilities, but in the past few weeks, I have learned the hard way how to survive these things- and how to intercept them. It is, after all, my job as the Bloodshed Champion.

Using the ropes? I've already prepared myself to see it coming, and I've already worked out strategies to avoid it. Pull of the tight? I just have to make damn sure it's as hard as possible to get a hold of those tights. Foreign object- steel chairs, kitchen sinks? I've still got a boot and it's not that hard to kick those objects right back into your face if I see it coming. As for a car... heh... believe it or not, Joseph, somebody actually tried that once. The first time I survived it and still got retribution, and the second time I dodged it. You have to do what you have to do, and I understand that, but understand that it's my job to do that, and it's also my job to devise every possible method of preventing you from doing it yourself.

In the end, I imagine it's going to be the same as usual, Joseph. You will stop at nothing, and I'll fight through anything and withstand inhuman amounts of punishment to get the job done. You saw the acts of barbarism I survived, you saw the three weeks straight I spent with stitches and bandages on and still fought anyway. Thing is, somebody has to come up short. Either your drive is going to overpower me, or my endurance is going to withstand every last thing you can come up with like a brick wall. I imagine that it will once again be ridiculously close and people will probably predict it could have gone either way.

But the honest truth is, Joseph, I need to make this statement. It's not a case of want, it's a case of need. I need to put the absolute fear of God in Jaxx right now, and I need to have him sitting there going 'oh my God, what have I gotten myself into?'. A powerful statement is needed, and let's face it... is there any more powerful statement than to have you back up everything you say only for me to still be standing victorious? Understand that will be driving me, Joseph, and understand that I won't just want to do it, I will be dedicating every fiber of my being to getting it done. That's going to make this ridiculously hard- far, far harder than our last two conflicts. Hell, compared to this, those last two will look like cakewalks if I can have anything said about it.

And that... IS UNDENIABLE!