RP #18- The Heiress

[Promo - The Undeniable Words #18, 7/6/08]

You know, I'm seriously considering changing my theme music to 'Alive' by Pearl Jam.

Well, maybe not. Doesn't really fit, to tell you people the truth. But let's face it, the line 'I'm still alive' from the chorus is pretty much the story of my life right about now. Week in, week out, the Pantheon have tried over and over and over again to physically suppress me in the desperate hopes that maybe it'll get me to back down and get me out of their hair, and time and time again, I keep bouncing back. They unleash punishments that would take a normal man out for a period of time, and I come back and keep fighting. I honestly don't know why they even really bother, to be honest. Everything they're throwing at me is a waste of energy. Do they really think it's going to save them? Do they really think I'll back off? Or doubt myself? Do they really think it'll weaken me to the point where I can be stamped out? Or do they really think anything they do can stamp me out?

In any of those cases, they are wrong. I'm not intimidated, I'm not backing down, I'm still here, I might look like some wounded soldier but I'm still alive. Whatever message they intended to send to me has not sunk in. I will continue to resist them, I will continue to oppose them, and it will simply not end until they have been dethroned. I would say it won't end until either they're dethroned or I'm dead- but there's not a single one of those nimrods who's even capable of ending me in any capacity.

I know that gaggle of retards are listening right now, so I've got two simple words for you right now- screw yourselves. That applies to every last one of you. From Payne all the way down to Christy Matthews. I'm not afraid, I'm not intimidated, and I'm through joking around. Enjoy your feelings of smug satisfaction while you still can, because it will not be all that long before the tables have turned and you have very little else to smile about. The Platinum Cup's conclusion is drawing ever-so-closer, and with it comes my chance to finally do some real damage. You guys had better tune in this week, and you'd better desperately hope that I don't win- for all the good it'll do you- because once I advance past him, it won't be long before I get to tear one of you lucky people to pieces- right before I come for Payne himself, either to finish him off or to obliterate him in one swoop.

With that said, it's time to focus on that. The Platinum Cup. It's been an awfully long time since Round One... hell, I think I was still the Bloodshed Champion when I won the first round. At the time of the first round, I was excited about it, but I didn't make an awfully big deal about it- I was having enough on my plate by taking the Bloodshed title to new heights without having another title to juggle. Now that's changed. Now I've been without gold for quite some time, and the opportunity to seize it again comes with the Platinum Cup. And more importantly... the chance to confront and dethrone one of the Pantheon champions also comes with it. I suppose Star Deveraux's tournament could very well come back to bite her if it allows me a ticket to finally get when I want- a chance to strip the Pantheon of a title and to administer the punishment they so richly deserve. If I take that cup, nobody can stop me doing it.

Heh. Suddenly the Platinum Cup is a lot more important than it was before, no?

But to even get to that point, I've got to advance against my next opponent. The Kingpin. Donovan White, I believe he's called. Our paths haven't crossed up until this point. From what I understand of the man, the name 'Kingpin' is actually surprisingly apt. One of those hardened guys from the ghetto, as I understand it. I've fought a few of that kind in the past, and they tend to fall into two categories- the tough yet wise kind who've seen enough of the world to actually have a damn good level of insight about it, and then you've got the retards who seem to think that because they come from 'the ghetto', they know it all and they're somehow superior to all the others. Funnily enough, it's the former kind that I consider more of a challenge. They actually seem to have a clue as to what's going on. The latter tend to be far too easy to outsmart.

I'm curious- which one might you be, Donovan? What precisely am I gonna hear from you? Am I going to see you use your street-smarts and your experiences to good use in devising a strategy to deal with somebody such as myself? Or are you gonna run around and start rambling on about how you run the streets and that making your victory a foregone conclusion? I'm gonna make it clear right now- your position on 'the streets' doesn't matter a lot to me. You did cite the fact you rule the streets as a testament to your fighting ability. That's cool, but hell, just take a look at the last two months and you'll realize that I've done more than a little bit of fighting for survival myself.

Have I come from the streets? Not at all, but I've dedicated my life to mastering my craft and developing complete combat superiority. I dare say that for everything you've got in street smarts and fighting street-style, I've got in discipline and tactical knowledge. Just like for all the size you've got on me, I've got speed and technical abilities on my side. You have advantages, sure, but I think I'm going to have no real problem offsetting them with my own. Simply put, Kingpin, I'm gonna be negating as much of that tough guy who runs the streets as I can.

[MAIN STORY]

DATE/TIME: 11:15 PM, Saturday July 5, 2008
LOCATION: Darling Harbour, Sydney, Australia

[CAST]

After last Disclosure, one really might have wondered precisely what Steve Jason was doing back in Australia.

Well, of course there was a reason for Steve being back there- after all, it was the country of his birth, and with so many family and friends there, visits were inevitably going to happen. But with Steve leaving the last Disclosure in the state he was in, was it really the ideal time to be taking a vacation? Most people wouldn't have thought so. In fact, some less enlightened people might have even thought that if Steve showed up in Australia mere days after being beaten to a pulp and crucified, it might have meant that he'd finally given in, that the Pantheon's campaign of terror had worked and Steve had finally given up and left Platinum for dead.

That, of course, was not what was going on. For one thing, Steve lived on the other side of Australia to the city he was actually in.

Steve and his best friend, one Douglas Henry Phidippidies McNamara III, had actually gone to none other than the largest and undisputedly most famous city in the country- Sydney. To be precise, they were in none other than Darling Harbour itself, one of the picturesque waterfronts of the city- even more so at night. The dark Pacific Ocean was illuminated both by the bright moon in the sky, and also by the many, many different colors of lights twinkling onto the water's surface from the many buildings in both the city and the harbour area, providing a sight to behold from where Steve and Dougy sat, several floors up on a balcony bar overlooking the harbor itself.

The top floor of the nightclub was, thankfully, not too overpopulated. Steve hated loud bars, particularly while he was trying to talk with a friend. Half of it was based inside the building itself, decorated with mauve lighting, plush carpets, and dancing, glamorously-dressed women and stylish men. That area wasn't quite up Steve's alley tonight, and so it was that he and Dougy had instead decided to go to the other half of the top floor- a hemispheric balcony that protruded out of the building itself and jutted out over the harbor and the brick walkways that vast crowds were passing through. The balcony itself was a lot less crowded, with various tables not even attended. Steve and Dougy sat at a glass table on the far end of the balcony- Steve decked out in a white long-sleeved shirt and jeans, and Dougy in a white Southern-style suit, pants and ten-gallon hat. At the moment, 'Uninvited' by the Freemasons featuring Bailey Tzuke was playing over the sound system- a song that Steve had to admit had certainly grown on him.

"'...have a nice life'. And that was pretty much it, man. All over, just like that." Steve set down the half-full glass of Canadian Club and Coke on the table in front of him and let a sigh escape him, "And thus the story of Steve Jason being stupid enough to lend a compassionate ear to the undeserving ends in a colossal fireball of epic fail."

"Sorry, mate..." Dougy replied sympathetically, sipping from his stubby of Boags St. George- a premium Australian beer, a look of consternation on his face, "For what it's worth, she had me fooled too, man. She seemed kinda nice to me. Was sorta looking forward to meeting her some day, but I guess that ain't happening now."

"No. It's not. It's pretty much over and done with now. What she did was unforgivable- and what I said in kind probably was too." With a single motion, he downed the rest of his drink and shook his head, "Stupid, stupid girl. Hell with that- stupid, stupid me! What in the hell was I thinking! Never befriend the enemy or anyone even remotely associated with them! For seven years, that was my policy, and then some tragic heroine I feel the slightest bit sorry for rocks up and it all goes out the window. Am I really slipping that much?"

"What you need..." Dougy yelled, a jovial grin crossing his face, "...is another drink! She wants to beat you down and hang out with those morons? Fuck her, man! You don't need her anyway! She couldn't be one of our friends anyway! She couldn't have passed..." Dougy's hand flourished in a grandiose fashion in the air, "...the test!"

"What test?"

"The kegstand, mate! The kegstand! If she couldn't have finished the kegstand, she wouldn't have been worthy of hanging out with Sunset Crew people anyway."

"I don't think you completely understand the situation..." Steve let a hefty sigh escape him, "Anyway, it's finished. I'm giving her a pass next week out of some kind of misguided sense of gratitude, and as long as she doesn't touch me, it's fine. I just pity her now more than anything else."

"Seriously. She wasn't even that hot anyway. Alright, fine, I'm lying, I'd hit it like the fist of an angry god, but still, she'd probably have just annoyed the piss out of you eventually with her whining. Emo kids. Can't bloody stand 'em."

Steve wisely decided not to follow that line of argument. Dougy clearly couldn't grasp the situation, and to be honest, Steve wasn't really in the mood to be pursuing that line of thought any more. Nothing new could be done about the Christy situation, he was pretty much forced to leave it and move on. Hell, at least he still had Angel as some kind of friend. And once the Cartel finally got their arses into gear- if they got their arses into gear- it surely wouldn't have been so bad.

"Oh, not this bloody song again!" Dougy complained loudly, slamming his beer down onto the tabletop in disgust. The song playing was a song that Steve himself wasn't that much of a fan of, but it seemed to be big in the club scene- 'Damaged' by Danity Kane. Glad for the change of topic, Steve raised a brow.

"What, you don't like it?"

"Oh, don't get me wrong, it's actually a really great song, but..."

"Wait, you do like this music?"

"I... hey, shut up, SJ, it's a catchy song! Anyway, the point I'm making is that it's a good song but they're playing it too bloody much! It's driving me mental!"

"Yeah, it's getting a bit... holy crap, you've gotta be kidding me..." Steve suddenly drew himself short at that as movement from the stairwell suddenly caught his eye. It wasn't just the movement of some random coming into the top floor of the club, however. It was the movement of somebody he knew very well, to the point where he'd have recognized them from just about any visible distance. The person hadn't come alone- in fact, they were accompanied by three large men in business suits and sunglasses- bodyguards, no doubt. It was a woman- and she was short. Five-two at the absolute most, with long blond hair falling down to her shoulders, luminous blue-green eyes and facial features that definitely fell under the 'beautiful' category, but also bore some signs of intelligence, wisdom and even a fair sense of class under there. She was dressed for the cooler weather, with a black wool coat covering a silky green halter and denim jeans. She seemed to move fluidly to the music as she stepped out onto the top floor, eyes flickering around as she looked around.

"Wha? What's going on?" Dougy looked around for the source of Steve's interest.

"Dude, it's your wife."

Dougy blinked a couple of times, his green eyes flickering out towards the woman- then, sure enough, his green eyes widened in shock.

"Holy crap, it is! What's she doing here? I thought she was at the offices in Vegas!"

"Your guess is as good as mine."

"Alright, well, if anyone was asking, I was not checking out the uberhot girls here. I don't wanna get in trouble. But yell her over, will you?"

"Sure thing..." With that said, Steve cupped his hands to his mouth and shouted- quite loudly, to get over the booming music and the incessant sound of a million different voices at once, "Hey! Tals! Is that you?"

Sure enough, Talia Richards heard, tilting her head to pick up the source of the voice before her eyes settled on Steve and the group. A tiny smile crept onto her face, then she turned to the three suits backing her up before they navigated their way through the crowd and out onto the balcony area. As she got close to their table, Steve hopped up out of his chair and grinned in spite of himself, holding his arms open for his old and very dear friend.

"Steve! It's been far, far too long..." As Steve had predicted, Talia was exuberant in her greeting, throwing her arms around Steve in a hug that was surprisingly tight for a woman of her small stature- something that caused him to wince from the sudden pain in his side as his wound from Disclosure was aggravated briefly, "My God, are you alright? You look like you came back from Iraq or something!"

"Some people are being a serious nuisance to me..." Steve answered his former agent with a wry roll of his eyes, "It's just a few scratches. I'll be good to go soon. What are you doing down here? Didn't think the Conglomerate had much to do with Australia nowadays."

"Honest truth? I tracked you down. It's been a really long time since we've been in touch, Steve- since before you got out of LA and Nevada. I've kinda at least taken something of a liking to you over the past half a decade, so I figured I'd drop in and see how you're going. I'm taking it that your time in PDW isn't working out very well."

"What, you kidding?" Steve smirked and let a laugh escape him, "If there's one thing I've learned about in the industry, it's that when people continually mount assault after assault on you in the hopes you'll magically go away, it means that business is working out very well."

"Strange theory... but I should have known you were the one that followed it." She grinned and worked her way into a seat, dropping down directly next to Dougy, flashing a radiant smile his way, "And what about you, handsome? Let me guess... admiring all the girls and desperately wishing you weren't tied down to me?"

Steve almost snorted at that, pulling in a desperate attempt to keep his laughter under control. Dougy, on the other hand, coughed awkwardly.

"Well, erm... I didn't wish I wasn't tied down to you..." he replied honestly. The smirk didn't leave Steve's face, as Talia just raised her brow and shook her head.

"I'll let you get away with that one... for now." She smirked and turned to Steve, "So, how's life in Philadelphia, Steve? Not getting too homesick for Nevada or California by any chance, are you?"

"Not in the slightest." was Steve's confident reply, "I'm loving Philly, actually. I've finally put roots down there and got some good connections going. I know enough people to not be lost and all on my own, but I'm not suffering from superstaritis like I did back in California. It's working out really, really good."

"And Platinum?" she asked, "I've been watching, of course, but I wanted to hear from you how you're dealing with it."

"PDW is good in general." Steve replied, "We're having some troubles at the moment, but I'm pretty confident we'll be able to iron them out, and things will go back to the way they should be. As it is, the competition's still pretty good, and I'm still enjoying myself asides from being jumped all the time."

"Yeah. About being jumped all the time. I saw what those guys are doing to you, Steve. And I see how you look right now. Are you going to be OK?" Her face took on a slight look of concern, "I know you can stand a lot of punishment and if you say you'll be alright, then I know you well enough to believe you, but you're taking a battering."

"I'll keep fighting," Steve shrugged, looking out over the harbor, "I have to."

Ever considered that maybe, just maybe, you need some help?" she suggested.

"Well, yeah, but who? A lot of the roster are... well, I don't want to start calling the people I'm trying to help cowards, but there aren't very many people who are prepared to step up to the plate. They don't seem to believe they have a chance. I've got Angel Deveraux on my side, but she's management, she's not a wrestler. And to be honest I'm not even sure where I stand with the Cartel any more."

"Hmm. I guess I kinda see your problem, then." Talia frowned thoughtfully at that, "You know that if you need an escort presence, all you have to do is ask, right? I mean, everyone else seems to have somebody going down to the ring with them. Maybe if we do it like old times- you down there, me backing you up- maybe it'll at least offset the managers game?"

"No, it's too dangerous." Steve refused, "You'd be asking for beatings, and I'm not subjecting you to that again. Took me long enough to get all of you guys disconnected from the game and out of harm's way. I don't want to plunge you back into it."

"I'm not too worried about that, Steve. But it's your choice, I suppose. But still... you need people. Reliable people. It's... what, you and Dougy right now? And that Russian guy? And the girl from the Coast? Look at the amount of backers your enemies have. That's a lot of power to be going up against." She paused, then sighed, "That's what I was trying to warn you about before you left California. You've had me and the Conglomerate backing you for so long that I wasn't sure if you'd be able to survive without backers like that."

"I'm not going on the Richards Conglomerate's payroll again," Steve shook his head fervently, "I spent half a year trying to get out of all of that showbusiness mumbo jumbo. Now I'm finally in business for myself, and I can't turn around and go back in. I know it's hard going it alone, but what choice do I have?"

"Who said you had to work for the Conglomerate again?" Talia raised an eyebrow in amusement, "I'm thinking we could go back to before you worked for them. Back to really old times. Back when I was just... I dunno, your agent and your right hand."

That took Steve slightly by surprise. It had been a good half a year since Steve and Talia had ended their business relationship, and what Talia seemed to be proposing now was renewing it in a lighter format. No businesses, no corporations, no trips to California and no hanging around with entertainment types who bugged Steve to death. Just Talia's guidance and advice. And she had been a hell of an agent for those five years- almost like Steve's guiding light, so to speak. He was undoubtedly in one of his darker periods, and maybe, just maybe, one of his closest friends could be the light once again. Even if it was just a 'behind the scenes' thing.

"That's it? No strings attached? I don't have to do something for you?"

"I figure you've earned a favor or two by now," Talia replied with a smirk, "What do you say?"

"I'm gonna have to think about it." Steve answered, "I know you've only got good intentions, and Lord knows I could need the guidance and wisdom you've provided in the last several years, but it's still a big step, Talia. One that will have its advantages and disadvantages. I'm really going to have to spend a few days considering this."

"I figured as much..." Talia replied with a smile, "Do that, Steve- but don't hesitate, seriously. You and I have gone back for years now, and we've been through a lot together- things that I'd say are as bad as the Pantheon. Remember Judas? I stuck by you through that, I'm sure I can handle sticking by you for this. If you want my help, you know all you have to do is ask for it."

"I know, Tals." Finally, a smile crossed Steve's face as his mood lifted just the slightest bit at that offer of not only help, but of a continuing friendship he had long missed, "And I'll seriously consider it. I'll give you a buzz as soon as I know."

The smile she flashed back at him was radiant, and she almost seemed to glow- something that was augmented by her fair hair, blue-green eyes and glowing skin offsetting the darkness of the ocean off in the distance. A rush of calm seemed to wash over Steve at that. It was damned good to see her again, that much was for sure. Even though the last six months had been for his own good, he'd missed her an awful lot. She held that smile on her face for a few moments, then she nodded and replied.

"I'm glad. Now, which one of you boys is going to buy me a drink, hmm?

[CONTINUED: Promo - The Undeniable Words #18, 7/6/08]

I did notice the way you were talking to Hannah St. John in your last pending face-off with her. I'm curious to know if you actually learned your lesson from that confrontation. Seemed to me that you shrugged her off as a 'prissy bitch' and basically downplayed her as some kind of glamor broad. Christ, and Christy Matthews had the nerve to call me sexist... but that's not the point. Anyway, you did all that, and she whupped you. I'm curious, Kingpin, did you learn from that at all? Evidently they weren't teaching that lesson at the School of Hard Knocks out on the streets, but you have a chance to learn it last week. Just like Hannah wouldn't allow any room for that mistake, neither will I. Personally, I don't care one way or the other if you underestimate me- although it does make my job a lot easier if you do- but there's a helpful little word of advice for you.

Yeah, I've been mangled and beaten up. I'm pretty much a walking wreck-job at the moment. I got absolutely totalled at the hands of the Pantheon. But don't believe for a second it doesn't mean I can't still fight. On the contrary- I'm now pissed off and determined enough that I am going to get my chance to take them down once and for all, and that I'm going to allow nobody to stop you. In fact, I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that their attacks might have actually screwed you over more than they've screwed me over. Because it's just increased my resolve that much more. I don't feel sorry for myself. I don't feel mopey. I don't want to just quit right now and make life easy for myself. I'm pissed off, and I'm converting that feeling into determination and resolve. Your time on the streets would have no doubt taught you that there's a hell of a lot a man can do if he's got that kind of determination- no matter what state he's in. I do hope you remember that.

Obviously, we both have some serious motivation for this match, Kingpin. After all, we both have something serious to gain if we win the Platinum Cup. If I win, then that shot at whatever title I choose will enable me to finally be in a position to eject the Pantheon from the heights of their power. And if you win, then you get to recoup failing to acquire Cyber Championship and possibly even replace it with something better. The way I see it, we both have something serious to gain from a victory here, and I'd say that we both want it badly enough that I doubt either one of us can see failure as an option.

Unfortunately, the only way for me to be in the position I must be in to stop the Pantheon is to beat you. There's no going around you, there's no compromises. Management aren't ever going to give me a shot at the Platinum Championship and Star won't have me booked against Payne if she can possibly avoid it, because that's the day her stable's power goes down the toilet. Basically, this could be my one and only opportunity to achieve what I need to achieve. Redemption, revenge, liberation, peace of mind... all of those things, through no fault of your own, you stand in the way of. And it's not only that you're blocking- you're also blocking the prestige, grandeur and glory of the Platinum Championship. Your very presence in the tournament at this time prevents me from reaching all of that.

So I have to remove you. It's that simple, really, Donovan. It is simply a case of absolute necessity that you be removed from the equation. I cannot allow you to foil me- not after I have fought and I have suffered so far to get to where I am. To lose to you means consummate failure, and I simply can't allow that to happen. So expect me to fight to the absolute last breath. Expect me to pull everything I possibly can to prevent my failure from coming to pass. Because I'm gonna be honest with you, Kingpin, I don't really care what I have to do, I am advancing- and if I have it my way, there'll be absolutely nothing in your power you can do to stop it.

And that... IS UNDENIABLE!