Post by The Ace on Jan 31, 2013 11:08:50 GMT -6
A courtroom and Jake Conway looked uneasy. He hated these things, especially with the media attention a possible trial could bring to his family. For better or worse, he was a celebrity here in Las Vegas, and over the past three weeks that celebrity status had only grown with all the media attention that the death of Laura Smith had brought upon the whole family. They were all here, along with Caleb Lockwood, Tiffany Jones and perhaps most surprising of all, Emma Danielson. She had had no real reason to be here for any of this, she wasn't a victim or a witness to any of the events that had lead to Laura's death, unlike everybody else here today, she had absolutely no obligation to support The Conways and yet, here she sat engaged in a conversation with Kathleen Conway.
Jake meanwhile sat with his youngest brother Jason, and for once in their lives, the two brothers had very different ideas about what should happen here today. Jason wanted justice, he wanted the young lads to get twenty-five to life for murdering Laura, Jake however knew the storm that a potentially lengthy murder trial could create and he didn't want to be a part of it. He didn't want his family to be a part of it and he most definitely didn't want the NCW camera monkeys to catch any of this and spin it into some storyline to entertain the millions watching at home. This wasn't an act. He wasn't playing a part, hell this time he wasn't even the bad guy. Jake wanted this to be as swift as possible. He wanted to move on with his life and not have it turned into a circus, the only drama he wanted was the safe, scripted, choreographed kind. The kind he was paid for, and paid rather well for on a weekly basis.
"Docket ending 58792 - The people vs Benjamin Clark and Ricky Thompson. One count vehicular manslaughter."
Jason looks stunned by the charge as he leaps to his feet, outraged.
Jason: MANSLAUGHTER? MANSLAUGHTER? THE BASTARD'S SHOULD BE CHARGED WITH MURDER! COLD BLOODED MURDER!
Judge: Mister Conway, please control yourself.
The aging judge shifts her eyes from Jason Conway to the two defendants, Ben and Ricky who were impeccably dressed, and their lawyer who smooths out his tie with a stroke of his hand as he looks up at the judge.
Judge: How do the defendants plea?
Lawyer: In light of the physical evidence, and the fact that this is my clients first DUI offence. Guilty, your Honor...
Judge: Are the people satisfied?
District Attourney: We are, Your Honor.
Judge: Anything further, before I render my judgment?
Ben: Yes, your Honor, I would personally like to offer my deepest sympathies and regrets to all of the Conway family. It was New Year's. Ricky and I got very drunk and very stupid, and it cost a life. We may - no, I may never be able to make up for that, but I will have to carry the guilt of my actions for the rest of my life. Ricky was just a passenger. I drove my father's car that night, and I alone should suffer the punishment for my crime.
Judge: Thank you Mister Clark. In light of your words to the court, I feel compelled to remind you and Mr Thompson that in acts such as these there are no excuses for the holidays and there are no spectators, we all have a responsibility, we all have a role to play, We have all been spectators here today to the theatre of an awful tragedy and whilst I can respect that both parties would like a swift resolution and to put this behind them without trial, given the high profile nature of this case, I cannot condone such deliberate acts of violence, especially when they result directly in the taking of a young life. However, in view of the fact that there is no eyewitness testimony from several key witnesses to prove definitively prove vehicular homicide in this case, my hands are tied by the limits of the law. I sentence the defendants each to six months in prison, and each defendant is also ordered to pay $1000. This conviction will be entered into their records and Mister Clark's driving licence suspended for a year....
Jason leaps to his feet, once again.
Jason: SIX MONTHS? THAT'S IT?! THAT'S NOT JUSTICE, THAT'S BOLLOCKS!
Judge: MISTER CONWAY! SIT DOWN! I WARNED YOU...ONE MORE OUTBURST AND YOU WILL BE HELD IN CONTEMPT!
Jason: HEY SCREW YOU, YOU BINT! I GUESS WE ALL KNOW KNOW THAT THE LAWS IN THIS TOWN ARE JUST AS FAST AND LOOSE AS EVERYTHING ELSE IN VEGAS!
Judge: MISTER CONWAY, YOU ARE FINED $500 FOR CONTEMPT OF THIS COURT! BALIFF, REMOVE THAT MAN FROM MY COURTROOM!
Jason struggles as two large men try to escort him away.
Jason: SO THIS IS GOOD OL' AMERICAN JUSTICE IS IT? THEY GET AWAY WITH MURDER AND YOU'RE HOLDING ME IN CONTEMPT!
Jason is escorted out as the Judge strikes her gavel for the last time.
Judge: Court is adjourned...
The scene opens in complete darkness as the opening violin stings of 'Murder' by Within Temptation are heard and suddenly the amber lights flicker and burn the image of the Spade symbol into our consciousness. Just before the lyrics kick in however, the strings are cut and the scene transitions into enough light to confirm that which we already know. Former two time NCW National Champion, The Ace has his back to us and the lights belong to his customised sleeveless jacket.
The Ace turns around to face the camera, bearing his trademark smirk. He is also wearing his amber tinted shades, which he swiftly removes in one quick motion of his hand as he stares into the lens, with all the focused intent of a man looking to peer into another man's soul just to see if it was quivering yet. The Ace holds up four fingers on his left hand.
Four days, Jacobsen. Four days.
Count them. Savour them. Live them as if they were your last.
Because they just might be...
Your last days as NCW National Champion.
Hold whatever family you have left close, Andrew. Love them. Cherish them. Hold them tight, even tighter than you seek to hold that National Championship. Papa Jacobsen, Mama Jacobsen, big brother Rick, hug them. Hug them all like you'll never see them again. That would be my best piece of advice for you this week Andy. You haven't listened to me yet, so why should you start now? I guess I'm just an optimist, the kind of guy who sees the glass of water as half-full, you know. I want to believe in Andrew Jacobsen. I want to believe that you will realise how foolish you're being and have been ever since I afforded you that crown three weeks ago. I want to see you through the eyes of my own daughter. She assures me that you always do the right thing, I am unconvinced. I want to see you through the eyes of the million six year old angels who will cry and protest their bed times this Sunday because they want to stay up late and watch Andy Jacobsen beat the big mean nasty Ace. I want to, but I just cannot.
I have forbidden my one in a million from watching the Den this Sunday. Do you know how heartbreaking that is? Do you? Do you know what it is like to tuck your daughter in at night with tears in her eyes and a quiver in her lower lip when she asks, "Daddy, why?" When she begs. "Daddy, please!" ? Do you have any idea what it does to a father inside to deny his little princess anything her little heart desires and to tell her that it's for her own good? I tell her it is all much too violent, that daddy and Uncle Andy will do bad things to each other, but she doesn't believe me. She believes in you. Only you. She believes you will kick me in the face again and that you will beat daddy again and keep the belt, just like you promised. Everybody knows Andrew Jacobsen always keeps his promises. Everybody knows Andrew Jacobsen is a man of his word. Everybody knows that, daddy.
It was then that I knew what I had to do. I knew exactly the sacrifice I had to make. I knew that I had to pick a match that my daughter couldn't see, a match that I wouldn't allow her to see. I had to shield my daughter, I had to protect her. Lie to me all you want Andrew, I expect it, tell me how badly you will beat me inside one of the most demonic structures ever devised in all of professional wrestling. Tell me how you will make up for the chip you still have on your shoulder about how each of your peers, including the man you defeated for the World Heavyweight Championship, still look down upon you, seemingly no matter what you do, by defeating me this Sunday.
Whatever you may think of me Andrew, I'm not an idiot, I'm not a liar. I am the most honest man on the entire roster in fact, people hate me because I will tell you the brutal truth even when it sits like an uncomfortable lump of undigested cheese in the pit of your stomach. You've kicked me in the face...
The Ace raises one finger on his left hand.
Not once...
A second finger goes up.
But twice.
Twice in three weeks you've turned the lights out on me as you've tried to lie to the world. You've tried to convince the world that you are a worthy National Champion, but whilst the young impressionable fans that hang on your every word and believe in everything you say because they view you as some kind of hero, the rest of us, we are unconvinced. I am unconvinced....and deep down, you yourself are unconvinced Andrew. Twice you've tried to shatter my jaw as you kick me in the face with your lies, each time hoping that you could convince yourself that it wasn't all a fluke, that you really can beat me....again and again and again. Do you believe in yourself yet Andrew? Or are you still so unconvinced by your own ability that the prospect of facing me again, of defending that belt against me is driving you slowly mad?
As I said, you can continue to lie to me, that is the nature of the business we are in after all. Every week fifty per cent of the roster are routinely proven to be habitual liars and frauds when they cut their little promos and seek some slender grip on a smug sense of superiority as they proudly proclaim at the top of their lungs that they will beat their opponent. For the other fifty per cent, the excuses come, fumbled words, promises of vengeance and retribution run rife as they desperately try to salvage something from a loss. You can continue to lie to me, yourself, and the rest of the world Jacobsen, but I will not allow you to continue to lie to my daughter. I will not allow you to take her faith in you away from her. I will not allow you to rape her of her innocence. I will not allow her to see the real Andrew Jacobsen.
To little Soli, you are a hero who can do no wrong. To little Soli you are a man worthy of her adulation. To little Soli you are the North Star that guides her through life when daddy cannot. Imagine if she knew the truth Andy. Imagine if she knew that ever since losing the World Championship to Roberto Verona after only a month, her hero was truly defeated. The man was truly broken. The North Star was truly lost. Imagine if she knew that deep down the real Andrew Jacobsen was just like everybody else in this business. Nothing special. Imagine if little Soli knew that the real Andrew Jacobsen was....just...like...daddy.
Feel free to stop me when you think you know which one of us I'm describing here Andrew. A man so lost, a man so desperately seeking the approval of his peers, and a man who falls so cripplingly short of his full potential that he seeks to bolster his fragile ego by perpetually trying to make up for his lacklustre World Championship reign. A man so dangerously obsessed with his first defense that he is rendered blind to the bigger picture. A man who gets so caught up in his own paranoia that he often pushes those closest to him for nothing more than ten pounds of gold and five pounds of leather. A man who knows the world is against him. A man who sees some grand conspiracy at every turn. A man so jaded to the kindness of the world that every act is questioned. Every intention scrutinised. Every sincerity doubted.
Is that me or is that you?
Is that The Ace or is that Andrew Jacobsen?
Or is the truth even simpler?
Have we simply become distorted reflections of each other in the polished sheen of the title we chase? Has the opposite sides of the coin we were on finally landed on its edge and started spinning until neither side is truly distinguishable anymore? It is often said that you become that which you hate most. A little cliche perhaps, but look at yourself Andy. Really look at yourself. Find a mirror somewhere, look at yourself, blink, rub your eyes, and look again, and when the face looking back at you is still there staring at you, and through your little squinted eyes, you are convinced you see me and you are convinced that you hear me laughing. So convinced infact that the mirror is lying to you, that you'll ball up your fist and ram your knuckle into the glass and endure the pain and the bleeding ridges of your knuckles just to shatter the illusion, then the truth will emerge. It will sting like a bitch. You will shake your fist and you will cradle the pain, but at least you will be free. You will no longer have to lie to yourself or to these people about who you have allowed yourself to become ever since you lost the World Heavyweight Championship. Once you embrace the truth of who you are and the fragility of your own ego, then you have my permission to embrace my daughter again. Then you have my permission to be her hero again.
Once she knows the truth. That ego, paranoia and just plain desire are just as much staples of the fuel of The North Star, as they are of any other star in the business, including her own dear ol' daddy, then we both get what we we've lost back . For me, my daughter's belief in me. For you, the honesty you've been so proud to carry until now, until the weight of your own successes, however slight they might be, buried the facade of everything you thought you stood for. In winning the World and National Championships, the real Andrew Jacobsen has finally had his day. For too long you've tried to outsmart thye truth, to tell me you were better than everybody else because you've always stood by a set of principles, and that those principles are unbreakable.
You are no different to the rest of us. You are only human. You are competitor in this business. Dangle a golden carrot infront of you and you'll get that same gleam in your eye that we all do. You'll be a slave to the same desire and sense of ambition that we all are. If you didn't have an ego Jacobsen, you wouldn't be a professional wrestler. In the end you are no different to me. You are not infallable. You are not unbreakable. You only wish you were. What you are Andrew is fragile, what you are Andrew is broken. Your best friend Emma's seen it. Your little sister Callie's seen it. I know they've seen it, because I've shown it to them over the last few weeks. Don't make me show Molly too. She doesn't need to see it. She doesn't need to see her uncle broken. If Rick and Cassie are even half the conscientious parents that Kathy and I are, they won't let Molly see the Den. Just because you will lose your faith after Metamorphosis doesn't mean she has to lose hers too.
Don't think of me as your opponent, Andrew. Think of me as your liberator. There is a conflict that rages inside, a conflict that I have fought for longer than most. The battle between the good that resides in one's heart, and the evil that dwells in one's mind, and it is a conflict that I intend to resolve for you inside ten tonnes of steel this Sunday.You've been shrouded in your cocoon for long enough little caterpillar, now its time to emerge as a brand new butterfly into the world of dragons.
Your next metamorphosis beckons.
Sprout wings and leave my Den under your own power, or burn in the flames and have your cocoon reduced to ashes.
The choice is yours.
Make it swiftly.
Jason Conway is released in the corridor outside the courtroom, as others are leaving, Jason approaches the District Attourney.
Jason: Hey, hey! What the hell was that crap about not enough witnesses to make a case for murder in there? What kind of backroom deal did your office cut?
District Attourney: Ask your brother.
Jason: Richard was ready to put those idiots away.
District Attourney: Jake wasn't.
Jason: What?
District Attourney: I'm sorry, but without the first hand testimonies of three of the key witnesses, there's not enough to build a case. I know it sucks, but honestly there was always a possibility that this would happen. The judge had no choice but to consider the circumstances asnd the fact that it was only their first offence and make her ruling based on thatr. If you can convince your brother, his wife and Mr Lockwood to testify about what they saw, come back to me and I'll refile the charges.
Jason: What about double jeopardy?
District Attourney: Doesn't apply. There was no trial and as you know there is no statute of limitations on murder.
Jason then spots Jake and Emma and runs up to them.
Jason: What the hell is this crap I hear about you refusing to testify?
Jake: I'm sorry Jase, but I've got to protect my family.
Jason: Who the hell am I if I'm not family, huh?
Jake stops and holds his youngest brother firmly by the shoulders as Emma looks on.
Jake: Listen, I can't put Kat through the stress of a murder trial. Not with her episodes, you know that. What good would it do your case? Her credibility as a witness would be shot to pieces by any half decent defence if she takes the stand and starts hissing and growling. I will not have my private life turned into a circus. Justice was done in there. It's over.
Jason: No, justice wasn't done...justice was swift. You might want to move on with your happy little life brother, but I cannot...
Jason, Emma and Jake leave the courthouse and the surrounding press snap photos particularly of Emma and Jake side by side.
Jason: You've changed. Last year when Curtis attacked me you went out of your way to bury him..
Jake: That was for television, this is real life. I will not be accused again of monopolising personal tragedy for ratings and personal gain.
Jason: Oh no, of course not, your marriage however, that's fair gain, I suppose? Or do you really care about that roided up skank, and it isn't all an act for ratings and to annoy Jacobsen heading into your big match? How does a beautiful woman like Kathy take a backseat to....that?
Jason points with his nose in Emma's direction, she steps forward but The Ace stops her, unconciously putting a hand on her left breasr, which he promptly removes when she looks down at it.
Jake: I think you should apologise....
Without thinking, Jason balls up his fist and cracks his elder brother right in the jaw infront of the swarming press. Jake lands on his backside on the courthouse steps. He clutches his jaw, and rubs his lower lip that has been busted open.
Jason: I'm sorry....that I have a brother who wouldn't testify to put murderers away for life.
Kathy arrives on the scene as Jason walks away, some of the press now following him to get more on his remarks like the vultures that they are. Seeing her husband on the steps, she immediately rushes over to check on him, but Emma has already helped him to his feet and the pair are walking away.
Kathy: Jake! Jake!
Jake looks over his shoulder at Kathy and simply shakes his head before he whispers something to Emma. Kathy is left on the steps of the courthouse wondering what the hell just happened and what she had done wrong.
Jake meanwhile sat with his youngest brother Jason, and for once in their lives, the two brothers had very different ideas about what should happen here today. Jason wanted justice, he wanted the young lads to get twenty-five to life for murdering Laura, Jake however knew the storm that a potentially lengthy murder trial could create and he didn't want to be a part of it. He didn't want his family to be a part of it and he most definitely didn't want the NCW camera monkeys to catch any of this and spin it into some storyline to entertain the millions watching at home. This wasn't an act. He wasn't playing a part, hell this time he wasn't even the bad guy. Jake wanted this to be as swift as possible. He wanted to move on with his life and not have it turned into a circus, the only drama he wanted was the safe, scripted, choreographed kind. The kind he was paid for, and paid rather well for on a weekly basis.
"Docket ending 58792 - The people vs Benjamin Clark and Ricky Thompson. One count vehicular manslaughter."
Jason looks stunned by the charge as he leaps to his feet, outraged.
Jason: MANSLAUGHTER? MANSLAUGHTER? THE BASTARD'S SHOULD BE CHARGED WITH MURDER! COLD BLOODED MURDER!
Judge: Mister Conway, please control yourself.
The aging judge shifts her eyes from Jason Conway to the two defendants, Ben and Ricky who were impeccably dressed, and their lawyer who smooths out his tie with a stroke of his hand as he looks up at the judge.
Judge: How do the defendants plea?
Lawyer: In light of the physical evidence, and the fact that this is my clients first DUI offence. Guilty, your Honor...
Judge: Are the people satisfied?
District Attourney: We are, Your Honor.
Judge: Anything further, before I render my judgment?
Ben: Yes, your Honor, I would personally like to offer my deepest sympathies and regrets to all of the Conway family. It was New Year's. Ricky and I got very drunk and very stupid, and it cost a life. We may - no, I may never be able to make up for that, but I will have to carry the guilt of my actions for the rest of my life. Ricky was just a passenger. I drove my father's car that night, and I alone should suffer the punishment for my crime.
Judge: Thank you Mister Clark. In light of your words to the court, I feel compelled to remind you and Mr Thompson that in acts such as these there are no excuses for the holidays and there are no spectators, we all have a responsibility, we all have a role to play, We have all been spectators here today to the theatre of an awful tragedy and whilst I can respect that both parties would like a swift resolution and to put this behind them without trial, given the high profile nature of this case, I cannot condone such deliberate acts of violence, especially when they result directly in the taking of a young life. However, in view of the fact that there is no eyewitness testimony from several key witnesses to prove definitively prove vehicular homicide in this case, my hands are tied by the limits of the law. I sentence the defendants each to six months in prison, and each defendant is also ordered to pay $1000. This conviction will be entered into their records and Mister Clark's driving licence suspended for a year....
Jason leaps to his feet, once again.
Jason: SIX MONTHS? THAT'S IT?! THAT'S NOT JUSTICE, THAT'S BOLLOCKS!
Judge: MISTER CONWAY! SIT DOWN! I WARNED YOU...ONE MORE OUTBURST AND YOU WILL BE HELD IN CONTEMPT!
Jason: HEY SCREW YOU, YOU BINT! I GUESS WE ALL KNOW KNOW THAT THE LAWS IN THIS TOWN ARE JUST AS FAST AND LOOSE AS EVERYTHING ELSE IN VEGAS!
Judge: MISTER CONWAY, YOU ARE FINED $500 FOR CONTEMPT OF THIS COURT! BALIFF, REMOVE THAT MAN FROM MY COURTROOM!
Jason struggles as two large men try to escort him away.
Jason: SO THIS IS GOOD OL' AMERICAN JUSTICE IS IT? THEY GET AWAY WITH MURDER AND YOU'RE HOLDING ME IN CONTEMPT!
Jason is escorted out as the Judge strikes her gavel for the last time.
Judge: Court is adjourned...
The scene opens in complete darkness as the opening violin stings of 'Murder' by Within Temptation are heard and suddenly the amber lights flicker and burn the image of the Spade symbol into our consciousness. Just before the lyrics kick in however, the strings are cut and the scene transitions into enough light to confirm that which we already know. Former two time NCW National Champion, The Ace has his back to us and the lights belong to his customised sleeveless jacket.
The Ace turns around to face the camera, bearing his trademark smirk. He is also wearing his amber tinted shades, which he swiftly removes in one quick motion of his hand as he stares into the lens, with all the focused intent of a man looking to peer into another man's soul just to see if it was quivering yet. The Ace holds up four fingers on his left hand.
Four days, Jacobsen. Four days.
Count them. Savour them. Live them as if they were your last.
Because they just might be...
Your last days as NCW National Champion.
Hold whatever family you have left close, Andrew. Love them. Cherish them. Hold them tight, even tighter than you seek to hold that National Championship. Papa Jacobsen, Mama Jacobsen, big brother Rick, hug them. Hug them all like you'll never see them again. That would be my best piece of advice for you this week Andy. You haven't listened to me yet, so why should you start now? I guess I'm just an optimist, the kind of guy who sees the glass of water as half-full, you know. I want to believe in Andrew Jacobsen. I want to believe that you will realise how foolish you're being and have been ever since I afforded you that crown three weeks ago. I want to see you through the eyes of my own daughter. She assures me that you always do the right thing, I am unconvinced. I want to see you through the eyes of the million six year old angels who will cry and protest their bed times this Sunday because they want to stay up late and watch Andy Jacobsen beat the big mean nasty Ace. I want to, but I just cannot.
I have forbidden my one in a million from watching the Den this Sunday. Do you know how heartbreaking that is? Do you? Do you know what it is like to tuck your daughter in at night with tears in her eyes and a quiver in her lower lip when she asks, "Daddy, why?" When she begs. "Daddy, please!" ? Do you have any idea what it does to a father inside to deny his little princess anything her little heart desires and to tell her that it's for her own good? I tell her it is all much too violent, that daddy and Uncle Andy will do bad things to each other, but she doesn't believe me. She believes in you. Only you. She believes you will kick me in the face again and that you will beat daddy again and keep the belt, just like you promised. Everybody knows Andrew Jacobsen always keeps his promises. Everybody knows Andrew Jacobsen is a man of his word. Everybody knows that, daddy.
It was then that I knew what I had to do. I knew exactly the sacrifice I had to make. I knew that I had to pick a match that my daughter couldn't see, a match that I wouldn't allow her to see. I had to shield my daughter, I had to protect her. Lie to me all you want Andrew, I expect it, tell me how badly you will beat me inside one of the most demonic structures ever devised in all of professional wrestling. Tell me how you will make up for the chip you still have on your shoulder about how each of your peers, including the man you defeated for the World Heavyweight Championship, still look down upon you, seemingly no matter what you do, by defeating me this Sunday.
Whatever you may think of me Andrew, I'm not an idiot, I'm not a liar. I am the most honest man on the entire roster in fact, people hate me because I will tell you the brutal truth even when it sits like an uncomfortable lump of undigested cheese in the pit of your stomach. You've kicked me in the face...
The Ace raises one finger on his left hand.
Not once...
A second finger goes up.
But twice.
Twice in three weeks you've turned the lights out on me as you've tried to lie to the world. You've tried to convince the world that you are a worthy National Champion, but whilst the young impressionable fans that hang on your every word and believe in everything you say because they view you as some kind of hero, the rest of us, we are unconvinced. I am unconvinced....and deep down, you yourself are unconvinced Andrew. Twice you've tried to shatter my jaw as you kick me in the face with your lies, each time hoping that you could convince yourself that it wasn't all a fluke, that you really can beat me....again and again and again. Do you believe in yourself yet Andrew? Or are you still so unconvinced by your own ability that the prospect of facing me again, of defending that belt against me is driving you slowly mad?
As I said, you can continue to lie to me, that is the nature of the business we are in after all. Every week fifty per cent of the roster are routinely proven to be habitual liars and frauds when they cut their little promos and seek some slender grip on a smug sense of superiority as they proudly proclaim at the top of their lungs that they will beat their opponent. For the other fifty per cent, the excuses come, fumbled words, promises of vengeance and retribution run rife as they desperately try to salvage something from a loss. You can continue to lie to me, yourself, and the rest of the world Jacobsen, but I will not allow you to continue to lie to my daughter. I will not allow you to take her faith in you away from her. I will not allow you to rape her of her innocence. I will not allow her to see the real Andrew Jacobsen.
To little Soli, you are a hero who can do no wrong. To little Soli you are a man worthy of her adulation. To little Soli you are the North Star that guides her through life when daddy cannot. Imagine if she knew the truth Andy. Imagine if she knew that ever since losing the World Championship to Roberto Verona after only a month, her hero was truly defeated. The man was truly broken. The North Star was truly lost. Imagine if she knew that deep down the real Andrew Jacobsen was just like everybody else in this business. Nothing special. Imagine if little Soli knew that the real Andrew Jacobsen was....just...like...daddy.
Feel free to stop me when you think you know which one of us I'm describing here Andrew. A man so lost, a man so desperately seeking the approval of his peers, and a man who falls so cripplingly short of his full potential that he seeks to bolster his fragile ego by perpetually trying to make up for his lacklustre World Championship reign. A man so dangerously obsessed with his first defense that he is rendered blind to the bigger picture. A man who gets so caught up in his own paranoia that he often pushes those closest to him for nothing more than ten pounds of gold and five pounds of leather. A man who knows the world is against him. A man who sees some grand conspiracy at every turn. A man so jaded to the kindness of the world that every act is questioned. Every intention scrutinised. Every sincerity doubted.
Is that me or is that you?
Is that The Ace or is that Andrew Jacobsen?
Or is the truth even simpler?
Have we simply become distorted reflections of each other in the polished sheen of the title we chase? Has the opposite sides of the coin we were on finally landed on its edge and started spinning until neither side is truly distinguishable anymore? It is often said that you become that which you hate most. A little cliche perhaps, but look at yourself Andy. Really look at yourself. Find a mirror somewhere, look at yourself, blink, rub your eyes, and look again, and when the face looking back at you is still there staring at you, and through your little squinted eyes, you are convinced you see me and you are convinced that you hear me laughing. So convinced infact that the mirror is lying to you, that you'll ball up your fist and ram your knuckle into the glass and endure the pain and the bleeding ridges of your knuckles just to shatter the illusion, then the truth will emerge. It will sting like a bitch. You will shake your fist and you will cradle the pain, but at least you will be free. You will no longer have to lie to yourself or to these people about who you have allowed yourself to become ever since you lost the World Heavyweight Championship. Once you embrace the truth of who you are and the fragility of your own ego, then you have my permission to embrace my daughter again. Then you have my permission to be her hero again.
Once she knows the truth. That ego, paranoia and just plain desire are just as much staples of the fuel of The North Star, as they are of any other star in the business, including her own dear ol' daddy, then we both get what we we've lost back . For me, my daughter's belief in me. For you, the honesty you've been so proud to carry until now, until the weight of your own successes, however slight they might be, buried the facade of everything you thought you stood for. In winning the World and National Championships, the real Andrew Jacobsen has finally had his day. For too long you've tried to outsmart thye truth, to tell me you were better than everybody else because you've always stood by a set of principles, and that those principles are unbreakable.
You are no different to the rest of us. You are only human. You are competitor in this business. Dangle a golden carrot infront of you and you'll get that same gleam in your eye that we all do. You'll be a slave to the same desire and sense of ambition that we all are. If you didn't have an ego Jacobsen, you wouldn't be a professional wrestler. In the end you are no different to me. You are not infallable. You are not unbreakable. You only wish you were. What you are Andrew is fragile, what you are Andrew is broken. Your best friend Emma's seen it. Your little sister Callie's seen it. I know they've seen it, because I've shown it to them over the last few weeks. Don't make me show Molly too. She doesn't need to see it. She doesn't need to see her uncle broken. If Rick and Cassie are even half the conscientious parents that Kathy and I are, they won't let Molly see the Den. Just because you will lose your faith after Metamorphosis doesn't mean she has to lose hers too.
Don't think of me as your opponent, Andrew. Think of me as your liberator. There is a conflict that rages inside, a conflict that I have fought for longer than most. The battle between the good that resides in one's heart, and the evil that dwells in one's mind, and it is a conflict that I intend to resolve for you inside ten tonnes of steel this Sunday.You've been shrouded in your cocoon for long enough little caterpillar, now its time to emerge as a brand new butterfly into the world of dragons.
Your next metamorphosis beckons.
Sprout wings and leave my Den under your own power, or burn in the flames and have your cocoon reduced to ashes.
The choice is yours.
Make it swiftly.
Jason Conway is released in the corridor outside the courtroom, as others are leaving, Jason approaches the District Attourney.
Jason: Hey, hey! What the hell was that crap about not enough witnesses to make a case for murder in there? What kind of backroom deal did your office cut?
District Attourney: Ask your brother.
Jason: Richard was ready to put those idiots away.
District Attourney: Jake wasn't.
Jason: What?
District Attourney: I'm sorry, but without the first hand testimonies of three of the key witnesses, there's not enough to build a case. I know it sucks, but honestly there was always a possibility that this would happen. The judge had no choice but to consider the circumstances asnd the fact that it was only their first offence and make her ruling based on thatr. If you can convince your brother, his wife and Mr Lockwood to testify about what they saw, come back to me and I'll refile the charges.
Jason: What about double jeopardy?
District Attourney: Doesn't apply. There was no trial and as you know there is no statute of limitations on murder.
Jason then spots Jake and Emma and runs up to them.
Jason: What the hell is this crap I hear about you refusing to testify?
Jake: I'm sorry Jase, but I've got to protect my family.
Jason: Who the hell am I if I'm not family, huh?
Jake stops and holds his youngest brother firmly by the shoulders as Emma looks on.
Jake: Listen, I can't put Kat through the stress of a murder trial. Not with her episodes, you know that. What good would it do your case? Her credibility as a witness would be shot to pieces by any half decent defence if she takes the stand and starts hissing and growling. I will not have my private life turned into a circus. Justice was done in there. It's over.
Jason: No, justice wasn't done...justice was swift. You might want to move on with your happy little life brother, but I cannot...
Jason, Emma and Jake leave the courthouse and the surrounding press snap photos particularly of Emma and Jake side by side.
Jason: You've changed. Last year when Curtis attacked me you went out of your way to bury him..
Jake: That was for television, this is real life. I will not be accused again of monopolising personal tragedy for ratings and personal gain.
Jason: Oh no, of course not, your marriage however, that's fair gain, I suppose? Or do you really care about that roided up skank, and it isn't all an act for ratings and to annoy Jacobsen heading into your big match? How does a beautiful woman like Kathy take a backseat to....that?
Jason points with his nose in Emma's direction, she steps forward but The Ace stops her, unconciously putting a hand on her left breasr, which he promptly removes when she looks down at it.
Jake: I think you should apologise....
Without thinking, Jason balls up his fist and cracks his elder brother right in the jaw infront of the swarming press. Jake lands on his backside on the courthouse steps. He clutches his jaw, and rubs his lower lip that has been busted open.
Jason: I'm sorry....that I have a brother who wouldn't testify to put murderers away for life.
Kathy arrives on the scene as Jason walks away, some of the press now following him to get more on his remarks like the vultures that they are. Seeing her husband on the steps, she immediately rushes over to check on him, but Emma has already helped him to his feet and the pair are walking away.
Kathy: Jake! Jake!
Jake looks over his shoulder at Kathy and simply shakes his head before he whispers something to Emma. Kathy is left on the steps of the courthouse wondering what the hell just happened and what she had done wrong.