Post by Hannah Reed on Feb 23, 2013 9:52:31 GMT -6
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A small lamp lights up a small stack of papers on a large oak desk occupied by Hannah Reed, the Head of Legal Operations as her eyes dart feverishly across a set of contracts clutched between both her hands. As she gets lost in the minute details she barely notices as the door creeks open and Roberto Verona peers through the gap, rolling his eyes as he notices his girlfriend nose deep in legal documents. Opening the door he steps into the office and points to his watch as she finally looks up at him.
Come on Hannah, we won’t make our reservation.
I can’t just leave without finalising these contracts.
Not even for the champ?
Hannah smiles and shakes her head.
You know, that belt doesn’t supersede trans-national contract legislature.
No, but it does entitle me to a salary vast enough to treat my first love to a wonderful evening…
Hanna puts the papers down and sighs.
Oh, come on, don’t do that.
Do what?
Be charming, you know I can’t resist grandiose worship…
Roberto smiles seductively.
Did it work?
You’re insatiable. Look, give me five more minutes to check this small print and I’ll be ready to go, ok?
Fine, but if we have to find another table because of paper work you’re going to have to make it up to me later.
Hannah rolls her eyes before looking up and just beyond Verona’s shoulder.
In the meantime, it looks like you’ve got some business of your own to attend to…
Roberto turns around and looks out of the office to see Alex Jones making a beeline for him. Realising that he is clearly here to see him Roberto steps outside, closing the door behind him as Hannah returns to her paper work.
What can I do for you Alex?
We need to talk about the favours I did for you.
Go ahead.
I want to know why, despite everything I did to help you a few weeks ago I’m stuck in the shadows whilst you live the life fantastic with your favourites Xander and Conway.
Roberto lets out a laugh, despite his best efforts.
Are you jealous?
What!? No!
Then what is the big deal? Do you really want to spend time eating fancy food and keeping company with the boring bastards who pay for advertising opportunities with this company?
Well, no, of course not.
Then you have nothing to worry about. You’ve got your title and consequently you have my support for as long as you feel it is in your interests to support me and Kelly. You don’t need to worry about me spending more time with Xander and Jake, honestly you should be flattered that I feel you’re capable of handling your business without requiring my help. You are, aren’t you?
Of course I am.
Roberto extends a reassuring hand, placing it on Alex’s shoulder.
Then stop wasting your energy doubting me.
I just don’t see why you’re wasting your energy on men like Conway.
Jake has a series of attributes that are valuable to me and that is all that matters, no what you all think of one another. You don’t need to like Jake, he doesn’t need to like you, as long as everybody fulfils their obligations then we have nothing to worry about. This is business Alex, not friendship. Your job is to restore honour to the X-Title and make it meaningful again and as we agreed, if you do a satisfactory job you will be considered for a shot at the belt you really want.
And you’re going to keep you guarantees?
Of course, I’m many things Jones but I’m not a liar. You don’t need to me inserting myself into your business on a weekly basis to feel useful, just like Jake and Xander don’t. Just be prepared to answer my calls when I make them and do what you’re doing now and I’ll have no reason to retract my side of the bargain.
Just make sure you don’t or you’ll have me to answer to.
Of that I have no doubts, Alex. Now, if you’ll excuse me I have a dinner to attend with my girlfriend for the first time in weeks. Don’t deprive her of that pleasure or you’ll have her to answer to.
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A small lamp lights up a small stack of papers on a large oak desk occupied by Hannah Reed, the Head of Legal Operations as her eyes dart feverishly across a set of contracts clutched between both her hands. As she gets lost in the minute details she barely notices as the door creeks open and Roberto Verona peers through the gap, rolling his eyes as he notices his girlfriend nose deep in legal documents. Opening the door he steps into the office and points to his watch as she finally looks up at him.
Come on Hannah, we won’t make our reservation.
I can’t just leave without finalising these contracts.
Not even for the champ?
Hannah smiles and shakes her head.
You know, that belt doesn’t supersede trans-national contract legislature.
No, but it does entitle me to a salary vast enough to treat my first love to a wonderful evening…
Hanna puts the papers down and sighs.
Oh, come on, don’t do that.
Do what?
Be charming, you know I can’t resist grandiose worship…
Roberto smiles seductively.
Did it work?
You’re insatiable. Look, give me five more minutes to check this small print and I’ll be ready to go, ok?
Fine, but if we have to find another table because of paper work you’re going to have to make it up to me later.
Hannah rolls her eyes before looking up and just beyond Verona’s shoulder.
In the meantime, it looks like you’ve got some business of your own to attend to…
Roberto turns around and looks out of the office to see Alex Jones making a beeline for him. Realising that he is clearly here to see him Roberto steps outside, closing the door behind him as Hannah returns to her paper work.
What can I do for you Alex?
We need to talk about the favours I did for you.
Go ahead.
I want to know why, despite everything I did to help you a few weeks ago I’m stuck in the shadows whilst you live the life fantastic with your favourites Xander and Conway.
Roberto lets out a laugh, despite his best efforts.
Are you jealous?
What!? No!
Then what is the big deal? Do you really want to spend time eating fancy food and keeping company with the boring bastards who pay for advertising opportunities with this company?
Well, no, of course not.
Then you have nothing to worry about. You’ve got your title and consequently you have my support for as long as you feel it is in your interests to support me and Kelly. You don’t need to worry about me spending more time with Xander and Jake, honestly you should be flattered that I feel you’re capable of handling your business without requiring my help. You are, aren’t you?
Of course I am.
Roberto extends a reassuring hand, placing it on Alex’s shoulder.
Then stop wasting your energy doubting me.
I just don’t see why you’re wasting your energy on men like Conway.
Jake has a series of attributes that are valuable to me and that is all that matters, no what you all think of one another. You don’t need to like Jake, he doesn’t need to like you, as long as everybody fulfils their obligations then we have nothing to worry about. This is business Alex, not friendship. Your job is to restore honour to the X-Title and make it meaningful again and as we agreed, if you do a satisfactory job you will be considered for a shot at the belt you really want.
And you’re going to keep you guarantees?
Of course, I’m many things Jones but I’m not a liar. You don’t need to me inserting myself into your business on a weekly basis to feel useful, just like Jake and Xander don’t. Just be prepared to answer my calls when I make them and do what you’re doing now and I’ll have no reason to retract my side of the bargain.
Just make sure you don’t or you’ll have me to answer to.
Of that I have no doubts, Alex. Now, if you’ll excuse me I have a dinner to attend with my girlfriend for the first time in weeks. Don’t deprive her of that pleasure or you’ll have her to answer to.
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Oh, William, you’re so….naive.
Arrogant, misdirected, asinine, foolish, egotistical, enjoy long walks on the beach rambling inchoerently… I could go on but this isn’t a dating profile or an arbitrary list of character traits for psychological review, because lord knows you need one.
I….fear…..you?
Incredulous laughter
Forgive me but I think that may be the single most stupid comment I’ve ever had directed towards me and I’ve feuded with Todd Williams. Pray tell, Will, what exactly do I have to fear from you? Are you going to kick me in the testicles again? Well I guess that may affect my post-show performance momentarily. Going to call me rude names? That appears to be pretty much routine around here. Take my title?
Now that really is funny.
You’re two a penny Washington, just another grizzled veteran who never got his moment in the spotlight who bitterly craves that one chance to put his name in lights but completely lacks of the dedication, commitment and ability to make it a reality. You’ve been in this game for years, yet you don’t even have a singles title to your name in NCW and I am meant to buy you as some sort of credible threat to my dominant world title reign?
Seriously?
History doesn’t lie, you failed to get the job done against Gib and Angel on the grandest stage of all the last time you had an opportunity at the biggest prize in the game and your only other title run has been connected to the hip of Ian Kline for 63 days where you shared the load. Nothing about your accomplishments impresses me and it sure as hell doesn’t scare me.
So you managed to get a pinfall over me after cheating? Congratulations, you’re not even an efficient cheat. You got caught out, completely undermining any credibility you may have gained by “defeating” me. Absolutely nothing you have done in the past, the present or will accomplish in the future is going to cause me even the smallest of discomforts. I certainly don’t need to feed you to my skivvies because I am terrified of the great threat you hold against my rule.
I just enjoy watching men like you get a beating by far superior men like Xander.
You’re just like everybody else, you get this idea into your head that I am merely a paper champion devoid of any real ability in comparison to you, regardless of the facts, and it is simply a matter of time before you rise up to your rightful place at the top of the food chain and send me packing with my tail between my legs.
It’s classic wrestling 101.
Mike Laszlo bought into the same fallacy and look at what happened to him. He got his panties wet in excitement over a victories over me in meaningless matches during the only lull in my career and he got ideas well above his station. Then, when push came to shove, on three separate occasions, he was outclassed by a superior wrestler. Now you’ve come skipping along like a desperate virgin begging to have his cherry popped and you seem to think that this time things will be different.
Sorry to break it to you Will, but it won’t.
You’ll get all your make up on, pick out the prettiest dress that really emphasises your best features, get all giddy when the limo arrives ready to take you to prom, have a little bit too much champagne with the rest of the girls in the locker room before waking up in a gutter wondering where it all went wrong.
Contrary to what you may be dreaming about, you’re not my superior who will inevitably relinquish me of my title, you’ve blown your wad a little too early.
There isn’t many men around here who are fit to lace my boots, oddly enough I socialise with them. You fall into the next category, the guys who enjoy a little bit of success and build it up to be something it isn’t and then begun to calculate that victories over nobodies in the midcard and retired wrestlers somehow entitles you to consider yourself a potential threat to the best wrestler in the entire company.
It’s pure fantasy. Nothing more.
This week me and Xander will prove to the world that you’re just another in a long successive line of jumped up little sergeants with designs on the throne. Whether you manage to somehow weasel your way into a title shot or not I will inevitably wash away all of the façade you’ve built up around yourself about your perceived ability and leave you a broken man.
That is the fate of men who rise up to oppose me and attempt to take my title off the back of inconsequential victories.
You have a long way to go before I consider you even a minor threat to my position at the head of this company, you’re not the man to replace this face as the one which represents this company across the world. All you are is another stepping stone along the path to the most dominant world title reign in the history of NCW and the sooner you accept your role in the grander design the easier it will be for you to accept your failure.
Or, alternatively, continue deluding yourself of your purported superiority, because it has worked so well for everybody else who have thrown themselves on my pikes…
This may be the first chapter in our story Will, but no matter how it pans out the conclusion is already out of your hands. My victory is preordained because you’ve already fallen into the same monotonous pitfalls that Laszlo did; the belief that you are better than me and it is only a matter of time before you take my title.
Talking is easy Will, backing up your words is a whole other ball game.
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The waves of the east coast wash up against a large yacht, crashing against the metal as a brish wind carries them into shore. Inside the opulent vessel around a mock fire are Xander Famularo and the world champion, Roberto Verona, sitting in silence as a few attendants pass between them, satisfying their every whim and desire. Xander raises a beer bottle to his chin, applying pressure to the rather large bruise which has formed from the super kick he suffered at the foot of Webb. Famularo sighs, sahking his head before looking up at Verona who gently nurses a glass of red wine as he looks out across the bay from his window.
He’s a fool.
Roberto turns and looks up at his guest.
Who?
Webb.
Roberto smiles.
I could have told you that months ago, Xander. He is a minor inconvenience, nothing more.
You’d have thought he may have learned his lesson at Metamorphosis, I don’t think anybody has had his ass handed to him so many times in one night in the history of the company.
Maybe he is a sado-masochist?
Xander prepares to respond when suddenly Jake “The Ace” Conway emerges into the room, dressed in a fine suit with a spade stitched sophisticatedly across the jacket pocket.
Gentlemen. Not interrupting anything am I?
Not at all, Jake. We were discussing your favourite punching bag, have a seat.
So, what are we going to do about Washington?
Nothing.
Nothing?
Yes. He craves attention, it feeds his ego, so I am not going to satiate it. If I send any of you after him he’ll construe that as fear, I’m not in the business of doing favours for the incoherent ramblings of my opponents.
And Webb?
Verona turns to face Jake.
He already got a little taste of what happens to those who oppose us, when we’re through with him this week he will slink back to his pedestal to rant and rave about whatever perceived injustice he can unearth.
Then why did you call me here? If you don’t need me I’d prefer to spend my time with my wife…
Who said I didn’t need you, Jake? You know that I wouldn’t waste my time asking you here if I didn’t have a purpose for you.
Fair point.
Jake shrugs his shoulders before turning to grab a whiskey from an attendant, who nods politely before exiting the room.
So, what do you need?
I want you to concentrate your efforts on Mike Laszlo.
Jake cocks an eyebrow.
Laszlo? But you already beat him…
Did he learn his lesson? No, he had to lash out and hit me with a chair, then he has the cheek to complain when he gets some backlash. He needs to be knocked down another peg until he finally learns the lesson I tried to teach him for months of end.
You know me, I am always happy to slap the taste out of people’s mouth for money.
That is why we get along so well Mr Conway.
What about me?
Keep doing what you do best. Dominating the roster. I promised you main events and consistent matches, and I’ve followed through with that promise, all you need do is continue to justify my unwavering faith in your ability to showcase the quality of this company’s roster.
And that is why I like to do business with you, Mr Verona.
As for this week, just watch my back and I will watch yours. We have more than enough in our locker to put away this rag tag team of miscreants. It is time to separate the wheat from the chaff.
Sounds good to me.
Now, gentlemen, if you’d excuse me I have a meeting with my two avenging angels to discuss…business. Please enjoy the finer life courtesy of Ms. Fox.
Roberto lifts himself up and nods politely to his companion before placing his now empty glass on a table before lifting his mobile phone from his pocket and disappearing out of the room. Waiting a few moment to ensure Verona is out of earshot, Xander turns and looks up at Jake.
Do you trust him?
Jake takes a long gulp of whiskey before looking back at Xander.
No. I trust his money. We may as well milk the gravy train whilst we can, Verona knows how this business operates and he’s a decent guy under all the bravado. As long as this relationship is beneficial to us all, why shouldn’t we profit?
A wry grin suddenly runs across the lips of Conway.
What is the worst that can happen?
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The waves of the east coast wash up against a large yacht, crashing against the metal as a brish wind carries them into shore. Inside the opulent vessel around a mock fire are Xander Famularo and the world champion, Roberto Verona, sitting in silence as a few attendants pass between them, satisfying their every whim and desire. Xander raises a beer bottle to his chin, applying pressure to the rather large bruise which has formed from the super kick he suffered at the foot of Webb. Famularo sighs, sahking his head before looking up at Verona who gently nurses a glass of red wine as he looks out across the bay from his window.
He’s a fool.
Roberto turns and looks up at his guest.
Who?
Webb.
Roberto smiles.
I could have told you that months ago, Xander. He is a minor inconvenience, nothing more.
You’d have thought he may have learned his lesson at Metamorphosis, I don’t think anybody has had his ass handed to him so many times in one night in the history of the company.
Maybe he is a sado-masochist?
Xander prepares to respond when suddenly Jake “The Ace” Conway emerges into the room, dressed in a fine suit with a spade stitched sophisticatedly across the jacket pocket.
Gentlemen. Not interrupting anything am I?
Not at all, Jake. We were discussing your favourite punching bag, have a seat.
So, what are we going to do about Washington?
Nothing.
Nothing?
Yes. He craves attention, it feeds his ego, so I am not going to satiate it. If I send any of you after him he’ll construe that as fear, I’m not in the business of doing favours for the incoherent ramblings of my opponents.
And Webb?
Verona turns to face Jake.
He already got a little taste of what happens to those who oppose us, when we’re through with him this week he will slink back to his pedestal to rant and rave about whatever perceived injustice he can unearth.
Then why did you call me here? If you don’t need me I’d prefer to spend my time with my wife…
Who said I didn’t need you, Jake? You know that I wouldn’t waste my time asking you here if I didn’t have a purpose for you.
Fair point.
Jake shrugs his shoulders before turning to grab a whiskey from an attendant, who nods politely before exiting the room.
So, what do you need?
I want you to concentrate your efforts on Mike Laszlo.
Jake cocks an eyebrow.
Laszlo? But you already beat him…
Did he learn his lesson? No, he had to lash out and hit me with a chair, then he has the cheek to complain when he gets some backlash. He needs to be knocked down another peg until he finally learns the lesson I tried to teach him for months of end.
You know me, I am always happy to slap the taste out of people’s mouth for money.
That is why we get along so well Mr Conway.
What about me?
Keep doing what you do best. Dominating the roster. I promised you main events and consistent matches, and I’ve followed through with that promise, all you need do is continue to justify my unwavering faith in your ability to showcase the quality of this company’s roster.
And that is why I like to do business with you, Mr Verona.
As for this week, just watch my back and I will watch yours. We have more than enough in our locker to put away this rag tag team of miscreants. It is time to separate the wheat from the chaff.
Sounds good to me.
Now, gentlemen, if you’d excuse me I have a meeting with my two avenging angels to discuss…business. Please enjoy the finer life courtesy of Ms. Fox.
Roberto lifts himself up and nods politely to his companion before placing his now empty glass on a table before lifting his mobile phone from his pocket and disappearing out of the room. Waiting a few moment to ensure Verona is out of earshot, Xander turns and looks up at Jake.
Do you trust him?
Jake takes a long gulp of whiskey before looking back at Xander.
No. I trust his money. We may as well milk the gravy train whilst we can, Verona knows how this business operates and he’s a decent guy under all the bravado. As long as this relationship is beneficial to us all, why shouldn’t we profit?
A wry grin suddenly runs across the lips of Conway.
What is the worst that can happen?
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Oh, fantastic.
It’s Nathan Webb again, running his mouth like a jilted bride with deep rooted insecurities. This ought to be a rollercoaster of entertainment….
Honestly it is difficult to think of things to say to you Webb, I’ve proven every time we share a ring that you’re nowhere near my level and despite all of your pandering to the morons who buy into anything that is detrimental towards me nothing has changed since the first time you and I ever wrestled. You turn up, I beat you, then I leave onto greater things whilst you repeatedly slander me on a weekly basis.
You’re obsessed and no matter how much you try to convince everyone it is because I am a genuine malignancy that needs to be cut out, we both know the real reason you can’t stop thinking about me.
I am a symbol of your failure.
Since day one you set your sights on me and created goals centred around destroying everything I symbolised, be it good or bad. You have endeavoured repeatedly to consistently undermine me and to reveal me as a wolf in sheep’s clothing and show the world that I am nothing but a deceitful snake who uses his honey tongue to pour venom in the ears of the masses. Despite a few deviations to pursue other futile goals, everything about you has been ploughed into vanquishing me and try as you might…
You just can’t do it.
You can’t slay the dragon.
And it eats you up, doesn’t it? With every defeat to me you just become more bitter, bile perforating every fibre of your being as you fester in this unrelenting rage at your complete inability to silence me, even for one week. Every time I put you away, you die a little more inside and whether you care to admit it or not the way you value yourself is tied directly to me; your not-so-secret obsession.
Week after week you slander me in a vain attempt to undermine my dominance of this federation, even if you do coat it in their venire of “doing the right thing”. Get it in your head Webb, you aren’t a threat to me, you aren’t a threat to Kelly Fox and you sure as hell are not a threat to the revolution we are undertaking regardless of whether you try to attribute communist ideologies to its proponents in an attempt to win over the “vast” fan base who lived during the cold war by playing on their archaic insecurities about “the red devils”.
Sooner or later you’re going to have to comprehend that you are an inconsequential cog in a much greater machine, no matter how high you have elevated yourself in your subconscious.
You’re a broken record Nathan who is trapped in a cycle of hatred he just can’t break out from. When I confronted you with a list of my ideology last time you had nothing because frankly your objections are juvenile and designed around your determination to destroy me rather than being based in reality. Everything you say about me is a lie, a fallacious “truth” geared towards trying to get yourself noticed.
Nothing more, nothing less.
You know what the saddest thing about your career is? If you dedicated a tenth of the energy you put into bitching about me into pursing some personal glory, you may actually be a well-respected member of the roster with several title reigns under your belt rather than an achievementless malcontent. If you focused some of your attention on yourself for once instead of consistently trying to get people to see how nefarious me and Kelly are you could be more than this whiney little bitch who has to smoke cigars in an overtly masculine surrounding on a bi-weekly basis to mask how you’ve been emasculated by your repeated inability to achieve your goals.
Me and Kelly are going nowhere.
Maybe it is time you absorbed that reality Nathan and realised the futility of your continued defiance is only eroding your career prospects as each week goes by. You are only doing yourself a disservice by continuing this rebellion which is nothing more than a minor inconvenience to me; honestly you’re nothing more than a running joke in my social circle.
You proved to the world that somewhere deep inside that bitter shell is a man with a modicum of talent when you defeated one of the best wrestlers in the history of this company. Adam Knite is a barometer of talent and you managed to triumph over him, that is a sign of somebody who has the ability to at least achieve a respectable career.
You’re at a crossroads in your life.
You can either sit on your ass and peddle the same tired old clichéd nonsense about how me and Kelly are evil incarnate and continue to simply occupy a roster spot but do absolutely nothing of value with it like a leech who only adds to the cancer which has gripped this federation or you can get up, dedicate yourself to achieving something for yourself and finally fulfil some of your potential instead of wasting it to continue a bizarre infatuation with me.
What has that got you? Even the woman who stood by you without question has packed her bags and left whilst I am a more powerful than I ever was before. Kudos.
This is your chance to make a change whilst you still can, Nathan. You can either do it now and thrive or ignore this opportunity and become consumed by your hatred of authority as you are devoured by your insecurities until eventually, nobody will listen to you anymore.
It is your choice.
In the meantime, I will continue to do what is best for this company regardless of whether men like you approve of my actions or not. Mike Laszlo may tell the world that the attack he suffered was an act of cowardice, but you and he have merely suffered the opening salvo in a war against inequity and defiance.
No longer will people be able to run their mouths without consequence, if you want to slander this administration you will be punished for your sins. My avenging angels will descend upon anyone who speaks out without justification.
It is time to sort the strong from the weak.
Will you be left standing?