Attack

[Andrew Jacobsen]

Here I am, trying to make history again.

2017 was my year. I don't think that's too controversial a statement. I won the Roulette, I main-evented Night of the Immortals, and I shattered every record the Imperial Championship had on the way. Now, here I am, a year later, staring down the night that started me on my path to success. If I want to main-event Night of the Immortals again, if I want to be a two-time World Champion, if I want my revenge on the man that stole that title from me, I have to do what no man has ever done. I need to become a two-time Roulette winner.

Man, I don't pick the easy ones, do I?

I know there's a lot of guys in the field this year who want this badly, real badly. But three of them really fascinate me. Three of them fascinate me because they're all so changed from the men they used to be. They've all warped and twisted into dark mirrors of who they were. They say they were saved...I have to ask if that's really true.

Warren. Warren...I'm sorry. I failed you. You deserved better, and I failed you. The people that should have been there for you keep on failing you, and that's not fair. You're a good man at heart, better than most, but you've got that darkness in you, the same darkness that's haunted your family for generations. The Pack preyed on that. They preyed on the failures of those who should have been there for you, and they drew out that darkness. It's swallowing you whole, Warren, and I know it seems like there's no other option than to serve their wishes.

There is. There always is.

I've been burned time and again by putting faith in people's ability to be better. I've been burned by Spike, by Steve, by Jake, by more men than I care to count, but I don't stop believing. Why? Because if I'm right once, just once, that means the world. If I'm right about you, Warren, that means the world. And I hope I am...but I'm bracing myself to be wrong.

And see, there was this part of me that was worried about this the whole time. There's always been something inside you, Warren, no matter how much you've fought it, and I was worried that someone would draw it out. But your partner in crime, your new tag partner...I never would have imagined this would be where he ended up.

Caleb, I failed you too. I should have kept in touch. I didn't imagine that you'd end up where you did, but that doesn't keep it from hurting. It doesn't stop me from wondering what would have been different if any of us had reached out, been there to keep you from falling. Maybe you would have been safe. Maybe you would have survived everything and been able to have a happy life. Maybe.

We can spend forever going over "what if" scenarios. Fact is, we weren't there for you, Caleb, and you found people that dragged you back out of the gutter. I wish it hadn't been the Pack. I wish you'd been found by people that didn't want you as a weapon. And I'm sure you'll tell me I'm full of it, that the Pack are your family now. I understand that that's what you think. I just wish you'd been able to have the life you really deserved.

You were a good man, Caleb. One of the best. You never let life crush you. Seeing what you've become makes me weep. But I can't afford to let my heart bleed for you like this, Caleb. You're going to be working arm-in-arm with your new brothers, three acting as one. If I show mercy to a part, the whole will eat me alive. I can't do that. Understand that what I do isn't born of hate, Caleb. It's born of mercy. There's still good in you. I believe that. But I don't believe that I'm going to be the one to bring you back.

And then there's the center of it all...hello there, Dean.

---

"I have a problem."

The statement hung in the air, heavy and awkward. Andrew sat in the chair opposite Nicole Kingsley, who merely shook her head, sighing. "I could have told you that, Jacobsen. In fact, I believe I DID tell you that, didn't I? What brought you to finally register the truth of things?"

"Lots of conversations with people, lots of shameful late nights spent evading the truth." Andrew admits, running his hands through his hair and looking up at the Australian with a despairing look in his eyes, one that ill-fits the North Star's usually unshakable countenance. "I hate what it's making me into. I know what it's doing, and no matter how much I fight it it's like nothing changes."

"That's because you're fighting all of the feedback your body is trying to give you." Nicole rubs the bridge of her nose. "You're arguing with indisputable facts, and there's only so much that your determination can do to overcome human physiology." Andrew's shoulders slump, and Nicole instinctively reaches across the table, patting Andrew's hand. "It's alright. The fact that you recognize it's a problem, no matter how much cajoling that took, is a step in the right direction."

"So what now?" Andrew looks up at Nicole. "I walk away? Again? I can't do that, not now of all times."

"No, I'm not telling you to walk away." Nicole shakes her head, pulling her hand back. "I recognise that that would only be damaging to you. You're very Type A personality in that regard. You don't function well without something to occupy your time, and, well...you're built for this. I'd be a fool to not admit that." Nicole shakes her head. "It's not so bad that I can't clear you, and if I'm not medically required you won't listen. I've learned that much by now."

"Sorry. Well, kind of." Andrew grins apologetically. "Alright. Be careful, don't overexert myself, all that good stuff. Anything else you can recommend to me?"

"Take some time off at some point?" Nicole shrugs. "Like, real time off, not just getting yourself injured. Vacation's healthy, Andrew. You keep redlining yourself, you might not be able to come back."

"Everyone's been saying that..." Andrew grumbles under his breath, sighing. "Alright. I just...I needed to talk to you about it. No more, I promise. I'll take care of things as God intended."

Nicole snorts. "You, listen to him? Isn't that kind of what you've been fighting against?" Andrew pauses, blinking, and Nicole's grin falters slightly. "Y'know...God...Angel? Bad joke, never mind. I'll stick to medicine, you stick to wrestling?"

Andrew chuckles, shaking his head, and offers a handshake, one that Nicole returns firmly. "Wasn't that bad. I'll talk to you later, Nicole. Take care."

Nicole nods, smiling, and releases the handshake. Andrew turns, exiting the office, and as soon as the door swings shut Nicole sighs, slumping back into her chair. "Thank Christ." She shakes her head, rubbing her temples, and turns to her computer, beginning to type as we fade to black.

---

It's been a little bit, hasn't it? We're both beltless now, victims of each other's tag partners in that match we had. Now, we've both got the same goal: tear Angel from his throne and claim the World Championship for our own. The difference is, you have absolute, ironclad loyalty at your back, aiming to ensure that one of the Pack claims the victory and goes on to Night of the Immortals. I have friends in this match, but not loyal subordinates like you. All I can count on is myself.

Story of my life, really.

I remember who you were, Dean. I remember the gentle soul that shrank at violence, I remember the man with the friendly eyes and the warm smile that could light up an entire arena. And I know that Rowan hurt you, twisted you into the man you are today. I know that you've hurt and hurt, time and again, and I know that I can't make any of it right. I can't save you, Dean. I don't know if you can be saved. You don't want it, and I'm clearly not the man to bring you back.

And for that, I am sorry.

But I can't let the Pack win. Too long, I've been accused of inaction against you. Too long, I've had my inability to stop the Pack thrown in my face. It ends now. If I have to give every drop of blood, every bead of sweat, and every single tear born of passion and pain in my body to ensure that good triumphs over evil, you bet your ass I will. Because nothing is more important.

As much as I wish it were otherwise, wrestling is rarely just an athletic competition. Everything grows beyond what it was, taking on significance nobody could have anticipated. This isn't just an endurance competition between thirty of the most skilled athletes in the world, this is a battle between a dozen warring ideologies, and only one of them can stand tall at the end of everything. It will not be yours. I promise you, beyond a shadow of a doubt, it will not be yours.

You may bring me down with you...but God help me, I'm going down swinging.