Post by Xavier Cross on Jun 12, 2013 23:29:52 GMT
Chapter One: “The Break-Up”
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The scene opens up to Xavier Cross, sitting behind his wooden desk, going over forms. His head down, scanning across the pages of legal writing. His finger tapping against the wooden desk, either to keep a rhythm, or provide some sort of music to avoid going insane. Cross reaches across, looking for a pen. The camera turns to a smaller desk behind him with his personal effects, one held is cell phone. There was a clear message written across the screen.
3 Missed Calls
10 Unread Texts
But the man kept trekking away at his paper work, his hand reaching to the bottom of the desk, whether on instinct, Xavier still didn’t move his eyes away from the paper he is glancing over. His hand attaches itself to a bottle of whiskey tucked in the drawer of his desk, using his pinky finger to clench a small glass, Xavier stands up from his seat placing the bottle and glass on the desk, finally removing his eyes from the paper.
“Damn it…”
Running his hands through his short hair, he manages to pour himself a drink, the camera manages to zoom over the papers, and we notice they are legal hiring forms. One name stands out from the writing, ‘Jaqwan Cross’. Xavier stirs the glass with his ring finger, his opposite hand playing with a necklace, a ring, Cari’s wedding ring laid gently onto the necklace. His lips embrace the glass for a moment before turning to his cell phone, it was ringing once again.
ɸZelda Kniteɸ
Xavier looks down at the phone, an annoyed expression stretched across his face, with a tired sigh he slides his finger across the phone, pressing it to his ear.
“What?”
“We’ve been trying to reach you for hours. Where are you?!”
“I’m at the office; I got a lot of damage control to do.”
“Oh…but..”
“But what Zelda? I see you’ve called a couple of times, and I’m sure those texts are also from you. I’m fine, I’m trying to get this done, and yet you keep calling and calling.”
“Xavier…I know you need to fix this, but wouldn’t it be easier to cut your losses and just walk away?”
“Walk away? You’re asking me to just give up on my own brother? Would you give up on Adam?!”
“Adam would never do that to me! Adam would never screw up that badly!”
“Oh, I’m sorry, I forgot your family is perfect and never does anything wrong.”
“Don’t start with me Xavier..”
“You know what, I’m done with this. Game over Zelda, leave me alone. I’m beyond over this. How dare you call me telling me to just give up on him, we all make mistakes.”
“Excuse me?! Are you breaking up with me.”
Xavier pauses for a moment, as though he’s going to change his mind. But something clicks in his head, almost a realization.
“This was never going to work Zelda, we both know it. You’re so wrapped up in you; you’re still a 12 year old in a 22 year olds body. I’ve got too much on my plate to take care of another child.”
“How dare you!”
“How dare I? Very easily. Goodbye Zelda.”
“Please…”
“Goodbye.”
He clicks the phone off for a moment, his hands down shaking. Xavier stands there for a moment in between a state of a smile, and wanting to just break down. Cross takes a deep breath, turning back to his desk his eyes laid upon the bottle he had pulled out only moments earlier. He looks up at the door, seeing a young Tommy, the younger boy from last week, standing in the doorway, a black eye, crying. Cross sets his phone down, and at the speed of light comes around the desk.
“Tommy. What’s wrong?”
******
A heavyweight scramble match, a battle royal of sorts. I’m looking over the card right now; I’m starring at my opponents. So many familiar faces. It seems like a NCW mid-card extravaganza. But this is a different setting, this is a different company, this is a different life a new chapter of sorts.
But yet, I find myself back at square one. I find myself looking through a card for a pay per view, and a name that haunts me, that will follow me to the end of my career, a man I’ve fought countless battles for titles over the years. A man I should consider my rival, one week I’m the champion, the next week he is the victor. Wash, rinse, repeat.
That’s really what our battles have been like isn’t it Conway. We’ve been through any kind of hardcore match for the X-Treme title back in the day, you’ve ended my reigns, I’ve ended yours, with a handful of Sexy Jason reigns in between. It seemed that why one reign, the other geared up to defeat them. Maybe we do share some sort of destiny bond. It seems like every time I’m gaining my professional momentum there you are Conway, you’re there to either ascend me to the top, or to knock me back down. There were many times that I’ve walked into a match against you, thinking, knowing that I was the best, that I was better than you any night.
But as the record states, it’s not always been the case. For the longest time Conway, I find myself hating you, despising you. But then I realized, it was just the same old Ace every week. Would it be a Good Ace, Boring Ace, or Ace in the Hole. Let me explain that reasoning for just a moment, Good Ace, when you were on top of the world, ready to take on any challenger at a whim, this is the Ace that could make me nervous, but I’d never let the world see. Then we have, Boring Ace, something I’ve claimed for you to be over the years, boring Ace is the Ace that I don’t respect, that comes at me with the same old taunts, insults, and words. I’ve noticed your insults almost being word for word week in and out, a response to my own. Original thoughts are hard to come by, something I rely solely on.
And then we have, Ace in the Hole, the wildcard. The cutthroat, take no prisoner, hardcore street fighting badass that you can be. This is the strongest Ace, the Ace that can beat any opponent, the creativity flowing out of every pour on his body. This is the Ace that deserves and will earn everyone’s respect regardless if they wanted to give it or not.
So what is it Conway, what Ace will we finally have to deal with come Bloody A’s? The Good, The Boring, or the Wildcard?
Then, we have The North Star, the constant good guy, Andrew Jacobsen. A man as I said last week, I respect greatly. But a man who I question how long he can take the moral high ground. The fact is, you’ve been kicked around, beaten down, and no one has given you the respect you deserve. I look at this card, the men who line up to do battle against us, and I think to myself, Jacobsen is the hungriest of these men.
You’re a former World Champion, you held that title for a solid month, and then what Jacobsen, and then what?
What happened after your reign, what importance did you hold? Did you stay on top, or did you flounder back to the bottom. Don’t tell me now that in the moment, in those thirty days you held the title that it was your defining moment, that you finally hit the peak. The fact is, I look at my opponents this week, and you’re the star that can shine the brightest. You have the chance to rip destiny from the angel’s throat, and become the star you deserve to be.
But in order to do that, to hoist the World Heavyweight Championship, of IWF, you have to go through 3 men, and Xavier Cross. Laszlo and I beat you and Evan’s last week. Could that be the broken chemistry between the two of you? Because it remains a simple fact that up until that night, I had never worked with Laszlo in my entirety. You and Evans are buddies right? Maybe it was just that he was the weak link of the team…
Or was it you Jacobsen? Are you slipping…are you just not top notch any longer? Maybe I am wrong about your destiny, about your potential. Maybe I’m wrong about you. Look at the Legends Andy, look at ‘em. They didn’t get to the top, to the hall of fame, to immortality with moral fiber, and doing the right thing. They did what was right for them, not for anyone else.
Oh no, I’m telling you what to do? No Andrew, I’m telling you that you’ll have a lot of choices down the road; none of them will be simple. I’m rooting for you Jacobsen, I really am, and you’re the bright light in this corrupt universe we live in. Now will that be enough to beat me, just maybe, but it’s not a reason for me to lie down. Like every other man, we’re going into this with 100%, with everything, to be the first like a youtube comment, everyone knows the first is the greatest. Andrew, I want you to reach for greatness, and if it means stepping on my beaten body, I don’t want you to hold back. I want you to embrace your potential and become the man you can be, not the one people expect you to be. Being a good man may help you sleep at night, but when you’re a seventy year old man looking back, is helping the weak truly worth it…
I hope you say yes.
******
Chapter Two: The Reason
24 Hours Earlier…
The scene opens in a quick, documentary style. The cameraman is sitting in the passenger seat of Xavier Cross’s SUV. Cross seems focused on the road ahead, a worried mixed with annoyance washed across his face. Xavier looks over at the camera, shaking his head.
“I guess I’ll explain this. My brother is a navy veteran; he just came home a few months ago. Between the closing of NCW, and the opening of Cross Walks, and starting the next step of my career at IWF, I’ve kind of neglected seeing him as much as I should. Now I’m on my way to downtown Atlanta, because the moron got too drunk, apparently hit some guy, and fled. So this should be an interesting occasion. I mean I get it, sometimes you get a little too much in you, sometimes someone pisses you off and you swing, when you drink you lose self-control. But running away from it, if you screw up, you except your mistake and take the punishment, no he ran, and got picked up by the cops a couple blocks away. So here I am going to pick him….oh really c’mon, I told you I would call you…”
The camera pans down to Xavier Cross’s cell phone, we see the name ‘Zelda Knite’ pop up across the screen, Cross swipes it to voicemail, dropping his phone in the glove compartment. Looking back up, he throws on his turn signal pulling into a small parking lot. Pulling into a spot, Cross steps out, looking at the camera.
“Obviously you can’t come in, but I’m going to stay mic’d up, just in case I need this for any kind of future trial or stuff. If I get assaulted, call my cousin, Chris, he’s a lawyer. Police brutality is a real thing.”
Cross begins to walk, playing with his button up trying to tuck the microphone away. He is stopped at the door by the officer, and forced to hand it over. Xavier shrugs a bit, before surrendering, entering the building….
45 minutes later….
Xavier and an officer, are show helping his brother out of the station. Each man under one arm, almost dragging him. The camera man throws the door open, as Xavier lays his brother in. The camera picks up the sound.
“Thanks against Officer Frampton. He’s been under a lot of stress lately…maybe it’s PTSD or something, once he wakes up, I’m going to call at vet hospital and see if I can get him some help. Again, I’m sorry for all this.”
The cop shakes his head, shaking Xavier’s hand before returning to work. Xavier pauses for a moment, starring at his passed out brother. Xavier sighs a bit, closing the door getting in the driver’s seat, before reattaching his microphone.
“Sorry about that, bail is ridiculous, and all the procedures and stuff, as you can see…Sleeping beauty is still out, so let’s go home. I can lecture him in the morning…”
*****
And now I find myself pondering on Seth Evans. A name that escaped my mind last week, I almost forgot the older days of NCW, I was more focused on other things, specifically myself. But I turn my attention to one of my four other competitors this week, Seth Evans, the Gamer God himself. Someone told me he was a ranked Halo player I believe. That’s impressive, I mean I’m not slacker when it comes to games but I find myself a little concerned.
Are you really in this for the long haul Seth? Are you a focused competitor, because back in the day I wasn’t. I used wrestling as a launch pad to try to get into Hollywood; you know what it got me, a mediocre mid-card career, and an even worse acting job. So what you do in your free time is your own concern, and somehow you manage to squeeze in training, in between competing on the pro-gamer circuit. How much success have you really found between the ropes Evans? When it boils down to it, you’ll have to decide, which one you want. Do you want to sit behind a screen, behind pixels and false stories, finding the sense of accomplishment?
Or do you want to exchange blows, fight the good fight. Be the good guy you play behind those joy sticks. I know you have the moral fiber, just like Jacobsen, to do the right thing. Eventually, you’ll have to decide what one you’ll have to focus on, because we all know Seth Evans, you aren’t Bo Jackson. Laszlo and I proved that last week in our tag match. You and Jacobsen, you put up a good fight, but it wasn’t good enough.
So I found myself, on the sidelines, watching it all. Taking it all in, and after the bell rang, and Mike’s hand was hoisted high along with mine, I found myself taking it all in, calculating my chances of a Championship Scramble, to figure out whom I should target, who I should take down. I find myself on the notion that you, Seth Evans, are the broken zebra, the weak gazelle.
You have the talent, and the tools. But you, like most gamers, lack focus. There is a difference between turning a hobby into a profession. It’s even harder to make any kind of progress in the Gaming Circuit, but I see you, just like I have been, drowning in the fame. A simple case of becoming too big for one’s britches. You mingle with the upper echelon, with the celebrities, at sports games, while playing your own games, and then you find yourself in the arena, in a championship scramble against four other men, who have one focus. Wrestling.
That’s what you lack Evans, you lack focus. Which is why I walk into Blood A, knowing that you’re the one man I don’t have to worry about any longer. This isn’t a slap in the face, or a sign of disrespect, I know you do not have the focus it will take to beat any of us. The fact is, somehow you are lucky to even be in this match. As I said, you have all that is needed, but you need to do some soul searching my friend, discover what you truly want. Is it wrestling, or is it gaming and the fame. You cannot have both.
Moving on to my final opponent. Mike Laszlo. A man who slipped into NCW while I was away trying to be a movie star and a father, instead of what I should have been, a wrestler. Laszlo is a man with the charisma of a star, the confidence of a champion, and the skills of a warrior. Like I said about Jacobsen, Laszlo is another young talent who has a chance to be one of the brightest stars in this business, in this company. But there is one thing that worries me about you Laszlo.
Maybe you’re too focused. You’re so set on knowing that you’re the best, of knowing that you’re going to be the first Heavyweight champion. This is the right mindset to have, but to announce it to the world, you come off as more of a dying balloon filled with the hot air of Rush Limbaugh. Until we stood together, we both found ourselves winless in IWF, but together we overcame the competitors of Jacobsen and Evans.
Come Bloody A, it will be everyman for themselves, granted that speaks for itself, it isn’t unusual for teams to develop to eliminate the stronger opponent. But wait, that’s the beauty of the scramble, helping someone else can be your inevitable downfall. You see it’s sometimes not about being the first, about rushing into the battle to capture a quick victory. When twenty five minutes is up, it doesn’t matter if you were the first Laszlo, it only matters if you’re the last one. The final winner out of the scramble, walks away with all the glory, all the gold, and will forever be the legacy of the Heavyweight Division of IWF.
So I’m going to give you some advice Laszlo, because it wouldn’t devastate me to see you walk out of Bloody A, the first ever World Heavyweight Champion. Take a deep breath, and don’t be in such a rush. Don’t get ahead of yourself, or your opponents will take advantage of it. Don’t be so eager, refine your focus on strategy, not style and strength. Find the weakest link, and keep them close. Make sure to keep your internal clock going, know when the match will be close the ending.
That’s when you make your final move. When you win it all. Because it’s going to be about endurance, about using your mind, not just your fists. You have it all Laszlo, and wrapped around it, is that pretty little piece of arm candy that walks to the ring with you. Don’t lose your true focus; don’t let the Spike Kane’s of the world get under your skin. InFamous is not a road you want to go down, you’ll lose track of your goals and become obsessed with rubbing their faces into the ground. It’s not worth the time or effort, they’ll eventually make asses of themselves.
So Laszlo, if it boils down to us, I’d like to thank you for being a good partner last week, but that, that is all said and done. We owe each other nothing, there is nothing between us. You’re not my friend, you’re not my buddy, and you’re not my pal. You’re just another stepping stone for me to get to the grandest stage of them all. So take my words of wisdom, throw it away, or swallow it down like a grain of salt, and don’t be deflated when I walk out of Bloody A’s, the champion.
*****
Chapter Three: “The Mistake”
Xavier is seen quickly walking down the hallway, his face in frustration and near rage. Tommy is close behind him as is Doug, one of the councilors for the charity, and Xavier’s assistant. The three turn the corner into the infirmary where a doctor is patching up a bloodied nose onto the other boy from last week, Drew.
“What is going on?”
Tommy: “I can explain Mr. Cross!”
“No Tommy, I want to hear it from Mr. Alduino here.”
Drew looks up at Xavier, a sincere look on his face.
Drew: “Mr. Cross…I wasn’t…”
“Why does Tommy have a black eye? Why is it you cannot stay out of trouble?”
Drew: “Sir…I..”
“No Drew, no more excuses. I gave you one warning, and that’s final. I’m trying to help kids, and you’re doing the complete opposite. Clean him up, and get him out of here.”
Drew: “But I don’t have anywhere to go! You didn't even give me a chance to explain!”
“Why should I Drew, you're just going to lie, and tell me what I want to hear. You should have thought of that sooner Drew…you should have…”
Xavier shakes his head, as he walks away. Tommy runs after him, as Drew leaps up from the bed, and exits out the front doors, leaving the charity. Tommy catches up with Xavier.
Tommy: “Mister Cross! Mister Cross! It wasn’t his fault…there was a gang! The five point bloods. They said I was stepping on their turf, Drew protected me!”
Xavier stops and turns for a moment, something in Tommy’s word’s hit him.
“…Five point?..”
The anger on Cross’s face is erased, as the color exits and he turns sickly shade of white. He turns, and runs through the hallway, and out the same door’s Drew had exited earlier. Cross in a panic, is looking to his left, and then to his right.
“DREW! DREW!”
Cross charges out of the charity gates, onto the street, looking left and right. He stumbles back against the wall, as Doug has now made his way out.
Doug: “Mr. Cross, what’s going on?”
“We need to find Drew, he’s not safe out here.”
Doug: “What do you mean?”
“The gang, that gang that he was protecting Tommy from, that’s my old gang…”
Doug stops for a moment.
“Call 9-11, ask to speak to Detective Thompson…tell him Xavier needs a favor…”
Xavier slides down the brick wall, clutching his head.
“Fuck….fuck!”
His fist hits the concrete as the camera fades to black.
To be continued...
Well howdy there pardner.