Every old beginning...

[Gabriel Ellis]

“A man can only attain knowledge with the help of those who possess it. This must be understood from the very beginning. One must learn from him who knows.”
-George Gurdjieff

Friday, April 1, 2016 10:04PM
Backstage locker room at the T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas

No one walks out of a five way match without wounds to show for it, least of all the winner. If there is one thing that experience, both past and present, have given to me, it is that attempting to avoid the pain is the quickest way to keep yourself from your goals. Perhaps certain underhanded tactics might mitigate this, but then there’s no real satisfaction. A short burst of pride and ego, but in the end, it’s always empty. A victory of ashes where no one really knows who would have won in the end. Otherwise honorable men fall into this trap thinking that by playing by these rules they will achieve the goals they have set forth for. They’re fates are even worse because once tempted, they lose sight of everything they once held on to. It changes them into a corruption that is best put down before it becomes like a cancer.

And I know because I have been there.

That would be a story for another time though. After winning my own match, it was only too clear I would need to know more about the opponent I would face for the title in Alex Jones. His match had been… quite the eye opener. To be perfectly honest, I hadn’t quite expected Javen to behave in the manner he did. I understood that this Javen character was a risk-taker in the ring and such a personality usually lends to a similar attitude outside the ring, but to kiss the head of the company? In front of her husband? If it wasn’t rather deplorable considering the match was still on, I might have applauded it myself, a show of praise I don’t give lightly or often. And then the announcement: a triple threat match for the title. I’m not entirely certain if that was a bad attempt at humor on Nikki’s part or if she honestly thought it had been a good idea at the time, but I had just gone through four men to earn my spot. Alex and Javen were not among them, granted, but they are only two men by comparison.

And so as the night came to a close, I packed my gear and had just taken my first step to leave when my phone begins to ring. I retrieve it and check the identification: Private Number. I take a deep sigh as I consider rejecting the call. My thumb hovers over the red for a moment when it occurs to me that there is only one private number brave enough to call me. My mouth twitches as I begin walking again, now accepting the call and bringing the phone to my ear.

“What do you want?”

“Or hello as they say in civilized places.”

The female voice on the other end practically taunts me. Were it anyone else, I might have hung up the phone immediately in the face of that disrespect, but… let’s just say I had a minutiae of respect for her, for something she had helped…

“I won’t ask again, Sue.”

“Hmph, Christine said you were your usual vocal self. What is it with you and her and words? You know speaking isn’t such a taboo.”

“Hello, Sue. Nice to hear from you.” There’s enough sarcasm dripping from my voice to feed the population of a starving country.

“That’s better. Now, let’s dispense with pleasantries and get down to business. As Christine’s advocate, I’m asking you to meet with me at my office at your earliest convenience to discuss a future business relation with my client.”

“If we’re dispensing with pleasantries, Ms. York, then I suggest you identify that you aren’t doing this as her advocate, but as her friend.”

“Well, there’s no rule that says I can’t fill both roles at the same time.”

I let out a scoff at the insinuation. Sue is no different than the scorpion in that old tale about when the scorpion tries to cross the river. I remember Christine introducing her to me in passing about a year ago. Christine is intelligent and cunning, but it makes her… arrogant. She believes herself infallible until the proverbial other foot drops. That’s what Sue took advantage of. She would act as a mediator of sorts, stopping Christine from putting herself in situations that she won’t be able to fight out of. I guess it’s also a failing on my part that I never really instructed Christine in those lessons either. Still, Sue probably is acting as she says, in a capacity that fills both requirements of an advocate and a friend. It wouldn’t be wise to not give her the benefit of the doubt.

“Very well. Fresno is on my way home. I’ll stop by on Monday.”

“Huh. You and a weekend in Vegas? Never thought that I would actually live and breathe to see the day.”

“Don’t tempt fate, Sue.” I hang up and head for the arena lot. After my match, I was in no mood to start any kind of business with anyone, least of all the devil in a skirt. I’m not sure what kind of comedy I’m being forced into recently, but I’ve bigger concerns. If Sue York is now involved, then whatever it is Christine came to my door for before I left for March Madness is worse than I could have honestly anticipated. And I should probably figure it out before my match against Javen and Alex Jones.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Monday, April 4, 2016 1:49PM
Approaching the office of Sue York, Fresno, CA

The word came down as I was preparing to leave town. I would indeed be facing Javen and Alex at the premier show of Tenacity, but not in the triple threat match that I had earned. Instead I would be teaming with Avery Miles, the last man to be eliminated from the previous match, by my own hand to be certain, against the unlikely pairing of my previously mentioned two opponents. I wonder as I go into the city if there’s some expectations of an “explosive situation” on both teams. Well, I for one have no grudge with Avery and not even for the fact that I defeated him, but for the simple fact that he proved a worthy opponent. Were it any other scenario it’s entirely possible those events could have ended up much differently. It matters little, but, in my mind at least, Avery is perhaps the best partner I can have in this situation.

Unfortunately, that is a situation I will have to deal with when it comes around. At this time, I have other issues to contend with. I drive up to the office building in the downtown area. It’s smaller than I remember it being for some reason. As I remove my helmet, I can’t help but rub my temple slightly. I must be out of my mind with this one. What do I honestly owe Sue to grant her this audience? No, that’s too formal. A meeting of minds is more appropriate. Still, I can’t shake this feeling that I’m missing a piece to the puzzle. Perhaps my haste to ignore Christine earlier was unwarranted after all.

“I must be out of my mind.”

I dismount my bike and secure it before heading in. A tiny chime rings as I push open the door into a small reception area. No one is here to greet me at least immediately. I can hear voices coming from an antechamber to my left. I recognize one as Sue. The other I can’t immediately identify, but it matters not because my presence has already been detected because of the chime. Whatever business is being conducted is quickly terminated as I approach. Before I can enter the next room I am intercepted by the very young and very tiny yet quite full frame of Sue York. She flashes a smile at me.

“Mr. Ellis. Excellent timing I was just about to order in. Are you hungry after your trip?”

“I can wait until I return home.”

“Oh, I really do insist. So dangerous to ride that motorized deathtrap in the safest conditions and your size can only amplify any problems it may already have.”

“My ride will get me back to my garage where I will give it some maintenance.”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. Gabriel you really shouldn’t-”

“Gabriel, now? First I was Mr. Ellis. We’ve gone from business to casual Friday in less than a minute.”

Snide comments are not my specialty, but it’s enough to stop Sue from continuing her embarrassment. Sue is young, but ambitious. She saw that the money in the wrestling world was on the rebound and so set up a small client base for which to advocate. Should come as no surprise that Christine is her biggest client currently so of course Sue does many business acrobatics her body certainly would not be capable of.

“Well, I guess it will just be whatever we both should find comfortable in the moment. Now, sit, sit. Let’s discuss the future.” She ushers me to a small table with a stack of papers at it. Sue takes one side and I take the other with the papers and begin to shuffle through them.

“So, what am I doing here exactly?”

“Well the answer is quite simple. After the… incident my client was involved in, she had to lay very low for awhile.”

“By your advice of course.”

“I can’t confirm or deny my assistance in that matter, but then we heard that her former flame would be making yet another grand debut. And might I add, what a debut it was. And look what it has given you, an opportunity at the World title. I’d call that a very solid start. So what I’d like to propose is that you and my client make amends and allow myself to assist you in your further endeavors.”

“To what end?”

“Let’s just say I’ve a soft spot for those who carry torches. And both of you are certainly those kind of people. But more than that, a brand new company means brand new opportunity that could be more than what it appears. Like wiping the slate clean of… certain mistakes.”

My eyes pop up from the paper work to look directly at that smug face Sue is putting on. Only now, and far too late, have I realized that I have been roped into a situation that I have no desire to be in.

“What are you proposing?”

“Quite simple really. You will continue doing what you do best and I will help you through the niceties of matters that don’t need your attention. So you can focus more on things like your upcoming tag match. I mean, teaming with a former adversary to go up against two other adversaries. Even a behemoth will be hard pressed to keep that situation to his advantage.”

“You underestimate me, Sue.”

Sue grins. “No, I don’t think so. Now I don’t think for a second that you can’t handle it without my help, but isn’t it just smarter to seize every advantage you can get? Make things easier for everyone, Gabriel and sign on the dotted line.” She pulls out a pen and clicks it before sliding it over to me. My hand comes down on it. My mouth twitches as I look at the papers one more time.

“There must be a beginning of any great matter, but the continuing unto the end until it be thoroughly finished yields the true glory.”
-Francis Drake

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March Madness has come and gone, replaced now by by a serial in Tenacity. It’s an apropos name because only the most tenacious are going to get anywhere in this company. I’ve proven my own tenacity in a very exclamatory way, defeating four other men to earn a shot at the World title. And in my way will be two individuals in Alex Jones and Javen. The two who main evented March Madness with Javen picking up an extraordinary, in more ways than one, victory. I admire the spirit with which both men fight. There’s so many ways that they are the same. But there are similarly many ways that they are different.

And those differences will tear them apart in the upcoming tag team match. Yes, they have been put together and made to mesh much like oil and water. Metaphorically, they are only similar in their absolute base, but beyond that they are nothing alike. It is unfortunate that similar can be said about myself and my partner, Avery Miles. I harbor no enmity to Avery Miles, not that I have reason to, but it wouldn’t serve the greater purpose here. Javen and Alex are unlikely to work well together so Avery and I must.

As I’ve stated before, Avery is passionate, driven, but he must bring it into a coalescence and focus it in order to make it. And before it gets into anyone’s heads, there are no coattails here. We both have our own legacies that we can stand on so solo or teaming it makes little difference. I couldn’t ask for a better partner from the roster as it stands. It is good that he and I have far more common ground and respect for each other to stand on going into this match than our opponents. The truth is I could laud Avery many times over for everything he has accomplished. Previously, we may have been adversaries, but at Tenacity he and I are going to prove exactly why we lasted to the end of that elimination match.

That then leaves our two opponents. Let’s start off with Javen. His like are the kind of people that others turn their noses at, but in my eyes, he’s little more than a colorful mess. Undisciplined, little direction and very few personal rules. Actually, that last I can agree with. Those with no rules, like those with too many, are too plain in their desires. It makes going against them very dull. With someone like Javen, there won’t be such times. And that makes winning so much better when you can actually say that you enjoyed the fight. Make no mistake, Javen impresses me but only just. And I will not be holding back against him. Because for everything that impresses me, the fact is he will be little more than another roadblock in my path to the top. I will not be slowed down by the likes of him, ever.

That being said about Javen, how would you imagine I feel about his partner, Alex Jones? Well, I guess you could say I feel about the same as everyone else does. See, Alex is not respected by anyone in this company that I can see thus far. And like every good narcissist he doesn’t care about what people think of him as long as it’s all about him. And the question needs to be asked, if he is as great as he claims, how could he not be able to take advantage of a distraction to get a victory? I wonder how many of his claims he has ever honestly backed up. Basically, taking him out will be fun for a whole other reason from Javen. I will probably end up doing the rest of the VWS a service. Or Avery. Or Javen. Basically the only person who likes Alex Jones at all in this match is… Alex Jones.

Will this be easy? Not by a long shot, but I will certainly be grateful to have Avery Miles on my side against Javen and Alex Jones. For that matter, if this proves beneficial, there could be further interaction between myself and Avery. The possibilities are multiple.First though, we deal with my competition for the World title and show them exactly what champions can do.