Post by PIC on Jun 20, 2022 23:57:19 GMT -5
—June 16, 2022 | Brooklyn, NY—
Haitian Man: Help me! Or you’re all going to die!
BANG BANG BANG
~The remaining glass on the door of the restaurant shatters and the Haitian Man hits the deck. In the process he loses possession of his gun as it slides across the floor. Amick reaches for it and quickly removes the clip and scatters the bullets across the floor, making sure to also remove the remaining one in the chamber. Cassandra continues to scream in pain.~
Haitian Man: What did you do?! Without my gun we don’t stand a chance.
Amick: Listen, I don’t know who you are, but the last thing we need is another gun in the mix here.
Cassandra: Lamaar. His name is Lamaar!
Lamaar: Cassandra, is that you? Oh no, oh no… what have I done? O Bondye, tanpri padone m!
(Oh God, please forgive me!)
Amick: Go ahead, we need all the prayer we can get at this point. We’re target practice for these guys if we just stay here. Sarah, you need to stay where you are under that table. Me and Lamaar are gonna get Cassandra to safety behind the counter.
Sarah: (voice shivering) Ok dad, be careful. Why is this happening?
Lamaar: Me?
Amick: (to Lamaar) That’s what I said. (to Sarah) I don’t know sweetie, just stay where you are and don’t make any noise or movement to let them know you’re there.
~Amick motions to Lamaar who hesitantly crawls across the floor and grabs Cassandra’s right arm. Amick, having already grabbed the left, signals to him and the two hop to their feet and begin to drag Cassandra across the floor and around the counter.~
BANG BANG BANG
~A bullet whizzes past Amick’s head lodging into the wall behind while another nearly hits Lamaar in the back. For now, save for Cassandra’s earlier leg wound, everyone has survived the on-slot. Now Amick, Cassandra, and Lamaar are seated in the floor, their backs to the counter.~
Amick: Sarah! Are you ok?
Sarah: Yeah dad! I’m still where you told me to be!
~Cassandra cries out in pain holding her leg and Lamaar, clearly someone she knows, for the first time, realizes the gravity of the situation.~
Lamaar: I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry Cassandra. This wasn’t supposed to go this way. Things are bad… we needed money. I… I just thought this would be an easy score. But then they started shooting at me, I didn’t know what to do so I ran here and—
Amick: Listen, I’m all for good exposition but now’s not the time or place. If you want to get out of this situation alive, I need to know how many of them there are and as good a description of the surrounding area as you can give me.
.::Sun Tzu in The Art of War is quoted as saying “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.” In my line of work, truer words may never have been spoken. To be successful in this business, it is imperative that you scout your opponent… that you analyze every movement to find even the slightest of weaknesses. And, once those weaknesses are found, you exploit them for everything they’re worth. I admit there are very few weaknesses I have found between Jace Parker Davidson and Dylan Thomas, but they are there. Jace is cocky, his arrogance leads him to believe he is untouchable. He found out Monday evening that isn’t the case. I’m usually not one to seek revenge, but it was time to put him in his place, and that place was lying face first on the floor writhing in pain. I’d like to say I’m sorry, but I’m not much for lying. As for Dylan, his weakness seemingly lies in his delusions. He is under the impression that he is being summoned by some mysterious supernatural forces to do battle in the spirit realm. After spending years in the Eastern African plains I can assure you that none of this is real. It is all some made up fantasy, but it’s a fantasy I’m willing to let him continue in. Let him focus on appeasing the spirits while I walk out of Reformation with championship gold.::.
Lamaar: There are two of them. Estime and Wilfred. They’re brothers… drug dealers. There’s not much around here. A few store fronts, mostly sell Haitian goods to Haitians. There’s an alley behind this restaurant that feeds into the street on the side.
~Amick motions for him to stop speaking and pauses to think.~
Amick: Ok, I need you to stay here with Cassandra. Start talking to them, keep them focused on the restaurant and specifically… that doorway. My only chance is to take them by surprise.
Sarah: Dad, what are you going to do!?
Amick: Save our lives… or die trying.
.::I promise I don’t seek these types of situations out, but they seem to always find me nonetheless. The hero complex in me can’t help but rush into a situation and do everything I can to make things right. It’s cost me countless relationships in the past, including the one with Sarah’s mother. She couldn’t stand me always having to do the right thing. She would have loved to have seen me in the years that followed our relationship. I spent an entire decade making nothing but poor decisions. But at some point I was able to find myself. I was able to remember what made me the kind of man I always wanted to be. This business doesn’t have a lot of folks who aren’t only out for themselves. It’s a selfish, cut throat environment that guys like JPD can thrive in. If you’re all about you and yours, you’ve got a great shot at going far. That’s not a life I can live anymore. Maybe it would make for a great professional wrestler, but it makes for a poor excuse of a human being. Dylan Thomas in recent months has seemingly grasped this concept as his actions have become a bit more noble. Maybe his growing family has given him a different perspective. Family is everything, and those of us who know this will go to the ends of the earth to make sure that our families are safe and taken care of, no matter the dangers.::.
~Amick nods to Lamaar, then crawls into the kitchen. He makes sure he is out of the line of sight to anyone outside, then stands and runs toward the back of the building. Finding the back door, he opens it slightly, surveys the area in the alley, and hops out onto the ground. He turns and runs around to the side of the building and crouches behind an old parked car. From his vantage point, he can see the two assailants, Estime and Wilfred, guns drawn on the restaurant. They have begun to edge closer and closer.~
Lamaar: Tanpri ale. Mwen dezole! Pa gen okenn rezon pou nenpòt moun ki fè mal!
(Please go away. I'm sorry! There is no reason for anyone to get hurt!)
~Estime and Wilfred look at each other briefly. Estime shakes his head.~
Estime: You think we’re fools? You wanna speak to us in Creole as some kind of peace offering? Get us to see you as a fellow Haitian and leave you alone? You had no problem speaking English when you stole our money!
~Estime swears.~
Estime: You will die today Lamaar. You and anyone else in that restaurant.
~The two brothers edge closer to the door of the restaurant. Wilfred unloads three more rounds into the remaining window above where Sarah is positioned, shattering it completely.~
BANG BANG BANG
~Amick knows he must act quickly. Sarah is running out of time. Estime stands with his back to Amick peering into the restaurant as Wilfred walks through the door. He waits until the exact moment that Wilfred is inside and out of site. He runs straight for Estime. In seemingly one fluid motion, he dislodges the gun from Estime’s hand and connects with a spinning back fist to his face. Estime staggers back, stunned, leaving Amick an opening. He delivers two throat punches to Estime, crushing his larynx and immediately disabling his ability to call out to his brother. He drops to his knees, eyes wide open staring into the face of Amick Dogeron. Amick drives his left knee into Estime’s face knocking him out cold. He picks up Estime’s gun and empties it similarly to how he did Lamaar’s gun earlier. He looks inside the restaurant to see Wilfred standing at the booth in front of Sarah.~
Amick: Frè, soti isit la. Gen yon bagay ou gen pou w wè.
(Brother, come out here. There's something you've got to see.)
~Wilfred pauses, turns, and walks toward the door. As soon as he reaches the opening, Amick rears back and slams the butt of Estime’s gun into his nose. Wilfred immediately screams out in pain, drops his gun and cups his hands over the gaping area where his nose once was. Blood spews everywhere as he drops to his knees. Amick begins kicking him in the side of the head until he doubles over, pleading for his life. Amick hops on top of him and secures his weapon as the faint sound of sirens begins to edge closer and closer.~
Amick: Sarah!
Sarah: I’m ok dad! We’re all ok!
.::Hearing her say those words is all I’ll ever need to be content in this life. My daughter was fine, she was healthy, and soon enough would be back to living her normal life. My new normal has brought me back to the wrestling ring for good. The heights I was able to reach those many years ago will pale in comparison to what I plan on accomplishing in this final run of my career. Dylan, you were right when you said I prefer technical wrestling. Grappling is in my blood. But, funny enough, nearly every title I have won throughout the years has been of the hardcore variety. I’ve been in some of the most hellacious matches in history and more often than not walked away victorious. I appreciate your kind words, and you don’t need to worry, I won’t be taking it easy on anyone out of respect. As nice a guy as you may be, I’m going to make you bleed on Sunday. I’m going to make you wish you had never beaten Alice Knight for that belt and that you had never heard the name Amick Dogeron. And afterwards, if you can stand, I’ll pick your carcass up off the mat and shake your hand. As for Jace, I have only one last thing to say to you. You like to make fun of shapeshifters and laugh when wrestlers change their appearance at the drop of a hat. Jace, this Sunday, Reformation isn’t just a PPV where Amick Dogeron wins the Savage Title. No, to you…it will take on a whole new meaning. Because Knife Man's gonna have to perform a reformation on your face when I’m through with you. That you can count on… that is a promise!::.
—ABC 7 NY EVENING NEWS—
Bil Ritter: Good evening, I’m Bill Ritter—
Liz Cho: —and I’m Liz Cho. Welcome to ABC 7 New York Eyewitness News at 6. Our top story this evening takes us to Brooklyn where a visiting professional wrestler single-handedly thwarted a drug deal gone bad and saved the lives of three people. ABC 7’s Josh Einiger is live on the scene, Josh?
Josh Einiger: Thanks Liz. I’m here outside of Yo Yo Fritaille where earlier today a shoot out took place, injuring a young waitress. In quite an amazing turn of events, a professional wrestler for the OCW promotion happened to be eating lunch with his daughter. His name is Amick Dogeron, and he moved quickly into action.
~We cut to Amick behind a microphone, his face blurred.~
Amick: I heard the gun shots and saw that our waitress had been shot. So I ran over to her, used a napkin as a tourniquet to stop the bleeding.
~Cut back to Josh.~
Josh Einiger: But he didn’t stop there. He drew in the actual target of the attacks, led him and the waitress to safety, then took matters into his own hands and subdued not one, but two armed assailants until police arrived on the scene.
~Cut back to Amick.~
Amick: I just did what anyone would do. My company has been in the NY area for the past 3 weeks. I’ve come to love this place. This city deserves better.
~Cut back to Josh.~
Josh: Now Amick and his OCW crew will be holding their next event live this Monday night at the Nassau Coliseum. He’s asked for anyone wanting to show appreciation for his heroic deeds to come out and support the wrestling show. Back to you Bill and Liz!
~The feed continues, but the scene cuts to the inside of the airport terminal at JFK International Airport with the news broadcast on a large flat screen television. Standing underneath, eyes glued to the screen, is The Somalien. Warsame and Yasir are walking up from behind with their bags.~
The Somalien: Warsame, Yasir… beddelka qorshayaasha. Waxaan aadeynaa Long Island.
(Warsame, Yasir… change of plans. We’re going to Long Island.)
-----------------------
Word Count: 2244
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Haitian Man: Help me! Or you’re all going to die!
BANG BANG BANG
~The remaining glass on the door of the restaurant shatters and the Haitian Man hits the deck. In the process he loses possession of his gun as it slides across the floor. Amick reaches for it and quickly removes the clip and scatters the bullets across the floor, making sure to also remove the remaining one in the chamber. Cassandra continues to scream in pain.~
Haitian Man: What did you do?! Without my gun we don’t stand a chance.
Amick: Listen, I don’t know who you are, but the last thing we need is another gun in the mix here.
Cassandra: Lamaar. His name is Lamaar!
Lamaar: Cassandra, is that you? Oh no, oh no… what have I done? O Bondye, tanpri padone m!
(Oh God, please forgive me!)
Amick: Go ahead, we need all the prayer we can get at this point. We’re target practice for these guys if we just stay here. Sarah, you need to stay where you are under that table. Me and Lamaar are gonna get Cassandra to safety behind the counter.
Sarah: (voice shivering) Ok dad, be careful. Why is this happening?
Lamaar: Me?
Amick: (to Lamaar) That’s what I said. (to Sarah) I don’t know sweetie, just stay where you are and don’t make any noise or movement to let them know you’re there.
~Amick motions to Lamaar who hesitantly crawls across the floor and grabs Cassandra’s right arm. Amick, having already grabbed the left, signals to him and the two hop to their feet and begin to drag Cassandra across the floor and around the counter.~
BANG BANG BANG
~A bullet whizzes past Amick’s head lodging into the wall behind while another nearly hits Lamaar in the back. For now, save for Cassandra’s earlier leg wound, everyone has survived the on-slot. Now Amick, Cassandra, and Lamaar are seated in the floor, their backs to the counter.~
Amick: Sarah! Are you ok?
Sarah: Yeah dad! I’m still where you told me to be!
~Cassandra cries out in pain holding her leg and Lamaar, clearly someone she knows, for the first time, realizes the gravity of the situation.~
Lamaar: I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry Cassandra. This wasn’t supposed to go this way. Things are bad… we needed money. I… I just thought this would be an easy score. But then they started shooting at me, I didn’t know what to do so I ran here and—
Amick: Listen, I’m all for good exposition but now’s not the time or place. If you want to get out of this situation alive, I need to know how many of them there are and as good a description of the surrounding area as you can give me.
.::Sun Tzu in The Art of War is quoted as saying “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.” In my line of work, truer words may never have been spoken. To be successful in this business, it is imperative that you scout your opponent… that you analyze every movement to find even the slightest of weaknesses. And, once those weaknesses are found, you exploit them for everything they’re worth. I admit there are very few weaknesses I have found between Jace Parker Davidson and Dylan Thomas, but they are there. Jace is cocky, his arrogance leads him to believe he is untouchable. He found out Monday evening that isn’t the case. I’m usually not one to seek revenge, but it was time to put him in his place, and that place was lying face first on the floor writhing in pain. I’d like to say I’m sorry, but I’m not much for lying. As for Dylan, his weakness seemingly lies in his delusions. He is under the impression that he is being summoned by some mysterious supernatural forces to do battle in the spirit realm. After spending years in the Eastern African plains I can assure you that none of this is real. It is all some made up fantasy, but it’s a fantasy I’m willing to let him continue in. Let him focus on appeasing the spirits while I walk out of Reformation with championship gold.::.
Lamaar: There are two of them. Estime and Wilfred. They’re brothers… drug dealers. There’s not much around here. A few store fronts, mostly sell Haitian goods to Haitians. There’s an alley behind this restaurant that feeds into the street on the side.
~Amick motions for him to stop speaking and pauses to think.~
Amick: Ok, I need you to stay here with Cassandra. Start talking to them, keep them focused on the restaurant and specifically… that doorway. My only chance is to take them by surprise.
Sarah: Dad, what are you going to do!?
Amick: Save our lives… or die trying.
.::I promise I don’t seek these types of situations out, but they seem to always find me nonetheless. The hero complex in me can’t help but rush into a situation and do everything I can to make things right. It’s cost me countless relationships in the past, including the one with Sarah’s mother. She couldn’t stand me always having to do the right thing. She would have loved to have seen me in the years that followed our relationship. I spent an entire decade making nothing but poor decisions. But at some point I was able to find myself. I was able to remember what made me the kind of man I always wanted to be. This business doesn’t have a lot of folks who aren’t only out for themselves. It’s a selfish, cut throat environment that guys like JPD can thrive in. If you’re all about you and yours, you’ve got a great shot at going far. That’s not a life I can live anymore. Maybe it would make for a great professional wrestler, but it makes for a poor excuse of a human being. Dylan Thomas in recent months has seemingly grasped this concept as his actions have become a bit more noble. Maybe his growing family has given him a different perspective. Family is everything, and those of us who know this will go to the ends of the earth to make sure that our families are safe and taken care of, no matter the dangers.::.
~Amick nods to Lamaar, then crawls into the kitchen. He makes sure he is out of the line of sight to anyone outside, then stands and runs toward the back of the building. Finding the back door, he opens it slightly, surveys the area in the alley, and hops out onto the ground. He turns and runs around to the side of the building and crouches behind an old parked car. From his vantage point, he can see the two assailants, Estime and Wilfred, guns drawn on the restaurant. They have begun to edge closer and closer.~
Lamaar: Tanpri ale. Mwen dezole! Pa gen okenn rezon pou nenpòt moun ki fè mal!
(Please go away. I'm sorry! There is no reason for anyone to get hurt!)
~Estime and Wilfred look at each other briefly. Estime shakes his head.~
Estime: You think we’re fools? You wanna speak to us in Creole as some kind of peace offering? Get us to see you as a fellow Haitian and leave you alone? You had no problem speaking English when you stole our money!
~Estime swears.~
Estime: You will die today Lamaar. You and anyone else in that restaurant.
~The two brothers edge closer to the door of the restaurant. Wilfred unloads three more rounds into the remaining window above where Sarah is positioned, shattering it completely.~
BANG BANG BANG
~Amick knows he must act quickly. Sarah is running out of time. Estime stands with his back to Amick peering into the restaurant as Wilfred walks through the door. He waits until the exact moment that Wilfred is inside and out of site. He runs straight for Estime. In seemingly one fluid motion, he dislodges the gun from Estime’s hand and connects with a spinning back fist to his face. Estime staggers back, stunned, leaving Amick an opening. He delivers two throat punches to Estime, crushing his larynx and immediately disabling his ability to call out to his brother. He drops to his knees, eyes wide open staring into the face of Amick Dogeron. Amick drives his left knee into Estime’s face knocking him out cold. He picks up Estime’s gun and empties it similarly to how he did Lamaar’s gun earlier. He looks inside the restaurant to see Wilfred standing at the booth in front of Sarah.~
Amick: Frè, soti isit la. Gen yon bagay ou gen pou w wè.
(Brother, come out here. There's something you've got to see.)
~Wilfred pauses, turns, and walks toward the door. As soon as he reaches the opening, Amick rears back and slams the butt of Estime’s gun into his nose. Wilfred immediately screams out in pain, drops his gun and cups his hands over the gaping area where his nose once was. Blood spews everywhere as he drops to his knees. Amick begins kicking him in the side of the head until he doubles over, pleading for his life. Amick hops on top of him and secures his weapon as the faint sound of sirens begins to edge closer and closer.~
Amick: Sarah!
Sarah: I’m ok dad! We’re all ok!
.::Hearing her say those words is all I’ll ever need to be content in this life. My daughter was fine, she was healthy, and soon enough would be back to living her normal life. My new normal has brought me back to the wrestling ring for good. The heights I was able to reach those many years ago will pale in comparison to what I plan on accomplishing in this final run of my career. Dylan, you were right when you said I prefer technical wrestling. Grappling is in my blood. But, funny enough, nearly every title I have won throughout the years has been of the hardcore variety. I’ve been in some of the most hellacious matches in history and more often than not walked away victorious. I appreciate your kind words, and you don’t need to worry, I won’t be taking it easy on anyone out of respect. As nice a guy as you may be, I’m going to make you bleed on Sunday. I’m going to make you wish you had never beaten Alice Knight for that belt and that you had never heard the name Amick Dogeron. And afterwards, if you can stand, I’ll pick your carcass up off the mat and shake your hand. As for Jace, I have only one last thing to say to you. You like to make fun of shapeshifters and laugh when wrestlers change their appearance at the drop of a hat. Jace, this Sunday, Reformation isn’t just a PPV where Amick Dogeron wins the Savage Title. No, to you…it will take on a whole new meaning. Because Knife Man's gonna have to perform a reformation on your face when I’m through with you. That you can count on… that is a promise!::.
—ABC 7 NY EVENING NEWS—
Bil Ritter: Good evening, I’m Bill Ritter—
Liz Cho: —and I’m Liz Cho. Welcome to ABC 7 New York Eyewitness News at 6. Our top story this evening takes us to Brooklyn where a visiting professional wrestler single-handedly thwarted a drug deal gone bad and saved the lives of three people. ABC 7’s Josh Einiger is live on the scene, Josh?
Josh Einiger: Thanks Liz. I’m here outside of Yo Yo Fritaille where earlier today a shoot out took place, injuring a young waitress. In quite an amazing turn of events, a professional wrestler for the OCW promotion happened to be eating lunch with his daughter. His name is Amick Dogeron, and he moved quickly into action.
~We cut to Amick behind a microphone, his face blurred.~
Amick: I heard the gun shots and saw that our waitress had been shot. So I ran over to her, used a napkin as a tourniquet to stop the bleeding.
~Cut back to Josh.~
Josh Einiger: But he didn’t stop there. He drew in the actual target of the attacks, led him and the waitress to safety, then took matters into his own hands and subdued not one, but two armed assailants until police arrived on the scene.
~Cut back to Amick.~
Amick: I just did what anyone would do. My company has been in the NY area for the past 3 weeks. I’ve come to love this place. This city deserves better.
~Cut back to Josh.~
Josh: Now Amick and his OCW crew will be holding their next event live this Monday night at the Nassau Coliseum. He’s asked for anyone wanting to show appreciation for his heroic deeds to come out and support the wrestling show. Back to you Bill and Liz!
~The feed continues, but the scene cuts to the inside of the airport terminal at JFK International Airport with the news broadcast on a large flat screen television. Standing underneath, eyes glued to the screen, is The Somalien. Warsame and Yasir are walking up from behind with their bags.~
The Somalien: Warsame, Yasir… beddelka qorshayaasha. Waxaan aadeynaa Long Island.
(Warsame, Yasir… change of plans. We’re going to Long Island.)
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Word Count: 2244
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