The Calm Before The Storm

[Michael Salieri]

"My name will always hang over you like a cloud. Like it or not, it is what it is."
- Tony -

Tuesday 8:44 PM [August 28th, 2012]
New York, New York

Tony sits behind a dark wooden desk in his black leather chair with an unlit cigar hanging from his mouth. Across the room, Michael stands in the doorway as he enters the office with a brown paper bag in hand. The room is dim, windows covered with black curtains concealing the inside. On the wall across from the desk, beside the door, two televisions rest side by side. The one mounted center on the wall is currently showing the news as the smaller one to the right displays four screen shots of surveillance both in and outside of the building.

Tony waves for Michael to enter as he pulls a lighter from his coat pocket and flicks the top with his thumb creating a spark that ignites into a flame as it comes in contact with the gas. He raises it to the tip of his cigar as Michael pulls the chair out from the other side of the desk and makes himself comfortable. Slowly puffing, Tony lights the cigar and tosses the lighter onto his desk as he leans back in his chair and looks across at Michael. Without hesitation, Michael places the paper bag in the center of the table and leans back himself as the two look each other in the eye during this dead, brief silence.

"I wasn't expecting you until tomorrow."

"Like I told you last week, business is just as usual whether I'm in the ring or back here on the streets."

"I underestimated you, Michael."

"You're goddamn right you did..."

"I watched your match last week. I have to admit, I'm impressed kid. You ran through those boso's without hesitation. For a second there, I thought Pennington was going to slow you down but was I dead wrong..."

"It's going to take a lot more than a jerkoff like him to get in my way. I'm back in business T. There's nowhere for me to go in the wrestling business but straight to the top. I'll chew up and spit out little bitches like Mr. Hardknocks day in and day out. APW has no fucking clue what it's in for."

"You did good, kid. To be thrown in a four way match upon arrival in APW and to walk over the competition like you did... that takes something special. Not everyone can do what you just did in their debut match after being out of the business for five years and dropping the mass that you did. I'm proud of you..."

"Stop right there, Uncle T. You made it clear last week that business here was all that you're mainly concerned with. Why do you act like you give two shits now?"

"Just because I have a business to put before everything else doesn't mean I don't care about your comeback to the wrestling business. I just made it clear that I still expect results here no matter what you have revolving around you in the ring."

"Things here will continue to run without any bumps in the road. I have loyal, hard workers handling my business for me. All you have to do is sit back and collect when the time comes. From where I'm sitting, it looks boring being at the top with no contenders. I myself enjoy the thrill of the climb to the top..."

"Once you accomplish that climb to the top, what's next? From where you're sitting, if it looks so boring what do you think is going to make it any different for you? Once you're at the top kid, there's always someone coming to take the crown. I have no contenders in my business because I eliminate threats once they present themselves. With you're attitude, you'll never be at the top of this cruel business we're in. Wrestling on the other hand, there may still be hope."

"From my perspective, once I climb to the top in the ring, this business here is meaningless to me. There is no competition in this business when you have the Salieri name dangling above your head. Anyone who is anybody knows not to fuck with us. In the ring though, it's a completely different story. If I'm not mistaken, you were muscled out of the wrestling business. The difference between you and I is that I refuse to fall in the sport. Meltdown is just a short pitstop for me on my climb to primetime. These shoulders can support the weight of the wrestling business unlike you."

"There's alot that you don't know about me, kid. I have a few friends in APW and I can turn your life into a living hell with the snap of a finger."

"Johnny Knuckles... Pfft!"

As the conversation turns heated, Tony relaxes in his chair and thinks to himself for a moment. Across the desk, Michael stays put as his breathing begins to get heavier by the second.

"Let me stop right there. Michael, I didn't mean to offend you in any way. You're like a son to me. I just want what's best for you. This sport can be cruel, believe me, I've seen it all. I'm just trying to give you all the advice and insight that I can. I don't know what's happened between us but things are more distant than they've ever been..."

"You have no one to blame for that but yourself. I've heard the comments behind my back about me getting back in the game and leaving my dealings here unattended. Things between us were just fine until a little birdie whispered my comeback in your ear. Since then, all I've gotten from you is a cold shoulder. Honestly, I'm fine with that. I told you last week that I needed to make a name for myself. This is my time to do so."

Tony laughs for a brief moment before looking Michael dead in the eye.

"My name will always hang over you like a cloud. Like it or not, it is what it is."

Displeased by what Tony says, Michael jumps to his feet and leans over the desk as silence fills the room. As the two stare at each other, a minute or so passes before Michael leans back and says...

"We'll see about that old man."

As the last word rolls off his tongue, Michael turns his back to Tony once again and heads for the door. Tony ashes his cigar in the ashtray on his desk and watches as Michael leaves the room.

Thursday 9:12 AM [August 30th, 2012]
New York, New York

The lights are dim inside an empty gym. The sun lights up only half as it enters through the windows in the front of the building. The smell of hard work and dedication is is the air. I guess you could say that's better than the smell of bad blood lurking in the mix.

Commotion can be heard coming from the far back corner of the gym. Maybe it isn't so empty afterall. In the distance, Michael is lying on a bench with some heavy weight at each end of the bar he's holding. A few feet back, an unknown figure can be seen in the shadows. The voice guides Michael as he pushes the weight off his chest over and over with ease.

"You got this, Michael! Push! Push!"

The reps begin to take their toll on Michael as he lifts the bar from his chest once more and places it on the stand. He takes a deep breath and then leans upward. The unknown figure tosses him a towel as Michael quickly grabs it in mid air and wipes the sweat from his face.

"I really appreciate you coming here on short notice."

"You have another big match coming up Monday at Meltdown. I told you, I'll be here in your corner whenever I am needed."

Michael reaches to his side and grabs his water bottle from the floor. He slowly twists the cap off as he raises it to his mouth and take a big drink. A few drops trickly down his chin as he cools himself off and wipes the sweat once again from his face.

"The other week you ran through Mr. Dangerous, Prodigy and Pennington without delay. Monday, you're in the same type of match but with one less stepping stone to walk over. Krunk and Dante will be the unlucky assholes that get thrown in your way. Although this isn't the type of match you're looking for, it is one hell of a way to make a name for yourself from the start in APW."

"That's exactly what I'm looking for. I don't want easy matches, I welcome the opportunity when two or more punks want to gun for me at the same time. My name is my name and I'm building a strong foundation for that mother fucker. I saw these two in action at Shockwave... not impressed. I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that they were actually were booked in a match for the contendership for the tag titles. How the fuck does that happen?"

"APW needed some filler names to throw in the mix up. It happens in the business."

"APW can keep its handouts when I'm concerned then. I'm earning everything for myself and taking what I please. I don't need to get tossed in random matches only to fall flat on my face. These two guys were the first two eliminated from a three way elimination tag match. Am I supposed to be concerned with stepping in the ring with either of them?

"In a perfect world, no. This is far from a perfect world though. If I were you, I'd still take them seriously. Although they may not worry you, you never know what can happen in the ring. Every now and then even a blind squirrel finds a nut in the rain."

"Are you kidding me? These two jobbers are the last thing on my mind. I fight every fight as if it were my last. At time, I don't fight fair. I like to get my hands dirty. It's true what they say, if you play with dirt you're going to get dirty. I win at any means necessary. Losing is the last thing that will ever cross my mind."

"Cockiness can lead to ones downfall, Michael"

"That's cool. There's a big difference between cockiness and confidence. I may seem cocky at times and I'll be the first to admit that I am. But behind the big talk, waits a confident son of a bitch waiting to be unleashed in the ring like a rabid wolf."

"I hope you can back that mouth of yours up."

"Believe me, I can. I never let my mouth write checks that my ass can't cash. The world is full of pricks bouncing those meaningless checks all over the place. Unlike them, I stand behind the checks that I write one body at a time."

With that said, Michael stands to his feet and slings the towel across his shoulder. He takes another drink from his bottle of water as he walks away from the bench and disappears in the shadows leading towards the back.

//::EPILOGUE::\\

"It's that time again. Last week you both saw me in action for the first time. We all know the outcome. Monday night will be no different when I step in the ring with you both and shut your game down in every way possible. Like a machine, I continuously work until the job is finished. Mechanical and decisive with my actions, I achieve the goals I have set for myself in this business. If given the chance, I will wrap myself around your head and mind fuck you in every way imaginable. With that said, it's nothing more than simple fact that I will be the only one walking away from our match with my hand raised above your fallen bodies."

"Dude looks like a lady."

"When I look at you, all I see is a makeup wearing, emo little bitch pretending to be somebody in that ring. Dante, I'm talking about no one other than yourself. I've glanced at some of your past matches here in the archives. At the end of the day, you pose no threat to me. You've spent more time on your back here in APW than a street whore giving out freebies in Brooklyn. It's going to be a pleasure to wipe the floor with you as soon as the bell rings. Krunk, I wouldn't worry about him if I were you. I prey on the weak and my sights are set on you. There's a bullseye on your back and my guns loaded. It's going to be like target practice and with all that makeup on, believe me, you stick out among the others. All the high flying action in the world isn't going to save you from my destruction. Fight me like a man and not like a bitch. Save the dancing around for the fairy clubs you call home. This isn't ballet, this is violence in it's purest form."

"You came from nothing and at the end of the day you'll still be nothing."

You now have my undivided attention, Krunk. Please, don't think that I had forgotten about you. I would never overlook another victim sentenced to step in the ring with me. As I told Dante, I prey on the weak and you my friend are nothing but weak in my eyes. Come to think of it, I guess I could consider you a dumbass as well. Unlike you, I have a source of funds outside of the ring. I don't depend on this sport to earn my living. I'm here for the thrill of conquering. I'm here to be the best in APW. I'm here to be at the top of your wrestling world knocking down champions and contenders one by one. What do you have to fall back on? Nothing. Big mistake on your end if you ask me. If I were you, I'd run along to McDonald's and fill out an application. I don't see you making it very far in this business, especially when you get thrown in the ring with people like me. I'll spare you though, but you will still lose. I don't want to be the one to put the nail in the coffin of your career. I'll leave that for someone else. If you haven't noticed by now, I have bigger things in mind and there's just not enough room on my plate to mess with you after Monday night. Hell, maybe you and Dante can team up afterwards and have half a chance to succeed as a tag team since you both don't amount to shit alone. That's just my opinion, take it for what it's worth."

"Can I have the attention of both you fucks, now?"

"Monday night is just around the corner. There's really nothing that either of you can do to change what's already in motion. I'm the villain that neither of you want to fight against. I'm the bad guy that your mother warned you about. It's inevitable that you two will fall before me in that ring at Meltdown. There's really no other way to put it. No matter how hard you come, you'll fall even harder. I'm just better than both of you, plain and simple. That's not all it's going to take though. Unlike you two, I want it more than anyone. I'm not here for the money or just for the fact that it's a job. I'm good in that department. I'm here to dominate the game in APW and put fear in the hearts of men when they hear my name. APW is my home now, my world outside of New York. There were other companies on the market but APW caught my eye with the level of competition in the ranks. I was brought here to be a champion, to be the king of this place. You two on the other hand, you were brought here to fill cards and job to others. There's really no other way to put it and if the truth hurts, I'm not sorry. You made your beds now sleep in them."