No Time Left

[Kurt]

No Time Left

February 19th, 2013
2:35 PM

“May I go on record and just say this is an absolutely terrible idea?”

The stumbling, balding, beige-suit wearing man’s words drift through the air, smashing against the glass doors that he and Kurt Noble walk through, leaving them left behind and uncared for. Noble smirks as his cane thunks against the ground.

“Which one?” he asks. “The one where I’m wrestling in a triple-threat against the doctor’s orders? The one where I’m walking into an environment that literally may kill me? Or…is it being seen next to to you in gaudy suit? I mean…seriously John, beige?”

John jolts ahead, smacking his hand against the next set of glass doors, stopping Noble in his tracks.

“You know which one, Kurt,” John says as the eyes begin their rolling adventure. They halt on the four words screaming across the two doors.

OFFICE OF MARITAL AFFAIRS

“Kurt, this is why people hire lawyers,” John mumbles as he pushes his glasses up. “So you can avoid these awkward, unnecessary, absolutely catastrophic meetings between soon-to-be-ex’s. You’re digging yourself a very uncomfortable hole here.”

“That’s why I’m bring you, right?” Noble asks with a sarcastic tone as he pushes John’s hand away. “At a rather generous rate, might I add-“

“So let me handle this!” John protests as Noble inches closer. “I can handle this professionally; there’s no need for you and Mrs. Noble to come to blows. I just need a bit of time-“

“That’s the problem John.”

Noble scoffs as he touches John’s wrist, moving it away from the door. He walks through shortly afterwards.

“I don’t have any time left.”

-
-
-

“My client has received the offer from your office regarding Mrs. Noble’s claim to the Orlando property-”

Drum, drum, drum.

“ …we’re prepared to argue that of the properties owned by Mr. Noble-”

Drum, drum drum.

“…that Mrs. Noble most frequently is located in the Miami property. Leading to concerns that the Orlando property will-“

Drum, drum, drum.

John sighs, stopping mid-breath as e glares at Noble out of the corner of his eye; the Megastar’s gaze flickers back to Amy, who’s sitting across the table, staring down at the piece of paper in front of her. She glances up at Noble…and back down shortly. His fingers tap the table.

Drum, drum, drum.

“Are you bored, Mr. Noble?” asks the sharp young man sitting next to Amy. “I’m aware this isn’t as exciting as one of your ‘wrestling matches-“

“You’re right,” Noble interjects by raising a finger. “The pounding keeps coming on this one-“

“But need I remind you that you requested these proceedings be handled face to face. I also suggest you not make jokes regarding physical abuse lightly-“

“I ask that you speak to me, not my client,” quips John. The lawyers stare one another down, before looking back down at their papers; they simultaneously miss Noble and Amy locking eyes, a mere split second of a connection.

“Very well then,” continues Amy’s lawyer. “Now, back to the issues of living space-“

“I missed you, you know,” Noble blurts out as he stares at Amy. “I missed you a lot."

Both lawyers stop, eying their clients cautiously. Amy’s nostrils flares.

“Should have returned my phone calls then,” Amy gripes as she crosses her arms. Noble feigns a smile.

“It was hard…but that doesn’t make up for it on my end-“

“I don’t mean to interrupt,” says Amy’s lawyer. “But let’s stay professional here-”

“You know what was hard?” Amy asks, totally blowing off her lawyer. “Getting divorce papers from the man I love. That, Kurt, was []hard[/i].”

Noble’s eyebrows raise. “You sent me papers-“

“Kurt, this really isn’t helping,” John snaps, but Noble looks at him.

“Then let me help…get out.”

John’s eyes widen in horror. “Excuse me?!”

“I want you to give me a moment with my wife; she needs to hear something.”

Amy’s lawyer shakes his head, his chin jutted out. “Absolutely not. Given your…physical nature, it would not be appropriate to leave Ms. Noble here-“

“Look at me Mr. Suit and Tie.” Noble rolls up his sleeves, revealing the bruises, cuts, and gashes from last week’s Overdrive. He points to the hearts carved into his arm. “Do I look like a guy looking for a beating?”

“You look like you already found one…or four,” mumbles Amy’s lawyer. “Regardless, it’s not appropriate to leave you here with-“

“It’s okay.”

Two words from Amy bring the entire room to silence. Amy’s lawyers eyes fill with stink, but she remains focused on Noble.

“Let him talk,” she whispers. “I’ll be fine.”

Her lawyers opens his mouth. “I-“

“I’ll be fine.”

And it closes, just like that. Both lawyers eye one another, stand up, and remove themselves from the conference room. Meanwhile, Noble and Amy’s gazes have not left one another…but there’s no fondness hanging in the air.

“What do you want Kurt?” she asks in as straight-forward a tone as possible. He sits up, and then leans forward, staring at his bruised palms.

“I want you…to be ready.”

Amy makes no physical reaction. “For what, exactly?”

“You know, better than anyone, that I’ve had to make choices Amy…and I’ve had to live with those choices. They all had consequences. I lost APW. I lost my friends. I lost you. The biggest consequence us yet to come, and I have to be ready for it. When Chris and I finish this thing…someone’s going to get hurt-“

Amy scoffs, hiding her eyes from Noble.

“Can you ever not think about hurting someone?” Amy asks. “Who’s next? Whoever you’re facing this week? You gonna threaten to hurt them over nothing? You’re gonna threaten them if they get in your way of Chris? All you ever think about is you-“

“That’s because I’m talking about me.”

Amy pauses as Noble sighs, rubbing his hands together.

“Chris tried to drown me last week. He tried to cut me up. Tried to smother me. He’s going to stop ‘trying’ soon enough…and he’ll succeed. The funny thing is that as tough as a guy as I was once…I can’t do anything to stop him. I’m in pain constantly; my legs, arms, everything. I just want it to be over…so I’ll risk everything I have left to stop him. It’s not much…but it’s what I’ve got. So, I just…I need you to understand that with the little time I have left, career or otherwise…I’ll try and make things right. What I really, really want to say Amy…

“Is that I’m sorry.”

Noble hides his own face now as Amy’s softens. Before she can react, Noble waves back in both lawyers.

“Glad you two didn’t kill one another,” Amy’s lawyer drones. “Now, let’s get this finished up.”

John sits down. “As were saying, we feel the Orlando property-“

“Give it to her.”

All eyes go to Noble…including the popping eyes in John’s head.

“He, uh, didn’t mean that-“

“Yes I did,” Noble says. “I want you to give Amy my properties. I want you to give her my assets. I want you to give her any benefit I’ve earned while we were married. All of it.”

Noble picks up a pen, and scribble his signature down, before standing up.

“Kurt-“ Amy says, but he waves her off.

“I have a very limited amount of time to make things right Amy…”

Noble steps back, and limps towards the doorway.

“And I do not intend on wasting it.”

-
-
-

“I want the two of you to listen to me very, very closely. I don’t make say what I’m about to say with a grain of salt, or just a kernel of truth; I say what I’m about to say because under my circumstances, I don’t have any choices left. So, here it goes: This match, between you, Biggs and AC, and myself…

“Might very well be the last one of my career.

“I know we in wrestling tend to dramatize shit all the time. Life simply isn’t as great as we wish it was.

“Biggs probably likes to think that his Undisputed title reign was a success; I mean, that’s what beating Level-One is supposed to be, isn’t? But, times makes us cling for the past. Biggs’s one, and only title reign was a transition from Level-One to CJ Gates; no one thinks of the “Era of Biggs” like they do for Gates, or Marvin. When I try to think about how successful Biggs’s Undisputed title reign was…

“I can’t.

“But I don’t mean to pick on Biggs; thus past year has been as glossy as AC Smith would like to believe it was either. Smith is a guy that came in with a lot of potential nearly a year ago. For the most part, he’s survived…but he’s also just been there. Bumbling from Nick Watson, to Michael Harris, to Nick Watson, to Evan Envi, with the occasional impressive victory here and there…it’s concerning how a guy with so much talent has stayed in a rut for so long. When I try think about the level of stardom you should have achieved…

“I can’t.

“But hey, I’m not ragging on either of you for the fun of it; Hell, I do it too. My one and only Overdrive title reign was a disgrace. Everything I accomplished as Undisputed Champion went to absolute shit when Terry Marvin beat me. I broke promises. I became a shell – an angry one at that. I lost a lot of matches. I became shit. I want to think that maybe I made a positive difference on Overdrive in the past year and a half, but…

“I can’t.

“I’m not cynical about the three of us for the fun of it; I’m cynical because of the reality I face. Let me put it like this:

“On this next Overdrive, the three of us are going to face off in a mid-level match that probably won’t be remember for years to come. For the most part, we’ll show up, wrestle, one of us will win, and we’ll be on our way.

“Biggs, you’ll go on to face Level-One at Rasslemania.

“AC Smith, you’ll go on to defend your Xtreme Title as Rasslemania.

“Me?

“I just want to make it to Rasslemania.

“You both face challenges at Rasslemania, and I wish you the best…but I don’t face just that. I face something I created. I face my own destruction. I face the end. The problem? The end doesn’t want to wait until Rasslemania. Four separate times last week, he tried to kill me; four times, I barely made it out okay. Maybe you noticed, maybe you didn’t; the point is that you become very aware of your own mortality when faced with the possibility of the end.

“You become a very different person when you have no time left.

“So, I feel the need to offer…somewhat of an apology, of sorts. Consider it the first of many. Don’t think that I’m not concerned about this match, or taking it lightly based off what I’ve said the two of you…truth be told…

“You are both better man, and better wrestlers than I am.

“I said that you had a disappointing title reign Biggs…but I left out the fact that you worked your way up the ladder to get it. You’ve been one of the longest tenured members of Overdrive, and while we haven’t quite seen eye to eye on every issue, you’ve always been a constant competitor in APW. You are one of the few men on Overdrive that I’ve never defeated in any way, shape, or form; that’s not a claim that Terry Marvin, CJ Gates, Level-One, Evan Envi, Delikado or Johnny Rebel can make. Even at your worst, there was always a line…and I respect that.

“That goes for you too AC Smith. I said you went nowhere…but that’s because you’ve made it perfectly clear you can beat everyone thrown at you before you make the move up. Guys like Watson and Harris aren’t here anymore…but you are. You’ve endured, and proven yourself to be worthy of that belt around your shoulder; some of us were just handed our shots. You’ve always been consistent, and that’s a trait so few guys actually have. You deserve everything you’ve worked for…and I envy that.

“So, now comes time for the apology. Despite knowing that I’m facing two of the most capable, consistent men in Overdrive’s history…

“I cannot give either of you my full attention.

“I wish I could be like everyone else; I wish I could direct my full attention to the both of you, and say that I can’t think about Rasslemania until the time comes. I wish I could sit here and talk about you like two like there’s no one else listening. I wish, I wish, I wish that there was more time for a proper match, where my body wasn’t screaming in pain, and I could fight to win a match against two guys I’ve never so much as pinned. But…

“I can’t.

“Because when you take to the air Biggs, I’ll be wondering if Chris Hart is below the ring, ready to drag me under.

“Because when I’m watching you zip around the ring Smith, I’ll be wondering if Chris Hart is hiding in the shadows, ready to take me down like lightning strike.

“Because while the two of you have the time in the world to hurt me, beat me, and put my shoulders to the mat…I’ll be begging for the match to end as soon as possible. Why?

“Because I’m scared.

“And if you want my professional opinion…

“So should the two of you.

“I can’t promise that this match is going to go down clean and comfortably; I can’t promise that two of you won’t be hurt by what’s going to happen. I can promise that I’ll do my best to protect the two of you if things go south, but that’s all I can do. All I know is this:

“Chris Hart intend to stop]/i] me tonight.

“I say stop; I don’t say kill, maim, or cripple. I don’t know what he intends to do; quite frankly, I don’t want to think about it. I do know that he and I aren’t finished…but whether he attempts to finish me off tonight, next week, or wait until Rasslemania…well, gentlemen…

“This is the end.

“This is the end of the seven year career of the man that you know as Kurt Noble.

“This is the end of me making mistakes that come back to haunt me.

“This is the end of a long and bloody war that’s hurt so many men and women in wrestling.

“Biggs…

“AC Smith…

“Good luck."