Post by Evan De Parker on Jun 9, 2013 11:40:28 GMT -4
A LONG TIME AGO
we used to be friends...
we used to be friends...
June 4, 2013
Oakland, California
The sun strikes the glass intended to preserve a photograph’s integrity, sending an indirect glare of light into Evan Envi’s eyes. He adjusts it a bit, finding himself temporarily amused at the optical illusion the light produces-- a rainbow, dancing and bouncing along the interior of the car... A rented Ford Fusion. It’s hardly luxury, but Evan Envi sits quietly, and appreciative of the silence as the car tugs along.
Jenny Knite sits in the passenger seat of the car while the often camera-shy Jeremy Knite sits at the wheel, manning his “ship” as we glide through urban Oakland.
The picture features an exhausted Evan Harrison, at what he would guess is twenty-one or twenty-two years old, captured in 2010 during one of the most challenging, heartbreaking, and rewarding stretches of his career. He’s standing between the bright, vivacious Aubrey J. Parker and the serious, stern, but pleasant Logan Alexander inside of his storied wrestling school.
Three smiles.
Three happy, beaming souls.
It’s something that has to be seen in a photograph to truly be believed. It’s something that Evan Envi is certain that he’ll never be able to recreate-- it’s an image that the world will never see again.
June 7, 2013
Dallas, Texas
”I was trying to help you, Evan!”
”It seems like you try to do that a lot.”
”He was trying to either give you a concussion, or take you out completely. Did you even think about the fact that you had a match coming up four days later?”
”It was on my mind. However, somehow, Lady Overdrive and Johnny Rebel took precedence on Thursday night...”
”You were thinking about showing off to those people. Jesus Christ, they cheer for you a couple of times and suddenly you forget who the hell you are?”
”I wasn’t approaching Rebel any differently than I’ve approached anybody else.”
”Oh. Really? Remember Shockwave last August when you were performing in front of your city, and you nearly lost the match because you were playing to the front row? Remember that?”
”I--”
”I remember that. I wasn’t even there and I still get chills thinking about it, like ohmygod, ohmygod, is he an idiot? Yet, every time, the match plays out, and--”
”Aaaaand your winner is... Evan. Envi.”
We blink into color. Evan Envi is reclined in a La-Z Boy provided by the hotel suite. He is leaning back, attempting to flip through the pages of a book, which is at an angle that prevents the camera from glimpsing its title. Jenny is seated on the sofa, her elbow resting against the entable as she gazes at the Overdrive Champion, an unamused scowl threatening to cross her face.
”You can’t look me in the eye and tell me that this week is going to be easy.”
Evan lowers the book and casts it aside. To Jenny’s surprise, he springs to his feet, and within three strides, he’s in front of her, kneeling down beside the sofa, looking Ms. Jennifer Knite in the eye.
”There is nobody in the world that knows Aubrey J. Parker and Logan Alexander better than I do. I knew Aubrey before she knew what a Suplex was. I’ve been training and fighting alongside and against Logan longer than APW’s existed. I don’t look at this six-man tag team match and feel fear, or hesitation, Jen. Nah...
“I get excited! Because finally, Envikado gets to prove what the four of us have been wondering for the better part of eight months now-- who is the better team? So win or lose, and we will win, that question dies on Monday night in Las Vegas.”
”It’s-- there’s more than that.”
She sighs and places a hand on Evan’s shoulder, pushing him a few inches away from her as she narrows her gaze at him.
”You have Emerald Assassin. They have Red Scorpion. Both of them could end up causing problems for you.”
”What-- you don’t think we can trust Emerald?”
”Well, can he trust you?”
”What’s that even mean?”
Jenny gives Evan an all-knowing half-smile, tilting her head a bit to perk a brow, giving Evan a look that suggests she doesn’t believe he doesn’t know the answer.
”Oh, Evan, puh-lease.”
”What?!”
”You don’t have the best track record with tag team partners, no matter how long or how short, y’know. A.C. Smith? John Dionysus? Terry Marvin?”
Evan points a finger at her.
”Terry turned on me.”
”Yeah, after he had no more use for you. Aubrey and Logan know you pretty well, but Terry does too... And he’s probably filling in all the blanks for them, letting them know what to look out for, letting them know how the longest-reigning Undisputed Champion of all time prepares for Evan Envi. This isn’t the same Logan and Aubrey you left behind. And you’re not the same Evan.”
He pauses, and for a few seconds, seems to truly consider her words. Evan sighs and pushes himself up to his feet, turning and casting a look toward the clock.
”Wasn’t Jeremy supposed to be here with food like, a half hour ago?”
This prompts Jenny to do the same, a small frown crossing her face as her eyes settle on the clock, which reads noon.
”Yeah... I’m sure he probably got caught up talking to someone, somewhere. He knows everybody, like, everywhere.”
”Right, right.”
Evan gives her an uncertain glance and then turns, stepping toward the sliding, glass window which leads to the balcony. Evan pulls it open and steps outside, immediately greeted with a warm gust of air as he steps out, gazing down at the brightly-lit roads beneath him.
”Got any info on Emerald Assassin that I missed?”
With her arms folded, Jenny steps out to the balcony, casting a wary look toward the door as she does so, but shakes her head at Evan’s question.
”I don’t know much about him. No one really knows who he is... As far as I know, he’s a kid that took a few too many bumps on the head trying to be a backyard wrestler or a stuntman... Now he thinks he’s a superhero in some dystopian universe and he’s trying to--”
”Save the world?”
Evan turns to Jenny with a sly smirk.
”He’s trying to be a star; a hero. And he just might be able to. He’s good, Ev.”
”I’d hope so. Deli and I don’t wanna have to pick up his slack. We chose him because we thought he had talent.”
”He does.”
”He’d better.”
”But it’s Logan and Aubrey we’re talking about. Plus-- Scorpion has already kidnapped this guy. He’s gonna be in his head.”
”I’ve seen them-- Emerald Assassin is better than the Red Scorpion. Or he could be. He needs to remember that if you ask me.”
From inside, there is a groan. Immediately, Evan and Jenny pivot and turn toward the door as Jeremy Knite steps inside, a look of panic in his eyes. He slams the door behind him and steps inside, grabbing a hold of Jenny as she strides forward, arms outstretched.
”Jeremy! What happened?!”
”Where are my bagels?!”
”They took-- they took everything.”
”They took the bagels?!”
”Who?!”
”What’d they take-- besides my breakfast?”
Jeremy takes a seat on the sofa and looks ahead, his eyes wide in a mixture of fear and shock. His bottom lip trembles for a few moments, and Jenny takes a seat next to her twin brother, a hand still firmly pressed to his forearm. She observes him, checking him for any sign of abuse, but finds nothing. Frustrated, she shakes his arm.
”Who?”
”Aubrey. And-- I think Logan. Maybe. I don’t know, really. They took the keys to the Viper.”
”I knew I shouldn’t have let you drive it. Jesus, man, did you even put up a fight?!”
”It wasn’t-- I-- it all happened so fast! I didn’t realize what was happening! One second, I was walking across the parking lot, then the next, I was talking to Aubrey and her friend and they seemed nice enough... And then, she like, talked the bagels out of my hand and I guess I handed her the keys, and I was just standing there, dumbfounded, and then they just--”
”They drove away in my shit?”
”Basically... Evan, I’m sorry. I didn’t--”
”Hah, good thing your tag team partner this week is a superhero. This should be a non-issue.”
Evan looks between the two, feeling his face growing hot, and feeling his cheek growing redder with each passing second. While Jeremy looks horrified, Jenny seems to have a completely new lease on life, grinning amusedly at the situation.
”We have to call the cops.”
”No.”
”No?!”
”...No?”
Jeremy and Jenny exchange confused glances and then look up at Evan, who has not moved from his spot and is still looking between them in anger.
”They’ll look at that as a sign of defeat.”
”Haha, as amusing as your misfortune is at this juncture in life, this goes farther than you and Delikado. It’s not Envikado vs M&M anymore, or even Envikado and Emerald Assassin vs M&M and Red Scorpion. They stole your property. They manipulated my brother. I’ll call the cops for you.”
”No-- this wasn’t about the car, or Jeremy. They’re trying to send me a message. And it’s not gonna work...”
”They have your two-hundred-thousand dollar SRT Viper. I think it worked.”
”They want attention, and the only place they’re going to get it is in the ring. No matter what they take from me, they’ll never be Envikado. They’ll never be in our league, and as long as they’re opposing us, they’re destined to be second-best. I know it kills Logan, but I know it tears Aubrey apart. I know she stays up, thinking about this shit. She wants to be the best at everything, and she isn’t, and it’ll break her. It’ll kill her.”
”Yeah? Well, what if you’re putting too much faith in her being a spiteful bitch, and all she wants to do is hurt you? All they wanna do is hurt Level One. You said it yourself. So what makes you different? What makes you less of a target, especially after last week? What happens when they catch you alone?”
She nods toward Jeremy.
”They caught my brother alone. Scared him half to death. Are you gonna do anything about that? Or are you going to wait for me to grab one of their legs?”
”What! That’s not even fair--”
”Emerald’s the superhero, but you’re the one promising to save the world, so save it. Save your own world. Stop visualizing yourself as this invincible creature because in case you haven’t noticed... You’re not! Ask Johnny Rebel!”
Evan gives Jenny a sour glare.
”I never asked for your help out there. Don’t throw that in my face. That’s bullshit.”
”What’s bullshit is what you let happen to my brother.”
”ALRIGHT, we’ll put them down.”
”Make them pay. Make Aubrey pay for what she did.”
Evan nods uncomfortably.
”We’ll get to the bottom of it on Monday-- and we’ll figure out if those bastards ate bagels in the Viper, because that is not cool, and there will be Hell. We’ll take out M&M, and we’ll help Emerald take out Red Scorpion if we have to, alright? Envikado knows no mercy on Monday night, and that’s the way we’re gonna play.”
”Alright, good.”
Jeremy looks between his sister and Evan, a slightly worried look in his eye.
”May I ask something?”
Evan shoots him a look... And with Jeremy’s silence, Evan raises his eyebrows and, in an annoyed manner, gestures for Jeremy to speak.
”What are you going to do about the Natural Bor--”
”What?”
”On Monday, you’ll be in the same arena as the Natural Bo--”
”What are you talking about?”
Jeremy blinks a few times and frowns.
”You guys made a lot of enemies. You think it’s smart to make people like the Red Scorpion another one of them?”
”We didn’t choose for it to be that way. If Scorpion wants to make an enemy out of the League, then that’s his prerogative. But as far as Monday goes, it’s just wrestling. My focus is on the people that stole from me, and embarrassed you. My focus is on, along with Delikado, upstaging APW’s longest-running tag team. My focus is on, whether these people like it or not, saving our world and crippling the New Sindicate.
“Because this might be our only shot.”
June 9, 2013
Las Vegas, Nevada
Evan Envi stands on the balcony of his Vegas suite, nearly blending into the white-painted walls with his ensemble, consisting of an all-white button-up that flows behind him, seamlessly into the background, pushed by the wind, and a light-colored pair of khakis. Sun-bronzed skin and dark hair are the distinguishing features from afar, and as we pan into the figure of our Overdrive Champion, we see that he has a phone held in front of him, in the middle of a conversation via-speaker with none other than Sienna Harrison.
”I just don’t see why you’re so worried about what Terry Marvin thinks.”
”It’s not that I’m worried about what he thinks, Evan, but I don’t need the New Sindicate coming and running rampant on my show like they’ve done on Overdrive."
"I wouldn't call it running rampant. Give Overdrive SOME credit!"
"Whatever. I don’t need those problems."
"I told you, your problem is M&M. They've put hands on management before, and you guys give them the world anyway, yet I'm the bad guy? Envikado are the assholes? Me, Deli, and Emerald Assassin are putting them down."
"This match is made so you guys can get all of this out now-- before it becomes something bigger. Before it explodes. And maybe you guys can encourage Emerald Assassin and Red Scorpion to do the same before I get slapped with a Human Rights lawsuit. They’re both crazy, I swear.”
”If you’re worried about the New Sindicate, then just say the word, and the League is th--”
”After the guys in the back went off last week? No. The last thing we need is a revolt from the frickin Natural Born ‘Killaz’ or Knox or Martin or something, God, are you kidding me? I have enough trouble keeping Lenny and Robina under control.”
”So what happens if they show up again?”
For a few seconds, there is a silence, and a smirk creeps across Evan Envi's face.
”That’s what security’s for.”
Evan scoffs.
”You must not watch Overdrive.”
There is a long pause, before a sigh comes through on the other line and Sienna responds, tiredly.
”Good luck tomorrow night, Ev. I hope you guys don’t do something stupid. And if you do-- don’t drag my Megastars into it.”
”...It’s like you don’t even know me.”
”Hm.”
With that, there is a click, and then silence.
Dark.
