Getting Dirty

[Tommy Knox]

///Getting Dirty\\\
Chapter XXXI

"Whether it be physically or mentally, in the ring or outside of it, I'm goin' to crush him."
- Tommy Knox -

Monday 3:01 PM [July 29th, 2013]
Long Beach, California

Gray clouds fill the sky above. A breeze comes in from the coast as a storm approaches from the distance. Further back, darker clouds make their way. You can feel the changes as the temperature has dropped and electricity is in the air. This is going to be a big one. It's usually sunny and blue skies in California. Change is always a good thing.

At the Nomad clubhouse, the motorcycles sit in uniform along the building. The shop looks to be busy as each bay is filled with a vehicle. A few club members sit on their bikes and leave the scene as the rumble fills the air. Across the parking lot, at the main entrance to the clubhouse, Wallace, Knox and another member stand and talk amongst each other before turning their backs and walking inside. As Knox turns around, a full Nomad patch reveals itself on the back of his cut. The "Prospect" patch is no more as he has finally patched in as a full member with voting privileges.

At the bar, the three walk up and take a seat with Wallace and the unknown on one side and Knox on the other with access to everything. Knox grabs them all a beer and places a bottle of tequila on top of the bar. He then slams three shot glasses on the wood as it echoes in the clubhouse. Without hesitation, Knox pours them all a shot. Holding their glasses up, they tap each others in a toast just before drinking. As they slam their empty glasses to the table, Wallace clears his throat before getting back to the conversation.

"It's been a week now since Knox has been patched in. As your sponsor, brother, I'm proud to have brought you to the club." Wallace says as he takes a drink from his beer.

Knox cracks a smile as he takes a drink from his beer. As he swallows that cold, refreshing drink he then reaches his arm out for a handshake. "I'm proud to be a member of the Nomads. I know that I can offer a lot to the club."

Wallace reaches across the table and shakes. "You have already brought a nice little chunk of change to the MC. That little project I showed you last week, I want you heading over it. You have the knowledge more than anyone else here. I want you to work with Rocky here and teach him everything you can so he can fill in for you while you're traveling the road with APW. We need to get you in front of the right people while on the road with them to push this product. We have charters stretched across the entire country and up into Canada. It's time to utilize our resources and market the product that you've brought to the table, Knox."

"Rocky here is goin' to help?" Knox asks.

"Yea, bro. I have a basic understanding as I've had a few plants growing in my closet. I'll also be running the heavy truck business. That's another expertise area of mine that is a key puzzle piece to this whole operation." Rocky says as he takes a drink from his beer.

"Rocky will be managing the legitimate business side of the project. I just need him to know what to do when you're not here. I don't want this to interrupt with your three legit businesses you have across the state. The MC needs as many legal businesses associated with us as possible. The more our members are business owners, the more the feds look elsewhere." Wallace says.

"You're right about that. We can make it work, me and Rocky. I can go over the entire setup once we begin and after that it's just the process. Other than that, you just sit back and let those babies grow as big as they can." Knox says as he takes a drink from his beer.

Rocky pounds his beer really quick and slams the empty bottle on top of the bar. He then looks at Knox and Wallace and says. "Guys, I have to cut out of here. I need to visit our friend in the hills before the storm comes through."

"Give him my regards." Wallace says as the two hug.

Knox then walks around the bar and the two touch fists as Rocky heads for the door. Knox then walks back to his seat behind the bar and pours two more shots. The two toss them back without a second thought and slam the empty glasses onto the bar once more.

Wallace then takes a drink from his beer and looks across the bar at Knox. "So, what do you think?"

Knox thinks to himself for a moment before replying. "It will work. I can teach this stuff to a blind monkey. This is what I do, it's my passion. Right now I'm more focused on who I need to see while I'm on the road with APW."

"Our charters stretched across the country will handle most of the meeting arrangements. I'm sure you have your connections as well here and there. Whether you bring them to the table or not, the percentage kickback to you is the same." Wallace says.

"That's cool, man. I'm ready to get this thing in motion." Knox says as he finishes off his beer.

"You and me both, brother. But enough about this, lets talk about you. I saw what went down the other night in APW." Wallace says with question in his eyes.

Knox grabs two more beers, one for himself and the other for Wallace. He then pulls out his cigarettes and grabs a nicely rolled joint from the pack. Placing it between his lips, he looks across the table at Wallace with cockiness painted all over his face. "I had to take matters into my own hands. Envi had been duckin' me ever since he pulled that fast one on Havok and stole the match out from under me. Duvall wanted to play mind games with me and throw Envi in random matches that the odds were stacked against him. I did what I had to do. Envi hasn't signed a new contract with APW but now that I have his precious, Lady Overdrive, he has no choice but to meet me in the ring at Shockwave."

Wallace finishes his first beer and slides the bottle aside. He then grabs the fresh beer and takes a drink just before replying to Knox. "Take what's yours, that's what we do. It's in your nature, your instinct to take what you want, when you want it. Envi's time was coming, there's no doubt about that. Now he has no choice but to climb in the ring with you or be labeled a coward. You made the right move, Knox."

"You goddamned right I did!" Knox says with meaning in his tone.

"What do you do now?" Wallace asks.

Knox thinks to himself for a moment before answering. "Simple, I wait for Envi to make his move. Either he comes at me and tries to take what's his or he walks away with his tail in between his legs. Whichever one it may be, I'm fine with it. I would hope that he comes for a fight because that's what I want. That's what I wanted ever since I spray painted his name across Gooch's back at Test for the Best. A lot of people think that Level-One is the man to knock off the pedestal right now but they're wrong. Envi is the one to beat and that's exactly what I'm goin' to do. Whether it be physically or mentally, in the ring or outside of it, I'm goin' to crush him."

"I would expect him to be furious after you stole his championship belt. Watch your back this week." Wallace says.

Knox laughs it off with a grin on his face as he looks across the bar at Wallace. "Always, brother, always. I wish you guys could be there with me but it is what it is. I have the Black Hand in my corner at ringside and backstage. I'll be fine, brother."

Wallace takes a drink from his beer a as a puzzled look comes across his face. "Let me ask you something, Knox. I saw that you guys are rolling with another person now. Who is Michael Jennings?" Wallace asks.

Knox takes a drink and leans back in his seat to think for a moment. He then pulls out his lighter and sparks up the spliff hanging from his mouth. "Man... Jennings has a problem with authority just like myself. He sees through the bullshit in management and fights against it. I don't know, I wasn't sold on him at first but I'm willin' to give him a fair opportunity."

"Just be careful, brother. You were already with Niobe. You've known Madison for a few years, since 2006. You haven't known Jennings long at all. You, Niobe and Madison have been turning things around in APW and making an impact. I'm still scratching my head as to where those alien clips came from in reference to the Black Hand." Wallace says as he takes a drink from his beer.

Knox chuckles for a moment as he takes a slow drag from the joint in his mouth. He lets the smoke settle inside his lungs before slowly exhaling and passing it across the table to Wallace. Knox coughs briefly before clearing his throat. "You and me both, brother. I don't know where Jennings came up with that but it will get handled, you can bet one that. I try to run things with the Black Hand like we do here with the Nomads. Everything comes to a vote and this wasn't even on the radar. Anyone who has paid attention to our clips will take notice that they're nowhere near anything in comparison to aliens. This will be acted on, I promise you."

"Do what you have to do. I wouldn't take it too seriously if I were you. At the end of the day, if push came to shove, the MC takes all priorities. You said it yourself, the Black Hand is more of a movement if anything." Wallace says as he signals for another round of shots.

Knox grabs the bottle of tequila and pours two more as he thinks about what Wallace just said. Wallace then reaches across the bar and hands Knox the joint. Without delay, Knox take a couple drags from it before replying. "I did say that. The Black Hand wasn't meant to become a "faction". The purpose behind it all was to bring an end to the politics that dictate the outcome of each "booked" match. It was meant to be something that stood for more than any other legit "faction" in APW stands for. It was meant to be movement that swept APW and changed things, fix the broken and righted the wrongs. Now, after Thursday night, that purpose has been clouded. I need to fix it."

The two then toss back their shots as Wallace wipes a small drip of tequila from his chin. He then looks at Knox, dead in the eyes. "What you're doing now is epic. The angle you've approached this thing from does nothing but push you even further up the ladder. Envi hasn't come to terms with APW yet and you've brought their championship back home. Now you just have to finish the job and take away the one thing that the fans want more than anything else."

"What's that?" Knox asks?

"Evan Envi. You need to finish his career in APW just like you did Gooch and Havok. The fans want Envi to come to terms with APW and sign a new contract. You need shatter that dream and end it once and for all." Wallace says with a sinister look on his face.

"That's goin' to happen, without a doubt. Envi's time will come just like those little punks in NewGen. I have nothin' but time to handle all of this and I'm not goin' to slow down until everyone who stands in my way is no longer a threat. You're either goin' to get down or you're goin' to lay down. This week is no different. This week I get to climb in the ring with Joseph Johnson, The Innovator of Excellence." Knox says as he takes a drink from his beer and pours a couple more shots.

"Who?" Wallace asks.

"Exactly!" Knox yells as he takes another shot shortly followed by Wallace.

"I'll be honest with you, I've never even heard of the guy. Then again, I don't watch wrestling." Wallace says.

Knox laughs to himself for a moment as he takes another drag from the joint and passes it to Wallace. He then exhales and says. "I'm not losin' too much sleep over this guy. He's been in the business longer than I have, professionally, but he's not on my radar. One thing I did take notice is that he claims to be a master of the suplex. That's a move that I take pride in myself. I'm lookin' forward to climbin' in the ring with this chump and showin' him just who the better man is. It's good to get a few decent warm up matches in before headin' into Shockwave to face Envi... if he even accepts the challenge. Back to Johnson, he has balls. He came to Overdrive and called out Level-One within a week or two of bein' on the scene. It didn't end in his favor but I'll give him some credit, I guess."

"Don't take him lightly, even the smallest of guys can surprise you every now and then. I'm sure he didn't earn a nickname like that by not being something to worry about in the ring." Wallace says as he takes a puff from the joint.

Knox laughs to himself before answering. "Anyone can call themselves anything they like and whichever promotion they're signed with will refer to them as such. It's not like us and the streets. We earn our respect by our actions. For all I know, Joseph Johnson could be nothin' more than a little punk who thinks he's outgrown his big boy pants. Maybe, just maybe I need to check his ass in line and jerk his head out of the clouds."

"Maybe you do. Just be careful, you already have enough on your plate with Envi and NewGen Rising. Aside from that, I have to speak to you about some business that needs attending to here." Wallace says in a serious tone as he takes another puff from the joint and looks across at Knox.

"What's up?" Knox asks.

"That thing we talked about at church earlier today." Wallace says.

"Yea, all votes in favor." Knox says as he takes a drink from his beer.

"I want you to do it. It's time to get your hands dirty." Wallace says as he takes one last drag from the joint and passes it to Knox.

Knox reaches out and grabs the joint and takes a couple of small tokes as he thinks to himself. He then exhales and clears his throat just before answering. "I'll do it, no problem. I'll introduce our friend by the bay to Mr. Mayhem."

Wallace looks across at Knox as silence fills the air for a brief moment. "Good. It needs to be clean."

"Most definitely. When do you need me to do it?" Knox asks.

Knox then takes a drink from his beer and finishes it off. He reaches underneath the bar and pulls out two more bottles and places them on top. Wallace thinks to himself before his lips finally move and Knox listen in full attention. The two continue to talk amongst each other as the scene slowly fades to black.

AMERICAN HIGHLIFE
July 29th, 2013 [•REC]

"A few days ago I shocked the world when I stripped Evan of his championship, Lady Overdrive, in front of millions of fans worldwide. That title is what defined him, it was who he was. I'm half way to my destination of bein' at the top and nothin' is goin' to slow me down. You can throw them out in my way and I'll knock them down one by one. At the end of the day, it's goin' to be me and Envi gettin' in that ring and climbin' for what we both have worked so hard for. Only one person will walk away with the win, with the Overdrive championship. I'm sure as shit not goin' to walk away empty handed. I've given APW everything I have to offer and it was never good enough for the fans out there watchin'. I had to take matters into my own hands to get where I am today, to become the man standin' here right now. A lot of people hate me. A lot of people envy me but disguise their true emotions. One thing is for certain, none can be the man I am and walk the line I do each and every day."

"When I see somethin' that I want, I go out and grab it. I snatch it from whoevers hands it may be in and make it mine right then and there. I don't sit back and wait my turn until management throws me a bone. I get off of my ass and do somethin' about it. I don't care who stands in my way, whether it be friend of foe, I will get what's rightfully mine and last week I did exactly that. Envi thought that he could duck me forever but eventually he knew in the back of his mind that his day would come. I don't think he quite expected it to go down as it did but in the end, the result is the same. OR IS IT? Now Envi is faced with two options. He can either walk away like a coward or he can come and fight for what he believes is his. I'm not hidin' anywhere. I'm not duckin' anyone. Whether it be Envi or whoever, I will rise to the occasion and fight for what I have at stake."

"I'm not a pathetic, washed up, piece of trash like Joseph Johnson. He had his opportunity last week but failed to rise to that so called occasion. He along with a handful of others fought in that ring with Envi for somethin' that they didn't have any business fightin' for. None of those individuals sidelined Envi's friend, Buckson Gooch. None of those individuals obliterated Envi's former friend, Nathaniel Havok. Not a single one of those individuals dismantled The League one by one and called out the alpha male of the pack and challenged him to a fight for it all. I have done all of those things and I stand by those actions to this day. I don't regret the decisions I have made. Look where it has gotten me. I stand here with the Overdrive championship acceptin' the call of any challenger with the balls to step to me. It doesn't matter who you are or what brand you're own. I'm not steppin' down from anyone."

"Last week it rubbed me the wrong way to see those fools battle in that ring for somethin' that Envi was tryin' so hard to keep out of my sight. Since arrivin' on Overdrive, Joseph has attempted to make a name for himself by callin' out Level-One. He tried but boy did he fail. Then he finds himself in a match for my strap. I'll give you a little credit Joseph. You gave it your all but at the end of the night it just wasn't enough to keep Envi out for the count. His destiny is to lose that championship to me at Shockwave and no one will change that, not YOU, not Duvall, or any other one of those individuals in that match last week, includin' Niobe. This fight is what the fans want to see. The battle between good and evil in that ring for the entire world to witness. Good doesn't always win and come Shockwave, evil will prevail as I retain this championship that I have stolen from the waist of a fallen and bruised Evan Envi."

"Enough with the games. You wanted a fight Joseph, now you have one! The Overdrive championship has nothin' to do with you and it's time to prove that when I destroy you in that ring, break you in half. You think Level-One was a challenge? You have no fuckin' idea! It's time to get in the ring and fight with a savage on a killin' spree. You made the mistake last week of followin' Duvall's order and chasin' after my strap. Now it's time to suffer the consequences and get beaten into a bloody mess. You think that Level-One and Evan Envi are filth? You're in for a treat when you meet me face to face and have your ass handed to you. Those two have everything they want, at least one of them still does. There's a lot that I want to accomplish. I've destroyed crews single handedly and stripped championships like takin' candy from a baby. I've come to fight the corruption in APW. There's still plenty left on the table for me to accomplish as I'm only getting started, bitch."

"I've done my research on you and I'm up to the challenge of embarrassin' you at your own game and showin' you just who the suplex master really is. You claim to be the best? Pfft.... get the fuck out of here, you're past your prime. You're only a couple of years older than me but yet you've been in this business a lot longer than I have. I've never reached my prime, I've only fallen to my addictions and off the face of the earth from time to time. You've stuck it out over the years and watched as you peaked your success too early in your career and it's been a slow decline ever since. People like you come and go everyday, there's nothin' out of the ordinary about you. The only thing that catches peoples attention about you is the unnecessary amount of moves in your arsenal. You can double that amount and you still won't make my heart skip a beat. It doesn't matter if you can perfect every move in existence. All that matters is that you execute the right moves at the right time and that my friend is where I will accelerate and leave you in the dust."

"I'm lookin' forward to this little showdown of suplexes that awaits us Thursday night at Overdrive. I don't need to know each and every variation like you do. I don't pride myself on useless information stored in my head. I pride myself with what I can do with my hands. At the end of the day, I can promise you that I'm goin' to walk away with the win after I've thrown you around that mat and suplexed you in better formations than you could have ever imagined doin' yourself. Face it, it's time to take a step back and accept the fact that you just don't have what it takes to stay at the top of the food chain in this business. I'm a predator and I prey on the weak. I have a track record that will back that up and each time I walk away with my head held high and my arms raised above the fallen carcasses at my feat. It's the circle of life. Your prime has passed and it's time to fall victim to a stronger opponent."

"You never should have stuck your nose in business that doesn't concern you. I take offense to that. You didn't deserve to fight for my championship and now it's time to pay the piper. I've fought too hard just for a new face on the block to skip along and get handed an opportunity that he either doesn't deserve or doesn't have the balls to go out and take it for himself. I've done exactly that. I went out and took Envi's attentuion, snatched it away from him as I put his friend on the sidelines. Since then, things have spiraled and I'm standin' here with his championship, a title that you failed to get your hands on. My time is far from over. I'll be lookin' forward to meetin' you in the ring at Overdrive, Joseph. For someone as talented as you claim to be, it's goin' to be a pleasure out-performin' you in every aspect of the game. Both physically and mentally, I'm the better man. Until Thursday night, don't let your mouth write checks that your ass can't cash."