Post by "Supersonic" Branden Harvey on Aug 4, 2015 11:51:55 GMT -4
”Supersonic” Branden Harvey had won his first match back in APW. In fact, it was the first APW match since the company’s resurrection. For the first time in years, he felt good again, but he didn’t feel as good as he thought he would. He thought he would feel whole again but he didn’t. He knew what was missing. Only his kids could make him feel whole again and he could never see them again. It was his own fault. The court had declared him a verbally abusive father and he couldn’t argue. He was a terrible father but he missed his kids. Branden Harvey understands, however, that it’s in his children’s best interest to be away from their father. He’s bad for them. It’s something he’ll regret for the rest of his life. Well, at least he has his Schnapps.
[The scene opens at Harvey Manor. “Supersonic” Branden Harvey is a third of the way through a bottle of Peppermint Schnapps when…]
“RING! RING!”
[Harvey answers the phone.]
Branden: What?
[The voice on the other line sounds cold.]
Voice: I have the crew and cargo of the James Mackenzie in my possession. If you don’t give me twelve million dollars by midnight, I will burn the cargo, along with the crew.
[Branden Harvey doesn’t care about the cargo but he can’t let those men and women die. He was about to say so when he realized that, if he seems cold and uncaring, the better chance his crew has of surviving and the less leverage their abductors have.]
Branden: You can kill the crew, for all I care, and the cargo isn’t worth what you want to sell it for. It’s not worth twelve million dollars. I’ll give you six million dollars for the cargo.
Voice: No deal.
[The line goes dead. That’s okay. They don’t have their money, so they’ll keep the crew alive for now. If he gives them time, they’ll call back.]
“RING! RING!”
[Harvey answers the phone.]
Branden: What?
Voice: We have the cargo of the James Mackenzie. We will burn it if you don’t give us eight million dollars by midnight.
Branden: We already talked about this. The cargo isn’t worth eight million dollars. It’s worth six million dollars and I’ll give you six million dollars for it. Nothing more. You can burn it, if you won’t accept six million dollars.
Voice: No deal.
[The line goes dead. Branden Harvey smiles. They were playing right into his hands.]
[Just before midnight…]
“RING! RING!”
Branden: What?
Voice: We have the cargo of the James Mackenzie. We will burn it, unless you bring us six million dollars by tomorrow at noon.
Branden: Name the time and place.
Voice: We will send someone to Harvey Manor to pick it up.
Branden: No deal. I want to inspect the cargo first. I need to make sure it hasn’t been damaged. If you’re trying to sell me damaged goods, you’ll get no money from me.
Voice: I assure you, your cargo is fine.
Branden: You stole my ship, my cargo, and kidnapped my crew. Forgive me if I don’t take a thief at his word. I need to see my cargo or no deal.
[Branden Harvey hears some angry discussion on the other line. After several minutes…]
Voice: Okay. Meet us at the Pier 39 Marina in San Francisco at 6:30 tomorrow morning.
Branden: I’ll be there.
[Branden hangs up. Perfect. Now Branden Harvey just has to make a few calls.]
[The next morning, “Supersonic” Branden Harvey gets in his porche and heads to the Marina in San Francisco. When he gets there, he sees the James Mackenzie and drives towards it. A man approaches the car. This man is dressed completely in black. When he speaks, Branden recognizes his voice as the man on the phone.]
Man: Did you bring the money?
[Branden hands him a briefcase. As they count the money, they realize there’s three million dollars there.]
Man: It’s short. Is this some kind of trick? Are you double crossing us?
Branden: No tricks. No double cross. Just insurance. I gave you half of the agreed price. You’ll get the other half when I am sure my cargo is undamaged.
Man: Make sure I get the rest of the money or I WILL kill you. Now turn around and put your hands on the hood of your car. NOW!
[Branden followed orders. The man searched him for weapons and found none.]
Man: Come with me.
[Braden Harvey follows him onto the James Mackenzie, while taking a final swig from his flask and tossing it into the water. They walk into the cargo area and, just as Branden thought, this is where they were keeping the hostages too. He knew it would be. This is the only place on this ship you can conceivably keep somebody prisoner. He looks at the crew, pretending to be shocked they were still alive, but he was really counting them, making sure they were all there. They were. Branden turns around.]
Branden: What are they doing here? I thought I told you to kill them, idiot.
[The man shoots Branden in the chest and he falls to the ground.]
Man: We only got half the money, but he was more trouble than he was worth. Let’s burn this ship to the ground and the rich man and his crew and cargo with it.
[He spits on Branden Harvey’s body. He’s about to turn around when Branden Harvey kips up, swings around, and slits the man’s throat with a knife he had hidden on the bottom of his boot. Good thing he had a bullet proof vest on. He dives behind the crates that the crew are behind as the other men shoot at him. He quickly cuts the ropes from a crewman’s wrist and gives him the knife to cut the ropes off the wrists of the rest of the crew while Branden opens a trap door through which the crew can escape. The men are finally standing in the middle of the room, right where Branden wants them. He cuts a rope, causing heavy crates to fall on the men, killing them instantly. He goes to the main door and opens it.]
Branden: BANGARANG!!!
[He quickly slams the door shut and locks it. Soon after, gun shots ring through the air as the SEALs do their job. One of the thieves, a very big man, angrily kicks through the door.]
Man: I’m going to kill you for this.
[He holds up his gun and gets ready to shoot. Branden tries to draw his knife, but he had given it to one of his crewmen to help the crew escape. Branden has no way out. The man tries to shoot Branden, but his gun jams. The man pulls out a knife. A knife flies through the air, over Branden’s shoulder, and buries itself into the man’s skull. Branden looks back. One of his crewmen had thrown it. He must have come back for him. Shortly after, a SEAL walks in.]
SEAL: All clear. You can come out now.
Branden: Thanks.
[On the Marina, Branden walks up to the crewman that had thrown the knife.]
Branden: You saved my life. Thank you.
Crewman: I should be the one thanking you. If you hadn’t come, we’d all be dead. You’re a good man, Mr. Harvey, but I see the same fire in your eyes that I had when I was young. Don’t lose yourself.
[Branden smiles.]
Branden: Thanks for the advice.
[Branden shakes the crewman’s hand, wondering what he was talking about as the scene fades.]
[The scene opens inside Harvey Manor. “Supersonic” Branden Harvey is sitting in his chair with a nearly empty bottle of Peppermint Schnapps in his hand, sounding fairly intoxicated.]
Branden: Hello, Roy. Roy Speede. Speedy. Heh heh. Something just occurred to me, Speedy. You and I have been in the same fed multiple times but, to my recollection, we’ve never crossed paths. There’s a first for everything, right?
[Branden looks at the bottle in his hand and smiles.]
Branden: Over the years, I’ve been called many things. Troll. Weirdo. Even ***hole. Hell, I was once suspended from APW for being an ***hole. But the one name that’s stuck with me for years was the name Blade gave me early in my wrestling career. Supersonic.
That’s right, Supersonic. Like I’m Superman or something. Can I let you in on a little secret, Speedy? I’m not Superman. I’m not even really Supersonic. I’m just a man. I’m a man that has never lived up to the potential people saw in me. A man that has always let people down. His wife. His kids. Even himself.
You see, Speedy, people have always known I’m intelligent. My parents. My friends. Even I know I’m intelligent. The problem is I’m lazy. I always have been. I’d rather say something stupid and make people laugh than say something intelligent and make them think. I just don’t want to think that hard. It’s a character flaw.
That laziness has also crept into my match preparation. Shortly into my last run in APW, I decided to stop preparing for my matches as soon as the card was announced. I would prepare for my matches in about an hour, just before I had to be in the ring. Anyone who watched APW at the time knows how that worked out. I went from being the APW Xtreme Champion to being a joke. I was even handed to BDC as fodder for his World Heavyweight Championship reign at Mayhem in 2011 and instead of taking it as an opportunity to win the title, I decided I was fodder that couldn’t beat BDC if his life depended on it. I didn’t even try. I rolled over and lost before the match even started. Over time, people’s expectations disappeared and the joke was all they saw.
I’m not that man anymore, Speedy. I’m thirty-one years old. It won’t be too long before I’m too old for this. I want to be successful this time around. I need to be successful this time around. When it was announced that I was returning to APW with its resurrection, people still saw the joke. I don’t want to be a joke anymore. I want to be the guy that people look at and say “I want to be as good as him someday.” I want to be the next Level-One. To do that, I have to grow up. I have to stop being so lazy and I have to prepare for my matches as soon as I know who I’m wrestling. I have to become a World Champion. My mission, Speedy, is to become the first APW Champion after its resurrection. So let’s do away with the formalities. I won’t call you Speedy and you won’t call me ***hole, deal?
Roy Speede, I’ve been preparing for this match since July 27, when I found out I was wrestling you. Today is August 6. Tomorrow, we go to war. Would you like to know what I have discovered in my investigation into Roy Speede? I don’t know if I can beat you. You’re a damn good wrestler. I honestly doubt my talent. But you? You’re going to take APW by storm. And maybe I’ll just be a speed bump in the career of the great Roy Speede.
[Branden Harvey rises from his chair, shakily stands on his feet, and points the bottle at the camera as he continues.]
Branden: But not if I have my way. I’d rather be a ditch that Roy Speede hit on his way to having a great career. I’d rather be the ditch that stopped his momentum and left him lying in mediocrity. And it shouldn’t be that hard. I’ve had practice at being a ditch, after all. I’ve been my own ditch for years. Now it’s you’re turn. I’m going to become the next APW Champion and you are simply in my way. And trust me when I say the Sonic Boom is coming. Fear it.
[“Supersonic” Branden Harvey slumps back in his chair, bottle in hand, and chugs the rest as the scene fades.]
[The scene opens at Harvey Manor. “Supersonic” Branden Harvey is a third of the way through a bottle of Peppermint Schnapps when…]
“RING! RING!”
[Harvey answers the phone.]
Branden: What?
[The voice on the other line sounds cold.]
Voice: I have the crew and cargo of the James Mackenzie in my possession. If you don’t give me twelve million dollars by midnight, I will burn the cargo, along with the crew.
[Branden Harvey doesn’t care about the cargo but he can’t let those men and women die. He was about to say so when he realized that, if he seems cold and uncaring, the better chance his crew has of surviving and the less leverage their abductors have.]
Branden: You can kill the crew, for all I care, and the cargo isn’t worth what you want to sell it for. It’s not worth twelve million dollars. I’ll give you six million dollars for the cargo.
Voice: No deal.
[The line goes dead. That’s okay. They don’t have their money, so they’ll keep the crew alive for now. If he gives them time, they’ll call back.]
“RING! RING!”
[Harvey answers the phone.]
Branden: What?
Voice: We have the cargo of the James Mackenzie. We will burn it if you don’t give us eight million dollars by midnight.
Branden: We already talked about this. The cargo isn’t worth eight million dollars. It’s worth six million dollars and I’ll give you six million dollars for it. Nothing more. You can burn it, if you won’t accept six million dollars.
Voice: No deal.
[The line goes dead. Branden Harvey smiles. They were playing right into his hands.]
[Just before midnight…]
“RING! RING!”
Branden: What?
Voice: We have the cargo of the James Mackenzie. We will burn it, unless you bring us six million dollars by tomorrow at noon.
Branden: Name the time and place.
Voice: We will send someone to Harvey Manor to pick it up.
Branden: No deal. I want to inspect the cargo first. I need to make sure it hasn’t been damaged. If you’re trying to sell me damaged goods, you’ll get no money from me.
Voice: I assure you, your cargo is fine.
Branden: You stole my ship, my cargo, and kidnapped my crew. Forgive me if I don’t take a thief at his word. I need to see my cargo or no deal.
[Branden Harvey hears some angry discussion on the other line. After several minutes…]
Voice: Okay. Meet us at the Pier 39 Marina in San Francisco at 6:30 tomorrow morning.
Branden: I’ll be there.
[Branden hangs up. Perfect. Now Branden Harvey just has to make a few calls.]
[The next morning, “Supersonic” Branden Harvey gets in his porche and heads to the Marina in San Francisco. When he gets there, he sees the James Mackenzie and drives towards it. A man approaches the car. This man is dressed completely in black. When he speaks, Branden recognizes his voice as the man on the phone.]
Man: Did you bring the money?
[Branden hands him a briefcase. As they count the money, they realize there’s three million dollars there.]
Man: It’s short. Is this some kind of trick? Are you double crossing us?
Branden: No tricks. No double cross. Just insurance. I gave you half of the agreed price. You’ll get the other half when I am sure my cargo is undamaged.
Man: Make sure I get the rest of the money or I WILL kill you. Now turn around and put your hands on the hood of your car. NOW!
[Branden followed orders. The man searched him for weapons and found none.]
Man: Come with me.
[Braden Harvey follows him onto the James Mackenzie, while taking a final swig from his flask and tossing it into the water. They walk into the cargo area and, just as Branden thought, this is where they were keeping the hostages too. He knew it would be. This is the only place on this ship you can conceivably keep somebody prisoner. He looks at the crew, pretending to be shocked they were still alive, but he was really counting them, making sure they were all there. They were. Branden turns around.]
Branden: What are they doing here? I thought I told you to kill them, idiot.
[The man shoots Branden in the chest and he falls to the ground.]
Man: We only got half the money, but he was more trouble than he was worth. Let’s burn this ship to the ground and the rich man and his crew and cargo with it.
[He spits on Branden Harvey’s body. He’s about to turn around when Branden Harvey kips up, swings around, and slits the man’s throat with a knife he had hidden on the bottom of his boot. Good thing he had a bullet proof vest on. He dives behind the crates that the crew are behind as the other men shoot at him. He quickly cuts the ropes from a crewman’s wrist and gives him the knife to cut the ropes off the wrists of the rest of the crew while Branden opens a trap door through which the crew can escape. The men are finally standing in the middle of the room, right where Branden wants them. He cuts a rope, causing heavy crates to fall on the men, killing them instantly. He goes to the main door and opens it.]
Branden: BANGARANG!!!
[He quickly slams the door shut and locks it. Soon after, gun shots ring through the air as the SEALs do their job. One of the thieves, a very big man, angrily kicks through the door.]
Man: I’m going to kill you for this.
[He holds up his gun and gets ready to shoot. Branden tries to draw his knife, but he had given it to one of his crewmen to help the crew escape. Branden has no way out. The man tries to shoot Branden, but his gun jams. The man pulls out a knife. A knife flies through the air, over Branden’s shoulder, and buries itself into the man’s skull. Branden looks back. One of his crewmen had thrown it. He must have come back for him. Shortly after, a SEAL walks in.]
SEAL: All clear. You can come out now.
Branden: Thanks.
[On the Marina, Branden walks up to the crewman that had thrown the knife.]
Branden: You saved my life. Thank you.
Crewman: I should be the one thanking you. If you hadn’t come, we’d all be dead. You’re a good man, Mr. Harvey, but I see the same fire in your eyes that I had when I was young. Don’t lose yourself.
[Branden smiles.]
Branden: Thanks for the advice.
[Branden shakes the crewman’s hand, wondering what he was talking about as the scene fades.]
------------------
[The scene opens inside Harvey Manor. “Supersonic” Branden Harvey is sitting in his chair with a nearly empty bottle of Peppermint Schnapps in his hand, sounding fairly intoxicated.]
Branden: Hello, Roy. Roy Speede. Speedy. Heh heh. Something just occurred to me, Speedy. You and I have been in the same fed multiple times but, to my recollection, we’ve never crossed paths. There’s a first for everything, right?
[Branden looks at the bottle in his hand and smiles.]
Branden: Over the years, I’ve been called many things. Troll. Weirdo. Even ***hole. Hell, I was once suspended from APW for being an ***hole. But the one name that’s stuck with me for years was the name Blade gave me early in my wrestling career. Supersonic.
That’s right, Supersonic. Like I’m Superman or something. Can I let you in on a little secret, Speedy? I’m not Superman. I’m not even really Supersonic. I’m just a man. I’m a man that has never lived up to the potential people saw in me. A man that has always let people down. His wife. His kids. Even himself.
You see, Speedy, people have always known I’m intelligent. My parents. My friends. Even I know I’m intelligent. The problem is I’m lazy. I always have been. I’d rather say something stupid and make people laugh than say something intelligent and make them think. I just don’t want to think that hard. It’s a character flaw.
That laziness has also crept into my match preparation. Shortly into my last run in APW, I decided to stop preparing for my matches as soon as the card was announced. I would prepare for my matches in about an hour, just before I had to be in the ring. Anyone who watched APW at the time knows how that worked out. I went from being the APW Xtreme Champion to being a joke. I was even handed to BDC as fodder for his World Heavyweight Championship reign at Mayhem in 2011 and instead of taking it as an opportunity to win the title, I decided I was fodder that couldn’t beat BDC if his life depended on it. I didn’t even try. I rolled over and lost before the match even started. Over time, people’s expectations disappeared and the joke was all they saw.
I’m not that man anymore, Speedy. I’m thirty-one years old. It won’t be too long before I’m too old for this. I want to be successful this time around. I need to be successful this time around. When it was announced that I was returning to APW with its resurrection, people still saw the joke. I don’t want to be a joke anymore. I want to be the guy that people look at and say “I want to be as good as him someday.” I want to be the next Level-One. To do that, I have to grow up. I have to stop being so lazy and I have to prepare for my matches as soon as I know who I’m wrestling. I have to become a World Champion. My mission, Speedy, is to become the first APW Champion after its resurrection. So let’s do away with the formalities. I won’t call you Speedy and you won’t call me ***hole, deal?
Roy Speede, I’ve been preparing for this match since July 27, when I found out I was wrestling you. Today is August 6. Tomorrow, we go to war. Would you like to know what I have discovered in my investigation into Roy Speede? I don’t know if I can beat you. You’re a damn good wrestler. I honestly doubt my talent. But you? You’re going to take APW by storm. And maybe I’ll just be a speed bump in the career of the great Roy Speede.
[Branden Harvey rises from his chair, shakily stands on his feet, and points the bottle at the camera as he continues.]
Branden: But not if I have my way. I’d rather be a ditch that Roy Speede hit on his way to having a great career. I’d rather be the ditch that stopped his momentum and left him lying in mediocrity. And it shouldn’t be that hard. I’ve had practice at being a ditch, after all. I’ve been my own ditch for years. Now it’s you’re turn. I’m going to become the next APW Champion and you are simply in my way. And trust me when I say the Sonic Boom is coming. Fear it.
[“Supersonic” Branden Harvey slumps back in his chair, bottle in hand, and chugs the rest as the scene fades.]
