OD!SSEY - Part Five

[D!]

THEN

January 20th, 2006
7:43 pm
D!'s apartment

(The door opens and D! lurches inside, stiff and sore from the gym. There is nothing more he can do today. He has nothing left to give. Like the muscles in his limbs, worked until failure to become stronger, there is a point he cannot be pushed any further.

He drops his gym bag to the floor and glances at the table. There was an envelope here, something he'd made a point of checking out--

The phone is flashing silently. At this stage of the game, he knows, it will be bad news.

It's his brother.

And it is.)

B!: (Click.) Hey, jackass, you know what I was gonna call about at first? The fact that you've spent the money that was intended for your damn surgery on a freakin' wrestling mask. And don't say that's not what happened, because I at least watch the promos! Anyways! Chris Casino's latest masterpiece--not impressed. The Hernandezes are livid, and who can blame them? They're only getting (BLEEP)ing hurt because of you, and that's gotta stop. Think with your damned heart for once. Do the right thing.

Seeya. (Click.)

He hits a button and erases the message, then stares accusationally at his computer.

He warms it up.

He pulls up the NAPW site.

¶¶¶

He runs out of his building, throwing his jacket on, already in motion.

¶¶¶

He's booting it down to 109th, and he's making a phone call.

¶¶¶

He's following 109th to the river, ends his call, and makes another.

¶¶¶

Further up 109th, he walks under a billboard where is both larger than life and in the worst shape imagineable. He navigates his cell phone's memory, and makes another call.

¶¶¶

He reaches the lip of the High Level bridge, takes a deep breath, and steps onto it.

D! (VOICE-OVER): All of this time, this time I spent with Static and Predator, for masks and belts, when I had drawn out my battle plan against Casino, I thought these were my aces in the hole, the totems I'd use to overpower him, pin him to the mat, and have the happy ending that we'd all been clamouring for.

He walks along the length of the bridge. With purpose.

But all of this time, I'd never felt that any of this got me any farther along than I'd already been. Like a sailor lost at sea, forever adrift, I would never land, never return to a place I'd called home.

He gets to the middle of the bridge. And stops.

And then, when things looked their bleakest, I'd found it. The key to unlocking my dilemma.

He puts his hands around the chain-link fence that surrounds the bridge nowadays, grips it, and rattles it. Too late. Too late by one.

It was from a friend. And she'd given it to me freely.

The bridge is in a cage.

And all I'd ever have to do in return is set her free.

LATER

January 22nd, 2006
2:00 pm
Outside the Baccarat Casino

(A small, modest dais has been put up with an NAPW banner hanging as a backdrop, a single wooden podium in the fore, and between them a small row of chairs. Four people are seated here. Two of them look like a long-married couple, dressed up in their church best on a Saturday, but looking fiercely determined nonetheless. The third person is an equally-determined young man in his twenties, also dressed for an event. The fourth man is clearly not related, being blond, heavy, and rumpled, but talks to the family in a casual, familiar matter.

There is a media scrum milling around. It is 24 hours from Joker's Wild, and someone has called a press conference.

Guess who.

D!, dressed sharply in a black toque, black suit with red shirt and tie to match his boots, steps up the podium. He waves down the hands that rise.)

D!: Please, please, if you will hold all questions for now, I would like to get straight to the announcement. Believe me, you'll have questions then.

(The press quiets in anticipation.)

Thank you. Now, I have called you all here to discuss Joker's Wild, and a fight that has had everybody talking. No, it's not the gauntlet match, though everybody and their momma has an opinion as to who's going to win. And I'm not talking about the triangle ladder match, even though it could very well be match of the night.

Hell, I ain't even talking about the cage match.

It does, however, involve Chris Casino and myself. By now, many of you have seen the several promotional materials distributed on the local stations or NAPW.ca. You have seen many people in our roster do things that can be both shocking and disturbing. Assault, attempted manslaughter, libel, defamatory remarks. All part and parcel of our work-a-day life as wrestlers.

To the members of the press unfamiliar with the NAPW, you might think this to be a little bizarre. And it might be, until someone were to explain to you the indemnity clause.

The indemnity clause. It's in all of our contracts. Me. Chris Casino. Decapitator Axe. And not just Superstars, either. Bill Fleming. Jack Jones. Bobby Winchell. It's standard for NAPW employees of any vocation. In a nutshell, it prevents us from seeking civil or criminal charges against each other for any and all things that occur leading up to, during, and following any given match. They can be dealt with internally, the Courts could decide to lay charges on their own, but we cannot initiate any such actions.

So if I'm assaulted after my match, and if it's by an NAPW employee, I cannot press charges. If theft occurs from the NAPW locker room, the victim cannot press charges.

(Motions to a Joker's Wild billboard, directly across the street.)

If someone uses my likeness without express, given consent for the purposes of advertising, which has certainly happened here, well, I'm up a certain creek.

(Some knowing laughs from the press.)

But, you see, it's not just an arbitrary, nonsense rule. The indemnity clause works as a fence, you see. It stops us bringing the "real" world into our little world, true. But it also keeps us from hurting the outside world.

By now, some of you may have guessed where I'm going with this.

In the month of December, Chris Casino has made numerous on-the-record comments about one Maja Hernandez, a young woman who killed herself several years ago. He has done so because of Miss Hernandez' personal connection to me, in an attempt to cause me emotional distress leading up to our two matches in that month. This attempt at psychological warfare has gone beyond its intended target and has caused pain and suffering to Miss Hernandez' surviving family, albeit, at that time, indirectly.

Those of us who have followed NAPW talent closely this week would be familiar with the principle of Malum Prohibitum, or the "victimless crime." Megan, I believe you conducted that particular interview. While we may debate the more controversial aspects of that theory, what is now commonly accepted as fact is that the surviving members of a suicide, are, indeed, victims.

On January 19th, three days ago, Chris Casino sent a delivery of black flowers to the parents of Maja Hernandez. Attached to the flowers was a note of a harrassing nature. On this occasion, the subject of Mr. Casino's attack was no longer myself, but instead the Hernandez family, implicitly. On this occasion, Chris Casino broke the law.

To my left (points to the blond man) is an old friend of mine, Blair Petterson. Mr. Petterson is a lawyer. One who deals exclusively with Victim's Services. Mr. Petterson, would you care to read us the relevant part of he Canadian Criminal Code?

(Blair Petterson takes the podium, flips open a book, and reads from the flagged page.)

PETTERSON: Article Two-Sixty-Four, One. Criminal harassment: No person shall, without lawful authority and knowing that another person is harrassed or recklessly as to whether the other person is harassed, engage in conduct referred to in subsection Two that causes that other person reasonably, in all the circumstances, to fear for their safety or the safety of anyone known to them.

Two. Prohibited conduct--the conduct mentioned in subsection One consists of, among other clauses, engaging in threatening conduct directed at the other person or any member of their family.

(He clears his throat.)

Every person who contravenes this section is guilty of an indictable offense and is liable for imprisonment for a term not exceedng ten years; or an offense punishable on summary conviction.

(Petterson leaves the podium, and D! returns.)

D!: Mr. Petterson wanted to contribute, and now he has.

Maja Hernandez, has, obviously, never been employed with NAPW. The surviving Hernandez family have also never been employed with NAPW. All of this means, evidently, that the Hernandez family cannot be affected by the NAPW indemnity clause.

Now, as some of you might be thinking, it sounds like a potentially shaky case. I know that Mr. Petterson had the same concern. The judge that we spoke with also had these concerns . . . at least, until we showed him a videotaped recording of Casino ordering former wrestler Terry Brandon to commit this act. A videotape, I might add, that Casino made of himself. And decided to release himself for public consumption. And before you could say "schadenfreude", that same judge ordered a bench warrant for Chris Casino's arrest.

That was half an hour ago. Which means that Mr. Casino should be dragged half-naked out of his hotel room . . . (looks at his watch.) Nnnnnnow.

I see you all have questions, I don't blame you for having questions, but believe it or not, I have 75% of your answers. So please let me finish.

Chris Casino will not be denied bail for his offense. In fact, I would not be surprised to find that he has posted bail within an hour of this conference. And I am satisfied with that fact, because the fact remains that Chris Casino must arrive to compete against me at Joker's Wild, or forfeit the NAPW Title. This would be a condition that would not be satisfactory to any party.

I think I should also acknowledge Mr. Casino's vast wealth of resources. It would not take him much effort to assemble an expensive legal team, possibly even reunite Team O.J. for the money he could spend. It is also entirely possible that Mr. Casino's counsel could beat the charges, and I, as a friend to the Hernandez famly, must confess that this outcome could very well happen.

Only it's never as simple as it seems.

As Mr. Casino would point out time and time again, he is an American citizen. Working for a Canadian promotion on a work visa. Which means that Mr. Casino must also answer to Immigration Canada, an organization that will almost certainly suspend said work visa while he has charges pending against him. With no work visa, Mr. Casino would not be able to work for NAPW. And if he cannot work, he would again forfeit the NAPW Championship.

Mr. Casino has also announced that he is booked for Japanese wrestling shows immediately following Joker's Wild. I would remind Mr. Casino and his management that as long as charges are pending, Mr. Casino would not be able to leave the country, lest he wish to be declared a fugitive.

Win or lose, these are the conditions of Mr. Casino's legal battle. And even with his lawyers, O.J. had a loooooong trial.

I know that while nothing would make me happier than to see Chris Casino lose work and spend time in prison, I have chosen to convince the Hernandez famly to accept a reasonable settlement out of court, if Mr. Casino shoul choose to avoid any of the scenarios I have just now described.

First. Mr. Casino will submit to a restraining order that prohibits him from ever, and I mean ever, contacting the Hernandez family by any means. Second. The Hernandez family will accept a payment, direct from Mr. Chris Casino, of Fifty. Million. Dollars--WAIT FOR IT! . . . American, for damages resulting from his actions. We understand that this is a reasonable sum for Mr. Casino to pay. This settlement would be immediately be used for the creation of a not-for-profit organization, the Maja Hernandez Foundation for Inner-City Arts, and will have her brother, Mr. David Hernandez, as the primary trustee.

This settlement will not undo the damage that Mr. Casino's flagranty illegal acts have caused, but it will let the legacy of Maja Hernandez, a woman taken from us far too soon, to be used positively . . . as a symbol, one of hope, beauty, and change.

I do not represent the Hernandez family legally. But I would advise Mr. Casino to accept the settlement offer, and avoid a long, protracted battle that would ultimately hurt him in the long run.

Now it's only fair that I answer your questions, as it seems like you're all about ready to burst, but the first one I will answer is directly from Mr. Casino's lips.

Am I willing to sink to your level, Chris?

I like the view from up here just fine.

Now, Megan. Let's start with you.

(Lights down.)