[The scene opens in the New Breed’s gym in Jacksonville, Florida. We see Soda Popinski working on basic grappling techniques in the ring to the left of the gym. One of the top fighters from the Bahamas is sparring with Andra, and another is coaching him on particular points of the unfamiliar style. While there was never a single question whether or not Andra Punchadorov was a whirlwind of fury in the boxing ring, and the whole world knew he could strike as sudden as a cobra, and for decades young men have fallen to his Uppercut… but the upcoming match against THE Tristan Slater was NOT a boxing match.]
[While both boxing and professional wrestling were high-impact fighting sports, that was where the similarities ended. Soda Popinski was way out of his element in a wrestling ring, but he was a very fast learner. In the boxing ring, Andra Punchadorov was nearly unbeatable. In a wrestling ring, at least up until a few weeks ago, Soda Popinski was as a newborn babe tossed to the wolves of hungry men who wanted to make a name for themselves by defeating the Legend inside the squared circle. The Laughing Russian had a rough go of it too… for Johnathan Cable knew that the XWF Champion would not take mercy on Andra.]
[The issue had been pushed further than Slater intended to let it go, and he was on the brink of madness. THE Tristan Slater was growing weary of even hearing the name Soda Popinski. Maybe that was the plan all along? To piss him off so he makes mistakes and then dissect him in the ring? Way too weak of a strategy. Robert Miles and Soda Popinski would never rely on such a sheer amount of luck to take down THE Tristan Slater. Keeping in mind the recent events in the life of the XWF Champ involving “Chronic” Chris Page, Paul Frost, and two innocent bystanders who happened to be standing too close when the bomb went off, it will be phenomenal if he doesn’t crack and lose the XWF Championship before they ever meet. Those two ‘civilians’... they were just collateral damage. The guys from over there didn’t have a single shred of emotion tied to the beating that Kimberly and Slater’s agent received not that long ago. They could care less who they beat up. Their only concern was to gain ratings. The invasion force from that other crappy company (you all know the place… the one that needs to siphon viewers from the XWF by making appearances on our shows and taunting our Superstars into making appearances during their shows… just so our viewers will waste their time TiVo-ing their lackluster program to catch a glimpse of the Superstars they know and love from the XWF) of trained apes who are supposed to be professional business owners march in here, and lay waste to whoever they want. These two innocent people were just involved in the wrong life at the wrong time. Now… Andra had to face a not unreasonably unbalanced Tristan Slater in the weeks to come.]
Narrator:
“His road is a hard one. It is harder than most. But… the Legend is strong, and capable. He is determined to survive, and eager to learn more. The longer Tristan waits, the more of a true threat Soda Popinski actually becomes. The tournament in the Bahamas at the New Breed’s new gym truly was a genius endeavor.”
[Jonathan is sparring with the other three winners of the tournament from the weekend before. He is training against multiple opponents for a very specific purpose. Monday… Monday would change everything.]
Narrator:
“John knows how to train.”
[The camera pans across the gym to a wall of photos and a trophy case full of awards, large and small, plaques and ribbons, and even a pair of gloves with a signature in silver ink and a message ‘to Hank’ from ‘the Champ’]
Narrator:
“His foster father, Hank, ran the gym when John was young, and raised him around each piece of machinery that still sits here. That ring is the same ring that Johnathan learned his trade in, and Hank was a brutal teacher. He believed that a lesson was always worth learning the hard way, no matter how small the message. He believed that if you suffered to learn the lessons life would teach us, the memory would never fade.”
[A large black and white picture hangs in the center of the back wall of the trophy case. It shows a young man with a blonde crew cut in a pair of black Fifties style boxer’s trunks and black gloves. He is in the typical boxer pose, standing at the ready with his hands at half block. It is signed in the bottom left corner:]
“Never give up… Just keep swinging.
Hank ‘The Tank’ Winthrop”
[… The multitude of awards on display all belonged to John’s foster father.]
“He was not cruel. In fact, he was kind and generous. John had known little of either in his life, and him as a father. It took years, and many hard lessons before Johnathan figured it all out, but Hank was painfully patient.”
[The camera pans back across the gym. Johnathan Cable seems to be handling himself well against the three highly skilled fighters. He is using his assailant’s own momentum to counter their attacks, and then waiting patiently for a prime opportunity to strike. He is moving fluidly, making sure to keep plenty of the padded floor between his back and the edge(which signifies a ring-out… and we all know what THAT means in a Battle Royal, don’t we?), and one after another, john tosses the three men from the mat like sacks of laundry.]
Narrator:
“Never before, in any of the numerous foster homes before he finally landed in this gym, did John ever feel like his foster parents actually cared about him or his well-being, let alone for his dreams and ambitions, but Hank did. Hank always genuinely wanted John to have a better life than the ones he could have had.”
[Just then, the door at the top of the stairs bursts open, and Andrea Romero rushes onto the small metal landing high above them.
Andrea Romero:
“JOHN! COME QUICK!”
[Johnathan looks up for an instant, and sees the frantic terror in Andrea’s eyes, and immediately knows. Without hesitation, Cable springs to action. He bounds across the gym, and takes the narrow metal stairs. The scene fades to black as Johnathan and Andrea disappear through the door inside.]
Narrator:
“The terror of passion is all in the uncontrolled.”
[The scene fades back in to Johnathan Cable sitting at a desk in the small office downstairs in the gym. He is typing an email, painstakingly attempting to word this missive just right,]
“Dr. Jan Curtis
I hope you remember me. I know it has been a long time since last we spoke. My name is Johnathan Cable. You helped me deal with my foster father’s murder. Well, honestly, you helped me deal with a lot of things, but hank’s death was the catalyst for my spiral.
I have a very odd issue involving my wife, and I was hoping that you could make time to see her? We would be happy to accommodate your schedule, but I fear prolonging professional opinion, I am at my wits end, and I am truly terrified that there may be something seriously wrong with her.
We await your response as patiently as possible. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Johnathan Cable”
[John looks over the mail carefully, and then clicks the send button. He runs his hands over his mask and bows his heads into his palms. Resting his elbows on his knees, he lets out a giant sigh. Frustration drips off of him. It nearly oozes out of every pore in his skin, and his shoulders shake as he begins to sob. The scene fades to black once more.]
Narrator:
“The most terrifying things in life are those things that we do not understand, and cannot control. We, as a species, are more frightened by the unknown of life than by anything else known to man. When a loved one is struggling with anguish… it sets a person on edge. It makes them a bit unpredictable, and that makes them dangerous.”
[John straightens a few papers on the desk, and then gets up from his office chair. He makes his way out into the darkened gym, and flips a single switch on the wall near the stairs leading upstairs to his home. After a moment, a couple of long fluorescent bulbs click on, and the room is dimly lit with bright white light.]
Narrator:
“The nights are not Johnathan's friend. They are always full of misery for him, and try as he might; it seems there is no end of it now.”
[Johnathan makes his way over to the heavy bag hanging against one wall. The old fabric of the bag had been repaired countless times. You never could find a good cloth bag like they used to make now a days anyway. They were all gone. There is something about the feel of the cloth against your skin as you strike it... something soothing. The newer ones... constructed from plastic and puffed beads of foam... couldn't hold a candle to the old classic Everlasts. John loved this bag. It had been with him through so many rough nights. He didn't know what he would have done on more than a few occasions if he hadn't of had this bag. He would probably be back in jail.]
Narrator:
“Jessica took the loss to Kimberleigh Alves pretty hard. It didn’t send her over though. What did... the thing that tipped the scales... was how no one even mentioned the scandal that she had revealed to the world on Wednesday Warfare. Andrea and Jessica dug for days and called in a bunch of favors to get this information, and then... no one even cared. No one even noticed that Kimberleigh Alves was feeding them a pile of horse**** and they were eating it up like Bobby Flay had dropped a fabulous five course meal right out of his magic sword space.”
[John throws punch after punch into the fabric bag as the chain clanks together. The metallic tinkling can be heard echoing off of the brick walls in the large empty gym. One after another he sends his fist into the classic stuffing of the bag. The dent grows bigger and bigger as he continues pummeling it. After a few minutes, beads of sweat start to form on his forehead, and as the sound of the chains can be heard through the gym, John misses the door to his home opening as Andrea makes her way out onto the small balcony.]
Narrator:
“That was enough to send her off the end. She hasn't been the same the last few days. When she saw Alves and Decker at the party in Vegas the other day... she cracked. When she realized that not only did Kimberleigh not even deny the scandal, she glossed right over it, as if it were nothing and the rest of everyone else went right on along with it, Jessica went off. John had to carry Jessica out the back way of the hotel while no one noticed. She was dead set on having a re-match right there in Randall Cross' Hotel. John tried to reason with her, and instead of causing a scene over Kimmy on a night where the entire staff of the XWF was present and celebrating their new show, he just picked her up, tossed her over his shoulder, and went out the back way.”
[John lands blow after blow, the beads of sweat beginning to run down his forehead and into the leather mask he wore. After watching him for a few minutes, Andrea Romero begins to make her way silently down the stairs towards the gym floor below.]
Narrator:
“Kimberleigh Alves just kept right on telling her fairy tale stories about how she was a prom queen... and a cheerleader... and popular. She just kept right on with the story like Jessica had never opened her mouth... and Jessica just lost it. John had to force her into the car. He had to set the child locks to keep her in the car that night on the long drive to the airport. Once he got to the Airport, and they had decided to head back to Jacksonville, he actually had to sedate her to get her on the plane in the first place. After the attack on Barney Green and Chris Legend backstage after the show in Greensboro, John though she had gotten it all out of her system... and so had she. Obviously, after seeing Kimmy again in Vegas, they realized they were both wrong.”
[John continues to drive one punch after another into the cloth of the heavy bag as Andrea Romero reaches the thinly carpeted floor. She is a sheer lace teddy in one of John's favorite colors of blue.]
Narrator:
“Oh... well... for some reason that looks familiar. I KNOW I would remember that if I had seen it before, so why do I feel like I have in fact seen it somewhere before now? Oh... it looks just like one we had seen in a commercial... oh yes... there was one in lingerie commercial for Kimberleigh Alves company. That is where it was from. Why would she be in one of Alves' designs? I mean... it does look amazing as she saunters unseen across the gym, her hips swaying back and forth, her breasts shimmering in glitter powder, and her sexy bare legs stretching all the way to heaven, but why would she be in one of Alves' designs?”
[The only sound heard in the place is the thud thud thud of fists on the bag, and the tinkle of the chains waving violently as John smashes the bag trying to work out some frustration so he can finally get some sleep tonight. Andrea moves behind Johnathan slowly, waiting for just the right moment to surprise him.]
Narrator:
“What a surprise? I mean DAMN!”
[As John slowed down from his stress reliever, Andrea cleared her throat loudly. John spun to see her standing there, every single part of her inviting him to take her, her smile one of pure seduction and sexiness.]
Andrea Romero:
“So... John... having trouble sleeping? I was too. I heard you down here, and I figured you might like some company... you know... down here all alone like you are.”
[John turns to face her fully, and seems... strangely enough... disappointed.]
Johnathan Cable:
“Actually... I was trying to figure a few things out here. It seems like since we signed those XWF contracts, our lives have just been thrown into turmoil all over again. I don't know what we would do without you.”
[Andrea takes this as a hint, and steps closer to John. She reaches out her hand, and strokes her finger tips across the mask on his face. She takes another step closer, and runs her fingers around the edge of the mask, and makes a move like she is going to try and take the mask off of him. She has seen Jessica do it a few times now... like a sign of shared respect and a removal of the fear his face causes him. It seems to signify to John that he is safe with her, and Andrea wants to make him feel the same way with her. If she is going to be a part of this life, and a part of their marriage, then she wanted to know that he knew she cared about him for what he was, not for what he looked like.]
[It seemed weird to her looking back at it now. She was so afraid of Johnathan Cable at first. She had run out of their locker room that night, terrified of the Beast he was.]
Narrator:
“It was the first time she had felt something for Jessica. When she came to console her in the parking lot, it meant something to her. She knew that Jessica wanted her to be around, and she thought, at least, that she could tell she was interested in more than hiring her to do a job. Andrea was beautiful... and in her lifetime, she had seen that look a million times before. The eyes, slowly taking articles of her clothes off, so that if nothing else, at least in the minds of the observer, they had gotten to see the goods, so to speak.”
[Johnathan let her get her hands up to his face, and slowly slide her fingers into the edges of his mask, but then, something she didn't expect happened.]
Narrator:
“John was different. As many guys would break their necks to crane around looking at her just walking down the street, John never seemed to notice her, at least not like that. It wasn't until the lights went down, and the primal passions of consenting adults embraced. Those nights... Johnathan showed her why Jessica liked to call him the Beast. The name was fitting at least. Tonight, Andrea wanted to show him that she wasn't just some side piece... she was more than that, and she was ready to be involved in their marriage.”
[John reaches his hands up, and gently slides his fingers across the backs of her hands as she tries to get leverage on the leather mask. He reaches his fingers towards her own, and then wraps them, intertwined, around her own. He stops her from taking off the mask. She looks up at him confused before he speaks.]
Johnathan Cable:
“Andrea. I'm sorry.”
[Andrea is a bit taken aback, obviously. Never before had she dolled herself up and tossed her sexy form at a man who had said those words to her, and she was shocked. Only a couple of nights ago, John had made her feel a way no one before him had ever done... like she was desired for more than just her looks. It had been a late night of training, and after they had all taken a shower together, the night went very well... if you get my meaning.]
Andrea Romero:
“Wha... What? You are sorry about what?”
[Andrea lowered her hands away from his face slowly as John released her. She was beginning to feel attached to them, and not just John, or Jessica, but both of them. Had anyone told her five years ago that she would find herself in a bizarre love triangle with a super-hot Wrestling Diva and her disfigured masked husband... and that she would love every moment of it... she would have happily paid them a million dollars for the rights to the TV pilot.]
Johnathan Cable:
“Andrea... I know that we have had some times here lately that we were all enjoying each others company... but Jessica is my wife. We shared you... and you shared us... but we... you and me... can never be that way. I know that doesn't make a lot of sense, and I am sorry about that... but we can't do this.”
[Andrea looks confused, and takes a step back from Johnathan.]
Andrea Romero:
“I... I don't... understand.”
[Johnathan takes a small step towards her and takes her hand, pulling her close to him. He hugs her in a very compassionate embrace, and then looks down at her before continuing his explanation.]
Johnathan Cable:
“Andrea... Jessica is everything to me. She was my beacon to return to the light of the world. Without her, I would have been lost forever, and I may not even be here right now. It isn't that you aren't very beautiful. You are. It isn't that you aren't a very talented naughty little girl... because you are. It has nothing to do with the fact that just the other day...”
[Andrea looks up at him with a tear in her eye and cuts him off abruptly.]
Andrea Romero:
“That what ARE you getting at here John? I don't understand wha....”
[Just then, Johnathan kisses her passionately. His tongue darts into her mouth and runs laps around her teeth with her tongue as they play back and forth. After a few moments... John pulls away from the embrace.]
Johnathan Cable:
“I know you don't understand. No one ever does. I can try to explain it to you, but I am not sure if you will get it then either... but if you want, I will at least try. You deserve that much, at least.”
[Andrea pulls away from him, and makes her way to a weight bench nearby, where she takes a seat, and leans back against the leather of the bench. She props one foot up on the metal bars of the machine, and runs a hand up her leg to her very inviting, panty covered crotch.]
Andrea Romero:
“Sure Johnny... you tell me why you wouldn't want to show me a repeat performance of the other night, huh? I KNOW you had a great night, and Jessica and I thoroughly enjoyed us... so shoot. Tell me again how you are going to turn me down when I want it so bad... Go ahead and tell me how you're going to say no.”
[Andrea runs her fingertips over her panties; teasing him... trying to entice him to change his mind about the whole thing and give her what she really wants.]
Johnathan Cable:
“Do you know why we invited you into our bed Andrea? Has Jessica explained it all to you? Have you asked her about it?”
[Andrea stops touching herself, and looks a little bit confused.]
Andrea Romero:
“Well, the day after, I tried to ask her about it. I tried to explain to her that I didn't mean to cause problems between you and that I was sorry. I just...”
[John cuts her off.]
Johnathan Cable:
“If anyone should be apologizing, it should be me. I should have talked to you before that night ever happened. I should have had this talk with you before then, and maybe you would have seen what this is all about it. Jessica and I are perfectly happy with each other... but she has desires I can't give her. I have the wrong parts. Obviously, you have recently discovered these desires too, or you wouldn't have had as much fun as you have had with us. I know it is new to you, but you seem to like it...”
[With that, Andrea stands back up and takes a step towards him.]
Andrea Romero:
“So... this has nothing to do with you at all does it?”
[The explanation was clearly not lost Andrea. She was smart as a whip, and she was catching on really fast.]
Johnathan Cable:
“When Jessica and I first started talking about bringing someone else into our love life, I turned her down. I wasn't interested at all. I couldn’t figure out exactly why she even asked me about it. I mean... at first, I thought what every other guy would, I guess... Was there something wrong with me? Didn't I satisfy her well enough? What could I do differently that would excite her again?”
[Andrea looks at him with a sense of pity almost. She wonders where he is going with all of this, and from her experience, there was nothing wrong with what he did in the dark. She couldn't believe he wondered if he did it wrong. That wasn't further from the truth... at least to Andrea.]
Johnathan Cable:
“I spent a lot of nights not sleeping. I started paying more attention to her, and trying to make sure she knew how much I cared for her, and that she made me happy. I just wanted her to know that I didn't need anything else in my life, and that she was the only thing I cared about. I guess she figured out my misgivings. One day she sat me down, and explained a few things to me. It turns out, that she enjoyed me... more than anyone before me. She loved what I did for her, and how I made her feel... but there was something else. She loved the look and feel of a woman, and no matter how hard I tried to please her, there were going to be things that I just couldn’t do for her. I would never smell like a woman. I would never look like a woman... and no matter how good I was, I was never going to be a woman. THAT was what she wanted.”
[Andrea looked on as John spilled his fears about their marriage. He was terrified that he was going to lose her to another, and the fact that he might lose her to another woman was even worse yet. Imagining his terror as he thought that he would lose his beloved wife to another woman was beyond his limits. He was afraid that she would go away and never return.]
Johnathan Cable:
“I was like every other guy, and just concerned with my own feelings about it. I thought that I would die. The shame of losing her to another woman was more than I could bear. I was so stupid. She told me that night. That's how I know. She looked me straight in the face, and told me that I was stupid. She said that she loved me for it, but that I was none the less. She went on to tell me she didn't blame me. I was just a guy after all. Her desires had nothing to do with a short coming on my part. It had nothing to do with what I did for her. It had nothing to do with how she felt around me, and with me. Honestly, it had nothing to do with me at all. It was about her. It was all about something that she wanted, and she wanted to share it with me... not without me.”
[Andrea took another seat nearby on another small bench, and crossed her legs firmly, crossing her arms in front of her almost bare breasts glittering in the dim light.]
Johnathan Cable:
“At first, I still didn't get it. The guy in me screamed that I was making a mistake, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized I was the biggest idiot to walk the planet. My wife, sexy as I could dream of, wanted to bring another woman into the bedroom, and I had turned her down. I tried to explain that she was the only woman I ever wanted, and that she was all I ever needed. She told me I was cute, and while she was very happy to hear that, there was something else she wanted to share with me, and that if I really wanted to please her, I would at least try it. If it wasn't for me, she would happily forgo the desires she had, and spend the rest of her life with me and me alone. I hated the idea of her settling because I was too stuffy to compromise. Besides... what guy in his right mind doesn't fantasize about taking two women at the same time?”
[John clears his throat, and makes his way to sit next to Andrea on the bench. He takes a seat, and leans forward resting his elbows on his knees, looking at the floor as he continues.]
Johnathan Cable:
“I will never forget that first night. After I decided that we were actually going to give it a whirl, I spent some time online learning everything I could about swingers, and their lifestyle. I wanted to know what I was getting myself into before I was knee deep in naked people groping us from every angle. I knew that was definitely NOT for me. Eventually, I found a site online that we joined, and on that site, I found events here in Jacksonville for people of that mindset. There was a nearby club that hosted a meet and greet for... for people like us. I was so nervous. We got there, and I had no idea what to expect. I wondered if there were going to be people fucking on the bar and at the tables... I was so naive.”
[John laughs at himself then, and continues with the story.]
Johnathan Cable:
“When we got there, we introduced ourselves to the door guy. He mentioned having never seen us before, and we told him we were new. He gave us each a yellow wristband, and explained that the wristbands were for us to recognize other people who were there for the event, and that we should have a great time. We noticed several wristbands right away. People from all walks of life were there, and I have to tell you, it surprised me a bit. I mean, there were people there for the event from all ages... young and old, white, black, Asian, you name it... there were people from all over town there too, and you could tell that there wasn't a moment that past that they weren't all staring at us. I remember making our way to the bar to get our first drinks, and looking around while I waited on the bartender to pour, the number of eyes on us was amazing. I almost felt like I was about to get in the ring any minute now with the number of people that were watching us just stand there waiting on our alcohol. A bunch of guys tried to talk to us that night, and I brushed them all off. Jessica didn't even talk to them... but she sure spent a ton of cash of strippers that night. That was really what got me over the uncomfortable feeling to be honest. She wanted me to be a part of it, and every time she would go to tip one of the girls working that night, she always had me come with her. The girls there didn't treat her the same way they treated me, and every other guy in the place. They had a special place in their tiny stripper hearts for the ladies, and I wondered then, and sometimes still do, if it is actually a requirement to be a lesbian to take off your clothes for money. They had a blast with her all night. They made her feel wanted, and I saw the light in her eyes the whole time she was getting attention from the girls, and I knew then what it was all about. She made it a point to be in contact with me every moment of it. When a stripper would rub her hands all over her chest, or kiss her neck, Jessica would make sure she was holding my hand, or that she was touching me in some way the whole time. She wanted to share this thing with me... and she wanted me to see how turned on it got her. The sex that night was amazing. While we didn't meet anyone we wanted to bring home, we had a fun night out, and the entire time, all we were thinking was about when we got home.”
[Andrea puts her hand on John's shoulder, and turns him to look her in the eyes.]
Andrea Romero:
“I understand. I am sorry that I thought...”
[John puts his hand against her cheek softly, and she leans into the touch of him with a smile on her face.]
Johnathan Cable:
“Andrea... I already told you, that if anyone is going to be sorry around here for this mess, it would be me. You have nothing to be sorry for. I should have talked to you about this before... I just... I love my wife. If there wasn't another woman in my life ever again, as long as I had her, I would be the happiest man alive. It has nothing to do with you, Andrea. You are very beautiful, and were I a single man... you would get what you came for. I wouldn't even hesitate. But it isn't like that. I am sorry to have led you on like that, but the things that we share... WE share them. It is something that we have come to look forward to together, and not just me or her. We want to enjoy each other’s experiences with this lifestyle, not just experience the lifestyle alone... so you see...”
[Andrea kisses him suddenly. After a moment, she pulls away and stands up.]
Andrea Romero:
“So I see that it isn't exactly what I thought it was. I'm sorry that I...”
[Johnathan stands up and kisses her back just as passionately as that first night they were together in the Bahamas.]
Johnathan Cable:
“Don't ever be sorry for anything. I should have talked to you before now. I should have made it very clear that what we have is something very special to us, and I just want to make sure that you understand that it is nothing against you, but I can't be with you like that. I know Jessica is not really herself right now, and I don't really know what to do about it, but US... US definitely isn't the solution. It is going to be hard for all of us right now, and I just have to focus on helping Jessica get better.”
[Andrea hugs him tightly, and then looks up at him behind his mask.]
Andrea Romero:
“I hope I find a guy that loves me the way you love her one day. I just want you to know that I am here for you, and whatever we have to do to help Jess... I am all in.”
[John hugs her again.]
Johnathan Cable:
“Thank you for understanding. Thank you for being here for me. I don't know what I would do without you.”
[Andrea smiles at him as she makes her way back to the staircase to go back to her room for the night.]
Andrea Romero:
“I am sure that you would figure it out. Don't you always?”
[Johnathan watches her make her way slowly back up the stairs and through the door to their home. After the door slides closed, he throws rights and lefts at the heavy bag until he can barely breathe. The effort strains him as he rifles shots into the cloth, and sweat once more begins to bead on his head and run in rivulets into his mask and down his neck and chest. Eventually, Cable wears himself out, and he sits down on the floor heavily as the camera pans closer to him. Between heavy breaths, the scene fades to black]