Jake Starr vs. Zero

[Konrad Raab]

3 RP Limit for singles

Deadline: 5 PM ET Saturday, July 20, 2019

[Zero]

So, Peyton Rice thinks she won huh? The ‘Chairman’ of SCW thinks he got one over me? What a crock of horseshit… I’m Zero, the hero this company needs, the hero this company wants to forever spread the message of Giovanni Aries, and I never lose. Peyton might have fought well, and kept a hold of her little trinket, but the damage I had done would fester like a cancer within her. Her mind isn’t right, too dulled by a lost love, too racked with guilt for a death that was her fault. Meh, like I give a shit… she could rot as far as I was concerned, her allegiance to those that threaten us obvious. Once Giovanni and I had overthrown our evil overlords, Peyton Rice, just like those like her would perish in the flames. But anyway, I had my own problems…

 
PRESENT DAY
 
For the last three years, I had lived the life of a superhero, taking down criminals one dickhead at a time. Amberstone and I had done what we could for the city, but then he was kidnapped, probably by G.U.A.R.D and I had been left alone for the last six months. What do you mean I didn’t show that part of the story, it happened ok? Anyways, I found myself in EMERGE, and then the SCW, but no one believed the things I could do, harnessing the power of Lightening apparently not being possible. Anyway, with it being the biggest meeting of the criminal element of the year, Rise to Greatness, and the fact that EVERY one of my enemies would be there, I had been forced to take a medical examination to ensure I was able to ‘compete’. And that’s where I was now, with my balls cupped by a particularly hairy doctor, who looked very much like a modern day Thor.
 
Doctor: Now cough…
 
I do as I am told, and feeling the shrinkage as I do, the Doctor seeming satisfied.
 
Doctor: OK, pull up your trousers Elijah, and take a seat.
 
Of course, I wasn’t pulling up my trousers, because I had attended this examination with my super suit on. Well, this wouldn’t be as funny if it had just been Elijah, fourth wall people, fourth wall. Anyhoo, I pull up my suit and take a seat, even though I had developed a distaste for steel chairs thanks to Mr Starr.
 
Zero: So what’s the story Doc?
 
As if I didn’t know I was a fine physical specimen. The Doc though steeples his fingers in that Doctorly way, and looks over the rim of his glasses… because all Doctors wear glasses right.
 
Doctor: OK, so Elijah, I have to admit you are at the peak of fitness, your BMI, blood pressure and heart rate are all at exceptional levels.
 
Well derrrr…
 
Doctor: However, this is something that we need to discuss...
 
Zero: Look Doc, if it’s about the oversized…
 
Doctor: Some people do have different sized testicles Elijah, it’s nothing to worry about
 
Zero: Oh, so it must be the mole on the end of my…
 
Doctor: Again, nothing to concern me there, just a mole
 
Zero: Oh, so what’s up Doc?
 
I’d always wanted to say that.
 
Doctor: I have to say I am more than a little concerned about your mental state
 
Say what?
 
Zero: Mental state?
 
He looks my costume up and down, and then it clicks. He was a none-believer like many more before him, most of them now taking a loooong vacation in the smallest cells the state could get away with.
 
Doctor: For starters, the mask… why don’t you remove it so we can talk properly Elijah?
 
Sure, I sounded a little muffled, but we were talking properly.
 
Zero: And let the criminal element know who I am… no can do sunshine.
 
Doctor: But Elijah, surely you realize… you’re not really a ‘superhero’ and you don’t ‘really’ have super powers?
 
Zero: YES, I do.
 
The Doctor sits back in his chair, every nonchalant.
 
Doctor: OK Zero show me… show me how you ‘harness electricity’
 
I thought about it, just for a millisecond, frying this motherfucker’s pot plant for shits and giggles. But I don’t, of course I don’t. My powers were a gift, and not a circus act.
 
Zero: No
 
Doctor: I thought not… and why not huh?
 
Zero: Because I’m not having you sue me, or SCW when this whole office goes up in flames. It’s a lawsuit waiting to happen.
 
Doctor: Of course…
 
He writes some notes… the motherfucker was taking notes on me, maybe I’d fry his brain, or maybe not.
 
Zero: Look what’s this all about Doc? Did G.U.A.R.D send you? Do you know where Amberstone is?
 
Doctor: I do not know who these people are Elijah… are you certain they are not figments of your imagination?
 
After the wars I’d had, the things Amberstone and I had been through to save our city, I was being treated like I was some kind of crackpot.
 
Zero: Positive… you know what you should do Doc, you should speak to Giovanni, and he’d put you straight. He knows, just like I do, those that hide in the shadows, that unenlightened people like you do not see until it is too late and the damage done. Look at SCW, we have devils, angels, demons… and yet here you are, trying to discount one of only a few whose eyes are truly open. Open your eyes Doc, refuse to accept what you see as normal.
 
Doctor: Elijah, Sienna Swann doesn’t really believe she is an Angel…
 
Ha… righto
 
Doctor: And the devil is nothing more than a moniker that Damien uses to strike fear into his opponents.
 
I cannot help but sigh at a seemingly intelligent man being so out of touch.
 
Doctor: You are no more a superhero than I am Elijah and ‘this’ is just a character that you play out on a television screen.
 
Zero: A character?
 
Doctor: That’s correct… yes.
 
If he’d seen me take three bullets to the chest in stopping an armed bank raid he’d change his tune. If he’d seen me stop a Nuclear reactor from leaking by sealing it with the power from my hands he wouldn’t be giving me this grief. If he saw the girls that threw themselves at me, just by thrusting my impressive bulge in their direction, he’d realize exactly how ‘super’ I was.
 
Doctor: So, due to my evaluation Elijah, I am afraid that I am going to have to withdraw you from competition indefinitely, and until at least a psychiatric evaluation has been undertaken.
 
Zero: Whoa there, cool those jets Drachawych lite. It’s Rise to Greatness coming up, pretty much the entire criminal underworld is going to be there. This is Giovanni’s…
 
Doctor: Another who could do with such an assessment…?
 
Zero: This is our big chance, you gotta believe me.
 
He starts to sign off on a document which I have no doubt will land on Sacha Drachawych’s desk, banning me from Rise to Greatness. This wasn’t fair…I had to be there, but not for me, for Giovanni and SCW.
 
Doctor: I’m afraid you are showing signs of bipolar, at the very least delusions of grandeur. It’s not safe for me to allow you to compete on those grounds. I’m sorry, but my mind is made up.
 
He says it in a way that makes me want to punch his face in, but I had to be at Rise to Greatness, I HAD to be. I get to me feet and walk over to the open window
 
Doctor: What are you doing Elijah…?
 
I step up, and place one foot on the window ledge, putting the other over to join it.
 
Doctor: Elijah, please come down from there.
 
Zero: Why, you wanted proof Doc.
 
I look down, I must have been five stories up, an easy jump for someone like me. The Doctor gets up to his feet, holding out his hand
 
Doctor: Please, Elijah, let’s talk about this
 
So now he wanted a dialogue.
 
Doctor: My name…is ZERO.
 
Doctor: Please, get down
 
I look out over the city, my city, a smile on my face. Whilst I was around, the people could sleep easily, knowing that the ‘Zero’ was looking out for them. I didn’t need everyone to believe, I just needed enough. And with Giovanni and his followers, we had enough to stop the SCW from falling into the wrong hands
 
Doctor: Zero… please… come down from there.
 
If I didn’t have a mask on, he would have seen the smile on my face. He, like Crissy and like Peyton had been turned into a ‘believer’. I jump down, and land all agile like, slowly and dramatically turning to the Doc.
 
Zero: So…
 
He picks up the document and holds it in front of the shredder. With a little coaxing, the automatic shredder kicks in, the document gone forever.
 
Zero: Thank you Doc… now will that be all?
 
He was obviously still shaken, so in awe of being in the presence of a genuine God. I look out the window, teasing him, before heading to the door
 
Zero: Don’t worry, I’ll take the elevator like you mortals.
 
I shake it hand, it was only right and make my way out of the office. How could anyone question my sanity after all that I had done? I didn’t know, nor would I ever understand. All I knew was that with great power came… well you knew the rest. And there was no one in this universe that had the power I possessed… not even the long haired lout with the hammer.
 
/ZERO HOUR
 
TARGET: JAKE STARR
CRIME: DOUBLE AGENT???
MISSION: STILL SAVING THE SCW
 
“If there is one thing that is certain, no matter what God you believe in, it’s that they love a tryer. In school, we are told that we must never give up. We must work hard to succeed. We must always do our best to achieve our goals. This is the creed of our schools all over our City and beyond, a whole generation of children believing that if they follow this mantra, success will surely come. Well kids, I’m afraid that’s no less a story than the one your Mother reads to you before she tucks you in at night. Sometimes you’re best isn’t enough? Sometimes, working hard just doesn’t cut it. And that’s because of the criminal element, who will always succeed due to the lengths they are willing to go to, to hold good people back. The best example I can give of this children, the example you would do well NOT to follow… is our man of many faces, the ‘chairman’ Jake Starr.”
 
I punch my fist into the palm of my other gloved hand, and I raise an eyebrow, an eyebrow that isn’t visible of course due to the mask I wear, but believe me I raised it. If there was one thing I had learned about the citizens of SCW in the short time I was here, it was that the city was very forgiving, and didn’t have the longest of memories. I however had a very good memory… well I had a Blu-ray player of Jake Starr’s previous indiscretions anyway.
 
“Hi Jake… and ‘Chairee’ is it?”
 
I wave, there was nothing wrong with being polite, I wasn’t yet sure what side Jake was on… who actually could know that, the amount of times he’d changed his mind in the past. I wasn’t going to embarrass him unnecessarily, he may well turn into an asset after I’d put him in his place at Rise to Greatness and he realized his mistakes. That didn’t mean to say I wasn’t going to be truthful, facts after all were facts.
 
“I’m going to level with you Jake, when I joined the SCW, I compiled a dossier on each and every mover and shaker in this City. I built profiles, and then once done, I went through each and every person that I could come face to face with, making sure that no matter the situation I would always be ready. You got a profile too Jake, and this is where I have to be honest. Why?”
 
I hold out my hands, I could actually be pleading to him for an answer (I wasn’t, I couldn’t care less.)
 
“Why do you continue to do this to yourself?”
 
I tilt my head to one side, like a dog would do when trying to understand. I’m not calling myself a dog, I’m a fine looking specimen, just trying to explain. Anyway, I digress.
 
“I mean, referring to the dossier, you were once a big deal around these parts, some might say the top dog. You ruled the roost, you called the shots, and any other cliches you could come up with, I’ll leave those to you, you’re far better at them than I am. But Jake… I nearly called you Blake then, but I’m getting ahead of myself, that was nearly a DECADE ago. Owen Cruze had only just learned how to go to the toilet by himself, Sasha Drachawych was still using sanitary towels because her Dad told her that tampons meant she lost her virginity. Shit, the last time you were relevant Jake, CHBK was flunking his high school diploma. In case you’re not getting this Jake, it was a long, LONG time ago.
 
And that’s my biggest problem in all of this Jake. You see, everything that the criminal element wants this city to become, I am the biggest threat to that. I would have expected a Glory Braddock, or a Syren, or an Allistaire Allocco to come after me, so that they can have free reign on the grand prize. Heck, it wouldn’t have been a surprise if it had been Sienna Swann, or Chris Cannon, or the DISEASE that is commonly known as the ‘Street’s’. Those would all have been people who have claim right now. These are people that would look at me as a threat, not only to their rule, but to their very existence. But no, whoever the ‘Lizard King’ as Giovanni knows him as is, instead, I get you, the Blake Mason wannabe.”
 
That was the second time I’d dropped his name, I bet he was loving his name up in lights. It was the only way it ever would be.
 
“Do you know how stupid that is Mr Starr, sending you to do evils work? How pointless it is, that of all the sum parts of his Lizard Army, the King chose to send YOU. You’d probably be OK against a Kelcai Adamson, or a Konrad Raab… or an Owen Cruze. But me… Zero… you’re expected to stop ME? To put it simply, it’s like trying to use an Umbrella to shield you from a Nuclear Blast.”
 
I shrug my shoulders
 
“And you think a chair is going to help you? Bullets can’t stop me but a chair can? That’s your logic? All this points me in only one direction Jake Starr, that being your biggest problem isn’t physical… it’s all in your head. And all this indecision as to which side you are truly on… it makes me realize that our city would have been a lot better off if you Father had pulled out and jizzed whichever seed you came from all over your Mom’s ass cheeks.
 
And this is where I get confused Mr Starr, because I see no reason for this elaborate search you find yourself, and understand the real you, when to me and anyone else for that matter it is blatantly obvious.
 
One, does any sane individual carry a chair around with him everywhere he goes, name it, and readily admit it’s his best friend? I mean, that would be like claiming to have superpowers, or be a demon when a person obviously does not and isn’t.
 
Two, does a ‘good’ guy swing said chair and use it as a weapon, on anyone and everyone who stands in his way, including the guy served with protecting our city?
 
And three, does someone walk the ‘true’ path like I, by committing heinous acts and deceit? The answer to all these questions, is of course a resounding NO. YOU Jake Starr are not a good guy and never will be. You’ll never be a hero to the citizens like I am. No matter how you try to redeem yourself, nothing can erase the things that you have done in your life, and will surely do again when the mood takes you. We already have our ‘Lizard King’ maybe you are our ‘Chameleon’ because you Sir, have become a city wide joke. The problem for you Mr Starr, is your nemesis, that’s me by the way, I’m the only one not laughing.”
 
I nod my head enthusiastically, the Chameleon… I liked that.
 
“You know why? I had my suspicions about you the moment you stepped foot back in our city. Where had you been, who had you been with? Those were the questions I asked myself. The flip flopping of sides, the good guy on minute bad guy the next routine, it could only ever lead me to one conclusion. This façade you have created for yourselves that has gotten you in favor with the citizens, MY citizens… YOU Mr Starr are a double agent, working for the criminal element and this ‘Lizard King’. YOU Mr Starr are the most dangerous criminal of all, and it has led me to a terrifying realization.”
 
I put on my most serious face, even though you can’t actually see it, it’s there I promise you.
 
“What if you’re not the only one? What if Blake Mason was the same, hiding in amongst good people and staying out of sight? What if the corruption has spread much deeper than Giovanni and I could imagine, further than even the two of us can handle. What if…”
 
I lower my head, not really believing I was saying this.
 
“What if… we are fighting a battle that we simply cannot win? And the true enemy is the one that hides in plain sight like you, never heard and never seen.”
 
Even now I was going through a list in my head, the people that could easily have been corrupted and we would never know. Manvel, Adonis… they had won trinkets when frankly they were undeserving, nobodies in the grand scheme of things that I thought didn’t serve a purpose. In showing their loyalty, had these trinkets been their rewards? Had I made a crucial mistake in overlooking their importance?
 
“And the answer to that Mr Starr is simple. Whether we can win or not is irrelevant, the SCW is the ONLY thing that matters. You might hear Sienna wax lyrical about this company, you’ll have definitely heard Owen Cruze banging the same old drum over and over again but there are only a few that truly care about this city, and Mr Starr, you are looking at one of them. And we fight regardless of the odds.”
 
I stand proudly, in defiance of those odds, my hands placed firmly on my hips, staring straight down the camera’s lens.
 
“Rise to Greatness will be watched by millions Mr Starr, all tuning in to see trinkets change hands, and pointless feuds come to an end. Never before will so many eyes be on our city, which still even now shines like a beacon of hope towards other cities such as EMERGE and the little known GCW. Corruption may be rife, but we are still the standard bearer, and as long as Giovanni and I are around, we forever will be. This is our chance to set an example, to all those like you hiding in the shadows and those in the public eye that we will NEVER stop serving the people, no matter the detriment to us. So congratulations, Mr Starr at Rise to Greatness YOU finally get your wish, you FINALLY become relevant. YOU will be our message not just to our city, but to the world. That hope can be found… if you look to Giovanni Aries and Zero.”
 
I stand and salute… I’m guessing that the scene is fading. Has it faded now? Is someone going to…

[Jake Starr]

When I returned to work and got to perform again, it was like nothing had changed.  I performed.  I did as good, if not better than I expected, and I actually walked to the locker room with a sense of pride in me.  I felt I had shown myself that I could recover from the bad situations I had put myself in, and effectively grow up before the eyes of many people, including my friends and family.  It was as if I had achieved more in my life and career in one night than I had over the course of the 20-plus years I've been doing this.

The feeling backstage when I walked back, ultimately, was positive.  People welcomed me back.  Those who had gotten wind of what I had done to myself and come out of came up to me and we exchanged pleasantries.  Truly, for once, I felt like people were happy to just seem me alive.  It wasn't what I was used to in that environment, and honestly I know it was due to my own doing.  I was the asshole behind the scenes.  I treated people like scum, for the most part, because I felt entitled to everything.


As eerie as it was, it meant a lot at the same time.  For once in my life I was appreciating the fact that others were expressing real concern and real care for me.

As I got to my dressing room, I walked in and realized that I didn't know what to do.  For the longest time I had people with me who handled a lot of the mundane things so I could just get in, get out, and call it good.  This time I wanted to be alone, and I realized how coddled I had let myself be for so long.  I was used to my clothes being ready and being able to shower, change and be gone.  This time I realized I hadn't done anything to prep myself for being done, and stood there quite confused.  I kind of chuckled realizing how babied I had become, and just opted to try and do things as normal as possible.

After a quick shower I got most of my clothes on and began to pack.  Before I knew it, though, a confrontation I wasn't expecting happened.

Inside Jake's locker room he is packing his bags preparing to head of the arena.  As he is doing so he hears his door open and because he's wearing a baseball cap only sees the shoes of the man walking in.  Jake's eyes slowly look up and he sees David Helms standing there, looking at him. is David Helms.  David is one of the few people Jake hasn't spoken to since he tried to take his own life.  He assumed that word made it back to David and Tommy, but has never had concrete confirmation.  David stands there with a stern look in his eye.

The two lock eyes for what seems like an eternity.  Jake grimaces slightly as he stands up, feeling some of his muscles and joints start to stiffen from not being used in such a manner for so long.  He takes a couple steps toward David and extends his hand.  David reaches out and shakes it.  The last time the two had truly shaken hands was at the Hall of Fame induction ceremony the year prior, so it was a gesture that both didn't hesitate to engage in.

With the handshake complete, the silence and tension in the room is still there.  After a deep breath, Jake decides to try and open up the conversation.

Jake Starr: How you been?

Having known Jake for many more years than he would probably like, David sees through Jake's small talk.

David Helms: Is it true?

Jake looks a little confused.

Jake Starr: Is what true?  That the Earth is round, yes.  Flat Earthers are completely moronic and need to be handled with kid gloves...

Jake's sarcasm does little to break thr stoic look of David Helms.

David Helms: You know that's not what I meant.

Jake Starr: And you know you weren't clear either...

At this point, in the back of my head, I knew what he was curious about.  But I couldn't bring myself to just being honest.  When you're staring down someone who you consider one of your best friends and they weren't ever contacted by you, or talked to about the incident, you know they're not going to be happy.  The bigger issue was that I knew I was being judged.  I knew that I was being "evaluated."  This wasn't just any friend.  This is a friend who people would confide in, ask about me, want to know what he knows.

I'll never forget that look in his eyes either.  He was judging me from the minute he walked in.  In his mind I had committed a sin by not reaching out for him to save me.  Sadly he was right...

David Helms: ... But you know what I meant.

Jake Starr: Then just ask it then.  If it's what I think it is, it isn't something I just talk about around the bar while having a drink...

David takes a breath, knowing the question he's going to ask isn't one that makes me feel good inside.

David Helms: Dud you try and kill yourself?

Jake Starr: Yeah... I did... And I came pretty damn close...

Jake turns around, annoyed that David took coercing to be that forward with him.  He goes to continue packing his bag.

David Helms: ... Then why?

Jake Starr: Why what?  Why'd I do it?  Why'd I do it that way?  Why didn't I succeed?  Why didn't I try harder?

David gets annoyed at Jake's sarcasm.

David Helms: Fucking stop.  Why did you do it, man?  You know I would have helped you get through anything.  Yeah, we weren't best friends again, but I would have dropped everything to make sure you were ok...

Jake sighs, looking down at his gym bag before responding.

Jake Starr: Sometimes things just get the better of us and you try and find a way out...

David Helms: Why not reach out to me?  Why not talk to me, man?  We buried the hatchet.  I was on that stage inducting you into the Hall of Fame.  You could have reached out.

Jake sighs again.

Jake Starr: I could have reached out to a lot of people, you know?  Not just you...

David Helms: And yet you didn't... You took a coward's way out... You let your emotions get the best of you in the worst fucking way, and then after all of that, you didn't have the common courtesy to reach out to Tommy and I.  Instead we get word MONTHS after everything goes down that you almost fucking died?  That you literally were clinically dead for MINUTES?!  And YOU never once reached out to us after.  I thought we were a fucking family, man?  I thought we made amends so we could at least, behind the scenes of this industry, have our friendship and BROTHERHOOD back together?  Instead you go and try and off yourself, then don't reach out to us and make us hear through the grapevine?   Seriously man, what the hell?

He had always been known for truth.  Minus when he turned on me once, did he ever not just be candid with me, and this was no difference.  The problem was, he was right about it all.  Deep down, I was embarrassed.  I didn't want to tell anyone.  At the time I was recovering naivety was taking over and I thought I would be able to go about my life like it never happened.  I was so conceded I didn't think anyone would hear about it, and it would blow under the carpet.  Instead, it was well known backstage.  It was known by everyone.  Like I said people came up and showed their gratitude toward me that was fucking alive.  

But when it comes to family and friends, you still wish not to admit it.  You still want to keep it under wraps.  You still want the world to believe that it just was a figment of their imagination.  But in your soul you realize everyone knows and it's the elephant in the room.  He was really just the first to call me out on it, from those who weren't there from the get-go...

David Helms: Why would you do something like that to yourself?  To your family?  To your friends?  Hell even to the fans?

Jake takes a deep breath before hopping up from his squatting position and getting in the face of his friend.

Jake Starr: You realize I know how FUCKING dumb that was, right?  You know that I, me, JAKE FUCKING STARR, has to live with the fact he tried to commit suicide every GOD DAMN day of his life until he DIES naturally, right?  Why didn't I call you?  Why didn't I text you?  Why didn't I parade this around for everyone?  Because I was ashamed of myself, man.  You don't know what it's like to try and off yourself, and if you do, fuck you for being a hypocrite about it now.  The fact of the matter is I'm alive now, and I realize I fucked up.  I'm the one who has to live with that. Yeah... I should have reached out to a lot of people.  I should have been open with a lot of people.  I should have called for help before I strangled myself and wanted to fucking die.

But I didn't, did I?

No...

Instead I took the easy way out, or tried to.  I tried to kill myself so I didn't have to deal with everything both personally and professionally.  For fuck's sake, I barely have even walked into my won fucking house recently, man.  They have me under lock and key and I'm under watch everywhere I go.  Why?  Because I haven't been released to my own recognizance yet.  And that is by MY decision.

I'm fucking embarrassed.  I'm fucking ASHAMED.  Do you think that's a call or a text or a chat I want to make, man?  I did something so shameful that EVERYONE looks at me with this fear in their eye now.  Shit... The fucking production crew look at me like a cancer patient who is about to die and they're giving me their final goodbyes.

Do you know how that feels, man?

David stays silent.

... Everyone knows what I did.  Thanks to places like TMZ my stupidity I became a front page story and that dude who owns the place got a 30 minute live talk show about it with his "writers."  So how do you think I feel about everything, man?  I was front page news everywhere.  "Jake Starr Tries to Commit Suicide" on Yahoo, TMZ, Huff, even Fox News.  They took time from sucking Trump's dick to even give me headline news... So why should I be messaging everyone?  They are getting it in real time from someone in the room with me.

David Helms: You realize that isn't the point Jake, right?

Jake Starr: Obviously not...

David Helms: Dude... All I wanted to know was you were OK.  Yeah... I see all this shit online, and you and I both know I blew your phone up.  But when you didn't respond I thought the worst.  Then you show up on SCW doing Taking Hold of the Flame?  You didn't even tell me you'd be there.  All you did was show up out of nowhere.  Tommy wanted the fucking same.  But instead you just magically appear after we read about you online?

Jake Starr: Yeah... I get it... I should have said something...

David Helms: Yeah... You should have beforehand...

Jake Starr: Dude... I get it... I did something dumber than anything I have in the past.  I did something I regret.  I did something I have to explain to my daughter.  So fuck you acting like you are the most "in the dark" person there is.  There is one who was kept even more so than you.  So I get it, man.  You two are family.  But the fact I haven't even been able to come clean to my own daughter, you should just get that.

It was here he realized how much I had withheld from everyone.  He realized that my own daughter was even in the dark about everything, and truly his attitude changed.  Seeing one of my best friends go from confrontational to understanding was something I didn't expect.  But he began to understand me in a way I don't think he did prior to this moment...

David Helms: Mara doesn't know...?

Jake sighs.

Jake Starr: No, she doesn't.  We sheltered her as much as we could.  I don't know if she saw online or if someone from her class told her, but as far as she has told me, she knows nothing...

David Helms: How do you honestly think she's going to react knowing you weren't honest with her?  How do you think she's going to react when she knows what her fucking father tried to do to himself?

.::Jake snarls.[/color][/b][/align]

Jake Starr: Do you not think I've heard ALL of this before, David?  Do you not think since that fucking day I woke up, I've regretted it so much?  Huh?  Do you think I'm PROUD?  Do you think it's something I'm going to be putting at the top of my resume?  Dude... I fucked up.  I made the dumbest fucking decision I have ever made, and I know this.

David's voice softens.

David Helms: But why, bro?  You're stronger than that.  I know this... Tommy knows this... YOU know this... So why?

Jake looks down and begins to get choked up.

Jake Starr: I'm not strong, man.  The real me is full of weakness, I just finally couldn't handle everything anymore.  I felt like I had nothing left in the tank to fight back with.  I couldn't think about anyone but myself.  I was so damn selfish, all I could think was I wasn't worth being around anymore.

David sees a tear falling down Jake's cheek.

Jake Starr: ... I fought it, man.  I fought it as long as I could and it won.  That night I lost the biggest fight of my life.

David puts his hand on Jake's shoulder.

David Helms: Why not reach out?  I know I'm not the first to ask that, but why not call me?

Jake Starr: Like I said, nobody mattered but me.  My own daughter didn't even enter into my head when I did it.  Do you know how much that kills me inside?  To  know that I can be so fucking selfish to where Mara doesn't even matter more than me?

David Helms: Honestly I can't imagine...

Jake Starr: And be fucking glad you can't... Be glad you can't put yourself in my shoes for once.  Because I wish that pain and that horror on nobody, not even my worst enemy.

David Helms: So what now?

Jake Starr: What do you mean?

David Helms: What's next for you?  Are you ok?  Do you honestly think this was a one-time thing?

Jake Starr: I know it was.

Jake sniffles.

=p- ... It was the biggest fuck up of my life and what I felt during and after, and this experience I had when I was fucking clinically dead... Nothing will bring that darkness back into my life.  The memories alone are enough to scare me into going in another direction.

David Helms: Well I am glad to hear that... But I want you to fucking promise me something, as friends, as family, as brothers, and I want you to mean it...

Jake Starr: What is that?

David Helms: If that darkness ever does come back, you call me immediately.  I won't freak out.  I won't call cops.  I won't call Roeper.  I won't make a scene.  But you promises me right now you won't ever do that shit again without calling me first.  Hell even if I'm the cause, you call me first and we will work it out.  Ok?

Jake Starr: Deal...

David feels a tear of his own and just embraces Jake and the two share a moment together that can only be described as emotional.

It was a somber moment, being chided by one of your best friends, then seeing the sadness on their face.  But at the same time, for him, I know he saw a side of me and heard a truth out of me he wasn't expecting either.  Regardless, it was a moment we both needed.  He needed to confront me, but he needed to hear answers from me directly.  It was also a first for us.  Our MO had always been to go through a third party before we ever try to talk to one another.  This time, he came straight to me.  He didn't ask anyone else who may have been able to get him the information, he came to me.  It was one of those times, I think, I had to be the one to tell all and not just fill in the gaps from others.

But he was right... Lots have made me make the same promise.  A promise to reach our to them and have no fear of judgment or persecution.  And I wonder a lot how truthful a lot of those promises from their side are.  Why?  Think about how hard it would be to not judge someone, not freak out, not try and save them.  Hell if someone called me, I can say I wouldn't try and save them, but I don't know if I really would.  So I never truly know what to believe.  The gesture and meaning is there, and truly that's what matters.  But coming from him... I believe it all...

----------------------------------------

Jake Starr: Ladies and gentlemen... What does it mean to "Rise to Greatness?"  What exactly do those words entail when it comes to the sport of professional wrestling?  Does it always have to mean someone who is undeserving shows up and does some spectacular something, and has their moment in the sun?  Does it always mean that people just do better than they ever have?  My personal opinion is it's neither.  My personal opinion is the term "Rise to Greatness" is the ultimate challenge to those of us in the locker room who think we are worth a damn to finally fucking prove it.  No matter if you're on a losing streak, winning streak, number one contender, or the World Champion, themself... Rise to Greatness means you have to step up and prove you are who you always say you are.  It's a night where anything can happen because some people, myself included in my rare losses, have lollygagged into the arena thinking everything, EVERYTHING, was guaranteed to go my way.

But then what happens?

David Helms hands you your first loss.  You're not the undefeated badass of Rise to Greatness anymore, he is, and deservedly so.  Now I am not here to revel in David's accolades because they need none, I'm simply saying, that night I know I didn't take him seriously.  And I'm also not here saying had I done something different I would have won, either.  I'm simply saying, he didn't get Jake Starr at his best, and he deservedly won.  

And that's what I see as "Rising" to Greatness.  Someone who doesn't know what you're bringing, but knows EXACTLY what they can do, and if they can execute, can win.  Hell, I look at at Breakdown and I see something very similar.  I see my first moment inside an SCW ring by myself, facing a competitor who I know nothing about.  I walk into that arena facing SCW's own wannabe version of James Bond, and what happens?  Jake Starr steps up.  Jake Starr rises like a Phoenix.  Jake Starr shows the world I can still throw some flippy shit around the ring here and there and put people away.  I showed that locker room that, yeah, I'm coming back to make a name for myself again, but I plan on doing it right... For once.

Jake takes a deep breath, and sighs.

For years, I've felt entitled, you know?  I've felt like everyone should kiss my feet, give me what I want, and know they were contributing the great cause that is, well, me.  But death has a way of making you realize your mortality and who you really are.  And I'm a guy who has always been hungry.  I've always wanted to fight and be the best.  The problem was I went about it in a way that pissed everyone off because I never respected them.  I never gave ANYONE, even my friends, an iota of respect.  Instead, I just said I was better, more deserving, and felt I should cut in line.  I mean, hell, think about The Brotherhood/Social Misfits early days here.  Think about the fact I was teaming with David Helms and Tommy Valentine, and saying I deserved the World Title more than them, and they were OK with it for the longest time.  But effectively I held them back because of my greed and feeling of just being "deserving by name."

Taking Hold of the Flame and Breakdown have been two events that have shown the world I'm willing to step up and fight my way back to the top.  Will I get there?  I don't know.  I don't know if the apex of this industry will ever be within my grasp again.  I don't know if I will have the opportunity to usurp Jason Wheeler Phantom Zero's record.

As has become the norm, Jake's producer tells Jake that Syren has tied Jason Zero's record of 7 title reigns.

... Really?

The producer nods.

Huh... Then let me rephrase that last statement... Ahem... I don't know if I will ever have the opportunity to usurp Jason "Insert 20 Nicknames Here" Zero's or Syren's record.  But ultimately that's not what I'm here to do.  What I am here to do now is simply prove to myself, and prove to my friends and family, that I can climb out of a hole I dug so deeply for myself and be at a level where I am happy and I can compete.  And I'm a relist here, folks.  I know the likelihood of me passing them is minimal.  Syren is a dominant fortress in this industry, no matter what I think of her personally, and I would have to win the belt, lose it to someone who isn't her, and subsequently keep her from even sniffing it going forward.  So the reality there isn't one I'm going to play up like is plausible.  If it turns to be down the road, that's one thing, right now, those two earned their right to call themselves the champion the most times.

Jake smirks.

But like I said, that's what Rise to Greatness is for.  It's for that moment when you defy what many believe to be the "given."  It is when those who are out to PROVE A POINT step onto the biggest stage and PROVE it to the masses.  It doesn't have to be about titles.  It doesn't have to be about careers in jeopardy or not.  It doesn't have to be about anything.

Emphatically... It has ZERO to do with anything but you stepping up and taking control...

Jake smirks again.

See what I did there?

Heh...

So being backstage has been an experience.  I've seen a lot of fresh faces in SCW and honestly I LOVE it.  I love seeing SCW conti9nue to grow, and know that during one period of it's growth I was a big part.  But then there was this one random spazz who seemingly was so worried about himself that he would go to the board to  demand he be put in the official "SCW Encyclopedia."  Funnier than that, his name wasn't Jake Starr.  It was this guy named Zero, and I'll be honest, when I heard the name I just figured Jason had picked a new identity and had some reconstructive surgery done to NOT look so much like Tom Cruise, but I was wrong.

Zero and Jason Zero are actually DIFFERENT PEOPLE!

This was one of those revelations that someone had to come up to me and pinch me because I couldn't believe it was real.  I couldn't believe he hadn't come out of retirement and just tried to shorten his name.  Instead, IT'S A DIFFERENT PERSON!  And guess what?!  This person is about as bright as the last because he decides that because I don't know his ass because I've been gone, he's going to attack me?

Bruh...

Really...?

Zero, you are the epitome of what I had hoped for walking into Rise to Greatness.  I had hoped for a guy who had an ego.  I had hoped for a guy who had this attitude about him.  I had hoped for someone who thought of himself as someone who deserved to be recognized by everyone, just like I did.  Why?  Because I wanted someone who wasn't afraid to stand up to me.  I wanted someone who didn't give a fuck that I was Jake Starr, and instead had wanted me to bow down to him.  I wanted that guy who thought so highly of himself that he was above anything I had done already, before he had even scratched the surface.

Again... Why?

Jake smirks.

... Because I wanted to find that guy who had that same fight that I did a decade ago, trying to become someone bigger than life.  2009 was my first fucking Rise to Greatness and I did just as everyone hoped I wouldn't, and I WON.  It ultimately led to me winning my first World Championship and becoming one of the rare DUAL champions in SCW history!  So I wanted that guy.  I wanted that guy with the same piss and vinegar I had.  I wanted the guy who I thought would ultimately push me to my limits right now, and test what I could and couldn't do as I got back into the swing of things.  I wanted that new version of Jake Starr, and if I knew it was going to be as easy as saying some dope wasn't on the roster list, I would have done it before I stepped out there at Taking Hold of the Flame.  Nevertheless as I perused the backstage area before the Breakdown I stepped back into the ring, I crossed Zero and I found him so wound up tight that I knew he would eventually be the one coming my way at some point.  I didn't know if it would be Rise to Greatness, only because Mr. D has a mind of his own.

But here he came to attack Daddy!

He decided to use Breakdown as his chance to make a name for himself.  He chose my first Breakdown in almost a year as his moment to try and get in my head and come after me.  And that was the WRONG night to do that.  Why?  Because I was there to prove a point.  I was there to show the world I wasn't a fluke.  I wanted everyone to see Jake Starr was back and was in a SERIOUS manner.  But then he decided to come out there and jump me, and yeah, he got the better of me.  But what we all saw was how Jake Starr never ... EVER... Has left his true bff far behind...

Jake lifts Chairee over his shoulder, who now sports a new painted on face, complete with makeup.

For a couple years Chairee and I walked the halls of SCW feared because nobody knew when, where, or WHO, we were going to strike.  Now, I wanted to play nice, and yeah I did kind of mock the guy and call him the name of Tom Cruise's unemployed stunt double, but it was all in fun.  He decided to make it personal and jump me, so I decided to show him that if he wants to play dirty, there are none who are more willing to go there than me.  Sure, it may not score me any brownie points with the goodie-goodies in the back, but she and I have made statements that have echoed through these hallways, and reminded everyone do NOT fuck with us.

And Zero... You fucked with us.

Now, I could stand here, get my shovel out, and bury you with insults about your name, which effectively means you don't exist.  But instead, I'm going to look you dead in the eye, through this lens, and make sure you hear EVERYTHING I have to say.

You made a critical error, Zero.  You messed with me when I'm on a mission.  I'm on a mission to show that I can pull myself out of the deepest hole one can dig for themselves AND be successful once again.  I've disappointed so many people over the past year, the LAST thing I'm going to do is go down the path again and do it all over.  Now I have to show them and earn their trust that I can even lace my own goddamn boots myself, again.  And because it is Rise to Greatness, it is the perfect night to go out and do it.

Sure, walking into Taking Hold of the Flame I had all of those people cheering me on.  But behind those cheers is worry, doubt, fear.  It's all because they worry that the minute I don't succeed or have a setback I'm going to collapse.  But I had a setback at Taking Hold of the Flame by coming so close to EARNING a main event opportunity at Rise to Greatness, and instead of collapsing, I went out there and I beat the hell out of Max Kane and showed SCW and anyone who fears me spiraling again that I can bounce back and take a loss as it comes.  I don't expect perfection out of myself anymore.  I don't expect to win everything I ever set out to compete for...

... But I ALWAYS expect to RISE to the challenge at Rise to Greatness...

So I hope you realize your mind games, your blindside attacks, all of it, did nothing but piss me off and make me want to kick your ass from one side of that arena to the next.  I hope you realize that this Sunday is the night that I can take a match that on the surface is filler, and make it a MAIN FUCKING EVENT.  That's what I do.  That's who I am.  I am the guy who SCW RELIES on every year to help transform Rise to Greatness and make sure the fans are ALWAYS energized.  And on Sunday you're going to find out why.  You're going to find out why Jake Starr is Mr. Rise to Greatness.  For fuck's sake, I've probably competed in more of these than ANYONE in SCW history, and this Sunday will mark when I break a streak I'm not completely fond of.  I've been losing lately.  But there is little...

Jake chuckles before looking up at Chairee.

... Nah... There is ZERO chance that I don't walk out without my hand being raise.  Why?  Because this is one night of the year I do just what I said the name reflects... I elevate my game and prove my greatness... So expect nothing more than Jake Starr to bring the pain, bring the rain, and most importantly, to RISE to the occasion and be a man who people fear once again!