Manvel vs. Derek Adonis

[Konrad Raab]

3 RP Limit for singles

Deadline: 11:59 pm ET Saturday, January 19, 2019

[Corner G]

NOTE: Just to keep the story rolling along, here's what I've got. Looking forward to the next steps in this feud, and what it can do to make Man Mountain even more... mountainous? Is that it? Enjoy...

RED = On Camera 
BLUE = Off Camera
ORANGE = Dialogue



The soft sounds of a piano resonate over the scene. They’re not the random mashing of any keys, either. Instead, the notes being played signify the beginning of Garth Brooks’ #1 hit, The Dance. A single spotlight shines down on the piano, where Derek Adonis sits, his head rested on his left arm, which he has draped over the top of the instrument. Derek isn’t dressed in his usual bombastic style. Instead, he is clad in Mo Betta shirt – black and white checkers – and a Stetson set upon his head… the look made famous by the country music legend. But this isn’t Garth Brooks’ moment to own his hit. Derek begins to sing slightly off-key, slightly out-of-tune, but with all of the heart and feeling of the original track.
 
Adonis: “Looking back… on the memory of… the dance we shared… beneath the stars above…”
 
As Derek sings his heart’s song, the scene has photos imposed upon it. These photos represent happier times… times where Derek, Cookie Dreams and Manvel had been poised to take over the world. The group appear in battle royals, in tag team contests, in one such photo Adonis and Manvel stand with the SCW World Tag Team Championship belts artificially added on their hands. It’s blatant, but the ambition behind the image isn’t lost.
 
Adonis: “For a moment… all the world was right… how could I have known… that you’d ever say goodbye…”
 
The images change over to that of Manvel’s betrayal superimposed on other historical betrayals: Judas betraying Jesus, Brutus betraying Caesar, Cain betraying Abel, Leo Bloom betraying Max Bialystock… it’s a mess, folks. A real mess.
 
Adonis: “And now… I’m glad I didn’t know… the way it all would end… the way it all would go…oh-oooh-ohhh…”
 
It’s clear as Derek sings that the sting of betrayal has penetrated him deeply. He was violated. He was taken advantage of. And his coping mechanism isn’t all that strong.
 
Adonis: “Our lives… are better left to chance… I could’ve missed the pain… but I’d have to miss… the dance…”
 
He continues playing, lifting his head only to wipe what could possibly have been a tear from his meaty eye-sockets. The photos that run are no longer that of Derek and Manvel, however, having been replaced by Derek and the SCW Television Championship belt as he reaches the second verse.
 
Adonis: “Holding you… I held everything… for a moment… wasn’t I the king?”
 
Various shots of his defenses are shown – the exhibition against Manvel being the only one of the last two months having been omitted. Shots of victories over Konrad Raab, Max Kane, and Dante McCaffery are displayed in all their glory, all ending with Adonis holding the belt above his head.
 
Adonis: “But if I’d only known… how the king would fall… Hey, who’s to say… you know I might have changed it all…”
 
Again, the betrayal photos are shown. Derek lifts his head off his arm, sitting back as he belts out the second chorus to the song.
 
Adonis: “And now… I’m glad I didn’t know… the way it all would end… the way it all would go…oh-oooh-ohhh…”
 
He continues to get more and more into the song as he continues.
 
Adonis: “Our lives… are better left to chance… I could have missed the pain… but I’d oh had to miss… the dance…”
 
Before leaning forward again, his voice softening as he lightly taps the piano keys for the closing of the song. The old promotional photo of Derek, Cookie, and Manvel is the last image that is shown.
 
Adonis: “Yes my life… is better left to chance… I could have missed the pain… but I’d of had to miss… the… dance.”
 
The photo rips down from top to bottom, with Manvel being separated from the other two. Derek places his arm back across the piano, resting his head again on his arm as he keys in the last notes of the song. As it comes to an end, all that can be heard over the scene is a heavy sigh. We fade to black…
 
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January 9, 2019: A date that will live in infamy. Most will remember it as the night that Regan Street and Ravyn Taylor competed in a high-stakes Adrenaline Championship contest where neither would secure a victory, leaving their issues unresolved for another time. But for those of the KABLAMpire, it would be the night the unthinkable occurred. For at the conclusion of Derek Adonis’ defense of the SCW CHAMPIONSHIP… of Television against Tommy Valentine, he found himself on the receiving end of betrayal from the man he thought of as a brother, his best friend Manvel, after the Lubed-Up Assassin pushed Valentine out of the path of Derek’s trademarked KABLAM! finisher. After this, Derek crashed the corner at full speed, stumbling back into Knee Deep from his challenger. An elementary three-count later and the Championship was lost. But that wasn’t all. Something more was lost. Something bigger.
 
The Golden Triangle.
 
So with the weight of this, Derek sits inside his penthouse, staring at the wall. In front of him sits his recently-received legal papers from the makers of KABLAM, a toy from the 90s. They had no case. Derek knew they had no case. Odds were that the company knew they had no case, but were trying to catch Derek at a distracted time. Little did they know that the weight of Manvel’s betrayal would become such a burden on the mind of the self-professed KABLAMperor. Or maybe they knew exactly that because someone had tipped them off. How deep did Manvel’s betrayal really run?
 
Detective Smith: “Mr. Walker-Marchetti?”
 
Derek doesn’t pay attention. The investigators, Detectives Smith and Wesson, had come to Derek to update him on their investigation into his former employee Jeff-rey’s money laundering. It turned out, as they were telling him, that Jeff-rey was as big of a pawn to the circle as Derek was, though his role was a little more active.
 
Detective Wesson: “Derek, if you can help us locate Jeff-rey, we can get him on our side so he won’t have to go to jail.”
 
Smith: “His crimes are relatively minor when compared to what’s going on, so we feel like immunity in exchange for flipping on his higher-ups will be a viable option.”
 
Wesson: “Sir, are you paying attention?”
 
Derek wasn’t. His eyes were fixed on a single point on the wall, a wave of depression having hit him when the Detectives were laying out all of the information going on. They had interrupted him telling his lawyers to tell the KABLAM makers to pound salt. Derek’s mind was a complicated place at best, but right now there was a veritable minefield inside.
 
Adonis: “So Jeff-rey did betray me?”
 
Smith and Wesson look to each other, unsure of where that response had come from, or if he had even been listening to everything they had laid out earlier. He hadn’t. 
 
Smith: “Not by his choice.”
 
Wesson: “We have compelling evidence that Jeff-rey was backed into a corner by an investor who had worked under the inclination that he was going to help him become independent.”
 
Smith: “His departure of your employ was driven more by a desire to protect you from some very bad people and…”
 
Adonis: “Can you charge him?”
 
Wesson: “We would rather secure his cooperation to get the root of the organization.”
 
Adonis: “I don’t understand…”
 
Derek’s typically boisterous demeanor is completely absent. In this moment, there is no Man Mountain, no KABLAMperor, no Lady’s Man’s Man. There’s not even a Derek Adonis right now. All Smith and Wesson can see is Derek Walker-Marchetti, a man who – while deeply-flawed – had the front he puts on for the world damaged.
 
Smith: “Mr. Marchetti… Derek… we understand you’re going through some hard time right now…”
 
He pauses, waiting to see if the use of the term “hard times” is going to be enough to shock Derek to life. It isn’t.
 
Smith: “We’d like to be able to help you any way we can.”
 
Wesson: “We can direct you to resources we have available to us that we typically forward to victims of crime. Is that something you would be interested in?”
 
Adonis: “You mean a shrink?”
 
Smith: “Well, not exactly.”
 
Derek looks at him, assuming he’s lying. After being so jaded, how could he trust the Detective – who he barely knew – wouldn’t lie to him when he faced such a betrayal from a man who he trusted implicitly?
 
Adonis: “Thanks. I’ll pass. I have my own therapist.”
 
Wesson: “Okay…”
 
Adonis: “What you can do for me is look into Manvel.”
 
Smith and Wesson look to each other.
 
Smith: “Is “Manvel” a name familiar to you?”
 
Wesson: “Is this Jeff-rey’s employer?”
 
Adonis: “No… well, I don’t know. Maybe? All I know is we were enjoying great success… everything I had touched was turning to gold… and he threw that away. Well, he pushed that away. But still, the motion to get it away notwithstanding, he’s a bad friend. He hurt me. He made my wife cry. He’s a bad friend. ”
 
Smith: “I’m sorry, Derek… but being a bad friend isn’t against the law.”
 
Derek shoots out of his seats with more fire than we’ve ever seen out of the man, even on SCW television. His chair flies backwards as he slams his fists on the table.
 
Adonis: “WELL IT SHOULD BE!”
 
Derek immediately catches what he had done, looking behind him to where his chair had flown back, landing on the ground. He moves over and takes it, setting it at the table. Smith and Wesson look at each other.
 
Wesson: “We know being victimized can lead to the worst in people. Just promise us you’re going to get the help you need.”
 
Adonis: “Yeah… fine. Whatever.”
 
Detective Smith leans over to Detective Wesson, speaking in a hushed tone to his partner.
 
Smith: “I don’t think we’re going to get anything out of him today.”
 
Wesson: “Agreed.”
 
They both turn back to Adonis, sliding a card across the table to him.
 
Smith: “Mr.  Marchetti, if you come up with anything, I want you to contact us at this number, okay?”
 
Adonis: “Sure.”
 
Wesson: “And take care of yourself, okay? We don’t want to hear about anything drastic happening to you.”
 
Derek doesn’t dignify their fears for him with a response. He just stares forward blankly. The Detectives take this as their cue to rise from their seats. The move towards the door and open, looking back at Adonis in hopes of having one last response from the usually-jovial big man. It doesn’t happen. Shrugging their shoulders, they pass through the door and close it behind them. Derek remains in place, staring at the wall as his mind tries to process all of the everything going on.
 
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THE FOLLOWING IS A KABLAM! NEWS NETWORK UPDATE! Now, for KNN, here is Chesty LaRue!
 
The scene opens up to the KNN Studios, where Chesty LaRue can be seen sitting behind her desk, a low-cut top revealing her bounty, pressed upward as her bosoms rest upon said desk. Her expression, however, matches that of the world after last Breakdown. She looks into the camera a sadder woman.
 
Chesty: “Thank you. For KNN, I am Chesty LaRue. It has been days now since our owner and best friend, Derek Adonis, was callously betrayed by the Lubed-Up Assassin, Manvel. And although Mr. Adonis has chosen to remain out of the spotlight in this trying time, we have secured this KNN-exclusive quote from him!”
 
The screen splits, where Adonis’ statement is written. Of course, Chesty reads it as well.
 
Chesty: “It reads… “I have been made aware of all the well-wishes in this trying time. Although I am still confused and hurt by my brother’s actions, I look forward to moving forward with my SCW career and, of course, entertaining the fine people who support my endeavors.”… and if that isn’t a sign of hope, then I don’t know what is. For KNN, I’m Chesty LaRue. We now return you to Casting for KABLAM! Island.”
 
The UPDATE graphic comes back on, closing out this scene.