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Mystery Solved
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Topic Started: Nov 25 2012, 05:02 PM (183 Views)
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Deleted User
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Nov 25 2012, 05:02 PM
Post #1
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Deleted User
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Mystery Solved Earl Grey Park Calgary, Alberta, Canada Saturday November 17th 2012
Youthful excitement resonated delightfully from the small play area of Earl Grey Park in Calgary, neighbouring the modernized facility of Earl Grey School. Various children ran around with boundless energy as others hung from monkey-bars, swung carefully on swings and took turns spinning on the merry-go-round, utilizing every assembled contraption that had been planned and purchased to invigorate the formerly bland nature of the field. All the while these hapless children were being monitored by their parents, who simultaneously conversed with each other about a myriad of indulgent topics and news stories that were shaping literally as they spoke.
Everything seemed peaceful, unfolding without incident or calamitous consequence.
It was just how Matt Slater had always envisioned Gabriel's upbringing.
He sat comfortably on one of the benches of a nearby picnic table, surveying his brown haired, hazel-eyed son as the latter laughed immensely, being chased by a thirty-year old man named Vincent.
From what Slater had learned of his personality, job requirements and responsibilities, Vincent seemed like the perfect individual to become Gabriel's step-father; he demonstrated the key aspects of being a certifiable "family man", in all manner of speaking.
Some day Gabriel would learn the truth of his biological parents, but not now. It was far too soon to detail the saddening tribulations of broken marital commitments and the divorce proceedings that followed.
For the betterment of Gabriel's future, he would live blissfully alongside Vincent and Amy, not knowing what had occurred which had torn his true parents apart.
Fortunately, a personal reconciliation had been finalized which had brought these two individuals back together; not romantically, but in friendship. They were mutually linked by feelings of relief and hopeful prosperity, augmented by the embrace they fulfilled as soon as Slater arrived at the house. It was a touching moment that made Slater feel as though he had been heart-warmingly reprieved, eradicating the smears of disgust from the sins he had aggressively and selfishly committed last year, and cleansing his alleviated soul.
Looking to his right, Slater eyed Amy, who had been watching him studying Gabriel from afar with a polystyrene cup of coffee in her hands. She registered a smile of tranquillity - which was returned by a smile of serenity from her ex-husband as her majestic eyes concentrated on him with the same emotion of forgiveness that she had bestowed as soon as he had arrived on her doorstep.
"I've not seen you look this happy since you arrived," Amy said, taking Slater's elated demeanour into consideration.
Slater focused on Gabriel again as he formulated a response.
"Everything just seems more wondrous..." Slater said. "My perspectives are clearer ... more colourful ... not being dominated by black and white."
"Is that your way of saying that you feel reprieved from the burdens you've had to carry?" Amy intelligently enquired.
"Perhaps it is..." Slater replied. "I always imagined Gabriel living this way, being free and vibrant without having to linger amongst the wreckage that..."
Cutting his explanation short with restrictive abruptness, Slater stuttered under his breath before he sighed.
"There's no need to dwell on the past..." Amy said as she interpreted what Slater was about to convey, placing her hand on his comfortingly. "You were going through some problems."
"But it caused..."
"Listen to me..." Amy interrupted strongly as she gripped his hand, signalling her seriousness. "I'm not blaming you for anything. You took it upon yourself to accept the faults that arose, and you fought to amend them with a level of professionalism that most people can't grasp. Just because we got divorced doesn't mean I should hold you primarily responsible. Think of the other couples that have been separated but repaired their desecrated bridges later on."
Staring into Amy's eyes, Slater detected emotional sincerity. She was certainly telling the truth. She held no spiteful grudges, manifested from her loathing at his insidious behaviour. Slater had served the penalties for his indiscretions and had battled against his depression; in fact, he was still duelling with it to this day, but the malicious effects of his diagnosed condition were beginning to dwindle.
"When I see you looking at Gabriel, you don't portray a withered man, forlorn and morose. I see a man liberated. I see a man that has fulfilled an important purpose. And you're proud of what you have achieved. You've confronted your darkest adversaries and you've eliminated them all with a determined aptitude that can't be matched ... in my opinion, at least. And when I see you looking at him ... you exude this ..."
Amy paused as she waved her other hand, dealing with the difficulty of summarizing Slater's expressions and body language.
"It's like an aura of confidence ... I can't really explain it..."
"I believe I can..." Slater clarified, taking a moment to sip his own cup of coffee. "This is how I wanted our lives to be. Free of malice ... free of torment. And now that Gabriel is with you and Vincent in this quaint location, surrounded by friendly neighbours with a firm roof above your heads, it's superseded my earlier expectations."
"I wouldn't say all of our neighbours are the friendly type..." Amy chuckled.
"Regardless of that statement, I'm just glad that ... Gabriel can grow and develop in an environment where he will always have someone watching out for him."
Amy continued to study Slater's facial features as she nodded affirmatively.
"And as for me..." Slater exhaled before he smiled, "... I can start anew."
"Well you do have your wrestling career to focus on..." Amy began to say until Slater's phone rang from his pocket, interrupting their personal session.
"Sorry..." Slater expressed, which made Amy smirk; he had always been the overly-apologetic type, even for instances that were out of his control. Reaching into his pocket, Slater collected his HTC Desire C and checked the caller's identification.
Curiously, it was from Troy Turner.
"Speaking of my wrestling career..." Slater openly vocalized as he accepted the call, placing the phone to his ear and speaking into the helpful device. "Matt Slater speaking."
"Hey, Slater! How's it going, nigga?"
Tolerating the usage of a word that was being moulded into a passing reference for the African-American community, removing its former description as a racial slur at time when they were laborious slaves to the white populace, Slater checked his surroundings as he replied.
"Things are going well..." Slater said as he looked at Amy, watching her soothe her palette with another mouthful of coffee. "I have a few aches and pains, but nothing major."
"That's what I like to hear. Better to relax and unwind those muscles before you get back into the zone of intensity. Am I right?"
"You're right..."
"Man, I'm always right! Anyway nigga, I've got some info for you."
"What kind of information?" Slater asked.
"Come on, you didn't have to ask me that! You're smart enough to work things out yourself. After watching a couple of your promos it didn't take me long to realize you're one intelligent cat."
"Given the rampant nature of the wrestling business, my assumptions can sometimes be incorrect..."
"That is true, nigga. I can't deny that. But let's cut to the chase real quick. It's about the Mystery Tournament you just won."
It had only been a day since Slater had departed the Saddeldome as the Mystery Tournament victor, and already the intrigued populace were formulating ideas as to what Slater could have earned or achieved. They would have found out sooner, no doubt, if Mac Danny, New Era's rightful Owner and Color Commentator, hadn't have ventured off in silence after the show went off the air, leaving everyone without a definitive answer.
Slater was left dumbfounded after his gruelling victory against Mr Sadistic, a man he had not taken lightly by any means. Sadistic appeared to have control for most of the match, weakening Slater with various powerful moves despite his small stature, but eventually, the cursed, seemingly irreversible pattern would be broken. Sadistic had earned Slater's mutual respect from the utilization of his in-ring strengths, but his personality was still a factor that Slater couldn't appreciate by any means.
Now there were numerous theories and possibilities being posted on different websites across the vastness of the internet, thanks mostly to the New Era faithful. Slater had witnessed some of these reports online. Most of the entries were understandable and basic, but then there were a few that just made him blink with astonishment.
Obviously championship opportunities were forwarded as possible prizes. Facing Reya Serra for the NEW British Commonwealth Championship would be a magnificent privilege, given their respective styles and contemporary affiliations with each other, albeit infrequently. Facing Tombstone for the NEW Television Championship before the Challenger Series was a greater task to overcome; an astronomical understatement given his undefeated streak and random methods of attack.
To Slater's surprise and equal dismay, an anonymous source had even theorized that he would be included amongst the individuals seeking to capture the NEW World Heavyweight Championship inside the Hell in a Cell at the Challenger Series. Clearly this person had exaggerated the value of Slater's reward; either that or they were desperate to spread rumours that were astoundingly illogical.
Other achievements were variously categorized. There was a possible plan to add Slater to the merchandising list, a commercial that would feature Slater by his lonesome and prohibit his exposure from being overshadowed by New Era's top brass, a cameo on the next episode of The Walking Dead which had already been recorded in advance and edited through post-production as a free-roaming, diseased corpse, and of course the one that had gone viral across the internet with images designed from Photoshop and other pieces of software due to the hilarity and subtle symbolism of the idea, Slater being printed on sheets of toilet paper.
If Mac Danny had researched the instantaneous popularity of this tongue-in-cheek product, he would have made that the final verdict. Either that or he would have settled on handing Slater a bronze plaque telling him that he had won a Mystery Tournament and that he had the evidence to prove it, halting any and all criticisms or qualms that might arise from what seemed like an impossibility.
It had taken Slater eight years to win his first one. Now he was on the verge of understanding what he had actually earned from these tiring endeavours.
And it wasn't going to be orchestrated from the mind of Mac Danny.
"Since Mac is too much of an idiot to work out a prize for you, I decided to take the initiative," Troy said. "You're going to be facing Reya Serra in a Championship Match in two weeks time."
Out of every conceived possibility, it had been a championship opportunity which had been given the nod; although, as many people had suspected, that was an inevitable occurrence.
"I appreciate the chance to wrestle Reya Serra for the British Commonwealth Championship that she possesses," Slater replied, viewing Amy at the corner of his eye as she marvelled at the announcement of him having this kind of encounter. "I was beginning to think that I'd have to wait until Friday Night 30 to find out the details, but it seems that show will feature a worthwhile Main Event."
"There's not going to be an NFN 30 this time around, nigga," Troy corrected. "We're only hosting two shows in Montreal. You'll be on NEW Generation 23 in the Main Event against Reya. Oh, and another thing."
"Shoot..." Slater responded, confirming his interest to hear Troy's second amendment.
"It's not going to be for the NEW British Commonwealth Title. Instead, we're replacing it with another one."
Slater furrowed his eyebrows quizzically.
"What brought you to change such a championship?"
"Fan interest, nigga," Troy explained. "People want to see the return of a division that screams hardcore and extreme. They want to see a division that centre's around danger and unpredictability, where the wrestlers involved never give up ... much like you. That's why we're calling it the No Limits Championship. The first No Limits Champion will be decided on NEW Generation 23 between you and Reya."
As much as Slater respected Troy Turner's foresight, illustrating a unique division that magnified the sheer brutalities and resistant fortitudes of the industry where conventional rules and regulations did not exist, there was a conflict of interests that Slater internally addressed.
He was a reformed man of honour. His motives derived from a traditionalist attitude; defeating his opponents with pure wrestling ability only. There were of course the odd exceptions where enragement and the strict need to inflict punishment as a vindictive lesson on anyone that had berated him disrespectfully or distastefully overwhelmed his senses, nullifying any boundaries that Slater had wilfully set in order to maintain the status quo, but that was only when drastic actions were called for.
Establishing these ubiquitous acts of malevolence on a regular basis was something that Slater could not foresee; despite Troy's predictions and dreams of the contrary.
Being a champion again was an appetizing thought to consider, yet the price of reigning as this particular champion would be a detriment more than a benefit.
It was something that Slater needed to think about carefully.
He knew that Reya Serra would do the same thing. She was a woman that revelled in entertaining the fans with athleticism and spirit, not disgusting them with grotesque ways to maim or bludgeon someone with a legalized weapon.
That was her preferred prerogative, concocted from the fundamental laws of her Christian beliefs. Her angelic nature would not allow her to undertake such risks; she feared her holy status would be in jeopardy if she took it upon herself to instigate that kind of offense, becoming a sinner that had mindlessly terminated her spiritual values for gluttonous power.
But it would certainly be a sight to witness if she did tarnish her moral codes and pulverized Slater with whatever she could get her hands on, all to keep a championship around her slender waist.
Her half-sister, Vanessa, wouldn't hesitate to justify her actions with the concept of extreme violence. In fact, Cera, her actual sister, lusted after the thought of bloodshed and havoc.
Slater had known about that all too well.
Reya deserved to be a champion, but would she feel comfortable knowing that her every defence would take place in these war-like conditions? Slater doubted that with perfect accuracy.
The complication of this entire matter was that Slater couldn't refuse to accept such an opportunity, contrary to what he believed. He had rightfully earned the chance to stand as a credible champion after defeating Gavin Payne, Jenni Taylor and Mr Sadistic in the Mystery Tournament. To simply turn down this moment of greatness would invalidate his persistent endeavours.
"Pleasing our audience is what matters the most," Slater finally said to Troy. "I'm sure they'll get a good show with a respectful Main Event."
"I think so too, nigga," Troy agreed. "You look after yourself before NEW Generation."
"You too, Troy..." Slater respectfully expressed before he ended the call. After placing the phone back into his pocket, Slater looked at Amy once again.
"So what was the news?" Amy questioned, wanting to know the main details.
"I have a Championship Match coming up against Reya Serra in Montreal. The only problem is that it won't be for the NEW British Commonwealth Championship. That's being retired as of Monday."
"So what Championship are you fighting for?"
"It's called the No Limits Championship, where rules don't apply and where anything can happen without a consequence of disqualification. You can call it a Hardcore Title or an Extreme Title if you prefer. They still bear the same principle."
"But ... I thought you and Reya had sworn away the utilization of weapons...?" Amy asked in bemusement.
"Unless it is absolutely necessary," Slater clarified. "This is going to be tricky..."
"Mommy! Mommy!"
Shifting their gaze to a euphoric Gabriel, Slater and Amy watched their son run over to the wooden picnic table, holding a dirt-matted coin between his small finger and thumb. He mounted the bench and stood up so that Amy could see him more clearly as he moved his hand over to hers.
"What did you find, sweetie?" Amy asked lightly as she accepted Gabriel's located treasure. It was just a simple nickel coin, but Amy still feigned excitement and joy at Gabriel's adventurous expertise, acting as though he had stumbled upon a rare artefact that had evaded archaeologists for decades.
"This is wonderful!" Amy cheerily sung towards Gabriel as Slater watched him smile widely. "Where did you find it?"
"I found it near the swing!" Gabriel pointed out.
"Put this into your pocket so you don't lose it, okay?" Amy instructed him with a motherly tone as Gabriel took back his coin, cherishing it fondly as he obeyed his mother's commands and slipped the nickel into his miniscule pocket.
"I love you, mommy," Gabriel said aloud before he hopped down from the bench and giddily ran back to the playground, meeting an impressed Vincent half-way. Slater and Amy shared a laugh before they looked at each other again, staring into each other's eyes until Slater disestablished the strong gaze.
"Gabriel's treasure hunt reminded me of something..."
"Hmm?" Amy mused as Slater zipped open his jacket and reached into his inner pocket, taking out a small box.
"Gabriel's birthday is tomorrow. I bought him this before the Friday Night Show."
Carefully opening the lid, Slater revealed a golden pendant, resembling the one his grandfather had left him which he had regretfully thrown away last year. Amy recognized the similarities of the designs and exhibited a puzzled expression.
"Matt ... this is..."
"I didn't want to be the one to break the chain..." Slater explained as he concentrated on Amy, ignoring the ironic statement he had voiced. "My grandfather's father was the first to start the transitional trend of his pendant, turning it into a family heirloom. Through bitterness and loathing, I cast the accessory away."
Amy's irises flickered with emotion as Slater placed the box into her soft palm.
"I'd like Gabriel to possess what I should have kept. It will not only continue the traditions of my great grandfather's legacy, but it will be a subtle indication as to who his father truly is. And once he reaches that age where he can understand everything, he'll equally understand the significance of this pendant."
Nodding with approval, Amy stored the box into her handbag.
"You will be staying around for Gabriel's birthday, won't you?" Amy asked.
"Of course I will," Slater confirmed with a grandiose smile. "Plus it will grant me some more time before I have to affiliate with Falcon again."
As Amy laughed at Slater's joke, Slater placed his hand on hers this time, caressing her moisturized skin. Amy moved her hand slightly until their fingers locked, holding each other's hands in a moment of peaceful finalization.
Slater's redemption had come to fruition. His past had been quelled of the burdens that had tormented his mind, and of the nightmares that lingered as remnants of his callous desires. He had reconciled with Amy, and was going to be present at Gabriel's birthday, where he would pass the torch so to speak with a newly-acquired pendant.
This chapter of his life had been documented and sealed, but his unwritten future was just beginning on a fresh page.
And soon enough, it could be a future where Slater would responsibly define honour and competitive spirit in a manner that no one thought possible.
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