The Ice Box is filled with the sounds of training. Weights clang as they are re-racked, athletes grunt and roar as they work out, bags pop as punches and kicks connect, and of course the unmistakable sound of bodies hitting the mat in any of the several wrestling rings spread across the large opening main training room floor. The training academy is in full motion on this busy Thursday afternoon and inside the main office on the second floor, overlooking the open training area below, Talon sits at his desk working to catch up on some office work and take his mind off of the sudden headache that this HWA revival has brought on him.
Picking up his cellphone, he types out a quick text, “Hey, not sure if this is still your number, but I saw you on TV and wanted to -”
“No way”, he thinks to himself as he deletes the text and sets the phone down. “What am I thinking?” he was really going to text Lexie, after all this time, because of a dream? He shakes his head and grumbles to himself before going back to his keyboard. He was combing through the Q1 trainee reviews from his instructors. It was rare he was able to mentor students one on one anymore, but he held frequent training siminars and clinics for any/all students of his academy to attend as well as advanced clinics for the students who had put in more time and were showing high levels of aptitude for the sport, Thankfully Diego de la Vega, his top instructor/coach, was very thorough in his reviews and lead a great camp. It made life easier.
As he read through report after report he started seeing his notification bar lighting up on his second monitor. Clearly twitter was blowing up and he had a feeling he knew what it was about; he though that getting off of his social media accounts a few years ago would take him off the grid, but the Ice Box’s account typically became a target for those trying to reach him and obviously his old account was still active even if it was dormant.
“@IceBoxMMA @TalonCRW just saw the classic Talon vs. Eddie Ring Master 09 finale on #HWAonCBS legendary. #Havoc #RIPEddie”
“Eddie K. @TalonCRW. Enough said! @iceboxmma #HWAonCBS #RingMaster #GOATs #Havoc #RIPEddie”
The tweets were all over the place, but mainly focused on the Ring Master 09 main event that replayed during the Eddie Phoenix memorial edition of HWA Havoc. As he read the tweets he rubbed his forehead, feeling one of the scars that still remained from that bloody encounter. It had been so long ago it felt like an entirely different life, like the pair weren’t even the same people that night; but a simple pivot of his office chair and a glance at the wall full of framed photos made it easy to see that he would never forget that match. An 8x10 photo of he and Eddie during the late stages of that battle was framed on the wall right next to a picture of him and Eddie holding the World and All-Star championships when they both reigned as champs a year or so later; but the truth of the matter was, seeing the tweets only drove home his suspicions that HWA was using the Eddie Phoenix death to bring in more ratings to boost their relaunch, and it pissed him off. The fact that they would dare air one of HIS matches, a personal battle that scarred both men in ways that others would never really realize; and they did it in the name of Eddie’s legacy. ”They don’t give a sh*t about his legacy,” He thinks to himself as he closes twitter so he can focus on more important things, “Parker is just cashing in on Ed’s popularity, and that is the lowest of the low. To use the name of a dead man and then embarassing and putting his son’s life in jeopardy? What type of monster, what type of piece of sh*t would do that? Of course, Butch f*cking Parker would.
Talon’s attention was snapped back to reality when his secretary paged him on the office phone.
(Female): “Sir, there is a gentleman here to see you.
(Talon): “I’m not seeing anyone today, Amy. Please take a message and maybe set up something for next week.”
(Amy): “He seems very insistent, Sir. He says his name is Ash Phoenix.”
Talon stops in his tracks, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath in through his nose, he looks back to his wall of photos to the picture of Talon and Eddie in an RWF ring and shakes his head. He knew this day was coming, he had hoped it wouldn’t be so soon, but now here they were.
(Amy): “...sir?”
Amy’s soft tone again snapped Talon back to the present. He wasn’t usually in his own head this much, but over the last few weeks it felt like he resided there. It was starting to bother him, but –
(Amy): “Mr. Wilkinson? Are you there?”
(Talon): “...yes, sorry Amy, buzz him through. …just hold my calls for the rest of the day.”
Talon paced the room for a moment, waiting for the arrival Ash Phoenix, unsure of how the conversation would go or what it might be, but he knew that nothing he could do or say would likely make the young man happy. Rolling his button down shirt sleeves up to his forearm, he watched as his office door opened and Ash walked into the room.
(Talon): Hey Kid, it’s been a while…
Ash’s voice trembles with emotions as he raises his voice, his frustrations boiling over.
(Ash): Talon! I know you promised my Mom you wouldn't train me, but I need this! My Dad made a living proving everyone wrong, and I’m going to do the same!
Talon's eyes flicker with a mixture of empathy and concern as he faces the fiery determination in Ash's eyes, he had seen that look a million times before, always in the eyes of Eddie. The look throws him off for a moment, seeing Ed in Ash’s eyes sent a chill through his body but he quickly shook it. Raising his hands to try to calm him down, Talon speaks calmly.
(Talon): Ash, I made that promise to your Mom the same day we buried your father, the same way I had promised your dad to look after your mom and you kids. I made those promises to protect you, and in your mom’s case; to keep you away from the darkness that consumed your Dad's life.
Ash slams his palms down on Talons desk, lifting one hand only to bring it back down in a balled fist punching the top of the desk. With a deep breath looking down at the desk Ash slowly looks up halfway
(Ash): Darkness? That's what you think this is? This is in my blood! I won't let you or anyone else keep me from seeing this through, I owe it to him!
Talon takes a step closer, trying to convey the weight of his words, in the back of his mind he reminds himself to focus on staying calm.
(Talon): Ash, your Dad was my best friend, you know that, and I watched him fall victim to demons that the HWA brought into his life, I watched him conquer a lot of them, but I also had to watch those last few haunt him well after we got out of that place. I can't betray your mom and knowingly walk you into that same future, I just can’t.
(Ash): Walk me in TO?! I’m not asking for you to hold my fuxxing hand!. And yes, it is MY future!, You, nor Anton, Nor Davis gets to determine what that looks like. You all don’t get to predict my future by constantly reminding me of the past while ignoring the present.
Ash’s voice calms, the tone still very fragile as his words push him closer to the edge
(Ash): You don't understand, Talon! Everyone keeps telling me how much MY DAD meant to THEM. He was MY. ####ING. DAD! Now its on me to honor his legacy, to prove that I can rise above the darkness and create my own path!
Talon's voice softens, filled with both understanding and pain. The kid was right about a lot of things, but his bond with Ed and the promises he made couldn’t change just because Ash made a good point. He couldn’t cave in, there was no way.
(Talon): Listen to me Luke. I do understand, I understand more than you can imagine. But I also understand the pain, the sacrifices, and the dangers that come with this business, especially in THIS particular business within our industry. I can't let you go down the same road that we did.
Ash clenches his fists, tears welling in his eyes. Talon’s decision to call him by his first name, one that only his dad ever called him struck a nerve and drove home Talon’s point, he was the closest thing to family he had, but in the moment, especially this particular one, nothing could really change his mind. His voice breaks as he lashes out.
(Ash): You are all trying to honor my dad. You are all trying to project his legacy while keeping some sacred oath to protect me I never agreed to. And while you all get to tell yourselves you are doing the right thing I get ask, “Why can’t the people who say they loved my dad help me do the right thing” Talon, when you look in that mirror, you are fuxxing TALON WILKINSON! When I look in that mirror….
Ash pauses as his voice begins to tremble with emotion as he looks down at the desk and leans forward. Palms still on the desk. Trying to compose himself while not being able to stop a tear from falling down his face…
(Ash): When I look in that mirror, I see nothing. Maybe this is more about finding out who my dad was in order to find out who I am….
He pauses with a deep breath…
(Ash): TALON!, You're not my Dad, No one, not you, not DNA, not my fuxxing mom can control me! I won't let you or anyone deny me this opportunity! If you won’t help me then I ask,(Pauses) No, I suggest you get the #### out of my way, because I’m doing this with or without your help. If you really cared –
Talon takes a deep breath, his voice filled with a mix of sorrow and determination as he interrupts the seemingly lost young man, he puts a hand out, nearly placing it on Ash’s chest, hoping to settle him down, if that was even possible.
(Talon): I'm not trying to deny you anything, Ash. I'm trying to protect you. Wrestling doesn't define your worth or your ability to honor your Dad's legacy. There are other ways, safer ways, for you to find your own path. Look at this, just stop and look.
Talon opens his arms up to the room around him, encouraging Ash to look at the photos on the wall. As the trouble young man looks and observes, Talon speaks.
(Talon): Look at these photos. What is the common thread? Is it family? …No. My brother was killed while I was on the road with HWA. My sister and I haven’t spoken in nearly a decade. I had to bury my mother before she had a chance to meet her grandchildren. …This business, unlike any other, not only encourages you to abandon your loved ones, but it damn well requires it… but look at this.
Ash lets his words sink in. Ash tries to gather himself. Wipes his eyes and his mouth. Runs his hands through his hair to fix himself up. Cracks his fingers and rolls his head and neck to shake out the emotions while still visibly being upset. Talon reaches over to one particular photo on the wall and pulls it down. It is a picture of Talon, his face recently stitched, his hair soaked with sweat, and his wrist tape only half removed, but in his arms is a young kid, bundled up in a winter coat, a large smile on his face. The photo makes it hard to tell which city it was taken in or exactly what year it was, but the smile on the faces of the two proved it was a good night. Ash takes the photo and glances at it before handing it back with frustration.
(Ash): If you can’t have a family then what’s this all about? Sounds like some bullshit double talk to me.
(Talon): …Look closer, Who’s in this picture?
Ash stops and looks closer. The smile is a little familiar, but what makes it all make sense is over the shoulder of the young boy is the smiling face of Eddie Phoenix. The picture was from a night where Pilar, Ash, and his siblings came to a show and were able to come backstage..
(Ash): …That’s me?
(Talon): Your dad was the anomaly. He made it work. Some people called it a “double life” but the reality was he cracked the code. How to have a family and a life outside of this place and still do THIS thing we do, at a level that few could match… He was amazing, just like his theme music said.
Ash's anger subsides, replaced by a flicker of vulnerability as he stares at the photo, suddenly a tear drops from his eye to the glass frame and his voice sofens for a moment.
(Ash): I miss him, Talon. I miss my dad every day. Wrestling feels like a way to connect with him, to keep his spirit alive… I just-
Talon's heart aches as he sees the pain in Ash's eyes.
(Talon): I know you miss him, Ash. So do I. There was nobody else I could call at anytime and know I’d get an answer. If I needed him he was there, and I tried to repay the favor whenever I could... But remember he worked his ass off for you and your family. He wanted you to have a chance at a different life, a life free from the shadows that consumed him.
Ash's shoulders slump, his anger dissipating as he wrestles with his emotions. His voice falling to a whisper.
(Ash): I don't know what to do, Talon… but I know what I think I need to do, and this is it.
Talon walks closer to Ash, placing a hand on his shoulder, offering support and guidance.
(Talon): Let me help you find another way, Ash. Anything I can do, I will. If you want to train here and work to join another promotion, I’ll have my best trainers there to coach you. If you want to go back to school, consider it done. NIL deal for you to support yourself and chase whatever dream you want. …but please don’t ask me to train you. That is the one thing I can’t do. Look Ash, I know after hearing how Anton found your dad, that a wave of emotion set this entire thing off for you to storm in here and confront me. But your dad always used to say–
Talon is cut off, Ash’s voice suddenly breaking his train of thought.
(Ash): ..Wait…..What?..Back up.
(Talon): Which part?
(Ash): The part of about Anton finding my dad
Talon pauses, suddenly realizing that Anton might not have told Ash about his dad’s death.
“F*ck” he thinks to himself as he bites the inside of his lip, trying to quickly cover his tracks.
(Talon): ...........
Making eye contact with Ash. The silence blaring at full decibeles throughout the office turning the awkward seconds into what seemed like a lifetime, finally he breaks the silence.
(Talon): Weren’t you with Anton?
(Ash): He never mentioned…..
Ash suddenly looks to the side in deep thought. He looks at Talon again and points a finger to him as he backs up.
(Ash): We aren’t done..
Ash storms out of the office and is headed for the exit. Talon watches until he leaves and begrudgingly pulls out his phone and begin to dial, raising the phone to his ear as he begins to pace the office like a caged animal.
(Talon): Hey. Yeah, I know.. Look, The kid is headed back to you and he’s got questions.
Pausing as the conversation goes on, Talon’s eyes show his impatience in the moment. He never wanted to hide anything from Ash, but clearly that was what was being done elsewhere.
(Talon): Anton, save it. Why the hell haven’t you told him? He’s been living with you for what, two, three weeks? You said if Ed’s kids ever came knocking you would take responsibility for telling them how it really went down. Yeah, YOU said that. You know what, f*ck it. None of that matters anymore, what matters is he’s heading your way and now you’re going to have to answer his questions. …yeah, yeah sure, blame me. Handle it, or I will.
Talon hangs up and tosses his phone on his desk with a disgruntled huff.. He stares out into the gym slowly shaking his head, trying to unpack all that just happened.
Message Thread
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