Act III - The Equivocation

The Equivocation is an essential talent of any good magician. It is the ability to use the voice over the action, manipulating the mind before any of the physical.

While an amateur magician may be clumsy and unskilled in the ways of the ‘convincing’, any magician that amazes and dazzles is one who can manipulate all elements of a performance - including the psychological.

At its simplest, the magician talks the subject into a small number of alternatives - all of which have been anticipated and accounted for. This ensures a smooth transition and completion of the illusion by the magician while still appearing to have the element of magic.

The magician must instil a level of confidence in the free choice - that is, the subject believes they are choosing of their own volition. However, regardless of what choices they think they have, the subject is verbally forced into the choice that assists the magician.

While it will take time to master this magical tool, a veteran of the stage will be an expert.

————— [ RIMAC Arena, San Diego, California ] —————

Riley shrugs in an almost cheeky manner as Sally seems surprised...JUST IN TIME TO BE SPUN AROUND BY COLLINS AND DROPPED WITH A SHINIGAMI!!! The crowd is in genuine shock and awe as Fiona's cheerful smile fades to an absolute sneer as she looks down at Talfourd, looking over at Riley as he nods and comes over, putting a hand on her shoulder before she and him begin walking off, not giving a second glance back at The Last Magician. And on that note, we go backstage.

…

Fiona Collins: So? What about 'this?' You can say it, Tom. You mean me actually making a choice for myself? Deciding that it's time I take matters into my own hands?

…

Fiona Collins: I am the Ace of EXODUS but don't think that I'm turning my back on this company. I'm letting the fans, the roster, and the world that I AM EXODUS. The road to the top of the mountain in this company goes through ME. 

…

Fiona Collins: I've had it with every hater that's claimed I've lost my spark, with every fan who would rather cheer for Sally Talfourd or mara or the people who would rather destroy this place like Gods & Monsters tried to do. 

…

Fiona Collins: If you're not with me, you're against me. And you're about to find out what happens to those people who are against me.

————— [ The Olivian Apartments, Seattle, Washington ] —————

“Ugh, Matt,” Sally throws her head back over the back of the couch, running her hands through her hair, “What are we going to do?”

“We?” Matt looks a little startled, having to put down his newspaper, “When did I get involved in this?”

“When I paid you to get involved.”

“Well, let’s not forget you’ve been out for a fair few months,” Matt looks back down to his paper now, satisfied he’s not going to be roped into any shenanigans now, “I’m sure that the audience knows Fiona wouldn’t have got the one-over you if you were in your prime.”

“Prime is a state of mind, Matt,” Matt still looks up at the roof, flashes and images of her most recent match, “Do you think the cow knows it’s going to be branded ‘prime rib’ on the menu?”

That gets Matt’s attention again, “Does a cow even think?”

“That’s not my point, Matt. I mean … I felt as good as I have ever been. My body felt good, my mind was clear, I was as ready as I could be to take on Exodus with Fiona. I was sure I’d shown that I was on the right side now.”

“Well, Sally,” Matt folds over his paper and tosses it onto the coffee table between the two, “I don’t think you should really dwell on this whole thing. Frankly, from what I‘ve seen, you’ve been putting in the right fights, winning the audience over and . what? Lost a match, been turned on? That - to me - says you’re doing something right.”

Sally lets out a laugh as she sits up, looking at her manager with a much more serious tone, “I’m look down the line at another enemy, so to speak.”

“The Family, Sally,” Matt’s voice changes as well, a tinge of fear mixed with worry, “And Fiona, and Chris … You shouldn’t get involved up with them too much. They’ve all lost their ways. And they don’t seem to have the same boundaries or rules or regards that you’re now fighting for.”

Sally sits, unmoved, deep in contemplation.

“Sally, did you learn anything last year? You can’t …”

Sally laughs, though hardly one of sincerity, “I learnt things, sure. I learnt that Exodus needs defending against those kinds of people. Legion? Gods and Monsters? Now the Family? Fiona? Strike - Exodus’ own world champion? Those are the people that need stopping - they are not helping this company, Matt.”

“So where does Chris and Fiona …”

She doesn’t even let Matt finish, “They’re headed towards the dark side of all this, I can see it already. The things they’re? The things they’re doing? They’re not headed for a happy ending - and I’m sitting here not able to stop any of this.”

“You can turn this tide, Sally,” Matt stands up, walking over to stand at the balcony windows, looking over Seattle, “All the fans are expecting it.”

“Well, firstly: Have you been watching my matches?”

He squirms, “Uhhh … well, you know … I see them … yeah. But who remembers them!? There’s been so many …”

“Get a grip Matt,” Sally throws back her hair with violent frustration, “If you haven’t fine. But I’ll tell you what you would have seen: Someone not yet ready to take this cause up.”

“But you had a great start! Big win and all …”

“The start is only as good as the end.”

“That …” Matt turns away from the window, “That’s some deep stuff, right there. Have you been reading that Confucius stuff again?”

She looks up from her hands, “No.”

Matt shrugs.

“Look, just be honest: What are you seeing in the ring in my matches?” Sally’s turn to lean into this conversation, “Have I lost a step after that break?”

“Sally, you know me,” Matt starts counting on his fingers, “I manage money, I get you booked, I get your bills paid, I even handle your clothes. The business side? You won’t find anyone better. But the wrestling side … I’ve never been any help there.”

Sally falls back, disappointment hanging over her.

“I can talk you up, if this is a confidence thing. I can remind you about this and that,” Matt’s arms wave all around, “But if this is an actual in-ring thing, well, we know who we have to go and visit.”

Sally closes her eyes, “No, we don’t have the time. We’ve got a show in …”

“In a week, yeah,” Matt reaches for his water, “But still.”

“Maybe,” Sally sits up now, at full attention, “Maybe look into it for me?”

Matt, in a sign of confidence, nods, “Will do. I’ll arrange it all.”

————— [ Hard Rock Hotel, Las Vegas, Venada ] —————

Exodus.

More than my opponent this week, more than the Honour Cup, more than anything else that I’me supposed to have thought about this week … Exodus has consumed my thoughts above all.

It might be having faced down and lost to a person I was once eager to call a friend; the two of us standing on clearly marked sides of our points of view.

It might have been thinking that I had won over the confidence of the woman that I came back to help, to fight for, to defend … only to be laid out in the ring before all those fans who had - for that night - come onto our side.

It might have been that growing swell of fans who have come to realise I’m not in this for duplicity or revenge or any sense of wrong. 

Whatever it is, Exodus has been all I’ve thought about this week, and what needs to be done to save it.

Because, make no mistake about it: The way I see it, Exodus has never faced so much danger in its past to now. The family continues to corrode the foundations we all rely on. And, slowly but surely, it is being broken apart. 

That place that used to be over there … that’s where Fiona stood alongside me for a brief moment to fight the good fight. 

And that spot there … that was where Chris Strike once promised me he would always be if I needed him.

Who will be the next to go? Just ask yourself, who will be the next to go?

More importantly … who can Exodus afford to let go? Who else can abandon Exodus to fend for itself? To live and die not by the fans and the presentation, but by the whim of madmen and madwomen? Who else can turn their back on the good fight all in the name of … well, who knows what the next reason will be.

I, for one, promise you all that it won’t be me. It won’t be me. I will be here to the end. I will be here until the day this company is left with nothing else. I once tried to destroy this place with all my being. I once stood alongside the worst that this company had seen to date and saw something in him worth fighting for. And I once stood on the brink of success - where there was only one last hurdle, one last step, one last downfall to bring about and then Exodus would be turned over to the Gods and Monsters.

But now I find myself on the other side of that coin. What happened, you might ask? What happened between then and now?

Well, for one thing, the truth truly can set you free. But I think we’ve covered that.

Something a little less know … I now realise what it means to nearly lose it all. What it feels like to have everything in your hands and have just about every bit of it torn away.

That was what made Exodus great - this natural, almost fateful way that Exodus could seemingly protect itself.

Let’s take a trip back to last year, shall we? To illustrate this year?

Me, a God. Me, a Monster. Me, trying to destroy this place to reshape it in a truly “great” fashion.
First came Lexy Chapel. She had all the undefeated confidence in settle the ‘Sally situation’. Of course, it was only inflamed.

Then came Weapon. Then came Chris Strike. And I dispatched him too.

And then? Then came the man called Christian Kane. He was dealt with.

Next came Jon Collins. Jon Collins was supposed to stop me. And he, too, I brushed aside.

Finally, there was Fiona Collins. The circuit-breaker. The person that now, at the end of all things, Exodus itself relied on. A defeat for her, and this place would be not what you see now. And yet … at the last moment and at the last breath … Exodus survived. It threw up a person capable of stopping the tidal wave. It threw up a person capable of stopping the onslaught. It threw up a person capable of defeating Sally Talfourd. 

Say what you will about Christum at that time, say what you will about Savannah at that time … if that match had turned out in my favour, Gods and Monsters would have survived.

And thank God it did not.

Walking away from it, I reflected on the fact that Exodus had managed to survive not because of the efforts of any one person … but by its own natural instincts. My amazement grew for it over the weeks I was away and, now, I know how close things can come to ending forever. 

Now we, in Exodus, face a threat greater than anything Gods and Mosters posed. I knew the threat we were, and even I am ready to say that. Why?

Where is our shining light? Where is our hero to take up the sword? Where is our circuit-breaker? The person that will stop the tidal wave, stop the onslaught?

Our Weapon is disarmed.

Our Saint now preaches more than practices. 

Our Stardust has now faded. 

Who is left to stand up for Exodus? Exodus is at its most vulnerable, its weakest, its lowest. Who will take up the banner?

I will.

I will give Exodus something to believe in. I will give Exodus something to rally to. I will give Exodus something to end this threat. I will hold aloft a symbol for Exodus to look to and believe in and trust once again.

That will be the Honour Cup. 

The Honour Cup is the name and the symbol that Exodus has always stood for. Despite the threats and the dangers and the fears that Exodus has had to face … it has been saved by something. The Honour Cup is going to be that something. It will be the circuit-breaker. It will be the wall that stops the wave. It will be the secret weapon that someone … that I … use to restore order and balance and safety to this company of companies.

So now does it all come together? Now does the relevance appear?

This week, I will qualify for the Honour Cup, or resign the fate of Exodus to someone else.

This performance, this week’s show, will contain all the magic I can muster in this fight. But I will need a worthy volunteer. Someone who is willing to help me in this fight.

Of course, any good match and any good wrestler is made not better by the ease of their matches but made better by the difficulties of their matches. And that, my friends, is why I need a good volunteer. 

No, scrap that: I need a very good volunteer. Some may say a great volunteer. Someone to push me and to make this performance truly a great one.

Thank-you, James Goodwin, Jr., for volunteering! I promise you, your time won’t be wasted and your efforts will be appreciated. 

You see, I need you, James, to bring about my own qualification for the Honour Cup. But I need you for even more. For this great fight. For this great cause.

I need you to wrestle the greatest match you’ve ever been in. Imagine the greatest show you’ve bene part of. Imagine your toughest opponent and how hard you had to prepare for them. Imagine a match that you’ve always wanted to win against an opponent you’ve always wanted to face.

Channel all that into our match this week.

I have to confess, in recent time, I’ve not been able to keep abreast of the comings and goings of places outside my immediate concern. So forgive me when I say that I am wholly unfamiliar with you. I don’t necessarily think that a bad think for me, but for you … well, I just wanted you to know that. And, you know, if you’re unfamiliar with me, then we’ll call it square.

But, like I said, not know you is probably a good thing for both of us. It means I have to train harder, prepare better, focus sharper. Not knowing what to expect, I need to prepare for everything and anything. At the best, you're like someone I’ve faced once and instincts kick in. At worst, you’re such an interesting and new creature that, well, I have to adapt better than you.

No matter what the eventuality is, all I know is that I need this match to take me to my limits. I know the family won’t pull any punches, and I know that Fiona and Chris are going to need something great to shock them back into line. Me? I need to make sure I can do all that before going forward with the Exodus cause. 

So you, James, will be in a match that is more important than any other I’ve been in this year. This match will get my everything, all the talent and skills I’ve been known for in the past need to make a showing here. There was a time I was good, in both ways. There was a time my name meant something. There was a time when my fighting for something meant something great. Now? Well, now you probably haven’t even heard of the titles I’ve won, the companies I’ve defended, the tournaments I’ve conquered. And I don’t blame you - this business is, well, a cruel mistress.

But when you know something needs defending, when you know something great needs someone to stand up for it, you have an ability to dig deeper and find that greatness that is needed.

Now I know the reply I’m going to get from you: That being KJPW’s representative means you’re fighting for something greater and motivated more. And I honestly don’t blame you. When I represented places near and dear to me in tournaments all around the world, I was driven by a passion and a pride that rivals nothing. And I know that, physically, I need to beat you. But I also know that, mentally, I have to overcome this. This strength that you will have, this burning pride and passion that you bring in. 

This match will end up being a KJPW vs. Exodus showdown as it’s been billed. But not in the way everyone predicted. If I lose, Exodus may well fall and KJPW will grow and likely fill the void it leaves. If I win, the there’s is a chance Exodus survives and, well, the rivalry continues. This isn’t a pride and reputation kind of match … it’s a survival kind of match. 

And I know that I thrive in times of survival. When everything is on the line, and when you stand to lose it all … that’s the time I’ve often been able to excel. Just look back to last year: When the ‘heavy weapons’ of Exodus were thrown at me, when I was expected to back down from the fight I was leading, I stood up and stepped over them. The hard times are the best times, and the best times are those where you have to dig deep, get better, and move faster than your opponent can. Which is something I’ve particularly excelled at all my career. Being faster. Being more technical. Using my strengths to my advantage.

Yes, in a world like our I know full well that I have many a limitation. But within those limitations, in a match like this, there’s are the small specs of gold that one searches for. The extra flexibility, the extra speed, the extra spring that men lose when they pile on the muscles. Yes, I will be at the disadvantage, but that will only make this match all the more valuable. It will force me to be better, and force me to adapt. My mind will be sharper all the more for it, and from that I will be able to save Exodus.

Save Exodus, James. That’s what this match means to me. 

You, my volunteer … I need you for this performance. 

You just need to trust me and follow my direction ...