“I’m sorry, Kyra.”

Standing in front of her stove, Kyra looks over at Ken with a confused look on her face. Ken keeps his head down as he cuts some carrots.

“I feel like I let you down.”

“Why?”

“Well, I let Adrienne beat m…” Ken lets out a sigh. “Are you disappointed in me?”

“No, why in the hell would I be disappointed? What’s going on, Ken?”

“I’m doing this thing… my brother said I need to not be so hard on myself. But, I’m still questioning everything. I know I’m being weird. But if you want me to spill. I’ll spill. But it’s a shit ton of baggage. Just giving you fair warning.”

Ken continues dutifully cutting carrots, refusing to look up as he waits for Kyra to answer him.  She places a hand on his shoulder. 

“We both got baggage, hun. I told you I wanna know what makes you tick, and I meant it.”

Ken lets out a deep breath.

“Well… you know how I told you that I haven’t been in any sort of relationship for over 20 years? Well…”

Ken is using the word ‘well’ to stall. He takes a deep breath and lets out a huge exhale.

“I should probably put the knife down for this.”

Ken moves the knife safely to the side before moving Kyra’s hand off his shoulder and turning to face her. She puts her arms around his neck, causing a small smile to cross his face.

“So, here it is. I haven’t told anyone the whole story, not even Mac. He knows enough, but not all of it. When I was 15, I was a runaway. Broke into a house and passed out from exhaustion. The family ended up taking me in instead of calling the cops. My dad ran a wrestling school. To earn my keep I helped keep the place clean. That’s where I was trained. He had a daughter, Crystal. She was my age. We fell in love. She trained with me. When I started in this business, she was my valet. Outside of the ring, she was my fiancee. That part is pretty much a matter of public record.”

Ken pauses, gauging Kyra’s reaction. He locks eyes with her, and she gives him a slight nod.

“So… here’s the part most people don’t know. It was the morning of December 19th, 1997.”

“Your birthday.”

“Yeah, my nineteenth birthday. She had gone out with some friends, I don’t even remember where. It’s not that important. I will never forget the time… it was 1:37 in the morning when I got the call…”

Ken sits in a trancelike state, reliving the moment in his mind.

Laying in his bedroom, Ken Davison was sound asleep when his phone began ringing. He sits up, looking at his alarm clock.

“Someone had better be dead.” Ken mutters aloud as he rubs his eyes. He reaches over to the nightstand, fumbling around to grab the phone. He finally pulls it out of its holster on the fourth ring. “Hello.” he groggily utters the word.

“Hello. Is this Mr. Davison? Mr. Kenneth Davison?”

“Yeah. This is Ken. What do you want?”

“This is Officer Oliver Clothesoff with the Rockland Police Department.”

“Your name is Oliver Clothesoff?”

“Yes, sir. My parents had a warped sense of humor. However, the reason for my call is unfortunately not funny at all.”

“So why are you calling me at this time of night? Did someone steal my car or something?”

“Sir. There’s been an accident. Your fiancee, Crystal, has been involved in an accident. She was hit by a drunk driver. You need to go to South Shore Hospital…”

Ken puts down the phone and hangs the phone up. He immediately comes back to the here and now as he feels Kyra’s hand on his cheek. Even though he was reliving the moment in his mind, he was still subconsciously narrating the story to Kyra.

“I’m sorry, Ken. I really am.”

“That’s not the half of it. I hopped in my car and broke pretty much every traffic law I could. When I got there…”

Ken once again zones out of the real world and back into the recesses of his memories.

Back inside his memories, Ken flies through the emergency room and bullrushes the registration desk.

“Crystal Pollux. She was brought in by ambulance.”

The nurse looks down at her computer. Ken bounces around frantically, waiting for the answer. Each second feels like an eternity and to Ken, it is. Even as a memory, his insides are being figuratively ripped out.

“I can’t let you back there right now. Who are you?”

“I’m her fucking fiance.”

“I’m sorry. I can’t.”

“We have power of attorney for each other. Medical decision making. Look in your records. It’s in there. It’s fucking in there.”

“I can tell you she’s in the operating room and they are working on her now.”

“Working on what? What the hell is going on?”

“Sir, I’m sorry to tell you this. But, she’s in critical condition.”

“What the hell does that even mean?”

“Well, sir, it means vital signs are unstable and not within normal limits. The patient may be unconscious. Indicators are unfa…”

“She has a name.”

“You need to calm down, sir. I know you’re stressed, but…”

“I get it, you’re just doing your job. But this isn’t my job. This is my future wife. This is my life.”

Ken takes a deep breath.

“I’m sorry. I know you’re doing what you need to do. Just think, what would you do if it was your loved one back there?”

The door to the ER opens as one of the nurses comes out to call one of the waiting patients to the back. Ken sees his opening open and bolts past her, leaving the nurses behind, screaming for security, who has been napping in their office. As he reaches the intersection, Ken frantically looks back and forth, looking for any sign of the operating room. He sprints down the hallway as the security back in the waiting room grabs him, just outside the doors to the operating room. A doctor and a group of nurses come through the doors as security is trying to pull Ken out.

“What’s going on here?”

“This guy busted in here. The nurses were saying his girl was back here in surgery.”

“Sir, were you here for Ms. Pollux?”

Ken can only nod his head as he sobs uncontrollably.

“Mr. Davison, I’m sorry to tell you this. But we’ve lost Ms. Pollux and her child.”

“Child?”

Here in the real world, Ken suddenly stops talking. He’s there, but he’s totally numb, aside from the tears running down his cheeks.

“Oh my God…” 

Kyra says quietly, reaching up and gently wiping the tears from his cheeks – Her own eyes welling up as she tries to keep her composure. 

“Ken… I can’t imagine.  I’m so, so sorry…”

“So, yeah, That was the first step in how this whole “Godly” thing started and a huge reason why I’m so guarded and… well, a heartless, bitter bastard.”

Ken looks up at Kyra, with a slightly confused look on his face. He’s not used to understanding.

 “So, I think I owe you a long-overdue apology for the way I treated you after that handicap match a while back. I was out of line.”

She smiles softly, still running her fingers along his face. 

“I’ll give you a pass for that.  We weren’t exactly on good terms back then.”

“I know I worry too much. I feel like I let you down when Adrienne beat me. I feel like, when I look back at things, I don’t deserve this…” Ken motions around the kitchen. “Any of this. When this all started, I was honestly trying to just get under Jack’s skin. I never thought you’d listen to me. I mean, I wasn’t lying. I knew he was taking you for granted. I expected you to hear what I had to say, decide I was full of shit, and then decide to kick my ass again. You did, but that’s another story. Things, I don’t know where, but they changed. At some point, I thought I was saving you. I think…”

Ken reaches out and grabs Kyra gently by the hips.

“I think you were saving me.”

Kyra’s cheeks turn a bright shade of pink.

“I.. No, you–“

“I mean it. Thank you. For all of it.”

Ken gently pulls Kyra in until they are nose to nose and whispers. “Thank you.” Ken hesitates for a moment, then leans in and kisses Kyra.  She’s surprised at first, but quickly relaxes into his arms.

“Too soon?”*

“No. It was perfect.”

“Good.”

The two are interrupted by the sound of the stove beeping to let them know it is done preheating.

“We should…”

“Yeah…”

Ken lets go of Kyra and she turns back toward the stove. For the first time he can remember, he relaxes and smiles with a sense of true contentment.

_________________________________________________________

We now open up to the outside of the XL Center in Hartford Connecticut. “Godly” Ken Davison stands facing the building, wearing a vintage Hartford Whalers jersey emblazoned with “Verbeek 16”

“You know, I used to come to wrestling shows with my grandfather back when it was still the Hartford Civic Center. We always get these shitty seats where the concrete support breaks would block out the view. “

“Hey, asshole. I’m filming!”

“Shit.”

Ken turns around and quickly composes himself. 

“It’s a good thing you’re cute.”

“We’ll just edit that out later.”

Kyra turns the camera towards herself and mouths the words ‘No, we won’t” before turning the camera back to Ken.

Carnage Legion, I am outside XL Center because tonight, my opponent at Chaos 102, “The Answer” JC is vying for another company’s World Championship. Momentarily, JC will challenge some guy who’s manager talks too much on Twitter for the UGWC World Championship. To him, this is the first of two opportunities to prove he is one of the elite. For me, this is an opportunity to see what he can do in a high-pressure situation. I was in the same position against Amber Ryan. I have shown my mettle. The question is, JC, what are you made of?”

Davison rubs his hands together in anticipation. 

“We’re about to find out.”

_________________________________________________________
 

Right now, we see “Godly” Ken Davison still in his Hartford Whalers jersey, now behind the steering wheel. The camera is a little shaky, presumably being held by Kyra as they drive.

“Normally I would wait until I got home to my studio to film this more professionally. However, I had to get this out while it was fresh in my mind. Right now we’re on our way to our hotel in Stamford and I’m trying to process what we just saw. JC just challenged for the UWGC World Championship. He failed to win that championship. Their world champion, Hide Tacoloco, proved to be more than JC was able to handle.  I have to admit, that’s not the outcome I wanted, granted, not for the reasons you all would expect.”

Davison leans towards the camera then turns it towards himself and back to the camera before putting both hands back on the wheel.

“JC, you and I are basically the same person with the only major difference being that I am the champion. Let me lay it all out for you and give you the clearest of views.”

“Going into Chaos 101, I was feeling really, really good about myself. I had just defeated the Paragon of Paragon, Jack Michaels. I had completed my destiny. Then I saw they scheduled me against Adrienne Levi.  I looked at the fact that she was the Baltimore City Champion and I should have recognized the potential threat she posed. Instead, I focused on her record of 6 wins and 4 losses and I looked at her like this match was a warm-up match for this title defense. I made the mistake of taking her for granted and I was served notice. And it was the best thing that could have happened to me ahead of this match.”

“The way I see it, your loss to Hide Yamahasuzuki puts you in basically the same position I am in. You are going to come into this match with something to prove. You want to win this match because you feel like you NEED to win this match. I know the feeling. Losing to Hide has caused you to doubt yourself. This is a major difference between you and me. This is where the road forks.”

Davison reaches down and takes a sip of his coffee then smiling as he lets his hand linger. Kyra turns the camera as she looks down and Ken’s hand is resting on hers. Ken moves his hand back to the steering wheel and the camera whips back to Ken’s face.

“You showed us that when you are in high-pressure situations, you lose your nerve and you choke. You had the support of your peers and you let us down. In my 24 year career, I have never seen a company go just such lengths to support one of their own. You had the entire Carnage Wrestling locker room in the palm of your hand and you crushed our collective spirits like Hide Tamagotchi crushed your dreams.”

“You know,” Ken shakes his finger as he starts formulating his point “You are one of two things. Either this is some big elaborate plan and you truly are the ‘King of Trolls’ that you profess to be on Twitter or, and I feel like this is the more likely of the two scenarios, you are exactly what I said you are. You are nothing more than a barking little chihuahua who makes a lot of noise but has no bite. I’ve said it before and I will say it again. You can not hold up to the image that you’ve created for yourself. You can stand there and talk all you want about what you are going to do to me. You can sit there and tell me about how confident you are that you will be me. However, I know you are doubting yourself right now, JC. Your confidence has been shaken. If you don’t have the utmost belief in yourself, there’s the door. Get the hell out!”

Davison makes a dismissive waving gesture with his hand.

“Success isn’t always about greatness. It’s about consistency. I have consistently made a habit of coming back from adversity. In my time here, I haven’t had two consecutive losses. I am not about to break that streak. I have consistently come and given my best. I walked into two of the highest pressure situations in my career when I faced out against Amber Ryan and Jack Michaels. I didn’t have the locker room behind me. I didn’t have support from anyone aside from the beautiful Kyra Johnson and myself. I have consistently succeeded when others would have failed. What were you doing? Sitting behind a desk forgetting what it feels like to have the top of your foot hurt from kicking people in the face? Get the fuck out of here. Everything I do is to become the best ever, that certainly doesn’t stop with you.”

“I know I’ve earned my reputation. I’m proud of the fact that I’m seen as a jerk because I am brutally honest all the time. The truth is a hard pill for most people to swallow, especially when it humanizes their heroes. Because of this, their heroes try their damnedest to destroy me, and quite frankly, I expect you to attempt to do the same. Remember one thing, JC, I have survived a heart attack, going to WAR with Amber Ryan and Jack Michaels. Hell, I’ve survived being crucified.”

Davison holds his hand up and you see a scar approximately the size of a railroad spike on his palm.

“There are three things that would survive a nuclear explosion: Cockroaches, Twinkies, and “Godly” Ken Davison. That’s because while I may not be the biggest or the strongest but I am one of the toughest. I am actually as good as everybody claims to be. It’s scary. Do you know what else is scary? The fact that I believe you are just as capable as I am. A man’s character is never measured by what he does when he wins. Rather, it is measured by what he does when his back is up against the proverbial wall. The Carnage Wrestling World Championship is proof of that. Losing to Adrienne Levi doesn’t belittle me or a single thing I have accomplished. It’s a nice little feather in her cap, but for me, it has lit a fire under my ass.”

“The similarities don’t end there. I know what the love of a Johnson sister can do for a man. I know that as different as they are, both Kyra and Lucy both fight passionately for the people they love. This gives us both an intangible that it impossible for either of us to ignore. Which brings me to my next point. What I did to Jack Michaels, I did that for Kyra. Had Amber not thrown in the towel, I would have done far, far worse. This match…”

Ken lets out a sly smile.

“This is for me.”

Davison takes a moment to turn his head, reading some road signs.

“I’ve made no secret about my mission to be the greatest World Champion this company has ever seen. This began with Amber Ryan. This continues with you, JC. Despite where I am in my life when the cameras aren’t rolling, I am going to be exactly who I have been when I step between the ropes. Same name. Same game. Ain’t a damned thing changed.”

“Getting back to my original point, I wanted you to win the UGWC World Championship because I wanted you to walk into this match fat and happy, so to speak. I wanted you to walk in here, if not underestimating me, at least overestimating your abilities. I wanted you to do the same thing I did to Adrienne Levi last week. George Santayana famously said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” That is a lesson I learned many times over in my career. As far as I am concerned, Adrienne Levi will end up joining the likes of Kris Dizon, Azn Sensation and Alexia on a list of wrestlers that got fluke wins against the GKD, “Godly” Ken Davison, and were never heard from again. But, you, JC…”

Ken takes a deep breath, trying to calm himself a little bit as he’s gotten a bit worked up.

“You will never join that list. You are not going to beat me. Not today. Not at Chaos 102. Not here. Not there. Not anywhere. Rest assured, JC, this has nothing to do with you. I am the World Champion for a Kendamned reason and that reason is that when I step between those ropes, I am God! I walk into the ring as I own it because I do. I do what I want, when I want, to who I want, and do so without fear of repercussion. And you know what? I’m going to walk into that cage like I own that, too. I know what I am capable of. You should be aware of what I am capable of and if you aren’t, I will be glad to remind you.”

Davison takes another deep breath before grabbing his coffee and taking another gulp.

“The only thing that makes this match difficult for me is that I don’t give two shits about you. When I won my title, I was fueled by vengeance. At Chaos 100, I was fueled by anger and righteousness. For you, this is your chance to win another championship and prove that everything I’ve said about you is wrong. For me, it’s just Monday. I have told all of you my manifesto. First, I wanted to bring down Paragon. Now, I want to erase Jack Michaels from the Carnage Wrestling record book.”

“So, JC, please don’t take this ass beating personally. In fact, you should look at this as an opportunity to better yourself. I would be more than glad to watch the match after I beat you and show you all the things you are doing wrong. I mean, this will be a great thing for you. You will get to learn at the feet of the master, so long as you are ready and willing to listen. Understand that you don’t have the complete picture. Be willing to take what I have to tell you because I want to build you up, not tear you down. Amber Ryan, one of the greatest talents to ever grace not only Carnage Wrestling but a wrestling ring in general… she chose to ignore me. Look at where she is now. She was at the top of the mountain. She was the pinnacle. She was the apex. She chose to ignore me. Since We Are Relentless, she hasn’t even won a match. What’s it been? Over two months?”

Ken turns briefly towards the camera, pointing towards it far less aggressively than he had earlier, trying to make sure JC is paying attention.

“That doesn’t have to be you, JC. Look at my muse. Kyra chose to listen to me and she has not lost since then, in fact, she came back and beat my ass. I’m not taking credit. She put in the work. She walked that path. Great things come to those who earn them, to those who are willing to do whatever it takes. She not only made herself better, she made ME better. I can do the same for you. I could do the same for Lucy and we can all be one big happy family. The only thing preventing this is you.”

“Still, JC, I know you. You are not the type to back down or take the path of least resistance. Believe it or not, I respect that. We both want to be the alpha in Carnage Wrestling. I expect a fight. I expect you to try and take every advantage you can. I know you are going to go after my fingers. Full disclosure: I am going after your neck. After all, turnabout is fair play. You need to understand that I have proclaimed, and rightfully so, that Carnage Wrestling is the absolute strongest wrestling company on the planet. Understand, I cannot and will not allow you to defeat me after your loss to Hide Ramallamadingdong. I cannot and will not allow you to represent our company and to do so makes not only myself but this entire company, to look weak.”

Kyra’s hand comes into the frame, pointing out something to Ken. Ken nods and switches lanes.

“The things I do, I do for the betterment of this company. You are one of the best, but you are not THE best. You may be “The Answer,” but Kyra and I are the solution. We are the path you follow. We prove it each time we get in the ring, every time we speak to you, and every time we mere;y grace you with our presence. This might blow up in my face as it did with Adrienne, but I want you to bring your best. I want you to bring all your vitriol, all your anger, and all your rage. I want to watch the life drain out of your eyes as you realize that I am everything I say I am and more.”

Davison takes his eyes off the road just long enough to look into the camera and give a quick smirk. Ken takes his hand off the steering wheel and looks for Kyra’s as she turns the camera off.