~~~~~~~~~~Las Vegas, Nevada~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~Some Time Ago~~~~~~~~~~
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The courthouse, just outside Las Vegas, Nevada. On one side, a group of men in suits, their fancy black briefcases sitting neatly in front of them. Across the aisle, a man in a ruffled brown plaid suit shuffles through papers, his glasses slipping down his sweaty nose: State-appointed attorney Jamie Everett. The guy next to him, handcuffed in his chair? That's me. Jason Slade. And this is where my story begins.
One year ago, if you would have told me that I'd be charged with aggravated assault, I would have laughed you out of the room. I mean, I'm a bouncer, sure, but I'm not a violent man. People think my job is all about busting skulls and forcing people out of bars. On the contrary, my job is to make sure that it never gets that bad. I'm paid to avoid confrontation. Of course, if push comes to shove, I can break your arm in five places before you can bat an eye. I won't. But I could.
Behind me sits my wife and son. Evelyn and Michael mean the world to me, but since I was arrested, Evelyn seems more reserved. She's changed. She thinks I'm violent, and it seems like nothing I can say or do convinces her otherwise. Michael hasn't changed, though. He knows me, and he knows I would never do anything to hurt them. Michael is the reason for everything.
Slowly, the jury files back into the courtroom, taking a seat. Jamie leans over.
"I like your odds. With our case, I think we'll get you off scot-free."
I clench my teeth.
"You know I didn't actually do anything, right?"
Jamie gives me a knowing wink, and straightens up, pushing his glasses up onto his face. He seemed convinced that I was guilty, and honestly, it wasn't doing my nerves any good. He saw himself as some sort of paragon of justice, saving the little man, who according to him were all criminals anyway, from the oppressive fist of the court of law. Somewhere, there may have been a legitimate, logical train of thought. Unfortunately, any sort of logic in Jamie Everett's head had derailed five miles back, and he wasn't prepared to hit the brakes yet.
I glance across the aisle. This was certainly a strange case. I had been fighting against this group of lawyers for three days now, but I had never actually seen the man who was pressing the charges. Lawyers told me he was in critical condition, and that he was in no shape to appear in court. It seemed fishy to me, but I wasn't a lawyer. I had no way of knowing if this was questionable or not. All I knew was that I was innocent.
"How do you find the defendant?"
The judge's voice snaps me out of my thoughts. I look ahead, my hands folded tight in front of me. The juror stands, reading the verdict.
"For the crime of aggravated assault, the jury finds the defendant, Jason Slade....guilty."
The judge nods, and I feel a tremendous weight fall over me. Guilty.
"Mr. Slade, you have been found guilty. I hereby sentence you to two years in the state penitentiary. Court adjourned."
I feel hands on my shoulders, lifting me out of my seat. I look over my shoulder, at Michael, who leans over the rail, reaching for me. Evelyn sits, her arms crossed, refusing to look me in the eye. She bites her lip, and I can see tears welling in her eyes. I turn away, looking at the lawyers sitting at the prosecutor's desk. They're shaking hands with each other, congratulating themselves on a job well done.
"I'm...innocent."
Nobody was listening. People were shuffling out. The judge was leaving his podium. The prosecutors were still celebrating. It was only me.
~~~~~~~~~~PRESENT DAY~~~~~~~~~~
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A subway. A train flies by, the roar of wind rushing with it, creating that familiar noise. It passes, showing only a lonely figure sitting across the way. Nobody else is around.
"Every journey starts somewhere."
He slowly stands, taking a few steps towards the camera, which looks on from the other side of the tracks.
"A single step...a subway station...a debut match...Every journey has a beginning. Every path has a start."
Pariah stares ahead at the camera.
"For me, Underground is that start. Last week, I appeared. I sat, I watched, and I picked up everything I could by mere observation. I told the world that I would compete this week, and compete I shall."
He smiles.
"I made a bit of a joke last week, when I told Miss Daniels I would be grateful to fight the broom. I am grateful to be in IWF, and to have myself a match. Did I expect I would actually be facing an inanimate object, on a path that could quite possibly lead me to championship gold? But this is where I find myself, and so this is where I must go."
Pariah hops down onto the tracks, taking care to avoid the electrified third rail. The camera follows him, moving down onto the tracks, circling around to show Pariah standing, the dark, nearly endless black of the tunnel behind him.
"So what makes me so special, you ask? What does a man who calls himself Pariah have to offer? I'm a fighter. I thought that was obvious. I come here to compete, and to show the world what I can do."
Behind Pariah, a light appears in the distance, getting bigger, brighter. A train is coming.
"But that's not good enough is it? What sets me apart from the rest of the guys who all think they've got what it takes? Anyone can stand here and tell the world that they're good, but it's showing the world, that's the trick. Actions speak louder than words, right?"
The train blares its horn as it gets closer, the lights brighter.
"I guess I'm just...different. I'm not like the rest of this locker room. I have the know-how. I have the will, the desire. Hell, I'm so good I can wrestle a broom and make it look good."
Pariah gives a knowing wink to the camera. The train honks again.
"But I think, more than anything else-"
A third blare. Pariah slowly turns, looking back at the train. He takes a few steps away, closer to the camera. The train's brakes screech as it slowly comes to a stop. Pariah puts his hand out towards the train. The train comes to a stop, right at Pariah's waiting hand. Pariah leans against the train, and shrugs.
"Maybe I'm just lucky."
![Pariah [vs.] The Broom Empty](https://2img.net/i/empty.gif)
Subject: Pariah [vs.] The Broom ![Pariah [vs.] The Broom I_icon_minitime](https://2img.net/s/t/15/19/06/i_icon_minitime.gif){kind=icon}
Fri Jul 12, 2013 11:21 pm
