Post by Steve Catt on Apr 12, 2007 19:59:16 GMT -5
:::The scene opens with Merc sitting in a living room at night with the lights off watching footage from some of Jack of Blades' matches. We must be watching a tape from a home camcorder since the date and time are shown in the corner of the screen. Merc leans towards the television.:::
Merc: He's a machine. A goddamned machine.
: The same has been said of you.
:::Merc obviously wasn't expecting to hear a voice. He jumps up out of the chair and points a gun. His expression softens as he recognizes the speaker, and he puts down the gun.:::
Merc: Shihan?
: That was a long time ago. It's just Tim now. What's with the camera?
Merc: Posterity. I'd like to record what might be my final living moments.
Tim: Your optimism is overwhelming. You must have been a motivational speaker in a former life.
Merc: Then I must have been the most evil motivational speaker ever for karma to put me in this situation.
Tim: You’re not in a concentration camp.
Merc: Well, there are only so many bad things a self-help guru can do. I think I’m in a position now to at least land war refugee in the next life.
Tim: I suppose you’ll want to know who sent me here.
Merc: Supposing isn’t a good practice. Who sent you here?
Tim: I think you know already.
Merc: He thinks I need some advice, does he? I need to have my mind put at ease, need to be taught all that zen crap?
Tim: No, he just—
Merc: Because he might be right. I just don’t know what’s going on anymore. I mean, if I lose this match, big deal, I still get paid the same. No one’s expecting me to win, anyway. It’s just, I don’t know…it feels like it’s the first step to something bigger, something that’s going to change things, something…I don’t know. Maybe I’m just talking nonsense.
:::He stops the tape, rewinds a bit, and then plays it again. Stop, rewind, play. Stop, rewind, play.:::
Tim: Back and to the left.
Merc: Yeah, that’s what it feels like. I don’t know what I’m looking for. I don’t know if there’s anything to look for.
Tim: Maybe you should focus less on what you don’t know, and more on what you do know.
Merc: But I don’t know anything! He said something about how I was using his techniques. I wasn’t on purpose, but he’s probably right. I don’t know what I’m doing here; I’m in over my head. All I can do is just follow his lead, so maybe I subconsciously picked up on how he does what he does and used that. Why does it matter? He’s talking about Jack Blaine Nolan versus whatever Merc’s real name is? That’s what it should be. I’m not a showman.
Tim: That’s your problem.
Merc: That I’m not an entertainer?
Tim: No, no. You’re in an unfamiliar situation and you’re looking around you for what you’re supposed to be doing, instead of using your own experience and your own style. If you fight this match like they do, then you are sure to lose. It doesn’t matter if you’re not a professional wrestler. Fight like you know how to fight. Fight how I taught you.
Merc: Wow, that…that really helps. Thank you. I feel better about the match, but there’s still something making me uneasy. It’s probably nothing, but I can’t sleep like this.
Tim: You need your rest.
Merc: I’ve done more dangerous things on less sleep.
Tim: Then you’re lucky to be alive. Describe what you’re feeling.
:::Merc fast-forwards the tape to Jack’s most recent promo.:::
Merc: It’s all this stuff he’s saying about how his heart’s not into it now. That should make me feel more confident, but the thing is, I don’t think it’s going to affect the match at all. He’s going to go in just as focused as I am, like it’s his last match before retirement. He’s not retiring, of course, but he’s talking like someone who’s going to.
Tim: And why do men retire?
Merc: They’ve accomplished everything they wanted. They have no more goals, no more battles, no more purpose. No purpose. That’s what’s bothering me. This guy, it’s like I said, he’s a machine. He lives for this, but he doesn’t have a purpose right now.
Tim: I don’t see the problem.
Merc: I have no doubt that on Friday, he will fight as hard as he needs to in order to beat me. If I’m a good enough opponent, he will fight as hard as he ever has. That is what he is doing without a purpose. If he fights that hard with no purpose, what happens when he finds one? What happens if I give him one?
Tim: I see. Right now, he has nothing to lose but nothing to gain. You worry that you will somehow give him something to fight for, but what does it matter? Our mutual friend is coming soon. After that, anything that goes wrong is his responsibility. You will be paid in full.
Merc: I know! I just feel like somehow I’ve just scratched the surface of the possibilities in life. That somehow, this is going to end up meaning more than all the operations I’ve ever been a part of.
Tim: Don’t be ridiculous. It’s wrestling. While you’re off doing this, there are some that would pay you handsomely to make a difference in Korea.
Merc: Which one?
Tim: Take a wild guess.
Merc: Ha. I’m sick of all those bureaucrats anyway. Who’s in charge there now, Campbell?
Tim: No, Brooks.
Merc: Oh, right, right. I get my clients confused sometimes.
Tim: I hope you don’t do the same with your girlfriends.
Merc: I was about to say that I think there’s a that’s-what-she-said joke in there somewhere, but I’m too tired to think of it.
Tim: Anyway, I think this is just a case of the grass being greener. You had to be a big-time war hero, and now you have to be a big-time wrestling hero. Or villain.
Merc: Don’t start with me, old man.
Tim: Of course, your rules, how could I forget? Take any job that pays enough.
Merc: Hey, within reason. I’ve never killed anyone that didn’t have it coming.
Tim: That’s not for you to decide.
Merc: As if the people who make the decisions are any better.
Tim: How do you think I know him?
Merc: What?
Tim: Your client. How do you think we met?
Merc: Well, knowing his background, I have to assume he was a student of yours.
Tim: That’s right, he was. Before you.
Merc: Wait, before me? But we’re the same age!
Tim: He started and finished before I ever met you. Unlike you, he knew what he wanted to do his entire life, and he started early. He has, however, lost his way, and that is how he found you.
Merc: What’s your point?
Tim: My point is that you should listen to him, because he usually knows what he’s talking about. But you should not let him control your destiny. This unsettling feeling you have might be that compass you have inside you readjusting itself. It will lead you back to the right path, and maybe you can bring him back with you. Do you understand?
Merc: ZZZZZZZ
:::Tim stands up and turns the TV off. He starts to walk away, but then turns around.:::
Tim: You were right about one thing: there’s more going on here than you know. Goodnight, David.
Merc: He's a machine. A goddamned machine.
: The same has been said of you.:::Merc obviously wasn't expecting to hear a voice. He jumps up out of the chair and points a gun. His expression softens as he recognizes the speaker, and he puts down the gun.:::
Merc: Shihan?
: That was a long time ago. It's just Tim now. What's with the camera?Merc: Posterity. I'd like to record what might be my final living moments.
Tim: Your optimism is overwhelming. You must have been a motivational speaker in a former life.
Merc: Then I must have been the most evil motivational speaker ever for karma to put me in this situation.
Tim: You’re not in a concentration camp.
Merc: Well, there are only so many bad things a self-help guru can do. I think I’m in a position now to at least land war refugee in the next life.
Tim: I suppose you’ll want to know who sent me here.
Merc: Supposing isn’t a good practice. Who sent you here?
Tim: I think you know already.
Merc: He thinks I need some advice, does he? I need to have my mind put at ease, need to be taught all that zen crap?
Tim: No, he just—
Merc: Because he might be right. I just don’t know what’s going on anymore. I mean, if I lose this match, big deal, I still get paid the same. No one’s expecting me to win, anyway. It’s just, I don’t know…it feels like it’s the first step to something bigger, something that’s going to change things, something…I don’t know. Maybe I’m just talking nonsense.
:::He stops the tape, rewinds a bit, and then plays it again. Stop, rewind, play. Stop, rewind, play.:::
Tim: Back and to the left.
Merc: Yeah, that’s what it feels like. I don’t know what I’m looking for. I don’t know if there’s anything to look for.
Tim: Maybe you should focus less on what you don’t know, and more on what you do know.
Merc: But I don’t know anything! He said something about how I was using his techniques. I wasn’t on purpose, but he’s probably right. I don’t know what I’m doing here; I’m in over my head. All I can do is just follow his lead, so maybe I subconsciously picked up on how he does what he does and used that. Why does it matter? He’s talking about Jack Blaine Nolan versus whatever Merc’s real name is? That’s what it should be. I’m not a showman.
Tim: That’s your problem.
Merc: That I’m not an entertainer?
Tim: No, no. You’re in an unfamiliar situation and you’re looking around you for what you’re supposed to be doing, instead of using your own experience and your own style. If you fight this match like they do, then you are sure to lose. It doesn’t matter if you’re not a professional wrestler. Fight like you know how to fight. Fight how I taught you.
Merc: Wow, that…that really helps. Thank you. I feel better about the match, but there’s still something making me uneasy. It’s probably nothing, but I can’t sleep like this.
Tim: You need your rest.
Merc: I’ve done more dangerous things on less sleep.
Tim: Then you’re lucky to be alive. Describe what you’re feeling.
:::Merc fast-forwards the tape to Jack’s most recent promo.:::
Merc: It’s all this stuff he’s saying about how his heart’s not into it now. That should make me feel more confident, but the thing is, I don’t think it’s going to affect the match at all. He’s going to go in just as focused as I am, like it’s his last match before retirement. He’s not retiring, of course, but he’s talking like someone who’s going to.
Tim: And why do men retire?
Merc: They’ve accomplished everything they wanted. They have no more goals, no more battles, no more purpose. No purpose. That’s what’s bothering me. This guy, it’s like I said, he’s a machine. He lives for this, but he doesn’t have a purpose right now.
Tim: I don’t see the problem.
Merc: I have no doubt that on Friday, he will fight as hard as he needs to in order to beat me. If I’m a good enough opponent, he will fight as hard as he ever has. That is what he is doing without a purpose. If he fights that hard with no purpose, what happens when he finds one? What happens if I give him one?
Tim: I see. Right now, he has nothing to lose but nothing to gain. You worry that you will somehow give him something to fight for, but what does it matter? Our mutual friend is coming soon. After that, anything that goes wrong is his responsibility. You will be paid in full.
Merc: I know! I just feel like somehow I’ve just scratched the surface of the possibilities in life. That somehow, this is going to end up meaning more than all the operations I’ve ever been a part of.
Tim: Don’t be ridiculous. It’s wrestling. While you’re off doing this, there are some that would pay you handsomely to make a difference in Korea.
Merc: Which one?
Tim: Take a wild guess.
Merc: Ha. I’m sick of all those bureaucrats anyway. Who’s in charge there now, Campbell?
Tim: No, Brooks.
Merc: Oh, right, right. I get my clients confused sometimes.
Tim: I hope you don’t do the same with your girlfriends.
Merc: I was about to say that I think there’s a that’s-what-she-said joke in there somewhere, but I’m too tired to think of it.
Tim: Anyway, I think this is just a case of the grass being greener. You had to be a big-time war hero, and now you have to be a big-time wrestling hero. Or villain.
Merc: Don’t start with me, old man.
Tim: Of course, your rules, how could I forget? Take any job that pays enough.
Merc: Hey, within reason. I’ve never killed anyone that didn’t have it coming.
Tim: That’s not for you to decide.
Merc: As if the people who make the decisions are any better.
Tim: How do you think I know him?
Merc: What?
Tim: Your client. How do you think we met?
Merc: Well, knowing his background, I have to assume he was a student of yours.
Tim: That’s right, he was. Before you.
Merc: Wait, before me? But we’re the same age!
Tim: He started and finished before I ever met you. Unlike you, he knew what he wanted to do his entire life, and he started early. He has, however, lost his way, and that is how he found you.
Merc: What’s your point?
Tim: My point is that you should listen to him, because he usually knows what he’s talking about. But you should not let him control your destiny. This unsettling feeling you have might be that compass you have inside you readjusting itself. It will lead you back to the right path, and maybe you can bring him back with you. Do you understand?
Merc: ZZZZZZZ
:::Tim stands up and turns the TV off. He starts to walk away, but then turns around.:::
Tim: You were right about one thing: there’s more going on here than you know. Goodnight, David.
