[5:00 in the A.M.]

[A faint trace of the Sun’s coming daylight has only just begun to pour down from above the Santa Ynez Mountains and down upon the American Riviera.]

[Santa Barbara, California.]

[Hotel Oceana.]

[The room of one, Tyrone Walker.]

[These are much better accommodations than when we last visited this man. Most notably the place is clean, and doesn’t have this funky, cheap motel stench of whores and johns permeating every nook and cranny of it’s space.]

[The room is adequate, nothing fancy or lavish, most of it’s main space is taken up by a gigantic king size bed. It’s a just a nice, clean room, with a really nice view of the Santa Barbara Harbor and West Beach.]

[A place like this is one of Ty’s weaknesses. It reminds him of his all too brief residence in Hawaii. Being a kid from Queens and having lived many of his early adult years in Toronto and Detroit, when this man finally arrived in Florida in 1999, it was a wrap.]

[See. He may hold a lot of love for his native, New York. His blood is there, it’s where he grew up, it’s where he’ll likely end up when his time on this Earth is done. It’s the same for “The D”, it’s where he, and best friend, Stephen Greer concocted the legend that is Team Danger.]

[Lots of love and fond memories.]

[But, you know what’s better than fond memories? Easy livin. When you can spend your days in the warmth and light of the Sun every day of the year, why would you ever choose the alternative of 3 or 4 months out of the year?]

[Yeah. The choice is pretty simple.]

[Especially when you’ve attained a level of security that allows you to dictate the terms of your own life.]

=/=

[5:30 in the A.M.]

[The light coming down from just over the mountains is beginning to bring this new day to life. Inside the room of the Black Jesus, life is also starting to rouse itself from a nights slumber.]

[We find him laid out over the covers of the bed, rather than tucked away inside of them, and a pair of random shorts serve as his only attire at the moment, once again, and thankfully, concealing the naughty bits.]

[His eyes shutter a bit until finally opening. Pushing himself up onto his elbows, he lets off a yawn before turning his head right to glance at the clock which rests on the bedside table. The digital block numbers read 5:40 A.M.]

[A groan, a gurgle, and another yawn escape him, as he comes to terms with the idea of being awake. His despair doesn’t last long as he turns his gaze, looking off to his left, he sees the sunlight beaming into the waters of the Pacific, causing a smile to pull at the sides of his mouth.]

[Rolling off of the bed, he rises up onto his feet and pads his way over to the window. Getting a better view of the ocean and the beach that lines the harbor, he stretches his body out which causes a series of cracks and pops to be heard in the otherwise quiet room.]

[Staring out at the view for a while, that slight and lopsided grin becomes more prominent.]

[Maybe today won’t be so bad afterall.]

=/=

[6:00 in the A.M.]

“A’ight.”

[Emerging from the bathroom, Ty is clad in a grey, Twiztid hoodie with a Dark Knight style Batman logo in blue that stretches across the chest, as well as the same shorts that he slept in and a pair of Adidas track shoes. Passing the dresser, he swipes up his phone and a pair of earphones.]

[It’s time to get “the routine” in.]

[The routine isn’t really a routine, perse. A routine typically involves several carefully orchestrated events. This is simply a jog, a light run, if you will. You see, Ty doesn’t really train for anything, in fact, he hasn’t seriously trained since he first broke into the game, some 15 years ago.]

[Even though he’s 39 years old, the man retains much of his god given, natural athleticism and as evidence from his match with Heidi, a high tolerance for punishment. While this may not show in the proverbial “scorecard” in terms of his overall career achievement, the fact remains that he’s still, very much a gifted athlete.]

[Besides, the physical has never been the primary issue that has cost him the most over the years. It’s not whether he’s lost a step, or even how much of a step that he has lost. When it gets right down to it, the true struggle has always been about one simple, complex dynamic.]

[The Mental.]

[Honestly. At the end of the day, the brain will always be the most important muscle to build and the psyche will always be the most important talent to sharpen.]

[The routine is simply that time where he’s truly alone with only his thoughts. A time spent going over his agenda, be it for the day or for life, it’s when he figures out the jumbled mess that resides within his head.]

[The funny thing is.]

[It wasn’t until he left the ring that he gained the clarity he desperately needed. And it wasn’t until recently that he found a renewed inspiration that he had lost long before he vanished into the life of retirement.]

[So perhaps in this case an old dog can, in fact, learn new tricks.]

=/=

[6:30 in the A.M.]

[Having already made his way out to the streets and moving along at a steady clip, Ty passes random people who are also doing equally random things. He pays them no mind, even the ones who pause for a moment to take note of the large black man with a wild afro.]

[His pace remains steady. His eyes forward. The earphones playing some sort of song that drowns out the waking world that gathers around him with every step he takes. The further along he goes, the more the world around him becomes a blur. It’s then that his mind starts to wander to things that are on his mind.]

[And so the inner monologue begins.]

=/=

Is Kelly right? What if I lost? Would I be rollin’ as high as I am? I wouldn’t be gettin’ this shot at, Crank, that’s for sure. Man, why am I gettin’ all mind fucked over this? Does it really matter if Heidi’s head was all obsessed with the blood of Tom Sawyer? Maybe I’m jus’ imagining things to get in my own goddamn way.

Wouldn’t be the first time that I was my own worst enemy.

End of the day I still beat her clean, jus’ like I said I wanted to. One on one, no teams, no bullshit. I braved the wilds of a blood ragin’ psychopath like her, an’ I came out the other end wit’ the dubya. Even though my head was ringin’ somethin’ awful for like a day an’ a half after ‘cause of her kickin’ me upside my head...

And then them bitchass chairshots.

I might have to do somethin’ ‘bout that.

At least I know I can still take an’ ass kickin’ an’ turn that shit around when I need to.

Ty:
“Heh”

[His head shakes, somewhat in disbelief.]

Man... You know what? it’s kind of weird to think about it, tho’. I beat on a woman an’ not jus’ any woman, a white girl, an’ the cops aren’t on my ass. That alone is jus’ such a weird as hell mind fuck all on it’s own. I mean, I know that she’s the real thing, an’ her being a chick didn’t mean a damn thing to me.

I wasn’t gonna play that game.

I mean... It’s not even like she’s the first female to win a “mans” World Title. I remember Misty Xiao, didn’t she beat Diablo or some shit? So this isn’t even somethin’ that’s new, she’s just another killer, but wit’ tits.

[A twitch shows his frustration is still there.]

Still... I know I beat one of the best in DEFIANCE, a World Champion an’ all that bullshit. I know all that, but man, I dunno why this was even botherin’ me in the first place? Hook or by crook, nigga, if it didn’t matter how you got the shit done back in the day, then why should it now?

Jus’ as long as you got it done.

Which you done, did.

[He smirks, thinking of Dane.]

Ty:
“Hmph.”

I wouldn’t be surprised if some of these niggas are jus’ bitchin’ behind closed doors about Dane givin’ one of “his boys” a free pass. Maybe that’s what it is... Seriously? Is that what this is all about? That I’m already makin’ waves an’ gettin’ ahead of the game? C’mon, man! Are you really gettin’ all stupid over this, an’ for what exactly? That maybe some other mothafuckas, might, be sayin’ some shit?

When in the HALE haven’t they been spittin’ that evil?

I can jus’ imagine what D’ would be sayin’ right now...

“You beat Heidi. You earned the shot, you know you earned it, now stop being a goddamn faggot, you honky bitch, and go win that title!”

[Snort, inhale, exhale. He briefly glances down and then around, the world coming back into focus.]

Man... Is this what havin’ a conscience is all about? When the hell did that happen? I don’t need any of this nonsense gettin’ in the way of doin’ what I do, man. I better delete that shit off my hard drive before I fuck this up.

[His pace increases slightly as he finds himself back where he started his day. Coming to a stop, he looks out towards the Pacific. Striding across the street, he heads out on to the beach and stares out into the horizon as the troubles just simply fade away.]

From now on, it's full blast, from here on out.

[Peace.]

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