An Innocent Man

[Warren Peace]

"You couldn't loosen these handcuffs, could you?"

The armed guard that accompanied Warren Peace to Casey's Office looked at him.

"You know the deal, Warren. As far as the warden's concerned, you're guilty as sin, and I have to keep you in cuffs and line of sight at all times when we're out of the penatentiary."

Warren nodded. He'd grown used to the situation he found himself in. He knew he was innocent, but had no proof, so he put up with this new way of life.

Warren had been a successful businessman, before the death of his boss. All the evidence had pointed at Warren - they all knew how much he despised Vince.

It had come as a surprise when the letter came from APW. Warren had been an amateur wrestler when he was younger, but had never dreamed of making the professional stage. Now, it seemed, APW had seen something they liked, and they were prepared to give him a second chance at life outside the four walls of his prison cell.

And here he finally was, outside the office of Casey. He sat down in one of the plush chairs outside the office as the guard approached the door, eyes still firmly watching Warren's every move.

The guard knocked on the door and waited for a response.

[Casey Angel]

Hearing a knock on her door, Casey looks up from the paperwork on her desk. It had been a slow day thus far, lots of paperwork to do and incredibly boring for the most part. Her thoughts lingered on who could be on the other side. Kim checking in perhaps? She pushes a button on her desk to unlock the door. She presses the button next to it to turn on the PA above it.

You may come in.

[Warren Peace]

The guard ushered Warren into the office and motioned for him to sit in one of the available seats. Warren followed his escort's orders and sat down as directed. The guard approached Casey's desk with Warren's registration details and grinned when he noticed the over-abundance of paperwork already present on the desk.

"Looks like I'm just adding to your troubles today! Afraid I've got more paperwork for you."

He glanced over at Warren.

"This is Peace. The prison authorities see this as a real opportunity for some positive media exposure. I just hope you're security is up to standards; we can't have a convicted criminal roaming around freely now, can we?"

Warren hated that word. "Criminal". He was no criminal; he was another victim of injustice. But still, some good had come out of it if he was going to be able to follow his dream of becoming a pro wrestler. He relaxed and took in his new surroundings; it was certainly a better place to be than his usual four words. He was quite happy for his companion to do the talking.

"So, let's get down to business. What are the terms of this venture?"

[Casey Angel]

Casey looked up at the rather large....prison guard? Her eyebrows arched, obviously not expecting this today. She leaned back in her chair, folding her arms across her chest before looking directly into the man's eyes standing in front of her desk.

More paperwork? On who might I ask? I'm unaware of any new incoming talent. Just who are you? And why do you bring a man with the name of Peace into my office wearing handcuffs? I think that would be a great start before we go any further into.....paperwork.

She hated paperwork. She would avoid it if possible. The fact that neither of these men were familiar to her and the one speaking to her had not introduced himself made her skeptical as well. She waited for answers to her questions.

[Warren Peace]

"Where are my manners? I am Nicholai Frost, and have been appointed as Mr Peace's "caretaker" for the duration of his involvement in APW."

Warren was smiling. It was about time somebody made Frost feel uncomfortable for a change. Nick Frost had no authority here and Warren was enjoying seeing him squirm under Casey's grilling.

Frost presented the APW invitation letter to Casey.

"Warren Peace. 27 years old. Convicted of murder in the first degree, and sentenced to a lifetime of imprisonment. So, you see, he's in cuffs for a very good reason."

Frost wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead; he wasn't used to tricky situations such as the one he found himself at this present time.

"Warren here is the US Prison System's National Amateur Wrestling Champion. We hoped that this would attract an offer from the professional circuit, but nothing was forthcoming. Nothing, that is, until we were contacted by APW. A transfer was arranged to The Don Jail here in Toronto, to be used as a base of operations and now we are here to close the deal."

Frost clearly looked nervous, and Warren looked on with a faint smile on his face.

[Casey Angel]

Hmmm...

She read over the letter. Hugh signed this? Sent out while she was on her trip in June. Typical. Nobody informs her of such dealings upon her return. Did either of her sisters know about this? Her thoughts continued to wonder while she skimmed over the paperwork handed to her. She placed the letter on her desk, looking back up to this....Mr. Frost in front of her.

US Prison Amateur Wrestling Champion you say? Do you have any documents proving this? This could be a waste of my time if you failed to bring the correct documentation.

[Warren Peace]

Frost smiled. Finally, something he had prepared for. He reached inside his jacket, pulled out the relevant documentation and passed it to Casey.

"Here you are. I trust you'll find everything is in order?"

The smile had faded from Warren's face; things weren't going as well as he had hoped. The excitement he had felt when first hearing of the opportunity now seemed like a distant memory. He rose to his feet.

"Pehaps I can -"

Frost cut him off mid-sentence.

"Peace, you will answer when spoken to. Now sit down and shut up!"

Peace nodded and returned to his previous position.

[Casey Angel]

Casey took the documentation from Frost. She opened it up just in time to hear Frost shoud at Peace. She looked up at him, a none too pleased look on her face.

I will NOT tolerate outbursts like that in my office, Mr. Frost. This is your ONLY warning. HE is the one that your here to let compete is he not? Perhaps YOU should take a seat and be quiet and let MR. PEACE tell me about his wrestling background. He would know it better than any other, correct?

Her stare never wavered as she looked Frost in the eyes. She may be a woman, but she IS a very powerful woman at that. Outbursts would not be tolerated in her office. She waited for him to sit down and for Peace to speak.

[Warren Peace]

Frost was clearly taken aback.

"I ... I ... I'm sorry, miss ... you're right, of course. It won't happen again."

He turned towards Warren.

"Alright, champ ... you're up."

Warren wasn't ready for this. He had been sure that Frost would be the one to wrap up the deal. Still, he rose to his feet under the watchful gaze of Frost.

"I, er ... I grew up, just like most kids, watching the wrestling on TV ... even going to a couple of events when a promotion rolled into town. And, well ... I took up amateur wrestling at school ... became State Champion and competed at the Nationals."

Warren paused for a second, standing uncomfortably in Casey's uncompromising stare.

"I loved competing, but I never had the opportunity to take it any further, so I took a different career path. Then, erm ... the unfortunate incident happened, and I ended up serving time. The only good that came out of it was the opportunity to compete again in the sport I love ... and I became the US Prison Service Amateur Wrestling Champion ... and, well ... that's when you guys came in ..."

Warren smiled awkwardly.

"Just give me a chance ... I swear, you won't regret it ... I'll compete whenever and wherever you want me to."

Warren held up the cuffs for Casey to see.

"You see, if you don't give me the chance, this is all I've got. Let me have a chance to prove myself. Let me have the chance to live again ..."

[Casey Angel]

Casey listened intently, reading along in the documents provided as he described his wrestling career. She recognized the signature to be one of integrity, knowing almost every possible big wig in the wrestling industry. Once he finished, she sat the document down, her stare returning to him.

You certainly have the credentials to work here as a wrestler. But, I believe it would be wise of myself to hear the story on your conviction. No matter how good of a talent you may be, I must put my current employees before you, including their safety. If I were to sign you, I would need to know just what type of person they will be competing with. I don't need you killing one of them on national television. So, please, explain your conviction.

She folded her hands together on her desk, leaning forward to show he had her attention as she listened intently for what he had to say.

[Warren Peace]

Warren nodded.

"It's actually fairly simple. While I was working in New York, my boss died under mysterious circumstances. I hated the guy, but I could never kill a man. I'm innocent, but all the evidence pointed at me. I swear I was framed.

Frost, who was now sitting quietly at the back of the room thought about saying something, but changed his mind and let Warren continue with his version of events.

"They think I killed a man, so I'm now looking at spending the rest of my life behind bars. Do you know how hard that is? I've lost everything; friends, family, you name it. But the one that hurts the most, the woman I loved is no longer in my life. She couldn't face me again when she learned of what I've supposedly done."

Warren takes a deep breath as he remembers the day Amy walked away. He pauses, then motions towards Frost.

"It's really my word against his. I know it looks bad, but even if you don't believe me, you've got him covering me with a gun at all times. I swear, your employees are safe - I'm just here to get my life back."

[Casey Angel]

Interesting.

She leans back in her chair, a finger coming to her chin while she thinks over the whole ordeal. What should she do? She thought about consulting with her sisters over this one. It was certainly a big risk to sign him. Would it be a good decision? Was his talents really worth the risk. She turns her attention to Frost, speaking to him now.

You know this man quite well, correct Mr. Frost? Would you say that taking this risk would be worth it if you were in my situation? I know neither of you, which makes my predicament even tougher. Would you say that Mr. Peace could be trusted if given the chance?

[Warren Peace]

Nick Frost rises from his seat and takes a stands alongside Warren.

"Well, Miss Casey, we wouldn't have agreed to this ourselves if Mr Peace here hadn't demonstrated such good behaviour over the past few years. He has been a model inmate in his time under my jurisdiction, never caused any problems. We wouldn't even be here today if we thought there was any chance of problems arising."

Frost glances briefly at Peace before continuing.

"The risks are negligible. What we have here is an opportunity that could benefit both our organisations in a positive way. You have here an exciting new angle you can introduce into your shows. Peace still maintains his innocence, so how's that for a story to increase your viewing figures? A man convicted of a crime he did not commit, now comes to APW to fight for his freedom ..."

[Casey Angel]

Casey looked back and forth between the men, looking into their eyes to make sure they were both being as honest as possible. She had learned to read people in this business. APW wouldn't have survived as long as it has if her sisters and herself had not. Without breaking her stare at them, she pulled her desk drawer open. She grabbed a stapled stack of papers out of it and sat it in front of Warren, a pen on top as always.

A standard APW contract. Mr. Frost will also have to sign off on this. If you have any doubts, do not sign. But, if you do, make no mistake that my sisters and I will be your bosses from now on. Any and all commands given from us WILL override Mr. Frost's when it concerns APW and it's employees. Is that understood by both of you?

[Warren Peace]

Frost took out a key, unlocked the cuffs and removed them from Warren's wrists. Both men nodded in agreement at the terms Casey had just set out before them.

Warren sat down, carefully reading the details of the contract in front of him before signing on the dotted line.

Frost replaced Warren's cuffs before taking his turn.

"This all looks good to me."

Warren smiled as Frost signed his name; finally an opportunity to make something of his life had presented itself; finally he had a bit of luck.

Frost handed the completed contract back to Casey, and prepared to take Warren back to The Don.

[Casey Angel]

Good luck, gentlemen. See you soon.

Seeing Frost had to keep hold of Peace, she simply nodded to the both of them instead of her usual handshake at the end of contract signings. Frost escorted Peace out of the room as Casey returned to her paperwork, the door closing behind them.