Hi all,
I’m starting a little project to write some post SF4 fan-fiction showing how I’d handle the SF canon as outlined in some of my posts in the canon thread. Feedback is appreciated!
1: Rhythm of life…
Pausing to check the name of the street intersecting his path, Bob narrowed his eyes a bit to compensate for the brightness of the Miami sun peeking over the edge of the sign. For a long moment he lamented having forgotten his sunglasses somewhere in the airport after arriving. Raising a hand to shield his eyes further, the light playing over his freckled face, the young man verified the name; Blanks Drive. Finally! Turning down the road, he picked up his pace, eager to see the purpose of the invitation his friend had sent him. As he walked, his destination made itself clear in no small part by the uptempo beat of music coming from a boombox. Bob knew that music.
Now nearly jogging, Bob passed by a music store with all the barred window trappings of a pawn shop before reaching the plot of land situated on the address he was given. The lot was large, even sprawling, still speckled with the remnants of debris and overgrowth in some areas, but even now workers were laboring to clear that out. In the front, the skeletal structure of a building had already been raised, carpenters and electricians moving about within to continue adding meat and veins to it. Looking over the site, Bob felt a mix of curiosity and amusement mingle in him. He had definitely been invited here for something interesting, that much he could be sure of. Finishing the scan of the area, his eyes came to rest on a simple sign standing at the edge of the lot. ‘Future site of the Comet Youth center’ was written across it in bold letters.
“Hey, Bob!” The voice interrupted the young man’s thoughts, the elongated ‘ey’ in the greeting along with the enthusiasm of the voice making the source of it obvious even as a brawny armor with a cannonball bicep enwrapped Bob’s neck, pulling him down into a playful headlock, another hand moving over to apply a light noogie to Bob’s head of blonde hair. “So, whatcha think?” Not bothering to struggle against the headlock, Bob simply smiled, waiting to be released as he answered “It looks nice, Dee Jay” Bob replied as the constrictor-strong arm unwound from around him, the jovial gesture one he was used to from the good-natured Dee Jay. With his hands on his hips now, Dee jay gave Bob one of his usual large, ivory-white grins but, even for him, the expression was particularly beaming and the sparkle in his eye spoke of a level of excitement that surpassed the Jamaican’s typical pleasant demeanor.
“It’s gonna look even better once it’s all dones. I’m telling you, I can’t wait to see it all together” Dee Jay said, the enthusiasm carrying over into his voice, making it nearly infectious. Of all of Dee Jay’s talents, and from his kickboxing skills to his musical aptitude, he had many, Bob always considered his greatest attribute to be his charisma. It was an almost palpable sensation radiating off him, making him a natural center of attention and the life of nearly any situation. It was the sort of natural star power that came around very rarely, especially wrapped up in someone Bob would consider a genuinely good guy.
Sure, some entertainers could fake it for a few hours at a time in-between bouts of crushing meloncholy or primadonna tantrums, but with Dee Jay it was different. It was who he was and that, amongst all the talent he’d manage in his time, was what made Dee Jay, first and foremost, a friend rather than just a client. Even dressed in a simple red tank top and a pair of knee-length basketball shorts above a pair of sandles, Dee Jay had a presence that was undeniable. Of course, some of that came from his height and impressive, muscular build but the rest of it was a total intangible. That “it” factor that so many people talked about but so few possessed.
“I can tell. Finally spending some of that music money?” Bob asked, slapping a hand against the much larger man’s upper arm and holding it there. Dee Jay nodded, looking from Bob to the site
under construction “Almost all of it. Land ain’t cheap out here but it’s gonna be worth it” Bob found himself nodding in agreement even while knowing little about the project. Looking it over again, he furrowed his brow lightly as his curiosity piqued “A youth center, huh? I know you talked about opening up your own club like the Lemony. What changed your mind?”
At the question, Dee Jay’s smile disappeared, a more serious expression moving over his face as he thought over the various goals and aspirations that had brought him to this point. “Half a million sales, Bobby. Half a million sales and a movie changed my mind” Bob blinked at the answers, withdrawing his hand from Dee Jay to fold his arms over his chest lightly, knowing Dee Jay wouldn’t leave him hanging. “I sold all those records and performed a bunch of shows. Made a buncha money. Then I got that gig for the Dragon’s Game movie with Fei Long” Bob nods, that deal having been one of the last he set-up for Dee Jay before he’d decided to take a haiatus from media. “Dragon’s Game was great though.” Bob remarked, his tone slightly quizzical as he tried to get to where Dee Jay was leading him with the conversation. “Oh yeah. Yeah it was. Great time making it too” Dee Jay nodded in agreement, clearly remembering back to the production of the movie, a smile touching his lips again though without turning into a full grin. “Towards the end though, I got to see what a real star was like” “Fei Long?” Bob asked and Dee Jay nodded again “That guy. He was something else, I tell you. Just seeing him made me feel real bad about how I was acting”
Now that shocked Bob for a moment, the young man feeling a flare up of total confusion. Dee Jay had always been on the straight and narrow, never falling into the many pitfalls and vices of fame. At least not as long as Bob had known him. And he’d rarely known Dee Jay, a friend he knew to always follow his heart, to regret decisions. “What were you doing that was so bad?” “Nothing. I wasn’t doing nothing” Dee Jay answered, the weight in the word ‘nothing’ filled with noticeable regret. “All those record sales and time on the big screen, and I wasn’t doing nothing with it. Just making some money and having a good old time. Yeah. I had plans to make a club like Lemony. Export some of that Jamaican fun. Fill that club with my music and all. And…?” The last word came out as an inquiry directed to Bob, Dee Jay’s bright, brown eyes settling on him. “And…what?” Bob asked, now totally baffled. “Exactly! Nothing, Bobby. Nothing but fun for me. More money, more music and more fun. No, man. No. Ain’t what I should be doing” Dee Jay shook his head, totally dismissing the club notion as if it was a mouthful of sour milk being spat out.
“While I was over there in Hong Kong, working with that Fei Long, I saw what he did. With the money, with the fame. No clubs and no goofing of all the while. He was teaching folks to box or just helping them. Really putting in time. You know? He came up like me. Not a lot of money. Learning to box to make something of ya.” Bob nodded his head slowly, catching on now. He’d been around celebrities enough in his life to see some of them have the occasional fits of guilt that lead them to pay some lip-service to helping out the less fortunate. It was often just to make themselves feel better about having so much but, with Dee Jay, he didn’t get the same impression. “So that’s why you spent almost all your money on this?” Bob asked, Dee Jay nodding again as he folded his muscle-corded arms over his chest “Yeah. Gotta start somewhere and this place is good as any. I had my fun, now I gotta put in the work. I been real lucky with what I’ve done. Doesn’t feel right not to spread that luck around”
Bob nodded again, turning to look over the construction with Dee Jay, the two standing there silently amid the sounds of hammers hitting nails and saws cutting into lumber. Finally, Dee Jay broke the silence, the twinkle back in his eyes and the grin back on his lips. “That’s why I called for you, Bobby” He said as he clapped a hand down on Bob’s shoulder, the strength of the man causing Bob’s knees to bend lightly to absorb the strength of the limb coming down. “I don’t…” Bob started, momentarily confused again before Dee Jay continued “I need someone to help run this. Someone with a head for business. For money. I can teach music and fitness, you know? The money and the business though. No, that ain’t me” Bob blinked his eyes once, then twice as the realization hit him. “You want me to manage the center?” Dee Jay nodded slowly and with purpose, the grin still dominating his face, excitement radiating from him in waves “You’re the best man I know for the job, Bobby.”
Turning over the offer in his head, Bob turned his attention from Dee Jay to the sign announcing the center. “Dee Jay, I think I might need some time. To think this all over, I mean” Dee Jay lightly patted Bob’s arm before lowering his hand “Don’t worry, man. I’m not gonna twist your arm and make you decide right now. We got a whole heap of catching up to do anyway. Come on and meet the folks putting this all together” With that, Dee Jay gave a gesture for Bob to follow as he walked towards the construction area to start introducing him around, neither of the men noticing the tall figure observing them from beneath a billboard set atop a building across the street.
The second half of this part will be up soon!
