Grimjack - One Year Ago.

[Management]

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ONE YEAR AGO

A few days after One Night Stand Grimjack had met up with Tommy Romeo at his bar, Pleasant Jack’s. He mentioned what had happened to Tommy. 


Grimjack: Did you talk to the cops? The CIA came around asking questions. Starr was involved in some shit I guess. I didn’t tell them anything but that’s only because I don’t actually know anything. Just that someone was targeting my friends so we had to take them down.


Tommy: It’s fine to talk to the police and the CIA. I’m the one who arranged for them to show up. Erin and I knew all along Danny Starr was behind this, we set him up. We just had to smoke him out, get him to make a wrong move and expose himself. He could have just kept assassinating us but instead we got his sense of superiority to set up a pay per view event where we were able to fight him on a level playing field. Well, somewhat level.


Grimjack: Level enough. Well you sure thought of everything. So what are you going to do next?


Grimjack didn’t think about it at the time, but a few months later he started thinking about what Tommy had said. He’d said that he and Erin had knew all along Starr was behind this. What did it mean to say, “all along”. How long had Tommy and Erin known about Starr? The CIA agent had said he didn’t know Starr was alive, which meant he thought he was dead. And it was true. Grimjack hadn’t kept up with his old “friend” Starr, but reading news articles about the event, Grimjack learned that he had been missing for ten years. People started to think he was dead just because he had been this rich, famous guy who just disappeared. He had somehow impersonated Eric Rayne and no one had been the wiser. Now no one knew where Rayne was, it was probably him who was dead all these years.


So Grimjack curiously looked up Tommy Romeo on Facebook. There he saw he had a new girlfriend, who looked familiar. Grimjack Realized it was Erin Wallace, the old HWA interviewer. He hadn’t thought of her for years. She used to go out with Kevin Conner. Grimjack remembered he had always had a crush on her, she was so nice. He googled her name and he learned she had become an investigative journalist after the HWA folded, and her most famous articles were investigations into Danny Starr. It all made sense, she had inside knowledge about Starr from working for HWA all those years. It was her that had known all about Starr. She had the theory that he was still alive. But why did Danny disappear? Apparently he had been involved in multiple murders. He must have decided to go into hiding to avoid jail time. This all just made Grimjack more nervous.


It had seemed like Danny Starr was just randomly killing ex HWA wrestlers. But maybe there was a method to it. Maybe those guys all had been organized against Danny, and were specifically targeted for that reason. Erin had been antagonizing Starr by reporting on his whereabouts and crimes. Tommy knew all those guys that got killed. And now they were going out.


But Grimjack had nothing to do with it. He hadn’t seen Erin in years and he never really knew Tommy. Grimjack had learned his old friend Kevin conner was dead from a youtube video, and then found other old HWA wrestlers were being killed, and then he just assumed he must be next. But what if Starr never cared about him, and was going to leave him alone? It wouldn’t matter, Grimjack was glad to help get revenge for the death of his friend. Hell, he might have joined that anti-Starr organization if he was asked. But then he might have been killed along with them. Starr must not have been able to find Erin or Tommy, or the rest like Diamond, Trystan and Syren. Or Danny’s own sister, Cassandra Starr. 

JANUARY 2021


Months later, Grimjack was at home at Pleasant Jack’s smoking a blunt and listening to music when he again heard a knock at the door. Annoyed, he snuffed it out in the ashtray and went to the door to peak thru the peephole. A man in a suit and tie stood there. Situations like this were always sketchy and he thought for a moment about trying to disguise the weed smell but then he remembered it was legal now. He did decide to turn down the loud music he had playing so he could hear what this guy had to say. He opened the door.


Grimjack: Hello?


The man pulled his wallet out and opened it revealing an ID card that said CIA on it.


Man: Hello, are you Marion Smith?


Grimjack: Yeah I am. Who is asking?


Man: Hi, my name is Oliver Danielson, CIA. 


Grimjack: Oh again eh? I was wondering when I’d hear from you guys again.


Danielson: Yes, my records showed you spoke with my fellow agent Frank Davidson before, is that correct?


Grimjack: Yeah it is. Where is he? 


Danielson: Your case has been transferred to me. It’s a common thing.


Grimjack: My case?


Danielson: Sorry, I misspoke. Not your case. You have nothing to be worried about. I’m investigating a string of murders.


Grimjack: Murders? Well you got your man didn’t you? Danny Starr was arrested. You're welcome by the way, I helped take him down.


Danielson: No, not Starr. Someone’s been murdering his associates. 


Grimjack: What?


Danielson: You haven’t heard? The High Society, which is what Starr called his henchmen. Corwin Havens, Jonathon Keeper, killed in jail. Tony Gold-


Grimjack: Wait what?


Danielson: Yeah, Tony Gold. You knew him didn’t you? Fought a wrestling match with him this past summer?


Grimjack stopped and thought about it. Gold seemed like an asshole but it seemed like he was tricked by Starr into getting in the ring with Grimjack. Like he didn’t really want to be there. Like he was being blackmailed or something. His heart wasn’t into it, so Grimjack felt bad ripping his arm out of the socket. But he was a criminal and it was either him or Grimjack. It wasn’t personal, Grimjack just had to defend himself. 


Grimjack: Tony Gold is dead?


Danielson: Yes. Did he say anything to you? Any idea who might want him dead?


Grimjack: I didn’t know the guy. That’s a shame though. But do you think it’s connected to the HWA guys that got killed? Kevin Conner? Unknown Ninja? Fudge?


Danielson: I don’t know, that’s what I’m trying to find out. 


Grimjack: Well Danny Starr probably knows. This was all his doing. Those were his guys but maybe he is taking them out because they knew too much. Maybe he had other hitmen working for him. Maybe members of that Storm Corps. Just because he’s in jail it doesn’t mean he can’t be behind this. 


Danielson. Like I said, that’s what I want to find out so if you have any information it would be much appreciated.


Grimjack: I don’t have any information! But come on man, you have all these people getting killed, what if I’m next? Maybe I shouldn’t even be talking to you. I was living my life and then I got mixed up in all of this and I had nothing to do with it. I don’t know why any of these people had to die. It’s your job to find the scumbags doing this.


Danielson: Sir. Mr. Smith, I’m sorry but I’m just trying to do my job. Please try to stay calm.


Grimjack: I’m calm but you have to realize how fucked up this shit is.


Danielson: I do.


Grimjack: Well I don’t know anything and it doesn’t seem you do either. Makes me feel real safe you know? You’ve talked to Tommy Romeo right? And Erin Wallace? They probably know more about what’s going on.


Danielson: Tommy what? Who?


Grimjack: You don’t know who they are? Jesus man he said he already talked to you. He gave you the information on Starr in the first place so you guys would know Starr was at the Staples Center. Didn’t Davidson tell you any of this?


Danielson: The CIA is compartmentalized. But thank you. This is good information. 

Oliver Danielson starts writing down some notes on a notepad. Grimjack looks bewildered.


Grimjack: No wonder the US is so fucked up. You CIA guys are incompetent. You killed JFK and fucked up the coverup. You did 9/11 and your WMDs were fake. It fooled no one. I bet Starr was CIA and you’re just covering up a fuckup again!


Danielson: Sir, please calm down. I can assure you-


Grimjack: I’ve told you all I know. Now please, can we wrap this up, I have things to do.


Danielson: Ok, well here, take my card. If you think of anything else please give me a call. I know it might not seem like it but I’m trying to protect you and get to the bottom of all this.


Grimjack: Yeah sure, thanks.


Grimjack took the card and put it in his wallet next to the one he got from Frank Davidson. He knew he’d never call this idiot back. He watched as Danielson drove away into the hot LA night. Grimjack had lost his cool which had harshed his mellow. He hated when that happened but the incompetent agent had brought back some brutal memories. There wasn’t much he could do about what had happened at One Night Stand. People were dead and not coming back. Grimjack wanted to move forward in his life but he kept getting reminded of death. His mind went back to Kevin Conner, who had been killed by Ryan Maxem while hanging out with Zack Tyler. That made no sense because Tyler was a scumbag. Why would Conner have been hanging out with him? That might have been the key to this riddle. Maybe he should have mentioned that to the CIA agent. The CIA seemed to be like chickens with their heads caught off. You’d think they would have already gone over that crime scene and looked into the backgrounds of everyone that died that day but who knows. There was still someone out there killing people connected to Starr. Could that mean they would still come for HWA members? Was Grimjack’s life still in jeopardy?

PRESENT DAY


Months later Grimjack had tried to put it out of his mind. He’d gotten a new gig working for the SWC, fighting robots. He’d had a good first match. Cyrus Vogel was a smart guy, just like Grimjack hoped, he had programmed his robot to tap out to the Six Second Magic so Grimjack was not forced to damage the expensive robot beyond all repair. And the check for $15,000 had been deposited into Grimjack’s account. He immediately transferred it into his mortgage payment account as he was in arrears. Real Estate was not cheap in LA and he still owed a lot more on the mortgage and back taxes. But at least he had a steady job for now. He couldn’t worry too much about the past. Things were looking up. He wasn’t having any more Nostradamus delusions and Ron Royalty had gotten in touch with him about having an HWA reunion where the money would go to charity to support people hurt by Starr. Seemed like a great idea. He’d talked with Tommy Romeo about joining his RMI company which would help promote him and gain business opportunities since Grimjack was back in the news. It made perfect sense to bank on nostalgia and make maximum profits while his name was trending. Grimjack thought about asking Tommy about what he knew about Starr but then decided it was a sore subject so maybe he’d better not. Surely Tommy had that under control. Apparently Starr had killed himself. That seemed a little fishy, like with Epstein. But what did they expect? Someone had been killing Starr’s henchmen so it was only a matter of time before they took out Starr himself. That was seemingly the end of it. Or was it?


It still didn’t make much sense. Why did they want to kill Starr? 


Grimjack liked looking himself up online. He’d google himself, check his twitter, check his Instagram, and see what people were saying. It was a bit narcissistic, no doubt, but he had a healthy self image and it was all mostly positive stuff. After being depressed from struggling financially for years and losing his close friends, this was akin to therapy for him. One night he was getting off work from tending bar and he sat in his back room with his laptop checking out the latest news. People were talking about the announced HWA reunion and he saw some trolls were talking about conspiracy theories about Starr. Some were saying he faked his death. Then he saw someone mention Oliver Danielson. Grimjack remembered that name, it was the CIA agent he talked to. They said the same guy that killed Starr killed Danielson. What?


Grimjack googled Oliver Danielson and came up with a news story in the NY Times.


WASHINGTON D.C. - A prominent CIA agent was found dead in his Washington D.C. home this past week. Oliver Danielson, 29, originally of Omaha, Nebraska, was found by a former colleague who was reported to have been conducting a well-being check after Danielson failed to respond to several phone calls. No cause of death has currently been revealed though sources report that the death is being viewed as “suspicious”.


Danielson had become surprisingly well-known in recent months for a CIA employee. Having helped orchestrate the arrest of William Keen - known to the wider public as The Baphomet - on multiple counts of murder following a professional wrestling event held by the Xtreme Wrestling Federation, Danielson made a series of public statements regarding the Keen investigation that were branded by many in the media to be erratic and potentially compromising towards the case.


Following these events, many in the intelligence community were surprised that Danielson was able to retain his job, particularly as the federal administration changed. Rumors continue to circulate amongst Capitol insiders around how this happened, with growing voices indicating even greater concern regarding corruption throughout the intelligence community. These voices have only increased since William Keen was released from prison. Though Keen’s associate, Andrew Logan, has taken full responsibility for all murders and is currently imprisoned, Danielson’s death has led to further speculation that the investigation should continue, with one source stating that they believe “100% Keen is guilty, and now he’s gotten away with it again.”


As of publication, the CIA has not responded to requests for further details.


Grimjack: Jesus.


Who was this William Keen? Oliver Danielson had gone to the XWF to investigate him? Grimjack had always had a feeling that the XWF was cursed and so it was a good thing he followed his instincts. He’d known Tommy Romeo and Evan Blane had gone to work there and he’d done a little research on it and saw a guy get his hand burnt on live TV, that was when Grimjack had noped out of joining it. He remembered it was a guy named Baphomet who had done that, apparently William Keen was his real name. It all made sense now. Keen worked for Starr and he must have gotten him out of prison. They must have used a body double like they did with JFK. Otherwise why kill Danielson, who was investigating all of this? Grimjack started googling around about Danny Starr. There were tons of conspiracy theories that Danny Starr was still alive. It made perfect sense. It wasn’t going to be that easy. Just put him in jail? Rich people never went to jail. Starr disappeared and faked his death before and hid for ten plus years. He was just going back to his old playbook. Fucking bastard. People like Kevin Conner really were dead though. Starr thought he was going to get away with it? Grimjack got more and more angry as he scrolled through the different subreddits and youtube channels. People were making memes, which Grimjack knew was the best way of disseminating the truth. And people seemed to be getting too close to the truth!

























A long post read:

There you have it! The evidence is clear. There is a day of reckoning to be had. He is alive and somewhere close, you can feel it. He is plotting his next moves and he needs your help! Help Danny Starr clean up the corruption that exists in the HWA. The people will not be fooled! Ask yourselves HOW the HWA ended up in the hands of Eric Rayne. Oh, you don’t know who Eric Rayne is? He’s the billionaire shadowy elitist that ran an evil club called The High Society. The truth is being exposed but Danny Starr was so close to exposing it, so they wanted him dead! That’s why he had to fake his death and go into hiding, but now, it’s up to us! He did the hard work of exposing this underworld of corruption, it’s our job now to finish it! Tell your friends, tell your neighbors, tell your co-workers, tell your kids! We can’t let Danny Starr’s sacrifice go unheard, and we MUST ACT NOW!!! Join the Red Starrs. We are the foundation… we are the sensation… we all are… Danny Starr.

-Red Starr

Someone was getting too close to the truth. Damn it! He should have realized. Nostradamus had tried to warn him a year ago. Starr faked his death February 22nd, that had to be significant. Numerology was at play here. Nostradamus had ten letters in his name. Danny Starr was ten letters. February 22 had ten characters. Grimjack dusted off his book of Nostradamus prophecies. According to the tenth quatrain of Nostradamus:

X. 

Serpens transmis en la cage de fer, 
Ou les enfans septains du Roy sont pris: 
Les vieux & peres sortirons bas de l'enfer, 
Ains mourir voir de fruict mort & cris. 

A coffin is put into the vault of iron, 
where seven children of the king are held. 
The ancestors and forebears will come forth from the depths of hell,
 lamenting to see thus dead the fruit of their line.


It was almost time for the HWA reunion press conference. Grimjack would head over there now and bring this up to Romeo and Blane.