Disclaimer: I don't own the character Dave Batista. WWE does.
Chapter Five - Turning Point
As Dave approached his apartment door, he turned his head slightly to catch a glimpse of Jackson, who appeared disappointed, holding his head down and stared at the floor below him as the elevator doors closed. Dave didn't care. Jackson had a lot of nerve showing up at Dave's apartment building, offering him a job, especially since it was partly his fault Dave was fired from the FBI...
"Dave..." a small hand rested upon Dave's broad shoulder as he sat behind his Cherry Oak desk in his office, his head resting in his arms, appearing to be asleep. The room was darken by thick black curtains Dave had bought to keep the sunlight out as it began to bothered him. All that illuminated his office was a small green lap. Dave mumbled and rose up, his eyes bloodshot and tired. His appearance was hardly award-winning. He'd let his head & facial hair grow out a bit and looked like he hadn't slept in days. He didn't care about his physical appearance. The female that had awoken him was hit by a wave of alcohol as Dave yawned in her direction.
"Yeah Amber?"
"Kane wants to see you in his office".
"Fine". Dave leaned back down and rested his head on his desk again, not caring about the summons that was just given to him.
"Dave?"
"WHAT?!"
"Kane wants to see you, now."
"Dammit what the hell does he want now?" Deputy Director Kane had been on Dave's back recently, due to his increasingly erratic behavior out in the field as well as during office hours at the bureau. After Roger's death, Dave slowly became more distant and aggressive towards his colleagues and criminal suspects alike.
Dave rubbed his eyes with the back of his arm and slowly stood up. Amber stared with concern as Dave made his way from behind his desk and walked passed her, barely acknowledging her presence. She, like many at the bureau had been worried about Dave. They would try and reach out to him, only to be rejected harshly. They tried talking to him, offering to help him in any way, even making visits to his apartment but Dave wasn't having any of it. He wished that everyone would get off his case and leave him be.
Dave walked through the open office area, being greeted by roaming eyes full of concern, curiosity, and even hurt.
"Fuck em", Dave thought to himself, giving them a fierce glance back. When he arrived at Kane's door, he made no attempt for pleasantries and barged right in. A wave of confusion came over him as he saw sitting opposite Kane his recently newly appointed partner Agent Jackson Walker.
"What the hell is this?" Dave said with a hint of anger in his voice, desperately trying to mask the small bit of fear he was now feeling. Dave knew what this 'Meeting' was about.
'Damn you Jackson for ratting me out', he thought.
Earlier that week, Dave & Jackson went to interview a pedophile suspected of raping 3 children in 2 different states. As soon as they reached his home, Dave flew into a rage and began to assault the 56 year old man, punching him in the ribs as well as threatening more bodily harm. Jackson pleaded for Dave to stop, but he ignored him.
"I think you know what this is about Dave..." Kane said, crossing his arms. Dave bit his lip.
"Yeah, I think I do." He said and shot a stare at Jackson, who in response shifted nervously in his seat and put his head down, staring at the floor below him.
"Well then what are we gonna do about it? Wait before you answer, let me hear your side of the story."
"Why? You're gonna fire me anyway."
"DAMN RIGHT I AM! WHAT THE HELL WHERE YOU THINKING BATISTA?!? ASSAULTING A SUSPECT?"
"HE'S A FUCKING PEDOPHILE THAT RAPED 3 CHILDREN!"
"I don't care if he's Hitler we don't fucking assault suspects!!"
"Well I know you wouldn't. You're a pussy Kane, always following the fucking rules right? Oh wait no you don't. You know I always wondered if your selfish request to keep the Hanson kid's investigation a secret may have lead to..."
"Don't you dare lay that on me."
"WHY NOT? YOU DIDN'T GIVE US ANY ADDITIONAL MANPOWER THAT NIGHT TO BEGIN WITH. 'YOU TWO CAN HANDLE IT ALL ON YOUR OWN' YOU SAID."
"Dave..."
"NO FUCK YOU KANE!" Dave said and looked at Jackson once again before he stormed out of the office. He headed towards his office to get his things when Jackson's voice rang in his ear.
"Dave wait."
Dave stopped and turned around quickly, diving for Jackson. He put his massive hand around the agent's throat and pushed him again the wall. A few onlookers stared in horror.
"You know what Jackson, I'm gonna let that slide, but if you try and stop me from going anywhere again... trust me you won't want to do that." He released his grip and continued to his office. Dave had further sunk into the dark hole he created for himself...
He opened his apartment door and was immediately hit by a cloud of old booze that still lingered inside. He sighed and walked in. He headed towards the bathroom for the first-aid kit to remove the embedded glass in his feet, knocking over beer bottles as he walked. He opened the cabinet doors under the bathroom sink and pulled the kit out, resting it on the counter. He sat down on the toilet and lifted one of his legs to get a look at the glass.
"Dammit" He said looking at the damage that he'd allowed to happen. He began to remove the glass with a pair of tweezers. After all the glass was gone, he cleaned the lacerations and bandaged them. As he worked on his feet he thought about his encounter with Jackson. He felt guilty for lashing out at him. He knew Jackson meant well, but Dave was so far gone he didn't know where to turn or how to ask for help. He sat up and headed to his bed to sleep. As he lied down he began to cry tears that stung his eyes. He was tired of the pity and angst that had overcome him these past couple of months. He was ready for a change. After 10 minutes of crying, he finally came to a decision.
He reached over and grabbed his coat. He reached in the pocket and pulled out a card with a phone number on it. He got his phone and dialed the number.
"Hello?" The voice said on the other end, the voice he how couldn't believe he mistaken for his fallen partner.
"Jackson it's me, what time should I be ready tomorrow?"