Post by Wade Moor on Dec 26, 2015 20:55:44 GMT -5
"Then she saw the look in my eyes
And began to sing a song I won’t describe
In another life we’ll be king and queen you and I
Then she told me Devil don’t cry"
- Devil Don't Cry (King 810)
Prologue: The Man With Two Faces
And began to sing a song I won’t describe
In another life we’ll be king and queen you and I
Then she told me Devil don’t cry"
- Devil Don't Cry (King 810)
Prologue: The Man With Two Faces
CLYHNHK-RREGGSGSERT
*buzz-static*
That recorder. That damn recorder. When will it end, you ask yourself in a pleading voice, begging the noise to stop...but there is no end in sight. Like that World's Championship reign of yore and legend...Wade's will never end. The thought crosses your mind, obviously. You think you'll be the one to take him down, but that's not how the story goes.
The tale goes...you get #beachbodied. You went and #beachbodied your damn self too, didn't ya? Yeah, yeah you did. Wade's voice plays through the cheap speaker, signaling your end is near.
“Can Gemini Battle come out to play? Can he, Grayson? Facing him over you sounds like an...upgrade? Maybe, just maybe you would have pulled this farce of a match off if Gemini Battle was still in control? We all know that he's the one with the teeth. You couldn't fight your way out of a wet paper bag, Pierce. If you wrestled a match against a broomstick, the broomstick would win.
“But Gemini man...something about that match makes me salivate, makes me lick my chops in anticipation, you know? I can't really put my finger on it. Maybe it's because you're the only thing that makes that joke, that wet noodle Grayson stand out? Yeah, yeah I've seen it: you put the paint on your face, but the mask comes off. You made Grayson into the man he is today...
“Well, the man he was. Now he's just...Grayson Pierce. King Trash. Midcard dreaming about who he used to be. This match could have been God vs God, two of the best stepping into the ring and demolishing each other over the right to be called the absolute best...but you castrated that match along with Gemini Battle, the worthier of the two of you.
“You thought you were doing what's best for you and yourself...but Gemini was actually able to protect your family. As soon as you wrote him off, Teddy went the way of the ghost. Gemini was able to protect your title reign. #RIPWorldsGreatestUnitedStatesChampion. Gemini was also more likely to win this match...but now, you're chances are gone along with everything else Grayson.
“And it's all your fault, man. You had the chance, listening to Gemini whisper those sweet somethings into your ear...but you thought that you would have what it takes instead. You couldn't even take out Orbit in a hardcore match. You could barely stand on your own two legs the next week. You're toothless Grayson. You can't even grieve correctly, let alone beat me in a match or take this championship away.
“Now history is going to repeat itself. You #beachbodied yourself in less than a week, Pierce. I don't even have to get in the ring with you to know that you're broken beyond repair. I'm going to do it anyway, but you're already butchered. You took something incredible...and you threw it away in exchange for being yourself, and yourself is just not good enough to beat me.”
*buzz-static*
CLYHNHK-RREGGSGSERT
Part I: Un-Simpler Times
Leven sits across a round table from Seth Lerch, who is stuffing his face with roasted turkey and goblets of red wine. Leven only pushes the food around on his plate with his gilded fork, trying his best to get through the meal without actually talking to Lerch...but the incumbent proprietor of the WCF and leader of the Owls had different plans.
“So, Leven...” Seth said with a mouth full of food and wine, “How do you plan on killing Wade?”
Leven's fork clattered to his plate, splashing a group of potatoes from the plate and onto the table. He looked up from his food and made direct eye contact with Lerch, feeling his hand curl around his knife, gripping it tight. He scooted his chair out a little, but Seth held his hand in the air.
“I'm sorry...I'm being insensitive”, he said with no tangible signs of remorse, “I know how hard this must be for you.”
Leven anticipated crossing the room and jabbing this knife into Seth's throat...but he released the blade and it fell back on the table.
“You know”, Leven spoke, “You don't strike me as the kind of man who would want to save the world, Seth Lerch.”
Seth laughed, some deep guttural laugh, and took a large gulp of his wine.
“Save the world?” Seth asked incredulously, “Do you really think I want to save the world?! Don't make me fucking laugh, Leven. You know better than I do that everyone born on this filthy dirt pit isn't worthy of breathing the same air we do. They're all leeches, Leven, who exist to bleed the world dry.”
Seth laughed again, his gaze shifting lower, his pupils turning a nasty shade of black.
“But I found a way to flip the script, Leven. The vision started off small, maybe even something that I could be proud of.”
“Are you talking about WCF?” Leven asked, his curiosity piqued.
“Of course, of course!” Seth said, his hands clapping in front of him, “Like I said, the idea was a nugget. A little head start against the leeches. My plan was to move state by state, snatching up these small territories and absorbing their talents. Backstage, in ring, technicians...anyone I could get my hands on, I took them. I paid them a pittance because, well...where else would they go?
“Being the only form of this premier entertainment style in town, I had found a way to bleed the leeches dry. Now they spend their money on my creation...and I'm the filthiest, richest man in the world.”
Leven smirked, shaking his head at Seth.
“You can't tell me that you're doing this all for money? There have to be...better reasons to save this world.”
“Oh, but Leven...I do have better reasons. You see, after a while...it wasn't about the money anymore. The WCF roster...they are all my children. I love the feeling of holding men's lives, dreams, ambitions...and ultimately, their deaths in my hand. Think about it Leven...”
Seth raised his head to make eye contact with Leven.
“How many men have died in my employment already? Your own brother Wade's foil, Scarecrow. Deuce Murdock...and I nearly had Jayson Price, but he recovered from that damn coma. Maybe I'll have him after this weekend. I did put him up against two of my own in Torture and Fly. What I'm trying to say is...nobody escapes their fate when I have it laid out for them from beginning to end.”
Seth took another bite of his roast.
“And you know what the really fucked up thing is? I kind of...like Wade. I mean, he's interesting. He's got that IT factor, you know? The kind of thing that makes me money and gives me power...but unfortunately, he's just a cog in the machine. The WCF doesn't revolve around him. I have ten more hungry men ready to take his spot. The crowd will miss him for a little while, definitely, but in his absence another will take his place, and the gears turn on and on.”
Leven shook his head in complete disbelief of Seth. Even though Leven was a “killer”, he still believed that all life was precious. He was a murderer by societies standards, but in his mind and heart, he was doing the right thing...but Seth was outright sadistic. He was a puppet master, dangling prizes on strings in front of the mortals who would fight for them...and they didn't even know better.
“Then why would you have me kill Wade?” Leven asked, “My very own brother?”
Seth laughed again.
“There you go”, Seth replied, “Thinking I'm stupid again. You know how important the Arbiter is in the Prophecy...and the power he holds. The Harbinger may be the one who fulfills it...but not without the Arbiter. He possesses the power to turn the tides for either side.”
“Why not recruit him then?” Leven asked, “Have him work for your benefit. All you have to do is make it enticing for him. Give him an incentive...ultimate control in your fantasy drama? You would still be in control, and Wade would get to live.”
Seth seemed to chew the thought for a moment, the gears turning in his brain...but his expression quickly changed to one of sarcastic wonder.
“Man, that's a great idea Leven...”, Seth replied, “...If I hadn't already thought of it first. What do you think his World Championship win was? Or having me hand the reigns of WCF over to #BeachKrew for that short stint? I called it a trial run...but #BeachKrew called it a chance to show everyone where their loyalties lied: with themselves, and Hacksaw Jim Thuggin.
“Why do you think I even brought #BeachKrew into the WCF in the first place? That was a trial run, and a way to keep an ever watchful eye on them. On paper, this idea had no longevity. A couple of dumb ass frat boys that make dick jokes and talk about fuccboi genocide? Fucking ridiculous...but I underestimated what the people wanted. I can't pretend to be 'in-touch' all the time...that's why I have a creative team.
“But the people responded to them in a way I never expected...and it gave my puppets a collective 'evil' to fight. I gave them lemons and they made it a five course meal. They came in at the right time...as all the work I had put into bringing down Pantheon and building up Joey Flash came to a skidding halt. In my line of work, I take a series of calculated risks...but sometimes statistics don't always hold true.
“There are always different forces at work. I didn't expect the Jackal to possess Dune. I didn't expect him to kill Joey's child. I didn't expect them to get put out of action like that. They were supposed to carry my main events until One...but plans changed. Risks don't always result in reward. #BeachKrew was something I never counted on, but it turns out they don't play the same game I do.”
Leven laughed from deep within his belly, causing Seth to shoot him a look of despise.
“It sounds like you took a lot of risks, Seth”, Leven replied, “And you underestimated my brother. He has this way of making his own destiny. Arbiter or not...he will choose what's best for him and his friends. You can count on that. I would expect it.”
“I DON'T TAKE RISKS ANYMORE!” Seth yelled, slamming his fist down on the table. He slapped his plate to the side and it skid across the floor and crashed into the wall, “THAT'S WHY I HAVE YOU! YOU'RE GOING TO DO THIS JOB FOR ME...OR YOU WILL DIE ALONG WITH THE REST OF THE PLANET!”
Leven stood to his feet and threw his chair across the room.
“What if I don't care?” Leven asked, his temper starting to boil.
“Oh, you care. People like you Leven?” Seth asked, “You always have something to lose. What if I tied you up and made you watch me cut your brother's eyes out? Mutilate him in front of you until he is begging for death? Maybe I kill his girlfriend in front of him too? Would that be the straw that breaks the camels back? Then maybe I turn and do the same thing to you?”
Leven put his hands on the table, defeated. Seth had his hands in every pot, and he had Leven between a rock and a hard place. He had to kill his brother...or somebody else would.
“Are you done, Leven?” Seth asked.
“Yes.” Leven replied.
“Good...now it's time for you to go. Go do the fucking thing already, before I kill you anyways.”
“How...do I get to him?” Leven asked, “I don't know where he is.”
“Use the girl, fool”, Seth replied, “He'll come to you.”
Leven turned on his heels and left the chamber.
CLYHNHK-RREGGSGSERT
*buzz-static*
“How are you feeling about Sunday, Grayson? Maybe your confidence is still there...or maybe it's beginning to wane. It's ok if it is, Grayson. It's called the Wade Effect. A lot of people have suffered it's devilish symptoms, and they come in five stages.
“Stage one is always excitement. My opponents start off riding high on the fact that they finally get to face that 'paper' champion and 'shut his mouth' once and for all. You already know what it is. You've felt it. You've professed it from the rooftops...in between talking about your dead son, that is. - How is that going by the way? You suing the manufacturer of those cribs or what? Unsanctioned match of the year. Teddy Pierce vs his crib. Crib won decisively, but it wasn't playing heel. Tweeners can be real fucking bitches, you know?
“That's what Gemini WAS, right? The world's greatest tweener? What a fucking excuse, Gemini. A real excuse, another one of you who isn't capable of owning up to your actions. 'Hey! I act like a dick to bad guys, but I'm a pretty nice guy to the other heroes!' You're just as arrogant as Grayson here, thinking he's going to be the one to take down #BeachKrew. I can't confess my confidence in my #Krew's ability to keep themselves together...but the only thing that will take down #BeachKrew is #BeachKrew.
“That's how it always goes, right? The cracks start to form, and suddenly everyone is slipping through them, clawing desperately to cling on to their last hope of relevance...but that's not how OUR story goes, Grayson. You listen up to Gemini you motherfuck. I know you're still in there, after all. You're just teaching old Grayson here a lesson, right? Funny, I have similar plans:
“And it goes a little something like stage two: bolstering. This is the part where you talk about how much 'better' you are than me. Out of the ring and in it, like you actually fucking believe it. That's your own mind tricking you into thinking one way, and that's something your mind has been doing since you got here. Hello again, Gemini! Did you forget about him already, Grayson? He's the one that got you to the party, remember?
“But now the lights are out and nobody is home. For all the jibberin' and jabberin' you did...it's going to barely amount to Grayson's first run in the WCF. What a fucking joke that was. You tried to talk tough then too, dropping your 'ride the lightning' shit like your name was Jayden Thunder...but what did that get ya then? What will it get you now?
“You're a fuckin' mook, Grayson. Your ability to shoot me down is underscored by your ability to fight, which is close to nilch BOI. I am undefeated, Grayson. Yet to be pinned...but on the way to this match, you let yourself get pinned by not one, but two men. You may take these losses, wear them like a badge of courage...but I see them as a sign of weakness. You just weren't built for this world, Grayson. You belong back down in the midcard. Give me Occulo. Give me Orbit. This shit just isn't meant for you.
“And that's when stage three comes in to play, Young Pierce: denial. You're telling yourself you were meant to be in the main event, singing Christmas carols to yourself, and saying that you got such a wonderful life...but that's all in your head, Grayson...and well, what happens up there? It just ain't real man. It's part of the denial I was talking about.
"Everyone goes through it. A few more people and it might get it's very own support group. Where you can sit around with the likes of Vic Venable, Teo Del Sol, Preecha Kamon, and Scarecrow - rest in piece. Next on the list: Grayson Pierce.
"I'm not going to make any ungrounded regards or egotistical claims like I'm going to end your career...I'm just going to do it. We all know this match is your Hail Mary, Grayson. Your last real chance to prove that your waist is just a little light without the Worlds Championship wrapped around it. This is your last chance to prove that the belts don't make you, but you make the belts...
"You already shiptwrekt those chances by denying Gemini's place in this match. Your denial runs a little further than mosts...you denied your very own chances of winning. That's a fuckin' shame. They died harder than Teddy did - there I go again, pointing out what a terrible parent you are. I got jokes for days, FOR DAZE on that Grayson. You're such a shitty parent, you make my father look like a saint in comparison. I mean, at least he knew he was a piece of shit Grayson, and admitted it often. You actually think you're some kind of hero, coming to One to fight me despite it all. I'm sure the perfect replacement for your dead child is fifteen pounds of leather and gold. I'm sure Teddy would exchange that for a breath of air or something.
"I bet you've already convinced yourself that you're doing the right thing by coming to One. That you're fighting for Teddy's honor or some bullshit like that? But oh well, at least it got you over right? I'm sure your momentum was worth your son's life? Nah man. Your momentum isn't even worth the tape it was filmed on Grayson. You fucking sad sack of shit, Pierce. Off yourself and give me Gemini instead, because you're a fucking disgrace.
"Which brings me to stage four: acceptance. It's about this time in the week that my opponent accepts the simple fact that they're about to get their head knocked clean off their shoulders. I mean sure, theu still THINK that they're going to win, but their mind betrays them by coming up with excuses to why they lost. I don't fight fair. They were worried about #BeachKrew interfering. Whatever the case may be, theu're excuses for what ultimately became of them: they fucking lost and they know it.
"They finally learn that I am much better than them, and I bear them at their own game. Nix and eighty six the fucking heart and dreams bullshit, because I'm just going to rip them out and throw it em' the floor. There's a problem with having a dream, Grayson...
"You always wake up. It was all in your head man, and then you see me and realize that nightmares are whats real. You're a fucking fool if you believe anything otherwise. Accept it now, Grayson. Accept your defeat and make this all so much easier for you, because there isn't a chance in wrestling hell that you walk out of here realizing your dream, unless you realize it was never coming true to begin with.
"And stage five, Grayson: your untimely death...and I mean that metaphorically of course. I mean death in the only way that you dancing psychopant monkies will understand...the death of your career.
"You all speak of the World Championship as if having your One moment in the sun is the end all be all of your career. That this belt is what makes you a made man! For some of you, that may be true...but for men like me, men who are far and above normal men? This is just the crossing over between main event and immortality.
"I set a new standard by winning this Worlds Championship...if you - or yours by proxy - aren't holding this belt within three months of being in the WCF...then you're doing something wrong, or you're doing something horribly right. Fights aren't won with heart and courage...they're won with an undying will to destroy everything in your path...and BROSEIDON PUNCHES. Something you're going to find out all too well come Sunday, Pierce. Maybe even Gemini too, if he decides to rear himself in the face of your greatest adversity: Me.
"You suppressed Gemini at the wrong damn time, Grayson. If anything, you should have letvhim conpletely take over. But alas, you didn't...
"And now it's ALL over for Grayson Pierce."
*buzz-static*
CLYHNHK-RREGGSGSERT
Part II: She Lies
"How could you possibly..." Wade started, but immediately stopped himself from finishing the sentence.
"How could I possibly what?" Nikita asked, a blanket pulled up passed her breasts to cover her naked body "Love you?"
Wade recalled the conversation he had with Nikita before he left her at his hotel earlier. Love was an emotion that constantly eluded him. He had a decent sensibility when it came to caring about someone...and he knew how to fake it with the best of them...but not many had ever willingly entered into such a relationship with him while knowing what he was truly capable of.
Jared was the only other person that he could think of that knew what he was - and what he had done. Wade's hands were unclean, as a child's were...but his were stained with the blood of others, stained with the blood of his family. His mom left because she couldn't stand to see it, and his father died because he didn't want to.
Wade was a monster. A cold, calculating, cruel, vindictive Godnilla. Those who knew this (et. #BeachKrew) used it to their advantage, those who didn't (see: everyone else) were usually lying on the floor, crushed from the indominant might #BeachKrew's jaws. That's how Wade had won the World Championship in the first place. He set his sights on it, knowing it would systematically cripple the system from within.
But for Nikita to confess her feelings for him, knowing full well what he was...well, it was cruelty at the deepest level. Cruelty to herself for knowing that Wade could never reciprocate the feelings, even if he really did love her. He could never bring himself to say it aloud and tell her. It was not engrained in his DNA. Something else had ripped it away and replaced it with something black, like the dark side of the moon. Full of mystery and intrigue, but only hearthache and destruction would it bring.
Wade knew this and abruptly left the hotel room earlier. Running away probably wasn't the most graceful tactics, but Wade's never were. Just like his opponents in the ring, he left her alone with her pain and confusion, wondering just what in the hell she was going to do next. Wade supposed she had left as he came up to the front of the hotel room...where a few cop cars sat with their lights on. Wade was wondering if they were there to settle some of the debauchery from last nights antics - which had continued well into the morning - and clearing up noise complaints or any drunken brawls that may have erupted.
As Wade walked in through the front door, he saw the rest of #BeachKrew sitting in one of the common areas, and they all immediately stood to greet him. Wade furrowed his brow in confusion as Johnny Rabid approached him first, a solemn look upon his usually expressionless face.
"What happened here?" Wade asked calmly.
Nobody seemed to want to answer. Kemp looked a little worse for wear, Beaver was attempting to avoid eye contact with Wade, OblivSEAon looked furious - ready to run out the door at any minute. Johnny was the first to speak, even though he looked hesitant.
"Wade, I need you to be truthful with us..." Johnny started, but Beaver jumped in to finish his sentence.
"Who the fuck is trying to kill you man?!" He yelled in a whisper, "Because they almost did us instead!"
"Beaver, calm down please", Johnny stated with a wave of his hand.
"Don't fucking tell me to calm down!" he said, "When I joined #BeachKrew, nobody told me I would have to die for you!"
"Dustin, please!", Wade held his hand up, "Nobodies dead...or dying! Calm the he..."
"Can't you see somebodies missing?" Beaver stated, "First Dune...and now this?"
"If OblivSEAon had only gotten IT's hands on the miserable..." Obi started motioning his hands in a mock choke gesture, and Kemp stepped a few feet away from him.
"Wait...where's Sandy?" Wade asked, doing another quick head count.
"Oh, they just finished rushing her to the hospital!" Beaver exclaimed, "Somebody came to our floor and started slicing people up with the emergency fire axe. All he was saying was your name, man. I wrestled the axe away from him...but he nearly beat Sandy to death...until that women came out of your room, and he took her with him! Who the hell was that man? I feel like...I feel like we don't even know you at all, man."
Wade felt the cracks beginning to form and the foundation felt wobbly beneath him. He knew who had come while he was gone...it was his brother. He had been warned by Nikita, but he never expected it to be so soon. Why did she have to drop her bomb when there were more important matters to deal with?
But more importantly, why did he even care what happened to her?
He knew he had to ask his brother's in #BeachKrew for their help...for Sandy if not anything else.
"Guys...I know you're fucking pissed", Wade started, "I'll explain everything...But first, I'm going to need your help."
Wade felt like a child begging his friends to come out and play.
"What?!" Beaver exclaimed, "After that guy nearly killed us all and beat the shit out of Sandy?"
The question hung in uncomfortable space...but only for a moment.
"Count me in", Beaver finished.
"Me too", Kemp said as held his hand up.
"IT's in. Can't wait to taste some fresh meat", OblivSEAon snarled.
"And me too, of course", Rabid chimed in.
Wade...was actually touched. He had never really known family like this. Though they may be disfunctional at times, they came together in the thick of it, and no matter the odds - they always had each others backs.
CLYHNHK-RREGGSGSERT
*buzz-static*
"Grayson, were you the kind of kid who got everything he wanted on Christmas morning? Maybe you woke up at four in the morning, the house abuzz with the holiday tidings? Sneaking a look at the presents nestled under the tree? Jumping into bed with your mom to get her to wake up so you could rush and open them all?
"You may not have had a full family, but you had a complete family. Your father, like mine, was a piece of shit who never gave you anything but heartache...but you had a mother to fall back on, and your sister when your mother went tits up. Not the nuclear family, but a family none the less.
"I didn't have a family until I was twenty two years old. We all followed different paths, coming from different backgrounds, and yet our destination always remained the same. Somehow we ended up here, a complete unit, scorned and hated by all...but that's all water under the bridge, because we have each other.
"#BeachKrew has each other, but I won't need them to fight this battle with me. This is going to be my match, my moment. The one I've worked for, with their full support. That's always been an unusual feeling for me, you know.
"The most I ever received on Christmas morning was less of a beating from my father than usual, and if I finished my chores, than maybe I would get a warm dinner and a spot closer to the fire.
"You're lucky, you know? Even though you've had two Christmas' mired by tragedy, you're still the lucky one. You're probably thinking that I'm the one who is, somehow? Maybe you're thinking that since I have this World Championship, then all of my problems are solved?
"Far from it, Grayson. Problems keep piling into my lap, and they come by the day...and no amount of gold will ever change that. It's not a reset button: it won't magically bring Teddy back from the grave...amd it damn sure won't make your daddy love you.
"You want to know why you're the lucky one, Pierce? Your father just left. You didn't have to endure it. You didn't have to...
"You didn't have to do the things I did, Grayson. You'll never know those things, because you don't even know a thing about me. You think you do, but it comes across in the things you say that you've given barely an inkling of thought into who I am...and that is going to cost you. You still think I'm some keg standing frat boy, Grayson? You don't know what you're stepping into the ring with, and your only hope of coming out the victor went away when you threw the one known as Gemini away like a piece of trash.
"And now I'm going to throw you away like a piece of trash, Pierce."
*buzz-static*
CLYHNHK-RREGGSGSERT
