Post by C.J. Gates on May 14, 2013 23:09:23 GMT -4
"Daddy! I don't wanna go to bed!"
"Why not?" the father asks as he pulls the covers up under his sons chin. "Little boys need to grow, and you can't grow while you're awake. You need to be asleep to become a big kid."
"Like you?"
The father chuckles. "Like me. Now go to sleep." The father walks to the door and reaches for the light switch.
"Daddy?" the little boy asks in a quiet voice.
"Yes, son?"
"Can you leave the light on?"
"Leave the light on? What for? You can't sleep if the light is on."
"Yeah I can," the little boy argues. "I really can. Besides, I'm a-scared."
"A-scared? What is there to be a-scared of?"
"Monsters," the little boy says. "There are monsters in the dark. And when the light goes off, they come and get me."
"There are no monsters in the dark, son. Your imagination is just running wild.
"Now go to sleep C.J."
"Fear.
"Everyone is afraid of something. As children, as adults, fear is an everyday occurrence, whether it be heights, clowns, the dark or tight spaces. Everyone has something that they are afraid of. Even the most monstrous men are afraid of something, even if that is only another monstrous man.
"Take my opponents for example. Each of the three of them has their own fear raging through their body, even if they choose to deny it. Deep down, there is always this nagging fear eating away at them.
"For Level One, that fear is a fear of never getting to the top again. A fear that he will never hold the top title like he once did. This past year he's done nothing but preach about how he deserves that belt, about how he thinks he deserves to stand at the top of the mountain. The entire time Terry Marvin danced around Overdrive, Level One was breathing down his neck, looking longingly at the Undisputed title.
"And now he's afraid that he'll never get that chance again. That this shot at the World Heavyweight championship isn't going to end well for him, and that it will be his last chance at glory. At success. At sniffing gold.
"Sure, he denies it, but it's there. If it wasn't, he wouldn't be so caught up with wanting to win. He wouldn't be so worried with who else is in the title match with him.
"But he's not the only one with fears. Michael Callahan has them too, though his are different. Instead of worrying about whether or not he's ever going to get another title shot, Callahan is afraid that he is going to end up fading into obscurity. He's afraid that he is going to end up disappearing into oblivion, never to be heard from again.
"Just look at how long it took him to win the title. How many tries. And the only reason he did was because someone else beat his rival Phil Atken to take the title away from him. Now he's afraid that after Mayhem, he is just going to be another former champion. He is just going to be Michael Callahan, average Joe. Michael Callahan, nothing special.
"At least Level One has history to fall back on. He has his reputation. His multiple World titles, his long standing tenure as a member of this roster, his Extreme Tournament appearances and his True Expert titles. But what does Michael Callahan have?
"One Pro-Life title reign and a lot of failed attempts to reach the mountaintop.
"Then there's Delikado.
"For most, it's hard to nail down just what Delikado is afraid of, though it's not impossible to figure out. Unlike Callahan and Level One, Delikado is not afraid of becoming forgotten or unsuccessful. No, in his face, Delikado is afraid of being normal.
"Everyone can agree that Delikado is the odd banana in the bunch, and I think part of him does so because he doesn't want to be normal. He doesn't want to be the same as everyone else. He wants to stand out. And if he doesn't stand out, well, that could be the end to Delikado's success.
"Or maybe he's just afraid of being known as a laughing stock. He wants to make himself credible by winning the World Heavyweight title. He wants to shed that aura of comedy that follows him everywhere and make himself seem like a legitimate competitor.
"Or maybe I'm wrong.
"Maybe I'm just making up their fears, but the point is that each one of them has a fear. Everyone has a fear. And who knows, maybe it's everyone else's job to figure it out. Unfortunately for my opponents, my fear of the dark didn't last. I'll leave it to them to figure out what my fear might be.
"If they want to."
A loud rumble of thunder tears through the sky moments before rain begins to pour down. Lightning cuts through the darkening clouds sending our hero scrambling for cover. Breaking through the trees he spots a large cave carved into the side of the mountain and ducks inside. He moves away from the entrance as the wind blows the rain around, shaking his head to get the water off.
"Touch me again and I'll kill you," a voice shouts from somewhere outside the cave. Our hero turns to face the entrance but can't see anything.
"Do I need to separate the two of you?" a commanding voice, a new voice, asks, followed by mad laughter. Our hero slowly makes his way to the entrance to see who is outside and as he is inches from the mouth, three large trolls surround the entrance in a semi-circle.
The troll in the middle smiles. "It looks like we have a visitor," the second voice says as the smile widens.
"Do we get to eat him?" the first voice, belonging to the angry looking troll on the right, asks.
The third troll - the one with the insane look in his eyes and what looks to be a Cuban cigar in the corner of his mouth - laughs maniacally. "I hope so!" he says, a slight twitch in his eye.
Before our hero can react, the troll on the right scoops him up and lifts him up by the ankle. Dangling upside down, our hero is examined by the large right eye of the troll. "He looks small. I don't think he has the meat to be filling."
"Toss him to me!" the insane-looking troll shouts and claps his hands together. The angry troll takes a sniff of our hero before tossing him across to the other. "He's not as slimy as I would have expected him to be."
"What is this pesky runt doing in our cave," the middle troll says, taking a step forward to look at our hero, who is being held by the insane-looking troll. "As the duly elected leader, I must know these answers."
"Forget answers," the angry troll says. "Just kill him already. He'll provide a good compliment to our sheep." The angry troll looks from one troll to the other before groaning and grabbing our hero from the clutches of the insane-looking troll and storming into the cave.
"We're going to cook him!" the crazy troll says, clapping his hands together, his eyes wide. "Yum, yum, yum, we're gonna cook him!" He follows the angry troll into the cave. The third troll, the duly elected troll, shakes his head.
"Listen, we shouldn't-"
"I don't want to hear it," the angry troll says, spinning around. "I've decided that this is mine and there is nothing you can do to take it from me, alright? Just because you think you're duly elected. Forget that."
The angry troll raises our hero up over his head to smash him on a rock, but the duly elected troll snatches our hero from the angry troll and holds him away.
"You might not like the choice, but it is what I have decided."
"No cooking?" the crazy troll asks, frowning. "Shucks." He kicks a rock that bounces toward the back of the cave.
"Over my dead body!" The angry troll turns and lumbers toward the duly elected troll.
"That can be arranged."
"Taking my meal from me," the angry troll shakes his head. "How dare you, you piece of trash!"
The angry troll lashes out with a punch to the duly elected troll which sends him staggering backward. The elected troll swings our hero, but misses, allowing the angry troll to deliver a punch to the midsection. The insane troll lifts a nearby log and swings it at the two, knocking them over.
"This is fun!"
Our hero, meanwhile, is dropped by the duly elected troll and he scampers away, toward the entrance to the cave. He turns back to see the angry troll grab the insane troll and throw him into the duly elected troll, causing all three to exchange punches back and forth. Our hero laughs and shakes his head.
"Three against one," he says. "It never usually works out for me, but I guess if I'm patient enough, eventually they will turn on each other."
"He's getting away!" the duly elected troll shouts, but before he can make a move, he is clubbed over the head by both of the angry trolls hands.
"That's for taking what should be mine!"
"Maybe I'll be able to survive," our hero says with a smirk. The angry troll and the duly elected troll continue to fight while the insane troll jumps on the spot and claps his hands gleefully.
"There he is, the future World Heavyweight champion!" Vincent James closes the door behind him and takes a seat in a chair in front of the desk. C.J. Gates looks up from behind the desk.
"Nothing's for sure yet," Gates cautions.
"Maybe not, but my money's on you."
"I've got some tough competition if I want to get that title," Gates says.
"And become only the second person to have held both the Undisputed and World Heavyweight titles. And the first man!"
"But Level One has the same possibility at his feet," Gates says. "So I'm sure he's going to be gunning for it just as much as I will. After all, he lives for the success and glory that would accompany a celebrity A-lister that he thinks he is."
"I guess that makes sense, but still, I'm pulling for you."
"Like I said, it won't be easy. Outside of Level One, I've still got to put up with Michael Callahan and Delikado. Not exactly an easy task to try and beat all three of them at the same time."
"They are all talented, I'll give them that. Even that Delikado guy."
"He certainly is an odd duck," Gates sighs.
"Speaking of odd ducks," James begins, "I ran into two of them on my way up here. Two guys I think you know very well. Mr. Asante and Mr. Everdeen."
"The Studmuffins," Gates nods. "What did they have to say?"
"They came by to wish you luck in your match," James says. "I didn't ask them to stick around because I know that you and Stan don't exactly see eye to eye right now."
"Because he cost me my spot in the Test for the Best tournament." Gates shakes his head. "And from there the rest of the year was a bit disappointing. So, yeah, he and I don't exactly see eye to eye right now. But I can't fault them for wishing me luck. I might need it."
"Positive, man!" James shouts. "Stay positive! Don't hint at the negative aspects and just keep thinking that you are going to be able to win."
"I'm not trying to, I'm just," Gates starts before pausing. "I'm just trying to stay realistic. I don't want to start thinking only positively and then get myself into a tough situation, you know? I've got three guys to worry about and, for once, none of them are named Terry Marvin."
"You've still got Level One, though."
"Sure," Gates says. "I know that."
"How much are you going to take it to him specifically?"
Gates smirks at James. "For Rasslemania?"
"He screwed you out of the win," James shrugs. "I figured you'd want a bit of payback against him. And what better chance to do it then at Mayhem."
"I get where you're coming from, but I don't know," Gates shakes his head. "It's hard to decide, because I don't want to end up getting myself caught up with tunnel vision. I don't want to just see Level One, see red, and then not see Michael Callahan or Delikado coming at me. I have to keep my eyes on both of them, as well as Level One."
"But it's got to be fuel, right?"
Gates nods. "I can't deny that, but it won't keep me limited to Level One. If there's anything that I've been able to do over time, it's adapt and even in the cases like this, I can focus on the rest of them as well as Level One."
"And win."
"Ideally, yes," Gates says with a shrug.
"But," James begins before trailing off.
"But what?"
"Usually you've got some sort of come back about how you want to do what's best for the fans," James says. "About how you want to put on a good match for them."
"And I do," Gates says. "At this point, I think what's best for the fans is me winning the World Heavyweight title."
"That's the spirit!"
Gates chuckles. "I mean, I let them down when I couldn't stop Terry Marvin's reign of terror, but now, now I have the opportunity to put three men in their places. I have the chance to slap three other men around, three men who have done their best to make my life hell, even if they just want to count it as one match. What they don't realize is that each one of them has done their bit to make things hell around Overdrive and Asylum and, as far as I'm concerned, that means they've made things a bit unbearable for the fans."
Gates shakes his head and continues. "I won't just sit back and let it continue. I won't just let them walk all over me and the people, and to make them pay, what better way to do it then to beat them at their own game and take the APW World title away from Michael Callahan."
James wipes a fake tear from his eye. "It's great to see you so confident and so excited to win."
"Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do, right?" Gates smirks. "Seriously though, I do think that's the only option at this point."
"The only downside is that now, you're putting everything on your shoulders," James says. "Don't get me wrong, but it might end up proving to be a bit much."
"It is what it is," Gates says with a smirk. "Sometimes you've got to take on a bit more to get the job done. Besides, I think that I can do it. I think that I can shoulder the load. Sure, I'm going up against a few guys who have given me trouble, but I'm the White Knight of APW. I'm what keeps the moral good afloat around here, and I've been given a chance to do what others haven't been able to do."
"Finish them?"
Gates nods. "I have the chance to beat some top notch talent, win a World talent and save the fans."
"Save them, huh?"
Gates smiles wide. "Save them. Save them from what they've had to put up with while Level One boasts about what should be his because he wants it, saved from Delikado's madness and saved from Callahan's instability."
"What about the self proclaimed King of Overdrive?"
Gate chuckles. "That role was played out when Rico Casteel did it over on Asylum. Right now, I'm not worried about him.
"Right now, I'm worried about Level One, Delikado and Michael Callahan.
"Right now I'm worried about saving APW and the APW faithful."
"Maybe worried about saving your own name?"
"That might be a side effect of what I hope to accomplish," Gates begins. "Of what I intend to accomplish. But that is not what I'm going to set out to do."
"Unwanted.
"That's the sign I'm expecting to see above my locker room when I get to the arena. That's what I'm expecting to hear from my three opponents leading up to match time. That's the topic of the questions I am going to be asked from now until the bell. Not like it's a surprise. I mean, sure, maybe I'd be shocked if I was part of this match from the beginning, but having been added halfway through, well, that doesn't exactly endear me to the hearts of my three opponents.
"And I knew it wouldn't. Leading up to that match with Michael Callahan, I knew that it was going to be me against three men hungry for gold. Three men longing to hold the World Heavyweight title. And really, there's nothing to make me believe that Mayhem will be anything different. I'm already expecting at least two of them to team up to try and take me out.
"They all feel slighted, I get it. They all felt like this was going to be a triple threat match where you only had to look over your shoulder for one guy, let alone two, and with me involved now, it changes everything that they may have planned for, and it definitely changes everything that they hoped for. It makes it so that you need to make sure three people are down and out, instead of just two. You need to make sure you have eyes on everyone involved.
"Something I am going to have to do to the extreme.
"The fact that I am alone here will make this match a struggle for me. It's going to make it a match built on survival. I am going to have to bust my ass just to get a bit of breathing room, and when I do get it, I'm going to have to make sure that I'm not wasting opportunities. After all, at any moment, this match could end and at any moment, all of the work we've been doing could be all for nothing.
"So I will fight like I have eyes in the back of my head, like my head is on a swivel. I am going to make sure that I don't give anybody a moment to recover, because I know that I don't have a single friend inside of that ring. Am I worried?
"Yeah.
"I'm worried that I am going to leave this match battered and bruised. I'm worried that by the time that bell rings to signify a winner, I will have bled so much blood, that I won't be able to stand. I'm worried that I am going to put in all of this energy and come out on the other side lying in a pool of my own sweat, unable to breath.
"It's happened before. Though I don't want people like Level One, Michael Callahan and Delikado to think that I am going to let that worry force me to soften up my stance. In fact, it's probably the exact opposite. I've already been down this road before and I ended up coming out on the losing side, so if anything, all of this worry flowing through my head is going to make me push myself that much harder to make up for the past.
"But not only will it push me to make up for the past match that I ended up losing, but it will also allow me to make up for the past that I have with each of the men in this match. Sure, some might be more extensive then others, but I have a history with each of my opponents.
"Take Delikado, for example. He and I have crossed paths many time to varying results. For the most part, the decisions have been split right down the middle. He would win one, I would win one and the cycle would continue. However, when the matches really mattered, that is when Delikado found a way to come out on top. Whether that was by weaseling his way around a championship scramble, or a quick pinfall, he still managed to come out on top.
"Though I don't want to overlook him. With his antics, it's easy to get caught up in the fact that he has no business here. It's easy to see that he is the sideshow he's afraid of becoming. That no one takes him seriously. Sure, he's not a total Branden Harvey, but he's still a bit far on the unbelievable side of life. He lives in his own bubble, blissfully unaware that everyone else is standing and laughing at him.
"And laughing.
"And laughing.
"I don't want to fall into that, however. I don't want to be the one that laughs at him and gets knocked on my ass because of it. I won't let myself get blindsided by his little schtick as the Pope. In this match, on this night, there is going to be no room for games, even if Delikado wants to treat it as such.
"And let's not forget the whole incident with my mother. Delikado might have seen himself as a media mogul then, but bringing my mother into it? Uncalled for, Cuba, uncalled for. Not that I think she's a saint or anything, but she has no business being anywhere near the wrestling ring or backstage area.
"But I digress. It's not the wins that matter to me. Hell, it's not even the fact that I was unable to win the Overdrive title from him. It's the bragging rights. It's the momentum. It's the fact that it allows Delikado to hold it over my head, to make a joke with it, and all because he has a few big victories over me.
"And by that logic, Delikado can probably march out in his pope robe wearing his pope hat and claim that he will beat me, that he will come out victorious because of what he has done to me, particularly, in the past. He might even claim that he is the man of righteousness, a man that deserves to win. But none of that really holds any water. None of that means that he is the odds on favorite to come out on top with the victory.
"Just like being champion doesn't mean that Michael Callahan is going to retain and lead Overdrive into greener pastures. I mean, sure, he's got the talent to pick up the win, but holding the title doesn't automatically put him in the drivers seat. If anything, the way that Callahan has limped into Mayhem should have people thinking the opposite. But if I know the logic of my opponents, I am the odds on favorite to lose, while someone like Michael Callahan will get a pass just because he's the current champion.
"Or maybe it's because people are looking at how Callahan and I have fared against one another. They see it and they wonder if I have what it takes to actually beat him. If I have what it takes to not have to settle for a disqualification after a Pope enters the ring. Can I pin Callahan? Could I submit him?
"Maybe. But now that I have one win in the books, I can at least focus on the next step. But can the same be said for Callahan when it comes to Level One?
"What I'm trying to say is that people are going to be calling me the ultimate loser in this match, pointing at my everlasting underdog status and will put Callahan ahead of me because, aside from being the champion, he's beaten me twice, both times outside of APW walls. But how often has Callahan beaten Level One? Granted, I've never mastered that mountain on multiple occasions, but at least I have been able to hang with one of the men considered the best in the world at what we do. At least I've challenged him.
"Has Callahan?
"Has he beaten him?
"I mean, as much as wins and losses don't matter, the fact that I have a win over Level One enrages him. I know it does. It put him one step farther away from his obsession, and made it so that I had to put up with him whining about how he should have been facing Terry Marvin at Rasslemania instead of me. And while the win probably doesn't mean much to most since it's only one, the fact that I am under Lester's skin shows me that it still goes a long way, even if that way is only to piss the large Canadian off.
"Can Callahan claim that? Because if he can't, then I see no reason why he would be considered a favorite. He has yet to truly defend the title as a member of Overdrive, and has done very little, if anything to show that he deserves to hold that title. It's not like his history with the belt is anything to make people awestruck.
"But that's something that people have gone over time after time. From the eventual breakdown to the inability to beat Phil Atken and the many failed attempts at the title. It's been well documented and it all adds up with his limping into Mayhem. Michael Callahan does not have a strong grip on the World Heavyweight title.
"Level One knows it.
"He sees blood in the water and he's ready to strike. The moment Michael Callahan was drafted to Overdrive, Level One saw an opportunity to actually win the top title. Beating Terry Marvin was going to be tough, but Michael Callahan? Level One knew he could do it. Why else would he intervene in Delikado's title match? To keep the title where he wanted it. Little did he know that things would get tough.
"But I guess I can't blame him. When you're Level One, the easier way out is the way that seems best. He wants to be that second person to hold both the Undisputed and World Heavyweight titles. He wants to follow in the shoes of Sally Talfourd in that sense.
"He's not the only one.
"However, I'm not doing it for the fame and fortune that you are, Lester. My quest to win the World Heavyweight title comes from wanting to put the power back in the hands of the fans. Winning this match for the powers of good. To make sure that none of the degenerates that run around are doing so with a big gold belt hanging over their shoulder.
"Yes, that includes people like Level One. Though maybe I'm naive in thinking that this kind of thing is possible. Maybe I'm naive in thinking that besting men like Delikado, Michael Callahan and Level One will help solve something but, dammit, I'm going to try. I'm going to do my best to win this match and not because I want a win. I'm doing this for the fans.
"I'm winning this match for all of them.
"I almost did if at Rasslemania, and if it weren't for the interference of one Lester Only, it would have been done. This time, though, he doesn't have the ability to bash me with a briefcase and watch his buddy make the pinfall. This time he has to watch out for the other two vultures circling overhead.
"Though, I guess no matter what I say, I'm still going to be deemed unwanted. I'm still going to be seen as an interloper, an invader who shouldn't be where he is. I'm still going to be seen as the enemy by the real enemies. But acceptance isn't what I'm after.
"At least not from them. I don't need the Level One's of the world, the Delikado's of the Vatican or the Michael Callahan's of America to accept me as one of their own. The only real acceptance I need is the acceptance of the fans. I've let them down before and I know that I need to make up for that. The one thing I don't want to do, however, is get to the point where this is just another trip to nothing.
"Another shot at a title that comes up empty.
"I want to make this one count. I want to make up for the past. The past failures that I have had when fighting for a title. The past short comings I might have had against certain opponents. I don't want to take this opportunity that has been presented before me, and flush it down the toilet before I've even had a real chance to etch my name into history.
"A chance to give the fans what they deserve.
"They deserve the chance to cheer for the World champion.
"They deserve a reason to be happy.
"And hopefully I can give that to them with a win at Mayhem. Hopefully I can overcome any doubt that might linger around me, to stand tall at the end of the night. Hopefully I can figure out what you're all afraid of and expose it.
"Hopefully I can go big.
"Because I definitely don't want to go home."
"Why not?" the father asks as he pulls the covers up under his sons chin. "Little boys need to grow, and you can't grow while you're awake. You need to be asleep to become a big kid."
"Like you?"
The father chuckles. "Like me. Now go to sleep." The father walks to the door and reaches for the light switch.
"Daddy?" the little boy asks in a quiet voice.
"Yes, son?"
"Can you leave the light on?"
"Leave the light on? What for? You can't sleep if the light is on."
"Yeah I can," the little boy argues. "I really can. Besides, I'm a-scared."
"A-scared? What is there to be a-scared of?"
"Monsters," the little boy says. "There are monsters in the dark. And when the light goes off, they come and get me."
"There are no monsters in the dark, son. Your imagination is just running wild.
"Now go to sleep C.J."
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"Fear.
"Everyone is afraid of something. As children, as adults, fear is an everyday occurrence, whether it be heights, clowns, the dark or tight spaces. Everyone has something that they are afraid of. Even the most monstrous men are afraid of something, even if that is only another monstrous man.
"Take my opponents for example. Each of the three of them has their own fear raging through their body, even if they choose to deny it. Deep down, there is always this nagging fear eating away at them.
"For Level One, that fear is a fear of never getting to the top again. A fear that he will never hold the top title like he once did. This past year he's done nothing but preach about how he deserves that belt, about how he thinks he deserves to stand at the top of the mountain. The entire time Terry Marvin danced around Overdrive, Level One was breathing down his neck, looking longingly at the Undisputed title.
"And now he's afraid that he'll never get that chance again. That this shot at the World Heavyweight championship isn't going to end well for him, and that it will be his last chance at glory. At success. At sniffing gold.
"Sure, he denies it, but it's there. If it wasn't, he wouldn't be so caught up with wanting to win. He wouldn't be so worried with who else is in the title match with him.
"But he's not the only one with fears. Michael Callahan has them too, though his are different. Instead of worrying about whether or not he's ever going to get another title shot, Callahan is afraid that he is going to end up fading into obscurity. He's afraid that he is going to end up disappearing into oblivion, never to be heard from again.
"Just look at how long it took him to win the title. How many tries. And the only reason he did was because someone else beat his rival Phil Atken to take the title away from him. Now he's afraid that after Mayhem, he is just going to be another former champion. He is just going to be Michael Callahan, average Joe. Michael Callahan, nothing special.
"At least Level One has history to fall back on. He has his reputation. His multiple World titles, his long standing tenure as a member of this roster, his Extreme Tournament appearances and his True Expert titles. But what does Michael Callahan have?
"One Pro-Life title reign and a lot of failed attempts to reach the mountaintop.
"Then there's Delikado.
"For most, it's hard to nail down just what Delikado is afraid of, though it's not impossible to figure out. Unlike Callahan and Level One, Delikado is not afraid of becoming forgotten or unsuccessful. No, in his face, Delikado is afraid of being normal.
"Everyone can agree that Delikado is the odd banana in the bunch, and I think part of him does so because he doesn't want to be normal. He doesn't want to be the same as everyone else. He wants to stand out. And if he doesn't stand out, well, that could be the end to Delikado's success.
"Or maybe he's just afraid of being known as a laughing stock. He wants to make himself credible by winning the World Heavyweight title. He wants to shed that aura of comedy that follows him everywhere and make himself seem like a legitimate competitor.
"Or maybe I'm wrong.
"Maybe I'm just making up their fears, but the point is that each one of them has a fear. Everyone has a fear. And who knows, maybe it's everyone else's job to figure it out. Unfortunately for my opponents, my fear of the dark didn't last. I'll leave it to them to figure out what my fear might be.
"If they want to."
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A loud rumble of thunder tears through the sky moments before rain begins to pour down. Lightning cuts through the darkening clouds sending our hero scrambling for cover. Breaking through the trees he spots a large cave carved into the side of the mountain and ducks inside. He moves away from the entrance as the wind blows the rain around, shaking his head to get the water off.
"Touch me again and I'll kill you," a voice shouts from somewhere outside the cave. Our hero turns to face the entrance but can't see anything.
"Do I need to separate the two of you?" a commanding voice, a new voice, asks, followed by mad laughter. Our hero slowly makes his way to the entrance to see who is outside and as he is inches from the mouth, three large trolls surround the entrance in a semi-circle.
The troll in the middle smiles. "It looks like we have a visitor," the second voice says as the smile widens.
"Do we get to eat him?" the first voice, belonging to the angry looking troll on the right, asks.
The third troll - the one with the insane look in his eyes and what looks to be a Cuban cigar in the corner of his mouth - laughs maniacally. "I hope so!" he says, a slight twitch in his eye.
Before our hero can react, the troll on the right scoops him up and lifts him up by the ankle. Dangling upside down, our hero is examined by the large right eye of the troll. "He looks small. I don't think he has the meat to be filling."
"Toss him to me!" the insane-looking troll shouts and claps his hands together. The angry troll takes a sniff of our hero before tossing him across to the other. "He's not as slimy as I would have expected him to be."
"What is this pesky runt doing in our cave," the middle troll says, taking a step forward to look at our hero, who is being held by the insane-looking troll. "As the duly elected leader, I must know these answers."
"Forget answers," the angry troll says. "Just kill him already. He'll provide a good compliment to our sheep." The angry troll looks from one troll to the other before groaning and grabbing our hero from the clutches of the insane-looking troll and storming into the cave.
"We're going to cook him!" the crazy troll says, clapping his hands together, his eyes wide. "Yum, yum, yum, we're gonna cook him!" He follows the angry troll into the cave. The third troll, the duly elected troll, shakes his head.
"Listen, we shouldn't-"
"I don't want to hear it," the angry troll says, spinning around. "I've decided that this is mine and there is nothing you can do to take it from me, alright? Just because you think you're duly elected. Forget that."
The angry troll raises our hero up over his head to smash him on a rock, but the duly elected troll snatches our hero from the angry troll and holds him away.
"You might not like the choice, but it is what I have decided."
"No cooking?" the crazy troll asks, frowning. "Shucks." He kicks a rock that bounces toward the back of the cave.
"Over my dead body!" The angry troll turns and lumbers toward the duly elected troll.
"That can be arranged."
"Taking my meal from me," the angry troll shakes his head. "How dare you, you piece of trash!"
The angry troll lashes out with a punch to the duly elected troll which sends him staggering backward. The elected troll swings our hero, but misses, allowing the angry troll to deliver a punch to the midsection. The insane troll lifts a nearby log and swings it at the two, knocking them over.
"This is fun!"
Our hero, meanwhile, is dropped by the duly elected troll and he scampers away, toward the entrance to the cave. He turns back to see the angry troll grab the insane troll and throw him into the duly elected troll, causing all three to exchange punches back and forth. Our hero laughs and shakes his head.
"Three against one," he says. "It never usually works out for me, but I guess if I'm patient enough, eventually they will turn on each other."
"He's getting away!" the duly elected troll shouts, but before he can make a move, he is clubbed over the head by both of the angry trolls hands.
"That's for taking what should be mine!"
"Maybe I'll be able to survive," our hero says with a smirk. The angry troll and the duly elected troll continue to fight while the insane troll jumps on the spot and claps his hands gleefully.
------------------------------------------------
"There he is, the future World Heavyweight champion!" Vincent James closes the door behind him and takes a seat in a chair in front of the desk. C.J. Gates looks up from behind the desk.
"Nothing's for sure yet," Gates cautions.
"Maybe not, but my money's on you."
"I've got some tough competition if I want to get that title," Gates says.
"And become only the second person to have held both the Undisputed and World Heavyweight titles. And the first man!"
"But Level One has the same possibility at his feet," Gates says. "So I'm sure he's going to be gunning for it just as much as I will. After all, he lives for the success and glory that would accompany a celebrity A-lister that he thinks he is."
"I guess that makes sense, but still, I'm pulling for you."
"Like I said, it won't be easy. Outside of Level One, I've still got to put up with Michael Callahan and Delikado. Not exactly an easy task to try and beat all three of them at the same time."
"They are all talented, I'll give them that. Even that Delikado guy."
"He certainly is an odd duck," Gates sighs.
"Speaking of odd ducks," James begins, "I ran into two of them on my way up here. Two guys I think you know very well. Mr. Asante and Mr. Everdeen."
"The Studmuffins," Gates nods. "What did they have to say?"
"They came by to wish you luck in your match," James says. "I didn't ask them to stick around because I know that you and Stan don't exactly see eye to eye right now."
"Because he cost me my spot in the Test for the Best tournament." Gates shakes his head. "And from there the rest of the year was a bit disappointing. So, yeah, he and I don't exactly see eye to eye right now. But I can't fault them for wishing me luck. I might need it."
"Positive, man!" James shouts. "Stay positive! Don't hint at the negative aspects and just keep thinking that you are going to be able to win."
"I'm not trying to, I'm just," Gates starts before pausing. "I'm just trying to stay realistic. I don't want to start thinking only positively and then get myself into a tough situation, you know? I've got three guys to worry about and, for once, none of them are named Terry Marvin."
"You've still got Level One, though."
"Sure," Gates says. "I know that."
"How much are you going to take it to him specifically?"
Gates smirks at James. "For Rasslemania?"
"He screwed you out of the win," James shrugs. "I figured you'd want a bit of payback against him. And what better chance to do it then at Mayhem."
"I get where you're coming from, but I don't know," Gates shakes his head. "It's hard to decide, because I don't want to end up getting myself caught up with tunnel vision. I don't want to just see Level One, see red, and then not see Michael Callahan or Delikado coming at me. I have to keep my eyes on both of them, as well as Level One."
"But it's got to be fuel, right?"
Gates nods. "I can't deny that, but it won't keep me limited to Level One. If there's anything that I've been able to do over time, it's adapt and even in the cases like this, I can focus on the rest of them as well as Level One."
"And win."
"Ideally, yes," Gates says with a shrug.
"But," James begins before trailing off.
"But what?"
"Usually you've got some sort of come back about how you want to do what's best for the fans," James says. "About how you want to put on a good match for them."
"And I do," Gates says. "At this point, I think what's best for the fans is me winning the World Heavyweight title."
"That's the spirit!"
Gates chuckles. "I mean, I let them down when I couldn't stop Terry Marvin's reign of terror, but now, now I have the opportunity to put three men in their places. I have the chance to slap three other men around, three men who have done their best to make my life hell, even if they just want to count it as one match. What they don't realize is that each one of them has done their bit to make things hell around Overdrive and Asylum and, as far as I'm concerned, that means they've made things a bit unbearable for the fans."
Gates shakes his head and continues. "I won't just sit back and let it continue. I won't just let them walk all over me and the people, and to make them pay, what better way to do it then to beat them at their own game and take the APW World title away from Michael Callahan."
James wipes a fake tear from his eye. "It's great to see you so confident and so excited to win."
"Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do, right?" Gates smirks. "Seriously though, I do think that's the only option at this point."
"The only downside is that now, you're putting everything on your shoulders," James says. "Don't get me wrong, but it might end up proving to be a bit much."
"It is what it is," Gates says with a smirk. "Sometimes you've got to take on a bit more to get the job done. Besides, I think that I can do it. I think that I can shoulder the load. Sure, I'm going up against a few guys who have given me trouble, but I'm the White Knight of APW. I'm what keeps the moral good afloat around here, and I've been given a chance to do what others haven't been able to do."
"Finish them?"
Gates nods. "I have the chance to beat some top notch talent, win a World talent and save the fans."
"Save them, huh?"
Gates smiles wide. "Save them. Save them from what they've had to put up with while Level One boasts about what should be his because he wants it, saved from Delikado's madness and saved from Callahan's instability."
"What about the self proclaimed King of Overdrive?"
Gate chuckles. "That role was played out when Rico Casteel did it over on Asylum. Right now, I'm not worried about him.
"Right now, I'm worried about Level One, Delikado and Michael Callahan.
"Right now I'm worried about saving APW and the APW faithful."
"Maybe worried about saving your own name?"
"That might be a side effect of what I hope to accomplish," Gates begins. "Of what I intend to accomplish. But that is not what I'm going to set out to do."
------------------------------------------------
"Unwanted.
"That's the sign I'm expecting to see above my locker room when I get to the arena. That's what I'm expecting to hear from my three opponents leading up to match time. That's the topic of the questions I am going to be asked from now until the bell. Not like it's a surprise. I mean, sure, maybe I'd be shocked if I was part of this match from the beginning, but having been added halfway through, well, that doesn't exactly endear me to the hearts of my three opponents.
"And I knew it wouldn't. Leading up to that match with Michael Callahan, I knew that it was going to be me against three men hungry for gold. Three men longing to hold the World Heavyweight title. And really, there's nothing to make me believe that Mayhem will be anything different. I'm already expecting at least two of them to team up to try and take me out.
"They all feel slighted, I get it. They all felt like this was going to be a triple threat match where you only had to look over your shoulder for one guy, let alone two, and with me involved now, it changes everything that they may have planned for, and it definitely changes everything that they hoped for. It makes it so that you need to make sure three people are down and out, instead of just two. You need to make sure you have eyes on everyone involved.
"Something I am going to have to do to the extreme.
"The fact that I am alone here will make this match a struggle for me. It's going to make it a match built on survival. I am going to have to bust my ass just to get a bit of breathing room, and when I do get it, I'm going to have to make sure that I'm not wasting opportunities. After all, at any moment, this match could end and at any moment, all of the work we've been doing could be all for nothing.
"So I will fight like I have eyes in the back of my head, like my head is on a swivel. I am going to make sure that I don't give anybody a moment to recover, because I know that I don't have a single friend inside of that ring. Am I worried?
"Yeah.
"I'm worried that I am going to leave this match battered and bruised. I'm worried that by the time that bell rings to signify a winner, I will have bled so much blood, that I won't be able to stand. I'm worried that I am going to put in all of this energy and come out on the other side lying in a pool of my own sweat, unable to breath.
"It's happened before. Though I don't want people like Level One, Michael Callahan and Delikado to think that I am going to let that worry force me to soften up my stance. In fact, it's probably the exact opposite. I've already been down this road before and I ended up coming out on the losing side, so if anything, all of this worry flowing through my head is going to make me push myself that much harder to make up for the past.
"But not only will it push me to make up for the past match that I ended up losing, but it will also allow me to make up for the past that I have with each of the men in this match. Sure, some might be more extensive then others, but I have a history with each of my opponents.
"Take Delikado, for example. He and I have crossed paths many time to varying results. For the most part, the decisions have been split right down the middle. He would win one, I would win one and the cycle would continue. However, when the matches really mattered, that is when Delikado found a way to come out on top. Whether that was by weaseling his way around a championship scramble, or a quick pinfall, he still managed to come out on top.
"Though I don't want to overlook him. With his antics, it's easy to get caught up in the fact that he has no business here. It's easy to see that he is the sideshow he's afraid of becoming. That no one takes him seriously. Sure, he's not a total Branden Harvey, but he's still a bit far on the unbelievable side of life. He lives in his own bubble, blissfully unaware that everyone else is standing and laughing at him.
"And laughing.
"And laughing.
"I don't want to fall into that, however. I don't want to be the one that laughs at him and gets knocked on my ass because of it. I won't let myself get blindsided by his little schtick as the Pope. In this match, on this night, there is going to be no room for games, even if Delikado wants to treat it as such.
"And let's not forget the whole incident with my mother. Delikado might have seen himself as a media mogul then, but bringing my mother into it? Uncalled for, Cuba, uncalled for. Not that I think she's a saint or anything, but she has no business being anywhere near the wrestling ring or backstage area.
"But I digress. It's not the wins that matter to me. Hell, it's not even the fact that I was unable to win the Overdrive title from him. It's the bragging rights. It's the momentum. It's the fact that it allows Delikado to hold it over my head, to make a joke with it, and all because he has a few big victories over me.
"And by that logic, Delikado can probably march out in his pope robe wearing his pope hat and claim that he will beat me, that he will come out victorious because of what he has done to me, particularly, in the past. He might even claim that he is the man of righteousness, a man that deserves to win. But none of that really holds any water. None of that means that he is the odds on favorite to come out on top with the victory.
"Just like being champion doesn't mean that Michael Callahan is going to retain and lead Overdrive into greener pastures. I mean, sure, he's got the talent to pick up the win, but holding the title doesn't automatically put him in the drivers seat. If anything, the way that Callahan has limped into Mayhem should have people thinking the opposite. But if I know the logic of my opponents, I am the odds on favorite to lose, while someone like Michael Callahan will get a pass just because he's the current champion.
"Or maybe it's because people are looking at how Callahan and I have fared against one another. They see it and they wonder if I have what it takes to actually beat him. If I have what it takes to not have to settle for a disqualification after a Pope enters the ring. Can I pin Callahan? Could I submit him?
"Maybe. But now that I have one win in the books, I can at least focus on the next step. But can the same be said for Callahan when it comes to Level One?
"What I'm trying to say is that people are going to be calling me the ultimate loser in this match, pointing at my everlasting underdog status and will put Callahan ahead of me because, aside from being the champion, he's beaten me twice, both times outside of APW walls. But how often has Callahan beaten Level One? Granted, I've never mastered that mountain on multiple occasions, but at least I have been able to hang with one of the men considered the best in the world at what we do. At least I've challenged him.
"Has Callahan?
"Has he beaten him?
"I mean, as much as wins and losses don't matter, the fact that I have a win over Level One enrages him. I know it does. It put him one step farther away from his obsession, and made it so that I had to put up with him whining about how he should have been facing Terry Marvin at Rasslemania instead of me. And while the win probably doesn't mean much to most since it's only one, the fact that I am under Lester's skin shows me that it still goes a long way, even if that way is only to piss the large Canadian off.
"Can Callahan claim that? Because if he can't, then I see no reason why he would be considered a favorite. He has yet to truly defend the title as a member of Overdrive, and has done very little, if anything to show that he deserves to hold that title. It's not like his history with the belt is anything to make people awestruck.
"But that's something that people have gone over time after time. From the eventual breakdown to the inability to beat Phil Atken and the many failed attempts at the title. It's been well documented and it all adds up with his limping into Mayhem. Michael Callahan does not have a strong grip on the World Heavyweight title.
"Level One knows it.
"He sees blood in the water and he's ready to strike. The moment Michael Callahan was drafted to Overdrive, Level One saw an opportunity to actually win the top title. Beating Terry Marvin was going to be tough, but Michael Callahan? Level One knew he could do it. Why else would he intervene in Delikado's title match? To keep the title where he wanted it. Little did he know that things would get tough.
"But I guess I can't blame him. When you're Level One, the easier way out is the way that seems best. He wants to be that second person to hold both the Undisputed and World Heavyweight titles. He wants to follow in the shoes of Sally Talfourd in that sense.
"He's not the only one.
"However, I'm not doing it for the fame and fortune that you are, Lester. My quest to win the World Heavyweight title comes from wanting to put the power back in the hands of the fans. Winning this match for the powers of good. To make sure that none of the degenerates that run around are doing so with a big gold belt hanging over their shoulder.
"Yes, that includes people like Level One. Though maybe I'm naive in thinking that this kind of thing is possible. Maybe I'm naive in thinking that besting men like Delikado, Michael Callahan and Level One will help solve something but, dammit, I'm going to try. I'm going to do my best to win this match and not because I want a win. I'm doing this for the fans.
"I'm winning this match for all of them.
"I almost did if at Rasslemania, and if it weren't for the interference of one Lester Only, it would have been done. This time, though, he doesn't have the ability to bash me with a briefcase and watch his buddy make the pinfall. This time he has to watch out for the other two vultures circling overhead.
"Though, I guess no matter what I say, I'm still going to be deemed unwanted. I'm still going to be seen as an interloper, an invader who shouldn't be where he is. I'm still going to be seen as the enemy by the real enemies. But acceptance isn't what I'm after.
"At least not from them. I don't need the Level One's of the world, the Delikado's of the Vatican or the Michael Callahan's of America to accept me as one of their own. The only real acceptance I need is the acceptance of the fans. I've let them down before and I know that I need to make up for that. The one thing I don't want to do, however, is get to the point where this is just another trip to nothing.
"Another shot at a title that comes up empty.
"I want to make this one count. I want to make up for the past. The past failures that I have had when fighting for a title. The past short comings I might have had against certain opponents. I don't want to take this opportunity that has been presented before me, and flush it down the toilet before I've even had a real chance to etch my name into history.
"A chance to give the fans what they deserve.
"They deserve the chance to cheer for the World champion.
"They deserve a reason to be happy.
"And hopefully I can give that to them with a win at Mayhem. Hopefully I can overcome any doubt that might linger around me, to stand tall at the end of the night. Hopefully I can figure out what you're all afraid of and expose it.
"Hopefully I can go big.
"Because I definitely don't want to go home."
