Be a good boy...

[Chris Madison]

July 16th, 2013
Suffolk County, Long Island
09:00 A.M.

The scene opened up to the sounds sweaty human flesh smacking against padded floor mats. The massive training facility is constructed to fit the needs of anyone competing in combat sports. Rings are constructed in the back of the vast open warehouse for training boxers and professional wrestlers. Kick boxing coaches have guys and gals pummeling bags along the left wall. Toward the right are the mats which creates that echoing sound. Dead center is all your standard work out equipment; free weights, treadmills, and various pulley system machines.

On the right side by the padded mats a familiar face is seen doing a wall sit, also known a roman chair. Madison is sweating profusely with a pair of eight ounce boxing gloves on his hands which rest on his knees. A tight under armor shirt, some gym shorts, and some black leg pads make up the rest of his training attire. On his right is a close friend, and training partner Manny Hernandez. Manny is decked out in the same attire, doing the same exercise as Madison.

Beneath their feet is a pool of sweat. They start to grimace, trying to keep perfect form against the red padded wall. Another set of feet is seen pacing back and forth in front of the two men. The man that stood before them is relatively the same build as Chris. He has that similar light brown hair, but spiked up to go along with his thick mountain man like beard. In his hands is a stopwatch and around his neck is a whistle. The man looked down at his stopwatch and screamed out, "Thirty more seconds, keep pushing it guys!"

The coach clicked the stop watch putting an end to the exercise. "Ten minute roman chairs. Phenomenal guys!" Both men drop to the mats in a bit of agony gasping for air and wincing in pain. Chris looked up at the coach in front of him and jumped to his feet. He quickly wrapped his arms around him with a rear waist lock and lifted him in the air, carrying him around the mat while his training partner peers on laughing. Chris always tried to lighten the mood during his training. "Knock it off Chris! Put me down!" he demanded before finally being released.

Chris laughed as the steam blew from the ears of his coach. His face was as red as a fire hydrant and he balled both of his fists up. "What's wrong Nick? Gonna run and tell mommy?"

Nick was Chris's younger brother. He was the quintessential baby brother. From a young age everything Chris did, he wanted to tag along. He was a former pro wrestler himself who had sustained a career ending injury. Chris always kept him close by. He was a bit of a safety net in this crazy world. There was something comforting about having a family member watching your back at all times. Nick put his hands on his hips and looked down at his shirt which is now soaked in Chris's sweat. "Not funny Chris." He stared down his elder brother who was chuckling like a schoolboy at his brothers short temper. "I'm not the one contending for a championship this week. Maybe you should take things a bit more seriously."

"Lighten up dude." Chris's demeanor took a complete one eighty from jovial and joking to a stern intensity. "You think I'm not taking this seriously? Please! I came to APW to start a revolution! Revolutions are based on the actions that inspire others. I can preach week after week. But if I don't back up my mouth it's all for nothing. I'm going to inspire this revolution of mine by upending the longest reigning Xtreme Champion in APW history on live television!"

"I'm not questioning your drive, or you heart. You just need to focus. There is a reason why this guy has been champ since December!" Nick explained his point of view. Chris bit down on the velcro strap of his right glove. He squeezed it between his arm and side and pulls his hand free. Madison then continued to take off the rest of his padding while never taking an eye off his brother. "Come on Chris..."

Chris stormed away from his brother and went towards the treadmills in the center of the facility. "I'm going to do some cardio!" he shouts while strolling away, leaving his brother on the mats.

Madison walked over to an empty treadmill. He stepped on and started setting the speed and incline when he heard his name being shouted from the distance. "CHRIS!!!" Madison rolled his eyes as the voice pierced right through him. Frankie Morrison strutted through the gym in a cornflower blue dress shirt with white cuffs and a pair of pinstriped black slacks. With a Starbucks coffee in hand he navigated through the facility to where Chris was about to try and do some cardio.

Madison just shot him a stare and started with a light jog. Frankie got to where Chris is and took a sip out of his paper cup. Madison pretended as if he wasn't standing there and just kept moving forward. "Hey bud" he said while tapping on Madison's shoulder. "I really need to speak with you!"

Madison slammed his fist down on the stop button in a moment of unchecked rage. As the machine slowed down he hopped off and got right into Frankie's face. "First of all, why the fuck are you bothering me while I'm training for my title match? Secondly, if you didn't watch Kiyomi board that plane back to Japan you better not even say a damn word to me!" he demanded while driving his index finger into the sternum of his business manager.

Frankie looked down at Madison's finger and took another sip of his coffee before brushing the hand away. "I'm not being paid to be a friend right? Isn't that what you told me the other day? Then don't put your hands on me like that again or you can handle your own affairs!." The unexpected reaction caused Chris to raise his eyebrows. "Secondly, yes. I brought her to JFK airport, walked her through security, and watched her board the plane to Japan. Let me just warn you, she said she will be back when she can gather enough money. She wants to stand by your side and support you."

"Whoa! The balls on you! Finally gonna stick up for yourself... Madison reached behind his head with his left hand and scratched through his light brown hair while his right hand palmed his hip. "I can't shake this girl huh? There's gotta be a way to keep her overseas."

"And that brings me to why I'm bothering you while you're training for a championship match. As I'm watching her plane take off my phone rang, it was Klienberg. He said it was urgent and that we needed to meet him in his office today." Madison was taken over by confusion. It is never a good thing when your lawyer wants an immediate meeting with you. "Yeah...probably not good. He wouldn't go into any details, but said he wanted you in the office before you flew out to Raleigh."

"Well shit...I wonder what he wants."

"My thoughts exactly..."

"I guess let me go wash up and then we'll go."

Frankie nodded his head with acknowledgment and Madison walked off. He stopped momentarily by his brother and his training partner. Chris seems to be explaining the situation to his team. After the brief conversation Madison stepped away and headed towards the locker room area. The scene fades out.

----------------------------------------------------

July 16th, 2013
Madison's lawyers office
12:00 P.M.

Madison and Frankie are sitting in a large conference room. The walls are lined with bookcases filled with guides of every obscure law and code imaginable. The massive oak table they are sitting at is positioned in the dead center of the room. Matching oak chairs line the large table with room for up to thirty people. The one wall lacking the bookcases displays the various degrees and awards Mr. Klienberg has earned framed and hung.

Madison sat in the chair, impatiently waiting. His hand was placed on the table in front of him and he tapped his fingers in order from pinkie to index while speculating what the meeting could be about. "I've been trying...I just can't figure what he wants. How did he sound when he called."

"I don't know. He sounded like..you know...him. He was all business as usual. I get the sense he doesn't like that he needs to contact me instead of you direct."

Madison rolled his eyes while continuing to tap his fingers on the table. "There's two professions I'll never trust. You know that. Lawyers and salesmen, they're like leaches, just trying to suck the money right out of you. If he doesn't like my stipulations than he'll stop getting paid. Simply put."

"Well whatever it is, he wanted you here today. Didn't want you leaving town without seeing him first."

Madison's mind raced through all the possibilities for today's emergency meeting but came up with zilch. He shook his head and sighed out of frustration as the gathering loomed. This emergency meeting was cutting into his preparation time for the big thursday night match against A.C. Smith. Finally a light bulb went off in his head as he seemed to think of what it could be. "Maybe it was the incident in that dive bar in Oakland! I mean that's all I can think of. And if it is, that's bullshit because those wannabe bikers came at me!" he looked on at Frankie with hopes he would tip his hand.

The stare he gave Frankie was only reciprocated with a stare of his own. "I'm being serious Chris, I have no idea what this meeting is about. He should be in here any minute."

No sooner did the door swing open as those words rolled off the tip of his tongue. A short elderly male walked in carrying a large file tucked under his arm. Dressed in a well pressed suit he strutted in and took a seat opposite Chris and Frankie. He placed the file down on top of the table and folded his hands across the paperwork, interlocking his fingers with one another.

Chris and Frankie postured up and pulled their seats in. Chris attentively watched as he waited for his lawyer to break the silence. The anticipation alone was making Chris's blood boil over. "Well..."

"Thanks for coming on such short notice Chris" he politely stated.

Madison's frustration grew. That polite introduction in itself enraged Chris. As if he ever really had an option to turn down this meeting. He sat on the edge of his chair still awaiting the agenda shaking his leg rapidly, hidden under the table. "Enough formalities. Why are you pulling me away from my training. What is so god damn important?"

"I received a bit of a disheartening phone call from someone at APW headquarters. Apparently there is some concern about you behavior. More specifically an incident in Miami with a production manager. Any of this ringing a bell Chris?" He watched over Madison's body language. Chris slunk down into his seat and his lawyer nodded his head.

Chris raised his hand and covered his eyes. He sat there silently for a brief moment before running his fingers through his hair with the same hand. "They already fined me. What's the issue now?"

Mr. Klienberg shuffled through some of the paperwork in his file. In the meantime all Frankie could do is shake his head. Once again Madison's behavior has got him in hot water. "Ah, here it is!" He pulled out a paper and placed it on the top of the stack. "Yeah, we have documentation that they received the payment for your fine. When I spoke on the phone they just seemed a bit concerned. With the recent rash of backstage outbursts it's a bit of a volatile situation in the locker room. They are afraid that you can be a bit extreme with your approach. The last thing they want is for an extremist patrolling the area stirring up more problems. They really are trying to let things settle and you going off on conspiracy theories holding production managers hostage is not going to help!"

Madison let out a bit of a sadistic laugh. He placed both of his hands on the table, palms down. Pressing off a bit, Madison leaned over the table slightly. "Are you fucking kidding me? They don't like my antics? They're a bit too extreme for them? Well guess what? I will not stop! I don't care who asks me nicely to behave so the mood in the back can settle. Havok and Titan weren't that far off! This place is corrupt and they've been sent off for expressing their freedom of speech! Next time they call you just hang up the damn phone!"

"Chris we can't just ignore..."

Madison quickly cut him off before he could finish his statement. "I'm sorry who pays you? APW or Chris Madison?" After a brief pause Madison answered the question for him. "Me! And very well may I add. If you don't agree with it, let me know so I can axe you off the payroll! I can't believe you wasted my time for this."

Madison stood to his feet and tossed the chair he was sitting in against the bookcase behind him. He stormed out of the conference room and slammed the door behind him. Mr. Klienberg sat unfazed by the tantrum which played out before him. He turned towards Frankie as they sat alone. "You need to try and talk to him Frankie. It's not attractive to be a free agent who only spent a few months with a company before being asked to leave."

"You've seen him? This what he's been like the last couple of weeks. I think this is on me. I dragged his ex girlfriend here to try and talk him into retiring. It's been a fucking roller coaster ever since." Frankie leaned forward folding his arms over one another with his elbows on the table.

"Something needs to be done. At this pace he won't have a career! The APW obviously has no issue in trimming up some of the fat."

"Trust me, I've been trying...this guy is an emotional basket case sometimes." Frankie stood to his feet and shuffled his way towards the door after fixing the chair Madison had tossed.

Mr. Klienberg met him at the door and extended his hand out to Frankie Morrison. "Let him settle down a bit. But explain to him that maybe taking a backseat right now and being a little less boisterous about his views would be wise. At least until APW can repair itself."

"Will do..."

Mr. Klienberg held the door as Frankie exited into the waiting are near his receptionist. Frankie placed a reassuring hand across Madison's back and onto his shoulder as the scene fades out.

----------------------------------------------------

That same white snow and static sound take over the screen before the picture becomes clear. Chris Madison is holding his handheld camera outstretched in front of him in an undisclosed area.

"People never know what to make of me. I grew up in the suburbs of Long Island. I was never a bad kid, always stayed out of trouble. I grew up in a good home which instilled some key morale values that still drive me today. When your father nails those values in your head day after day its hard to not live by them. But the problem is I am loud, I never hold back an opinion, and I have a bit of a flare for mass unrest! At times I'm told I can be an instigator and that I love to push people to their limits. None of what I am saying is false. I always test my boundaries."

"I don't know what it is but if I could sit by and watch the world burn away, I would truly be at peace. Call me sick and twisted if you want, I won't disagree with you. There's not a day that goes by that I don't sit around and think of how I could cause a little chaos today."

"Believe it or not, there are plenty of people out there like me, sick of society trying to suppress every single right we have as people and refusing to stand by while they do it! You seem to have a nice little life set up for yourself Andy. Manhattan penthouse, beautiful woman by your side, friends who truly care for you. Enough money to keep everyone afloat. Any man could be truly jealous of the life you live. But not me! You see It's people like you with your perfect little life that makes me want to vomit. You are out of touch from reality in that perfect world you've built for yourself in that tower! I refuse to lose touch, I've kept myself grounded throughout all these years, throughout all the worlds struggles."

"People like you chase the perfect life. They dream of having the perfect body. They pray to have perfect clean souls. Guess what? You, just like them, are not fucking special! We are all just gods sick joke, created to keep himself amused. We are his damn ant farm! We are born...then we live...and then we die. Nothing lasts forever...nothing!"

"There is no denying that you have been more than a formidable champion. In fact some would say with little argument, that you are the greatest APW Xtreme champion in history! Seven long months and you have secured yourself the longest title reign in the books. When you look at it that way, the odds are stacked against me. I'm the new kid on the block who has barely even shown what I'm capable of and your the proven commodity which no one has been able to figure out yet!"

"Thinking of all that Andy, I'm getting jacked up! These are the kind of fights that define a career. These are the moments that anyone who calls themselves a professional wrestler should live for! If you can't feel the electricity running through your body with a title on the line then you are in the wrong business! I am pumped up and ready to fucking go!"

"Luckily for me, this match is for the Xtreme Championship. A title that I have been molding myself for my entire career. From company to company one thing always remained a constant. My love for a straight up, no rules fight! Nothing like proving your manhood with and old fashion no holds barred fight. Those type of championships have always seemed to gravitate towards me. Hell, it's what toughened me up for my tour in Japan. You think you know what extreme is Andy? Try fighting in Japanese death matches show after show. You don't know what extreme is until you've survived a few of those!"

"If you think I'm going to be intimidated by your size or your reputation you are foolishly mistaken. I've faced bigger names and I've choked out bigger men. I don't bow down to anyone and you'll soon learn that first hand. But I think you're not any different in that regard. Hell you can't be if you've been champ this long. During your reign you have taken it to every challenger, all different shapes and sizes. So what sets me apart from them? What makes this upset a possibility? The fact that I refuse to look at it as an upset. Don't get me wrong, I respect the reign...seven months is tough to do now a days. But you've never been in the ring with the likes of me!"

"I'm not some punk kid to be pushed around. I'm the voice for those kids who can't defend themselves. And I'm the reckoning for those who push the little people aside! It's time for a new king of extreme. And who better to dethrone you than another New York native? That's what makes me dangerous Andy. This isn't just about a title. This isn't just about another win in the books. This is about pride of who you are and what got you here. And I'm a very prideful guy. I always find that I take it to a whole new level when I face another New Yorker. Call it egotistical if you must but there is something deep down inside me that just won't accept defeat at the hands of someone else from the Empire State. I must be the best!"

"You know it to be true Andy. Last week I proved myself so to speak. I outlasted five meltdown rejects and stood alone in that ring, the winner of the prove yourself battle royal. Just because of my pride. I thought of it as a slap in the face to have to prove myself to Mr. Duvall. Little did I know that win would skyrocket me to a title shot. A bit of an added bonus. Apparently that win makes me the most qualified to take a shot at the longest reigning Xtreme champion in APW history."

"Well I'm always welcoming to a challenge. And if this was truly what was meant to be, you'll be left in the middle of the ring shaking out the cobwebs as your brain urges for the oxygen I'm cutting off! You'll be left on your own wondering why and how? You'll naturally blame everyone but yourself. I understand because its apart of the industry we bleed for. But the truth be told, even A.C. Smith can be vulnerable. Even you are beatable inside that ring. No one is invincible. All you need is for someone to come along who just wants it that much more than you!"

"Now be a good boy Andy and run back to your little lady Roxanne. Tell her to get the first aid kit ready because when Thursday is all said and done, the Big Apple Asskicker is going to have a little more than that bruised ego CJ Gates gave you by beating you and then losing to Aubrey James Parker at Test for the Best! Your time is not quite here yet!"

The familiar static and snow takes over the picture and fades out.