The Black Book: "Advancing to Level: Destruction"

[Victor Hades]

Somewhere between an excuse and a lie,
You found something that you believe.
So proud, I guess I can't imagine why,
Three cheers for what we used to be.

Pathetic. Wasted. Soulless. Compromised.

Sleep-walking the mind field.
Shit talking, it crumbles around you.
It comes back around.

Somewhere between delusion and denial,
You'll drown in your own sympathy.
Profound, at least you thought so at the time,
A ghost of who you used to be.

Date: Unknown
Time: 7:11 A.M.
Location: Unknown
Place: Robert Young Medical Institution

[ The Following is yet another brief recording of "Patient X" interviewed by Doctor Sasha Metzger... ]

Doctor Metzger-"Taped patient interview twenty... This will more than likely be my final interview with the patient, though it is hard for my studies to conduct a proper diagnosis or any kind of theory as to the patient's condition..."

The doctor slips a low, weary sigh into the microphone while collecting her thoughts as she pauses for a moment...

Doctor Metzger-"As previously stated I cannot for the record say I am looking forward to this interview, I've been feeling anxious... I've began to feel as though I'm letting this patient get to me. I no longer am positive I can extract any pieces of useful information from him. It's as though this patient has spent years building mental blocks to keep him cut-off from the outside world. Disabling any form of deep communication in or out to the outside world that surrounds him."

The doctor continues, having now admitted to her failed attempt on researching and analyzing the patient thoroughly.

Doctor Metzger-"Though I am unsure if the patient can ever be cured, it is quite uncertain if we can help his condition at this establishment."

A few short seconds following the doctor's previous statement, a knocking is heard at the nearby door.

Doctor Metzger-"It is okay, you may bring him in now..."

The doctor answers in her sweet, firm, Russian accent.

Security Orderly-"He's been quiet all day doc, should cooperate just fine today... Otherwise, call us in and we'll teach him some manners."

One of the orderly guards grumbles to the doctor, shoving the chained patient into his seat before marching off with a callous chuckle...

Doctor Metzger-"Thank you; I'm sure he will be just fine, how are you feeling today now that you've gotten your walk?"

The kind doctor asks in a hesitant, yet polite manner as she thumbs through her notes near the microphone. Meanwhile the patient remains perfectly still and has not yet spoken a word...

Doctor Metzger-"Well, I take it?"

The doctor assumingly asks... Yet the patient keeps quiet.

Doctor Metzger-"Very well then, let's move on shall we? I thought we could begin today by maybe trying to reconnect with your past. Can you tell me a little bit about your parents?"

The doctor calmly waits for a response, clicking the lengthy heel of her shoe gently against the tile floor...

Doctor Metzger-"Maybe just their names, where they were from?"

The patient remains silent staring at the floor, his tattooed hands resting in his lap while the doctor continues her notes...

Doctor Metzger-"Any siblings?"

No response.

Doctor Metzger-"Very well then."

The doctor answers in a griping and irritated tone, slamming her notebook shut and collecting her documents along the desk.

Doctor Metzger-"I am sorry, but the only possible way you can progress any further and be released by any means from this program is by cooperating and helping us as professionals diagnose your condition. It wouldn't be so damn difficult for us to continue our work if you threw us a god-forsaken bone once in a while... We're the only people here trying to help cure you and get you back to a normal life!"

The doctor protests leaning over the audio recording device as she states her case to the patient, before collecting her things as her heels can be heard stamping across the tile...

Doctor Metzger-"Best of luck with your future, because the only life you'll have left is to be rotting in a cold, padded, cell for the rest of your life or to die wrestling in that chaos you call a job... Goodbye."

The doctor bids farewell in her accented tone, lifting her suitcase and folders from the desk and continues towards the door...

Patient X-"I-I remember being born and raised in a broken home in Los Angeles, there was only enough for them to keep me fed and keep me clothed..."

The patient answers quietly, head hung low while breathing against the dark, crow feather-like hair, waving almost like a liquid over his face... The doctor can be heard stopping at the door, the doorknob turned yet the door hasn't been opened.

Patient X-"My only memory was the last I ever had of them..."

The patient continues, keeping to his monotone, gruff, deep voice as the words begin to finally come out... The answers being brought to the table, while the doctor carefully moves slowly back towards the desk.

Doctor Metzger-"Please... Continue..."

The doctor pleas softly, keeping her words brief and short.

Patient X-"One night, my parents had accidentally locked themselves out of the house and we had no way of getting in-so we climbed in through the window. My mother got me into the window and took her time climbing up to the window, meanwhile a police patrol car was passing by and had seen my parents climbing in. Of course the two officers inside had suspected my parents to be burglars which in fact they were-they just werent robbing our own home. The officers had drawn their weapons and without even so much as a warning gunned my parents down... like a horse with a broken leg..."

The patient pauses, his words beginning to tremble as he swallows his pride down for a moment...

Patient X-"My father I dont remember much, I don't remember his voice or his face..."

Pausing as he struggles to find the words, with a short sniffle between each coming breath the patient clears his throat and continues...

Patient X-"I was put in some form of an orphanage to the age of nineteen, when I ran away and found an empty, abandoned church a few miles from my old home. I stole food from nearby grocery trucks parked behind stores, I pummeled bullies picking on kids and stole their money, and I survived. I lived on with nothing but hatred as my one and only true friend... Hate was all I knew, it built my world, it imprisoned me, taught me how to eat, how to drink, how to breathe. I thought I'd die with all my hate in my veins living alone in that cold and abandoned church. Until one day, a man who claimed to be a widower and a priest came by asking if the church was for sale... All the while I threatened to kill the man if he didn’t leave, yet somehow he convinced me otherwise. He soon became my mentor, a man who showed me there is no paradise in the afterlife, nor a "Hell"...THIS... was Hell, and we had to do everything necessary in order to survive it."

The patient utters quietly, small streams of what begin to look like tears trickle down one side of his face as the doctor documents these details...

Doctor Metzger-"How did this priest continue to help you?"

Patient X-"He told me I appeared to be a young man, whom had been seeking a life of great significance... Meanwhile I continued to threaten the man to leave me alone, to leave my newfound ‘home’ and to never come back or I’d kill him. He told me, my anger was filled with such hate that it was like the wind crushing against his skin. He told me my anger could fuel my focus, make me stronger... He told me he would teach me all he could, and that I would soon have vengeance against those like the men who killed my parents. Until one morning I woke up, and everything was gone... My belongings, everything I’d used to survive, even him... Gone... So from that day forward, I trusted no one and trained my mind and body pushing it to exceed its very limits, to train in every form of combat I could study with what little money I had. Now, I’ve found that home... I’ve found that sanctuary where not even God is allowed, this is my place to rule, my place to extract vengeance, to deliver pain and suffering-this is MY time to take what belongs to ME."

The patient states as his chained wrists pound gently against the surface of the metal desk, as the doctor flinches in a startling manner.

Patient X-"You see doctor... I’ve mended my wounds, I’ve buried my emotions, and I’ve lived by my word and I won’t rest until I’ve reached the end of that road and claimed my throne atop the mountain. I haven’t busted my ass, broken my body, and spilled this much blood in my life to only be brought down... I will succeed, I will overcome, and I will be... Champion."

The patient grumbles, once more, implying he's ready and willing to do whatever necessary to survive and strike down any opposing force willing to attempt stopping him.

Doctor Metzger-"Thank goodness, and how wonderful for you…! I am so pleased you could finally share this-now I just have to copy this recording and pass it onto proper care to be examined for you analysis."

The doctor replies pleasantly, proud her long, tiresome, and hard-worked efforts have proven a success in her attempts to break the patient's secrets into the open.

Patient X-"...You what?"

Doctor Metzger-"Yes, surely you understand every bit of noted information and data gathered from these interviews and recordings is taken to be further analyzed so our patient's may be diagnosed... properly, of course."

Patient X-"No..."

The patient answers quietly in a bit of disbelief, while the doctor continues as she collects her notes... Continuing to rant on as the patient speaks his opinion as she carries on.

Doctor Metzger-"With this we can continue these interviews during your extended stay with us and proceed to alter your medication to the right level of treatment. This way we can finally break you into the habit of taking these prescriptions and finally rid of these 'demons' you talk about..."

Patient X-"Doctor..."

The patient calls to the doctor, who continues to organize her notes and place her documents and notebooks into her suitcase. Meanwhile the patient can be heard getting up from his chair, as the linked chains fastened to his wrists rattle carefully against his clothing...

Doctor Metzger-"Such a wonderful thing I must say, for such a dark-minded and violent human being to open up so freely is like a scientific miracle or something'."

The doctor continues to ramble in her accent, as the patient's chains echoing in the distance grow closer towards the microphone and doctor...

Patient X-"Doctor."

The patient growls.

Doctor Metzger-"-Yes?"

STAB!

The impaling sound of the doctor's ink pen being driven through the bottom of her chin resonates loudly, as the choking sounds of the doctor gurgling on her own blood sound through the audio...

Patient X-"Take your 'analysis'... and go fuck yourself."

The growling, trembling words of the patient come clearly into the microphone as the convulsing doctor finally drops dead, as the ink pen is ripped back out from her chin... Seconds later, guards can be heard bursting into the room...

Security Orderly-"OH JESUS CHRIST-Doctor Metzger is dead! We need help!"

The guard screams for help, as the patient's rattling chains suddenly can be heard turning away from the microphone as a tiny gasp from a nearby guard resonates loudly...

Patient X-"Your... 'doctors' and their predecessors appeared to want to know a great deal about me, unfortunately they forgot to realize I surrendered my freedom voluntarily. Now, what you don't seem to know is I can have my freedom back whenever I choose."

The clattering sound of the linked chains attached to the patient's wrists suddenly are heard falling to the tile floor...

Security Orderly-"Patient X, I am ordering you to put those handcuffs back on and get on the ground... now."

The guard can be heard hesitant in a anxious tone, moving slowly into the room as the patient chuckles audibly to himself...

Patient X-"Patient X is already dead."

The patient grumbles slowly turning away from the audio recording device and microphone...

Patient X-"My name... Is Victor Hades."

The patient states, as seconds later the final sound is that of the guard's screams.

recording stops.

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

"People like you Lester only understand greed, jealousy, hate, and betrayal. Though you may feel differently an disagree. As long as I've known you that's always been this thing about you-you've never been able to get over your own personal battles. You've never been able to conquer your demons and move on. The man who I've known for the better part of a decade, the man whom I've respected just as much as I've at times hated, the man who has been THE MAN since our time in the EWC. Allow me to remind you asshole I'm not the same man you've buried in the past. Which means I'm not that blind-raging lunatic you used to step on to reach the top of the mountain. No see I'm now wide awake with both eyes open and I see clear as day now, while you may still see past me with all of your arrogance. Mark my words LESTER and mark them well in blood, I'm gonna make damn sure you see me Friday night. The thing about you and I is-we havent always been so different in many ways, we dont care about anyone or anything, and we'll do anything it takes to succeed."

“Level One... you live by your emotions, it makes you weak. You’ve let them run your career and your miserable life completely and damn near into the ground. You’ve given into heartbreak, gluttony, avarice, jealousy, and vengeance. You’ve become obsessed with Terry Marvin and HIS success but I get it, you want to be like him and it drives you out of your skin. See I EVOLVED, where as you've just remained the same back-stabbing, crying, selfish bender-of-the-truth we all know too well you've always been. The Lester we saw a month ago who suddenly finds himself in a predicament when he isnt... number ONE. The very same Level-One who just as quickly finds himself in the most uttmost challenge of all challenges, suddenly find himself unworthy and goes off to crawl in a hole for six weeks. Yet you come back bitter and blame the rest of the world? Mind your words carefully, Level One, those words can sometimes come back to bite you in the ass. You may find the dog ready to bite you in the ass yourself!”

“The world as do the rest of us here in the locker rooms already know you’re selfish piece-of-shit bastard who doesn’t give a shit about anyone or anything... but tonight I'm gonna make you give a shit-I'm gonna make you give a shit losing to ME. And then when your done pissing and moaning about it to the world, and you’ve gone back to your true natural self... maybe then you can go back to chasing Terry Marvin and riding his coat tails."

“I’ve done EVERYTHING I possibly could to get out there and make a name for myself in this business Level One, that goes without saying. I didn’t care who I hurt, whose baby I killed, what state I insulted or who's career I ended. THIS IS MY LIFE AND WHAT I DO TO SURVIVE! Everything I ever wanted was to win Survive and Conquer back in 2010 and I DID IT-which you can still gloat all you try that you had a hand in my success that night without acknowledging I handled myself just fine. And I sacrificed blood, sweat, and everything in my body- everything to do it. Yeah I was screwed out of the main-event for Rasslemania and two-million dollars, so yeah I was pissed off for a while. After I battled over thirty-nine other men and women and proved I was the greatest that night.”

“You may be the same as me in many ways but its you who is slowing beginning to lose yourself. You surround yourself with YES-men who kiss your ass and feed your ego and tell you exactly what you want to hear. It's the reason you've never evolved, its the reason you've never been trusted and it'll be the reason you'll die alone and miserable.”

“I may not be the number one contender or the biggest superstar in this company, but after Overdrive you WILL recognize me as a threat to your title as much as a threat to your career should we choose to cross paths again. Make no short note about it Lester, I will gladly spike you on your head into the ground and I WILL PROUDLY rip that World title from your cold, icy fingers. When that day comes, you can rot in Hell with your ego and your pathetic obsessions. Tonight we fight for our own sake, because tonight only one of us walks away...victorious."

Fade to black.