Post by C.J. Gates on Aug 24, 2013 9:37:43 GMT -4
"The search for the truth.
"Some people search for the true meaning of life, while others are busy searching for the real answers to where their lovers are and what they're doing. For me, my search is more of the search for true intentions. The search for the real reasons people do what they do.
"It seems that every time I do battle, there is something going on that makes me take a step back and evaluate. Back when Terry Marvin was faking his retirement, I didn't want to believe it. When Biggs and I first started our friendship, part of me wondered if this was what he truly wanted.
"Now I find myself wondering whether or not Level One is telling the truth. Did he want to hand me the title so he could start a family? Did he want to put this crazy business behind him so he could become something more then a wrestler? Or was that just a line of bull to try and tug at my heartstrings? Was that just some line to try and butter me up for an ass whooping I never saw coming.
"The truth is out there.
"It's just a matter of finding it. It's just a matter of figuring out what to believe and what to throw aside.
"The one truth I do know, is that Level One and I will both be fighting with everything that we've got. Whether or not Level One wants the title, he isn't the sort of man to just give up. He isn't the sort of guy who just rolls over because he's at that point in his career. Even in twilight, he's a fighter. Even with his back against the wall, Level One won't give up.
"Which makes for a great fight.
"Then again, Level One and I always put on classics, we always give the fans something to cheer about. We test each other at every opportunity, and every single fight we've had this past year, has been close. It's been competitive, and it's been within an inch of going either way.
"And Shockwave will be no different.
"Who knows, perhaps this time a different Space Cowboy will end Level One's time at the top."
Thursday, August 22, 2013
Fargo, North Dakota
The scene opens up outside of a bank in Fargo, North Dakota where C.J. Gates can be seen exiting the bank. He pauses, holding the door open for an elderly woman, before turning and making his way down the street.
"C.J.! Look out!"
Gates pauses at the familiar voice, turning around to see two men standing in the middle of the quiet road, drawing handguns out of the inside pockets of their jackets. Before Gates can react - and before the two men can react - the sound of screeching tires can be heard before a black car run into and over the two men.
"What the fuck," Gates mutters as he looks at the car. The driver exits his car, silenced pistol in hand and flashes a smile at Gates, showing off a golden tooth. He then fires two shots - one to the head of each man - before climbing back into the car and driving off.
"Shit, you okay man?" Vincent James asks as he comes up to Gates. "I saw those two guys and yelled out to warn you."
"This shit is real, Vinnie," Gates says, realizing his danger.
"I'm just glad you're okay."
Gates nods. "I've got to talk to my mom."
Thursday, August 22, 2013
Fargo, North Dakota
"Mom? Mom! Where are you!"
The voice of C.J. Gates can be heard echoing through the house, and after a few moments, the man himself walks down the stairs into the basement of his mothers house. Mrs. Gates can be seen sitting at the head of a rectangular table with two men sitting to her left and one man sitting to her far right. Two empty seats sit to her near right and one at the other end of the table.
"C.J., I-"
"You're just sitting back while I'm out there nearly getting killed!" Gates shakes his head as he comes to the bottom of the stairs. "If it wasn't for someone hitting them-"
"I heard all about that," Mrs. Gates says.
"You heard about it? How?"
A door on the left side of the room opens and a man walks in.
"It's him, he's the one who-" Gates begins, pointing at the man who just entered the room. "What the hell is going on."
"I wanted to make sure you were protected," Mrs. Gates says. "So I sent along some back up to watch out for you."
"You sent him?"
Mrs. Gates nods. "Tommy Gags is one of my finest, so I knew he would make sure you were safe."
"Nice to meet'cha," Tommy says with a smile, showing off his golden tooth. Gags takes a seat to the far right of Mrs. Gates.
"Likewise," Gates says, slightly stunned.
"Of course, you already know The Dentist and Charlie O." Mrs. Gates motions to the two men on her left, both of which acknowledge Gates.
"So this is your 'crew'?" Gates asks, looking at the men.
"These are the men I trust the most. There are others that work for me, though they are out doing just that. Working."
"Jesus," Gates mutters.
"I like to think I made all of this happen, but we can always give him some credit."
"I just mean that I never saw this," Gates says shaking his head. "All those years, I never knew that you were running some sort of God damn mafia."
"That tells me I'm running a tight ship," Mrs. Gates smiles.
"Hey, Ceej, you made it!"
Before Gates can turn around, Vincent James walks up and places an arm around his shoulders. "I figured I'd see you around here at some point."
"Vinnie?" Gates asks. "What are you doing here?"
"Meet my number two," Mrs. Gates says with a smile.
"Number two?"
Mrs. Gates nods. "A lot of this wouldn't be possible without Vinnie being by your side. He's been working for me for awhile now, and ever since he came back into your life, it's made things somewhat easier on us. Until now that is."
"How long is awhile?"
Mrs. Gates and James exchange a look. "Five or six years now."
"And I'm just hearing about this now?"
James chuckles as he walks around the table to the empty seat at the near right to Mrs. Gates. "I didn't want to jeopardize anything. You not knowing made it a hell of a lot easier."
"Yeah but had you said something-"
"It might have ruined everything," Mrs. Gates says, cutting her son off. "We had to be careful so that you didn't become even more of a target then you already were."
Gates takes a few steps forward and falls into the last remaining empty chair. "Shit."
"The goal though," Mrs. Gates says, "is to get this all finished up soon enough. Everything going on with the other guys, we want it to end so that we don't have to worry about them anymore."
"Do you have a plan?" Gates asks. Mrs. Gates nods but doesn't say anything. "Can I know it?"
"As much as I would love to tell you, son," she says, "I'm going to have to withhold that information. We don't want anything to go wrong."
"So I'm going to be left in the dark?"
Mrs. Gates nods.
"Let's just say that the plan we do have is going to make a big statement."
Friday, August 23, 2013
Fargo North Dakota
"Excuse me, do you have the time?" Vincent James asks a passer by on the street.
"It's almost two in the afternoon."
"Thanks." James smiles at the passer by and then walks into the Fargo West Business Complex. He gives a small wave to the clerk behind the front desk of the complex, before taking the elevator up to the floor where C.J. Gates office is located. He walks past the door and down the emergency stairs, coming out on the main floor again and taking a seat in the far corner. With a good view of the elevators, emergency stairs and the from door. He then pulls out his cell phone.
"Hey C.J.," he says into the phone. "Yeah, I'm just stopping in at the office. I shouldn't be too long, just have to finish up some work and then we can grab some dinner." He pauses as Gates presumably responds. "Yeah, exactly. Catch you later." He hangs up and then sits back in the corner, waiting.
About an hour passes before three men wearing long black jackets enter the building. The make a bee-line for the elevators, pausing momentarily when they open for two other people to get off. The two in jackets get into the elevator while the other two exit the building. James once again picks up his phone.
"They're here."
He hangs up and sits a bit more upright in the chair. About half an hour passes before three more men enter the building, recognized as Tommy Gags, Charlie O and The Dentist. Vincent James gets up at this point and meets the three men by the elevators.
"Three of them, armed no doubt," James says quickly.
"At least there's four of us, right?" Tommy Gags says with a smile.
"Exactly," James says. "I think it's best to go up the stairs. They're probably watching the elevator."
"What if they're watching the stairs?" The Dentist asks.
James smiles and presses the up button on the elevator. When it arrives, he steps in, holding the door open and hits the correct floor number.
"You guys start to head up," James says. "When I let this thing go, they're going to be watching it. We can hopefully surprise them from the stairs. Be careful though, they might just be waiting in the office."
The three men nod and begin to make their way up the stairs. James exits the elevator and lets it close before it begins it's climb. James then rushes to catch up to the other three waiting at the top of the stairs.
The ding of the elevator is heard and a single shot can be heard firing. Charlie O opens the stairway door while Gags and The Dentist make their way into the hallway. A few shots ring out, catching one of the three men in the chest and shoulder, killing him. The other two turn to see the four men moving in and fire off a few return shots, catching a diving Charlie O in the neck and leg before the remaining two disappear into the office. Sirens can be heard outside.
"Fuck!" James shouts.
They move forward toward the office door, returning fire. James hangs around the corner of the door, firing at the other two as they take shelter behind Gates' desk. James pulls back and Gags moves into his spot firing away, clipping one man in the elbow. The Dentist moves to the other side of the door to get a better angle, firing a shot that takes the man in the foot as well as the elbow. He loses his balance and falls out from behind the desk allowing Gags to pop one right in his heart.
"Give it up!" James shouts. "You can't out gun us!"
"As if I'm going to give up. Fuck!" The sound of reloading can be heard and James and Gags move into the office, resting on the other side of the wooden desk. Both men wait for a moment and then nod, putting their backs to use to move the desk forward. Plugs come out of sockets as the desk slides heavily. A loud clunk is heard before Gags springs over the desk, landing on top of the man, pinning him down. He grabs the mans weapon and tosses it to the side. Eventually, James joins him.
"You need to tell your boss to fuck off," James says, waving his pistol.
"Your bitch needs to pay," the man says. "Boss wants his money."
"We will let you go if you tell your boss to leave us the fuck alone."
The man spits up at Tommy Gags. "Fuck that."
James looks to Tommy who gets up, picking up the mans gun as he does. The man tries to get to his feet, but James kicks him down and then fires one shot into the mans head.
"You sure that was wise?" The Dentist asks.
"They'll get the message."
Saturday, August 24, 2013
"I think I'm in way over my head," C.J. Gates says as he plays with his coffee mug, lost in thought. Seated across from Gates is one of his old friends, Rico Casteel. Rico smirks.
"What makes you say that?" Rico is seated against the back of the booth, his arms folded over his chest.
"Everything that's gone on lately," Gates shakes his head. "I'm on surveillance twenty four-seven when I'm not in the ring, and then when I am, I've got to face challenges like Level One. Challenges that I asked for."
"Boo fucking hoo," Rico mocks. "You're getting World Heavyweight title shots and you're complaining?"
"It's not-"
"It is," Rico cuts him off. "There are probably a dozen people who would kill to be in your shoes right now, and you're complaining about the fact that you have to beat Level One?"
"Come on, man."
"No, you come on," Rico snarls. "You're playing the pity violin with the hopes that people care. Well, news flash, Gates-o, no one does! They're all cursing at you under their breath because they want title shots that you seem to always get.
"You don't think there's someone gearing up for their match at Shockwave with the thought coursing through their mind that they could beat Level One. Meanwhile, you're fucking around in some sort of depression."
"Jesus," Gates says. "Why'd I agree to have lunch with you."
"Because you needed an escape," Rico answers. "Believe me though, I'm only trying to help."
"By tearing me a new one?"
"I'm just painting the picture for ya," Rico says. "If you want to actually get some support from your colleagues, you're going to have to man up. And if you think you're unable to beat Level One, well it's probably because you've been thinking that way for so long."
"Even when I was certain I could beat him, I didn't," Gates says. "It seems like whatever I do, something happens to change it."
"Then just shut up and put up," Rico says. "Stop whining about it and just get going. Work your ass off and just see what happens. That's all you can really do. Just don't complain about getting title shots. It looks bad."
Gates sighs, still playing with his coffee cup. "I know, I know. Just with everything going on with my mom-"
"Forget that."
"It's kind of hard."
"Forget it," Rico repeats. "If you keep dwelling on it, you're going to end up on the outside again, complaining about another title shot coming your way."
Silence falls between the two men and eventually Gates chuckles. "I almost wish I would have taken the title when Level One gave it to me."
"Really?"
Gates nods. "That way, I wouldn't be in this spot right now. I'd be the champion, and I would be on top of the world. Who knows, I might even be raring to go, and I might not have found out what my mom has been up to. All of this that's happening could just be avoided, but no. I couldn't have that." Gates shakes his head. "Maybe I was stupid to hand the title back to Level One."
"Maybe," Rico says. "Though I'm sure you gained points with some people for not taking the easy way out."
"Would you have?"
"Taken the title?"
"Yeah."
Rico chuckles. "I spent two months trying to convince a jackass that the title was mine to begin with. Had he seen the light and given it to me, I would have taken it. But I also earned it."
"I haven't earned this?"
"You have," Rico says. "You would have won that title at Mayhem if it wasn't for Johnny Chase so I guess it some ways you've earned it. You've just got to prove that again this time out. Prove them that you earned it before and earned it this weekend. Just focus."
Gates nods again. "I can't let Level One get to me," he begins. "I can't let the possibilities of Level One and what he could do get to me."
"Just go out there and do what C.J. Gates does," Rico says. "Give it your all, put Level One through his paces and push him to the limit. If he beats you, make sure he earns it."
"I'll try to do my best."
"Don't try to do your best, fucking do it. Channel your inner Rico Casteel if you need to."
Gates raises an eyebrow. "I don't know if I can go that 'suicidal'."
Rico chuckles. "True. Not many can match my levels of destruction."
"Best I can do is what you said," Gates begins. "Push my opponent to their limit and hope that that involves me getting one over on them. On Level One."
"Good luck," Rico says with a chuckle. "Depending on the mindset you've got going into this thing, you might need it."
"Good luck, Level One.
"However this match shakes out, I wish you luck. Whether you beat me and retain the World Heavyweight title for one more run at the top, or if you lose and decide to follow through on your plans to take a step back and start a family. Whatever path you choose, or whatever path comes your way, I can only wish you the best through all of it.
"Which is probably funny for me to say. I know a lot of fans know me and Level One to be rivals, to be enemies. We've never really seen eye to eye, and even when we did, it was only because Terry Marvin was getting out of hand. Even then, Level One tried to kill me.
"The point is, I'm not in the business of wishing ill will on someone. If Level One truly intended to hand me the title so that he could fade into the sunset, then so be it. I'm not going to yell at him and berate him for it. Does this mean I'm choosing to take what Level One said as the truth? For now I am. His true colors will come out soon enough and when they do, I will plan accordingly.
"What I mean is that when the bell rings, the true nature of his intentions will be seen. The ire will rise within him and if he wants to rip my head off, we will know. Everyone will know. Of course, there will be a difference between him wanting to survive and him wanting to destroy, but I will know.
"And I will react.
"To tell you the truth, I've been really looking forward to this match. I've been really looking forward to right some of the wrongs that have been done to me over the past year. The near death experience at One Night in Hell when Level One and Terry Marvin tried to break my neck. The screw job at Rasslemania where Level One used his billion dollar briefcase to knock me out. The stolen opportunity at Mayhem when Johnny Chase got involved. The robbed opportunity at Overdrive thanks to Terry Marvin sticking his nose in my business.
"All of that can be traced back to one man and one man only.
"Level One.
"Do I hate him? I've got a lot of reason to that's for sure. He has done nothing but take all of my chances away from me for his own gain. He's screwed me over many times in the past year, and at some point he is going to pay for it. And I'm hoping, I'm praying, I'm going to make damn sure that the time he pays for it is now.
"He doesn't have the same support staff that he once did. Instead of Terry Marvin being around to butter him up and stroke his ego, he's got Kaylyn James Evans on his coat tails, and I don't mean that to be mean. All I'm saying is that Evans seems less likely to stick her nose into things, unlike Marvin.
"To go along with that, if Evans and the LeWinter sisters know what his true intentions are, their role in this match will become key. It will decide it Level One wants this battle to go down the way I do, the way it should, without any of those bull shit cheap shots, or will it go the other way. Will it all end with Level one hitting me with a chair? The title? Another camera?
"There are many ways it could play out, and I'm sure we will exhaust most of them. With the way we know each other inside of that ring, we're going to put our skills to the limits. We're going to have to give our best, because we both know that whenever one of us knocks down the other, the other is going to get right back up, still swinging. By now we know that it's going to take a lot from one of us to keep the other man down.
"Of course, for those die hard fans there will probably be a point when all that anger and bad blood that has accumulated between us in the past will raise to the surface. A point when our rivalry will take center stage. Not in a bad way, mind you, but in a good way. I mean, the fans paid to see a match between us as well as the rest of the card. If we were capable of giving them a match to remember, a match we could be proud of, that would be a job well done in my book.
"Though that might be just me. I've looked out for them for awhile now, unlike Level One. Case in point, he would rather hand over his title then actually fight me. He would rather give me the belt then defend it like the fighting champion I assumed him to be. Sure, he didn't think he deserved it or he wanted to move on. Whatever the reason, though, that doesn't excuse the fact that he tried to cheat the fans out of a stellar match.
"Because no matter who he fought, he would have been defending, and while he might not care about them, there are some fans that love to watch the master of the Level Advance in action.
"Which is probably the ulterior motive behind my actions. Maybe I knew that the fans at least deserved to watch you defend the title, instead of just giving it away. They deserved to watch your successor beat you to win that belt. As much as I want to earn that title, the fans deserve this match, and not only that, but the fans deserve a champion that won't throw them under the bus.
"A champion that will care about them. That won't use them as puppets. And if I am able to beat you at Shockwave, Level One, I will be that champion.
"And now we're here, on the eve of it all. On the eve of what could be a match that will leave a huge impact on APW and Overdrive as a whole.
"May the best man win, Level One.
"It's time to go big or go home."
"Some people search for the true meaning of life, while others are busy searching for the real answers to where their lovers are and what they're doing. For me, my search is more of the search for true intentions. The search for the real reasons people do what they do.
"It seems that every time I do battle, there is something going on that makes me take a step back and evaluate. Back when Terry Marvin was faking his retirement, I didn't want to believe it. When Biggs and I first started our friendship, part of me wondered if this was what he truly wanted.
"Now I find myself wondering whether or not Level One is telling the truth. Did he want to hand me the title so he could start a family? Did he want to put this crazy business behind him so he could become something more then a wrestler? Or was that just a line of bull to try and tug at my heartstrings? Was that just some line to try and butter me up for an ass whooping I never saw coming.
"The truth is out there.
"It's just a matter of finding it. It's just a matter of figuring out what to believe and what to throw aside.
"The one truth I do know, is that Level One and I will both be fighting with everything that we've got. Whether or not Level One wants the title, he isn't the sort of man to just give up. He isn't the sort of guy who just rolls over because he's at that point in his career. Even in twilight, he's a fighter. Even with his back against the wall, Level One won't give up.
"Which makes for a great fight.
"Then again, Level One and I always put on classics, we always give the fans something to cheer about. We test each other at every opportunity, and every single fight we've had this past year, has been close. It's been competitive, and it's been within an inch of going either way.
"And Shockwave will be no different.
"Who knows, perhaps this time a different Space Cowboy will end Level One's time at the top."
--------------------------------------------
Thursday, August 22, 2013
Fargo, North Dakota
The scene opens up outside of a bank in Fargo, North Dakota where C.J. Gates can be seen exiting the bank. He pauses, holding the door open for an elderly woman, before turning and making his way down the street.
"C.J.! Look out!"
Gates pauses at the familiar voice, turning around to see two men standing in the middle of the quiet road, drawing handguns out of the inside pockets of their jackets. Before Gates can react - and before the two men can react - the sound of screeching tires can be heard before a black car run into and over the two men.
"What the fuck," Gates mutters as he looks at the car. The driver exits his car, silenced pistol in hand and flashes a smile at Gates, showing off a golden tooth. He then fires two shots - one to the head of each man - before climbing back into the car and driving off.
"Shit, you okay man?" Vincent James asks as he comes up to Gates. "I saw those two guys and yelled out to warn you."
"This shit is real, Vinnie," Gates says, realizing his danger.
"I'm just glad you're okay."
Gates nods. "I've got to talk to my mom."
--------------------------------------------
Thursday, August 22, 2013
Fargo, North Dakota
"Mom? Mom! Where are you!"
The voice of C.J. Gates can be heard echoing through the house, and after a few moments, the man himself walks down the stairs into the basement of his mothers house. Mrs. Gates can be seen sitting at the head of a rectangular table with two men sitting to her left and one man sitting to her far right. Two empty seats sit to her near right and one at the other end of the table.
"C.J., I-"
"You're just sitting back while I'm out there nearly getting killed!" Gates shakes his head as he comes to the bottom of the stairs. "If it wasn't for someone hitting them-"
"I heard all about that," Mrs. Gates says.
"You heard about it? How?"
A door on the left side of the room opens and a man walks in.
"It's him, he's the one who-" Gates begins, pointing at the man who just entered the room. "What the hell is going on."
"I wanted to make sure you were protected," Mrs. Gates says. "So I sent along some back up to watch out for you."
"You sent him?"
Mrs. Gates nods. "Tommy Gags is one of my finest, so I knew he would make sure you were safe."
"Nice to meet'cha," Tommy says with a smile, showing off his golden tooth. Gags takes a seat to the far right of Mrs. Gates.
"Likewise," Gates says, slightly stunned.
"Of course, you already know The Dentist and Charlie O." Mrs. Gates motions to the two men on her left, both of which acknowledge Gates.
"So this is your 'crew'?" Gates asks, looking at the men.
"These are the men I trust the most. There are others that work for me, though they are out doing just that. Working."
"Jesus," Gates mutters.
"I like to think I made all of this happen, but we can always give him some credit."
"I just mean that I never saw this," Gates says shaking his head. "All those years, I never knew that you were running some sort of God damn mafia."
"That tells me I'm running a tight ship," Mrs. Gates smiles.
"Hey, Ceej, you made it!"
Before Gates can turn around, Vincent James walks up and places an arm around his shoulders. "I figured I'd see you around here at some point."
"Vinnie?" Gates asks. "What are you doing here?"
"Meet my number two," Mrs. Gates says with a smile.
"Number two?"
Mrs. Gates nods. "A lot of this wouldn't be possible without Vinnie being by your side. He's been working for me for awhile now, and ever since he came back into your life, it's made things somewhat easier on us. Until now that is."
"How long is awhile?"
Mrs. Gates and James exchange a look. "Five or six years now."
"And I'm just hearing about this now?"
James chuckles as he walks around the table to the empty seat at the near right to Mrs. Gates. "I didn't want to jeopardize anything. You not knowing made it a hell of a lot easier."
"Yeah but had you said something-"
"It might have ruined everything," Mrs. Gates says, cutting her son off. "We had to be careful so that you didn't become even more of a target then you already were."
Gates takes a few steps forward and falls into the last remaining empty chair. "Shit."
"The goal though," Mrs. Gates says, "is to get this all finished up soon enough. Everything going on with the other guys, we want it to end so that we don't have to worry about them anymore."
"Do you have a plan?" Gates asks. Mrs. Gates nods but doesn't say anything. "Can I know it?"
"As much as I would love to tell you, son," she says, "I'm going to have to withhold that information. We don't want anything to go wrong."
"So I'm going to be left in the dark?"
Mrs. Gates nods.
"Let's just say that the plan we do have is going to make a big statement."
--------------------------------------------
Friday, August 23, 2013
Fargo North Dakota
"Excuse me, do you have the time?" Vincent James asks a passer by on the street.
"It's almost two in the afternoon."
"Thanks." James smiles at the passer by and then walks into the Fargo West Business Complex. He gives a small wave to the clerk behind the front desk of the complex, before taking the elevator up to the floor where C.J. Gates office is located. He walks past the door and down the emergency stairs, coming out on the main floor again and taking a seat in the far corner. With a good view of the elevators, emergency stairs and the from door. He then pulls out his cell phone.
"Hey C.J.," he says into the phone. "Yeah, I'm just stopping in at the office. I shouldn't be too long, just have to finish up some work and then we can grab some dinner." He pauses as Gates presumably responds. "Yeah, exactly. Catch you later." He hangs up and then sits back in the corner, waiting.
About an hour passes before three men wearing long black jackets enter the building. The make a bee-line for the elevators, pausing momentarily when they open for two other people to get off. The two in jackets get into the elevator while the other two exit the building. James once again picks up his phone.
"They're here."
He hangs up and sits a bit more upright in the chair. About half an hour passes before three more men enter the building, recognized as Tommy Gags, Charlie O and The Dentist. Vincent James gets up at this point and meets the three men by the elevators.
"Three of them, armed no doubt," James says quickly.
"At least there's four of us, right?" Tommy Gags says with a smile.
"Exactly," James says. "I think it's best to go up the stairs. They're probably watching the elevator."
"What if they're watching the stairs?" The Dentist asks.
James smiles and presses the up button on the elevator. When it arrives, he steps in, holding the door open and hits the correct floor number.
"You guys start to head up," James says. "When I let this thing go, they're going to be watching it. We can hopefully surprise them from the stairs. Be careful though, they might just be waiting in the office."
The three men nod and begin to make their way up the stairs. James exits the elevator and lets it close before it begins it's climb. James then rushes to catch up to the other three waiting at the top of the stairs.
The ding of the elevator is heard and a single shot can be heard firing. Charlie O opens the stairway door while Gags and The Dentist make their way into the hallway. A few shots ring out, catching one of the three men in the chest and shoulder, killing him. The other two turn to see the four men moving in and fire off a few return shots, catching a diving Charlie O in the neck and leg before the remaining two disappear into the office. Sirens can be heard outside.
"Fuck!" James shouts.
They move forward toward the office door, returning fire. James hangs around the corner of the door, firing at the other two as they take shelter behind Gates' desk. James pulls back and Gags moves into his spot firing away, clipping one man in the elbow. The Dentist moves to the other side of the door to get a better angle, firing a shot that takes the man in the foot as well as the elbow. He loses his balance and falls out from behind the desk allowing Gags to pop one right in his heart.
"Give it up!" James shouts. "You can't out gun us!"
"As if I'm going to give up. Fuck!" The sound of reloading can be heard and James and Gags move into the office, resting on the other side of the wooden desk. Both men wait for a moment and then nod, putting their backs to use to move the desk forward. Plugs come out of sockets as the desk slides heavily. A loud clunk is heard before Gags springs over the desk, landing on top of the man, pinning him down. He grabs the mans weapon and tosses it to the side. Eventually, James joins him.
"You need to tell your boss to fuck off," James says, waving his pistol.
"Your bitch needs to pay," the man says. "Boss wants his money."
"We will let you go if you tell your boss to leave us the fuck alone."
The man spits up at Tommy Gags. "Fuck that."
James looks to Tommy who gets up, picking up the mans gun as he does. The man tries to get to his feet, but James kicks him down and then fires one shot into the mans head.
"You sure that was wise?" The Dentist asks.
"They'll get the message."
--------------------------------------------
Saturday, August 24, 2013
"I think I'm in way over my head," C.J. Gates says as he plays with his coffee mug, lost in thought. Seated across from Gates is one of his old friends, Rico Casteel. Rico smirks.
"What makes you say that?" Rico is seated against the back of the booth, his arms folded over his chest.
"Everything that's gone on lately," Gates shakes his head. "I'm on surveillance twenty four-seven when I'm not in the ring, and then when I am, I've got to face challenges like Level One. Challenges that I asked for."
"Boo fucking hoo," Rico mocks. "You're getting World Heavyweight title shots and you're complaining?"
"It's not-"
"It is," Rico cuts him off. "There are probably a dozen people who would kill to be in your shoes right now, and you're complaining about the fact that you have to beat Level One?"
"Come on, man."
"No, you come on," Rico snarls. "You're playing the pity violin with the hopes that people care. Well, news flash, Gates-o, no one does! They're all cursing at you under their breath because they want title shots that you seem to always get.
"You don't think there's someone gearing up for their match at Shockwave with the thought coursing through their mind that they could beat Level One. Meanwhile, you're fucking around in some sort of depression."
"Jesus," Gates says. "Why'd I agree to have lunch with you."
"Because you needed an escape," Rico answers. "Believe me though, I'm only trying to help."
"By tearing me a new one?"
"I'm just painting the picture for ya," Rico says. "If you want to actually get some support from your colleagues, you're going to have to man up. And if you think you're unable to beat Level One, well it's probably because you've been thinking that way for so long."
"Even when I was certain I could beat him, I didn't," Gates says. "It seems like whatever I do, something happens to change it."
"Then just shut up and put up," Rico says. "Stop whining about it and just get going. Work your ass off and just see what happens. That's all you can really do. Just don't complain about getting title shots. It looks bad."
Gates sighs, still playing with his coffee cup. "I know, I know. Just with everything going on with my mom-"
"Forget that."
"It's kind of hard."
"Forget it," Rico repeats. "If you keep dwelling on it, you're going to end up on the outside again, complaining about another title shot coming your way."
Silence falls between the two men and eventually Gates chuckles. "I almost wish I would have taken the title when Level One gave it to me."
"Really?"
Gates nods. "That way, I wouldn't be in this spot right now. I'd be the champion, and I would be on top of the world. Who knows, I might even be raring to go, and I might not have found out what my mom has been up to. All of this that's happening could just be avoided, but no. I couldn't have that." Gates shakes his head. "Maybe I was stupid to hand the title back to Level One."
"Maybe," Rico says. "Though I'm sure you gained points with some people for not taking the easy way out."
"Would you have?"
"Taken the title?"
"Yeah."
Rico chuckles. "I spent two months trying to convince a jackass that the title was mine to begin with. Had he seen the light and given it to me, I would have taken it. But I also earned it."
"I haven't earned this?"
"You have," Rico says. "You would have won that title at Mayhem if it wasn't for Johnny Chase so I guess it some ways you've earned it. You've just got to prove that again this time out. Prove them that you earned it before and earned it this weekend. Just focus."
Gates nods again. "I can't let Level One get to me," he begins. "I can't let the possibilities of Level One and what he could do get to me."
"Just go out there and do what C.J. Gates does," Rico says. "Give it your all, put Level One through his paces and push him to the limit. If he beats you, make sure he earns it."
"I'll try to do my best."
"Don't try to do your best, fucking do it. Channel your inner Rico Casteel if you need to."
Gates raises an eyebrow. "I don't know if I can go that 'suicidal'."
Rico chuckles. "True. Not many can match my levels of destruction."
"Best I can do is what you said," Gates begins. "Push my opponent to their limit and hope that that involves me getting one over on them. On Level One."
"Good luck," Rico says with a chuckle. "Depending on the mindset you've got going into this thing, you might need it."
--------------------------------------------
"Good luck, Level One.
"However this match shakes out, I wish you luck. Whether you beat me and retain the World Heavyweight title for one more run at the top, or if you lose and decide to follow through on your plans to take a step back and start a family. Whatever path you choose, or whatever path comes your way, I can only wish you the best through all of it.
"Which is probably funny for me to say. I know a lot of fans know me and Level One to be rivals, to be enemies. We've never really seen eye to eye, and even when we did, it was only because Terry Marvin was getting out of hand. Even then, Level One tried to kill me.
"The point is, I'm not in the business of wishing ill will on someone. If Level One truly intended to hand me the title so that he could fade into the sunset, then so be it. I'm not going to yell at him and berate him for it. Does this mean I'm choosing to take what Level One said as the truth? For now I am. His true colors will come out soon enough and when they do, I will plan accordingly.
"What I mean is that when the bell rings, the true nature of his intentions will be seen. The ire will rise within him and if he wants to rip my head off, we will know. Everyone will know. Of course, there will be a difference between him wanting to survive and him wanting to destroy, but I will know.
"And I will react.
"To tell you the truth, I've been really looking forward to this match. I've been really looking forward to right some of the wrongs that have been done to me over the past year. The near death experience at One Night in Hell when Level One and Terry Marvin tried to break my neck. The screw job at Rasslemania where Level One used his billion dollar briefcase to knock me out. The stolen opportunity at Mayhem when Johnny Chase got involved. The robbed opportunity at Overdrive thanks to Terry Marvin sticking his nose in my business.
"All of that can be traced back to one man and one man only.
"Level One.
"Do I hate him? I've got a lot of reason to that's for sure. He has done nothing but take all of my chances away from me for his own gain. He's screwed me over many times in the past year, and at some point he is going to pay for it. And I'm hoping, I'm praying, I'm going to make damn sure that the time he pays for it is now.
"He doesn't have the same support staff that he once did. Instead of Terry Marvin being around to butter him up and stroke his ego, he's got Kaylyn James Evans on his coat tails, and I don't mean that to be mean. All I'm saying is that Evans seems less likely to stick her nose into things, unlike Marvin.
"To go along with that, if Evans and the LeWinter sisters know what his true intentions are, their role in this match will become key. It will decide it Level One wants this battle to go down the way I do, the way it should, without any of those bull shit cheap shots, or will it go the other way. Will it all end with Level one hitting me with a chair? The title? Another camera?
"There are many ways it could play out, and I'm sure we will exhaust most of them. With the way we know each other inside of that ring, we're going to put our skills to the limits. We're going to have to give our best, because we both know that whenever one of us knocks down the other, the other is going to get right back up, still swinging. By now we know that it's going to take a lot from one of us to keep the other man down.
"Of course, for those die hard fans there will probably be a point when all that anger and bad blood that has accumulated between us in the past will raise to the surface. A point when our rivalry will take center stage. Not in a bad way, mind you, but in a good way. I mean, the fans paid to see a match between us as well as the rest of the card. If we were capable of giving them a match to remember, a match we could be proud of, that would be a job well done in my book.
"Though that might be just me. I've looked out for them for awhile now, unlike Level One. Case in point, he would rather hand over his title then actually fight me. He would rather give me the belt then defend it like the fighting champion I assumed him to be. Sure, he didn't think he deserved it or he wanted to move on. Whatever the reason, though, that doesn't excuse the fact that he tried to cheat the fans out of a stellar match.
"Because no matter who he fought, he would have been defending, and while he might not care about them, there are some fans that love to watch the master of the Level Advance in action.
"Which is probably the ulterior motive behind my actions. Maybe I knew that the fans at least deserved to watch you defend the title, instead of just giving it away. They deserved to watch your successor beat you to win that belt. As much as I want to earn that title, the fans deserve this match, and not only that, but the fans deserve a champion that won't throw them under the bus.
"A champion that will care about them. That won't use them as puppets. And if I am able to beat you at Shockwave, Level One, I will be that champion.
"And now we're here, on the eve of it all. On the eve of what could be a match that will leave a huge impact on APW and Overdrive as a whole.
"May the best man win, Level One.
"It's time to go big or go home."
