The End of Something Personal: Part II
Sept 4, 2013 10:41:13 GMT -4
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Post by Chris Madison on Sept 4, 2013 10:41:13 GMT -4
Well that was a huge disappointment. My first Pay Per View appearance, spoiled by Jace Savage and Brian Hollywood. What a way to make an impression on a large scale.
My hat is off to them. The Black Hand has put them through the ringer leading to Shockwave and somehow, someway, they mustered up enough to get one over on me. Well that's on me. I should have known better, I never should have even been in a position to be super kicked like that. I promise that will never happen again! The series is still largely in our favor and hopefully they realize that they won by the skin of their teeth!
Well congrats to them regardless. They won a meaningless title shot in which they stand NO chance in winning. The Dying Breed are whole different class and add The Unforgiven into the mix. Sentinel is going to use them as tooth picks. Hollywood knows, he's got an extensive history with those boys. There's no line of bullshit for him to feed. He wasn't drugged before our debut tag match with them. There's no grand scheme like he claimed with me to lose intentionally. The Unforgiven are going to destroy you and eventually win the titles they've been groomed for since they stepped foot in APW.
And poor Jace, kid doesn't know his ass from his elbow and he's going to compete with Anthony Bailey and Jair Hopkins? Because he might dethrone the champs. Yeah and Victor Hades is totally sane! NewGen is being led to the slaughter and its pathetic. Hopefully they open their eyes and find some kind of edge to help them win. Doing it alone isn't going to work, not for those two.
They need to find that ace up their sleeve. Time to grow up and face the facts, the fans can't help you win championships. Get selfish and think about yourselves. What options do you have to help win that gold. If not, you're just wasting your time.
And that's what I've been doing with you, wasting my time. Well I've been back to the drawing board and as far a I'm concerned that door with Hollywood and Jace is closed. Time to make this work for me. Time to reaffirm what's already known of me. I'm a beast and I refuse to lay down for anyone!
The annoying buzzing hum from the florescent lights above added to the agony of Chris Madison's hangover from the night before creating a powder keg of frustration. He sat impatiently in small room with his lawyer, Harold Klienberg, by his side. The four small walls encasing this interrogation room were painted a light blue. There were no windows, just a door, a table with two chairs on each side and one palpable two way mirror. It had been three days since the foreseeable suicide of his long time girlfriend, Kiyomi. It was time for the police to tie up all the loose ends surrounding the case.
Chris stressfully rubbed his forehead awaiting the impending interrogation. He knew how it looked, a domestic relationship that was extremely volatile took a turn for the worse. He fought with the thoughts in his head on how to spin this. It was inevitable for the police to try and pin this as a homicide on him. He had that anxious pit in his stomach that nearly caused him to vomit. He placed his head down on the cold steel table and raised his right hand to give the one finger salute directly at the mirror.
Harold Klienberg looked over at his client with a look of disgust. He poked at him on the shoulder before offering up some advice. "Maybe you shouldn't antagonize them before they come in here. For all we know this is simple questioning because you are her only tie to this country. Instead of being so damn negative all the time, try to think positive."
Chris's response was muffled at first as his head remained buried into the crease of his elbow. "Think positive?" Chris lifted his head and turned towards his lawyer. "If this was as straightforward as you think why are they making us sit in here and wait like I'm some fucking savage off the street. It's a mind fuck. They want me to get complacent so they can pin this on me..."
"God forbid that's the case...I'm here to make sure they don't back us into anything like that." He reached over and patted Chris on the back to reassure him. "It's going to be okay. I promise this will go our way. Before you know it we'll be walking out of here and you'll be back to your normal way of life. I think that's what you need to heal, some normalcy."
"Is that some kind of sick joke?" Madison's demeanor quickly started to escalate aggressively. It was bad enough he was in a police precinct for questioning. Now being lectured by his lawyer added to his displeasure for his current situation. "There is no normalcy after this. You don't just close a significant chapter in your life and never reflect on it again. This is a woman I spent six years of my life with. This is a woman, the only woman, that I thought of settling down with and starting a family. At one time I almost gave all this up for her. I can't just write her off like that."
Klienberg looked for the right words to say after obviously insulting his client. "You're right, I'm sorry" was all he could muster up.
The door swung open and two men wearing cheap suits entered with strong presence of arrogance. Bad mustaches and their untied ties highlighted their cockiness. The smaller of the two men held a Manilla folder in his hands and sat opposite Chris and Mr. Klienberg. The second man stood behind the first with his arms folded over one another and a stern look on his face. The man sitting down broke the silence and started the introductions. "Mr. Madison, Mr. Klienberg right? I'm detective Harris, this is my partner detective Collins. I'm just going to ask you a few questions about Tuesday night." Chris bursted out into laughter after trying his best to hold it in. "Something funny Mr. Madison?"
He held his hand over his mouth trying to contain his childlike merriment. "I'm sorry", he insincerely apologized. "Is he supposed to be intimidating? Look at him. Even the way his tie is draped around his neck screams douche bag!"
The detective took a step forward and Madison jumped up from his seat. The two men stood with their fists balled up only separated by a small table. Detective Harris and Mr. Klienberg each tried to restrain their perspective parties. Detective Harris gets his partner to step down first. "Chris, Enough!!" Mr. Klienberg shouted while standing in front of his client. Chris had a sinister grin on his face as he took a seat.
"All of this is unnecessary. We just have some simple questions for you Mr. Madison. Just need to wrap this up as a suicide. Unfortunately in this country she's a ghost. The only person who knows anything worth knowing is you." He stood up and whispered to his partner before walking over to the door and escorting him out of the room. "Okay, he's gone...I just want to talk."
"See Chris, what did I tell you?" Klienberg chimed in with a cheesy smile.
Madison looked at his lawyer and then at the detective who is now sitting opposite him. "Really?" The question raised the eyebrows of the two other men in the room. "So this is how you'll play it? Good cop bad cop? What's next? After smooth talking me a little he's going to come in swinging? Do I look like some punk kid off the street? I fucking dare you to try me. Make my day, please! I'm begging of you."
"Mr. Klienberg, perhaps you would like to take a moment and calm your client down. He's not the subject of an interrogation. At least at the moment. Although his behavior is beginning to raise a couple of red flags." The detective stood to his feet and began to make his way towards the door.
He was stopped by the extended hand of Madison's council. "That won't be necessary detective. My client will be more then cooperative with you. He just doesn't do well with authority. That's not something I can change."
The detective retook his seat at the table. He looked back at the mirror before opening the file in front of him. Along with some paperwork was a legal pad and a pen. The detective flipped the pad to an empty page and pressed down on the button at the rear of the pen clicking it into a position in which he could write with. "What's her full name?"
"Kiyomi Takahashi"
The detective started taking his notes while proceeding with the questioning. "I have all her pedigree information from her passport. When was the last time she visited the states?"
Madison though for a moment, "Probably around the middle of June."
After some more writing he asked, "what was the nature of that visit?"
He chuckled to himself while trying to piece together how to explain it properly. "Well, she was brought here by a friend of mine in a poor attempt to try and get me to retire. I was living in Osaka with her. Call me an asshole but one day I just up and left. Dropped a note on the bed and brought myself back here for work. My friend thought by bringing her I would stop trying to run from my past and face what he felt was the truth, that I was washed up."
"Right...and I see that she had spent some time in a psychiatric facility during this time."
"Well yeah...Once she realized that I wasn't giving all this up to live some life I didn't want she turned a knife to her wrists. She was under observation for quite some time."
The detective continued to jot down his notes for the file. "So she has a history of this behavior."
"Actually no." The detective lifted his head from his notes surprised to hear about there being no prior history. "She's never been like this. She's always been a joyful woman who honored her family. This is a disgrace to the family name. I'm not sure if they'll even take the body."
"Oh they're taking the body. We've already been in touch with her brother." That pit in Chris's stomach which created an uneasy feeling was dancing around pushing him to the edge. His face had turned a pale white as if he had just seen a ghost. "Everything alright? You don't look too good."
"No I'm fine.." Chris tugged in the neck of his shirt, allowing some air to flow down his chest. He had broken out in a cold sweat which raised some suspicion in the mind of detective Harris. "We just have a long history. He's going to hold a grudge against me for sure. Probably thinks I had something to do with it."
"It doesn't matter what he thinks, it's what I think..." The detective placed the pen down atop of the pad. He interlocked the fingers of his hands as they sat above the pile of paperwork. "I think this is an apparent suicide. Unfortunately a young woman who dealt with unexpected change in her life and had no idea how to deal with it. I've already spoke to your brother, plus various members of your training facility. We know you had no role in this. Only thing is, I am going to need one more thing from you."
Chris sat up, straightening out his posture in the chair. "Yeah, what is it?"
"I'm going to need you to go down and ID the body so we can release her. I understand its a touch thing to do and I'll meet you down there if you'd like. It would be first thing in the morning. Look at it as closing a chapter in your life to start something new..."
Chris sat for a moment pondering his next course of action. Letting go of a loved one is never easy but it was necessary for the situation. "Eh, I guess I don't have much of a choice. I'll see you in the morning then."
Chris rose to his feet with his lawyer by his side. Detective Harris reached his arm across the table ad shook Chris's hand while muttering, "Thanks for your time Chris. I'm not going to sit here and sugarcoat it. I don't know what it's like to go through something like this. Just try and keep your head up. If you need anything here is my card, call me."
The two men release their embrace and Madison is left starring down at the detectives card in his hand as the scene fades out.
The moonlight crept through the open window and was the sole light source to a near pitch black hotel room. A mixture of men's and women's clothing were scattered along the floor, painting a picture for your imagination of the actions that played out that night. In one corner of the room was the silhouette of a man sitting in a chair, the moonlight coming to an end right in front of him. He leaned forward enough to reveal his identity. Chris Madison sat there and watched off into the distance out the window.
His attention is caught by the restless sound of a person rolling around in a bed, under some sheets. His eyes open wide as his current girlfriend Maria Mayhem sat up in the bed. She clutches the bed sheet against her bare chest leaving it to the viewers thoughts on what lays beneath. She takes her free hand and rubs her eyes before peering over to the clock on the nightstand. Next to the clock is a metal bucket which currently houses an open bottle of Cristal champagne. Two empty glasses flank the metal bucket.
She fights through a yawn before questioning Chris. "It's three forty five, is everything okay babe?"
"Never been better." Chris stood from the chair and stumbled his way to the bed. He laid down in the bed next to her on his side. "My minds been racing, that's all. Couldn't get any sleep."
She repositioned herself and plants her back against the larger wooden headboard. She tucks the sheet tightly under her arms and reaches out to Chris, running her fingers through his wavy hair. "What is it? You can talk to me. These last few weeks have been tough for you, but you can talk to me about it."
"I just need to put the past behind me. That's all. It's not fair to you. Here we are in Paris together and I'm not even fully here." Chris explained while locking eyes with Maria.
She leaned down and pressed her lips against his forehead. "All of this, us, has been amazing and more than any girl can ask for. We went into this with no expectations. I understand a huge part of your life is now gone but you have so much going for you. You are competing in one of the top companies in the wrestling industry. Not to mention you just became the champion of your side gig. The world is in your hands right now, you've got to open your eyes and realize that..."
Madison thought for a moment, getting lost in Maria's crystal clear blue eyes. It was easy for him to get hypnotized by her beauty seeing as most of his time spent traveling with massive muscle bound men. "It's that it's over between us. I made that decision when I moved back to the states. It's just knowing that I'll never hear from her again and the way she did it. Just thinking of it is like sending the coldest winter chill through me", he explained before sitting up in the bed with Maria.
"You should never forget her completely. We are built from all the past events in our lives. Like a bad loss in the ring, you learn from it and become stronger. You'll do the same with this. It will make you a better person in the long run." She flashed her innocent smile while taking her hand away from Chris's head.
"Yeah, you're right..." he said before letting out an exasperated sigh. "I've got to get my mind right. Once again I'm looking at a losing streak in APW and have to dig myself out of this hole."
Her perky voice acted as a motivator for Chris. She was his biggest cheerleader at a time where he questioned whether or not he really had enough in the tank to compete in APW. "I know your feud with Jace and Hollywood was exhausting but that's over for now. Make them forget about all the mishaps. Make them fear stepping in the ring with you. It's there inside you. You've shown flashes of brilliance in that ring. It's now time to put it all together. It's time for Chris Madison to shine once more!"
Chris's demeanor did a full one eighty. His eyes shifted around the room as he processed everything Maria had been saying to him. He brushes his right hand against the right side of his face a he shakes his head sideways. Finally an arrogant smile breaks through as his eyes settle on Maria. "No, it's time for everyone to understand why they call me a mad man..."
Cut to static and a white snowy screen...
----------------------------------------------------
The static and snow fade back into Chris's hand held camera which sits on a small outdoor table on the balcony of Chris's hotel room. The beautiful Paris cityscape plays backdrop while Chris sits with his right leg folded on top of his left.
"At Shockwave, the better team won. I know, it pains me to say it almost as much as it does to believe that Jace Savage and Brian Hollywood are now the number one contenders for the tag titles. Every dog has his day..."
"It's a bitter pill to swallow, having to admit when you've been outclassed in that ring. We are modern day gladiators and no matter who tells you it's not about winning and losing, they're full of shit! We don't compete to lose. No one in their right mind would ever become accustomed to that feeling. As a wrestler you strive for greatness...you can't achieve greatness if your back is constantly pinned to the ground."
"My opponent this week on Overdrive knows how I feel all to well. Riding high on cloud nine after finally defeating a man who has had her number and becoming the APW North American Champion. It felt good didn't it Robina. Beating the Guv'nor must have validated everything you had hoped for in this profession of ours. But just as quick as the sun shined on your little meaningless life, a storm by the name of Amy Zing came and washed it all away!"
"And so is life..."
"You took her for granted, I get it. I thought the same thing at Shockwave. I thought it was going to be a nice easy routine math with Jace and Hollywood. I let my guard down. As did you. Amy Zing is walking around with a championship that you worked so hard to finally obtain. You became complacent and were dethroned during your first title defense."
"Your career in the APW started off with a bang. You had one hell of a feud against a fellow Black Hand member, Niobe. A feud that saw you get the best of her inside the ring more so than not. You impressed a lot of people when you got here. Perhaps most importantly, that cunt Sienna Harrison! You became her project and used it to be a mainstay on Meltdown. I can't fault you for that. You need exposure in order to build any kind of reputation. Even if its one of being Sienna's personal pet."
"Being dubbed the Perfect Megastar must have weighed you down tremendously. So much so that you can relate to how I'm feeling today. You, like me, let your guard down in a feud that became a bit personal. Even though you may have had Niobe's number, when you faced her at Meltdown in Quebec City back in March, Niobe got the final win to end your blossoming feud. Just like Jace and Hollywood did with me."
"The pressures of being groomed by the Meltdown GM to be the North American Champion must have gotten to you. No matter how badly Sienna wanted it, it wasn't until July when you finally succeeded. Seven long months with one of APW's general managers in your corner before you took home the gold. What does that say about you? To me it screams how unreliable you really are."
"Anyone else with that kind of backing would have been fast tracked to championship status. Not you, why? You're inconsistent. At times you look to be every bit of your moniker, the Perfect Megastar. Other times, it's as if Mr. Dangerous has somehow taken possession of your body and is wrestling on your behalf. Which one shows up on Thursday? That promising young talent who was hand picked for greatness? Or the sloppy, untalented hack who doesn't belong in a wrestling ring. For your sake I hope it's not the latter of the two."
Madison pauses for a moment as he places his leg back down on the ground. He digs his elbows into his thighs, right above his knees and leans forward. He holds his hands out with his palms facing the black midnight sky. He loses himself for just a brief second while starring at his hands.
"Over thirteen years I have destroyed lives with just these two bare hands. I have ended careers, ruined families, and nearly taken lives. Yet, I show no remorse. It's a choice to get in the ring with me. I don't feel bad if you're to stupid to see all the red flags Robina. I need to make an example out of someone, I WILL make an example out of someone! Don't let it be you. Do yourself a favor and think of your family. Save them the heart ache of watching you struggle to breath as I choke the life out of your limp, motionless body and don't show up to that ring!"
"Thursday is the night that I implant the lasting image of what will define my career. I'm not just Tommy Knox's lackey as most seem to think. I have my own agenda's aside from our group. I promise, Thursday night, the madman will be unleashed. No one is safe. No one is going to stop me. I'm a shark that tastes blood in the water. Let the feeding frenzy begin!"
Madison stands to his feet and picks the camera up. He holds it up close so only his face is seen in the picture. He begins to laugh maniacally as thoughts race through his mind.
"When one door closes another opens. NewGen rising is a thing of the past for me. I have my eyes set on someone else and I promise to fully get familiarized with one another..."
The picture cuts back to static and white snow before finally fading to black.
My hat is off to them. The Black Hand has put them through the ringer leading to Shockwave and somehow, someway, they mustered up enough to get one over on me. Well that's on me. I should have known better, I never should have even been in a position to be super kicked like that. I promise that will never happen again! The series is still largely in our favor and hopefully they realize that they won by the skin of their teeth!
Well congrats to them regardless. They won a meaningless title shot in which they stand NO chance in winning. The Dying Breed are whole different class and add The Unforgiven into the mix. Sentinel is going to use them as tooth picks. Hollywood knows, he's got an extensive history with those boys. There's no line of bullshit for him to feed. He wasn't drugged before our debut tag match with them. There's no grand scheme like he claimed with me to lose intentionally. The Unforgiven are going to destroy you and eventually win the titles they've been groomed for since they stepped foot in APW.
And poor Jace, kid doesn't know his ass from his elbow and he's going to compete with Anthony Bailey and Jair Hopkins? Because he might dethrone the champs. Yeah and Victor Hades is totally sane! NewGen is being led to the slaughter and its pathetic. Hopefully they open their eyes and find some kind of edge to help them win. Doing it alone isn't going to work, not for those two.
They need to find that ace up their sleeve. Time to grow up and face the facts, the fans can't help you win championships. Get selfish and think about yourselves. What options do you have to help win that gold. If not, you're just wasting your time.
And that's what I've been doing with you, wasting my time. Well I've been back to the drawing board and as far a I'm concerned that door with Hollywood and Jace is closed. Time to make this work for me. Time to reaffirm what's already known of me. I'm a beast and I refuse to lay down for anyone!
August 16th, 2013
Suffolk County Fifth Precinct, Patchogue, New York
04:30 P.M.
Suffolk County Fifth Precinct, Patchogue, New York
04:30 P.M.
The annoying buzzing hum from the florescent lights above added to the agony of Chris Madison's hangover from the night before creating a powder keg of frustration. He sat impatiently in small room with his lawyer, Harold Klienberg, by his side. The four small walls encasing this interrogation room were painted a light blue. There were no windows, just a door, a table with two chairs on each side and one palpable two way mirror. It had been three days since the foreseeable suicide of his long time girlfriend, Kiyomi. It was time for the police to tie up all the loose ends surrounding the case.
Chris stressfully rubbed his forehead awaiting the impending interrogation. He knew how it looked, a domestic relationship that was extremely volatile took a turn for the worse. He fought with the thoughts in his head on how to spin this. It was inevitable for the police to try and pin this as a homicide on him. He had that anxious pit in his stomach that nearly caused him to vomit. He placed his head down on the cold steel table and raised his right hand to give the one finger salute directly at the mirror.
Harold Klienberg looked over at his client with a look of disgust. He poked at him on the shoulder before offering up some advice. "Maybe you shouldn't antagonize them before they come in here. For all we know this is simple questioning because you are her only tie to this country. Instead of being so damn negative all the time, try to think positive."
Chris's response was muffled at first as his head remained buried into the crease of his elbow. "Think positive?" Chris lifted his head and turned towards his lawyer. "If this was as straightforward as you think why are they making us sit in here and wait like I'm some fucking savage off the street. It's a mind fuck. They want me to get complacent so they can pin this on me..."
"God forbid that's the case...I'm here to make sure they don't back us into anything like that." He reached over and patted Chris on the back to reassure him. "It's going to be okay. I promise this will go our way. Before you know it we'll be walking out of here and you'll be back to your normal way of life. I think that's what you need to heal, some normalcy."
"Is that some kind of sick joke?" Madison's demeanor quickly started to escalate aggressively. It was bad enough he was in a police precinct for questioning. Now being lectured by his lawyer added to his displeasure for his current situation. "There is no normalcy after this. You don't just close a significant chapter in your life and never reflect on it again. This is a woman I spent six years of my life with. This is a woman, the only woman, that I thought of settling down with and starting a family. At one time I almost gave all this up for her. I can't just write her off like that."
Klienberg looked for the right words to say after obviously insulting his client. "You're right, I'm sorry" was all he could muster up.
The door swung open and two men wearing cheap suits entered with strong presence of arrogance. Bad mustaches and their untied ties highlighted their cockiness. The smaller of the two men held a Manilla folder in his hands and sat opposite Chris and Mr. Klienberg. The second man stood behind the first with his arms folded over one another and a stern look on his face. The man sitting down broke the silence and started the introductions. "Mr. Madison, Mr. Klienberg right? I'm detective Harris, this is my partner detective Collins. I'm just going to ask you a few questions about Tuesday night." Chris bursted out into laughter after trying his best to hold it in. "Something funny Mr. Madison?"
He held his hand over his mouth trying to contain his childlike merriment. "I'm sorry", he insincerely apologized. "Is he supposed to be intimidating? Look at him. Even the way his tie is draped around his neck screams douche bag!"
The detective took a step forward and Madison jumped up from his seat. The two men stood with their fists balled up only separated by a small table. Detective Harris and Mr. Klienberg each tried to restrain their perspective parties. Detective Harris gets his partner to step down first. "Chris, Enough!!" Mr. Klienberg shouted while standing in front of his client. Chris had a sinister grin on his face as he took a seat.
"All of this is unnecessary. We just have some simple questions for you Mr. Madison. Just need to wrap this up as a suicide. Unfortunately in this country she's a ghost. The only person who knows anything worth knowing is you." He stood up and whispered to his partner before walking over to the door and escorting him out of the room. "Okay, he's gone...I just want to talk."
"See Chris, what did I tell you?" Klienberg chimed in with a cheesy smile.
Madison looked at his lawyer and then at the detective who is now sitting opposite him. "Really?" The question raised the eyebrows of the two other men in the room. "So this is how you'll play it? Good cop bad cop? What's next? After smooth talking me a little he's going to come in swinging? Do I look like some punk kid off the street? I fucking dare you to try me. Make my day, please! I'm begging of you."
"Mr. Klienberg, perhaps you would like to take a moment and calm your client down. He's not the subject of an interrogation. At least at the moment. Although his behavior is beginning to raise a couple of red flags." The detective stood to his feet and began to make his way towards the door.
He was stopped by the extended hand of Madison's council. "That won't be necessary detective. My client will be more then cooperative with you. He just doesn't do well with authority. That's not something I can change."
The detective retook his seat at the table. He looked back at the mirror before opening the file in front of him. Along with some paperwork was a legal pad and a pen. The detective flipped the pad to an empty page and pressed down on the button at the rear of the pen clicking it into a position in which he could write with. "What's her full name?"
"Kiyomi Takahashi"
The detective started taking his notes while proceeding with the questioning. "I have all her pedigree information from her passport. When was the last time she visited the states?"
Madison though for a moment, "Probably around the middle of June."
After some more writing he asked, "what was the nature of that visit?"
He chuckled to himself while trying to piece together how to explain it properly. "Well, she was brought here by a friend of mine in a poor attempt to try and get me to retire. I was living in Osaka with her. Call me an asshole but one day I just up and left. Dropped a note on the bed and brought myself back here for work. My friend thought by bringing her I would stop trying to run from my past and face what he felt was the truth, that I was washed up."
"Right...and I see that she had spent some time in a psychiatric facility during this time."
"Well yeah...Once she realized that I wasn't giving all this up to live some life I didn't want she turned a knife to her wrists. She was under observation for quite some time."
The detective continued to jot down his notes for the file. "So she has a history of this behavior."
"Actually no." The detective lifted his head from his notes surprised to hear about there being no prior history. "She's never been like this. She's always been a joyful woman who honored her family. This is a disgrace to the family name. I'm not sure if they'll even take the body."
"Oh they're taking the body. We've already been in touch with her brother." That pit in Chris's stomach which created an uneasy feeling was dancing around pushing him to the edge. His face had turned a pale white as if he had just seen a ghost. "Everything alright? You don't look too good."
"No I'm fine.." Chris tugged in the neck of his shirt, allowing some air to flow down his chest. He had broken out in a cold sweat which raised some suspicion in the mind of detective Harris. "We just have a long history. He's going to hold a grudge against me for sure. Probably thinks I had something to do with it."
"It doesn't matter what he thinks, it's what I think..." The detective placed the pen down atop of the pad. He interlocked the fingers of his hands as they sat above the pile of paperwork. "I think this is an apparent suicide. Unfortunately a young woman who dealt with unexpected change in her life and had no idea how to deal with it. I've already spoke to your brother, plus various members of your training facility. We know you had no role in this. Only thing is, I am going to need one more thing from you."
Chris sat up, straightening out his posture in the chair. "Yeah, what is it?"
"I'm going to need you to go down and ID the body so we can release her. I understand its a touch thing to do and I'll meet you down there if you'd like. It would be first thing in the morning. Look at it as closing a chapter in your life to start something new..."
Chris sat for a moment pondering his next course of action. Letting go of a loved one is never easy but it was necessary for the situation. "Eh, I guess I don't have much of a choice. I'll see you in the morning then."
Chris rose to his feet with his lawyer by his side. Detective Harris reached his arm across the table ad shook Chris's hand while muttering, "Thanks for your time Chris. I'm not going to sit here and sugarcoat it. I don't know what it's like to go through something like this. Just try and keep your head up. If you need anything here is my card, call me."
The two men release their embrace and Madison is left starring down at the detectives card in his hand as the scene fades out.
September 4th, 2013
Hotel Chateau D'esclimont
03:45 A.M.
Hotel Chateau D'esclimont
03:45 A.M.
The moonlight crept through the open window and was the sole light source to a near pitch black hotel room. A mixture of men's and women's clothing were scattered along the floor, painting a picture for your imagination of the actions that played out that night. In one corner of the room was the silhouette of a man sitting in a chair, the moonlight coming to an end right in front of him. He leaned forward enough to reveal his identity. Chris Madison sat there and watched off into the distance out the window.
His attention is caught by the restless sound of a person rolling around in a bed, under some sheets. His eyes open wide as his current girlfriend Maria Mayhem sat up in the bed. She clutches the bed sheet against her bare chest leaving it to the viewers thoughts on what lays beneath. She takes her free hand and rubs her eyes before peering over to the clock on the nightstand. Next to the clock is a metal bucket which currently houses an open bottle of Cristal champagne. Two empty glasses flank the metal bucket.
She fights through a yawn before questioning Chris. "It's three forty five, is everything okay babe?"
"Never been better." Chris stood from the chair and stumbled his way to the bed. He laid down in the bed next to her on his side. "My minds been racing, that's all. Couldn't get any sleep."
She repositioned herself and plants her back against the larger wooden headboard. She tucks the sheet tightly under her arms and reaches out to Chris, running her fingers through his wavy hair. "What is it? You can talk to me. These last few weeks have been tough for you, but you can talk to me about it."
"I just need to put the past behind me. That's all. It's not fair to you. Here we are in Paris together and I'm not even fully here." Chris explained while locking eyes with Maria.
She leaned down and pressed her lips against his forehead. "All of this, us, has been amazing and more than any girl can ask for. We went into this with no expectations. I understand a huge part of your life is now gone but you have so much going for you. You are competing in one of the top companies in the wrestling industry. Not to mention you just became the champion of your side gig. The world is in your hands right now, you've got to open your eyes and realize that..."
Madison thought for a moment, getting lost in Maria's crystal clear blue eyes. It was easy for him to get hypnotized by her beauty seeing as most of his time spent traveling with massive muscle bound men. "It's that it's over between us. I made that decision when I moved back to the states. It's just knowing that I'll never hear from her again and the way she did it. Just thinking of it is like sending the coldest winter chill through me", he explained before sitting up in the bed with Maria.
"You should never forget her completely. We are built from all the past events in our lives. Like a bad loss in the ring, you learn from it and become stronger. You'll do the same with this. It will make you a better person in the long run." She flashed her innocent smile while taking her hand away from Chris's head.
"Yeah, you're right..." he said before letting out an exasperated sigh. "I've got to get my mind right. Once again I'm looking at a losing streak in APW and have to dig myself out of this hole."
Her perky voice acted as a motivator for Chris. She was his biggest cheerleader at a time where he questioned whether or not he really had enough in the tank to compete in APW. "I know your feud with Jace and Hollywood was exhausting but that's over for now. Make them forget about all the mishaps. Make them fear stepping in the ring with you. It's there inside you. You've shown flashes of brilliance in that ring. It's now time to put it all together. It's time for Chris Madison to shine once more!"
Chris's demeanor did a full one eighty. His eyes shifted around the room as he processed everything Maria had been saying to him. He brushes his right hand against the right side of his face a he shakes his head sideways. Finally an arrogant smile breaks through as his eyes settle on Maria. "No, it's time for everyone to understand why they call me a mad man..."
Cut to static and a white snowy screen...
----------------------------------------------------
The static and snow fade back into Chris's hand held camera which sits on a small outdoor table on the balcony of Chris's hotel room. The beautiful Paris cityscape plays backdrop while Chris sits with his right leg folded on top of his left.
"At Shockwave, the better team won. I know, it pains me to say it almost as much as it does to believe that Jace Savage and Brian Hollywood are now the number one contenders for the tag titles. Every dog has his day..."
"It's a bitter pill to swallow, having to admit when you've been outclassed in that ring. We are modern day gladiators and no matter who tells you it's not about winning and losing, they're full of shit! We don't compete to lose. No one in their right mind would ever become accustomed to that feeling. As a wrestler you strive for greatness...you can't achieve greatness if your back is constantly pinned to the ground."
"My opponent this week on Overdrive knows how I feel all to well. Riding high on cloud nine after finally defeating a man who has had her number and becoming the APW North American Champion. It felt good didn't it Robina. Beating the Guv'nor must have validated everything you had hoped for in this profession of ours. But just as quick as the sun shined on your little meaningless life, a storm by the name of Amy Zing came and washed it all away!"
"And so is life..."
"You took her for granted, I get it. I thought the same thing at Shockwave. I thought it was going to be a nice easy routine math with Jace and Hollywood. I let my guard down. As did you. Amy Zing is walking around with a championship that you worked so hard to finally obtain. You became complacent and were dethroned during your first title defense."
"Your career in the APW started off with a bang. You had one hell of a feud against a fellow Black Hand member, Niobe. A feud that saw you get the best of her inside the ring more so than not. You impressed a lot of people when you got here. Perhaps most importantly, that cunt Sienna Harrison! You became her project and used it to be a mainstay on Meltdown. I can't fault you for that. You need exposure in order to build any kind of reputation. Even if its one of being Sienna's personal pet."
"Being dubbed the Perfect Megastar must have weighed you down tremendously. So much so that you can relate to how I'm feeling today. You, like me, let your guard down in a feud that became a bit personal. Even though you may have had Niobe's number, when you faced her at Meltdown in Quebec City back in March, Niobe got the final win to end your blossoming feud. Just like Jace and Hollywood did with me."
"The pressures of being groomed by the Meltdown GM to be the North American Champion must have gotten to you. No matter how badly Sienna wanted it, it wasn't until July when you finally succeeded. Seven long months with one of APW's general managers in your corner before you took home the gold. What does that say about you? To me it screams how unreliable you really are."
"Anyone else with that kind of backing would have been fast tracked to championship status. Not you, why? You're inconsistent. At times you look to be every bit of your moniker, the Perfect Megastar. Other times, it's as if Mr. Dangerous has somehow taken possession of your body and is wrestling on your behalf. Which one shows up on Thursday? That promising young talent who was hand picked for greatness? Or the sloppy, untalented hack who doesn't belong in a wrestling ring. For your sake I hope it's not the latter of the two."
Madison pauses for a moment as he places his leg back down on the ground. He digs his elbows into his thighs, right above his knees and leans forward. He holds his hands out with his palms facing the black midnight sky. He loses himself for just a brief second while starring at his hands.
"Over thirteen years I have destroyed lives with just these two bare hands. I have ended careers, ruined families, and nearly taken lives. Yet, I show no remorse. It's a choice to get in the ring with me. I don't feel bad if you're to stupid to see all the red flags Robina. I need to make an example out of someone, I WILL make an example out of someone! Don't let it be you. Do yourself a favor and think of your family. Save them the heart ache of watching you struggle to breath as I choke the life out of your limp, motionless body and don't show up to that ring!"
"Thursday is the night that I implant the lasting image of what will define my career. I'm not just Tommy Knox's lackey as most seem to think. I have my own agenda's aside from our group. I promise, Thursday night, the madman will be unleashed. No one is safe. No one is going to stop me. I'm a shark that tastes blood in the water. Let the feeding frenzy begin!"
Madison stands to his feet and picks the camera up. He holds it up close so only his face is seen in the picture. He begins to laugh maniacally as thoughts race through his mind.
"When one door closes another opens. NewGen rising is a thing of the past for me. I have my eyes set on someone else and I promise to fully get familiarized with one another..."
The picture cuts back to static and white snow before finally fading to black.
