Post by Dave D-Flipz on Oct 13, 2023 12:07:06 GMT -5
*The scene opens up in the medical area of Citi Field. The show has ended a few minutes ago, and we see medics checking in on various people. Victims of dracolich devouring and regurgitation, victims of brutal beatdowns by eldritch horrors and ursine eloquents, and a victim of a brutal drop from the middle rope onto a chair on the top of his skull. We zoom out of the area for privacy and turn the corner to see someone walking down the hallway, having just checked out of the medical area and on his way out to the front exit to meet fans who hung around for autographs. The camera sprints to catch up to the man. He has on a hoodie and a shredded bowler hat. The hat has seen better days, it looks like it was split down the middle, brim ripped in places, and two holes where Mickey Mouse ears may have once sat. Hearing footsteps approaching, the man stops. We hear him chuckling under his breath … and it gets louder … until he turns around, laughing into the camera. Blood dried on his mouth, bruised cheeks on both sides from being kneed into solid objects, welts all down his neck and chest, exposed by the unzipped hoodie and missing shirt.*
“I’d say Donzig now knows who the fuck Death Trap is … well actually … he might not remember anything that happened tonight. I only regret that the drunk took over at the end, denying me my well-earned revenge on the Scourge. And I am certain this isn’t the end of this war. But, let’s not dwell on the lone negative. DT is back, baby! That match … really got the blood pumping, tested all my skills, and showed me my path to greatness. I feel … good. Like my old self again. A solid win against a man I’d never beaten one on one. Oh I feel REAL good. And the doc says no head trauma despite ol’ Donny boy doing his level best once again to end my career. But that’s the thing about ol’ DT. When I’m ON my game? Your best isn’t good enough. Doesn’t matter if you’re Anthony Caffrey, Zoran Sainovic, Eichi Yamaguchi, Jason Justice, Donzig, Jason Long or …”
*DT smirks, he holds up a diamond symbol with his hands.*
“Jack mo’fucking Diamond. When the Main Attraction is on his game, there is NOBODY on my level. Your best … isn’t good enough, Jack. After all, we’ve seen what a master manipulator can do to you. And as good as that certain someone is? There is no better manipulator of the mat, submission expert, than Death Trap. If you excuse me, my adoring public awaits. I’m gonna sign a few autographs and make some kids’ night.”
*DT walks away towards the front entrance as he begins to sing “Shoulders” by Coheed and Cambria, his theme from SWAT*
“Well he seems unusually chipper today.”
“It was a long flight, he’s probably exhausted. Right?”
“Jet lag …”
*We are sitting in a suite of a fancy French hotel on the water, clearly spending ALL the money Mongo set aside for End of Days competitors to enhance the experience for his crew. In the sitting room stands Funaki. He is looking towards the bedroom where we can hear whistling. On the floor, flopped face first, lays Sarah, holding a hamster ball with a rat in a bowler hat. Sitting on the couch, clearly in a text conversation with someone back home, is Dr. Chaos.*
“After how depressed he’s been, this is concerning.”
“He’s doing better, he beat that back end of a hyena, Donzig. Let him have his moment.”
“Depression doesn’t just go away like that.”
“But with his wife in there… I’m sure they’re… making progress, Darlin’. … I hope.”
“*muffled by the rug* eewwwww ……”
“His wife is mean. So are you tw-”
“To YOU! I don’t understand why Death Trap brought YOU in to be the third member of the team!”
“Because Mary wouldn’t let you do that since you are the CAR medical expert, and she didn’t want to seem to be favoring DT … only her granddaughters.”
*beat*
“…Curse you and your wrestling logic…”
“*smirking* Numba one! So uh, are we really just going to let him go through these cycles of mania and depression?”
“*sigh* I suppose as a medical expert, I SHOULD step in and get him treatment. But YOU try talking to my mistress when she has her heart set on something. She’s happy right now. Well.. -er, happier. I still need to fix that unfortunate lavatory situation.”
*Sarah whimpers in fear over the truth being discovered. Poka in her ball just rolls away to peruse the French hotel*
“Jaaaaaaaaaaaaaccccccck.”
*The room is dark. A man sits on the bed. He looks up and we see a glint in his eyes. A gleaming pinprick of pupils in pitch black. His form bounces as if laughing. We see the glint of dim light reflecting off of fingernails as his hands rise up and tent in front of his mouth, touching to the point of his nose. Lightning flashes and we see the face light up and bend into what can best be described as a rictus grin. Brow furrows over his face as the fleeting heavenly blast subsides and we are sunk back into the darkness.*
“Jaaaaaaccccck. … Am I rustling up some unpleasant memories for you? Is your brain bristling with the thought of past trauma?”
*A desk lamp clicks on next to the man, just off frame and illuminates Death Trap on the bed. His hand darts back from the switch to his face again as he chuckles*
“Oh Jack, this is nothing so sinister. But it sure does drive the point home that for months now your mind has been LOCKED on one man. Swirling with ideas to stop, overcome, destroy, counter … or just survive… one man. And he broke you didn’t he? The icon has looked less like an icon lately and more like a midcarder. All that history and success seems so far away even though it’s barely been two and a half months since he took your title. How do you suppress that fear? How do you suppress that anger? How do you tame the maelstrom of emotions and baggage that he has left you saddled with Jack?”
*DT’s face drops into the full glow of the light, casting shadows on the far wall where a bathroom door sits closed, light emitting from the gap beneath the portal, the light looking like a world so far away.*
“We’ve been on similar trajectories coming into this tournament, Mr. Diamond. Sure you’ve managed to keep a brave face on and use your successful training facility to keep the spirits high and the outlook positive. That and a surely well-deserved … and overpaid … new contract with our new X*Crown title holder. So nice of him to keep my title warm for me. Would that we all could be as lucky as you. Some of us have the weight of the world on our shoulders and have to soldier on. It’s enough to drive you a little … batty.”
*He pulls his bat from his side and examines the Donzig blood and chipped wood. He laughs and sticks it between the mattress and box spring again.*
“Oh don’t worry, I’m feeling much better. Rejuvenated. On top of the fucking world, Jack. Not that you care, as always it’s all about Jack with you. Beating up a man after stealing his wife, stealing a pin from a legend doing all the work, hiring minions to get beat up by Poena instead of you - though I suppose they were all incompetent since you got your arms destroyed and your hired goon is now holding the title you tried to make relevant. I suppose your help is only as effective as the one hiring them. Here’s the difference between us Jack. You play your role as a role model and a business owner. You put on a happy face and act like you are happy. No title, wife who can’t speak, child who is traumatized, mad stalker still on the loose, your boss holding the top title in the whole business and you trying to earn the right to fight him, having the worst record in the SCCW Gold Rush, son you never knew about who is recovering from being tortured by his dad’s rival after being mostly deafened by said rival AFTER being tormented by his father in the guise of training! Father of the year over here, folks. BANG UP JOB BRO! Well I guess that Austin is doing ok for himself now that he’s being PAID to train with daddy. But I digress. You are suppressing all those emotions to put on this public facade of being “ok”. Whereas me?”
*The bathroom door opens up and the backlight from it renders the female figure inside in complete shadow. None of her features are visible as she clicks off the light and now is hidden in the shadow of DT in the lamplight. His wife saunters towards him while putting her hair up into a messy bun.*
“Well, I did the healthy thing and confronted those emotions. Let them spill out so I could get help. Admittedly it was a bit rough there at the start. I was a shell of my former self, physically and mentally. And you almost sent me into a doom spiral by stopping my submission and pinning me two weeks ago. And I bet you thought you had eliminated the biggest threat on your way to the end of days finals. After all, I was beaten. And who other than a 2-time X*Crown champ could stand up to Jack Diamond? Edmund and Layla were no threat, even if Mutt ragdolled us both a bit. Dana? CJ Walker? Joe Nobody? I mean maybe Donzig could get the violence level up there but I think after fighting a more refined violent monster like Poena you could handle him. And yet here I am. Having stunned Layla and Edmund … and decisively gotten my mojo back against Drunkzig and the Scourge. And those thoughts are gone. The dark cloud in my mind, the fatigue, the malaise in my soul … gone. I feel good.”
“As you should! I remain very happy that you put that brutal man down. He has pestered your mind too long. He is taking up space meant for me. It is good to see the real you back! Here. With me. And only me.”
*Mistress Discipline leans in next to him like a devil on his shoulder, still mostly hidden in shadow and darkness. Her hair casts a small shadow on DT’s face where she leans in. She kisses his cheek and retreats behind him, remaining in the tangled web of shadows dancing on the wall as DT laughs. She leans in on the other side, her hair now covering her own face in the same inky blackness as her face does the same to DT’s chiseled features*
“I told you that a little aggression and conviction would work. You are a legend. That title should be ours. The X*Crown was meant for us. As long as you remember to do what needs to be done, nobody shall stop our re-ascension.”
*The devil is on both shoulders it seems. She retreats back into the shadows in the back of the room to continue getting ready for a night out in the French nightlife. DT is now cast back in the full light and we see no sign of depression, only confidence.*
“Jaaaaaaaccccck. Let me lay it out for you. I respect your accomplishments. I respect what you are doing in your training center. But I need this. More than you. You have your home fed to go play in, and climb back to the top. I am stuck repaying a family matriarch for help I never requested. But this? This is my freedom. This is my way back. And this? Is my … match. Nobody in the XHF has tapped out more superstars than me. Watch the MCCW archives. Watch the XHF archives. And here in this field of battle, this historic site, a site that will live in legends for centuries. Another legend will rise again. Throngs of cheering fans, chanting my name.”
“Death Trap! Death Trap! Death Trap!”
“I am finally free again from the chains that shackled my mind and hindered my abilities. I am finally able to cut loose and do to you what I did to Donzig, what I did to you in SCCW. And you? You are still suppressing your damage. Hiding the hurt, the shame, the lingering aftereffects of your war with the Terror of the Ninth Deep. Jack, you are very good. But you are far from 100% and far from the man who won that X*Crown twice. I apologize for the fact that I intend to take full advantage of the bodily harm Poena put on you. I apologize for ending your chance to fight your boss.”
“NO! No apologizing for your own greatness! We earned our tag title reign and soon we will earn this too! This is a business and we are in it to win it!”
*MD surges back into his field of view, on the opposite side of him from the light, remaining a darkened form, dancing in the shadows and the dark side of the room and his heart. DT laughs. He looks down the lens of the camera and leans forward, casting his face into the shadow as he leaves the field of light cast by the lamp.*
“Well you heard the fine lady. This will be no French vacation for you, Jack. This will be a war. And a war I fully intend to win. Sucks that I’m going to have to put you out of commission. Sucks that the fans are going to cheer as I do it. Hope Cross isn’t cross with me for ruining his main event for Tapout 18 …”
*he shrugs and laughs*
“Sorry not sorry.”
*Mistress grabs his arm and they exit the room to enjoy a night on the town.*
“I’d say Donzig now knows who the fuck Death Trap is … well actually … he might not remember anything that happened tonight. I only regret that the drunk took over at the end, denying me my well-earned revenge on the Scourge. And I am certain this isn’t the end of this war. But, let’s not dwell on the lone negative. DT is back, baby! That match … really got the blood pumping, tested all my skills, and showed me my path to greatness. I feel … good. Like my old self again. A solid win against a man I’d never beaten one on one. Oh I feel REAL good. And the doc says no head trauma despite ol’ Donny boy doing his level best once again to end my career. But that’s the thing about ol’ DT. When I’m ON my game? Your best isn’t good enough. Doesn’t matter if you’re Anthony Caffrey, Zoran Sainovic, Eichi Yamaguchi, Jason Justice, Donzig, Jason Long or …”
*DT smirks, he holds up a diamond symbol with his hands.*
“Jack mo’fucking Diamond. When the Main Attraction is on his game, there is NOBODY on my level. Your best … isn’t good enough, Jack. After all, we’ve seen what a master manipulator can do to you. And as good as that certain someone is? There is no better manipulator of the mat, submission expert, than Death Trap. If you excuse me, my adoring public awaits. I’m gonna sign a few autographs and make some kids’ night.”
*DT walks away towards the front entrance as he begins to sing “Shoulders” by Coheed and Cambria, his theme from SWAT*
“Well he seems unusually chipper today.”
“It was a long flight, he’s probably exhausted. Right?”
“Jet lag …”
*We are sitting in a suite of a fancy French hotel on the water, clearly spending ALL the money Mongo set aside for End of Days competitors to enhance the experience for his crew. In the sitting room stands Funaki. He is looking towards the bedroom where we can hear whistling. On the floor, flopped face first, lays Sarah, holding a hamster ball with a rat in a bowler hat. Sitting on the couch, clearly in a text conversation with someone back home, is Dr. Chaos.*
“After how depressed he’s been, this is concerning.”
“He’s doing better, he beat that back end of a hyena, Donzig. Let him have his moment.”
“Depression doesn’t just go away like that.”
“But with his wife in there… I’m sure they’re… making progress, Darlin’. … I hope.”
“*muffled by the rug* eewwwww ……”
“His wife is mean. So are you tw-”
“To YOU! I don’t understand why Death Trap brought YOU in to be the third member of the team!”
“Because Mary wouldn’t let you do that since you are the CAR medical expert, and she didn’t want to seem to be favoring DT … only her granddaughters.”
*beat*
“…Curse you and your wrestling logic…”
“*smirking* Numba one! So uh, are we really just going to let him go through these cycles of mania and depression?”
“*sigh* I suppose as a medical expert, I SHOULD step in and get him treatment. But YOU try talking to my mistress when she has her heart set on something. She’s happy right now. Well.. -er, happier. I still need to fix that unfortunate lavatory situation.”
*Sarah whimpers in fear over the truth being discovered. Poka in her ball just rolls away to peruse the French hotel*
“Jaaaaaaaaaaaaaccccccck.”
*The room is dark. A man sits on the bed. He looks up and we see a glint in his eyes. A gleaming pinprick of pupils in pitch black. His form bounces as if laughing. We see the glint of dim light reflecting off of fingernails as his hands rise up and tent in front of his mouth, touching to the point of his nose. Lightning flashes and we see the face light up and bend into what can best be described as a rictus grin. Brow furrows over his face as the fleeting heavenly blast subsides and we are sunk back into the darkness.*
“Jaaaaaaccccck. … Am I rustling up some unpleasant memories for you? Is your brain bristling with the thought of past trauma?”
*A desk lamp clicks on next to the man, just off frame and illuminates Death Trap on the bed. His hand darts back from the switch to his face again as he chuckles*
“Oh Jack, this is nothing so sinister. But it sure does drive the point home that for months now your mind has been LOCKED on one man. Swirling with ideas to stop, overcome, destroy, counter … or just survive… one man. And he broke you didn’t he? The icon has looked less like an icon lately and more like a midcarder. All that history and success seems so far away even though it’s barely been two and a half months since he took your title. How do you suppress that fear? How do you suppress that anger? How do you tame the maelstrom of emotions and baggage that he has left you saddled with Jack?”
*DT’s face drops into the full glow of the light, casting shadows on the far wall where a bathroom door sits closed, light emitting from the gap beneath the portal, the light looking like a world so far away.*
“We’ve been on similar trajectories coming into this tournament, Mr. Diamond. Sure you’ve managed to keep a brave face on and use your successful training facility to keep the spirits high and the outlook positive. That and a surely well-deserved … and overpaid … new contract with our new X*Crown title holder. So nice of him to keep my title warm for me. Would that we all could be as lucky as you. Some of us have the weight of the world on our shoulders and have to soldier on. It’s enough to drive you a little … batty.”
*He pulls his bat from his side and examines the Donzig blood and chipped wood. He laughs and sticks it between the mattress and box spring again.*
“Oh don’t worry, I’m feeling much better. Rejuvenated. On top of the fucking world, Jack. Not that you care, as always it’s all about Jack with you. Beating up a man after stealing his wife, stealing a pin from a legend doing all the work, hiring minions to get beat up by Poena instead of you - though I suppose they were all incompetent since you got your arms destroyed and your hired goon is now holding the title you tried to make relevant. I suppose your help is only as effective as the one hiring them. Here’s the difference between us Jack. You play your role as a role model and a business owner. You put on a happy face and act like you are happy. No title, wife who can’t speak, child who is traumatized, mad stalker still on the loose, your boss holding the top title in the whole business and you trying to earn the right to fight him, having the worst record in the SCCW Gold Rush, son you never knew about who is recovering from being tortured by his dad’s rival after being mostly deafened by said rival AFTER being tormented by his father in the guise of training! Father of the year over here, folks. BANG UP JOB BRO! Well I guess that Austin is doing ok for himself now that he’s being PAID to train with daddy. But I digress. You are suppressing all those emotions to put on this public facade of being “ok”. Whereas me?”
*The bathroom door opens up and the backlight from it renders the female figure inside in complete shadow. None of her features are visible as she clicks off the light and now is hidden in the shadow of DT in the lamplight. His wife saunters towards him while putting her hair up into a messy bun.*
“Well, I did the healthy thing and confronted those emotions. Let them spill out so I could get help. Admittedly it was a bit rough there at the start. I was a shell of my former self, physically and mentally. And you almost sent me into a doom spiral by stopping my submission and pinning me two weeks ago. And I bet you thought you had eliminated the biggest threat on your way to the end of days finals. After all, I was beaten. And who other than a 2-time X*Crown champ could stand up to Jack Diamond? Edmund and Layla were no threat, even if Mutt ragdolled us both a bit. Dana? CJ Walker? Joe Nobody? I mean maybe Donzig could get the violence level up there but I think after fighting a more refined violent monster like Poena you could handle him. And yet here I am. Having stunned Layla and Edmund … and decisively gotten my mojo back against Drunkzig and the Scourge. And those thoughts are gone. The dark cloud in my mind, the fatigue, the malaise in my soul … gone. I feel good.”
“As you should! I remain very happy that you put that brutal man down. He has pestered your mind too long. He is taking up space meant for me. It is good to see the real you back! Here. With me. And only me.”
*Mistress Discipline leans in next to him like a devil on his shoulder, still mostly hidden in shadow and darkness. Her hair casts a small shadow on DT’s face where she leans in. She kisses his cheek and retreats behind him, remaining in the tangled web of shadows dancing on the wall as DT laughs. She leans in on the other side, her hair now covering her own face in the same inky blackness as her face does the same to DT’s chiseled features*
“I told you that a little aggression and conviction would work. You are a legend. That title should be ours. The X*Crown was meant for us. As long as you remember to do what needs to be done, nobody shall stop our re-ascension.”
*The devil is on both shoulders it seems. She retreats back into the shadows in the back of the room to continue getting ready for a night out in the French nightlife. DT is now cast back in the full light and we see no sign of depression, only confidence.*
“Jaaaaaaaccccck. Let me lay it out for you. I respect your accomplishments. I respect what you are doing in your training center. But I need this. More than you. You have your home fed to go play in, and climb back to the top. I am stuck repaying a family matriarch for help I never requested. But this? This is my freedom. This is my way back. And this? Is my … match. Nobody in the XHF has tapped out more superstars than me. Watch the MCCW archives. Watch the XHF archives. And here in this field of battle, this historic site, a site that will live in legends for centuries. Another legend will rise again. Throngs of cheering fans, chanting my name.”
“Death Trap! Death Trap! Death Trap!”
“I am finally free again from the chains that shackled my mind and hindered my abilities. I am finally able to cut loose and do to you what I did to Donzig, what I did to you in SCCW. And you? You are still suppressing your damage. Hiding the hurt, the shame, the lingering aftereffects of your war with the Terror of the Ninth Deep. Jack, you are very good. But you are far from 100% and far from the man who won that X*Crown twice. I apologize for the fact that I intend to take full advantage of the bodily harm Poena put on you. I apologize for ending your chance to fight your boss.”
“NO! No apologizing for your own greatness! We earned our tag title reign and soon we will earn this too! This is a business and we are in it to win it!”
*MD surges back into his field of view, on the opposite side of him from the light, remaining a darkened form, dancing in the shadows and the dark side of the room and his heart. DT laughs. He looks down the lens of the camera and leans forward, casting his face into the shadow as he leaves the field of light cast by the lamp.*
“Well you heard the fine lady. This will be no French vacation for you, Jack. This will be a war. And a war I fully intend to win. Sucks that I’m going to have to put you out of commission. Sucks that the fans are going to cheer as I do it. Hope Cross isn’t cross with me for ruining his main event for Tapout 18 …”
*he shrugs and laughs*
“Sorry not sorry.”
*Mistress grabs his arm and they exit the room to enjoy a night on the town.*
