“People who claim that they're evil are usually no worse than the rest of us... It's people who claim that they're good, or any way better than the rest of us, that you have to be wary of.” --- Gregory Maguire
What was going through the mind of Vance Bateman as he approached the fallen fortress of the old High Society? Buildings reduced to rubble, much like the empire of the fallen cult leader. Bateman would have preferred to be meeting inside his own office but that simply would not work. He knew this from the beginning. Management knew that deals, contracts and meetings weren’t things on the priority list of Justin Cooper. They were usually handled by his manager Iris.
Today was different.
Bateman was frustrated with having to leave his comfortable office and his warm cup of coffee that would be bought to him by an attractive female assistant. This wasn’t the type of thing Bateman enjoyed doing. He looked puzzled as the car pulled up outside the compound; he’d never seen it in person. Bateman stepped out of the car and began to walk in what he believed to be the correct direction. He had no clue where he was going but this way seemed to be the most likely.
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“Name me one person who you consider to be evil.
It can be any name you want. I only want one name and then we’ll discuss what you guys come up with next lesson.
Grab your things and get out of here before you’re late for the next lesson.”
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Bateman: Where the hell am I going? I knew Chuck should have been the one to sign him!
Desperate.
That’s Vance Bateman at this point in time. After nearly an hour of wandering around the rubble and dust filled area, Bateman had given up. He looked around for any sign of life but nothing was there. His thoughts of meeting with Justin Cooper began to drift away into the back of his mind. Instead he remembered the strong smell of the coffee warming up in the kitchen near his office. Bateman could almost taste the warm beverage on his tongue and as the hot air brushed against his face it was like Vance Bateman was slowly drifting away. Exhausted from the trip Bateman parked himself against slab of building that had yet to fall like the rest. He did not care that his pants were covered with white dust or that some pieces of rubble cut through his dress pants. The idea of being back in his office was much more pleasing so Bateman closed his eyes and drifted away into sleep.
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“Not very surprising.
I expected a little more from you guys considering what we’ve been going over the last couple of weeks. What did I say about using war figures as examples of evil? Don’t do it! Look at the true meaning of the word evil. Think of what one has to do to become evil. Just imagine what unthinkable act you would have to commit to achieve the status of evil. Is it the acts of someone that define them as evil or their thoughts? Can it be both?
What’s more evil; to pretend to be good and do terrible things or to take pride in the terrible things you do?"
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The warm delight of coffee slowly began to fade away as Bateman regained his conciseness. The lovely assistant evaporated into air and the comfort of his office crumbled before his very eyes. It had all been a dream and Bateman began to come back to reality. His eyes open but he did not appear in the same place where he had fallen to sleep. The ground had gone and so had the rubble and dust. The sky was nowhere to be seen and his car had vanished just like the rest.
Was this a dream also? Surely not as Bateman looked around at his surroundings; a room filled with nothing but long essay papers with marks ranging from A all the way through to a D. Bateman did not understand what was happening and the idea of being in a strange room did not seem like something he wanted to do often. Vance looked for a door and found one to the left of where his head had been resting on the ground.
“You wouldn’t be thinking of leave without saying goodbye would you Vance?”
One can only truly understand Justin Cooper from experience and actual contact with him. Vance had never had any contact with Cooper throughout his three year run with the company on a personal level. He’d always wondered what went through this man’s mind but never once did he think about asking for a chat. Cooper on the other hand was very happy to ask about people’s personal business. In fact he thrived off knowing what people were truly thinking.
Justin was no magician or anything like that. He did not just appear out of nowhere. He had been watching Vance from a corner of the room. Watch someone when they think nobody is around and you’ll get their true personality. Cooper approached Vance with a glass of whisky in his right hand.
Cooper: A gift for my guest.
The guest needed something to relax him a little after his hard day. He did have a sleep though so it must not have been too stressful for the General Manager.
Cooper: How are you Vance?
Bateman: Where am I? How’d we get here?
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“I believe that evil is someone who not only commits horrible deeds but also someone who refuses to answer questions when asked. Those who have something to hide will always dodge the question.
Have you ever dodged a question because you knew the answer wasn’t something that the person wanted to here?
Questions are the most powerful weapons against evil.”
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Cooper: The power of magic. You tapped your red shoes together twice and now you’re here.
Bateman: Don’t play with me Justin. It’s been a long day and I’ve come a long way to sign you to a deal. Let’s get this thing signed so I can go home to my family and you can go back to being whatever it is you do when the shows aren’t on.
The attitude of Vance had changed from earlier. He wasn’t going to be pushed around by Justin or his followers. He was determined to gain the power in this battle of wits.
Cooper: I don’t think that’ll work at all, Vance. I’m not looking for a contract because we all know I could be signed on the spot if I wanted one. I don’t need you for that. I need you to do something special for me. Something that Big Dave didn’t have the guts to do. Something that Chuck Myles wouldn’t even return a phone call to talk about.
His intrigue got the better of him here. Bateman had the out he was looking for but the temptation to know the request was much too strong. He gave in.
Bateman: What do you want, Justin?
Cooper: Christopher K.O.
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“People who claim that they're evil are usually no worse than the rest of us... It's people who claim that they're good, or any way better than the rest of us, that you have to be wary of.” --- Gregory Maguire
“My favourite quote of all time and it fits into exactly with I’ve been talking about. Evil is much more complicated than people make it out to be. Only fools proclaim that they’re evil and most of the time they speak nothing but lies. It’s those who tell you they’re good that will stab you the hardest. Guys that parade around acting like the hero will one day bring forth vengeance upon those who put trust in them. I’ve watched as guys turned their backs on each other for power, money, women and whatever else you can think of.
Heroes are just villains yet to be discovered.”
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Bateman had made his way to up off the ground and took a quick sip of his whisky. You could see that Vance was puzzled by the request but he also knew, in his subconscious, that something like this would come up during the meeting today.
Bateman: I can’t just give you a match with Chris K.O.
Cooper: Why not?
Bateman: As the Eurasian Champion, Chris K.O. is under an exclusive performance contract with WZCW Meltdown.
Cooper: He’s wrestling on Aftershock this week you fool! How is that not breaking this exclusive contract garbage all three of you General Managers have spilled out of your mouths this week?
Bateman: He’s under contract with Meltdown and if Dave wants to share his cookies with Chuck then they may do so as they please. It’s not up to me if Chris wrestles on Aftershock. He’s signed with Meltdown and I have nothing to do with that show.
Cooper: It seems we have a problem then. I’m not coming back just to face guys like Matt Tastic who I’ve already beaten. The only reason I want Chris K.O. is because he holds twelve pounds of gold on his shoulder that should be around my waist. Now if you can’t help me get that title shot then I suggest you get me someone who can.
Cooper will not back down and neither will Bateman. They eye each other off as Bateman throws the rest of his whisky down his throat to add some liquid courage.
Bateman: You’ve signed to fight this week on my show. You best remember who you’re talking to with an attitude like that. That last time I booked you in a match you did a runner and backed out of a title match. Now I’ve got something special for you this week on the show and you’d be best to prepare properly and stop focusing on Chris K.O. If you want a shot at his title then you need to earn it like all the other guys.
Cooper: I like you Vance. You’re a decent man.
A light switch is flicked on and the room begins to reveal itself. Bateman covers his eyes as they try to change with the new lighting conditions. Cooper just smiles and lets the change happen naturally. With the lights on Cooper grabs an essay off the wall that was marked with a D and another marked with an A. He hands one of them to Vance.
Cooper: We’ve been studying the concept of evil this week in class. You wanna know something special about evil, Vance?
Vance hesitates.
Bateman: What’s so special?
Cooper: Heroes are just villains yet to be discovered.
Bateman: Interesting.
Cooper: Indeed. Which are you?
Bateman: Pardon me?
Cooper: Are you a hero or a villain?
Bateman: Um…
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“Heroes are just as evil as the villains they fight. The hero always knows what the villain is going to do and who they’re going to bring to the battle. A villain never knows who the hero is bringing. A villain is left in the dark, unaware of who his opponent this week is going to be. The villain is always at a disadvantage, the villain is the underdog.
Heroes are nothing more than the world bullying a small group of people who dare speak out against common opinion. Modern day heroes would be classed as villains just fifty years ago. The world changes daily and yet heroes are always given the free pass. No matter what trouble they cause or who they hurt, a hero is special.
Villains can’t be special.
It doesn’t matter if the villain knows who his opponent is going to be or if they don’t. No matter how many heroes fight they always fall. No matter where the fight takes place, the heroes will fall. No matter how long the fight lasts, the heroes will fall. At the end of the day, you can’t succeed in this world without being evil.
Trust me, I’m a villain.”
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Cooper: You got an answer yet, Vance?
Bateman: I’m a hero. Definitely a hero.
…
Cooper: I’m a villain.
