MD84: Drake Callahan vs. Triple X

[a0161613]

Another big match set for Meltdown as we have the crazy conspirator Drake Callahan going up against the daring, straight-edge Triple X in singles competition. X will be watching his back the entire time with the $500, 000 bounty still lingering over his head and will have to bring his best against Callahan who has been on a roll since Unscripted but after what happened on Aftershock, he might be too distracted to even focus on his opponent and be thinking about the Dragon.

Deadline is 11:59pm Central Time, Tuesday 5th February. Extensions as per thread.​

 

[Kermit]

Triple X has received a 23hr and 59min extension. However, Drake Callahan may use the full effect of the 24hr extension.

 

[BK Styles]

???: A bounty, eh?

The hooded figure stands by the window, looking out. We’re in my apartment; the room is bathed in an eerie red glow, and I’m sitting the other side in my armchair. I lean back and look to the roof as the mystery man keeps talking.

???: A five hundred thousand dollar bounty? Someone surely doesn’t like you.

X: Oh, you think?

???: You need to be careful, Alexander. Very careful.

X: No wonder you’re not normally helpful. You suck at it.

???: I’m not here to be helpful.

X: No, you’re here to piss me off.

I stand up and approach the figure, who is still staring out of the window. He doesn’t bother to turn.

X: You seem to think I don’t torture myself enough. I think about my failures every single moment of every single day. I think about her all the time, and yet, for some reason, you seem to think that’s not enough.

???: It isn’t.

X: You must really hate me.

The figure finally turns to face me. Not that it matters, as I can’t actually see his face. But for the first time in this dream, he looks at me.

???: No. Not hate, Alex. Not hate at all. I care deeply for your wellbeing. And everything I do for you is to help you reach a state of…serenity. And only then can you be free.

X: Well sorry pal, but the only serenity I’m interested in is the film with Nathan-

???: You jest. You always jest, about every single thing. Why is that?

I stand there for a moment, before turning away. As I do, I unhook the clasp on my necklace and hold it up as the figure watches.

X: Because the jesting Xander is who she fell in love with.

???: Really.

X: Yeah. Really. Problem with that?

???: None what-so-ever.

The hooded figure walks over to a door, and puts a key into it.

X: There’s me thinking there’d be no field trip today.

???: You thought wrong.

X: I’m gonna ask again. Why?

???: You know the answer-

X: Your answer’s a load of crap.

???: And yet, it won’t change. The reason why I show you these things isn’t important.

I begin to walk to the door; it’s blinding light almost hypnotic. I know one way or another I’m going to end up where he wants me to go, but still, I need answers.

X: Then what is important?

???: …the reason why you don’t want to see them.

The door closes before I can respond with yet more pointless questions. The light fades, and I’m on my street, a few houses down from mine. But it isn’t me I see; it’s a slightly younger Frank. Confused, I follow him, as he heads closer to my home. He opens the door and climbs the stairs, knocking on my door.

Frank: Alex, it’s Frank. Your dad’s friend. He asked me to come over and check on you.

The younger me doesn’t respond. For the first time in one of these ridiculous memories, I’m lost. I have no recollection of this memory at all.

Frank: Xander, open the door.

No response again. My spine runs cold.

Frank: Xander, open the door, please.

I watch as Frank hammers away. He’s frantic. He must have been told to watch me in case I do something stupid. That’s when it clicks. The memory; when it’s from. I stare at the wall by the door, and using my memory-ghost logic I’ve seen in films, I press my hand against it. Shockingly enough, my logic works, and it goes through. I take a deep breath, hoping I’m wrong about the memory, and step through.

X: Oh my god…

The sight that greets me is the one I feared, and were this not a dream I’d probably be sick on the spot. There I am, slumped on the floor and unconscious. With a needle sticking out of my arm.

Frank: I’m kicking the door down Xander. Three…two…ONE.

The door is kicked once, then again. On the second attempt it flies off its hinges and crashes to the floor. He sees my prone body and immediately rushes over, snatching the needle out of my arm and throwing it behind him.

Frank: XANDER! Oh my god, Xander wake up! Please wake up! COME ON!

He pulls out his cell phone and dials 911. I sit on the edge of my bed, as Frank moves my body into the recovery position. He checks my pulse and my breathing, and begins to talk to the operator, telling them about my situation.

Frank: …yes, he’s breathing……No, I don’t know how long he’s been like this……his breathing’s shallow but he hasn’t swallowed his tongue……yeah, I’ve already put him in it……no, he isn’t responding, I’ve tried…….yes……look, just get here soon, please!

I watch Frank panic over my static body, as the hooded figure walks into the room.

X: You twisted bastard.

???: You were shocked to find this memory.

X: Well, I was kinda unconscious. I’m surprised I remembered this much.

???: More likely this is your imagination. Your subconscious will have heard Frank, and placed images alongside it in your head.

X: So…this isn’t real?

???: Of course it is, Alex. What would be the point otherwise.

Triple X sits up, bathed in sweat. He looks around his room frantically, convincing himself that he’s woken up. The TV is still on from the night before; a DVD of Drake Callahan’s matches is still going on repeat. Daylight streams through a gap in the curtains, with not a hint of eerie red light. X buries his head in his hands, and viciously rubs his hands through his hair.

X: Stay the fuck out…

It’s only after he speaks that he notices his phone is going off. A text message:


From: Faith
7:45am, 01/02/13
Hey X. Ready 2 talk if you are. Wanna meet this eveing? Xx


He stares at the phone for a moment or two.

Bottle up, or open up?

He slides the phone back open and replies to her message.


To: Faith
7:48am, 01/02/13
Busy until this evening. Come round mine. xXx


He clicks send, then throws his phone onto the bed and throws the covers off. He sits on the edge of the bed and takes a bottle of water from the draw next to him. He takes a drink and pours some over his head.

Get with it, Xander. Can’t afford to lose it now.



Later that evening

It’s about 9pm, as Faith reaches X’s door. Before she knocks, she notices a letter stuck to it, labelled ‘FAITH’. She takes the letter and opens it.

‘See you on the roof.’

Faith smiles, and takes the stairs to the top floor, and uses the fire escape to get outside. It’s a beautiful evening in Phoenix. The sky is a deep purple, with the building and street lights of the city creating a perfect picture of a living city. She looks around, and spots X sitting on the edge of the building. She walks over to him.

Faith: Good job I like heights.

X turns to see her.

X: You don’t seem like the girl to be afraid of things.

She smiles.

Faith: Oh really?

X: Oh, you have fears, sure. But not the usual ones. Spiders, heights, zombie apocalypse.

Faith: Zombies?

X: Okay, bad example. You get my point.

Faith smiles. X picks up a soda and throws it to her. She catches it, and joins him on the ledge.

Faith: This is…

X: Isn’t it? I come up here to think about my matches. Any problems. Generally whenever I need a place to think things through.

Faith: So the object of your thoughts tonight is..?

X: Among other things, Drake Callahan.

Faith: You…you’ve got a match against Drake Callahan?

X nods with a small smile.

Faith: X, that’s fantastic! You’ve got a match against a former world champion! Just the challenge you need.

X: Yeah, it is.

Faith:Oh, boy.

X: What?

Faith: Dude, you and I both know that voice. So spill. Now.

X: I just…Drake’s not a nice guy, and that’s putting it lightly. The things he’s done…he seems like the kind of guy I’d follow way back when. The guy who’d goad me into that first hit. Who wouldn’t think twice about giving a kid a bottle of beer. As long as he got what he wanted, he’d do what he’d need to. But even then, he’d still find something to complain about.

Faith: Guys like that make me sick.

X: Drake’s smart. He knows how to manipulate people into getting exactly what he wants. It might not be ethical, but it sure as hell works for him. That makes him dangerous.

Faith: Well, you just need to be more dangerous. Jump of high places. Do flippy things. All that kind of stuff.

X laughs.

X: There’s a lot more to me than just ‘flippy things’.

Faith: Fine. Kick him, too.

X: It’ll sure help me see how I stack up in the company, though. Losing last week’s left me in a kind of limbo. I beat Constantine by DQ, but couldn’t get the job done with the world champion as my partner.

Faith: Well, you were facing the King for a Day and a pompous, yet powerful, asshole. Not like you were losing to Darren Bull and Armando Paradyse.

X: Then I’d retire. No question.

They both laugh for a moment. Faith takes a sip of her soda, and turns back to X, who continues to look out.

Faith: So. What are you gonna do about this bounty?

X: Urgh…I dunno. Holmes must be desperate to get rid of me. I suppose I should take it as a compliment really.

Faith: Err…how?

X:He must see me as a pretty big threat. He must think I’m the only person standing between him and winning the Lottery. Combine that with the fact that he still hasn’t gotten over the fact that I beat him for the Elite X title, and it’s the actions of a very desperate man. And there's nothing more dangerous with a powerful man who's desperate.

Faith: Has anyone…you know…tried to act on it.

X: I dunno. I mean, the interviewers were messing about with chairs on Ascension, and Saboteur and Saxton were acting VERY strangely on Aftershock. But no, I don’t think so.

Faith: Well, they will. And it’ll be who you least expect, when you least expect it. You need to be sharp.

X: Faith, you know me. Sharp as a knife!

As he says this, he swings his arm out. As he brings it back down he knocks his soda over the edge, and watches as it falls to the ground.

X: ...I didn't even want that.

Faith: Slick moves, Spiderman.

X smiles back, and they sit there for a moment in silence.

Faith: Anyway. The reason I'm here-

X: Faith, look. You don’t have to-

Faith: My brother, Jay.

X stops in his tracks. He swivels round so his body is now facing Faith’s, giving her his full attention.

Faith: A few years ago, my brother decided he was going to get into wrestling. He’d found a school, he had money saved up, and he was ready to give it a go. He moved out to Texas, where the school was, and began training with some old wrestlers. Problem was, the other students there were, shall we say, not the cleanest of individuals.

X: He fell into a bad crowd.

Faith: Yeah. One way of putting it. I didn’t notice at first, but, eventually I saw it. He contacted us less at home. Hardly awake in the daytime. His mood would just…it’d be all over the place. And he just looked…out of it. The few times I went to visit him, it made me sick. All he did was drink and smoke, and I dread to think what he did when I wasn’t there. But he was my brother. And I needed to be his sister.

Faith stops for a moment, and takes a deep breath. X shuffles over and takes his jacket off, placing it around her shoulders.

Faith: Thanks. He…carried on like that for a while. He just…he became a different person. Not the guy I remember growing up with. And then one day we…we just couldn’t get contact with him. He seemed to disappear. The wrestling school he was at said he’d stopped making payments, and hadn’t been seen for weeks. We eventually got a call from the San Antonio Police Department. They’d found him in a dumpster. Overdose. He was 23 years old.

A single tear rolls down her face, as she desperately tries to hold it together. X shuffled closer and put his arm around her shoulder. She rests her head against him, and the two of them remain there, still.

X: I’ve been there.

Faith: I know, And I don’t want to make you think of her, but-

X: No, not just that. I…I’ve been where Jay was, too.

Faith looks up; her red eyes slightly wider with shock.

X: It…it wasn’t long after Abi had died. My folks convinced me to have counselling and, being the typical teenager I was, I paid no attention. I ignored everything this woman said, and I was low. And I didn’t see a way out. I knew…I knew if I could get clean I’d have a chance, but I made one day before I used again. So I…I locked myself in my room and took everything I could find. All at once.

Faith sits there, wide-eyed at this revelation. More silent tears roll down her face, as she lifts her hand to her mouth.

X: The next thing I remember is waking up in a hospital bed, wondering what went wrong. That’s when I saw him. Frank. A friend of my parents. Dad had asked him to keep an eye out when they were at work, and he came round just after I’d passed out. He knocked on the door and eventually knocked it down. He got me help. Saved my life. At the time, I hated him, but…he saved me. Not just then, in that moment, but for the rest of my life, I’ve been different. He helped me get clean, he helped me learn wrestling, and he even helped me move. My dad never forgave him for that one. But he gave me a new lease of life and I’ll always be in his debt for that.

X turns to face Faith again, and smiles.

X: Damn, we are so cheery tonight.

Faith manages a short laugh. X smiles and looks back over the edge of the building.

X: Your brother would be proud of the person you are.

Faith: X?

X: Yeah?

Faith: How do you cope with it? With Abi, being in your head all the time.

X remains still for a moment, before taking his necklace out and rolling up his right sleve, revealing his tattoo.

X: I cope because I’ve accepted she’ll always be there. She’s a part of me. Once you get to the point of acceptance, you know they’re not really dead. They’ve just become a part of you.

Faith smiles, and looks back towards the city, letting out an other short laugh.

Faith: Damn, since when did you become the advice giver?

X: Hey, what are big brothers for?

Faith looks back at him and smiles.

Faith: I like the sound of that. Bro.

They both smile at each other, basking in the new found trust between the two of them, before X stands up.

X: It’s getting cold. Let’s go inside; I’ve got pizza and more soda and there’s no ledges to knock them off.

He helps Faith up, but she doesn’t follow immediately.

Faith: Hey Xander.

X stops and turns back to her.

Faith: Drake Callahan.

X: What about him?

Faith: Just…he seems like the kind of asshole that Jay would have fallen in with.

She looks down for a moment, before walking up to X, staring deeply into his eyes.

Faith: Do me a favour-

X: Don't worry. Consider his ass kicked.

She smiles, and walks to the door. She opens it, but stops, and throws the jacket back at him.

Faith: I wasn’t actually cold, dumbass.

X smiles, and stops at the door.

X: Thank you.

Faith: Thank me by winning.

She smiles, and goes through. X smiles back, and takes one last look at the beautiful skyline.

Deal.

 

[Harthan]

"Fuck you."

I stood on the balcony of the penthouse suite of the hotel Stoya had picked out. I didn't ask about the price; it turned out that my new contract, while not as much as I'd originally asked for, was quite lucrative. Lucrative enough that Stoya could handle the money without me having to care in the slightest. It was with a little bit of irony that I remarked upon this promo being filmed with Stoya's iPhone camera. We had had a meeting set up with Becky with the full film crew, but I was so sick of the WZCW infrastructure. The barely paid interns running the cameras, the personalities who only looked at me with disgust. Why put it up with it? Here, looking over the city, and the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen filming me, was unbelievably better. All I had to do was send the video out over Twitter and everyone would see it. Those same useless interns would download it and play it over the air for everyone to see, and I wouldn't even have to leave my hotel.

"Pardon my French, loyal viewers and fans of WZCW. I expect by the time this reaches most of you, that'll be censored out. But just in case, let me reiterate - fuck you. Each and every one of you in the WZCW Universe who turned your backs on me. Each and every one one of you who cheers for the greatest fraud WZCW has even known when he flips around in the ring. Each and every one of you who is an El Califa Dragon fan. Even now, as his T-shirts and his masks fly off the shelves and he pockets the royalties, he's sucking the life out of WZCW from behind. Because I know who El Califa Dragon really is. Let me give it to you right here - you heard it here first, live from Drake Callahan - underneath that mask is Ty Burna."

I took a moment to catch my breath. Somehow, the end of that had all come out in a rush, and my heart was racing. I hadn't realized how much I had been keeping inside, but now I saw how churned up my emotions had been by all this. But finally figuring out who it was - it was like a weight had been lifted off my chest.

"Are you hearing me out there? The little boys and girls who line up to slap his hand? The mothers and fathers who pay good money to bring your children to see him, to buy his replica masks that you dress your children up in? You're supporting the greatest monster that WZCW has ever known. El Califa Dragon is Ty Burna. The man who tried to destroy this company; the man who singlehandedly saw to that I be held down in this company. You think it's a coincidence that I only won the title the night he left? You think it's a coincidence I lost it right around the time that El Califa Dragon began to surface? If you really believe that, you're even stupider than I think. But I'm sure you'll all manage to surprise me."

I feel a smirk come across my face; I'm relieved, after all this time, to be getting it out. It's all coming together brilliantly.

"I don't know why Ty hates me so much. Maybe it's because he knows I've always been better than him. He had to cheat to win every time he ever beat me; but every time I beat him, it was clean as a whistle. I'm a true warrior; Ty is a snake. I look back on history and I realize it was probably him that engineered my destruction from the beginning. I mean, I wound up leaving this company in a casket. You think that's a coincidence? Wake up, sheeple. Maybe Ty is just jealous of me. Maybe he's bitter. Maybe I'm a constant reminder of how weak he used to be, and probably still is. But I do know he's doing everything he can to tear me down and make me miserable."

I shook my head and sighed, playing a little drama for the camera.

"But, you know, now that I've made it obvious, I guess I shouldn't be talking so much about Ty. That can wait. Because unsurprisingly, he's managed to duck me again using his unseen backstage connections, and instead I'm wrestling Triple X. What an utter, complete, waste of my time."

I took a moment to look out over the city, building for my next words.

"Triple X, maybe you think this match is a big deal. And you know, I guess it would be to you. A big Meltdown match that the whole Twitterverse is abuzz for. The biggest match of your life, really. But you're just a little flea to me. An annoying gnat, buzzing and buzzing until I'm ready to squash you. Well, the day is coming soon. We'll step into the ring at Meltdown, and you'll give it your all, I'm sure you will, and everyone will say how much heart you had. But they'll also say that you're a loser, because rest assured, you're not even close to my level. Not now, not ever."

I caught my breath briefly, but I was on a roll now.

"You think you're ready to take the next step. You keep talking about how 2013 is your year. Let me give you some advice; you don't talk about it. You put your nose down, you work, you bust your ass, and you get to the top. You don't stand around and claim you're headed for big things. You don't get to declare that this is your year. You just do it. If you have to say it, chances are it's a crock. Well, here's your chance to prove that you're not full of it, kid. You're a hot shot with a midcard title run and a few good matches under your belt. I'm the whole goddamn show, a former world champion, at the top of my game. I've been to the top of the mountain; you haven't even seen the foothill. I've shattered the glass ceiling; you're suffocating beneath it. I'm not a betting man, bucko, but from where I stand the odds are against you."

I barely paused for breath before starting again.

"And the worst part of it all is that that probably excites you. You probably think this is your chance to overcome the odds and make your case for a title shot. Well, I have some news for you; I'm not a stepping stone. I'm the giant boulder in your way, I am the immovable object, and you are about the furthest thing from an irresistible force this side of a wet blanket. So go ahead, do your worst. It's going to end with me bashing your skull in or choking your lights out. Because I am better than you. Did I steal your line? 'Straight edge and better than you', right? That's what the put up on the billboards and the promos. How truly pathetic you are. You're such an addict you have to swear your life away to some bullshit philosophy and stick to it like a religion just to avoid doing drugs. You know how I quit drinking? I stopped. I put the bottle down. I made a decision, because I'm a man. I'm a fighter. I'm a warrior. I am a real champion. And I'm better than you."

I took a step closer to the camera. Stoya looked up at me for a brief moment, her eyes wide and excited. She was all but biting her lip. It was almost too distracting.

"Triple X, understand who you are exactly. You are not the up and comer; you are not the next big thing. You are absolutely nothing. You are the most minor of distractions. I'm not even going to enjoy beating you. I'm going to end you, and I'm going to move on. I won't even remember you this time next week. I will beat you, and I'll move on to eliminating Ty, and I'll win the world title, and you'll be lucky to main event Aftershock."

I grabbed the camera out of Stoya's hands. She looked up at me with surprise, but I pulled her close in a side embrace. I held the camera up so it faced us.

"Take a good look, Triple X. I have it all. This is the penthouse suite; you sleep in the Super 8. I'm the main event; you're the curtain jerker. In a few months, I will be world champion, and you will be remembering the day I ruined your dreams. And most of all? I'll have this beautiful girl, and you'll wish you could be me."

I made sure the camera was focused on us as I leaned in and kissed Stoya passionately. She returned it with gusto. I let it go on; I wanted every one of them to know what I had and they didn't. I turned back to the camera for one last statement, grinning wildly, knowing that half the people who would see this would hate me, and the other half would want to be me.

"You want to have it all? You're welcome to try, but I guaran-damn-tee you that our match on Meltdown ends only one way - you unconscious. I'm almost sorry about it. But just like Mikey Stormrage, it's time you and the rest of them learned a hard lesson. Not one of you upstarts, not one of you rookies, is so much as fit to lick my boots."