The Road So Far:

Lord Of The Thrones

A Clash Of The Two Towers

The Return Of The Storm Of Swords

A Secret War Is Brewing, P1

A Secret War Is Brewing, P2



Peter Vaughn has never had fond memories of El Paso. Those feelings likely aren't improved by recent events. Having been sent to El Paso by the Custodial Coalition to look into a series of disappearances, Vaughn has found himself under the control of the Maintenance Mafia, a dangerous organization that rebuffed his invitation of joining them and took him prisoner instead. Vaughn's attempt at infiltration appears to have failed miserably, thanks to an inside source ratting him out from the Coalition.

Vaughn has since seemingly taken quite a violent beating from the mysterious Bernardo and his muscle-bound thugs, which could put his match against Tommy Wish in jeopardy. But you can never count out the XWF Universal Champion... especially when some things may not be as they seem.

---

Saturday, 9:00am

~The picture comes up on a shot of an unknown warehouse somewhere in El Paso, Texas. This is mostly an assumption, but the fact that Roger Simpson is out front, pacing, makes it a decent guess. Simpson checks his watch, looking more nervous than we've ever seen him. Finally, his eyes light up when he looks to the left. The camera follows his gaze to show us an approaching moving van, likely rented from U-Haul guessing by the color and shape of the van. It stops in front of the warehouse, with the driver door flying open. Peter Vaughn steps out, dusting himself off before making his way over to Simpson.~

Roger Simpson: You're a little late. I was starting to get concerned. Any problems?

Peter Vaughn: Nope, everything worked out as expected. It just took a little longer than I thought it would. But I think we're in good shape now.

Roger Simpson: Timing is really everything in this one, Peter.

Peter Vaughn: Hey, if you wanted things done like clockwork, you should have hired a professional. Instead, you guys decided to throw me into this, and I'm doing my damn best to make it succeed.

Roger Simpson: Okay, okay, calm down, Peter. I'm sorry. My nerves are a little raw. You pulled it off, and you deserve a lot of credit if this ends up being successful.

~Roger turns and waves behind him, with three men hurrying out of the building. They rush over to the moving van, heading to the back and swinging it open. They jump inside, as Vaughn lets them work.~

Peter Vaughn: Everything good here?

Roger Simpson: Don't worry. We're ready. But the next step is going to be the tricky one. Are you prepared to walk into the lion's den?

Peter Vaughn: Do I at least get a slingshot?

Roger Simpson: ... I think you're mixing up Daniel with David.

Peter Vaughn: Maybe, but if this succeeds, you'll be taking down a Goliath, won't you? Don't worry. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to pull off my side of this plan. You guys just remember that I've done this, and what it means to my future access to the Coalition.

Roger Simpson: You pull this off, and it's hard to see them denying you anything.

Peter Vaughn: We'll see. Let's just get to it.

~Vaughn goes back to the van, getting inside. He ignores what's going on behind him, as the van shifts around from the distribution of weight in the back. He checks himself in the mirror, looking introspective.~

---

"Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth."

I've grown used to that mentality in the wrestling business. There are those that try to strategically set up every step of their matches, hoping to anticipate everything that will go down. Those types of wrestlers usually seem to struggle against me, because that's not me at all. Oh, I'll come in with a battle plan, no doubt. I'll set up events using the rules of the contest to work in my favor. I may even have my first few maneuvers in mind, as possible attacks. But all-in-all, when I come down to the ring, I'm preparing myself for inspiration and improvisation. You have to be able to respond quickly when the match starts going against you, no matter if what you do goes against what you planned.

It's hard to tell what kind of a wrestler you are, Tommy, other than just labeling you unsuccessful. That's a harsh title, though, no matter how accurate. It could just be that you need to be more of a planner and less of a spontaneous knucklehead, because that kind of attitude doesn't work for everyone. You have to be able to make decisions on the fly, within milliseconds, deciding whether to go for the pinning combination, go for the weapons under the ring, or go for the rotating suicide dive over the ropes. Hesitation will get you killed in this business.

I mean, let's talk about your tag-team match on Anarchy last month. Your partner, JB, had Oswald beaten, which led to Thias Watts rushing into the ring. Did you attack? No, you hesitated. Watts breaks up the pin, then starts dragging Oswald to his corner. Do you intervene? No. You wait until Watts legally tags himself in, removing Oswald from the danger. When you finally DO charge in... you get chokeslammed, the beginning of the end for your team. You weren't there to help JB against the double-team, and soon your squad has lost to two dysfunctional crazies who turned on each other right after the match.

If you charged at the right time, you could have changed everything. You take out Watts before he can stop the pin, and you win, simple as that. But timing just doesn't seem to be your forte. You sure didn't have it against Jason Cashe. You has Cashe near the end of that match, seemingly ready to end it. But your frustration led you to try for too much too soon, and shorty thereafter, the Mark of Jason knocked you out.

Again, it was all about timing.

So how are you planning to come at me? Are you just going to take it move by move, and hope you can figure out the right option before time runs out? Will you actually have a strategy that you hope will stand against me, maybe getting that quick pin or submission early on before things can fall apart? Or are you just going to be swinging at me once the bell sounds, hoping for a lucky shot?

I'm expecting that last one. But I'm not planning on it. All-in-all, I anticipate just being ready for anything you can bring to the table.

Even if that means putting you through said table, if the moment calls for it.

---

Saturday, 5:00pm

~The shot comes up on the face of a broken, bloody Peter Vaughn. His left eye looks swollen shut. His nose is clearly busted. He doesn't even appear to be conscious. That changes with a splash of water comes into frame, landing with perfect accuracy to the face of Vaughn. He comes to, coughing, as the camera slowly zooms out to show a grinning Bernardo holding a small mug. There is still some steam coming off the mug, letting you know that it wasn't cold water that just nailed Vaughn. Bernardo doesn't seem to care, as it's had the effect he was expecting.~

Bernardo: Ahh, good, you're awake! I must say, you can really take a pounding. It's not something you want to hear, pendejo, but it's the truth, hah hah!

~Vaughn doesn't respond, instead tilting his head back downwards. Bernardo shakes his head.~

Bernardo: I will admit, I expected you to have said more by now. But this was only the beginning. Now you get to join your fellow custodians. Won't that be fun?

~Again, there's no response. Bernardo nods to Salvaje.~

Bernardo: Take him down. Let's go take ourselves a little excursión, eh?

~Salvaje obediently steps forward and loosens Vaughn from the upper chains, allowing him to be freed. He slumps to the ground, with Salvaje effortlessly pulling him back up and onto his shoulder. The group moves out, leaving the torturous room behind to head down the hallway. Bernardo is moving with a spring in his step, very pleased with how things are going.~

Bernardo: I tell you, baboso, I am thrilled that you decided to do this in my territory. You have no idea what a boost this is going to be for my credibility in the Mafia, having captured the infamous Peter Vaughn. Maybe I'll even find another member ahead of me removed to make a position available. I would owe it all to you, cabron.

~The three men turn a corner, with Bernardo still leading the way. He turns and presses his hand against a nearby picture frame. Within seconds, the wall slides open, revealing a hidden passageway behind it. Vaughn seems to look up for a second, glancing at it, before lowering his head again. The group moves down the stairs, showing a previously unknown location in the building. Inside, we see several people in the midst of digging up a large hole in the middle of the room. They've dug below the foundation, seemingly working to create a new underground labyrinth.~

Bernardo: As you can see, we've brought in plenty of help for our new project. I've been so jealous of your guys and their underground structures, you see, so I decided to begin work on my own! You may even recognize some of the workers, si?

~Bernardo points over at two disheveled individuals, a man and a woman. They work away on one of the sides of the hole, digging it wider, not looking back at the new entrants to the room. We can see that they're the two missing custodians that Vaughn was supposed to be looking for, since the other one has been confirmed deceased. Vaughn again lifts his head to look around, taking in the architecture of the room.~

Bernardo: These pelegatos all went mostly unnoticed by the general population. But we knew these two would be special. They could bring us someone who knows the inner workings of the Custodial Coalition. And they did what we expected, amigo. They brought us you. After you slave here for a while with them, maybe you'll finally come to your senses and give me the technology we deserve to have.

~Bernardo lets out a laugh, stepping forward and shoving the male custodian from behind. He slumps over, then gets up as if not noticing the assault, going back to digging. Bernardo turns and backhands the woman, who shakes her head before going back to work. These reactions seem to slightly frustrate Bernardo, who was hoping for a shout or a scream or two. He turns back to Salvaje.~

Bernardo: Cuff him up and put him to work. We'll see how many days down here it takes.

Peter Vaughn: Wait....

~Vaughn's voice sounds weak, but it still is enough to catch Bernardo's attention. He raises his hand, stopping Salvaje.~

Bernardo: Yes, senor Vaughn?

Peter Vaughn: I think... I'm ready... to tell you... all you want to know...

~Bernardo's grin grows wider as he steps in closer, ready to hear Vaughn spill all of his secrets.~

---

You can never truly know a man's breaking point until you reach it.

There are some wrestlers who seem to have no breaking point. I'd put guys like The Bogeyman JC and Supreme Machine in that group. Maybe Mark Flynn as well, but we haven't fought enough for me to be totally sure. I think a lot of people would have said Jim Caedus couldn't be broken, but I think I proved that he didn't deserve to be on the list. Apex broke beautifully, after all.

I have my doubts about you, Tommy. But to be honest, in all my research, I've never seen you breaking down. You make mistakes, sure. You're careless in the ring sometimes, maybe. But you've never let depression get a grip on you. You take a beating, you come right back out to try it again. Your cousin fights you because you're making time with his girl? You let the girl into your hotel room, then join her on a boating trip with that same cousin. You meet a girl named Youranda... and you don't immediately lose it, and instead chat her up. I mean, c'mon, I have to admire your ability to keep anything from getting you down.

It's possible that this will work for you in the future. You could keep coming back and not going down against some opponent, and frustration opens the door for you to sneak in a victory or two. Against me? Not so much. But against someone like Nickels or Marf or Thunder Knuckles? ... No. No, I still don't see you winning. I probably need to go pretty far down the card, in my mind. But hey, the possibility there isn't zero. I'm saying there's still a chance.

You referred to me as the king of all custodians in the world, which is nowhere near the truth, although I like the title. If I was the king, though, maybe I would bestow upon you an official title. Something like, "Mr. Persistent" or "The Greatest Jobber of the XWF". There might be others that fight you for that title, but you'd be in the running for it. I guess all it will take is you sticking around and taking as many beatdowns as possible. You're on your way there, aren't you? Wrestling on numerous cards, taking your lumps, "paying your dues"...

And you're not breaking. Not yet.

I wonder, when "The King" comes down upon you with a great crash, landing the Plunge and once again sending you to the loser's lounge, are you going to have the tiniest crack appear in your framework? Is this going to be the defeat that starts the fall once and for all? Y'know, I kinda hope not. I'd like to face you again in the future, maybe when you've actually managed to get some momentum under your belt.

Then I could defeat you again, and we'd be closer to finding your true breaking point.

---

Saturday, 5:15pm

~Bernardo stands over the fallen Vaughn, an avaricious gleam in his beady eyes. He leans in closer, knowing that he's got the upper hand over the beaten-down wrestler.~

Bernardo: Tell me, persona estúpida, Tell me where I can find this marvelous technology that I'm always hearing about. Tell me how I can acquire it for our own use and channel it into our growth in the world. Tell me!

~Bernardo kicks Vaughn in the side, knocking him over. Vaughn lays there for a moment, then slowly sits up. A small smile begins to appear on his battered face.~

Peter Vaughn: Why... it's all around you, Bernardo. It can be found in the walls, the ceilings, the very people who surround us. Parts of it can even be found in you and me, if you look closely enough.

Bernardo: What? What's that you say? You are mocking me, si? And here I thought you were smarter than that...

~Bernardo shakes his head at the ravings of Vaughn, then seems to pale as Vaughn begins to rise, effortlessly getting to his feet. Despite the chains on his wrists, he suddenly seems more formidable. Bernardo steps back, turning to Salvaje.~

Bernardo: Take this hijo de puta down and make him pay, Salvaje.

~As Vaughn gets to his feet, Salvaje... doesn't move at all. He's staring forward, unseeing, ignoring Bernardo's order.~

Bernardo: Salvaje? I'm telling you to go to work! ... Salvaje!!

~Again, Salvaje doesn't move. Vaughn takes a step towards Bernardo, who appears extremely confused now, with a touch of fear crossing his face.~

Bernardo: What... what is this?? Salvaje?!?

Peter Vaughn: Sorry, Your command rights have been removed.

~Vaughn raises his arms, snapping his fingers. The chains around his wrists suddenly disappear into thin air. Bernardo, shocked, stumbles backwards, inadvertently tripping over Salvaje's legs. The man still doesn't move as Bernardo hits the ground. Vaughn sighs, then looks at some of his wounds before waving a hand over himself. Instantly, all the wounds disappear, bringing Vaughn back to his normal self.~

Bernardo: ¡Es magia! ¡Es brujería!

Peter Vaughn: Nope, afraid not, Bernardo. It's just technology, just like you requested.

~You wouldn't think Bernardo's eyebrows could rise any higher. You'd be wrong, as recognition finally shows in his eyes.~

Bernardo: The... virtual reality... I heard about it... but... no... this cannot be!

Peter Vaughn: Pretty incredible, isn't it? You should try fighting up a misty mountain against hordes of orcs and White Walkers. Your mind would really be blown.

~Vaughn kneels in front of Bernardo, who is looking around wildly, as if looking for an exit. One is not available. In fact, the doorway to this room appears to have sealed itself away into solid brick.~

Peter Vaughn: I'd like to thank you for your cooperation, Bernardo. You told us exactly where to find the victims we're looking for, and some more we didn't even know about. I guess you never noticed that most of them have pretty blurry faces. The system is really good, but seeing as how you never paid attention to them, we couldn't really get a good composition of most of them. We also weren't sure about how some of your allies spoke, so we kept their commentary as limited as possible. Ol' Salvaje here is probably a lot more garrulous in real life, I'd assume, but you couldn't be bothered to notice that.

~Bernardo's mouth is gaping now, as he breathes heavily, fully taking in his surroundings and all the signs he's missed throughout this supposed interrogation. He shakes his head in disbelief, even as Vaughn straightens up.~

Peter Vaughn: I'm afraid that's the end of the road for us, Bernardo. I don't expect I'll ever see you again. I'd wish you the best of luck, but it wouldn't exactly be true, would it, amigo? Just rejoice in the fact that you've gotten the technology you've always wanted... and always remember to be careful what you wish for.

~Vaughn waves his hand, and suddenly all of the workers in the room, as well as Salvaje, turn towards Bernardo. He looks around wildly, noticing all of them approaching, and starts to back off... but there's really nowhere else to go. They all start to swing away, smashing into the man, as he desperately tries to cover up.~

Bernardo: Vaughn! VAAAAAAUUUUGGGGHHHNNN!!!!!

~But Peter Vaughn is no longer in the room. The camera seems to shift, leaving behind the virtual reality and coming into the real world. We can see the assault on Bernardo taking place on a monitor, focused on his screams. A hand reaches out, turning down the volume. Vaughn nods and takes off his head gear, sighing for a moment.~

Peter Vaughn: That's better. So you got everything you needed, right?

~He turns to Roger Simpson, who is seated nearby along with a few other technicians. He nods.~

Roger Simpson: We have agents on the way now to start infiltrating the Mafia building and rescue those who are trapped. You've done a great job here, Peter. I know it couldn't have been pleasant, taking those hits, even if they weren't real.

Peter Vaughn: If nothing else, wrestling has taught me that to succeed, you're going to need to take some shots. Speaking of shots, I'm headed to a bar. I'll leave you to work on him. Who knows? Maybe he even has more information he can give up.

~Vaughn nods to Roger and walks off, leaving the room. Behind him, we can see the body of Bernardo, squirming underneath the head gear he's still wearing. We cut away rather than continuing to view the tortured man, who will get little sympathy after his own perceived actions.~

---

Sometimes things aren't always as they seem. And sometimes they are EXACTLY what you see.

In a match between Peter Vaughn and Tommy Wish, the first impressions are going to be inevitably correct. Tommy Wish is completely out of his league. But Tommy, you knew that coming in. It still remains to be seen if you show up on Wednesday or not. I think you will. I think you're going to make that long walk down the aisle and roll under the ropes, get to your feet, and prepare for your sure defeat. I bet it'll make you feel like a real man, not backing down. Would I make the same choice as you? Well, it's impossible to tell.

Because I'm that much better than you. It's like comparing apples to assholes. There's just no comparison.

But I'll give you this much, Tommy. You enter the squared circle and face off against me, you do your very damnest to survive, and you'll earn a little respect from me. A miniscule amount, but it'll be more than you had before. Maybe I'd even think about having you as a member of the Exiles one day. It's hard to really picture it. But never say never, am I right?

In the end, this confrontation is a foregone conclusion. Peter Vaughn is getting himself his fifth victory in the XWF, as he heads towards his biggest challenges. Tommy Wish will have to sit back and hope for an easy opponent to come down the pike and give him another opportunity at climbing that ladder. Even taking a step on the lowest rung counts for something, doesn't it?

You just have no way of reaching my top step anytime soon. Stay in your lane from now on, Tommy. Get better. Show me something other than your fondness of feet. And maybe, some day, you'll actually mean something in the XWF.

Maybe.

---

Saturday, 5:30pm

~Inside a local bar in El Paso, we see Peter Vaughn taking down a a drink. He coughs for a second, showing that he's still not quite an expert on alcohol consumption, but he's improving nonetheless. He nods to the bartender, then steps off to the side, where a small payphone has been set up. It's ancient, something you really don't see many places anymore... but this is El Paso. Vaughn picks up the receiver, then reaches into his back pocket. He slowly pulls out a card he had stashed there, looking it over...~

Saturday, 8:00 am

~The image suddenly shifts to earlier in the day. We see Peter Vaughn carrying out the unconscious body of Bernardo from the Mafia man's house, having taken out all of his security along the way. Bernardo never woke up, from the pajamas he's currently wearing. Vaughn takes him over to the nearby moving vehicle and opens up the door, sliding Bernardo inside. He shuts the door... then slowly turns back, sensing that someone else is there. Stepping out of the shadows nearby... is Salvaje. Vaughn takes him in, immediately recognizing the man from the dossiers he was forced to study in order to make a virtual reality session more seamless. Salvaje considers him for a moment, then shrugs his shoulders.~

Salvaje: Personally, I never liked that guy. I'm better off having him out of my way. Makes more room for my own ascent, comprende? Do with him what you must, Mr. Vaughn.

~Salvaje reaches into a pocket, with Vaughn tensing, ready to dive forward. But Salvaje brings out a white card, handing it over. It's basically a business card, only with just a phone number placed on it. No other text.~

Salvaje: When you find yourself ready to leave that other group of nobodies and join a true force, give us a call.

~Salvaje smiles and walks away, leaving Vaughn to think long and hard before turning and going back to his vehicle. He drives off, heading to his appointed destination at the warehouse, just a few minutes late.~

Saturday, 5:31pm

~Vaughn considers the card one more time, smirking to himself.~

Peter Vaughn: Fucking El Paso...

~Vaughn begins to dial the number, as we slowly leave the scene behind.~