The Road So Far:

Journeying Through The Force, P1

Journeying Through The Force, P2

Journeying Through The Force, P3

Dealing With Our Reality, P1

Dealing With Our Reality, P2

Dealing With Our Reality, P3



The last month has probably been one of the most insane series of events that Peter Vaughn has ever been a part of.

It all started with the May the 4th special, where Vaughn was gifted the opportunity to enjoy a Virtual Reality Star Wars Universe. Well, that all went to hell when the system 'malfunctioned', causing Vaughn to become trapped inside, fighting his way through both non-canon and canon events from the books and movies. It seemed like a Specialist was prepared to get Vaughn out of the situation, but the Specialist had dark intentions. He deliberately set a doppelganger of Vaughn on him, causing a most epic battle, that the clone won thanks to a cheating program maneuver. In effect... the real Vaughn died.

Don't worry. He got better.

For a time, the VR Vaughn lived in the real world, wrestling as Vaughn and learning the ins and outs of how to act 'normal'. It wasn't normal enough, as Vaughn's mentor, the Head Custodian, figured out that something was up. VR Vaughn (known from now on as PV) realized it too, however, and knocked out the Head Custodian, taking him back to the program's originator: the Specialist.

In the meantime, Vaughn was battling for his very soul, as the Star Wars Universe gave him the ability to survive as a Force ghost. He fought off robots, AT-AT's, and even a Death Star. Seriously, if you didn't read those stories, I recommend diving into them, because you missed a lot. Vaughn was eventually discovered by the Master Cleaner, who arranged for Vaughn to be freed. But, it was not without cost.

The Head Custodian was primed to be the next "test subject" of the Specialist, set up to have his mind recorded and duplicated, while PV was ordered to kill himself (and Vaughn's body) by his master. PV couldn't do it, though, and the Head Custodian was able to stop the Specialist... only to lose his own life in the process. PV would be reconnected to the mainframe, where he once again switched places with Vaughn, opting to live his new life out on VR... but not alone, as "HC" was brought online to 'live' again.

I told you a lot had happened. I wasn't lying, was I? Oh, and I forgot one other little teensy weensy thing: Vaughn has been made the new Head Custodian of the Custodial Coalition. Yep.

---

~The camera zooms in on the face of Peter Vaughn, who looks absolutely bored out of his mind. His head is slightly tilted, possibly showing that he's actually fallen asleep with his eyes open. Some people can do that, y'know, and it's creepy as fuck. As the camera slowly zooms back out, we can hear Bill, an executive in the Coalition, reading from a list of items.~

Bill: ... So they managed to get the toilets flowing again, and wouldn't you know it, the pompous jerk wads upstairs tried to blame the whole thing on the janitorial staff! We sorted that out quickly, thanks to some confidential photos we had gathered over time, and leadership has since corrected the problem. Now, onto screenshot #32, we have the Memphis branch. They've requested your judgement on a dispute involving an Elvis impersonator who works days as a custodian and a country western bar in the area that has refused to cover his pay. Sir? Mr. Vaughn, sir?

~Bill, finally noticing Vaughn's vacant expression, steps forward and taps him on the arm. Immediately, Vaughn turns and swings, with Bill leaping backwards screaming out in terror. Vaughn stops his swing in time, though, trying to figure out what's happening.~

Bill: Sir, sir, it's just me, Bill! Remember?? Bill??

~Vaughn settles back into his chair, a disgruntled look on his face.~

Peter Vaughn: Damn it, Bill. How'd you suddenly pop up next to me like that? You half weasel or something? You should know better than to try and sneak up on me!

Bill: But, I wasn't, Mr. Vaughn, I... what's the last thing you remember in the presentation?

Peter Vaughn: Ummm... it was something about my new responsibilities, right?

Bill: ... That was at the BEGINNING! I've been talking for an hour!!

Peter Vaughn: Well, who's fault is that, really? You really need to add music and action scenes to your PowerPoint presentations, Bill. Seriously.

~Bill looks to be temporarily at a loss for words, as Vaughn gets up and stretches. He walks over to the side, sighing, as he stares at the recently-hung portrait of his predecessor.~

Peter Vaughn: I know the Head Custo... I mean... Charles... really wanted me to take over for him when he passed. I'm sure he would have rather it was a retirement, but life sucks sometimes, y'know? And in that vein, I have no idea why he thought I'd be good at something like this. I'm no administrator. I'm no leader who can give amazing pep talks. I'm a wrestler, damn it! We really need to find somebody else.

Bill: I know you've had a lot thrown at you, but you shouldn't doubt yourself. If he thought you were worthy of this position, well, he was one of the smartest men I'd ever had the pleasure of knowing. You have to give it a chance!

Peter Vaughn: I just did, Bill, and you knocked me out quicker than any fighter I've faced in the last year! Ugh...

~Vaughn walks over to the cabinet nearby, opening it up and getting out one of the fancier bottles and a couple of glasses. He pours two fingers in each glass, putting away the bottle, and turns back to Bill, offering him one. Against his own best judgement, Bill takes it.~

Bill: I'm not great with the strong stuff.

Peter Vaughn: I didn't like it, either, once upon a time, but I'm slowly building up a tolerance. I mean, someone's gotta drink HC's private stash! To the Head Custodian, may he rest in peace.

~Vaughn tips the glass towards the portrait, with Bill having no choice but to join in with a toast like that. They both slam their drinks back, with Bill coughing heavily while Vaughn only shudders for a few seconds.~

Peter Vaughn: That's definitely the good stuff. So c'mon, Bill... there must be other candidates out there that can be considered for this role!

Bill: Actually, there's one more that I have my eye on...

~Vaughn offers to fill up Bill's glass again, but he quickly covers it with his hand, shaking his head. Vaughn shrugs and starts to fill himself up again, as Bill's eyes travel over to a nearby screen, which seems to be showing what's currently going on in the Custodial Coalition's Virtual Reality world. We slowly head that direction... ~

---

Sometimes, just when you think you have the world figured out, it turns upside down on you. And I'm not talking about a Stranger Things alternate dimension, although it does kind of feel that way at times.

I finally made my way back from losing the XWF Universal Title and found myself going on another roll. I dispatched Vita Valenteen to the freezing regions of Hoth, or at least a reasonable facsimile. I took a great opponent in Mac Bane to the limit at Leap of Faith, knocking him from his perch and becoming the new XWF Supercontinental Champion. I basically rose again after recovering from ALIAS, and it seemed like I was finally going to get the respect I deserve from the XWF management. After all, hadn't I earned it? Hadn't I shown the world what I was made of?

And yet, when I look at the booking sheet for the Wednesday Night Warfare after the PPV, I couldn't help but feel shocked. I wouldn't be defending the Supercontinental Title straight out of the gate, oh no. I wasn't going to be allowed to continue my recent singles dominance. Instead, I was booked to take on arguably the greatest wrestling tag-team in the world today in Mark Flynn and the North Korean War Criminal. I mean, let's face it, they've earned the right to call themselves the best with their multiple tag-team championship reigns. Plus, of course, Flynn is one of only two wrestlers who have stopped me in the XWF. Sure, he won because of a distraction and a fast count, but I still don't take anything away from him for that. He took advantage of the situation like anyone with brains would, and I respect him for it.

I even got to tag with Flynn over a few shows right near the end of the Thunder Pro Wrestling run, and I got to see first-hand how well he worked in a tag-team environment. I honestly have nothing bad to say about Flynn, even if he DID come up short at Leap of Faith. Hey, bad luck happens to everyone, right? Can't hold that against him. Everyone can have a bad night every once in a while.

He's probably wanting NKWC to get him a victory again, and hey, NKWC has definitely been on a hell of a tear. One could even say he's the better of the two, although that's just something to be argued in the bar late at night.

So anyway, we have this great tag-team being booked against me, giving me the chance to possibly avenge my earlier loss to Flynn. So I ask you, do they give me an equally worthy partner like another member of the CCPE? Nope. Do they give me somebody who might have bad blood with Flynn & NKWC, like Thunder Knuckles, or a great rising star like Raion Kido? Nah. Do they at least pull someone from the Warfare roster to compete with me, someone who's ready to fight with the best of the best? Sigh.

No, instead I find out they gave me Calypso as my parter.

Calypso.

As my partner.

Really, it's a slap in the face. An insult. A travesty.

I nearly punched a hole in the wall of my new ranch house when I heard about it, and I just got done renovating the place.

I mean, you're talking about one of the biggest losers coming out of Anarchy/Madness. I watched him get his ass beat up by Xavier, and I saw very little redeeming qualities there. I mean, I know a lot of people like to mock me for being a former janitor, but put me side-by-side with this joker, and I hope everyone sees that he's about 20 leagues below my level.

So I have to wonder: why did management book this catastrophe? Obviously, they decided that my Supercontinental Title victory made me a threat to climb the proverbial ladder once again and challenge ALIAS' greatness. I suppose that, for all I've done for this company lately, they decided that they needed to knock me back down a notch or two. They must think the fans don't want to see Peter Vaughn flying up to the top, so they decided to screw me over.

But then I think, Warfare is run by my friend and ally, Chris Page. Why would he put me in such a position? Was he overruled by Theo? I could see that happening. Theo may have signed me to my XWF contract, but you know he was doing it more to spite OCW than because he believed in me.

It's crazy, really. I've been in the XWF for almost 7 months now. More than half a year. Yet at times, I still feel like an outsider in this company, disrespected and thrown aside by the "flag-bearers".

But you know what outsiders do? They break the system. They force their way in, and they do whatever they want. And so maybe that's what I should do. Maybe I'll get in there and show Flynn & NKWC that even with my hand tied behind my back by a complete waste of space like Calypso, I won't go down so easily. Maybe I can even do some damage and make the powers-that-be wake up and realize they're wasting a gold mine here.

Or maybe I'll walk down to the ring and stay on the sidelines, just letting Calypso get his ass kicked. Hey, I'll still get paid either way, right?

Will there be a Plunge on Wednesday Night Warfare? A Purge? Or just a Pause? I guess we'll see, won't we?

---

~The spotlights are shining overhead. The cameras are flashing, taking shots to savor the moment forever. The fans are screaming, some loving every minute of the action while others are loving every other minute. The shot focuses on Peter Vaughn, standing on top of the turnbuckle. He slams on his chest, then points downwards, as the camera turns to show us a fallen ALIAS laying on the mat. Vaughn leaps into the air, soaring into the Plunge, as ALIAS' eyes go wide, with no hope of escaping from such a devastating maneuver. Unfortunately for Vaughn, that's when time freezes.~

PV: What the hell?? ... Damn it, HC!

~PV shakes wildly in mid-air, trying to get free, but he only succeeds in shifting himself around about 3 inches. Nearby, laughing, is HC, the recent recreation of the late Head Custodian. He walks forward, looking over in the 'ring' at the unmoving ALIAS. He snaps his fingers, and the 'wrestler' disappears, along with the ring. PV drops to the ground, landing on his feet and hopping up.~

PV: You didn't need to do that!

HC: Oh, I felt like I did. They didn't give us access to this entire Virtual world in order for you to get some petty revenge for something that happened to the person you were duplicated from.

PV: Oh, c'mon, I was so close to taking him down!

HC: You think I didn't know that you reduced the competitive levels of your foe down 50%?

~PV looks a little startled, as clearly he did NOT believe that HC had this information. He finally smiles and shrugs.~

[color=#B0CFDE] PV: So I made it a little easier. It sill would have felt real. This IS our reality now, right?

HC: I suppose so. But you know there are better things that we could be doing with our time, like, say, practicing some of the lessons I put together for you.

~The setting suddenly changes around them, becoming more like an office than anything. PV looks around, giving a deep sigh that sounds extremely close to what we heard from the original Vaughn earlier.~

PV: But these studies are SO BORING! I mean, what am I going to do with all this knowledge you keep throwing at me? You'd think I'd be going somewhere, when it's clear that's not happening anytime soon.

HC: Hey, you can never predict where the future is going to lead. We might just be duplicates of personalities on the outside world, but that doesn't mean that we can't find our own destinies, can we? And clearly, PV, I can see bright lights in your future.

PV: It's probably a train. Or a flash grenade.

HC: Hey, you thought the toilet story I told you earlier was funny, right?

PV: Can't get much better than toiletry humor.

HC: So let me ask you this: what would you think about dealing with a custodian with an Elvis fixation?

PV: Are peanut butter and banana sandwiches involved?

~HC snaps his fingers again, and several plates of sandwiches appear nearby on the conference table. PV's eyes light up.~

PV: Alrighty then, let's talk about Elvis. What's he gotten himself into this time, and how do we fix it without him dying on the toilet?

~HC, smiling, begins to recite the particular details of what's happening in Memphis, getting Vaughn's take on it, as we cut away.~

---

Seems like my evil clone is getting more into the bureaucratic side than I am.

Imagine that.

Well, maybe that'll free me up from more of these duties in the future. If you've got to have a doppelganger made up from your own memories, might as well make him useful, right? And that way, I can concentrate on my next fights in the real world.

Still, is it bad that I'd almost rather go back to using light sabers to handle my problems? Too bad there won't be any available at Warfare. Then again, Calypso would probably cut his hands off, or slip and come at me, so maybe it's better that this match is under regular rules.

That means count-outs are a thing, right? Hmmm. Wouldn't that be a shocking way to win, managing to distract NKWC into going after a political propogandist in the crowd and causing his team to lose to a 10 count? I bet it could be done, as long as I arrange to keep Flynn busy beating the tar out of Calypso without realizing what's happening. Maybe I can play the North Korean national anthem at just the right time. As long as it lasts long enough... well, actually, I don't know if NKWC would actually stop and salute that long to it. He IS a war criminal, after all.

If those options don't work, I guess I've got only one possibility left to win: I'll have to cheat my ass off. Hey, it's a worthy option when you've already been screwed out of your socks, you know! I mean, I'd hate to knock out Flynn with brass knuckles or something, but then again, I'm sure he'll understand that I'm going to come into this one desperate. If I actually decide to compete, and the jury is still out on that, I'm going to need to try any 'legal' way to win. And by legal, I mean anything that I can slip past the referee.

Maybe if Calypso distracts the ref by needing his shoes tied by an adult, I'll be able to pull something off. You never know.

But, really, to take the words of WOPR from War Games, the only winning move might be not to play. I mean, why put myself through the agony of trying to annihilate both Flynn & NKWC on my own, in basically a true handicap match, when I could just take a seat at ringside and let Calypso get bloodied and buried? I'd be helping another CCPE member get a victory, and let's face it, nobody who matters will count a match like this on my record.

Eh, we'll see. I've of two minds on it, and no, that's not an intentional doppelganger joke. It IS kinda funny, though.

Guess, one way or another, I'll be seeing Flynn & NKWC at Warfare. Will it be a war or just a fair? We'll find out soon enough.