War Games



[recorded after the Taipei Death Match against Matt Knox]

The blood still flowed as the trainers tried to stitch me up from multiple lacerations on my face and head. The work they were doing didn’t bother me much, I was still reasonably numb from having to obliterate a man that I once called brother. With the apparent camera recording this for posterity as SCW likes to do, I continue to talk. I’d grab a copy later and edit out the Sin City logo and shit.

Now that, was a fucking war boys and girls. War Games? That is no game at all. 8 people inside two rings within one cage. There are zero games when it comes to that environment. The thing about XWF is that we’ve all been through the wars before. We all knew what we were signing up for. I didn’t care that I’d be teaming with Jason and Ned, this is business and it wouldn’t make a shit to me if it was Chris Page standing across the ring from me. I do this for the fight. The fight is what matters, the main event at the end of the night is what matters. Being one of the final three teams to enter that structure is what matters. Some would argue that I can’t trust anyone on my team. I don’t know much of anything about Ring Master, common sense says he wants to win as much as the rest of us do. Jason, we agree on one point, putting the CCPE/Trilogy thing on the back burner. It’s just good for business.

The trainers finally finish with the bandages over the top of the stitches. Our doc hands me a package of gauze and walks away.

As you can see, I know what war feels like, what it looks like, and what it smells like. I’ve been through the wrestling wars and the military wars as well. In my time, I’ve seen lives snuffed out in a flash. I’ve seen bones broken in regular matches. I just got done beating the fuck out of Matt Knox and taking my world title back. If I was willing to do that to him, what do you think I would be willing to do to the likes of the Meat Clowns collectively or individually?

Another trickle of blood runs down the side of my face. I quickly take a piece of gauze and wipe it up and away. I toss it in the receptacle nearby. Taking a fresh one, I press against the wound to try and staunch the flow.

I’ve been notorious my entire fucking career, this is a good look and I approve. I’ve always been that asshole, that’s willing to do whatever the hell I have to in order to win. To make sure that my name is remembered in this business. My legacy is my own, I’m not someone who relied on the numbers game in any way shape, or form to make my name relevant in this industry. The thing about XWF is the talent is tall here. This is where the elite in this game come to prove themselves. I did the same to see how I stacked up. I’ve had my ass whipped here and I’ve also kicked some ass. I may not have been as successful as I’d like to but the thing is that I will always come back for more. I’m far from done with XWF, I can tell you that damn much.

---

The last time I appeared in an XWF ring was in a loss to Peter Vaughn, not that it was something to be ashamed of. It still ate at me regardless of Vaughn’s resume. It didn’t eat at me because of arrogance or my own belief that I was better. It ate at me because it added to a losing streak that was really starting to piss me off. There were few things in life that could send me into a rage these days. That was not one of them however, I learned my lessons a long time ago.

roughly twenty five years ago

I knocked on the door politely and waited for a response. I heard yelling inside, “yeah, same old shit. Four years and a crushed spin changed nothing.” Instead of waiting, I used my apartment key and let myself in. I had thought about this day and what would happen for four years, while I served my country. Four years to plan out how I would end my own father's life. I stood in the doorway of the apartment with my sea bag slung over my right shoulder and glared at the old beat down man that stood with a crutch under one arm, yelling at my mother and my sisters. He was so out of control that I swear to this day, he was frothing at the mouth with each insult. When he heard the door open, he spun around and tried to punch me. I doubt he even recognized me at first. I let the punch land, he hit me right below the corner of my right eyelid. My head snapped to the right as expected. What wasn’t expected was when I didn’t go down. I slowly turned my head back toward him. “Now, is that any way to greet your son? Daddy?” I smiled at him as he stumbled backward and fell on his ass. He didn’t say much at first, stuttering as he tried to speak. “N…nnn…No! You should be dead!”

I smiled as I responded, “I should be, you’re right about that. Many people tried to make all your dreams come true, Daddy.” The day I left, I had told him that I would be back and I would finish this fight that he started. “You’re not even a man anymore,” I said to him with the words “anymore”. I sneered at him as I continued. “To think, you were once a man that other men respected for your fighting. Yet here you are on your ass and the only people you can intimidate anymore are my mother and my sisters.” I stepped toward him and spat on him. “You’ve changed, boy.” He nodded as he sized me up. “You’re hard, just like I intended, this is you I had wanted to see so long ago.” He struggled to his feet as I checked on my mom, who was bleeding from the corner of her mouth. A trickle of the blood of my own ran down the side of my face. “Funny,” I said as I straightened back up. “You know nothing about me, you think that the way I am today, is what you wanted to see of me when I was seventeen.” I slowly turned around to face the man that tried to make me into a monster. “The military taught me a few things.” I paused only for a moment as he took a step back from me. “Don’t reach old man, it won’t end well.” He reached anyway for the snubnosed thirty-eight caliber pistol that I knew was holstered on his back. I flicked my wrist and caught the knife as it hit the palm of my hand.

“First and foremost they taught me to have confidence when you’re killing a man, whether it’s up close or at a distance.” He grabbed the pistol from his belt, and I let the throwing knife in my right hand fly. He never got the shot off as the blade buried itself into his brain, via his right eye socket. He slowly slumped to the plastic-covered floor. There was plastic sheeting already there. I would come to find out later, that he had intended to kill them all. “The second thing they taught me was to feel no remorse when doing what you have to do because you’ve been left no choice.” Moving quickly, I removed the knife from his body and used the plastic that he had intended to wrap my sisters and my mother up in, I wrapped him in it instead. I gave my sisters a quick hug and went back to my mother. She sat there, just staring at her hands as if she had done the deed herself. I knelt down by her side and held her as she cried softly. She would later tell me that they were tears of joy because she was finally free of the monster. “I pray that you don’t become the next monster,” she said quietly. I nodded, “I know momma, I hope the same.”

Present Day
That event had happened on this day, twenty-five years ago. It had lain dormant in my consciousness for a long time now. I had never felt an ounce of remorse in all the years that had passed. I felt like my life was coming full circle now, if there was a price to pay for what I had done, then so be it. The detective investigating the case broke my reverie with his question. “Mister Bane, what made you come forward after all this time?” I smiled in return, “That is an excellent question and one I’m not sure I can answer, to be honest. Maybe I’m just trying to provide some closure.” He looked a bit shaken by that statement, “Closure for who? Your father was never even reported as missing.” I smiled at that, “That’s because no one missed him. I guess you could say that this is for me. When you start investigating this, make sure you pay attention to the number of times that my mother called for help from the police department. I can only hope that whoever hears this case will keep that in mind.” He nodded, “I’ll be in touch, Mr. Bane.”

I was sure he would be, and that was fine. My mother had been dead for a number of years and this couldn’t hurt her anymore. None of my sisters went by their maiden names and I was glad of that. My kids never knew their grandfather and really had no regard for him in any way, shape, or form. The only person this could really hurt is me. Amber had so much on her mind lately that I doubt she even made note of what I was doing. I would talk to her about it soon but it wouldn’t be today.

---

The sensation had woken me in the middle of the night, black tendrils invading my brain. They were probing for weakness or trying to find a purchase. Now that I was awake, this had my focus, I didn’t know what Jasper was looking for but he wasn’t going to find it tonight. Whisper had taught me techniques to defend myself against him. These attacks were starting to make me wonder if this guy was following me from place to place or if he was still in colorado. I had my answer sooner than I had thought I would. I pushed back against the attack and I heard someone crash in the bushes outside of my bedroom window. I rushed outside but he was gone. When I got back inside I had a text from an unknown number, well, unknown for now. It read as follows

“I will hound you until the end of time, you can’t escape me, I won’t let you. You should have never even pretended as if you could protect her, she’s mine and mine alone. I will own her soul once again.”

Was this mother fucker for real? He was back to hounding Whisper again. I had heard the story about him, and he was dangerous but then again, when it came to my family, so was I. I looked at the clock on the nightstand and saw the time. It was already five in the morning, might as well get this day going. I went to the kitchen and started the coffee. I went back to the bedroom and grabbed the shorts I had been wearing last night, sliding those on I went outside, pausing only long enough to grab the cigarettes by the back door. I lit my cigarette just as I stepped outside. Amber and I had a deal, no smoking in the house, she had quit smoking not so long ago and I was trying to be supportive. I took a drag from the cigarette and exhaled slowly.

I was bread for war.

I stated it simply and without emotion. I felt that in my soul as the words came out of my mouth. I take another drag from my cigarette, the smoke rings followed as I smiled.

There has never been any doubt in my mind, that situations like this are why I entered this event. In Sin City, they had no idea what they were putting myself and Knox into. They had no idea that environments like this are perfect for me. I do love turning people into human lawn darts. It’s kinda my thing. I took back what was mine, but more importantly, I was able to clear my head. I hope it was a course correction for both of us.

My phone buzzed just then, I checked it, it was Amber.

“Is that coffee I smell?”
I replied, “Yes, and it’s on its way, no need to get up.”

I crushed the cigarette out and headed inside. Amber had recently been viciously attacked by a person that went by “Masque”. She was recovering, but it was a slow go for her. She was still under a doctor’s care and so when I was home, I did as much for her as I could. I got to the coffee maker as she was trying to come down the hall.

No need to get up, ya know? No one will ever question your toughness, Red.

She smiled as she managed to limp down the hall and into our kitchen.

Shut up and pour old man.

She said it with a wink and a smile, I nodded and poured her coffee.

Your coffee, my queen.

I said with a smirk and a wink, she rolled her eyes and laughed.

Hamming it up this morning I see.

I shrugged and gave her a kiss.

Have to, your boy is one of my tag team partners for War Games coming up soon

Jason?

I nodded and a smile followed.

The one and only.

---

I sat there with the camera recording, after a couple of weeks I would have an occasional sliver of glass work its way to the surface of my skin. One of the smaller pieces that the trainers didn’t catch. I finished working it out of my forehead and smiled.

Oh, hey…you’re back! I’ll be with ya in a minute, just some secondary clean-up here.

I padded it dry with a piece of gauze and smiled.

Where was I…oh right, War Games. The only thing that really matters here is that we make it to the main event. Otherwise, it’s going to be a long night watching the other teams compete. Whether I like or respect anyone from any of the other teams is a moot point. This is business. They pay me to make people bleed and to cause as much destruction as I can. Advancing to and winning this thing is all I have on my mind. I don’t care who it’s against, I’ll punch a CCPE member in the mouth just as quick as anyone else, so don’t think there’s any loyalty being an issue.

I shake my head indicating that there will be none of that.

The thing that matters most is the pay window at the end of the night. Not who I faced or who I teamed with but the money at the end and the fact that I helped this team win the whole damn thing.

I lean back in the chair I’m sitting in.

Needless to say, I’ll have Jason, Ned, and Ring Master's backs.

Leaning forward ever so slightly, I continue.

The fact that I ended up on the same team as Jason, Ned, and Ring Master suits me just fine. See me and Cash are damn near family. I don’t always agree with the things he does but I certainly respect the guy until he gives me a reason not to. He and I are connected through several people. Kat Jones, and my wife Amber to name a few. So I believe I can trust him to have my back. Ned and Ring Master? Sure.

I wink at the camera knowing full well that I can’t trust anyone in this match. Although I doubted that Jason would leave me hanging out to dry but you just never know in these scenarios.

So you guys are you and we’ll be what we’ve always been…Notorious.