Well I guess this can be worse, but it’s not that bad, I guess. He’s trying in his own way. I think that I’m going to extend an olive branch. I’m going to show him the lab.

“I want to show you something in the basement. Follow me.” I said as I began to walk towards the door to the basement.

“You’re not going to try any gay shit down there?”

“No, just go.”

The oaf didn’t take one step down before he went tumbling down the stairs.

Thud..

Thud..

Thud. I ran down the stairs. The glass shattered all over the ground. Socio stumbles to get to his feet. I walk over and help him up, he seriously must weigh a ton , either that or he’s just completely dead weight. I grunt and eventually he stands up and leans against the wall.

“Welcome to the lab…”

I confidently flip the switch on the wall.

Nothing.

I flip the switch a few times up and down.

“Hold on one second, must be a blown fuse.”

I scurry off to the back of the basement. I pull out a lighter out of pocket.

*Flick* *Flick*

On the third try the lighter illuminates the fuse box. I run my fingers over the panel, and eventually locate the tripped fuse. I click it back into place. Just as the connection is made, the entire room lights up. Row by row. Socio stands there mouth agape as usual. I walk back over to him, and place a hand on his massive shoulder.

“Right here big boy…” As a reach my other hand out showing the room. “Right here is where legends are made.”

The room is completely different from the rundown upstairs. It is pristine. All the tables are stainless steel and spotless. There are beakers filled with clear liquids all along the walls. Some are labeled, others are not, and some have a yellowish tint to them.

I slowly walked out towards one of the tables, and lean up against it. I look around and crack a small smile.

“Tell me the truth… you’re impressed, aren't you?” Socio slowly begins to walk towards me, and starts looking at some of the beakers.

“Where are the bitches man?”

I drop my head to the floor, and take a deep breath.

“You honestly have no clue what this place is do you?”

Socio shakes his head ‘No’ and then a quick shrug.

“Down here is where I make everything that I use. If it’s been injected into someone… I made it right here. I tested it right here. I perfected it right here.” I reach over and pull out a few notebooks, and toss them onto the table. The top book falls off and opens up, revealing my chicken scratch handwriting. “Every one of those books are my trials. They provide me with everything I’ve done. From the combinations that work and the ones that don’t.”

“So you’re a nerd?”

“In a way, yes. I’m also a perfectionist. Everything I make has to work flawlessly. I have combinations that won’t kick in for a few hours, some are instantaneous. It’s getting tougher with kids these days. These millennials are taking harder drugs than I’ve ever seen before. It’s as if they don’t give a fuck about their well being.” I shake my head and glance over just in time to see Socio grabbing a beaker off of the counter.

“What’s in this one?” He asks while shaking the liquid in front of his face.

“I call that one Alice.” I stated matter of factly, while snatching it away from him and gently placing it on the table.

“Alice? Seems lame bro… What’s it do? Does it get you swole? Jacked?” He exclaimed while apparently flexing as if it were as needed as breathing.

“No, but it will trip you the fuck out for eight to ten hours. You’ll be through the looking glass…” Nothing. Not a single response from him. He just continued to flex. “You know, like Alice in Wonderland?”

“Nope, sounds stupid. What’s this one?” He stopped flexing for a moment, and grabbed another beaker without me noticing. “ Why’s it that piss color? This isn’t piss is it?”

Again I have to snatch it away from him.

“No. That one is old reliable. That’s the one I use most. It’ll render a human unconscious within seconds. It was actually quite complicated to ...” Before I could finish the statement, Socio had grabbed both beakers and poured one into the other. “ No! Don’t do That!”

I leapt over the table, but before I could get to him, the beaker produced a small cloud of vapor. Socio didn’t move an inch and got blasted in the face. He began to twitch for a moment, and then looked at me with a puzzled look on his face. So you know the same look he always has on his face.

“Why not?”

I stopped in my tracks, and watched as he just stood there as normal. There was no reaction from him. He truly is just a huge muscle with some limbs. He then looks over to the other vials and peers into them intently, or as intently as he can get. He once again turns around to me.

“I’m thirsty. Do you have any protein shakes?”

“No. I do have water. I’ll go get you that. Don’t touch anything while I’m gone.”

He’s going to touch everything while I’m gone, but I’m nothing if not a gracious host. I walk up stairs and quickly get to the kitchen. I get a glass of water and make my way back. That’s when it hits me, I haven’t heard anything from him. I mean he is basically an overgrown toddler. Any silence with him is a cause for concern. I rush back to the basement.

My Eyes.

My beautiful blue eyes.

What did I do to deserve such a sight?

There Socio was, standing there in his underwear. Somehow he found some gas masks that were stored away.

“What the fuck are you doing?!”

Socio looks up and down, then shrugs.

*Muffled Talk* *More Unintelligible Talking*

Socio continues to talk, as I walk over towards him. I snatch the mask off of his face. He then reaches for this throat and begins to fake cough and choke as he falls towards the floor. I just stand there as Socio plays dead on the ground. I waited a few moments, and then watch as he slowly opens one eye and sees me then quickly closes his eyes again. He is a toddler.

“Well then I guess you’ll never know where I keep all of my super strong, never to be duplicated, can’t be found on the street steroids.”

Boom as if a miracle had happened Socio jumped up to his feet. Eager to see the steroids.

“Where are they Bro?”

“First put some fucking clothes on, this isn’t Breaking Bad.”

Dejected Socio begins to dress again. I walk over to a cabinet and open it up. I look over to Socio who’s eyes get wide. I pull out a handful of vials and set them on the table. Socio quickly snags them up and tosses them in his pockets.

“You got any more?”

“I do. But you have to do a few things for me first.”

Socio tilts his head as if he were a puppy not understanding the command.

“I was telling you about how I need stronger, for lack of a better term, meds. All of the GHB I’ve been getting has been cut. I need the pure stuff so I can continue to produce…”

“Candy?”

“No, GHB.”

“Yeah, Candy. You give the girls the candy and you get a sloppy handy…”

“Yeah sure. I need a lot of it. I’ll cut you a deal. You get me as much candy as possible, and I’ll keep you flush with this super potent steroid supplement.” I reach my hand out for him to shake. He stops right before shaking my hand, then agrees.

“All Day Bro.”

“So any time you need more, you have to come with the candy.” Socio nods in agreement as I continue. “Now should we talk about what we are going to do about Saturday?”

“Nah.”

“Yeah you're probably right, we aren’t going to need to strategize against the both of them. They are going to eat each other alive in the middle of that ring. All we have to do is sit back, and wait. They will do all the work for us.”

“We can still fuck them up right bro?”

“We most certainly can. You know what we can do after we beat them?”

“Fuck Bitches?”

“No.”

“Get fucked up?”

“Yup. I couldn’t agree more.”

With the both of us finally in agreement, and not causing each other terrible migraines. With a trade embargo in place the camera fades to black.

---

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The Afterthought

Here I stand before all of you…. Wait what do you mean we don’t know… it hasn’t aired yet? So the people don’t know wether or not I defeated Socio, and am still the X-Treme champion? Fine then, I’ll keep the secret for now. What I have found out in these few days working with and against Socio is this. He’s not a fucking as we all think. He’s got quite a few brain cells in there still kicking. Sure it comes out as incoherent dribble most of the time, but there are a few nuggets in there that sometimes make sense.

He did say one thing that stuck out to me. It was this…

Why does Big D think so much of himself?

Sure Socio didn’t say it quite like that, I was paraphrasing. Then I actually thought about it for a moment. Yes why does Big D think so much of himself? Sure he’s currently the TV champion, but he was going against a guy who basically had a foot already out of the door. He was the X-Treme champion, and defended the title all of zero times in the middle of the ring, only to lose it to me. He’s had opportunity after opportunity, only to fail. He has grabbed a few of the brass ring, but like Sonic The Hedgehog, he hit the spikes and had to start all over again. Only for all of us to be hit with excuse after excuse as to why he isn’t where HE thinks he should be.

I know where I stand in the pecking order. I’m ok with that. I’m a fucking legend for fuck’s sake. I don’t have to prove anything to anyone. I never did and I never have. I’ve done what was always needed to be done. People just don’t forget about me, like they do to Big D. It’s not going to be long before everyone realizes that you are nothing more than a hyped up nobody that once again can’t stand in the ring with me. I proved it at Relentless, and I’ll prove it again as I shatter your dreams of winning Lethal Lottery.

Speaking of being the Gold Standard… How’s the second rate Hart title treating you? You still getting all the love and admiration you so desire? Are you finally coming to realize that you took a major step back? That’s right your mind won’t allow for that, so let me break this down for you Mr. Gold Standard....

There’s a reason why you haven’t been given a one on one shot for the Universal Title. There’s a reason why no one in this place cares about what you say. There’s a reason why people laugh both behind your back and in your face. It’s because you’re an idiotic, delusional moron. You think you are more important than you really are. You think that because a few people on an internet poll saying you’re half okay means anything? No, because anytime you actually face real competition, you run and piss yourself. You aren’t the gold standard, you’re the Golden Shower standard.

You Dan, are one of the loudest people rallying against my tatic of isolating myself. That’s great. Good to hear you’re still on that. It’s as if you are just jealous of the way I have managed to hold onto the title that you failed to do so. I’m a mere two wins away from collecting the briefcase that comes along with this title, and do you know what that gets me? That’s right something you covet so much, but I’ll have it. So you can sit there and say whatever the fuck you want about me, just know this… I’m better than you and there’s nothing you can do about it.

You are right about one thing Dan, anyone can beat anyone one on a given day. There is some truth to that, but also it’s a crock of shit. You see while you said I already had my day, and that yours is coming, that’s fairytale bullshit. You want so bad to beat me, that it’s literally your dream. It’s your goal. You pulled out everything you had for Relentless, and still came up short. I stood tall, and it hurts you knowing that there isn’t anything you can do about it. I took from you like a robbery in broad daylight. You quivered in fear, and I just beat you down like the dog you are. You aren’t anything special. You aren’t as decorated as I am. You aren’t a legend Like I am. You’ve never beaten me, and that damn sure isn’t happening anytime soon. You can’t beat me on your best day, and my worst. These are proven facts. Right now I’m sober as fuck, but you wouldn’t stand a second in the ring with 2003 FuZz. No, you have me right now. Clear Minded, Sober, and just as dangerous.

The old me wouldn’t enjoy the beating about to be put on you, all he would be looking for is his next fix. Yet me now? I’m going to enjoy watching you writhe in pain. I am going to enjoy watching your hopes and dreams of one day being like me fade away in an instant. Lets just face it there Dan, you look in the mirror every morning dreaming that you were half the man I am. When you lay your head down on your pillow, you dream about accomplishing what I have done. Your dreams are my reality. Things I’ve done are your goals. Well you better get back into the cage again, because after Saturday, there’s only 364 more days until the next Lethal Lottery. Meanwhile I’ll be holding the X-Treme title I took from you. A Lethal Lottery Win. A 24/7 Briefcase, and to top it all off… I’m still going to be better than you. And that’s just the Cold Hard Big D Truth. Go ahead say I’m lying? Say I’m wrong? You can’t. If you have learned anything about me, you know that I don’t lie. I only speak in facts and logic. Unlike you Dan.

You sure don’t like your partner Huh Dan?

Donovan how does that feel? Knowing that you are once again his excuse? He’s already said as much.

All he needs to do is put his differences aside, and you guys will win. It’s as if you are nothing more than a hindrance at this point. I saw your promo, and I wouldn’t help but feel that you forgot all about Socio, and that’s fine. We all forgot about you as well. Dan is right about one thing, You are a disappointment. When I came back, your name was one that people said I would have a good match against. Then I watched you, and I basically vomited in my mouth. How could Dan see you as anything more than dead weight in the ring is basically beyond me.

Once I saw you flounder in the ring, I no longer had any desire to get into the ring with you. You are sloppy and dangerous. I mean that not in the good way. You have a lazidical attitude in the ring. You had arrogance and I don’t know why. You seem to think that things need to be handed to you, but that’s not how it works. The notion of being handed things stopped the second I walked back into the doors again.

The second I came back and worked my ass off to get where I am again. I didn’t ask for title shots, all I asked for was to be treated fairly. I didn’t throw my Legend status around and demand anything. No I came in here and did the same thing I’ve always done. I win, I win Titles, and I beat bitches who think they can slap box with god.

In this company, Dan… I’m the Standard. In this industry, I’m the name known around the world. People look at the both of you, and then they see Socio, they think it’ll be a close match. Then they see my name, and immediately pencil me into the next round. Random drawings or not, did you really think that Vinny, Theo, and James, didn’t want me to get to the finals?

They couldn’t imagine a World where Big D, or Donovan Blackwater headline a PPV. The stocks would plummet, and seeing as how I am a stockholder…

I’ve got to protect My Investment.