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Peter Vaughn · (01-19-2023)

The Road So Far:

Seeing The Other Side

A Sin Revisited - A Fight Finally Ends (CCPE Vs. The World)

Lately, Peter Vaughn's life has been a tale of two sides.

On the one hand, he's holding multiple championship again around the wrestling world, and has been granted an opportunity to once again go for the XWF Universal Championship, the biggest prize in the business. He seems to be rolling right now, scoring victory after victory as of late.

On the other hand, Vaughn has been besieged on all sides as of late. He's been at war with his long-time nemesis, Andrew Logan, finding ways to fight the rich former wrestler as he tries to avoid Logan's grasp. He's had to lead the Custodial Coalition against the Maintenance Mafia, a war that may have been decisively decided with the departure of Bernardo from this world.

He's also had to face a world where Peter Vaughn didn't become a wrestler, and where his family grew up at peace and stayed together over the years. Seeing this version of his life nearly broke him, driving him into a frenzy for a time. That, plus a trip down memory lane focused on one of the biggest regrets of Vaughn's life, has left Vaughn in a precarious state.

The question is, will Vaughn be able to find a path through the dangerous minefield of memories and mood-shifts? Can he find a way to right the ship as he heads towards one of his greatest battles ever?

~The picture opens up on a shot of Peter Vaughn sitting in a large, grey chair, rocking himself backwards as he listens to the explanation being shown to him from one of his senior advisors, Bill Sykes. We appear to be in the headquarters of the Custodial Coalition, the organization that Vaughn has taken over as Head Custodian. Vaughn's eyes seem to be struggling to stay focused as Sykes brings out what appears to be a PowerPoint presentation on the big screen.~

Bill Sykes: And as you can see here, Mr. Vaughn, the skirmishes with the remaining factions of the Maintenance Mafia have been brutal but heavily favored on our side. With our victories in Tulsa and Kansas City, we are really starting to wipe this organization off the map.

~Sykes grins for a second, as he never believed they'd get to this state. But with the leadership of Vaughn, many impossible things have proven achievable.~

Bill Sykes: Our battles still go on in the west coast, however, as you know there are other groups circling to gain ground in the departure of the Mafia. We'll have to work fast in order to take as much territory as possible, solidifying our spot as the top underground manual labor organizations in the world. To that, I've had the boys work up some future ideas for us to implement. Forty-two ideas, as a matter of fact. So let's go to Brilliant Plan #1...

~The PowerPoint screen changes to a bright #1, with Sykes continuing to cycle through the first of many ideas that have been created for the Custodial Coalition to grow. Vaughn sits back in his chair, his eyes crossing for a second, before he manages to refocus on what's going on. The camera spins around him...~

~... and recenters on Vaughn standing on the porch of his main homestead at the PMV Ranch, his pride and joy that he's been building up over the last year. He's leaning on the railing, looking out into the distance, as if thinking about making a run for it. Behind him, his half-brother, Thomas Hill, can be seen, rifling through a series of papers.~

Thomas Hill: ... and two more bills came in just recently on top of that. Now, I know you told me to let the accountants handle this, but, well, I really need confirmation from you that all of these are legitimate costs to the ranch business and not "extraneous expenses" that shouldn't be included for tax purposes.

~Hill manages to find the bill he's looking for, switching it to the top of the pile. He nearly drops everything, but somehow recovers, swearing quietly to himself as he gets everything under control. Vaughn is still not looking at him.~

Thomas Hill: For instance, I'm showing that we spent $5,000 on a one-man post hole digger. Now, sure, we need to get fences put in, but we already had some tools that would have worked for that, wouldn't they? Is this truly a necessity? Or did you or someone else get trigger-happy on Amazon again?

~Vaughn just shakes his head, knowing nothing about the purchase. Hill, seeing this, sighs and begins rearranging his pile again.~

Thomas Hill: Look, Peter, I know this isn't exactly your idea of a good time, but you're the owner of a business now. We have to make sure each and every "I" is dotted and "T" is crossed. The IRS can be merciless if they feel like we're being sloppy. You want this ranch to be successful, right?

~Vaughn slowly nods his head, still looking out into the wilderness in front of him. He sighs and slowly turns around... ~

~... And he looks straight at "Chronic" Chris Page, as Page takes a sip of the drink in front of him. They appear to be inside the Velvet Rabbit, guessing by the decor. From the current angle, we can't see any of the ladies currently wandering around. It appears to be a business meeting, anyway, as Page is sliding a contract over in front of Vaughn.~

Chris Page: This is the best deal I could negotiate for you, and let me tell you, they threw in plenty of incentives for you. This contract here is going to continue to build the brand of Peter Vaughn, as you continue to be one of the most successful wrestlers in the CCPE. Now, I know we're not where you want to be yet, but we're making waves, aren't we?

~Vaughn starts to flip through the contract, reading what he can, although there is a lot of fine print. That's not easy to read in the best of light, much less inside the Velvet Rabbit. Page smirks towards him, shaking his head.~

Chris Page: You don't need to read it, you just need to sign it. Don't I always have your best interests in mind? Didn't I get you that rematch in the XWF with Mark Flynn that you wanted? I know, all these appearances and matches you'll have to compete in will add to your workload, and I get that. But a true superstar hits the road as often as he needs to, in order to get his name built into the history books. By the time I'm done with you, you'll be as famous as me... well, at least close to it.

~Page laughs, even as he watches carefully for Vaughn to sign the contract. After a few seconds, Vaughn does it, before sliding it back Page's way. He takes it, smiling widely as he puts it away to the side. He then brings out another stack of paperwork.~

Chris Page: Okay, now we need to talk advertising opportunities. How do you feel about Mop & Glow?

~As Page begins to hand over the paperwork, we see Vaughn rubbing at his head. It seems like the music inside the Rabbit is getting louder and louder, beginning to drown out anything that Page is saying. Vaughn closes his eyes, moving his head back and forth, as if trying to block out everything around him. The beat of the music grows heavier... heavier....~

~And then there's silence. The quiet is extremely jarring after the loud techno beat we just heard. Vaughn's eyes slowly open, taking in the atmosphere around him. We can hear the occasional bump of a wheel and the steady noise of the wind outside, but it's so much more peaceful than the last few places. Vaughn sighs, then sits back, a smile crossing his face as he looks out the nearby window. The camera slowly zooms out, showing that Vaughn is currently sitting on an old, covered seat inside a passenger bus. We can see a couple of other passengers in the general vicinity, but most are sleeping or reading at this moment. Vaughn takes it all in, before looking towards the window once again.~

Peter Vaughn: ... This is the life...

~After a moment, Vaughn reaches into his side pocket, feeling around for the photo that's slightly sticking out. He brings it into the dim light of the bus, once again staring at the young man's face that's in the photo. The young man is smiling and cheerful in this moment in time... a moment that will never happen again for him. Vaughn's smile fades as he studies the teenager, thinking about all that happened recently.~

Peter Vaughn: ... I'm sorry, William... you deserved to live a much longer life, with your family still around you... you deserved happiness... just like me...

~Vaughn puts the photo back in his pocket, keeping it safely tucked away. He sits closer to the window, staring out at the countryside around him, as the camera slowly zooms out, leaving the bus and showing that we're far away from any cities at the moment. In fact, the only sign of lights appear to be in the opposite direction of where Vaughn is going. Instead, his bus appears to be heading towards a large mountain range, which appears to have plenty of white near the tops of its peaks. The drone shot moves along, continuing to follow the bus, as we cut away.~

You truly never know where the world is going to take you next, do you?

I, for one, was never expecting to be placed into the Universal Title picture at this point in time. After losing the Supercontinental Title to a man I truly believed to be unworthy, I was content to step back and simply take the battles that came my way in the XWF. I took down Finn Kuhn and Buster Gloves because those men demanded to be punished, and finished the year at least regaining my winning ways. But I was expecting maybe a chance to pummel Neddie again and get myself some new, unified gold, or possibly finding a partner to finally wear some tag-team belts around my waist.

Instead, here we are, Marky Mark, my old friend and ally.

When they told me that I could face you for the Universal Championship at Snow Job, I'm sure you thought I would turn down the opportunity. You assumed that, because we had been working as regular partners in other federations as members of the CCPE, I would throw away a chance to become a triple champion in 2023. Well, maybe "assumed" is the wrong word. It might be better to say "hoped", wouldn't it?

I mean, I don't want to take ANYTHING away from the massive job you've done at the top of the XWF over the last few months. You decimated Raion Kido's sainthood, smashed Micheal Graves into a greasy puddle, and stomped a mudhole into Latina Submission Machina. You truly deserve to be at the top of the XWF, no matter what those asshole fans say every time you walk to the ring.

It just hasn't gone so well for you outside those doors lately, has it?

You had to deal with me getting my first victory over you in a WGWF Brawl main event, getting some revenge over the time you got the quick pinfall on me here in the XWF when I was distracted. While you can point to some meaningless tag-team matches here that your squad earned the "W", I can point to the West Coast Rumble, where I outlasted you and everyone else to achieve the WGWF World Heavyweight Title.

In my eyes, I see us as about even at this point, friend.

So I'm sure you'll be saying something about having the "home field advantage" for this one. You've arranged for one of your special matches, giving me a huge mountain to climb as I search for the Optimal Path. You're already working to set every element you can against me, in order to ensure that your title reign continues. Hey, I can respect that. It's what I would be doing, too, if I were in your position.

I was there once, you know. I made it to the very top of the XWF, dominating Jim Caedus as I roared to the Universal Championship, a belt I rightfully earned. Of course, nobody likes to acknowledge that one nowadays, because of Caedus' absolute mental collapse afterwards. The XWF was so embarrassed that they paid ALIAS a massive sum of money in order to come back early, stacking everything against me so that they could get the belt off of me as soon as possible.

If I had to point to any title reign as my 'worst', it'd probably be that one.

But with that being the case, Marky Mark, you must see that I'm coming into this match with some extra motivation. Sure, I've held the Universal strap, but it never came with the respect from the back like you and Kido got. I'll admit it, it's an extremely sore spot for me, one that I'd love to resolve by spiking your head so far underground that you're able to see the bodies buried by Brett Favre under Lambeau Field.

We may be partners elsewhere, Mr. Flynn, but here in the XWF, I'm not going to back down a single inch. I'm going to rip into you with every possible attack I can come up with. If there happens to be a deadly weapon along our Optimal Path to the top, I won't hesitate to use it. I just might aim for a non-vital area, just out of respect. Or maybe not. It depends on how fired up I get and how important it is at that point in the contest.

I want this championship, Mark. I NEED IT.

You know in your heart that I'm different from any single competitor that's come your way recently. You know that I'm willing to take any advantage that pops up, no matter what the crowd deems "dishonorable". You have seen me cut down an opponent from head to toe, dismantling them thanks to my extensive studies of their wrestling histories. I always find their weakness and exploit it.

Just like I'll exploit yours.

What, you think I don't know your weak points? After the last few months of working together, you don't think I've pinpointed exactly what will give me that slight edge to take you down? I know it all, Mark. I know things that your own mother doesn't know... and I will use them against you, just like, I expect, you'll use anything you've learned against me. Have you been paying attention, Mark? Because the final exam is right around the corner, and I know I'VE done my studying, enough to ace the test and squash the Flynn.

It's nothing personal. It's all about business.

When last we faced in the XWF, Flynt, there was one major difference: experience. I've fought all around the world over the last year. I'm a five-time World Champion, with plenty more on the way in the coming years. I'm in my prime, and I'm ready to take advantage of this surprise twist in reality that's brought me to face you, my "partner", my "teammate", in the main event of Snow Job.

And it's all about where this twist of fate is going to take me, as in a few weeks' time, you might just see me as a two-time Universal Champion. You might see me regaining my seat at the head of the table in the XWF, this time with a whole new level of respect coming my way. You might see me taking that spot from a certain King of the Mid-Carders whose been floating way above there recently.

I don't know about you, but to me that just sounds supremely.... optimal.

~The shot comes back at the PMV Ranch, where Thomas Hill is anxiously pacing around the living room area. Standing nearby at the old-school style fireplace is Chris Page, whose expression says he doesn't believe what's happening here.~

Chris Page: You're telling me you haven't seen him AT ALL today??

Thomas Hill: Well, I had to run out early this morning to pick up some wooden posts that were needed, and by the time I got back, well, I hadn't had lunch, so...

Chris Page: Have you talked to everyone around here? Someone must have seen something...

Thomas Hill: Sadie told me he drove out of here soon after I did. I don't know where he is now, though. He didn't tell anyone where he was going...

Chris Page: But you've tried to call him, right?

~As Page says that, he pops out his trusty cell phone, quickly flipping through his contacts to Peter Vaughn's name.~

Thomas Hill: Of COURSE I tried that, but... well...

~Apparently not listening, Page finishes the call, putting it on speaker. We hear the ringing... followed closely by the ringtone of "Judas" by Fozzy. It's coming from the side table, where Peter Vaughn's cellphone is currently sitting. Thomas gives a small shrug, as Page stares over in astonishment, stunned that someone this day and age would leave their phone behind. The ringtone music continues, as we slowly fade out... ~

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