Mastermind is on his knees in his locker room, just after losing the X-Treme Title to Doctor Louis D'Ville. It had been an epic match. It could have gone both ways. He was physically spent. The match had taken it's toll. He had to dig deep within himself. He had to go where he didn't want to go. He had to bring out his old self from his past. In order to compete with the Doc he had to go back to his past. It was something he did not want to do. His past had been painful, and emotional. He lost his mother at a young age, then his father turned his back on him when he couldn't relate to his father.

He went down the anger road, and took his anger on other children, even older than him. Until someone came along to help put him in place and turn his life around. That was his old wrestling coach.

Mastermind is kneeling, trying to keep his old self from rising again. It was only suppose to be there for 15 minutes, during the match, but it broke out of him just before the match, and now he was struggling with his old self. The sound of a ringing noise interrupted his battle. He opened his eyes and looked around. It was coming from his bag. He grabbed it and unzipped it. It was his cell phone. He took it out, and looked at the name who was calling him.


INNER SELF: "Leave it."

Mastermind shook his head, he thought he heard a voice.

INNER SELF: "You heard me, leave it."

OUTER SELF: "No leave me alone."

Mastermind grabbed his head, and held it in his hands. The phone stopped ringing. Mastermind closed his eyes and concentrated really hard.

INNER SELF: "I'll let you win for now, but sooner or later the need to fight this way again will be too much, and I will be back."

Mastermind concentrated harder, and soon the overall feeling of anger and oppressiveness was gone. The sound of the cell phone ringing again, made him open his eyes. He quickly grabbed the cell phone, and answered it.

"Maria is that you?"

MARIA: "Yes it is. Are you okay 'M', I saw your loss, I'm so sorry about the X-Treme Title."

Mastermind began to breathe easier.

"It's okay Maria. I will get it back again another time. I just wasn't good enough to hold on to it. The most important person in my life now is you."

MARIA: "Are you sure you're okay you sound conflicted?"

Mastermind stood up, and sat back down on the seat.

"I'm fine, it was just a physically draining match. I'm coming home for a week."

MARIA: "As long as you are okay?"

"Like I said I'm fine. Hopefully I'll get to see you tomorrow."

MARIA: "I'm looking forward to seeing you home again."

Mastermind smiled.

"I'll see you soon."

MARIA: "Okay. I love you."

"I love you too.."

Mastermind closes his cell phone, and closes his eyes. Her voiced had soothed him, and the anger had gone. Meaning that he was now okay to keep it compressed and hidden away. He gets up and leaves the room.

---

The camera fades in to the Mansion of Mastermind, it finds him sitting in his usual chair, facing the wall.

"It has almost been a week since I lost the X-Treme Title to Doctor Louis D'Ville. Some people would say I should be over the loss by now. You would think that wouldn't you. The Doc and I gave a great showing, and in the end he pulled out the winner when he needed to the most. Let's just say I have moved on, but I am not over it. I'm going to take my frustrations out on the next match.

"And speaking of the next match, I see I am in a Triple Threat Match, only it's not called a Triple Threat, it's called A Three Way Dance. Very weird name. Also Elimination rules come into play. I've never been in this type of match before I don't think, so I'm looking forward to it."

Mastermind turned his chair around to face the camera.

"My opponents for this match are the new boy Ethan Donovan, and the not quite new Justin Sane. I'll get to you Sane in a bit.

"Ethan you maybe wondering why you are in this match with such an experienced campaigner. I've wrestled in 44 Matches here in the XWF, been here 7 months. I've been X-Treme Champion twice, and was a former Arc of the Covenant Champion twice too. I've had 17 wins and 22 Losses, and 5 technicalities.

"About a month or so ago I experienced one of my lowest lows in my wrestling career, when I went on a 9 match losing streak. Normal wrestlers would have faltered and chucked in the towel, ask Joey Hawkins, he was on a losing streak, and losing to me the first time, put him over the edge, and I sent him into semi retirement.

"I'm not like normal wrestlers, I'm not like the Joey Hawkins of this world. I bleed, breathe, sweat the XWF. I would die here if given the chance. But I'm not going to die. I found my way out of the hole, and found my way to a 4 match winning streak, and in between that pinned Evertrust for his X-Treme Title. So basically a 5 win streak.

"What am I saying Donovan? Well virtually I'm saying it's going to take someone like you a different way to beat me, because I'm no push over. I am that dam good. I could be better, but I'm not there yet. But being that dam good is good enough for me for now."

Mastermind smiles.

"Now over to you Justin Sane. I have been keeping my eye on you. You have been very impressive lately. We have yet to cross paths, and I was looking forward to the day that we did. Now we are on the same path in the same match. Let's face it, we both know it, we'll be the final two in this Three Way Dance. Donovan is too inexperienced to dance with us.

"But don't think for one minute that you can take the lead, because no way am I going to go down to another defeat back to back. I know that you've secretly been wishing for a match with me, now you got it, what are you going to do about it? I'll tell you what, you're going to give it your best, and try hard, just like Donovan, but at the end of the day, my mind will be too overwhelming for the both of you."

Mastermind chuckles to himself.

"Hear from the both of you soon."

Mastermind turns his chair around and starts humming. The camera fades out.