Post by Douglas Crane on Feb 28, 2022 13:47:59 GMT -5
SIDE A.
Douglas Crane is kneeling in the dark, a single white spotlight hitting him. He is still wearing his wrestling gear from The Crowning PPV, in his hands he holds a metal chain with a leather strap tied to his wrist. If we follow the chain to see what it leads to, we see the links disappear into the darkness where we only hear something breathing heavily. A voice begins to echo throughout the darkness, silencing the heavy breathing; the voice of a little girl.
So, with all due respect Casanova, we will be the ones that bring your reign to an end...
Another spotlight hits, highlighting a visiting table you normally see at prisons, divided by likely a bulletproof glass, but there are no phones so the people at either end can communicate with each other. We hear the little girl’s voice again, but we still don’t see her, just assume she is on the other side of the glass.
Those were the last words spoken by us before The Crowning pay per view and yet, here you stand Mr. Grappler, without the toy you promised me and already forgotten by Mr. English who now has a new playdate! He gets to play with Giovanni now, he who hurt our beloved Lexie Gold by the way. You remember her don’t you Mr. Grappler?
No response from Douglas as he continues to look down.
Is this why you left me locked up in this cage? To become a loser to a gross looking Slenderman with a disgusting habit?
I did not lose…
But you didn’t win either! You decided to play what Mommy called a ‘macho man’ game, wanting to prove your wee-wee was bigger than Mr. English’s!
Please do not talk like that, you’re too young to-
I’m old enough to know you should have broken the hold and gone after the champion! But no, you left your title hopes, OUR title hopes up to chance and here we are now, stuck in the island of misfit toys again, being forced to play with a broken GI Joe.
He’s a police officer, not a Joe, and he’s not broken, but officer Greyfield will be once I get through to him. He believes himself to be a man who practices hard times, but he is going to wish for something as sweet as hard times when he faces me. He thinks slapping defenseless prisoners, breaking their fingers, or smacking their head against jail cells is hard times? He couldn’t be more wrong, that is just bullying, attacking the defenseless and abusing his power of authority. Well, we know exactly what to do with bullies don’t we little one?
Yes. I do not like bullies, they are mean. Daddy was a bully, but we made him paid didn’t we brothers?
Crane doesn’t answer, instead, the one attached to the chain, the one known as The Monstrosity does.
Yes, we did, and officer Grayfield will pay as well for his transgressions against those who cannot defend themselves. At the next Proving Ground, I will leave him broken just like I did Betsy Gallagher, just like I did that referee, just like I should have done with English.
Do not worry little one, our time will come again, and when it does, we will not fail you.
You better not, Mr. Jimenez already told me that if you continue to fail, he’ll put you back in your box and he will let me come out and play.
The valet attendant? You spoke to the valet attendant?
You’re not the only one that comes to visit me you know?
I…
“Time’s up!” another voice says, and Douglas looks up and he finds himself back at the shrink’s office.
I really wish you would spend more time talking to me Douglas instead of just drifting off and locking yourself up.
Sorry doc, I can’t always control’em.
Control who Douglas? Who is the one out of control and causing all your problems?
All of them.
He turns around and begins to leave the doctor’s office when she stops him.
Douglas, unless you give me something, I am going to have to report back to Project Honor that you are not making any progress, and clearly regressing since you attacked an official now. Who knows what they’ll do next since clearly fining you is not working?
I just need to get my hands on the Warrior Rising championship, that is the cure for everything doc.
But you lost your chance.
WE DID NOT LOSE!!
He storms out of the office.
We, always we, but which we?
SIDE B.
Douglas Crane finds himself driving up to the hotel we haven’t seen since the very first time we met him. He pulls up to the entrance where the same valet is waiting there to greet him, in case you forgot, he’s a short Hispanic male, in his late 30’s, his hair is black, tied in a ponytail. Crane parks the vehicle right in front of him and then when the valet doesn’t come over to open the door for him, Crane opens it himself and gets out, wearing a nice black tuxedo. You’d think he is heading to a party or a special event, but the expression of concern in his face tells you otherwise. He walks up to the podium like structure where the valet stands pretending not to notice Crane as he walks up to him.
Hello Mr. Jimenez.
The valet continues to write something, making Crane wait which clearly is making Douglas nervous. After a couple of minutes, the valet sighs and finally closes the book. He looks up to Crane and fakes a smile.
“Mr. Personality” Douglas Crane, I thought we had agreed, or rather, hoped to not see each other for a long time.
Yes sir, I am sorry sir.
You were supposed to go out there, focus on the wrestling, control ‘the situation’ as well as ‘the monstrosity’, only letting either or out when needed and have the wrestling life you always wanted.
Yes sir, that was that plan.
Was?
Is.
If it’s still the plan, then why have you lost control? Why are so many of you out? Why haven’t you run wild in Project: Honor like you said you would and why haven’t you won the Warrior Rising Championship yet?
I-
The question is rhetorical Mr. Personality, I know why. We all know why. It really saddens me to see that someone of your caliber can’t do what a little 9-year-old girl has been able to do for most of your lives.
She’s never had to deal with the things I’ve had to deal with, the talent is top notch, the opponents are excellent, the multiple personalities in the ring are-
Something you should be very much familiar with.
Yes, I should, I mean I am, but it’s hard when I’m being pulled in ten different directions.
From what Conspiracy Theory tells me, it’s more than that. So much more, that you have lost count.
Yes, I don’t know how many, but I’ve at least started the extermination protocol that you designed.
Have you now? And how many have you been able to capture? How many have you been able to eliminate?
Capture? None, The Monstrosity doesn’t believe in capturing, only eliminating.
Even better, how many?
Two.
I assume then you have their room keys?
Crane reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out two golden room keys and hands them over to the valet. The valet looks them over and his facial expression goes through a few changes, first happy then sad.
I am glad you got rid of The Hustler, that prick was annoying. But the Cab Driver? Really? Him I had a soft spot for, we’re kind of in the same field if you know what I mean.
It needed to be done.
Yes I know that, I created the protocol remember? Anyway, thank you for these Mr. Personality; I assume you can continue to control The Monstrosity to get the rest?
Yes sir.
Carry on then, but I don’t want to see you again until you get me a lot more than two or when it’s just the two of you out there now.
But sir, we need The Grappler and The Conspiracy Theory as well.
Can’t you be the one that wrestles too? “Mr. Personality” Douglas Crane would go over well with the Project Honor crowd. Let them see another side of you, the one that is normal, the one that is calm cool and collected in and out of the ring. The persona that attracts the ladies, and the gentlemen if we’re honest. You could take control and do better than the other two are doing. Think about it, and besides, CT is pretty much useless in Project: Honor, we don’t need him for this type of promotion.
I’ll do my best to capture him then.
Yes, capture, control the beast Mr. Personality, him we need alive. Controlling it is the key to everything, and remember what I said.
Mr. Personality nods and then heads back to his car, gets in and pulls away shortly after. The valet attendant looks at the two room keys and heads inside with them, going through one of those spinning doors. He walks over to the lobby where he gets a pair of scissors and then heads over to the elevator. There is no up button to push, only down, so he pushes that one and the doors open almost right away. He walks in, and then looks at all the buttons, you may remember that all are in random order and ever changing, making it impossible to tell how many floors there. The lobby button remains at the very top, however. He grabs one of the keys and proceeds to cut it with the scissors, looking at the buttons as he does. The minute the card is cut in half, one of the buttons catches fires and melts away.
The Cab driver was number seven, this is good, six is a manageable number.
He grabs the door room key and cuts that one, causing another button to melt away as well, but this one clearly disturbs him.
Thirty-nine?! Good Gawd Crane, how many of you are out there?! This has gotten way out of control, but where is the leak happening? I must find out.
The valet leaves the elevator, its doors closing shortly after and the lights turning off. There is a soft laughter in the darkness.
