Post by Mark Storm on Jul 7, 2016 18:56:31 GMT -6
STORM'S STORY
CRAVING MORE
Characters: Mark Storm, Gregory Murphy
Opponents: Salem Cartier, Molly Reid
What was more important to me?
The feeling of winning at the biggest stage of them all to prove all of my critics wrong, or the fact that I did it without needing to tap into my demons? I'd probably weigh them both around the same weight. It was important for me to win at All Star Showdown, I knew that, and I knew that if I didn't, I'd continue to fall down the rankings and just become irrelevant. And irrelevancy is not an attractive trait. I knew that winning would propel me to another level, a level to be proud of and that the win would ultimately dictate where I was going to go from there. That win over Savannah Taylor has concluded in me being booked in my first main event match for the Frontier Grappling Arts promotion. That win, has got people talking, it's tapped into the psyches of doubters, and the critics, and the nonsensical fans, and the egotistical colleagues of mine. It's got them talking. It's got them wondering. That maybe this kid has more than what meet's the eye. I'm not just some crazy schizophrenic anymore, I've reinvented myself, I've grown out of that persona and I've chose something else. The exciting prospect to lead the next generation, that's my association. An added bonus was that I managed to do it without needing the help of my demons. I did it by myself and for myself, and you know what? It's making me feel slightly invincible.
I'm on a cloud higher nine.
I have a buzzing sensation tingling through my body.
The taste is victory is addictive.
And I never want to lose that taste.
I just hope that people don't categorize that victory as a fluke. I've had too many people "fluking" my career like I haven't worked for anything. I mean yes, on the odd occasion I'd use my schizophrenia to my advantage and allow my demons to taunt me, to anger me, to the extent where I'd use that anger against my opponents. But other than that, I'd say I'm pretty well driven and hard working. I wouldn't say I've reached my optimum, that's going to be a long process, a journey if you will, that I'm very much looking forward. The beginning was at All Star Showdown and the next chapter is Vertigo seventeen. I happen to be teaming with a champion in Fujiko Mine, someone who I've adored as a competitor and looking forward to working alongside. But it's no secret, that championship waist that's around her waist, it's very, very appealing to me. She probably know's that already; she's got a bounty on her head now that she's champion and everyone will be coming out to get her, including myself. But we'll work together. We'll work together like we've been doing this dance for a thousand years, we'll tango our way into that ring and transform into a duo of mass destruction. But our opponents will not be easy to defeat, I've acknowledged that, and I imagine she's acknowledged that too. But I got to keep on this high. I've got to keep going with this momentum. I've got to keep winning! And unfortunately, when you've got to do something you've got to knock people down and that's exactly what I'm planning to do with Salem and Molly Reid. I'll cut them down because I have to. It's not the matter of wanting anymore (although, I desperately do), it's the matter of having, and to be the best, others have to get knocked down the ladder.
08/07/2016
Gregory Murphy was harmless.
The kind of guy you'd expect to look after the kids for the weekend, that sort of guy.
The kind of guy who looked either really successful or just like a fucking tramp, that sort of guy.
He had this look on his face and I knew that he wasn't in a good mood. His face turning the color of red, sweat slivering down his forehead whilst doing so. He must've been angry. The only other time he had that look in his eyes was mid masturbation and from looking at his laptop from a brief moment, I came to the conclusion that pornography was not on the menu today. No. What was on the menu were statistics, figures, all revolving around me; I felt like such a superstar, but it's one of those I'd prefer to keep in.
Extending his hand out towards the chair, I hesitantly took a seat and looked around the small office room, he hadn't cleaned since the last time I'd been in. With various suit's lying around the highly congested small office space. What was between us was his desk that was plagued with paperwork upon paperwork. Oh God he'd been working, was what crossed my mind. Gregory Murphy; former service call personal and now a big time wrestling agent, courtesy of me. I felt sorry for him. He'd quit his job, his ex wife had filed for divorce, and he was losing his dog in the custody chase and all he had to cling to was this one dream, a dream to be managing wrestling's finest. So I bought into his sob story and now he earned twice as much as he used to.
"What the fuck do you call this!?" Murphy shouted, his eyes flaring, nostrils expanding like a dragon. It was comical.
Turning his laptop round to show a bunch of figures that I couldn't really understand, and I looked up at him with a face of confusion, a wondering look on my eye.
"For crying out loud, Mark! You're killing me! You're absolutely fuckin' killing me right now! Look at the damn spreadsheet and read what it says!" Once again he shouted, everything he said happened to go through one ear, and out the other.
I clasped my hands together, trying to figure out the most humane way to answer.
"New suit?" I asked, my intent to change the subject, of course.
He was dressed in a rather dapper three piece suit, an upgrade from his usual cheap crap. He shook his head before burying his face in his hands, deeply sighing before rubbing his eyes and taking another look at me. He clasped his hands together, planting his elbows onto the desk and for a moment, silence exasperated the room.
"Your wrestling a lot more than you should be, kid. We talked about this! We talked about how if you wanna have a long future in this shit, you've gotta cut down, you've gotta choose where you wanna be and you've gotta stick to it!" He explained, behind his voice was a hint of caring about my physical state, but in reality, he was all about the money. And he thought about the long term more than he did the moment. "One week you're in Idaho, the next you're in London, and then the next you're in fuckin' Tokyo! Sure, it's good pay but sooner or later, you're gonna get injured due to these excessive bouts, that you're fuckin obsessed with having! Fuck Mark! I understand, you wanna be the best but this isn't proving shit, this" pointing at the laptop "is just pure shit! You've gotta ease it man. You've gotta decide where you wanna be and just stick to it, no more expanding.. you're too valuable, too young. Stick to the basics, stick to your contracted promotions, and you'll be fine!"
It was infatuating.
Traveling the world doing what I love. I couldn't help it, it had become a sick addiction. Germany, Japan, England, Mexico, Canada, New Zealand, China, Azerbaijan, France, Australia. All destinations I had been just for the love of wrestling. And each place, I'd pick up something new, something to add to my game. Others come home with souvenirs, my souvenirs was deepening my knowledge to broadening my horizons, creating my own style from a concoction of cultures. It was beautiful to me, to say the least.
"Yeah, you're probably right." I lied.
"Yeah, I am right." He said confidently, like what he said mean't anything to me. "And yeah, I am only the best wrestling agent slash manager there is, there ever was, and there ever will be. And yeah, I only have YOUR best interested mister Mark Storm. You're damn right, I'm right. But anyway, to the next order of business."
Throwing paperwork onto my lap and skimmed through the pages. What the paperwork entailed was information on my upcoming opponents for Frontier Grappling Arts; those opponents being Molly Reid and Salem Cartier. This was a benefit of having Gregory Murphy as my agent. He was prepared to go to any lengths to get the dirt on my opponents. He'd break into an elementary school if there was a file on one of my opponents, and he'd use their behavior in that environment and try to break it down psychologically. Heck, I'm pretty sure he'd broken into an apartment of a previous opponent of mine to see what was around. Half the shit he done wasn't legal, I already knew that and accepted it, but I couldn't careless, what he'd done in his leisure conveniently was beneficial to me.
I already knew what I needed to know about Molly Reid. We'd cross paths on numerous occasions, she hated me at one point and I hated her but I felt like our relationship had grown since then. We both went our separate ways after that awkward altercations and like I predicted, she'd amounted to more than what people expected. Molly Reid wasn't just a wrestler. She was fighter. An experienced one at that due to her time spent in the octagon and at one point was at the helm of it all. A quick as lighting fighter who's best weapon was her legs. I didn't have to read it on a document to know that. I got to live the experience! Although relatively young and I knew not to mistake that for a weakness, she knew what she was doing inside the four sided ring and every time, she owned it. Her partner however, was someone I'd never cross paths with but someone who's always had a strong presence in the wrestling world. A former cyber champion in Hard Knox Wrestling, the longest reigning champion I must add. She'd left her mark everywhere she'd been and you have to bare in mind, she'd only been doing this for two years now. These women made me feel old.
"Vertigo seventeen baby, main event time!" Finally, he intervened, disrupting my reading time, I decided to look up but regretted it after seeing his yellow coated grin stretch across his mouth. "This is it, Mark! This is the big one! Well, the big one for now anyway! You've also got the Frontier Lions Cup coming up and you'll be facing Sara Cochran."
"Main event, huh? Who would've thought?" I smiled, sitting back comfortably on the chair.
"Don't get comfortable! We haven't got time, to get comfortable! Not anymore, not on my watch!"
He declared before continuing.
"We've got an opportunity here but don't get complacent, don't ever get complacent. Complacency is what break's guys! Being content, is what destroy's careers. You've gotta be looking for more. You've gotta be craving more! Vertigo Seventeen is a step in the right direction of where you wanna be. Don't slip and fuck it up! Don't be complacent after that one win at All Star Showdown!"
I hissed before responding.
"Don't worry, I'm not making that mistake again."
Referring to what happened earlier this year, but that story is for another time.
"I know I've gotta bring it. It's a tag team match and people can say whatever the fuck they want about it, but it's still a damn big deal! It's a big deal and I've got to make the most of it. And teaming up with Fujiko Mine.. that's pretty special in itself, and even though we've been distant watchers of one another, when it comes down to it our end goal will remain the same.. and that's to win man!"
"I like the sound of that!"
His grin embedded on his face once again, and I couldn't help but smile.
We hadn't been working together for very long but already we'd developed this unquenchable friendship, like we'd been boys for life. He's almost twice my age with three kids, an ex wife and dog that he lost custody to. But our friendship was built around my success. I had to remain successful. But it wasn't just for this friendship anymore. It was about Hope. Hope had become my everything. It's weird. I was a parent now and I had realization that the only reason I'm here anymore was for Hope. I had to see her grow. I had to see her blossom. She was on my mind. I hadn't seen her for almost a week.
"How are thing's going though, Mark?"
He asked like he cared. A non work related question, this was something out of my comfort zone. But like my therapist Lisa Erickson advised me, it's a good thing to step out of your comfort zone.
".. yeah, uh.. things are, good."
My attempt to sound the slightest bit human.
But things were good. I wasn't lying, despite sounding like I was. Things were beginning to take a turn and I was enjoying it. A life without demons having to control my every move and action. A life where I have to provide for my daughter and my ex girlfriend Gretchen. A life where Hope is my everything.
"That's good, kid." I could tell that he mean't it, he was nodding his head swiftly. "You look good too."
No more bags underneath the eyes.
No more worries that kept me up at night.
No more tremors or hallucinations.
No more voices.
No more torment.
Everything was good.
But I acknowledged, and accepted, that this was only temporary.
ON CAMERA
@ GYM
You could tell he'd been working hard by the redness of his face. Tape wrapped around both wrist with a bottle of water in one hand, a towel draped over his shoulder. He took a seat on the bench before taking small sips out of his water bottle, looking down at the wooden flooring afterwards and entering a state of deep thought. He looked up at the camera.
"Don't worry, don't worry. I'm not completely like you.
I'm still the schizophrenic. I'm still the weirdo.
I'm still the fake pervert.
I'm still the twenty eight year old who gives off a teenage vibe.
But specifically, a Gothic teenage vibe.
You, know.. the one's who cut themselves and shit.
But that's only because I enjoy the black attires.
I'm still the same Mark Storm.
But your views have slightly changed.
I'm someone you should be watching.
I'm someone you shouldn't underestimate.
I'm someone who's going to steal the show.
I am, the dark horse."
"Everything's changed and all of sudden, everybody's starting to believe a little and it's quite pleasuring to see, satisfying to hear. I've garnered a cult following of fans but they've been true ever since my induction and now everybody wants to jump on the bandwagon. I'm not against it, do as you may, at least you know that I'm a force to be reckoned with.. and it seems like it's something that's getting around the locker room's too. Now I'm not saying that I'm bound for world championship success just because of one match. But what I am saying is that you should never rule me out. Too all the haters, and the critics, and the doubters, suck it. You ruled me out and now I'm on the main event. You must be fuming right now, rioting down the streets with your get rid of Mark Storm banners, it's comical."
He laughed, running his fingers through his hair.
"Tag team action."
Pausing again, before continuing.
"Myself and the Pride champion Fujiko Mine against Molly Reid and Salem Cartier. Already, I know this is going to be one for the archives, an instant classic involving four individuals who are obsessed with bettering themselves, obsessed with wrestling and that's what it's all about. I've said it before and I'll say it again, that four sided ring is our canvas, and we, are the artist. And we'll paint it however the fuck we want it, baby! I'll be honest with you, I was a little surprised when I was told I was going to be teaming up with Fujiko Mine. But it was a good surprise. The sort of surprise that makes you smile. It's a compliment teaming with someone of her status and I'm very proud to be teaming with her and I hope, that she is proud to be teaming with me.
All she needs to know is that I'm going to give it my everything and I'll expect the same from her, and our everything combine, we'll be enough for victory. We're both coming off some big wins, momentum is fueling is right now. Salem Cartier has the same story, coming off a win at All Star Showdown whilst Molly Reid, was unfortunate to not pick up a victory. But that won't damper anything. I don't know Molly Reid very well as a person but I know her as a competitor, and she won't be dampened by that defeat, she'll be upset but she'll be wanting to bounce back, and Vertigo seventeen is her chance too. But unfortunately for her, she won't bounce back.. not on Vertigo seventeen though, not this Saturday.. maybe fortnight later, but not this Saturday. We'll get in that ring, we'll tussle and we'll give those fans a match that they'll never forget but you and Salem, we'll not be walking out the victors. We will."
Scene cuts to black.
