The Storm: Chapter I

[STORM]

The Storm: Chapter I

Scenes: 3

Characters: Mark Storm, Gregory Murphy, Rick the Ruler. 

Word Count: 3489

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[off camera]
Diaries Of A Knucklehead

Friday 26th August, 2016.
Tokyo, Japan; 02:29am

I haven't had much time on my own as of late. I guess that's the reason I've been slacking with the writing. I haven't kept with the recommended schedule my shrink Lisa advised me to stick to, I haven't had the time. And I don't know whether that's a good thing anymore. I've become so fixated on becoming one of the all time greats that in a way I've perhaps lost sight on what's really important. Don't get me wrong, I love it. I love the traveling, and the wrestling shows and the fans that come out to welcome me when I arrive but I do miss home. I miss the smell of my baby girls head when I put her down at night. I miss the feeling of me and Gretchen cuddling up on the sofa on a Thursday night, watching whatever bullshit they've got on television, or whatever crap they've released on Netflix. 

I miss home. 

But I know what I got myself into when I decided to embark on this voyage, so I probably shouldn't bitch and moan about it, and just get on with it. It's weird because when I'm out of that ring I'm left with an abundance of questions; whether all of this is worth it, whether I should just hang up the boots and move to another profession, a much safer profession. But then I step inside that ring and it all comes flooding back, and all those doubts and worries, they evaporate into thin air and I am born again. Every day I die and every night I'm born again, resurrected. 

My name is Mark Storm, I'm twenty eight years of age and I am an addict. I'm addicted to putting myself in dangerous situations. I'm addicted to inflicting pain on others as well as others inflicting pain on me. I'm addicted, to fighting. I'm addicted to professional wrestling. I guess it could be a lot worse, right? I could be addicted to marijuana or some other recreational drug, or worse. 

It is what it is, and I can't help it. 

Putting myself in predicaments where I tear my body apart, I've become accustomed to it but I reached another level a fortnight ago when I competed in the prestigious Frontier Lions Cup.

It was special.

It was something I'd never experience before; a one night tournament between eight competitors all battling for the right to be crowned the winner of the tournament, to go on and face the FGA World Champion. And I gave it everything I got to get to that semi finals but it wasn't meant to be. I was already broken on my way to the semi's with an excessive schedule like mine, it was expected but I'm not using that as an excuse. At the end of the day deep down I know that right now, Chandler Scott is better than me. But that's right now. He's been doing this dance for a long time and I'm only just getting started, I'm only beginning to scratch the surface. There's a lot left in the tank when it comes to me and I vowed to leave my mark in Frontier Grappling Arts and leave my mark, I shall. 

My eyes are beginning to fall asleep as I write this and it's probably time for me to call it a night. But the later it gets, no matter how tired my eyes are my mind stays awake and the voices, they talk to me. They keep me up at night but it's not voluntary, I take my medication day in and day out, doctors orders. But they've managed to find a way to my mind anyhow and it scares me. It scares me because at any moment I may become the monster that I was once painted to be, the monster I portrayed for so long. I'm trying so hard to fight against it but the harder I fight, the weaker my soul get's and the more capable they are to suck the life out of me. What keeps me going is the thought of my daughter, what keeps me fighting is the thought of her well-being. 

Insomnia is a bitch. 

But so is life. 

From The Knucklehead, 
The Prince of Chaos.

---

[off camera]
Friday 2nd September, 2016. 
Tokyo, Japan.
The Apartment of Mark Storm

He hadn't been home in two weeks. 

"You've got to take it easy, Mark. I know you miss em but come on, look at the bigger picture. You're doing this for them, aren't ya?" Gregory Murphy inquired, standing behind a distressed Mark Storm who had his hands planted on the bathroom sink, looking up at his own reflection and shaking his head side to side.

Had Mark Storm finally cracked? The man looking back at him wasn't the man he wanted to be. He was fragile and weak and allowed personal feelings to get the better of him and Mark had worked so hard to separate his personal life to his professional life but recently, the absence of Gretchen and Hope had been taking a toll on him and you could tell by his performances as of late in Japan. He'd been molasses and looked lethargic, not quite the fast, high tempo wrestling; wrestling fans had become accustomed to.

"We've gotta get moving Mark, come on."

Murphy placed his hand on the shoulder of Mark who had become numb to any feeling. Murphy grew concerned as he realized that Mark hadn't blinked, continuing to glare at his reflection like it was an art drawing or something, trying to figure out the aesthetics of the work and the meaning behind it. "Mark?" Murphy tapped him on the shoulder and suddenly a burst of new life came to Mark Storm. 

"Uh yeah, sorry Greg.. can I just have a moment alone? I'll be out in a sec." 
 
Mark closed his eyes and didn't have to turn around to know that Murphy had left the room. Murphy took his hand off of the shoulder of Mark and nodded his head, grabbing his suitcase and leaving the bathroom, leaving Storm alone with his thoughts. Mark opened his eyes. 

"Look at the state of you." 

He hadn't heard the voice of Rick the Ruler in so long, the familiarity of his voice reminded him of home. But even though he could hear his voice; he couldn't see the figure that would often embody Rick the Ruler, a tormentor of the mind of Mark Storm, a hallucination beyond any norm, if there is a norm when it comes to hallucinations. 

"You look weak. Have you been crying?" Rick chuckled to the disapproval of Mark who shook his head and closed his eyes tightly, not wanting to allow Rick the power to control him. "I bet you have. I know you have. Don't lie to me Mark, I see everything. It doesn't matter how much meds you decide to dose yourself up with, kid. There's no getting rid of me!" 

Mark suddenly ran the tap and drenched his hands with water, curling his hands into a ball shape before throwing a puddle of water against his face, several times before looking at his reflection once again. And standing behind him was the hallucination himself; Rick the Ruler, a cigarette clenched between his fingers and a grin from ear to ear. 

"You've been crying over them, haven't you Mark?"

Closing his eyes, Mark pictured his daughter Hope and Gretchen in his mind. 

"Well you haven't got time to worry about that bullshit. You've got to think about what's next, Mark. You worry about them when it's all said and done but right now, you're only beginning to scratch the surface!" Rick paused, with the click of his fingers he ignited a flame which he used to light his cigarette up, bringing it to his mouth, he inhaled before exhaling. 

"You've gotta be worrying about tomorrow night. Frontier Grappling Arts. Vertigo against Evan Envi." He paused once again in order to take another drag of his cigarette. "Worrying about family and friends will punish you! You've got to only think about your next task! And your next task, he's quite the handful." Rick admitted. "But you're becoming someone else, again. You're becoming something else, again. I've seen it, the world has seen it, and you know it. You're changing the game Mark. You're proving the impossible is in fact possible and you're doing it so damn well. So damn well that you've got yourself upgraded from opening matches to the latter stages of the show over in FGA, haven't ya? But don't let that slip. Don't let that slip because you're off somewhere thinking about family, and friends! You know what you got yourself into! So stop sobbing and get your ass back in gear! We've got work to do."

SLAM!

Driving his fist through the reflection and glass shattered around him. He opened his eyes and everything made sense again. It was like he had become a new man all over again, just through the words of Rick the Ruler but that was the sort of motivation that kept Storm going; he needed to hear that. Turning around, stood leaning against the door frame with his mouth wide open was Gregory Murphy, who couldn't bring himself to say anything. He was shocked, he'd just witnessed his client punch through a glass mirror and he seemed fine, he wasn't effected by the blow at all. Gregory looked into the eyes of Mark and he looked different. There was something different about him, and it scared Gregory. "Let's get going." He said, to break the tension.

---

The Shoot [on camera]

"I have no friends here." 

That's the way he saw it and he was okay with it. He'd had enough of trying to fit in and trying to be the likable guy but in truth, he was done with that gig a long time ago. That gig wasn't fit for a man like Mark Storm. You'd either love him or hate him; those in attendance leaned towards love whilst colleagues and professionals alike, it was no secret that he didn't get a long with most people.

He remained seated on the edge of the ring apron, his tenacious eyes fixated on the camera and his hands by his side. He had been training but that was noticeable, the attire he worse was of typical gym clothing, the sweat slivering down his face another indicator as well as the redness of his face and his hair being all over the place, not to mention there was a wrestling dummy leaning against the ropes behind him. 

"But I didn't come here to make friends."

He snarled, shaking his head to the side.

"I came here to leave my mark and become one of the all time greats, not to make memorable friendships or any of that bullshit. I'm here to create some memorable matches that's for sure, some memorable moments and I envision those memorable moments all being successful moments, for me individually. I wanna make moments that will replay for a life time, moments that wrestling fans will never forget as it is embedded in their minds for eternity."

Pausing, Storm picked up his bottle that was situated next to him along the ring apron, opening the lid and taking a sip from it before placing it back down where it was, exhaling and looking at the camera once again. 

"I've been upping the game haven't I? I'm not the only one who's noticed, right? It looks like as the weeks go by, the stronger I get and the more difficult it is to beat me. Because let's face it when I came into this company I was the damn punching bag that everyone expected an easy win off of but now, I've elevated to another level, a respected level but it's still not one that I'm content with. But my secret it, I'm never content and that's why it only gets better from Mark Storm. Week after week, fortnight after fortnight; the amp goes up and I exceed the expectations that are given. I go against the scriptures that are prophesied by the fans and reporters and I do my own thing, and in doing that, I'm raising the bar. 

Yun Goeun found that out when I faced her for a second time a fortnight ago at Above and Beyond and so did our very own number one contender for the FGA World Championship mister Chandler Scott. He wasn't expected the bout that I gave him, he wasn't expecting it to be so close and to be so tight, no one was but I knew that I was going to give him a run for his money. And despite the loss I'm proud of myself because I know I gave it everything I had. So I went away and continued to beat on my craft, continued to enhance and become a much more rounded combatant and that's exactly what I've done. To drawing board is clear and a new chapter begins, a chapter that leads to a path of success."

You'd think that Mark Storm was some kind of a preacher by the way he addressed the camera with so much confidence and charisma, something that was never an element in his game, it wasn't a strong enough element anyway but he'd worked on his trash talking and general promo skills and you could see that. 

"I'm not afraid of failing. I'm not afraid of taking the fall. I'm not afraid of admitting when someone's better than me."

And by this, he mean't Chandler Scott.

"We live and we learn right and that's what Above and Beyond was, another learning curb and now, I move onto what's next and what they've got next for Mark Storm is a man who goes by the name of Evan Envi."

Of course he'd done his research.

"The competition gets tougher and tougher and they've given me another tough one for Vertigo. Anyone who knows wrestling and knows the industry would've heard of Evan Envi. His name has been circling around the industry ever since his inception back in 07 and it hasn't really stopped because in truth, Evan Envi hasn't stopped. He's continued to grow and grow and grow as a professional in a number of prestigious promotions. And the damn if you've seen him inside that ring you'll know that he's something else, another technician in the ring who compliments that technicality with aerial ability that's second to none. Perhaps inside the ring me and Evan have a lot in common in terms of what we can do and the wide variety of styles that we can explore but it's no doubt that outside the ring, we are completely different people.

I may not no him personally and I'm not one to judge a book by it's cover but heck, I'm gonna do it anyway. The way this guy rubs off on people, the way he comes across suggests that he's a bit of an asshole but I guess that isn't even judging a book by it's cover, if there's evidence against that fact. I mean it's already been covered that he's egotistical. Evan believes that he serves as a beacon of hope to the wrestling community and he wants to be that hero, that role model that everybody looks up to."

Storm chuckled, rubbing his hand softly against his jaw before continuing.

"And it's cute. It's cute that he believes in heroes and villains but the fact is, they don't exist, we're all people with different agendas and even if they did exist, he's going the wrong way if he wants to be a hero. First of all, I'm pretty sure if you wanna be a hero, you've first got to be liked, by the people and sure, maybe he has his small cult following but the majority of those fans, they know that he's idiotic, they know that what he prophesies is complete and utter bull."  

"But I know that he's a danger. I'm not an idiot. Heck, he's been going strong since his debut here in Frontier Grappling Arts that I wouldn't be surprised if he found himself in a title picture soon. But just not ahead of me. You've worked hard, sure, you've had two impressive matches, whatever but if you think that's gonna push you ahead of me then you've got another thing coming. I've been here for eight months Envi and I've busted my ass off for eight months to the extent that I couldn't see my family anymore, because I dedicated time to training. To the extent where inside, it was killing me because I'm obsessed with going that extra mile, because going that extra mile is what makes the difference between good enough and the best. I've scratched and clawed and now I find myself as a mainstay around here whilst yourself, you've been here for two minutes and already you're calling yourself some type of savior?"

A smile plastered across his mouth as he paused;

"You're just like the rest of us, Evan! You only care about yourself. You sabotaged that match for Molly Reid at Above and Beyond, a self proclaimed savior, they wouldn't do that. You got in business that didn't concern you, whatsoever but you just can't it, can you? You just want a moment in the spotlight, like the rest of us. You are the scum of the world Envi, welcome to the damn club."

"A lot of eyes are going to be fixated on our match Envi. This is going to be like no other, this is going to be special. Is it going to be special for you? I mean it could be. It's almost become a ritual that whoever steps inside the four sided ring with Mark Storm is guaranteed a five star match, that's kind of my thing."

He bragged, a smirk appearing on his lips as he shrugged his shoulders simultaneously.

"It's going to be special in the sense that we're two professionals who are the future of this brand, I have no doubt in your ability, your contradictory behavior is my problem. Inside that ring, I have no doubt. This is going to be special because it marks a new age, a new era and perhaps that's what the guys in the hierarchy are suggesting by putting the two of us together so later on in the show, is that we are the leaders of said era, the leaders of the new age."

"But this is most importantly going to be special because I'm the guy who's going to break that two win streak of yours. I'm the guy who's gonna drive his freakin' knee through your skull and momentarily end the hype that you've created, I'M THE GUY! I'M THE GUY!"
 
Affirmatively he repeated, pointing at himself and looking deep into the camera.

"All of your tricks, all of your scheming, none of it will matter because at the end of the match, it's going to be my arm that's raised by the official Envi."

Nodding his head.

"You destroyed Rick Young and you dominated Liam Graves. And where are the two of those guys now?"

Rhetorically he asked, looking around the room with a look of curiousness on his face.

"Nowhere to be seen and that tells you a lot about their characters Envi. This world that we dedicate ourselves to, it's built on who we are, as a person and when they dropped the ball, they just up and left. They're quitters!"

"Me? I've dropped the ball. And I'm still here."

"I'm not going to be as easy as the other two knuckleheads you faced Envi. Heck, I'm going to be the hardest obstacle that you've got to overcome, and overcoming me, isn't something you should take lightly. I could end this promo but saying you're not going to beat me because I'm better than you. How the hell would I know that? This is the first meeting between the two of us. What I am going to say is that I am going to beat you because of the fact that I'm ahead of the game right now, Envi. You've got momentum too, sure but I've got momentum that stemmed as far as last January. I'm a ticking time bomb, and I'm just ticking and ticking and ticking and soon enough, I'm going to explode and no one is going to be able to do anything about it. There is a Storm coming Envi, and unfortunately for you, you're about to get swept away with the rubble." 

The scene cut to black.