Caught Between Realities (Pt. 2)
Jan 23, 2022 22:30:09 GMT -5
Dylan Thomas and Veronica Strader like this
Post by BRIM on Jan 23, 2022 22:30:09 GMT -5
Bright light after bright light is all BRIM sees as he opens his eyes. He tries to move but quickly notices that he’s strapped down to a gurney. Instead of panicking, BRIM looks around as best he can without alerting the people who are pushing and pulling him through the brightly lit hallway that he has awakened. He hears Duce talking to a woman while they continue down what seems to BRIM to be the longest hallway ever created.
“Did y’all really have t’hit em in tha head like dat? Wheneva’ y’all let ‘em go, he’s gonna fuck yo’ people up.”
“I’m not concerned with petty threats, there’s more at stake at this moment and you and your people almost gave up our location with your arguing.”
“I thought tha dam was gonna give it away.”
“Silence!” She says before continuing on. “We’ve been fighting this war for years and finally have gained some type of advantage when the flood hit.”
“Speaking of which..” Byson interrupts. “How the hell did a flood hit Florida?”
“Have you ever seen a nuke hit the coastline of a country?” She asks.
“Well, I can’t say that I have..”
“Let’s just say that it isn’t the most pleasant thing to experience.”
“Duce..” BRIM says, finally deciding to break his silence. “Why t’fuck am I tied to a fucking rolling table?”
Duce looks over to the woman and then down at BRIM who’s eyes burn a hole through the ceiling with anger. Jones immediately tries to calm the situation.
“B, before you go off ya shit an’ start t’beatin’ everybody up. Just listen t’me..”
“Tell these people to untie me from this shit, Al.” BRIM calmly says.
“Damn.. he called me by my government..”
“It’s not like he said Allen..” Byson adds.
Duce pops Byson upside the head.
“Skye..” Duce says, finally revealing the identity of the woman. “Can you let Bennie here up befo’ he Incredible Hulk y’all shit.”
Byson pulls his phone from his pocket and immediately tries to go to UrbanDictionary.com but there appears to be no service.
“Why the hell isn’t my phone working?”
“Because this isn’t 2022 and your service is more than likely terminated. The motto in this day and age is ‘no chip, no service’.”
“The fuckery..” Byson says, tilting his head towards his chest in disappointment.
Skye motions for her security team to release BRIM. They oblige to her commands, sitting BRIM straight up on the table before beginning to unhook the restraints. Before he’s fully released, Skye signals for them to stop before placing her hand on BRIM’s face.
“The anger that you have built up inside is for naught. It’s meaningless aggression that’s being exploited in your defeat. Patience speaks volumes when it comes to combat and if you do not have it within you to display that patience. You will continue to fail, do you understand me?”
BRIM reluctantly nods in agreement as he’s confused as to where her words are coming from. She signals for the guards to finally free BRIM. When they do, he launches from the gurney and towards Skye who effortlessly sidesteps him, causing him to crash hard into a mountain side wall. BRIM is even more confused.
“What the hell is going on around here?” BRIM asks as he rubs his pained face.
Duce speaks. “BRIM, this is Skye Frost, daughter of DeMarko Frost and leader’a tha Cold Blooded Coalition. Also a one time victim of my father, who kidnapped her when she was younga.”
“Do you really have to say that when you introduce me to people?”
“I mean, it is kinda like a badge’a honor.”
“Hell no..”
“Am I missing something?” BRIM asks, now standing with Duce and Skye. “If your father kidnapped her, why is she so buddy-buddy with you?”
“Well we kinda became friends when he kidnapped her, hell I even helped her escape.”
“You gotta be fucking kidding me..” BRIM exclaims in disbelief.. “So what’s her role in all of this? How does she help me make it back to whatever reality that it is where I can beat Zybala?”
“Well y’kno’ how we were by the fountain and it just warped us into an alternate reality. Well they got dis sorta technology almost everywhere. They call it a beacon and it’s basically their only hope for survival durin’ these tryin’ times.”
“Who the hell are you guys defending yourselves against?”
“Everyone. Everyone is fighting everyone. No one is safe.. From the babies and I would say the elderly but the majority of them died off years ago. Soldiers from all walks of life and from all over this planet have been storming our streets but majority of them are just the ones who didn’t want to go die overseas so they joust their power in the people like mine faces. We haven’t had a decent meal in years and the top 1%, they hide like cowards in their mountains, looking down on us as if we’re nothing. As if they are safe…”
BRIM scratches his head..
“Man look, I just wanna fight in my scheduled match. All of this means nothing to me, but you do know what means something to me? That’s the Savage Championship!”
“Isn’t it sitting on the coffee table back at home?” Byson asks.
“Look.” BRIM sternly says. “I might not know much but when I was locked up, I had a lot of time to read and catch up on things so this little future that you have going is only the inevitable for me. I can’t avoid it, there’s nothing I can do to change it, nothing. I feel for what you and your friend are experiencing in your timelines or realities.. Fuck..” BRIM scoffs. “I sound like a fucking Marvel movie, t’fuck is this shit? Spider-Man?”
Byson looks to say something but BRIM immediately shushes him up.
“This here is above anything that my mind can comprehend. Ya feel me? I just wanted time to prepare for what is a BIG match in MY career. This isn’t some kind of overnight rush for me, you had your moment under the sun, Duce. Why can’t I have mines? Huh? Why can’t I just go out there and prove that without a shadow of a doubt, I’m one of the baddest motherfuckas to ever set foot in that ring. Why can’t I have that one moment where my hand is raised and I’m not lying on my back, staring up at LIGHTS.” He says pointing towards the ceiling.
“Have you thought about rapping in your promos again?”
“My mind was gone, I was locked up in a fucking asylum, a fucking Sanitorium!”
“Whatever the hell that is..” Byson says with a chuckle.
“I get it. Since we’re not taken seriously by anyone else, we shouldn’t take ourselves serious at all?”
“Yeah, yeah.. You got me fucked up wit dat one B. Everythang I’ve done til dis point is me takin’ dis shit serious. An’ at some point, while takin’ all dis here serious, I lost myself. I didn’t even recognize who the fuck I was wheneva I looked into a mirror.”
“Well at least you had a fucking mirror to look at, you see on my end. I get where you’re coming from but I also need you to understand what my stance is on all of this. I sat there and watched as you slowly became a madman after dealing with Mike. Byson and myself were the only ones searching for your ass when you went missing for the better part of a year. Nothing, not a word.. Just you buried and gone, while I’m stuck with this piece of shit that you call a brother.”
“Hey!”
“Eat my dick motherfucka!”
Everyone gasps in shock.
“Pay per view after pay per view, I’ve stared up at those lights in defeat. Show after show, I prove that I have potential.. I’m thirty plus and my fucking potential is slowly fading away. This is deeper than getting back the Savage title. Yes I hold it dear to me because it’s the first championship that I’ve ever held, yet I parted ways with it so suddenly. So now it’s like a drug or a fix that I’m unable to curve because I’m looking for another shot. You see this thing with me and Mike isn’t personal. Well at least on my end, because business will forever and always be business. The fact that it’s him and what he could potentially lose is what makes this much more sweeter. Y’know that I felt so sorry for how bad that I was going to do the guy that I asked Marcus to give him home field advantage. A guy like him needs that type of shit to no longer feel like he’s the underdog, he has everything in his playing field and I can only abide by whatever rules that he puts in place. But don’t think for one second that I’m going into this unprepared.. I’ve become too familiar with the terms, ‘expect the unexpected’.. Especially when it comes to dealing with you two fools.”
“Do you feel betta? Y’kno’ since ya got all’a dat off’a ya chest?”
“No! I would feel better if I were back in 2022.”
“I’m with BRIM, whatever year this is, really has a depressing vibe about it..”
“I mean, we’re only just going through the end of the world.” Skye says nonchalantly. “Really not a big deal.”
“That’s the spirit, so I take it that you guys are going to give us a jump back into the past?”
“Of course we will help you but just know that you may not appear back at the Garden as these portals have many exits.”
BRIM shrugs, moving past everyone and continuing down the hall. The rest of the crew follow suit behind him. Moments later we find ourselves inside of a lobby area of what appears to be an old hotel. It still appears to be in liveable condition as the lights and water can only be assumed to be working. Squatters move through and fro around the building, BRIM and Byson staring in shock.
“Ok, if you guys are at war with the government or whoever it is that you’re fighting, who’s doing the upkeep on a place like this?”
“You’d be surprised at the skill set a person has when their life basically depends on it. We’ve managed a decent livelihood around here. Especially since majority of the crops and livestock have died off.”
“You see? It’s shit like that that makes me ready to jump back through a wormhole and vomit upon arrival.”
“Hmph.. I help you say.” BRIM adds.
“Look, I know that our timeframe isn’t one of the best realities but for a lot in your time, this will be their reality very soon and there's nothing that they can do about it unless they bow to the system.”
“Welp, I have no plans of ever doing that unless I had no other choice. The world as we know it today is decent but it could’ve been better. Besides if history has taught me anything, civilizations rise and civilizations fall, and this one will be no different and before that happens.. I gotta make sure I’m there to put my foot directly in Mike’s face.”
“What is this hatred that you have for this Zybala?”
“Have you not told her the stories, Duce?”
“No, no, no.. I’ve been following Duce’s career from the beginning and in turn it somehow interlinks with your story. It just intrigues me how someone can show so much loyalty.”
“Dat shit is rare these days, the majority of everyone only looks out for themselves.”
“Benjamin, you’re a decent person but it comes with some faults. Like your loyalty, if it weren’t for what happened to Duce in that cemetery that night, you wouldn’t be obligated to even had taken that fight.”
In the middle of a hotel stands a man-made beacon that begins to furiously glow orange.
“What the hell does that even mean?”
“It means at some point in your life, you’re going to stop fighting the battles of others and fight against your own demons.”
With a flash of light, BRIM, Byson and Duce no longer stand in the center of a hotel but yet on top of one. They look around curiously, trying to gauge just where exactly it is that they have arrived too. BRIM walks over towards the edge of the rooftop and peers over, noticing that the hotel rest on an island. Butterflies instantly take over his stomach. On the other side, Byson looks on in disappointment.
“Well guys, we’re not in Key West..” He says while pointing to a bright beaming sign that reads ‘Exile Island’.
Duce embraces his face with his palm.
“T’fuckery..”
“Did y’all really have t’hit em in tha head like dat? Wheneva’ y’all let ‘em go, he’s gonna fuck yo’ people up.”
“I’m not concerned with petty threats, there’s more at stake at this moment and you and your people almost gave up our location with your arguing.”
“I thought tha dam was gonna give it away.”
“Silence!” She says before continuing on. “We’ve been fighting this war for years and finally have gained some type of advantage when the flood hit.”
“Speaking of which..” Byson interrupts. “How the hell did a flood hit Florida?”
“Have you ever seen a nuke hit the coastline of a country?” She asks.
“Well, I can’t say that I have..”
“Let’s just say that it isn’t the most pleasant thing to experience.”
“Duce..” BRIM says, finally deciding to break his silence. “Why t’fuck am I tied to a fucking rolling table?”
Duce looks over to the woman and then down at BRIM who’s eyes burn a hole through the ceiling with anger. Jones immediately tries to calm the situation.
“B, before you go off ya shit an’ start t’beatin’ everybody up. Just listen t’me..”
“Tell these people to untie me from this shit, Al.” BRIM calmly says.
“Damn.. he called me by my government..”
“It’s not like he said Allen..” Byson adds.
Duce pops Byson upside the head.
“Skye..” Duce says, finally revealing the identity of the woman. “Can you let Bennie here up befo’ he Incredible Hulk y’all shit.”
Byson pulls his phone from his pocket and immediately tries to go to UrbanDictionary.com but there appears to be no service.
“Why the hell isn’t my phone working?”
“Because this isn’t 2022 and your service is more than likely terminated. The motto in this day and age is ‘no chip, no service’.”
“The fuckery..” Byson says, tilting his head towards his chest in disappointment.
Skye motions for her security team to release BRIM. They oblige to her commands, sitting BRIM straight up on the table before beginning to unhook the restraints. Before he’s fully released, Skye signals for them to stop before placing her hand on BRIM’s face.
“The anger that you have built up inside is for naught. It’s meaningless aggression that’s being exploited in your defeat. Patience speaks volumes when it comes to combat and if you do not have it within you to display that patience. You will continue to fail, do you understand me?”
BRIM reluctantly nods in agreement as he’s confused as to where her words are coming from. She signals for the guards to finally free BRIM. When they do, he launches from the gurney and towards Skye who effortlessly sidesteps him, causing him to crash hard into a mountain side wall. BRIM is even more confused.
“What the hell is going on around here?” BRIM asks as he rubs his pained face.
Duce speaks. “BRIM, this is Skye Frost, daughter of DeMarko Frost and leader’a tha Cold Blooded Coalition. Also a one time victim of my father, who kidnapped her when she was younga.”
“Do you really have to say that when you introduce me to people?”
“I mean, it is kinda like a badge’a honor.”
“Hell no..”
“Am I missing something?” BRIM asks, now standing with Duce and Skye. “If your father kidnapped her, why is she so buddy-buddy with you?”
“Well we kinda became friends when he kidnapped her, hell I even helped her escape.”
“You gotta be fucking kidding me..” BRIM exclaims in disbelief.. “So what’s her role in all of this? How does she help me make it back to whatever reality that it is where I can beat Zybala?”
“Well y’kno’ how we were by the fountain and it just warped us into an alternate reality. Well they got dis sorta technology almost everywhere. They call it a beacon and it’s basically their only hope for survival durin’ these tryin’ times.”
“Who the hell are you guys defending yourselves against?”
“Everyone. Everyone is fighting everyone. No one is safe.. From the babies and I would say the elderly but the majority of them died off years ago. Soldiers from all walks of life and from all over this planet have been storming our streets but majority of them are just the ones who didn’t want to go die overseas so they joust their power in the people like mine faces. We haven’t had a decent meal in years and the top 1%, they hide like cowards in their mountains, looking down on us as if we’re nothing. As if they are safe…”
BRIM scratches his head..
“Man look, I just wanna fight in my scheduled match. All of this means nothing to me, but you do know what means something to me? That’s the Savage Championship!”
“Isn’t it sitting on the coffee table back at home?” Byson asks.
“Look.” BRIM sternly says. “I might not know much but when I was locked up, I had a lot of time to read and catch up on things so this little future that you have going is only the inevitable for me. I can’t avoid it, there’s nothing I can do to change it, nothing. I feel for what you and your friend are experiencing in your timelines or realities.. Fuck..” BRIM scoffs. “I sound like a fucking Marvel movie, t’fuck is this shit? Spider-Man?”
Byson looks to say something but BRIM immediately shushes him up.
“This here is above anything that my mind can comprehend. Ya feel me? I just wanted time to prepare for what is a BIG match in MY career. This isn’t some kind of overnight rush for me, you had your moment under the sun, Duce. Why can’t I have mines? Huh? Why can’t I just go out there and prove that without a shadow of a doubt, I’m one of the baddest motherfuckas to ever set foot in that ring. Why can’t I have that one moment where my hand is raised and I’m not lying on my back, staring up at LIGHTS.” He says pointing towards the ceiling.
“Have you thought about rapping in your promos again?”
“My mind was gone, I was locked up in a fucking asylum, a fucking Sanitorium!”
“Whatever the hell that is..” Byson says with a chuckle.
“I get it. Since we’re not taken seriously by anyone else, we shouldn’t take ourselves serious at all?”
“Yeah, yeah.. You got me fucked up wit dat one B. Everythang I’ve done til dis point is me takin’ dis shit serious. An’ at some point, while takin’ all dis here serious, I lost myself. I didn’t even recognize who the fuck I was wheneva I looked into a mirror.”
“Well at least you had a fucking mirror to look at, you see on my end. I get where you’re coming from but I also need you to understand what my stance is on all of this. I sat there and watched as you slowly became a madman after dealing with Mike. Byson and myself were the only ones searching for your ass when you went missing for the better part of a year. Nothing, not a word.. Just you buried and gone, while I’m stuck with this piece of shit that you call a brother.”
“Hey!”
“Eat my dick motherfucka!”
Everyone gasps in shock.
“Pay per view after pay per view, I’ve stared up at those lights in defeat. Show after show, I prove that I have potential.. I’m thirty plus and my fucking potential is slowly fading away. This is deeper than getting back the Savage title. Yes I hold it dear to me because it’s the first championship that I’ve ever held, yet I parted ways with it so suddenly. So now it’s like a drug or a fix that I’m unable to curve because I’m looking for another shot. You see this thing with me and Mike isn’t personal. Well at least on my end, because business will forever and always be business. The fact that it’s him and what he could potentially lose is what makes this much more sweeter. Y’know that I felt so sorry for how bad that I was going to do the guy that I asked Marcus to give him home field advantage. A guy like him needs that type of shit to no longer feel like he’s the underdog, he has everything in his playing field and I can only abide by whatever rules that he puts in place. But don’t think for one second that I’m going into this unprepared.. I’ve become too familiar with the terms, ‘expect the unexpected’.. Especially when it comes to dealing with you two fools.”
“Do you feel betta? Y’kno’ since ya got all’a dat off’a ya chest?”
“No! I would feel better if I were back in 2022.”
“I’m with BRIM, whatever year this is, really has a depressing vibe about it..”
“I mean, we’re only just going through the end of the world.” Skye says nonchalantly. “Really not a big deal.”
“That’s the spirit, so I take it that you guys are going to give us a jump back into the past?”
“Of course we will help you but just know that you may not appear back at the Garden as these portals have many exits.”
BRIM shrugs, moving past everyone and continuing down the hall. The rest of the crew follow suit behind him. Moments later we find ourselves inside of a lobby area of what appears to be an old hotel. It still appears to be in liveable condition as the lights and water can only be assumed to be working. Squatters move through and fro around the building, BRIM and Byson staring in shock.
“Ok, if you guys are at war with the government or whoever it is that you’re fighting, who’s doing the upkeep on a place like this?”
“You’d be surprised at the skill set a person has when their life basically depends on it. We’ve managed a decent livelihood around here. Especially since majority of the crops and livestock have died off.”
“You see? It’s shit like that that makes me ready to jump back through a wormhole and vomit upon arrival.”
“Hmph.. I help you say.” BRIM adds.
“Look, I know that our timeframe isn’t one of the best realities but for a lot in your time, this will be their reality very soon and there's nothing that they can do about it unless they bow to the system.”
“Welp, I have no plans of ever doing that unless I had no other choice. The world as we know it today is decent but it could’ve been better. Besides if history has taught me anything, civilizations rise and civilizations fall, and this one will be no different and before that happens.. I gotta make sure I’m there to put my foot directly in Mike’s face.”
“What is this hatred that you have for this Zybala?”
“Have you not told her the stories, Duce?”
“No, no, no.. I’ve been following Duce’s career from the beginning and in turn it somehow interlinks with your story. It just intrigues me how someone can show so much loyalty.”
“Dat shit is rare these days, the majority of everyone only looks out for themselves.”
“Benjamin, you’re a decent person but it comes with some faults. Like your loyalty, if it weren’t for what happened to Duce in that cemetery that night, you wouldn’t be obligated to even had taken that fight.”
In the middle of a hotel stands a man-made beacon that begins to furiously glow orange.
“What the hell does that even mean?”
“It means at some point in your life, you’re going to stop fighting the battles of others and fight against your own demons.”
With a flash of light, BRIM, Byson and Duce no longer stand in the center of a hotel but yet on top of one. They look around curiously, trying to gauge just where exactly it is that they have arrived too. BRIM walks over towards the edge of the rooftop and peers over, noticing that the hotel rest on an island. Butterflies instantly take over his stomach. On the other side, Byson looks on in disappointment.
“Well guys, we’re not in Key West..” He says while pointing to a bright beaming sign that reads ‘Exile Island’.
Duce embraces his face with his palm.
“T’fuckery..”