Express Elevator To Hell! AvP, P1
Sept 13, 2021 13:12:13 GMT -5
Marcus Welsh, Outcast, and 3 more like this
Post by petervaughn on Sept 13, 2021 13:12:13 GMT -5
"I am a soldier, I won't surrender
Faith is like a fire that never burns to embers"
- The Resistance, Skillet
*The shot slowly comes up, frame by frame, showing a darkened interior. There are a few slight sounds of electronics, but that is all. You really can't make out much. We begin to hear Peter Vaughn's voice, as a voice-over, while the camera inches forward into the space.*
Vaughn: When I first came to OCW, as one of the eight original wrestlers signed, I was quickly ridiculed as the weakest entrant. I was a joke to most of the other contenders, with many totally ignoring me in favor of the competition. No one thought I stood a chance against Ed Houston, Dylan Thomas, Curt Canon, and the other 'legends'. They thought I was a joke signing, brought in at minimum cost to fill a spot. But I left that Prison Yard match as a champion. I survived. I showed them all.
*Lights begin to flicker on around us, slowly coming up as if having been powered off for a long time. We see in the center of the room a series of hyper-sleep chambers. The camera starts to move towards the first one in the line.*
Vaughn: The pundits didn't believe I deserved to be Craze Champion. They talked a lot about how Mike Zybala would be much more deserving, getting him his first gold in the company. The master was expected to destroy the student. All the polls thought that I would be going down and getting knocked out of OCW. But it didn't work out that way, did it? In spite of THREE betrayals in that House of Cards match, I persevered, I overcame, and I took down Zybala. I showed him the truth: that I had left him behind.
*We are almost on top of the chamber now. Inside, as the frost starts to clear, we can see Peter Vaughn, his eyes closed. After all, when you're in cryo-sleep, the last thing you want is to be looking out the whole time.*
Vaughn: I had proven myself a worthy fighter, but people still doubted me. Guys like Denzel Porter predicted that Dylan Thomas would run right through me, wanting revenge for perceived slights against his family. Thomas had a better GCWA career than I did, so surely the A-List member must be better now. Even as the champion, I was the underdog going into Under The Lights. But Thomas found himself unable to cope with my new confidence and skills, and he joined the list of the fallen. I showed him, just as I showed everyone else, that I'm not a pushover anymore.
*The chamber begins beeping, signaling that the end of the trip is near. The lights above start blinking in sequence. The camera moves in closer.*
Vaughn: Now here I am, the #1 Contender for the OCW World Championship. I'm one step from my ultimate dream. But again, the doubters are talking. Outcast is a world-class athlete with years of experience, they say. He's made it to the top and won't be giving up that spot for a long time to come, or so go the rumors. After all, how could Peter "The Janitor" Vaughn, a wrestler from Outsiders, a man who's 'only' held the Craze Title, pose a threat to the World Champion? Well, for that, I've only got one thing to say:
*We move in on a close-up of Vaughn's eyes, as they suddenly fly open, staring directly into the camera.*
Vaughn: Let me show you.
*We quickly cut to black for a few seconds.*
*The shot comes back showing several men and women roaming around the area near the hyper-sleep chambers, getting themselves dressed and put together. Vaughn is staring into a mirror, as if looking for any visible changes after the trip. Someone comes up and slaps him on the back.*
Warthog: Don't worry, Vaughn, ya didn't grow any extra nostrils! HAH!
Memphis: Give him a break, Hog, I heard cryo-sleep can improve your looks, maybe that beauty sleep worked on him!
Goose: Not from where I'm standing, it didn't!
Vaughn: Yeah, yeah, whatever, Goose. Look into my eye...
*Vaughn pulls down his right eye with his middle finger, earning a laugh from some of the other soldiers. We can see, in the background, brothers Thunder and Lightning doing pull-ups from the ceiling to wake up, while BB is doing stretches. Polpetta, cursing in Italian, is arguing with Maccheroni about him cheating at cards back before they left for this mission. It's a strange group of soldiers, to be sure.*
Master Sergeant: Alright, Marines, fall in! Get your asses into gear and get over here!
*The troops head over, to where the master sergeant is standing with a man in a suit.*
Master Sergeant: It's another glorious day in the Corps. Every meal's a banquet! Every paycheck a fortune! I love the corps! And so we're all going to enjoy hearing the briefing of this mission from Mr. Jonathan Barrows from the Weyland-Yutani Corporation! So shut your damn mouths and open your ears!
*Barrows steps forward, looking a little tentative and nervous at the men and women standing in front of him, wanting to know what the hell they're doing there.*
Barrows: So, we're going to be arriving at Space Station Chicago in about 30 minutes.
Goose: Chicago? Damn, naming it after that cursed place? No wonder they called for us.
Vaughn: No surprise they had to nuke that shithole, one of the worst cities ever. Heard some real craptastic losers came from there, hope they all died in the explosion.
Master Sergeant: Can we get on with this, or do you idiots want to flap your gums some more?
Barrows: So... the space station went dark earlier this year. We haven't heard from them for some time, so you troops will be in charge of reestablishing communications once we dock. Anything could have happened, so we will need to be prepared for what we find.
Memphis: And you needed our full unit for this crap? This is sounding like a cake walk.
Warthog: Or a bug hunt. I heard some rumors...
Master Sergeant: Stow it, Marines. You heard the man, you know the drill! Assholes & elbow, people, let's go! You've got 29 minutes to get your shit stored and ready to go!
*The Marines nod and head off, still joking around, although Warthog looks nervous now. Vaughn notices that Barrows has a small smile on his face now as he turns away.*
Vaughn: I've got a bad feeling about this.
*Okay, wrong franchise, but you get the gist. Vaughn heads off to get his gear, knowing that he has to prepare for everything if he wants to survive.*
So here we are. The dream match arranged. Heel of the Month vs. Wrestler of the Month. Personally, I think Outcast got it as a technicality due to managing to win the World Title in spite of getting his ass kicked so bad he's probably in traction still, but I'll accept it. You see, I was only going for Heel of the Month last time. I did exactly what I said I was going to do. Next time? Wrestler of the Month for sure. They won't be able to deny me once I've put Outcast in the ground, ending his sham of a championship run.
I have to congratulate you on your physical conditioning, Outcast. I've never seen a person built the way you are. Most people have bodily controls beneath the surface that lean towards self-preservation. They're the instincts that tell you, "Hey, if we keep going like this, our life expectancy plummets into single digits." But not you, Outcast. You're always willing to push things further, if you think it'll get you a payday. But how much more can your ancient frame take? Heart, courage, whatever the hell you call it, it can only last so long before your body just... dies.
I'm always willing to take a risk. I'll leap off the top of a cage, I'll dive into the crowd, and I'll do whatever it takes. But at the same time, unlike you, I calculate the odds in my head. And when the odds say I'll be hurting myself just as much, or more, than my opponent, I'm smart enough not to go through with that particular move. I'll find another way to break my opponent. You, though, Outcast? You've got no filter. You just say "Hell yeah, hurt that mf'er, I don't care what it does to me." This is why you're going to fail, because you're no longer looking towards the future. You can't just live in one day, because that one day? It might be your last.
And if it comes down to that, Outcast? If I'm standing over you, and I see that the odds say I can end it all for you, whether it be your career or even your life... I'll make the smart choice. The choice that makes sure everyone respects me as the OCW World Champion. Congrats again on the win; sorry it had to turn out to be such a short reign.
*The camera image comes up after apparently some time has passed. We see things from within what looks to be a control room, as Jonathan Barrows and another man can be seen watching some video screens. On them, we can see a flurry of activity, as gunfire is going on in almost all of them. Multiple screens are showing nothing but static. We can hear the radio communications coming back to the ship.*
BB: The Sarge is gone, man, the Sarge is gone!! They got him!!
Lightning: Where's Thunder? WHERE'S THUNDER??
Memphis: Oh my god, Warthog, I can't find him!
Goose: That's it, man! Game over, man!! GAME OVER!! What are we going to do??
*Barrows watches as more cameras fail, with more heart sensors going dead. He shakes his head, then turns behind him.*
Barrows: Looks like you're up.
*The figure nods and departs, as Barrows looks back at the screen. We head towards one monitor in particular, where we can see the person's view as they run, firing away. The name above it is clear: Vaughn.*
*A second later, we've gone through the monitor, as we're now live with Vaughn as he blasts down another alien, dodging the acid spray coming his way. Goose and Memphis are behind him, shooting in opposite directions. They fight their way forward, the apparent last ones standing.*
Goose: C'mon then! Oh, you want some? You too? Take it you sons of...
*Memphis lets out a scream as a xenomorph appears from above, dropping right onto Goose. He instinctively fires, but is too late, nailed by both by the creature's claws and the acid, horrifically shrieking the whole way to the ground. Memphis & Vaughn open fire, mercilessly taking them both out.*
Vaughn: This mission is FUBAR!! They knew! They knew and they sent us in anyway, the bastards!
Memphis: Oh, god! I've got movement from ahead AND behind!! We're surrounded!!
Vaughn: Bring them on then! You think I'm going to let these outcasts from hell stop us? We're Marines, damn it! I don't care what it takes, we're winning this damn fight! C'mon!!
*Vaughn & Memphis charge forward, opting to try and fight through the ones in front of them, even as the rest of the aliens start appearing from behind. They run up to a closed door, slamming on the controls, but it doesn't open.*
Vaughn: God DAMN it, Barrows!
*Vaughn turns, quickly checking his ammo, before loading up a couple of grenades as the first xenomorphs come around the corner. Memphis slides to the right, firing off short bursts. Vaughn takes aim... just as the door behind him swings open. A massive swell of fire from M41A Pulse Rifles flies past Vaughn & Memphis, obliterating the wave of aliens coming their way. Vaughn & Memphis join in, expending the rest of their ammo, until finally things are silent, at least for the moment. Vaughn turns and looks back, a little shocked as he sees the large, powerful man walking out, with several men behind him. They all look rather similar, making it clear that this is likely an android assault force. The first one turns to Vaughn, who can't help but notice the nametag on the android's jacket.*
Biff: Don't worry, little one. We've got it from here.
*The squad moves forward into the station. Vaughn slumps to one knee, still stunned. We cut back to the shot from earlier in the ship, where we see Barrows nodding.*
Barrows: Everything's going to plan.
*Behind him, unnoticed, a screen lights up, warning about an approaching ship of unknown design. We fade out.*