Family Ties, P3 - vs. Archyle & Lux

Post by Peter Vaughn on Dec 23, 2021 13:46:47 GMT -5

The Road So Far:

Family Ties P1

Family Ties P2



It's been a crazy month. While Peter Vaughn has been invested in ripping through the TPW International Title Tournament, he's also been dealing with family drama. It all began when Peter first learned that he actually had a brother: Thomas Hill.

~We see a quick clip of the detective mentioning Peter's brother, not expecting the reaction from Peter, who had no idea.~

Peter later began a vigil of his brother, trying to protect him from a criminal enterprise that had apparently loaned their missing mother some funds, and were now expecting payment from her children. Unfortunately, he failed.

~The next segment shows Vaughn running in slow-motion, watching as his brother's kidnappers drove away. Behind him, we can see the face of his business manager, Jonathan Barrows, shaking his head with regret.~

I really had no choice. My job is to protect Peter's interests. This needed to be taken care of. But Peter... Peter hasn't taken it well.

~Another clip rolls, showing Vaughn threatening Barrows, deeply displeased in his actions.~

Since then, I haven't talked to Peter much. But I know what he's been up to. He started at the lowest rung, tracking down a leg-breaker named Stevens.

~A darker clip rolls, where we see Vaughn viciously bitch-slapping a man tied up in a chair.~

That man led Vaughn to Stevens' co-worker, a thug named Portis.

~A different man is now tied to the chair. Vaughn rears back again, landing another vicious bitch-slap that rattles the man's skull.~

Portis quickly gave up his boss, a fancy-pants rich kid named Kirito.

~Another man is shown, but this time he's not tied up, and both he and Vaughn seem to be enjoying a great feast. The man, Kirito, offers another piece of carved ham to Vaughn, who accepts it with a smile. At the same time, Vaughn slips an envelope across to Kirito, who quickly places it in his jacket pocket.~

It's good to see that Vaughn's learning. Violence isn't always the answer, no matter how good you are at it. Anyhow, from my sources, I know that Vaughn has gotten the location where Thomas is being held. I wonder, now, will Peter once again take the intelligent route with less risk, and call the police to the cabin? Will he do reconnaissance of the place? Will he maybe hire a team who knows more about invasion and extraction?

~We see a final shot of Peter Vaughn preparing himself, slapping several weapons into their positions before turning to the camera, his face intense as he prepares for war.~

No. No, probably not.

~Vaughn walks away from the camera, breaking into a run, as we cut away.~

---

Drew Archyle. The man who doesn't belong.

I may hate Apex, but I can respect the organization. You have the grizzled veteran in Robert Main. The top star in Jim Caedus. The young whipper-snapper in Oliver Main. Past, present, future. But you, Drew? You just seem like a tag-along. A fourth body to add to the pile so that the stable seems 'complete'. And all I've seen of you is that you fulfill no meaningful role in the group, other than an antagonizer. After all, if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have begun feuding with Apex, and the Exiles would not have been formed.

So thanks for that.

I bet you see this as your big chance, don't you, Drew? You were given the easiest possible path to the finals, getting a free bye for a meaningless win and getting to beat up on a kid to get to this match. You still almost blew it, as I thought Oliver was actually going to take you down a few times. Oh, that would have been so sweet. But no, you made it. Then you had to screw things up by interfering in my match with Xavier Lux, and suddenly we've got ourselves a triple threat instead of a true singles match for the belt.

This is all your fault.

I shouldn't have to worry about someone getting pinned or submitting when my back is turned. I should be facing you one on one, shedding your forehead across the sides of the cage. But no, because of you, we've upped the difficulty level. So be it. That doesn't mean I'm not going to be focusing on you. By the time Winter Wrestleland is done, I want the rest of Apex to be studying applications for their replacement member, knowing that your career is officially over and done with. You're never coming back from this one.

Your blood will be on my fists, now and forever.

I never thought I could hate someone as much as Mike Zybala, but you've surpassed him, Drew. You've been my nemesis for so long now. I defeated you in a Broom Closet Brawl, standing tall, and yet you still won't go away. Inside the steel cage, though, you won't get to have your friends come to your aid. I'll be ignoring any distractions that Apex tries to pull on me this time, because I know that the gold is on the line. No more tricks. No more games.

On December 31st, it all ends.

---

~It's December 23rd. The camera approaches a nondescript cabin in the woods. A man can be seen, peeking out through the blinds, checking out the surroundings. He shakes his head, as the camera miraculously passes by him and enters the home, showing another man sitting in an easy chair, enjoying the fire. There's a sudden noise, a banging above them that gets their attention.~

Goon #1: What the Fudge was that?

Goon #2: Probably reindeer, Santa's coming for you, Gary, you've been bad, hah hah!

~Gary shakes his head, annoyed already at missing the holidays due to this assignment. But before he can say any more, more thuds are heard. It seems to be coming from the chimney.~

Gary: Mitch! Something's...

~A canister lands in the fire, immediately erupting with a blast of liquid foam. It covers the flames, causing a massive flood of smoke to flash out of the fireplace and engulf the room. Both men are coughing as they back up, trying to clear their lungs. Luckily, a window easily opens, helping to clear out some of the fumes.~

Mitch: *cough cough* Damn! What was that?? *cough*

~Gary shakes his head, having no idea. He turns back as the smoke starts clearing out, for the first time realizing that there are now three figures in the room. Before Gary can shout a warning, though, the new figure raises something up, something that looks a lot like a pistol. Gary instinctively dives as the gun goes off... sending a tranquilizer dart flying over him and embedding itself into a startled Mitch!

Mitch: I... what... world's... spinning...

~Mitch falls to the ground, as Gary pushes himself up, looking over at the man standing there: Peter Vaughn.~

Vaughn: Ho Ho Hold Up, you sons of grinches...

~Gary dives at Peter, trying to tackle him, but Vaughn manages to slip away, shoving him down. Vaughn then pulls a long stick out from behind him, a broomstick... wrapped in barbed wire! He brings it down onto Gary's back, knocking him to the floor. As Gary tries to recover, Vaughn climbs over him, grabbing the stick in both hands and grinding the barbed wire into Gary's face!~

Vaughn: "Oh Holy Night... The Blood Vessels Are Shining... Twas The Night That The Gangstas Were Hurt..."

~Vaughn seems to be enjoying himself. Gary most definitely is not.~

Gary: STOP!!! STAAAAHHHHPPPP!!!!

Vaughn: You don't like my singing? I'm devastated... okay, then. Keys. Now.

Gary: K-k-keys??

Vaughn: To the door, dumbass...

~Vaughn digs in once more, with Gary yelping before pulling out a set of keys and holding them up. Vaughn thanks him and immediately slams him headfirst to the ground, knocking him out. He picks up the keys and walks to the back, unlocking the door there. Inside, we see a battered Thomas Hill looking up from where he's handcuffed. Vaughn nods to him, then steps in, finding the next key to undo his shackles.~

Thomas: Who... who are you?

~Vaughn finishes removing the restraints and helps Thomas up. He hesitates for a moment before answering.~

Vaughn: No one you need to remember. C'mon, let's get you out of here.

~Vaughn gives Thomas a shoulder to lean on as they head out the door, leaving behind the unconscious thugs. After a second, Vaughn looks back inside.~

Vaughn: Merry Christmas, you filthy animals.

~He tosses another foam grenade into the room before continuing on with Thomas. Behind them, we hear the bomb go off, spraying foam everywhere. The site has been cleaned.~

---

Xavier Lux. The Man of Missed Opportunities.

Oh, I don't refer to your wrestling career. I'm talking about you and me. Every time we've had a chance to fight one-on-one, with no distractions, it's been taken away from us. We should have faced in OCW, but management failed us. We should have had it here in TPW, but Apex screwed us. And now, instead of a dream match between two worthy former World Champions, we've got Drew in the mix.

I'd rather it was just me and you.

If you want to join me in breaking Drew's legs and leaving him hung on the cage wall doing his best religious impression, I'm all for it. But from what I've seen, you're determined to stay neutral. So be it. I admit, you've got a shot at winning this one. I'm going to have trouble keeping myself from tunneling on the agony of Archyle. That could allow you to take advantage, knocking him into the cage and stealing the pin for yourself.

But I don't plan to make it easy for you.

As great as you are, Xavier, you are beatable. We can pull out the tried-and-true comparison of you losing to Outcast, the man I defeated for the gold. But let's face it, that comparison is incomplete. I really, really want to finish it, as defeating both of you will prove that I'm the greatest World Champion of all time, at least in that screwed-up galaxy. I'm not going to shy away from doing whatever it takes to achieve that goal.

With gold on the line, I'll take any advantage to win.

If this means I have to twist your ankle and break it with the cage door, I'm willing to do it. If it means I have to take you off the top and send you plunging into oblivion, I'll take that step. I don't care who your father is, who your mother is, who your best mate in school was, none of it matters. It isn't going to stop me from removing you and Drew from my path. The belt is going to be around my waist once more, right where it belongs.

At the end of the day, D & X can suck it.

---

~The next day, we join Vaughn as he's standing in Jonathan Barrows' office inside of Pryde Industries. Barrows is shaking his head, astonished at the story Vaughn just told him.~

Barrows: And Thomas still doesn't know??

Vaughn: I didn't see the point in telling him. He's better off... not knowing.

~Both men are quiet for a moment, before Barrows continues.~

Barrows: Per your wishes, I contacted the loan shark again. He's agreed to let bygones be bygones, after a substantial payment. Things would have been better if...

Vaughn: Don't even go there, Jonathan. You're lucky I'm even still talking to you.

Barrows: Look, let's just say mistakes were made, okay? But at least now you can go back to concentrating on your match with Archyle & Lux.

Vaughn: You don't have to worry about that, either. I've got that one well in hand. By the end of the night, both of them will understand the true power in TPW. The Exiles are going to rule everything by the time we're done, and everyone else will have to know the feeling of being... outcasts.

Barrows: I have every faith that you'll be holding gold soon enough, Peter. You've earned it. It's been a hell of a year, hasn't it?

Vaughn: You just wait until 2022, Jonathan. We're just getting started.

~Vaughn starts to leave, heading for the doorway. But Barrows stops him by clearing his throat.~

Barrows: Merry Christmas, Peter.

Vaughn: .... Merry Christmas, Jonathan.

~Vaughn departs, walking down the hall. We hear the elevator door ding, then close, as Barrows sits back in his desk. After a few moments, he presses a button. The side door to his office opens up, and Thomas Hill walks in.~

Thomas: Was that it? We're good?

Barrows: He doesn't suspect a thing. You've done well, Thomas. Here's your money. I would recommend paying your debts as soon as possible.

Thomas: I still don't understand any of this...

Barrows: Nor do you need to. A job is a job, after all.

~Jonathan smiles, as Thomas begins counting the money. The camera slowly pans out, showing a custodian outside the door, slowing mopping the tiles right outside. We fade out.~