Finding a New Path
SCW Climax Control #256
Caleb Storms versus Travis Levitt
Wolfslair Gym, New York
The scene opens up on a shot of the Wolfslair Gym. Every bit of it looks new and state of the art. The rings still look like they've barely been used, and yet judging by the small amount of people around the place, it's clear both the rings have had a steady flow of blood and sweat. There's a generally loud buzz of people working out, spotting each other, and encouraging one another to do better. It would almost look like any of a million other gyms, unless you knew exactly who ran in Wolfslair. For now though, the focus is on the main doors as they swing open, and stepping into the gym wearing a simple singlet and gym shorts is Travis Levitt. Levitt has his gym bag over his shoulder, adjusting his grip while glancing around as he walks in slowly, taking in the sight of the amazing gym. Before he can make it in too far though, a loud voice calls out.
"Hey! what the fack are you doing here?"
Travis turns to look towards the voice and sees an approaching Austin Mercer headed his way. Mercer doesn't seem to be happy as he walks over towards Levitt, a scowl on his face as he stares a hole in The Phoenix.
"I was invited, actually."
"Really? Wolfslair only wants wrestlers that love this business. Who would invite a slack ass like you?"
"That would be me."
Mercer takes his eyes off Levitt, turning just enough to see Alex Jones walking up and past him, and raising a hand towards Travis, who grips it tightly as the two men share a quick shoulder bump.
"Glad you made it, Trav. Have any trouble finding the place?"
"Nah. Your directions were good. Once I saw the warehouse, I knew I was in the right area."
Alex nods before he turns to face Austin, who is back to staring a hole through Levitt. Alex lets out a soft sigh and shakes his head.
"What's the problem, Austin?"
"He is. He's unreliable, he's inconsistent, and he can't get it done when it counts. The chips go down, he's not someone I can rely on to have my back."
Alex turns to look back at Travis, who meets his gaze. Alex stares at him for a moment and glances away and then turns back to Mercer with a slight huff.
"You're right. Levitt's messed up in the past. Fucked off on days he should train hard. Let his demons get the better of him, and couldn't keep his focus. But those are all reasons why he just needs a more dedicated gym. And as for having your back.....thats something he earns over time. But, everybody deserves a chance and not even you can deny how good he is between those ropes."
The two men stare at each other, they've been friends long enough that almost a million statements are made in just that single look, before Austin lets out a snarl and shakes his head.
"Alright, you want him here, he's here. But I'm keeping an eye on him."
Austin then steps past Jones and gets in Levitt's face, The Phoenix not backing down as the two men stare each other down, until Austin speaks up firmly.
"You fuck up, and I will take a great amount of pleasure in being the one that kicks your slack ass right back out those doors."
"And if I don't fuck up? If I prove I belong, will you be the one handing me my decoder ring?"
Behind Austin Alex can be seen smiling and shaking his head, but Austin seems less impressed, just continuing to glare at Travis before he sneers and walks off. Travis watching him go with that same impassive smile and then looking at Alex who just shakes his head.
"Why does it not surprise me that you two butted heads right away?"
"Because the stick up his ass could be taken and used to measure the grand canyon with feet to spare? I've never met a man more in need of a blowjob in my life."
"You know he's married, right?"
"Whats your point?"
Alex stares at Travis and then shakes his head and turns to walk away.
"Welcome to Wolfslair, Trav. Come find me if you get lost or need help. Rings that way, equipments that way, and media room is out the back for when you need it. Otherwise, don't fuck up, and I'll see you around."
"You absolutely will."
The two men share a fistbump and Alex turns to walk away. Travis takes a breath and then glances around before looking at the retreating Alex and calls out.
"Hey! Alex?"
Jones turns to face Travis who stares at him for a moment and then clears his throat, nodding his head just slightly and looking at Alex with sincerity.
"Thanks. For everything."
Alex just nods, before heading back off to get into his own routine while Travis looks around, finally spotting the locker room and heading for that. The scene fades out on his back as he walks away, clearly looking to get settled into a routine of the day.
---
Its some hours later, and Travis Levitt is sitting in a hotel room, an ice pack on the back of his neck and wincing. He's seated on the edge of a bed, and while he seems to be alone, another voice soon breaks in, the voice of Hannah Perry, the wife of Travis' best friend Reece, which is coming from a nearby phone on speaker.
"So, hard first day I take it?"
"Oh yeah. I'm finding out there's parts of my body I didn't even know were possible of aching. Not enough ice in this hotel for them all."
"But their getting you back in ring shape pretty quickly, aren't they?"
"Oh that they are. I mean....if I'm still able to bend my legs by the time Climax Control comes around, I should be fully ready to kick Caleb's ass."
There's a chuckle from the other end of the phone, Travis getting up to head over and opens a fridge. He stares at the soft drinks and alcohol sections, but then pulls out a bottle of water and closes the fridge.
"Did you get a chance to talk to Alex?"
"Briefly. I was given a nice welcome by Austin. Alex had to soothe the savage beast, so I didn't want to hold him up from his own routine to much."
"Travis...."
"I know, Han. I do. I promise I'll pull him aside next few days, have a quiet word with him."
Silence reigns for a moment, as Levitt opens the water and takes a deep swig. Rolling his shoulders and groaning just a little, he looks out the window at the lights of New York and then back at the phone.
"Where's the dynamic duo tonight?"
"Desiree had girl scouts, and Reece is enjoying being a Scout Leader. They should be home in an hour or so. You want to talk to Desiree before she goes to bed?"
"If she's not too tired. Otherwise I'll just call in the morning."
"Alright. I'm going to head off anyway, let you get some of that rest your body so badly needs after actually going out there and working out again."
"You know that part where you think your funny, I really have to tell yo Han, your not."
"You'll excuse me if I don't take my humor lessons from a man that laughs at fart jokes in a South Park episode."
Travis lets out his own laugh, shaking his head and moving over to the phone.
"Your point is valid. Alright, Han. I'll let you go enjoy some of that quiet time."
"I appreciate it. And remember, if you need to talk? Any time of the day or night? I'm here."
"I know, Hannah. You and Reece.....without you, I don't know where I'd be. I owe you guys so much."
"Don't worry about it. Your family, Travis. Thats what we're here for. See you when you get home."
The phone cuts off and Travis stares at it for a moment and then sinks into his bed. Looking down at the floor and letting out a sigh, before wrinkling his fingers and clenching it into a fist. Staring into his closed fist, he remembers back to that night six months ago. Sitting in a hotel room similar to this one and a bottle in his hand. Ready to once again fall completely down the abyss when his phone had rung. Looking at it and seeing the picture of Desiree......it had been like a lightning bolt. Shocking him back to reality, reminding him of everything he could lose. Picking up that phone had been the hardest decision he had ever made. But he had done it. For Desiree. For himself. For his career. He couldn't really remember what he had said to her, all he had known was Reece was on his doorstep in minutes, picking him up and taking him to rehab. He wasn't sure how many more times he could fall down the rabbit hole before he was completely lost, but he'd escaped it with a miracle that day.
Looking down at the bottle of water, he glanced around the room and let out a sigh, before shaking his head.
"Fuck it."
Heading over to his bag, he pulls out a tablet, setting it up and then letting out a sigh. Looking at the lens, he stands back, stripping away his ice, before he hits the record button, and then sits back down.
"So.....hey SCW. Been a while. Would be nice to believe I was missed, but the truth is......None of you reached out. I mean, let me clarify, Christian and Mark reached out. They made sure I was taken care of while I was away. Valentina called a few times. And Alex was constantly messaging me and checking in. But aside from that.....nothing. No emails. No messages. No phone calls. I get the way of this business, you know? I know how cold hearted it can be. Lord only knows, I'm as selfish and withdrawn as the rest of you pricks. But still....experiencing it is a whole different thing to knowing its coming."
"Now, I could sit here, yell, scream, and rant about how unfair this life is. But I don't want to do that. No, you bastards already know your bastards. Why waste oxygen when you already know what you are. And I know, so many of you have questions for me about Hawkins. Trust me when I say, you'll hear enough about me from Hawkins in the next few weeks. All you need to know, right now, is that he knows what he did. And the fact that even /he/ didn't try and call me? Thats unforgivable. After everything you took from me Hawkins....."
There's a moments pause, and then Travis shakes his head and scowls.
"No. Not today. I'll deal with you soon. No, today we're going to focus on this weeks Climax Control. My return once more to the small screen for SCW, and its against a man I've already faced in that ring a bunch of times. Caleb Storms. Caleb, I don't know why whenever we seem to cross blades, it seems to be in matches with lots of other people involved. But what I do remember, is you generally are just in their to make up the numbers. Just like you were at Decemeber to Dismember. I mean, second man eliminated? Could you have been seen as any more of a body then with that? I almost pitied you."
"But this week, this is the first show of 2020. A chance for a fresh slate, and a jumpstart on whichever one of us gets out arms raised. 2019 was what it was. It had its high points. It had its low points. But regardless, its in the past now. And now we switch to the present. And I am going to have a present for you. Its my foot, upside your head, over and over again. And just like you have so many times in the past, you're going to find yourself on your back looking up at the lights and trying to see if you can finally count just how many there are in the roof this time. It doesn't matter if its Las Vegas, Georgia, Ireland, or your own backyard Caleb, the venue might change, but your skills don't. You just......you suck. I really wanted to put that nicer, I did. You have to know that. But I just.....I've got this new truth schtick going, and thats the simple truth, Caleb."
"Now, you can probably get better. I mean, maybe. See if you can find a radioactive spider, or a super soldier serum. Might be your best bets. But failing any last minute miracle, this week, the story s rather a simple one. A man on a righteous quest meets a man that should walk around with welcome mat across his forehead, because thats all he is. Just something you wipe your feet on, before you get onto the actual competition within SCW. Don't get me wrong, Caleb. I do like you. I like how hard you try. And I like how you've managed to find yourself as a champion once or twice as well. It's so good to give the doormats rewards for taking beatings so often. But this week.....well, this week you'll need to make sure your boots are polished, your butt is flat, and the lights are ready. Because when the bell rings to end our match? It won't be you with your hand raised. This week, the things I do to you....its not personal. Just my way of reminding the entire world, that The Phoenix still has it."
Before he can continue, his phone starts to ring and he picks it up, smiling and then looking at the camera.
"Anyway, love to stay and chat, but I need to take this. Its someone that actually matters. See you soon, Caleb."
Travis answers the phone, giving the camera just a few moments to hear his first words before it fades...to....black.
"How you doing, Val? Yeah. I miss you too."
