Chapter 12: Never Surrender

Ten of these ~ is a time change

Four of these • is a pov change

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the wrestlers mentioned in this story, or anything pertaining to WWE and TNA. I am well aware that the ages of the wrestlers in this fic don't match the time period of the fic. (I found it more sympathetic and believable for them to be younger, and that they'd garner more pity with a greater age difference.) I also moved AJ and Punk's marriage up a year. It was necessary to my story. Sue me. Violence, disturbing torture, blood, angst, language, slash, smut, non-con/rape (in later chapters).
SONG: NEVER SURRENDER BY SKILLET

This time it's Hardy who reaches out to me from the place he's been tied up since he arrived. "Oh God, Phil, I knew they wanted to take you out, but this? Those cocksuckers don't have a sympathetic bone in their body! They're sick! They're twisted! They're demented!–" Before Jeff can finish, I interject, my voice hoarse and laced with pain,

"and so are you," I finish the line for Jeff, a quote from an old feud between him and Matt. I pretty much despise Matt, but that's a different story for a different time. I smile quietly to myself, and the pain subsides slightly, though my broken arm is stuck at a painful angle due to the handcuffs. Jeff smiles wide, his maimed back temporarily forgotten,

Do you know what it's like to be your own worst enemy? Who sees the things in me I can't hide?

"That's what I'm talkin 'bout man! That's your spirit, that's something priceless, that's the ticket out of here. You're so weird, I didn't even mean to do that. Man, so that lunatic gorilla is the one who fucked you up so bad?"

"Yeah, but don't worry about me, forget about it. And don't be afraid of him, he feeds off fear. He gets off on scaring people shitless, believe me, I know. We can't give him that, it's exactly what he wants…So, what do we do now?" I ask.

"We make them sorry they ever stuck us down here. We turn the tables. We do our best to act like what they do doesn't bother us. When we can't, we make sure they realize it's not going to make us give up. We never ask them to stop. We don't beg for anything. We defy them as best we can. We act like they can't hurt one of us to break the other. Even if it bothers us, which it will, it'll kill us, but we gotta act like it doesn't. We give them as little satisfaction as possible. And you depend on me a little more, kay? You're the one they want, so when they beat on you they're gonna go harder and longer and they're going to try and make you crack. They have no vendetta against me, when they hurt me they're only concerned with making sure it hurts you. That's the game plan. We do our best to stay strong, cause people will realize we're missing. Maybe we can even convince one of Heyman's clients to help us get out." Jeff sounds inspired. The way he says these things, he honestly believes them. Wonder how that feels. He would've made me believe it too, save for the fact that I know a good portion of what he said isn't true. He might think there's a way out of this place. I know better. We aren't going to be able to do the things he talked about. He doesn't understand what they're capable of. The other thing is that they're just as much after him as they are after me. But I give him credit, he's got heart, but that optimistic attitude will be stomped flat in the blink of an eye.

Do you know what it's like to want to surrender?

Hey, maybe ignorance is bliss. I'll let him have his ideas for now, no use crushing him before it's necessary. So I'll humor him, with only the truth he needs to know.

"You are amazing Jeff, you're so strong. There's only one problem (yeah, sure, one problem, okay), it's not gonna just be Heyman's clients. It'll literally be anyone that Hunter wants to come here, past or present wrestlers."

I don't want to feel like this tomorrow, I don't want to live like this today. Make me feel better, I need to feel better, stay with me here now and never surrender.

"He's got all the leverage around WWE, and he can force anyone to come here against their will by threatening their jobs or their legacies. Plus there's plenty of them that will voluntarily beat the shit out of us. We've made quite a few enemies in the back. How long you think until they come back for us?" I ask him.

"I have no idea. You've been here longer than me, how long do they usually leave you?"

Do you know what it's like when you're scared to see yourself?

"Paul was pretty much constantly down here. The first day, when I was tied up the way you are, he just left me alone for the night. It wasn't at all comfortable to sleep that way, I really don't know how I did it. But that seems ironic, now doesn't it? Nothing that's happened since I got jumped in the hotel has been comfortable." I laugh a little because I feel like I have to break this hopeless feeling I can't seem to shake. "Any other time I was alone it was because they drugged me. That was usually if he wanted to tie me up a different way, although one time Brock just knocked me out. With his fist. From the time Triple H got here until now, both of them have been down here this whole time, except when you got here and when Brock got here, they went upstairs, but only for a couple minutes."

Do you know what it's like to want to surrender?

I can see him turn the information I gave him over in his head. It's not all that helpful, but maybe it's good for something. "How's your arm?" He asks, cringing as he thinks about it.

I don't want to feel like this tomorrow,

"It'd be a hell of a lot better if the goddamn handcuffs weren't bent this way."

I don't want to live like this today.

"I'm sorry."

Make me feel better,

"Don't be. It isn't your fault."

you make me feel better,

"It kinda is. If you didn't go and stand up for me, that wouldn't have happened."

you make me feel better,

"I'm just glad he stopped hitting you, even if it means having my arm broken."

put me back together!

"You have to stop doing that."

I don't want to feel like this tomorrow,

"You think I can help it?"

I don't want to live like this today.

"You know as well as I do that you wouldn't even be down here if I hadn't yelled to you."

Make me feel better,

"So what? I'd rather be down here with you than have them torture you in this godforsaken basement alone."

I need to feel better,

"How do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"That, you. How are you so selfless all the time?"

"You're the selfless one."

stay with me here now

"How do you figure?"

"Phil, you got your fucking arm broken for me. But you know what? We each need to start being selfish. When they beat me up, you don't offer to take my place. Egg them on, even if it makes them hurt me worse, it'll make them mad. It'll prove that they can't use us to control each other. When they beat you up, I won't offer to take your place. I'll egg them on. They'll get mad. They'll hurt you. Oh well. This is our only way to fight back. It's going to be awful, it's going to be hell, but we can do it. Let's just hope it's not Lesnar." Now that's a plan I can get behind.

"But Jeff, you know the thing about a Brock Lesnar beat down? A Brock Lesnar ambush? He can beat me down—"

"But he cannot keep you down." I smile and so does Jeff. "Is this our new safety net? We throw out half of a promo, and if the other guy completes it, he's still doin okay?"

"Sounds like a plan," I smile. "Get ready to be as rude as humanly possible towards these sons of bitches, kay?"

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

and never surrender.

A/N: The uploading of my story isn't going as fast as I want it to, but I've been doing this all on my iPhone and what I need is a laptop… I'm trying to get my parents to let me buy one, but once I get one this should go much faster.
A/N: So Punk hates Matt… hm… Foreshadowing?
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