{The scene opens where we left off as Roxi heads back to the police station. She had placed another call to Lt Murphy and she had to meet him again. Murphy was already on the roof, cigarette in his mouth as he puffed on it as she landed. He crushed out his cigarette and let out a billow of smoke.} Lt. Murphy – Well, you’re alive.
Roxi – Yeah.
Lt. Murpy – What did you find out.
Roxi – The new guy calls himself “The Hidden Hand”
Lt. Murphy – Cute.
Roxi – It appears he’s trying to start the gang war in the hopes that Louie and the others take themselves out and he can move it. At least that’s my working theory. Hence the thefts. People are bulking up for the oncoming war.
Lt. Murphy – Dammit. That’s just what we need. Thugs running around the streets with firearms.
Roxi – I still am working on who stole the precious metals, but honestly my gut tells me that it wasn’t Louie, and that Hammer was feeding me a line. Perhaps it was to get me to deliver the message to Louie himself. Hidden Hand knew that if he told Hammer to tell me that it was Louie, that’s I’d go to Louie. So, perhaps I inadvertently played into their hands. Now Louie knows, and I’m sure he knew about it already, even if he didn’t do it.
Lt. Murphy – So you think someone else stole the metal?
Roxi – I do. Perhaps there’s a third, or even a fourth plater. Louie and the Hand are clearly in on this. But I don’t know if there’s another gang around that’s ready to pop up. The only other one I can think is... Hamilton?
Lt. Murphy – Heather Hamilton leads a cutting-edge technology company. I’m sure if they wanted to have metals like that, they’d just buy them.
Roxi – Maybe, and maybe not. I won’t know until I do some snooping at Hamilton.
Lt. Murphy – The place was condemed after that monster weapon thing broke out.
Roxi – Bio-Sin.
Lt. Murphy – You can call it whatever you want. But Hamilton was removed from the area, and they relocated.
Roxi – And you guys didn’t do an investigation into the new place?
Lt. Murphy – What exactly would we be looking for? You think I’m going to risk my men trying figure that out? They’ve been pretty low-key since they returned to the city. Nothing of note, we do have people keep tabs on them, but so far they’re coming up with new fabrics for office chairs, and something called the Jabber-Wockey Project.
Roxi – What is the Jabber-Wockey project?
Lt. Murphy – We don’t know. And from anyone we’ve spoken to about it, they don’t either.
Roxi – That sound like a Heather-led project.
Lt. Murphy – They have been making major strides to clean up after all that was discovered.
Roxi – And still, Heather didn’t go to jail. Or prison. Or have any consequences for her actions.
Lt. Murphy – And neither have you for the countless millions of dollars in property damage you’ve caused over the years.
Roxi – I did it saving this city from things you can’t fight.
Lt. Murphy – Tell that to the tax payers.
Roxi – There’s no income tax in Florida.
Lt. Murphy – That’s not the point. I still think you and your group are bad as any gang out there. You just put on costumes.
Roxi – And they don’t?
Lt. Murphy – Not like that.
Roxi – The point of all this is, that I think you should contact the Mayor, or even the Governor. You’re going to need some serious firepower to combat this if the weapons hit the streets.
Lt. Murphy – I don’t know if we’re going to get that right away.
Roxi – It’s why I’m saying it now. Look, I’m going to do all I can to stop this from becoming a bigger problem than it already is. But if things continue down this path, there’s going to be war in the streets.
Lt. Murphy – My guys will be out there. I suppose you have to make sure you’re guys are out there too.
Roxi – That’s another thing though. It seems that the hand is hiring the “super villains” to stop me. He said it himself.
Lt. Murphy – That was never an issue in the past.
Roxi – Yes, but they aren’t there to do anything but stop me from helping you.
Lt. Murphy – Sound like you need backup then.
Roxi – I’ll handle what I can. If there’s any sign of any of those guys, you have to alert me, but we now have the understanding that all they are there to do is cause a distraction from the real issue.
Lt. Murphy – This Hidden Hand guy sounds like a real piece of work.
Roxi – Yes, I’m going to have to consult with some other people, because whoever this guy is, clearly he’s been planning this for a while.
Lt. Murphy – And just in time for the elections.
Roxi – Yeah. No doubt the politicians may try and take advantage of this for PR purposes.
Lt. Murphy – Cleaning up the streets has worked for a lot of people.
Roxi – Yeah, I know. Look, I’ll be out there. I know you and I aren’t the best of friends, but we’ve got to work together on this. You guys are going to be outgunned very soon. The best we can do now, is maybe make sure they aren’t out-manned.
Lt. Murphy – You do your job, I’ll do mine.
Roxi – As we do. I’ll be in touch. Let me know if you have any issues.
Lt. Murphy – Yeah.
{Roxi nods and departs from the roof. She tries to ponder her next move as the scene fades.}
{The new scene is Roxi arriving at the home of her friend, Amy Jo Smyth. AJ is already outside, in her back yard which just basically woods. She is still as sharp as ever shooting her pistols and shotguns at makeshift targets when Roxi arrives. AJ sees her, nods and puts her pistol down.} Amy Jo Smyth – Let me guess, you need something?
Roxi – There’s a gang war brewing.
Amy Jo Smyth – What makes you say that?
Roxi – Guns have been stolen. Precious Metals have been stolen. There’s a new player in town trying to get it all set up for blood in the streets.
Amy Jo Smyth – And... how do I fit into this?
Roxi – I mean, you don’t fit in it, AJ. I would very much rather have you not involved, but I’m trying to figure out the best way to approach this.
Amy Jo Smyth – What do you mean? You have super powers and shit. You can end all this before it starts.
Roxi – As much as I want to believe that’s true, even super powers have limits. I can’t be everywhere.
Amy Jo Smyth – Keira has powers too. You have like a whole team.
Roxi – Guild.
Amy Jo Smyth – Whatever.
Roxi – I just... I don’t want bloodshed in the streets. I mean, how would the cops handle this.
Amy Jo Smyth – Like they have before, I suppose. If you have a gang war coming, it’s best to prepare.
Roxi – But that could cause a panic.
Amy Jo Smyth – It’s either they complain now, or they panic later. And panic later leads to more death.
Roxi – Could I ask you to pull some strings with the CIA?
Amy Jo Smyth – You could, and I’m assuming you are right now, but I think I’ve called in about as many favors as I can. They aren’t going to listen to me and try and stop a gang war in a city without some kind of... you know major reason. Wait... are there drugs involved?
Roxi – I don’t know. I don’t think so. Weapons though.
Amy Jo Smyth – No, that’s ATF. And after the stuff they kind of went through in the ‘90’s. I don’t know if they’re going to the favorite around there.
Roxi – But wouldn’t drugs be the DEA?
Amy Jo Smyth – HA. They wish. The CIA and FBI jump ALL over that shit. I mean, they might be into too...But you didn’t hear that from me. I can neither confirm or deny anything.
Roxi – AJ, that’s not helping.
Amy Jo Smyth – I don’t think I can be of much help to you otherwise Roxi. If you got a gang war, there’s gonna be gangs, and shooting. I’m not a cop anymore, and I don’t have the connections to pull CIA off of what they are doing to help.
Roxi – I see.
Amy Jo Smyth – I really wish you’d find better reasons to visit me.
Roxi – Well, I don’t know if telling you I cried like a baby when Nate started school a couple of weeks ago is the most productive. I don’t want to throw ALL my problems onto you.
Amy Jo Smyth – HA. Never stopped you before.
Roxi – That’s a bit unfair.
Amy Jo Smyth – Unfair?
Roxi – Look, you’re... part of the team, and invaluable part of the team. And I owe you so much for everything you’ve done. You saved my life a bunch of times.
Amy Jo Smyth – And you’ve saved mine, but every time you visit you always need something. I would very much like that jacket you owe me.
Roxi – Alright, alright, I promise, next time, I will bring you a jacket.
Amy Jo Smyth – Cool. But uh... about Nate.
Roxi – Yeah?
Amy Jo Smyth – Was it rough for him too?
Roxi – I don’t think so. Trust me, Keira and I were sobbing messes and he just... he took it in stride. He was ready.
Amy Jo Smyth – I knew he would be. Now, be sure to bring him over for science lessons.
Roxi – He’s not going to blow up part of the school because aunt AJ decided to show him how to make explosives.
Amy Jo Smyth – Not with that attitude.
Roxi – It’s not going to happen. I’m trying to prevent a gang war, and I really don’t need my son blowing things up.
Amy Jo Smyth – Life is better with explosions. You know that.
{Roxi sighs.} Roxi – Yes, well... thanks anyway AJ. Just... if things get crazy, just be safe. I’m going to do what I can to stop this.
Amy Jo Smyth – If any of these mother fuckers come to my door, I will blow them all to hell. These bitches better not try me.
Roxi – Just... be safe, okay?
Amy Jo Smyth – You got it.
{Roxi shakes her head and departs as AJ goes back to shooting, the scene fading.}
{The days pass and Roxi does her nightly patrols each night, but there is no activity to speak of. Each day and night, she simply waits for something to happen, but it never does. No robberies, no shootouts, really...no gang war at all. She sits at her laptop the only light source in the room that glow from it. Keira eventually comes in, placing a hand on Roxi’s shoulder as she looks concerned.} Keira – What are you doing?
Roxi – I... I don’t know honestly. I keep waiting for something to happen, but nothing is happening. I feel like I’m missing something and I don’t know what it is.
Keira – You'll drive yourself crazy staying up til all hours trying to catch something.
Roxi – I don’t want bloodshed on the streets.
Keira – There's no way you can always prevent that. You can’t, I can’t. Nobody can.
Roxi – I'm just trying to prevent this from happening. There’s a way to do this. I’m just missing something.
Keira – No, if anything, whatever is behind this is making you paranoid. You need to rest. You’re just chomping at the bit here.
{Roxi sighs.} Roxi – Maybe I am. I don’t know. I feel like there’s a lot more here and I don’t have everything I need.
Keira – We’ll figure this out. But you spending every waking moment trying to stop this isn’t healthy. You’re going to make it worse if you go out there and you’re not mentally focused.
Roxi – I just need one thing, just one.
Keira – No, you need to rest. If something happens, we’ll deal with it, but waiting for something to happen isn’t going to help. There’s no use in doing that.
{Roxi turns and kisses Keira’s hand on her shoulder.} Roxi – That's it.
Keira – What's it?
Roxi – I'm being reactive, and not proactive. There’s got to be at least three parties involved. I’ve got to find another lead. I can’t wait for one.
{Roxi stands up as Keira sighs herself.} Keira – Just be careful, and call me if anything happens. And if nothing comes up tonight, promise me you’ll come back and rest.
{Roxi smiles.} Roxi – I promise. I will be back as soon as I can.
{Roxi kisses Keira and then goes right back to putting on her costume and heading out on another patrol. She travels around, heading to the more unsafe areas of the city trying to find a lead on anything that could be happening. At first, her pursuit appears fruitless as again, nothing seems to be happening. This would be where Roxi would lean on a snitch for her, but he was killed by Ameila a while back, and Roxi hadn’t found someone else to give her information. Roxi eavesdrops on whatever she can, but none of the information pertains to anything important. People looking for spots to score drugs. People looks for sex. Not that these were great things to have to overhear, but Roxi was more concerned with other things. Roxi rested on a rooftop and shook her head.} Roxi – I don’t understand. There’s got to be something.
{Roxi continues to look, but it looks like the search in in vain. She looks to be calling it a night, when she hears an argument ensuing. She moves over to see what’s going on. Three men are surrounding another.} Man #1 – This is our territory punk! I don’t care who you think runs this town, this is Louie’s territory.
Man #2 – You think maybe we should teach this guy a lesson?
Man #3 – How about we break his ribs? Send a little message that way.
{The man in the middle however, does not appear to be too intimidated by anything.} Man #4 – I only come with the message to be delivered. I hope you are prepared for war.
Man #1 – You hear this guy? What a waste!
Man #4 – I wouldn’t do that if I were you.
{The man in the middle opens up his jacket and reveals something, that makes the other 3 men back away.} Man #2 – You're crazy man!
{The three men who were accosting the man in the middle step away and give the man some distance. He walks into the building past the men and he’s in and out in a matter of seconds. The other men watch him walk away, mumbling to themselves. Roxi, having seen this, follows the man walking away, who seemingly breathes a sigh of relief. Once he is out sight of the men, he turns into a full-on sprint to create even more distance and dips on and out of alley’s before stopping to catch his breath and laugh to himself. Roxi decides this is as good as time as any, and simply grabs the man who stretches his arms, only to have them both gripped and he is lifted high into the air, face to face with Roxi.} Roxi – Impressive show back there. Would you be a dear and tell me what’s going on?
Man #4 – I don’t know anything, I’m just a messenger!
Roxi – And a scared one at that. Now it’s a long way down, and I’ve had a long day and night, so I’m a little tired. You never know when I might lose my grip. So, what were you doing?
Man #4 – I... I was... delivering a message. I got paid to do that.
Roxi – About a gang war... I’m gonna need a little more.
{Roxi dips the man, causing him to yelp.} Roxi – Oops.
Man #4 – I don’t know! Something about a war... I was paid in a manilla package, I never saw anybody high up! I got contacted to do this job, just walk in, and drop off a package. That’s it!
Roxi – What was in the package?
Man #4 – I didn’t look... it smelled horrible though. Like rotten garbage.
Roxi – And who hired you?
Man #4 – I never knew his name. Or her name. Nobody told me anything. Just pick up this package at this address and deliver it to this address.
Roxi – And what is in your pocket.
Man #4 – They strapped it to me. Said that if I had trouble to show it.
{The man opens up his jacket and reveals a live grenade. Roxi quickly snatches it with one hand and launches it high into the air, where it explodes harmlessly.} Roxi – They made you a suicide runner?
Man #4 – I swear! I didn’t know it was going to be like that!
Roxi – Give me the address of where you picked that up from. NOW.
Man #4 – Okay! Okay, it was... 698 Candlewood! I picked it up there.
Roxi – Good boy.
{Roxi gently lands the man on the roof.} Roxi – What's your name?
Man #4 – O... Owen... It’s Owen, why?
Roxi – Because now, Owen, you’re going to work for me. When I need something, you’re going to tell me the information. Because I'm going to stop this gang war before it starts.
Owen – But I.... but I..
Roxi – You were obviously useless to whomever hired you. They expected you to not only encounter resistance, but wither kill yourself, or they accidently set this thing off and killed anyone you encountered. They were banking on it. So, I’d say your allegiances leave something to be desired. Plus, I’m not going to kill you. I might just drop you out of a two-story window. Nothing that you won’t survive, but I can put you in the hospital for a long, long time.
Owen – You... drive a hard bargain.
Roxi – It's either that, or you die in the streets with this thing kicks off. Because either you were going to die tonight, or they will remember you’re the person that delivered the package and use that to kill you.
Owen – Dammit.
Roxi – Yeah, I’m glad you see it my way. You keep yourself out of trouble, and at the end of all this, I will make sure you don’t end in jail because of your value as an informant. It’s win-win.
Owen – … Fine.
Roxi – Good. Be seeing you Owen. Oh, and … if this address turns out to be fake, or a trap, I’ll be coming back here, and I will give you to those guys you pissed off. Just an FYI.
{Roxi leaves Owen on the roof, and flies off, headed for the address as the scene fades.}
{Roxi arrives at the address, a small building that seems to serve as a mechanics garage. Roxi thinks about simply busting the door down, but hears voices from the other side, and so, she gets on the roof, and peers through the skylight, as Louie is flanked by a couple of body guards, and a man Roxi has never seen before in a sharp suit.} Louie – Mr. Hamilton. I haven’t had to say that in a long time, I’m hoping we can still do business.
Mr. Hamilton – Of course, our families have worked together for a long time. It’ll be just like old times. You tell me what you need.
Louie – Well, I did hear that some metal went missing, and that some guns got stolen. I think there’s something brewing here and I need to be ahead of the game. And the Super is snooping around too.
Mr. Hamilton – So long as our name isn’t involved, we can surely help each other.
{Suddenly one of Louie’s other henchmen comes running in. } Henchman – Boss! It’s Johnny!
Louie – What about him?
Henchmen – They whacked him, Boss!
{Louie looks angry at this revelation.} Louie – Damn this fucking new guy. Who the fuck is he? He’s already starting shit he can’t come back from!
Mr. Hamilton – As I said, I can be of assistance.
Louie – You need to get me weapons and people and anything we can use to do damage. Because...
{All of a sudden there’s several pounds at the door, and soon enough it’s blown off, and multiple people charge through the door, but all of them are exactly the same person.} Roxi – Crazy Wolf...
Crazy Wolf – Good evening, gentlemen.
Louie – What the hell are you doing here Wolf?
{Under Wolf’s arm is a laptop that he sets up, and the same live zoom call with the default avatar with the initials “HH” is shown.} Hidden Hand – Thank you Wolf. Gentlemen, I trust you know my new associate, and I trust, Mr. Pinciotti that you got my message?
Louie – I don’t know who you are, but you’re fucking with the wrong people.
Hidden Hand – You old types always take things so personally. I would like this city to operate at the next level. Which means no more old school La Castra Nosa nonsense, and no more... Evil corporation either, Mr. Hamilton.
Mr. Hamilton – I assure you that we are not in that line of work.
Hidden Hand – Yes. Well... I am just here to let all you both know, and anyone else who may be thinking about entering this game, that it’s MINE. And -
{Roxi finally crashes through the skylight and into the garage.} Hidden Hand – Oh, that must mean Lady Bedlam is here. Your presence here is...certainly a surprise.
Roxi – I don’t know, nor do I care what’s going on here, but this is going to stop.
Hidden Hand – On the contrary My dear, it’s just getting started. Wolf, eliminate them all.
{Wolf splits into multiples of himself, creating an even 20. Roxi is forced to engage them all, as Hamilton and Louie escape in the confusion. Roxi tangles with Wolf, and she can’t help but think that this wasn’t a distraction, but that Wolf was actually here to do that job. Roxi is able to quickly take out multiple Wolf copies, searching for the real one in all the confusion as well.} Crazy Wolf – Now we can get a bonus.
Roxi – There’s only one, Wolf.
{Roxi sees all the Wolf multiples are starting to recover, and so she leans back.} Roxi – Eney... Meeny... Miny...
{Roxi closes her eyes, and punches one of the Wolf clones in the face, and the rest fall back over onto the ground and then absorb back into Wolf.} Roxi – Mo.
{Roxi turns back to the laptop.} Hidden Hand – Well done. I guess that means you won’t reconsider my offer?
Roxi – No, I’m not looking the other way, and there’s not enough money in the world to make me. I will stop this before it starts.
Hidden Hand – Oh, I believe you will try. But you can’t stop what’s been put in motion. Not at all.
Roxi – This was just the first step. I’m on to you now.
Hidden Hand – You have...inconvenienced me tonight. But you are no closer to anything I have planned.
Roxi – Was that... doubt I heard in your voice. Yeah, even though you’re using a voice program, I can still hear it in your voice. I will not stop until I find you, and then I put an end to your little plan. Keep the light on...
{Roxi turns to leave, gathering up Wolf and slapping some zip cuffs on him.} Roxi – Because I'm coming for you.
Hidden Hand – Good luck...
{Roxi takes Wolf out and takes him over the Hillsborough River, and dunks him into the water to revive him. He splashes around wildly, until Roxi takes him up and further out before straight up dropping him into the water. Still zip-tied, Wolf struggles to stay afloat.} Crazy Wolf – What are you doing?! I can’t swim!
Roxi – I know. We’re going to have a chat about the Hidden Hand. Either that, or you drown.
Crazy Wolf – You're the crazy one!
Roxi – Yeah. I know. Now, any information, or you are you enjoying testing your buoyancy?
Crazy Wolf – Get me out of this! Come on! It’s not funny!
Roxi – Information.
{Roxi comes down and attached a secure line to the zip cuffs and then around the wrists of Wolf, lifting him up, above the water, but dunking him back down.} Roxi – I'm growing tired of this already.
Crazy Wolf – I don’t know, he hired me for a job. I never met the guy. Said he wanted me to deliver a message and then take out whoever I came across.
Roxi – That's not very helpful.
Crazy Wolf – I swear that’s all I know. Wait... wait... whoever this guy is, he has ties to Hamilton. I overheard him talking about it. Maybe a deal gone bad or something. Maybe that’s why he wanted Hamilton there.
Roxi – See... now that was more helpful. You’re lucky I’m in a good mood Wolf. Now I have something to go on.
{Roxi takes Wolf away, back to the Guild base for his temporary imprisonment as the scene fades.} I know Hamilton is a player now. If that man was A Hamilton and not just sharing the last name, that means Heather knows about this as well. The Hidden Hand... The HH initials? Surely Heather’s not that blatant about it? But if Hidden Hand wants to take out Hamilton, why would they work with them? And being so brazen as to kill one of Louie’s top guys? Hmm... The rabbit hole just keeps getting deeper.
But I will get to the bottom of it.
And I will stop this war.
“When you put on the suit, you become larger than life. You become a symbol. And then you don't have a choice. You have to live up to what you've made yourself into. The mask hides your fear. No one knows what you're thinking. And it's double edged. It frightens your enemies and feeds your strength. But no suit-- no mask-- can ever hide you from yourself!”
- Batman (Batman Vol 1 #455)
I continue to struggle with this feeling as this match draws closer and closer. The feeling of having been here before. The feeling of déjà vu. I’ve just been mentally preparing for the barbaric nature of this match and just how much blood I might have to lose to win. Wondering just what Masque will try and pull in order to win. Wondering how low she will stoop, and just how much I’m going to have to deal with in addition to how good she is.
Make no mistake about it, Masque is damn good. I’ve said as much from day one. The feeling I get is that I have already done this, and now I just have to do it again, and I feel pretty good about the whole thing. I know from having been victorious that I can do it again, and let’s face it, I have to. I have to do it again in order to finally put this to rest, at least for the time being. I don’t want to continually put up with Masque’s nonsense over and over and over. It’s growing very tiresome at this point.
At the very least, I finally got what I wanted from Masque this last time out. The long-winded completely ridiculous interview that graced your screens is exactly what I expected. Did you hear those beautiful words? Did you hear the malice behind them? The harmful intentions. The cold matter-of-fact-ness that came from beneath that formless, shapeless mask? It sounded so wonderful. It made for perfect background noise while I was sewing.
But while the vast majority of it was babble, the ramblings of a woman on the edge, the main point of that whole thing was that Masque exists because I exist. Good and evil. The yin and yang thing. Two sides of the same coin. This is what I am expected buy when it comes to this. It was and I’m sure the next one also will be more rambling nonsense that sounds really good until you actually examine it.
Let’s just be real here: I have been here for close to a decade. I have become a pillar of this company, and I have seen people come and go, I helped bring people here, because it was either where I was, or I thought they could help SCW. I have been doing my thing all this time. I have played the hero because it’s more to me than just something fun to call myself. I have been put in the toughest situations and persevered. I have tried my best to set a good example for how to not only be wrestler, but to be a professional. And the reason I have been able to do that, is because I’ve tried my best never to waver on my principles. I have given my heart and soul to be here and to lead by example. And when you do that, people will come and try and take you down. It’s as simple as that.
I’ve been blamed, judged, ridiculed questioned and accused. I am the scapegoat for many people’s issues. When something goes wrong, it’s my fault. I wasn’t there, I didn’t help enough. I didn’t do what I was supposed to do, because I’m the “Hero” and I’m supposed to do everything for everyone, and when I don’t, I’m the bad guy. I’ve been through this for the past 10 years of my life. So, it is all very familiar to me. The only thing that has changed is the name and face of the person doing it. Now, it happens to be Masque. The appearance is the only thing different.
I didn’t put Masque in the category of evil, she did. I didn’t start this fight, she did. And now, not only is it because I have the championship, but now we’ve added that I created Masque, and I caused all this, because of course I did. If we’re just going to keep moving the goalposts, this is never going to end. I wrestled here, before Masque got here. There was no fight, no war between her and I before this year. Masque I’m assuming wrestled elsewhere before she came here. So no, there was no Roxi did something and now we have Masque. Been blamed for similar, but this one pretty much takes the cake in terms of silliness.
I am not responsible for Masque. I don’t need the evil to make myself feel good. I don’t need a beast to slay. I don’t need an evil to combat. All I need is a ring, and an opponent. And then, my mission just resumes. Good, bad, or in between. I wrestle and I face my opponents. It has never mattered what side they were on, once the bell rung, that’s it, we do what we can, and in the end, I either win, or I lose. If you showed up to fight me, I’ll fight you.
If I remember correctly, Masque came here, to finish her thing with Amber, and now all of a sudden, I am the creator of this great evil. I am the cause of her pain and suffering. If she didn’t care about the Bombshell’s Internet title, why is the Bombshell’s championship itself so important? Given what I heard, again, it’s just because Amber had it. But also, because I am good and I need the bad and Masque is doing the bad role. But the truth is, and will always be, Masque would be doing the same thing she’s doing now, with, or without me in the picture. It had nothing to do with me for all this time. But just now, it seems to be all about me. I did not summon Masque as the next great evil I have to face. It was her, who came to me, looking to fight a “hero.”
She wished for me to play that role the first time, and she ended up on the losing end. Now, she has embraced the bad side of things to try and make this some moral issue. It is not a moral issue. It’s a woman throwing anything and everything she can against the wall to try and make it stick. Nothing more is going on here. She can as long winded as she really wants to, but at the end of the day, I did not create Masque De Lune. Masque came looking for me. And as I’ve always said, I’m not hard to find. And now she’s using this nonsense to try and appeal to all of you that I am the bad guy. I created her, and I set her on this path of evil. But the truth is, she did these things, to draw me out. She came and knocked on my door. She touched my title. She had an issue with me. She was fighting for Amber. She was using my son’s name in order to get a rise out of me. I was just here, doing what I always do.
I will be the first to admit that I should do more, and it pains me when I can’t help someone. I can’t be everywhere, and I can’t help everybody and I don’t like to admit that. I take on way too much on my own shoulders, because I firmly believe that I can handle anything. I do it to a fault. And I firmly believe that is what Masque is trying to exploit. As it is, sometimes, I cannot make a move. Sometimes, I cannot be there even when I want to be. I have to exercise restraint and not try and take on every battle for everyone else. Sometimes, my hands are tied in a way that I cannot always be a part of everything. I have learned that I’m damned if I do, and damned if I don’t.
I give people space, and that works against me, and at the same time, I don’t want to smother anybody by trying to do too much. It is a constant struggle for me. But I will never believe that this makes me a bad person or bad friend. I try. Goodness knows I try. And sometimes, that’s too much, and sometimes it’s not enough. And for those I have let down, I apologize and I’ve tried all the time to make it up to you. But I just ask for one favor:
Don’t ever believe that I didn’t try or that I purposely left you.
As much as people like Masque want to throw this on the table like it’s suddenly a good poker hand, I would like to believe that everyone knows that I try to be there for everybody, but sometimes, I physically can’t. And a lot of the time, I don’t want to interfere and tell anybody how they should do things. If you make a choice, I can give my opinion, but I won’t stop anyone from making the choice that they make. All I can do, is be who I am.
And yes, I understand I’m saying all this as I’m about to walk into a match where I’m going to get punched by hands dipped in broken glass. I understand that I’m going to have to bleed, sweat, and pay the price. I understand that I will not walk out of this title defense the same that I come into it. But neither is Masque.
Because it boils down to this, either Masque takes the title, or she loses again and she goes to the back of the line, and someone else comes right in to take her place. I realize that I took quite a bit from Masque, and now, she has almost nothing to lose. That’s why we’re stooping as low as we are now. That’s why we’re having these types of discussions. I made Masque more dangerous by removing anything of value from her, and now, it’s all on me. I’m the one with a championship. I’m the one with an undefeated streak. I’m the one who has to overcome the physical disadvantages of this type of match. The deck is stacked against me.
I suppose, as it is for every Hero.
So, I will assume that role, but I think I finally figured out why, I am feeling this sense of déjà vu. Yes, I have given it a lot of thought, and I am now fully understanding it. Masque wants the Hero. She wants to invoke my family’s names. She want to try and manipulate me and my friends for her advantage. She wants to play these mind games with me, and throw me off my game. And the reason I’ve felt the déjà vu is because I have been here before.
And I have to say... Amber Ryan did it better.
Amber Ryan did the exact same thing to me when she first showed up here. The pattern is undeniable. This is exactly how it all went. Amber came in here, and played these minds games, pissed off my wife, played with my emotions. And now, here we are again, with Masque simply trying to replace Amber Ryan.
Yes, I’m seeing it now that Masque did all this, and that is some sort of weird homage of Amber. All this talk about breaking Amber, getting her to surrender, destroying Amber and then rebuilding her. It all makes sense now. This is all simply to take Amber’s place, like some kind of replicant. This is why Amber was taken out, she has simply assumed Amber’s place and tried to make it seem like there nothing had changed. I see all this now, this isn’t about me, it’s about Amber.
But I hate to break it to Masque in this way, but...
Masque De Lune is NO Amber Ryan.
All the time to play with some many different personalities and emotions and still, none of her own. I almost pity Masque at this point. But there. Its been said, and now, I don’t need to talk about this anymore. I’m going to beat Masque De Lune and retain this championship, not for anyone else, but me. As I said, I will assume the role Masque wants me to play. I will be the Hero. I will the Hero I need to be.
Because while I am just one, I am every hero. I am all of them. A part of all of them resides inside of me, much like everyone who takes up the fight and faces down the challenge in front of them. We are all one in the same. Variants. The names, the faces, the genders, everything and anything can be different, but we are all the same. We will stand, we will fight, and we will win.
I am coming to Violent Conduct, ready to bleed. I am unafraid of bleeding. I am unafraid of the pain. That comes with the territory. I will lose blood, in order to win the match. It’s that simple. I know where my convictions lie, I know where I stand, and I know how to be the Hero. I know I will win, and I will still be the Bombshell’s champion.
I didn’t create Masque De Lune.
Masque De Lune created this.
And at the end of Violent Conduct, she will only have one person to blame when I beat her again, retain this championship and she walks away with nothing...
Herself.
See you all Sunday.