{The scene opens as Roxi exits the after meeting with Cassian for the first time. She opens the door and exits, closing it behind her as she stops to gather her thoughts. She blinks a few times as she walks down the steps and wonders what in the world she had gotten into. She heads to her car, where Keira is waiting and as soon as she opens the door, Keira stares at her.}
Keira – Well, what did he say about me?
{Roxi rolls her eyes and hand waves Keira away.}
Roxi – Let it go. He didn’t say anything about you that you didn’t already hear.
Keira – I still want to punch him.
Roxi – Well, go ahead and get yourself disqualified in the match then.
Keira – … I’ll just let my partner take care of it.
Roxi – Fine.
Keira – How did it go otherwise?
Roxi – It was fine. We had... a strategy and all that, we’ll be fine.
Keira – Yeah, well so do Slappy and me.
Roxi – That’s great.
{Keira finally sighs, breaking the tension.}
Keira – You’re not going to tell me anything, are you?
Roxi – No, why would I? I’m not giving away a plan to an opponent. That would be dumb.
Keira – A little gamesmanship is it?
Roxi – Sure, you can call it that.
Keira – Alright, alright, fine. I know this is... tough to talk about.
Roxi – A little, yes.
Keira – Alright, Let’s just go home then.
{Keira then drives off as Roxi buckles herself in. The drive is uneventful as Roxi and Keira come home and enter their house, where Nate is playing with his tablet, Elizabeth next to him.}
Roxi – How’s he been?
Elizabeth – He's the same all the time, Roxi. His same ornery self. Except he’s leanring new things every day.
Keira – Oh yeah?
Elizabeth – Yes. He had a very serious question the other day.
Roxi – About what?
Elizabeth – Nate, what did you ask me about earlier?
Nate – Huh?
Elizabeth – You asked me earlier about something, what was it.
Nate – I don’t ‘member.
Elizabeth – When we saw all those cars. You asked me a question, maybe Mommy or Mama knows.
Keira – What is it, sweetie?
{Nate thinks for a moment unable to figure out what he asked about, but then looks at Roxi and Keira.}
Nate – I don’t understand... the prod... product. That’s how you say it?
Roxi – Yes. Product. What product?
Nate – Product... place.
Roxi – Product place? What is that?
Nate – No, not place... placement.
Roxi – What? Product placement?
Nate – Uh huh.
{Roxi and Keira are bewildered that Nate would come up with such a question at the age of four. They both look at each other. And shake their heads.}
Roxi – Where on earth did you hear about product placement?
Nate – On the internet.
Keira – I suppose that’s fair.
Roxi – Okay, what...
{Roxi again takes a deep breath as she tries to comprehend how a four-year-old works.}
Roxi – What do you want to know about product placement?
Nate – How come... uh.. How they do it all the time?
Roxi – Who does it all the time?
Nate – Everybody.
Roxi – Okay, First, I can’t believe I’m having to explain product placement to a 4-year-old, and second it’s so people may want to buy those things.
Nate – Oh.
Roxi – Where are you even seeing product placement?
Nate – On your car.
Roxi – The car?
Nate – Uh-huh. Gramma took me outside for a walk and I saw the the l... lo...low...
Roxi – The logo...
Nate – The logo on your car. It’s on the back, and the front, and the side and it’s on the inside...wheel.
Roxi – Yes, it is.
Nate – But why? You already buyed it... right?
Roxi – We did, but that’s … mostly if we need to replace the parts if something happens. We can’t have the wrong door or trunk on the car, that would be silly.
Nate – Oh. Okay. That’s why I asked.
{Nate just casually glances back down at his tablet. Roxi and Keira are still stunned, shrugging at Elizabeth who also shrugs. Roxi then walks into the kitchen, laughing to herself in shock. Keira follows her, placing a hand on her shoulder.}
Keira – You okay?
Roxi – I just explained product placement for a 4-year-old. What is everything right now?
Keira – Yeah, that was weird.
Roxi – I don’t even know if weird covers it. The fact that he even knew what it was, AND he actually identified it is insane to me. He knows what it IS, Keira.
Keira - I know. I was there.
Roxi – Very funny. You know, I wished as a joke he would stay little forever. But at this point, he’s 4 going on 34. Next thing you know he’ll be trading stocks at 6, doing our taxes at 8, and teaching college courses at 10.
Keira – Whoa, I think you need to take it easy. He’s growing up, that’s what happens.
Roxi – Keira, you know damn well you were not asking about product placement when you were four.
Keira – Well no... a lot of other things were on my mind.
Roxi – EXACTLY.
Keira – But he’s a growing boy. Plus he has the internet. People just talk about all kinds of things on there.
Roxi – Perhaps we need to monitor what he actually watches.
Keira – As far as I know, we put that safety provision on his tablet that he can’t access the more... adult themes of youtube so he shouldn’t be able to watch anything like that. He can only watch the kid friendly kind of stuff. I guess that includes informational videos though.
Roxi – Are there just informational videos on product placement on the... wait, what am I saying, of course there are. Still, we need to monitor what he actually watches.
Keira – Roxi, he’s a little boy, what’s he going to do?
Roxi – He’s impressionable. You know what could happen especially thinking about asking about product placement, that could lead to him watching videos on other things and those things could be bad for him.
Keira – I think you’re overreacting. He’s 4. The most that he gets into is Minecraft and learning games.
Roxi – We all get manipulated as kids to ask our parents to buy stuff, that isn’t what I’m talking about. I mean watching videos that give him BAD information. And then he starts to believe it.
{Keira facepalms and chuckles to herself.}
Keira – Roxi, are you worried our son will be a conspiracy theorist?
Roxi – I...
{Roxi finally stops and realizes she may in fact be overreacting. She goes over to the sink and splashes some water on her face to calm herself down and takes a deep breath.}
Roxi – Yeah... I don’t know what that was. I’m sorry. It’s just... weird and funny at the same time.
Keira – Yeah.
{Keira places an arm around Roxi and kisses her.}
Keira – He's a little boy, let him grow up as fast as he wants to.
Roxi – Funny coming from you.
Keira – I know. I don’t like it either, but we just need to accept it. He’s not gonna stow growing. Soon he’ll be an adolescent, then a damn teenager.
{Roxi and Keira both shudder at this.}
Roxi – That needs to wait. A long time.
Keira – But for now, he’s becoming his own person, and that’s exciting.
Roxi – You're right. Sorry about that back there. Just freaked me out.
Keira – Don't worry. Just focus on... well... me I guess.
Roxi – I have been thinking about that and -
{Roxi is interrupted by her wrist communicator going off, and she walks into another room to answer it.}
Roxi – Go ahead Vision.
Vision – Rox, you have a phone call request from Lieutenant Murphy.
Roxi – Alright, I’ll take care of it.
Vision – Gotcha.
Roxi – That's it?
Vision – Yeah, that’s all, I’ll let you know if anything else comes up.
Roxi – Thanks.
{Roxi ends the call and then pulls out her 2nd phone and dials the number.}
Roxi – Murphy, it’s me.
Lt. Murphy – Glad you got my message.
Roxi – What’s going on?
Lt. Murphy – They are rennovating the asylum where you put a lot of your enemies.
Roxi – I see.
Lt. Murphy – There’s a meeting in an hour. I think you should have someone representing you in attendance.
Roxi – I can be there.
Lt. Murphy – I’ll text the address to you. See you there then.
Roxi – Alright. Anything else?
Lt. Murphy – No. Just thought you might want to be there just in case.
Roxi – Yeah, it’s a good idea. Thanks Murphy.
Lt. Murphy – Of course.
{Roxi hangs up as Keira enters the room after all the talking stops.}
Keira – What was that all about?
Roxi – There’s a meeting I need to attend for the guild regarding the asylum on the outskirts.
Keira – Do you need me to come with you?
Roxi – No. It's just a meeting. I should be back soon.
Keira – What about dinner?
Roxi – I’ll make some food when I come back. You can hold out for that long.
{Keira looks down at her stomach and holds it.}
Keira – I guess.
{Roxi sighs.}
Roxi – I won’t be long.
{Roxi kisses Keira and then goes to suit up as the scene fades.}
{Under an hour later, Roxi is in costume at the address she was texted. She arrives and Murphy is outside, doing his usual of smoking a cigarette.}
Roxi – Lietenant.
Lt. Murphy – Hey.
Roxi – So, what’s this about?
Lt. Murphy – I think they want to decide on what to do with the inmates.
Roxi – Great.
Lt. Murphy – What, you put a lot of them in there.
Roxi – I know, but that’s because they need help. They need to be rehabilitated.
Lt. Murphy – Yeah, that’s a pipe dream.
Roxi – Maybe, but it’s worth a try.
Lt. Murphy – You know good and well that place is a revolving door sometimes. Half the people you put in escape. And then we have to do extra work.
Roxi – Would you rather they be in prison?
Lt. Murphy – Sometimes.... Sometimes.
{Murphy stamps out his cigarette and checks his watch.}
Lt. Murphy – Well, let’s go.
{Roxi and Murphy walk into the building and they meet in a large room, similar to a courtroom with a few public officials, and a doctor representing the asylum. They are all seated when another man enters, a briefcase full of papers that he places on the desk in front of him.}
Man – Good evening, thank you all for coming. My name is Nathan O’Neal. I represent the construction company Porter construction and we’ve been granted the permit to do some renovations on Shady Acres. I’ll be brief and just tell you that they are necessary renovations and we’d like to make this happen as soon as possible. So, we’re here tonight for a plan of action. With a plan and full cooperation, I know we can. Lieutenant Murphy representing the Tampa Police, Dr. Freeman at the asylum, and Mr. Gideon Price representing Mayor Castor. Oh, and resident superhero Lady Bedlam representing the local superhero/superhuman guild. Now, If there are any questions, the floor is open.
{Mr. Price stands up.}
Mr. Price – I'm just curious on what the current plan is, if there is one. The mayor will need to approve it before we can take any steps.
Nathan – Currently, we plan on moving some of the inmates around, as per Dr. Freeman, correct?
Dr. Freeman – We will have to do some moving around and getting some of... our patients, not inmates, into a more general population style of treatment. We cannot afford to de-isolate some patients, so that will have to be done delicately.
Nathan – Dr. Freeman will obviously need help with that, can we rely on the Police for additional manpower, Lt. Murphy?
Lt. Murphy – That depends. How much are we talking? The last thing we want is a riot at the asylum, but we can’t just go sacrificing bodies off the street when they are needed there.
Dr. Freeman – Well, if we had just 10 or so bodies, that would make this easier.
Lt. Murphy – I'll see what I can do. I do have a few men with correctional facility training.
Dr. Freeman – Those would be ideal.
Nathan – Great, and the superhero guild?
Roxi – I'm not sure what you need. It’s myself, Lady Kat, and a city over is Force and Warp. We can mobilzie, if something happens, but it would be in our best interest to not have a major presence. After all, as Dr. Freeman can tell you, it may upset some of his patients.
Dr. Freeman – That's correct.
Mr. Price – We'll run this by the Mayor and see what she says. I can’t make any promises.
Nathan – That's all we ask. We want to take care of this with as little interruption and danger as possible.
Lt. Murphy – I’ll check and see if I can get volunteers, but let’s get the okay first.
Nathan – Agreed.
{With that, the meeting adjourns so to speak, and Roxi and Murphy head out.}
Roxi – What do you think?
Lt. Murphy – More bureaucratic bullshit. Luckily I’ve got guys who I can spare, but not many.
Roxi – I don’t know about this... this has disaster written all over it.
Lt. Murphy – Yeah, tell me about it.
Roxi – Anyway, Just... let me know how this all goes, will ya?
Lt. Murphy – You got it.
Roxi – Thanks.
{With that, Roxi heads off as the scene fades.}
“I'll tell you something about glory. A hero doesn't want it. The best day of my life will be the day the world doesn't need me anymore. But until that day comes... I'll never quit fighting for what's right.”
- Superman (Superman: Man of Tomorrow Vol 1 15)
Hello SCW.
I come to you yet again. Of course, I should speak on the conflict with Andrea Hernandez. Now, I would love to tell you that all things are settled, but the truth is, they aren’t. I of course am not happy with the result of losing, but my head is still high, and I walk away for now, knowing there is unfinished business, but my role is now more observational than physical. I know Andrea is over the moon and really enjoying herself, but now, her real work begins, and I walk out that knowing that despite the loss, my legacy is still very much secure.
You see, Andrea now has to step up, she won the big one, she got the win and now, the question becomes: What is she going to do with that win? Andrea can be her own role model and finally stand on her own two feet. She worked herself into this rage over me, perhaps because she was trying to be me. Perhaps because she was trying to understand why I do the things I do. But the thing is, she can’t. You have to be your own person in this world, and therein lies the problem for Andrea. I was the villain, and now that I was “slayed” what does Andrea do now? She doesn’t get that there’s no freedom stepping into this role that I have for as long as I have done it. You don’t get to fight one battle and think that everything will just be better. Quite the opposite in fact. When you win, the real work actually begins.
I will take nothing away from Andrea as a wrestler, but she has failed on a personal level ever since she lost the SCW Bombshell’s championship. Everything became someone else’s fault and she took zero responsibility like an adult. Instead of learning from the experience, she cocooned and lashed out as everyone else. And now what? Now that I’m not the boogeyman anymore, what happens the next time she fails? What happens when Andrea doesn’t get something she wants? The same thing that has happened twice now. Someone else becomes the scapegoat.
I hope Andrea enjoys the win. I hope she does something with it. Because I’m going to be watching, and I can be there to simply watch her crash and burn. We will all get to see what happens when people try to be me and do what I do. This isn’t a spot that you just take. Let me be a blunt as possible. If Andrea takes that win, and does nothing with it, and becomes just another woman on the roster, she has failed. If she really wishes to try and replace me, I can only say good luck. Don’t blame me when that disappointment comes back around. She won, she’s free, right? No longer has to live in my shadow. But she will unfortunately have to learn the most painful way possible, that being a hero isn’t a bed a roses. You slay one villain; another rises in its place. The war goes on, and on, and on. And the moment you slip, someone else will be right there to push you aside and say you failed. Someone is right there to say you were never what you said you were. Someone is right there to call you a fraud, a fake, and a phony.
Is Andrea ready for that?
Yeah, I don’t think so either.
Me? I’ve won a few battles, I’ve put out a few fires, and every day I rise with the intention of getting better, because I know that another battle is on the way. I’ve already done most everything I ever wanted to do. I’ve won pretty much every championship. I’ve beaten almost all there are to beat. I’m in the hall of fame. At this point, everything I do, is a personal challenge for me.
I’ve done everything, but one thing.
I’ve never won a Blast from the Past tournament.
Perhaps I peaked too early by getting to finals my rookie year. Yeah, I’m still upset with myself that I let Gabriel down like that and I should have been ready, because I do feel we could have won the thing and that would have been great. But, we didn’t, and ever since then it’s just been a run of bad luck or bad timing. Something has always just gone wrong and left me on the losing end. I used to think about it a long, and then I would tell myself that “There’s always next year” But as the time has gone on, that phrase has kind of lost it’s meaning. Because the truth of the matter is, there won’t always be next year. Not at this point. There won’t always be a chance to compete and enter this tournament. A lot of people enter it every year and for one reason or another they don’t get the win. And I expect better of myself. So now I look around and I don’t ever want to blame a bad partner or anything else, this tournament is tough as nails, and while there is an element of the luck of the draw, that isn’t the sole reason things happen the way they do.
So this year, I intend to win this tournament. More so for that one last little achievement. It’s one of the rare times I really am going after something in this manner. Normally, accomplishments are a nice thing to add to a resume but they are not the be all, end all for my career. I’ve won twenty-some championships, it’s not like I don’t have enough. But this... this is just a little different for me. It’s not even really about the prize of a bombshell’s championship match at the end of the tournament, it’s the tournament itself. That’s what is driving me this year. That is what I’m pushing for. Though, I will not argue with a bombshell’s championship match, that isn’t my sole driving factor.
I feel as it Cassian Reed can be a solid partner if he keeps his head on straight and isn’t sidetracked. If he focuses on the task at hand, it has been proven that he is a very good wrestler and is quickly shooting up the ranks. All I am asking of him is to focus and be there when I need him to be, and then we should have no issues. Do we have a tough road? Of course we do. But that is the story of my career. Tough roads mean a tough fight, and I’ve been in plenty of those.
And I know I have a fight on my hands this week. Once again stepping into the ring with my own wife.
I am happy and proud of all my wife’s growth during this past year and achieving a goal many thought was impossible. And I told her, as I told Andrea just a few minutes ago, when you win the big one, then the real work starts. And while I am proud of everything my wife has done, I suppose the jury is still out whether or not she was ready for that level of fight. She gave me everything I could ask for in our match, though the result was tainted. But at the end, she won, and that’s a positive. But against Crystal, she again gave it her all, but this time she came up short. So, I don’t really know if that’s peak Keira and that’s as good as it’s going to get. I hope not, but we shall see.
Now that she has been knocked off the mountain, It was odd to see my wife’s reaction, but it was a sign of growth. A shrug, and “Hey, I got beat, that happens, but I’m okay with it.” I am happy that she accepted it, head high and only upset with herself for a brief moment. It made me proud. And now, here we are and we are, once again, on opposite sides of the ring, facing off again. I love my wife with all my heart and I would never tell her she couldn’t do something she set her mind to. She is no longer in anyone’s shadow even if that is still some kind of insult that people want to throw at her. She is her own woman.
So there is no reason to sit here and beat around the bush when it comes to this match. I’m going to do everything I can to beat my wife and move on in this tournament. For far too long I have sat on the sidelines let other people have the spotlight, including my wife. This tournament is personal to me, and if I have to start the whole thing off by beating my wife and eliminating her from this tournament, then so be it. I’ve always had that feeling of taking something away from Keira when we face, but as time has gone on, she has gotten better and better. So where does that leave me? I guess I’m just chopped liver over here because I didn’t win the championship from her and I’ve had an up and down 2020, and 2021 really. I suppose that she has not surpassed me or something like that.
Unfortunately for those that believe that, I have taught Keira a lot, and helped her become better than she was. But in my heart of hearts, I know she does not know all I know. Maybe, just maybe she is stronger or faster than me. Maybe. But by no means does that mean that she is BETTER than me. This is not news or shouldn’t come across as shocking for me to say that. I have always believed I am as good as anyone walking the planet right now in that ring. And for a long time, I have proven it, and on Sunday, I will prove it again.
This isn’t a personal thing with Keira. She is and always will be near and dear to my heart. I love her more than anything in the world, aside from my son. This is strictly a part of the wrestling business that has come along from time to time. We sometimes have to wrestle each other and you know what, that’s fine. I’m okay with that. But my goal isn’t to just come out and have a great match every time. Most of the time it is, but I think that things need to be put back in perspective. Simply because I don’t make the attempt every single time to go out and try exclusively for victory, does not mean I don’t care about winning. I do, very much so. This time, and for this tournament, I am. I know there’s a lot of great women’s wrestlers in this tournament, I get that. But there’s nothing wrong with me choosing to exercise my competitive bones every now and again is there?
In many ways, wrestling my own wife is the best example of this. For so long the focus has been, in my eyes, and for me, less than equal. I would rather the spotlight be on Keira than me. You don’t see me clamoring or asking or demanding championship matches, it’s not my style. I don’t go around are have to recite me resume, it speaks for itself. But I’m beginning to sense that people have just forgotten all of a sudden because another year has passed, how good I really am.
It may be a blessing in disguise that my wife is the first opponent for me. I get the hardest match emotionally out of the way and Cassian and I move on. It’s not going to be easy, it never is, but I am bound and determined right now that this Blast from the Past tournament, be the one I not only reach the finals, but like Jake Taylor in Major League said:
Win the Whole. F’n. Thing.
Now, I just want to speak directly to my wife, just to wrap this up.
Hello, Keira.
I want you to understand that the things I’m saying and I will say mean that I am upset with you, or love you any less than I do. You have made me laugh, cry, feel anger, humiliation, and an entire gamut of emotions for as long as we have known each other, let alone been a couple. And my love for you has only grown with each passing day.
Having said that, you have always asked me to not hold back against you and to treat you like I would any other opponent. And that’s what I’m going to do. I am taking your advice and I want you to have fair warning about what’s about to happen. I have always tried to teach you and at the same time, protect you and made sure you were as prepared as possible for any given situation. I have at times, felt like more of a mother to you than a wife. I told you the last time we faced off, that you’re in the deep end now you’re swimming right there with me. I am not going to hold your hand anymore. I told you that, and I meant it. That wasn’t just for that particular match. It’s for the rest of time. In the ring, you are your own woman. When we team together, it’s all well and good, but you were the Bombshell’s champion. You don’t require me to watch over you anymore.
So, on Sunday, once the bell rings, don’t be shocked when I do what I do, and I end up beating you. Don’t act surprised when I prove to you just how good I am, and have been for a long time. You are the opponent on Sunday Keira. Once the bell rings, that’s it, we fight for advancement in this tournament, and once it’s over, we go back to being ourselves. I’m not telling you this to belittle your skills or to tell you I’m better than you in the ring, it’s for me. This one is for me. I just want you to understand that nothing that will happen in this match will change how proud I am of you as a person and a wrestler. I just have to be better than you on Sunday, so my competitive juices are flowing, and I will take you down and Cassian and I will eliminate you and Slappy McGoo from this tournament. Not because I’m out for some type of revenge or to show you up. No, this isn’t about you, Keira.
This is for me. For the first time in a long time, I’m fighting for me. And I have you to thank for that.
I love you, and I always will love you. I just hope you understand.
I will see you out there, my love. 
