All Alone
Las Vegas, NV
20 July 2020
OFF-Camera


It was the early hours of Monday morning, and Kristopher Ryans had already had about as much of Sin City and Underground shenanigans as he could handle. Mikah hadn’t bothered to show up for Climax Control. Coby had come running to him for help before turning the backstage area into an adult game of tag with the masked GRIME idiots. All he wanted to do was head back to the hotel, where Mikah would hopefully be. In the back of his head, he knew that it was going to be an argument. At least he would be able to make sure that nothing horrible had happened in the hours since he last saw her. As he makes his way through the parking structure to find his car, someone darts out between two cars, startling him.

Kris: What the fu---

Kris jumps backwards with a fist raised to defend himself, but his eyes spot his would-be attacker and cause him to relax slightly. GRIME had been chasing Coby all over the arena for most of the night. The fastest member of Jet City was still in one piece, even though he was breathless.

Coby: Sorry. I wasn’t sure that you weren’t them at first...

Kris rolls his eyes and moves around Coby. He takes his keys out of his pocket and unlocks the doors to his car. He pulls open the back door on the driver’s side and throws his bag inside.

Kris: Well, I’m not. They wish that they were as good as I was. That’s why The Nobodies are going to be shutting them up for good. Glad to see you have been wearing them out though.

Coby shakes his head, having followed Kris to the car.

Coby: You say that now, but they outnumber The Nobodies too. It’s only a matter of time before that catches up to you.

Kris doesn’t seem even remotely bothered by the idea that the group would be targeting him.

Kris: Well, they haven’t really gotten their hands on you yet. I think I’ll be able to manage. Plus, I have back-up.

Coby does not allow Kris to escape after the jab. Instead, he tries to flip Kris’ argument back to him.

Coby: Oh really? Where was Mikah tonight then? For that matter, where are The Nobodies? Tim and Alexis seem to be doing their own thing and really don’t need you. Mikah can’t be bothered to actually show up. For all the backup you have, you’re standing out here all alone.

It wasn’t a conversation that Kris was prepared to have. Not with someone who had abandoned him and went running back to Seattle. The two of them were supposed to have each other’s backs. Even if he was right about The Nobodies and Mikah, he wasn’t any better than them either. At least not in Kris’ mind.

Kris: Look, I don’t have to explain anything to you. You bailed. You took your opinion with you. Now you expect me to jump at the chance to help you? I’m gonna pass. You’re still standing. You can clearly take care of yourself. Don’t worry about The Nobodies. Don’t worry about The Black Sheep. You’re Jet City. That’s your place. Unfortunately it’s just not mine anymore.

Coby laughs at his friend, but it is more sarcastic than joyous.

Coby: That’s the attitude problem that landed you out here all alone. Everything is always everyone else’s fault with you. You’re always the victim.

Kris fires back without a second thought.

Kris: Well that’s what happens when everyone treats me like the villain. I shouldn’t have expected you to be any different than the rest.

Kris pulls open the driver’s door and sits down in the seat. He starts the car, but before he can pull the door closed, Coby grabs it by the top of the frame. He looks down at Kris blankly, and tries to force all of the hostility out of his voice in the hopes of getting through to his friend.

Coby: When you spend all your time acting like the villain, people are going to treat you that way no matter how you feel. I asked you for help today, and you blew me off. What would you call yourself if not a villain?

Kris shakes his head, and pulls the door free from his friend’s grip. The car roars to life, and Kris pulls out around Coby, leaving him alone in the parking area without another word.

==========================================================


Here we go...yet again...

The Grand Slam Champion is sitting behind his desk with his feet propped up on top of it. He doesn’t look like he is happy to be in front of the camera, which is a shocking change of pace. It could just be that he was getting tired of speaking about this particular opponent. It seemed like no matter what he did, Bill was constantly in his way. Maybe it was finally starting to grate on The Miracle. Although, it is entirely possible that his exasperation was caused by his tag team partner. The two had spent the majority of the last two weeks at each other’s throats after Mikah pulled off the victory in her return. It didn’t seem like Kris was going to poke at that wound though. Instead, he keeps his focus on his upcoming opponents for now.

You know back when I was making my big return I didn’t give Bill Barnhart the credit that he deserved. I paid for that. The guy shocked the world when he spoiled my return. For a night, he validated all the horrible things that people say about me on a weekly basis. You know what? I’m kind of glad that he did.

Kris laughs, and sits back in the office chair, causing it to lean dangerously. He is wearing the bright orange shirt ‘villains’ shirt that the designed team had released to social media earlier in the week even though it was not scheduled to be released until Summer XXXtreme. He had ruined more than a couple of people’s days in order to get one for himself early. He wasn’t going to lose any sleep over it. The company was making money off of his talent. It was the least they could do. He continues on, pondering the alternate timeline that winning his debut would have put him on.

What would have happened if I won that match? What would I have gained? Look at what I have been able to do since coming back to Sin City. Sure, I lost that first one, but I won the right to control my destiny. I beat Griffin Hawkins, the man challenging Ben Jordan for the World Heavyweight Championship in a little over a week. And to make sure NOBODY thought it was a fluke, I went ahead and did it a second time on the very next show. I managed to step over a handful of people that were supposed to be the new up and comers set to pack me up and send me back to 2017. I beat O’Malley, the Underground Champion. I brought back a mixed tag team that is undefeated, and continued our winning ways against the Trenton Tigers.

A wide smile comes across his face as he mentally runs through all of his highlights. At this point, everyone in SCW knew that Kris’ most favorite thing in the world was Kris. It didn’t surprise anyone that he was wasting time propping up his own ego before talking about the defeat that not only got under his skin, but stayed there for more than a month.

So how did losing to Bill Barnhart really hurt me? When I re-signed with SCW, I was confident that I was going to be able to stroll through the roster and do whatever I wanted. I didn’t think that I had to put the work in. I thought that I was going to be good enough to slide by based on skill and muscle memory. Bill Barnhart proved me wrong right out of the gate. I lost cleanly in the middle of the ring, and the world was shocked. Of course, Bill would go on to botch the championship opportunity that he was given for pulling off the upset, and I would go on to win every single match they put me in, but that can’t change the fact that Bill won all those weeks ago. Then again, when Bill was given the opportunity to seize his destiny, he found himself with his shoulders pinned to the mat by yours truly.

Kris had felt a weight lift off of him the second that he managed to avenge his loss against Bill. He hadn’t even realized how much it had been weighing him down until after the match was over. Sure, he had walked away from it with a chance to challenge for any championship he wanted. Even better, he had walked away with back-to-back victories over Griffin Hawkins. Nothing took the pressure off quite like being the one to pin Bill in the center of the ring though. It was like he had closed a chapter of unfinished business. He had brushed a smudge off of his record. He could move on.

You see, Bill didn’t win because he was better than me. Bill didn’t really win at all. I lost. It was my actions that put me in the position that I was in. It was my arrogance and shit work ethic that lost that match. It was a lack of preparation. I came in expecting to walk all over everyone, and Bill reminded me that if I wanted to do that, I was going to have to put the work in. In a way, he did me a favor. It is always better to get those stumbles out of the way early on. Otherwise you end up winning the small matches and choking in the more important spots.

He laughs, thinking about how Bill had done that very thing with the opportunity that he won. Kris was ecstatic to have avoided that fate for himself. He was on a roll that felt almost unstoppable since coming up short in that first match, but would it have ended up the same way had he won? If nobody burst his bubble in his return would everything else have fallen perfectly into place? Probably not. Mikah might not even have agreed to come back. They may not have had the argument that had derailed their last week, but maybe they would not even have been a team at all. It was a fork in the road that he was glad he never had to go down. His career has had more than one lucky turn like that.

Which is why I asked if I would have been any better off winning that first match. Really. Think about the way that the path in the road would have forked. If I beat Bill, I don’t adjust my behavior. There is no epiphany that pulls my head out of my ass. Maybe Finn Whelan would have walked away with a win. It’s certainly possible that Jack Washington would have really broken me like he promised to. Worst of all, I could have lost to Griffin Hawkins at Into the Void, or even failed to win my championship opportunity at the next Climax Control. Rest assured, the house of cards would have eventually come crashing down. That’s why I can say, without hesitation, I’m glad that my only loss happened on the night that it did.

The thought of being stuck near the bottom of the ranks after breaking the glass ceiling he was trapped under just a few years ago made him literally nauseous. He doesn’t allow himself to dwell on the bizarro world anymore. Instead, he shifts focus back to reality.

Since then, I have been looking pretty unstoppable. The calls to return me back to 2017 are slowing down, because people are realizing that it can’t be done. Everyone that thought I was going to flame out after just a handful of matches has been proven wrong. Everyone that saw me lose to Bill and wrote me off as a has-been is probably pretty upset to see me rise from the ashes. I don’t know why people are surprised though. I have made a career out of doing things that NOBODY thought that I could, and I have no intention of stopping until I get everything that I feel like I deserve.

He pauses like he is waiting for the audience to ask him what it is that he means. However, he is alone in the room and there is nobody available to push the monologue along. Kris turns his face away from the camera, and covers his mouth with a hand before responding to himself in a much more higher-pitched female voice.

”...but what is it that you think you deserve, Kris?”

He pulls his feet down off the desk when he turns back to the camera, and has a wide smile on his face. He laughs as his feet hit the floor and he sits up in the chair, more square to the camera.

Thank you audience! Have no fear, because that’s what I’m here to talk about!

The fake enthusiasm doesn’t last, and the smile fades off of his face.

Mark and Christian could have easily put us in the mix with Wolfslair and Bitch ‘n’ Moan for the Mixed Tag Team Championships. Mikah and I certainly have the resumes to earn the spot. I could have even cashed in my own shot in order to have our team added to the match at Summer XXXtreme had I wanted to. Instead, we find ourselves in what will undoubtedly be looked at as an informal number one contenders match should the champions retain their titles. So if you think about it, this isn’t really a contest, it’s an audition. Bill and Bea Barnhart are just a blip on the radar. These two are not some kind of grand challenge. I proved last time I was in the ring with Bill that I have taken his best shots, and overcome the disadvantage, and Mikah is literally the greatest Bombshell of all time. This match is as lopsided on paper as it is going to be once we all step into the ring together. The problem is, despite everything Mikah and I have done, we are still new as a team. And it doesn’t help that all the public ever sees us do is argue with one another either. The bosses clearly aren’t sold on our ability to work together, or even coexist with one another. Both of us are combative. Both of us are difficult to work with. Neither of us really like following the rules backstage or in the ring. In every possible meaning of the phrase, we are Sin City’s Black Sheep.

He shrugs his shoulders. The name was not originally his idea, but it was fitting. The Sweete Twins had been onto something all those years ago when they recruited Kris, Mikah and all of the others to their cause. Kris had been part of The Nobodies, and Jet City in SCW, but there was always something that just felt right when he was part of the Black Sheep. It was where he fit in, despite all outward appearances.

So instead of handing us the spot that we probably deserve, Mark and Christian are going to make us work for it. They want to see that we are willing to put the work in to get what we want. It’s almost like they have forgotten that they are challenging us to do the one thing that we have always been able to do. All they have done by delaying us is give both myself and Mikah another occasion to rise to. NOBODY thought that I was going to be able to win the World Heavyweight Championship. When I first arrived here as a drug riddled kid just trying to hustle people out of money, NOBODY thought that I was going to go on to be a Grand Slam Champion. For as much shit as all of the Bombshells give Mikah, has she not succeeded in literally everything that she set out to do? She is a Triple Crown Champion totally on her own. No group helped her win championships. She didn’t have friends. She didn’t have partners. Every single one of her accomplishments are of her own doing. How many other Bombshells have been able to do that in this company? Now her sights are finally set on becoming a Grand Slam Champion. Who could possibly hope to stop her when absolutely everyone else has failed?

It wasn’t normal for Kris to heap so much praise on another person. He was quick to build himself up, but wasn’t really good at sharing the spotlight. The fact that he would have so many positives to share about his partner was surprising. Especially given that they had not exactly been seeing eye-to-eye over the last couple of weeks. It was the truth though. As successful as he had been on the men’s side of the roster, Mikah had done more on the more difficult Bombshell side of things. That was why she was already in the Hall of Fame while Kris was still waiting for the honor himself. He couldn’t deny how talented she was, even if she was going to rub it in his face later. Sometimes they were too alike for their own good.

People are always going to point to the fact that we argue to try and discredit us. They think that teams should be on the same page about all things, at all times. They think any dissension in the ranks is cause for panic. The problem with that is Mikah and I can’t stand anyone. We may not like each other sometimes, but we hate all of you so much more. We are two people that should have never joined a team to begin with. Everyone would agree that we were doing perfectly fine on our own. NOBODY doubts that if Mikah had chosen to return and chase the Bombshell Championship, she would have it sooner rather than later. As for me, I have already beaten Griffin Hawkins twice, and Ben Jordan has never been able to beat me. I could have inserted myself into the main event picture, and likely walked away successful. Yet, both of SCW’s Black Sheep chose this path instead. Why? Because that is what we want to do. People don’t have to understand it. People don’t have to accept it. The Trenton Tigers didn’t think that we could work together, but everyone watched them get beaten two weeks ago.

He starts speaking more quickly, getting more excited as he goes. Now that he was getting further and further away from having to talk about the failure that was his return, he seemed more like himself. The arrogance that grates on most of his critics was back and on full display.

We were the ones that this division was created for. We are the chosen team. We deserved to be in contention for those mix tag team championships the moment that we announced that The Black Sheep were back. People can think of us as villains for saying so, but who’s to say that we consider that a bad thing?

He looks down at the words displaying across his shirt and smirks at the camera. The Miracle wasn’t sure if he liked it at first, but it had grown on him since. In a way, he was more fitting than any of SCW’s marketing had previously been.

Villains get shit done. Villains are the ones that are always driving the stories. Without us, there would be no heroes for all of you to watch fail to stop us. We are the ones making the changes. Everyone else is fighting to stop us. It’s reactionary bullshit. What would this company be without villains? Alicia Lukas has had the red carpet rolled out for her since her return, and she is far from a pleasant individual. Amber Ryan currently has everyone’s attention, including a real hero, all because she continues to keep things interesting.

Kris hadn’t been shy about how impressed he had been with the vast majority of the Bombshells as of late. The twists and turns of that division had long outpaced the men on the roster. In fact, that was one of the reasons that Kris had bailed on the idea of chasing singles championships and opted into the mixed tag division in the first place.

...and sure, you all boo the hell out of us...but what would we be left with if the villains weren’t playing their parts?

He rolls his eyes, some of his enthusiasm falling away.

The half-hearted handjob that will be the respect-fest between Ben Jordan and Griffin Hawkins. It is the least talked about main event in recent memory, and it is because there is no spice to it at all. Sure they have the World Heavyweight Championship to fight over, but there is no real story there. There is no hook. It is just two guys fighting over a belt that is so heavy it does the opposite of holding your pants up. If anyone was looking for the reason that they aren’t the endcap to this show, there you go. It can’t stack up to the excitement of the SCU vs GRIME battle, the Bombshell Championship match, or even Wolfslair taking on Bitch ‘n’ Moan. Why is that? Because of the villains.

Kris loved conflict, and he was not alone. The most hyped matches on the Summer XXXtreme card were between bitter rivals that were trying to maim on another. The matches where there was something on the line other than gold or respect were the ones that everyone was talking about. The fans wanted the competitors to be out for blood. Kris was just giving them what they wanted. You know, except for allowing a hero to walk away with a victory over him.

We give people something to watch. Everyone turns in to watch us lose, only to walk away disappointed. Do they turn off the show and never come back? Absolutely not. They tune in the next week hoping that we get what’s coming to us. It’s not about whatever white knight steps up to stop us. That person is irrelevant. They are just fulfilling a role. The one of the hero that is destined to fail in the end. This is Sin City! We couldn’t have a name like that if the good guys were the ones rising to the top. Even Saint Ben has found that top spot to be a little corrupting.

Kris thinks back to watching Ben’s attempt to call a match down the middle and wavering. He was one of the few that wasn’t surprised to see it happen. Nobody is perfect. It was a good reminder that even Saints can have the occasional crisis of conscience.

...and what heroes are going to be sent to stop The Black Sheep? Bill and Bea Barnhart. See how things come full circle?

He was proud of himself to be able to wrap his point back around to his opponents. Sure, they were far from heroes. Bea mostly spent time on her back in the middle of the ring being pinned. Bill never seemed like he could commit to one side or the other. It didn’t change the fact that most of the fans were still going to side with them over Kris and Mikah though. They were definitely walking into this match as the villains. The Barnharts were heroes by circumstance.

Except, these two are lackluster even by SCW standards. Since spoiling my return Bill has done absolutely nothing. He tried to take on Austin James Mercer, but fell short of reaching gold as a singles competitor. So what did he do? He grabbed the wife and headed over to the mix tag division at the drop of a hat. It doesn’t matter that she has dropped like eight of her last ten matches to more talented competitors. It doesn’t matter that as a team they have yet to gain any traction in the division. They are floundering at the bottom with the Trenton Tigers, and The Black Sheep are about to pass them up after only being on the job for a few weeks. After that it’s onto the champions. After that… this division will belong to The Black Sheep until we decide that we are bored with it. The bad thing is, there isn’t a team on this roster talented enough to stop it from happening. Not Bill and Bea. Not Bella and Malachi. Not even Wolfslair.

He stands from the chair, and starts to move around the desk.

So again, you people keep saying villain like it is some kind of bad thing...

He shrugs, picking the camera up off of the tripod.

I guess I’m just not seeing it...

He offers the viewers a condescending smirk before killing the feed. The screen cuts to static.

==========================================================

 Communication
Jet City
2 July 2020
OFF-Camera

Kris had not expected to come back to Seattle for any reason, let alone the reason that had brought him back to Jet City. Since his brother’s appearance in San Diego a week ago, Kris had been unable to shake an uneasy feeling. Jason was not exactly the easiest person to read, and their relationship had never been wonderful, but usually Kris knew where the two of them stood. There was always some kind of game at play. The fact that Jason would show up and cut ties didn’t feel right. There had to be more to it, or maybe Kris was just hoping that there was more to it. That’s what happens when you push everyone away though. Eventually they stop fighting it.

Jules and the baby were not home when Kris used the spare key to let himself into the house. There was no way that he was going to sit outside where anyone giving the house a passing glance could have seen him. Anywhere else in the world he could slip into the background and go unnoticed. However, the Seattle neighborhood where Jason’s house was located was occupied almost entirely by current and former members of the Jet City Sports Lab. Kris wasn’t about to open up the bag of worms that came with someone spotting him here.

The house was quiet, but Kris knew his way around. He had helped his brother remodel the whole thing while Jet City was at their height in Sin City. Kris had made himself comfortable in a chair in the corner of the living room and sat silently for his brother. By the time he was ready to abandon hope and call him, he heard the garage door open. He heard the car roar into the garage before the engine was cut off. Within moments Jason was crossing the room, headed for the mini-bar across from where Kris sits.

Kris: I like what you’ve done with the place...

Jason is not even startled by his brother’s voice coming out of the darkness in the room. He flips a switch on the side of the bar with a chuckle, but doesn’t bother turning to face Kris. Instead, he goes about making the drink he had been thinking about the entire way home.

Jason: How do you get Kristopher Ryans to show up?

The question is rhetorical, and Kris doesn’t bother trying to answer it. He had learned that lesson in his recent arguments with Coby. It was nothing but bait, and he was not going to take it. Luckily, Jason does not leave him hanging. As soon as he pours his drink he turns towards his brother, and leans back on the bar with his drink in hand.

Jason: ...tell him you don’t want him to, apparently.

He swirls the ice cubes around in the glass before taking a sip of the contents. Kris was not going to let the joke get under his skin. Jason was clearly in the mood to waste his time, or else he already would have been told to leave. The only way to get him to drop the act was to cut through the pleasantries.

Kris: I couldn’t stop thinking about your little visit to San Diego. Why would you just come down there and give me what I wanted? That’s not really like you at all...

Jason had expected Kris’ visit. The kid never knew when to leave well enough alone. You couldn’t get him to listen to advice, but if you told him to do something specific, you could rest assured that he would do the exact opposite. He had run away to San Diego because nobody supported his decision to return to the ring the way that he did. Yet, as soon as Jason showed up and set him free, Kris came running home. Had Jason actually wanted this outcome, he would have thought it was too easy to engineer. It hadn’t actually been his plan though. There was no way he was going to let the opportunity to take credit for it slide through his fingers though.

Jason: Maybe it was all an elaborate plan to get you to come back home. You know, you live right across the street. You have a wife. A girl. Two kids. You remember them right? The people that you left behind to take off to San Diego and spend all of your time with Mikah.

It was the reason that Kris had not wanted to linger outside. All it would have taken was someone looking out the window to spot him. The last argument that they had revolved around him not coming back until they admitted that they should have supported them. Months later it seemed stupid. It also seemed too late to take any of it back without looking like a child, so there was no turning back for someone with Kris’ ego. He was not going to let Jason use it against him though. It was not what he came to talk about.

Kris: Okay, not fair. Mikah moved in there because she kicked Drake to the curb.

It was the only path that Kris had forward that avoided talking about his family. Unfortunately, Jason was always a step ahead of him. He had hoped to be able to shine a light on Kris’ new tag team partner. It was no secret that he wasn’t the biggest fan of her, or her influence on his brother.

Jason: If she kicked him to the curb, why was she the one that ended up homeless?

It was one of those questions that was rigged against Kris. The truth was that everything they had was Drake’s and Mikah had just moved into his world. Therefore, when the time came, she moved out of his world. Kris knew that if he brought it up, his brother would call him naive. The point of Kris’ visit would get lost in the argument. The best choice was to not argue, or spin it back around on Jason.

Kris: Why are you trying to shift the subject to Mikah anyways? That’s not even what we were talking about.

Jason was still working a few moves ahead of Kris. It helps that he has had Kris’ entire life to learn all of his buttons. Jason had an easier time pushing them than most of the people in Kris’ life; private or professional.

Jason: I brought up Heather and the kids too. You are the one that latched onto Mikah. That’s on you.

Kris tosses a pillow at his brother, who slaps it out of the air before it can impact him or cause him to spill his drink. It was the type of tantrum that he was used to seeing when Kris didn’t get his way.

Kris: You’re impossible to talk to!

Jason offered Kris only a roll of his eyes before taking another drink from his glass.

Jason: Well, I must be where you got it from.

He sighs, knowing that Kris was not going to take any satisfaction from the answer. Ever since the two of them found out that they had different fathers, Kris blamed his older brother for all of his bad habits. Jason had practically had to raise him. It was only natural that Kris picked up just as many of the negatives as the positives. These days, any similarities between them seemed to drive Kris insane. Despite the outburst, he tries his best to keep it together.

Kris: I think that you came down to San Diego and signed over Jet City South because you didn’t want me to come back up here at all. You wanted me distracted. You wanted to keep me away, for some reason. I couldn’t figure out what it was for a week or so.

Jason cuts in before Kris can get to the point, hoping to knock him further off of his game.

Jason: Then you had a shower epiphany or something?

Kris continued without even acknowledging his brother’s attempt to annoy him.

Kris: I realized that the only reason that you would have noticed anything about the gym is if you were in it, and the only reason that you would have been in it would be so you could be training for a comeback.

Jason had to give Kris some credit. He had not thought that Kris would put it together until he actually saw him on screen. It would have been easier to get away with if Kris had not gotten past his problem with substances.

Jason: If this is your pitch for me to come back to Sin City, I am going to have to pass. Jet City was fun, but I have no interest in having to compete against you.

Kris was not going to let his brother forget about their match against one another while they were still holding the SCW Tag Team Championships.

Kris: ...because last time you stepped in their ring with me you lost...

It was true, but that was not the reason that Jason was not coming back to Sin City. Sure, he did not want to overshadow his brother, but he also didn’t want the inverse to happen. If he was going to come back it was going to be on his own terms. He had been lucky to have the phone ring when it did. Jason had no regrets about the decision he made.

Jason: ...because I got a better offer.

Kris had not expected him to just admit it outright. The direct approach was working better than he hoped.

Kris: So it’s true then? You’re actually going to get back into the ring?

Jason nods, finishing his drink and starting to pour a second.

Jason: Yeah. First show is coming up next week.

With his refreshed drink in hand, Jason moves across the room and sits opposite Kris.

Kris: So all of the shit that you gave me about how I was going to go out and get myself hurt was bullshit. You are doing the exact same thing!

Jason shakes his head. It was not exactly that simple. Kris had run away with delusions of grandeur. He had not gotten signed yet. He was not in shape. It was a half-baked impulsive idea, and Kris had gotten upset when the rest of the family called him out on it. It was not that they weren’t supportive. They were just worried. Kris tended to slide backwards when he was in front of the camera.

Jason: We all started watching your shows together, remember? There’s a reason that everyone else stopped but I kept watching. You stumbled a little, but you proved that you can still hold your own. Made me wonder if I still can. I may only get one more shot to really do that. I guess I came around to what you were trying to tell all of us.

After all, if Kris could come back from injuries and still be on top of his game, why couldn’t Jason do the same thing? Kris was not so accepting of the abrupt 180 his brother had taken though.

Kris: Then why have you been being such a dick?

The answer was so simple that Jason was disappointed that Kris had missed it.

Jason: ...because I didn’t turn my back on my whole family when I decided that I wanted to make a comeback. I asked for their help.

Now everything else was starting to make sense. If Coby had known that Jason was going to start prepping to come back, it made sense that he would come back to help. Everyone would pull together to make sure that their fearless leader was able to put his best foot forward. It wasn’t a benefit that everyone got to take part in.

Kris: ...so that’s why Coby came back.

Jason nodded, not feeling the need to be harsh about it. He didn’t need to spell out the words to tell Kris that he had told him so.

Jason: You’d be surprised what you can get done with you have the right supporting cast.

Jason lets out a sigh, and then kills off the rest of his drink while his younger brother thinks over his words. It takes a few moments, but Kris finally mutters under his breath.

Kris: I just wanted to do things on my own.

Jason puts the glass down on the table between them and taps his knuckle twice on the wood frame before getting up from his seat.

Jason: ...and now you can.

Jason does not ask his brother to leave. He knew that it would be a waste of time. However, he was not going to sit around and let Kris’ pite party waste any more of his. He makes his way out of the room, leaving Kris alone with his thoughts.

==========================================================


Team Effort
San Diego
3 July 2020
OFF-Camera

When Mikah got back to the apartment she was surprised to see that Kris had already gotten back from his trip. She thought it was a little suspicious that he took off to Seattle on a whim, but knew better than to try to ask too many questions. He would have just deflected them, or made it an argument about how she was always trying to finesse him into doing what she wanted. As she made her way inside, the first thing she noticed was the quiet. If he was here, maybe he was asleep. Jet lag had always been his primary complaint about the world tours the SCW did. It was not until she found him that she realized that his trip hadn’t gone according to plan.

Mikah: Why the long face?

Kris was laying backwards across a bean bag in the middle of the room he had converted into his studio for painting. The back of his head rests against the hardwood floor, while his feet are dangling in the air. Instead of doing anything productive, he has a foam ball in his hand and is tossing it to himself without enthusiasm. His blank expression does not change, even as Mikah stands over him.

Kris: My brother is getting back in the ring, and apparently wants nothing to do with me.

He tosses the ball again, but Mikah swats it out of the air at its peak. It lands on Kris’ desk, knocking over a jar of paintbrushes. Kris sighs, but makes no move to retrieve it.

Mikah: Well, that sounds like a net positive. You are always pushing people away. Maybe they are finally giving you the space that you have been asking for.

She did not see what the big problem was. He was always complaining about how nobody was willing to let him make his own life decisions. This sounded like exactly what he wanted. Sure, he wouldn’t actually talk about the reasons that he bailed out of Seattle, but she wasn’t exactly pressing for that information. Whatever it is that they were doing was not worth blowing up just to get some information. It was easier just to let Kris vent when he needed to, and then help pick up the pieces.

Kris: I don’t understand why my getting back in the ring cause all of them to turn on me, but when Jason does it they all rally around him like he is some kind of saint.

She tries not to focus on the family aspect of it all, and injects a little bit of cheer into her voice.

Mikah: Is he coming back to Sin City?

Kris shakes his head, and the weight comes off of Mikah’s chest. She and Kris had always gotten along, but she always got a strange vibe from his brother. He was always sitting back and judging people, but never taking any responsibility for his actions. People with those personalities always annoyed her. She preferred someone that says what was on their mind unapologetically. It was a benefit of hanging around with Kris.

Kris: No, but that’s not the point. He doesn’t have to be in the same country and try and overshadow me. The whole family can’t be bothered to pay attention to anything I am doing but they are helping him get back on his feet. It just rubs me the wrong way.

It was not like she was a stranger to feeling that everybody gave a shit about everyone but her. It was another thing that they were able to bond over. She was willing to look at the bright side of it though. If there was no Jason, and no Jet City, there was nothing that could stop the Black Sheep.

Mikah: Well, you traded up. Half of the people that he has helping him never amounted to anything. That’s why they work in a gym instead of in front of a crowd. You have me watching your back now. I’d say you got the better end of the deal.

Mikah had only ever gotten close with Coby and Chelsea anyways. She could take or leave the rest of them. Kris was better off without them. He was better off as part of this team. Kris still was not sold on the idea though.

Kris: You don’t even know when you will actually be back. Just because we mentioned being a team doesn’t mean Mark and Christian are going to let it happen.

She was not going to let his moodiness bring her down. Instead, she was determined to bring him up to her level instead of being dragged down to his. She bends at the waist and reaches down to put the nail of her index finger in the center of his forehead.

Mikah: You really think that they are going to push back against us? What other teams do they have that can put up a fight against Wolfslair? The Trenton Tigers have proven themselves incapable. The Barnharts are a joke, and a bad one. Sass n Bash are passable I guess, but they aren’t us.

Kris rolls his eyes.

Kris: We haven’t teamed together in years.

She drags her finger back and forth across his forehead and then taps the middle of it between each of her words.

Mikah: ...but nobody has ever beaten us.

He lightly slaps her hand away and then throws his body forward. His feet hit the wooden floorboards and he rights himself in the chair before spinning it to face her.

Kris: It’s not like we are London Underground though. The Black Sheep weren’t dominant in either of the tag divisions, and we never won the Mixed Tag titles even though we were the ones that pushed for them to be a thing. All we have is our past accomplishments, and a legion of people that can’t stand being around us.

The fact that he brought up the audience makes her laugh.

Mikah: Who needs fans anyways? I’ve never had them, and it never stopped me.

At this point Kris is hanging onto the negativity just out of spite. Mikah could see that she was starting to get through to him.

Kris: You make it sound like we are just going to show up as a group and take things over.

She was hoping that he would start to pick up some of her confidence and just run with it. The fact that he was right side up was a start, but she needed to get him up onto his feet.

Mikah: Don’t we always? I am in the Hall of Fame already. I’m the greatest bombshell in the history of the company. Between the two of us, we have more championships than any other team that they could put together. They should be thanking us for saving their mixed tag division, not debating if we are worthy challengers.

Kris laughs. He kept trying to shake off her explanations, but it was getting harder and harder to ignore her. He was starting to feel as helpless in these conversations as he was while his brother was tearing into him. It was like he was always a step behind.

Kris: You just have an answer for everything, don’t you?

It was not the time to rub it in his face, so she let herself be humble, if even just for a moment.

Mikah: No, I just refuse to let you wallow in self-pity for no reason. You’re Kristopher Ryans. You’re The Miracle. Sin City Wrestling is Kris. Think about how everyone hung on every word we said during the Mikah and Kris Show. We are undeniable.

She was hoping that she could get him to fight about something silly instead of being the captain of his own pity party. She was not disappointed in his response.

Kris: Kris and Mikah Show….

She knew that she had him on the hook, the only thing that she needed to do was actually reel him in. His words rang in her ears, and a smirk crosses her face as she threw them back at him.

Mikah: Lie to yourself, not to me.

Kris gasps in response, and pushes himself up to his feet.

Kris: Now you are using my own saying against me?

She shrugs her shoulders without letting the smirk widen into a smile on her face. Instead of taking credit for getting him moving, she padded his clearly bruised ego.

Mikah: I guess you are rubbing off on me.

It was a step too far, and now that Kris wasn’t stuck inside his own head, he had reverted back to his casual standoffishness.

Kris: You don’t have to stay here, you know?

She smiles, and grabs a hold of his hand before leading him out of the room.

Mikah: You’re not getting rid of me! Nice try though! Now come on, I have a surprise for you.

He reluctantly allows himself to be dragged along for the ride. He had hoped to find some kind of support in Jet City, but that had not gone according to plan. Maybe he did not need them though. Maybe Mikah and the Black Sheep would be enough.


==========================================================


”What a Waste”
ON-Camera

The first meeting between former World Heavyweight Champions should feel bigger than this...

Kris was standing in the study where all of his past championships were displayed. He is not focused on the lens of the camera this time. He is standing face-to-face with the SCW World Heavyweight Championship with his name emblazoned on the plate at the bottom. Memories of winning it race through his mind. It was not something that he would ever forget. He knew that his opponent this week also knew what that felt like. That made him different than all of the people that have been recently left in Kris’ wake.

I mean this isn’t like going into my match against Griffin, or Finn, or Jack, or O’Malley. Vinnie has actually been winning most of the matches that he finds himself in. Sure, he may not have come away as King for a Day, but he just came away with a victory over Jack Washington, the so-called King. Not that beating Jack is the hardest thing in the world to do. I’ve done it. Others have made it look easy. True, Vinnie needed an assist from the referees to have his hand raised, but it’s still one for the win column. Not as impressive as when I went out there and beat his ass for talking out of line though.

He allows himself to get off track for a moment, since Jack Washington was already on his mind.

...but Jack finds himself in the main event with Ben Jordan because of his luck at Into the Void, and two former World Heavyweight Champions are squaring off at the bottom of the card. It doesn’t matter that Jack wasn’t even good enough to be on Ben’s radar, let alone in a match with him. It didn’t matter that both myself and Vinnie have the better record, or the longer list of accomplishments. Jack walked away with the opportunity to do himself a favor, and he did exactly that. He gave everyone else the finger and did what was best for himself. Is that what was best for Sin City Wrestling? Of course not. Does that matter to someone like Jack? Absolutely not. The rest of the company gets stuck with a card that looks like a filler episode all so that Jack Washington can reach out for that brass ring he doesn’t deserve.

Kris shakes the thought away and turns towards the camera.

...and how does this come back around to our old friend Senor Vinnie? Well, because this match didn’t have to happen. This card that all of you people are being subjected to didn’t have to happen. Jack Washington has proved himself unworthy of rising through the ranks in this company, and is using his opportunity to jump the line. It didn’t have to be that way though. Had Vinnie walked away from Into the Void victorious, he could be the one facing Ben in the main event of Climax Control. He could have been the one controlling his position on this show. He could have saved us all from the gigantic waste of time that will be this weekend’s Climax Control. He had the opportunity to cease his own destiny, but he came up short.

Kris appears to weigh out the benefits of his alternate timeline on his right hand, but turns quickly to his left.

Compare that to the run that I have had in the last few weeks. I was given the same opportunity thanks to the booking of a blue-haired mental patient a few weeks ago. Unlike Vinnie, I came through in the clutch. I reached out and seized my destiny. I won the right to book any championship match that I want, with the only drawback being that Mark and Christian have to sign off on the time and place. And who did I beat to make that happen? A handful of people who, like Vinnie, couldn’t get the job done at Into the Void.

He juggles paths in his hands, letting the fans decide which path they would have rather taken and the implications involved.

Vinnie and I may not have crossed paths, but we have been cutting a path through the same group of guys. I don’t think that anyone would argue that Vinnie has been doing it better. I don’t think people were sitting on the edge of their seats waiting for the next twist or turn in his battle against Bill Barnhart. The only reason that he was tossed into King For A Day was because he didn’t have anything better going on. For better or worse, I have had the attention of everyone in the company since my return. Vinnie hasn’t been able to grab anyone’s attention. Not as a champion. Not as a challenger. Not as a talent.

It was as matter-of-fact as fans at home have ever seen Kris be. Instead of doubling down, he walks back some of the hostility.

... but then again, maybe it is not Vinnie’s fault. I mean, he was busy taking apart unproven newcomers like El Dark while I was busy beating Griffin Hawkins on back-to-back shows. He can only capitalize on the opportunities that he is given, and I am not so sure the guy has always been given a fair shake. Then again, when Vinnie did get his shot at Grif, he ended up vigorously tapping out in the center of the ring. Maybe the bookers know what they are doing when they throw him to the newcomers. Maybe despite his history, Vinnie just doesn’t have what it takes to hang around the top of the card. If that’s true though, what does that tell you about how he stacks up against someone like me in the ring?

Kris shrugs before spoon feeding the viewers the right answer.

We know what his response is going to be. His one time rival, Bill Barnhart was able to beat me in my first match in more than two years. That is the same guy that Vinnie went out and dominated at Blaze of Glory. We all watched it happen. We were all confused by what we were seeing. I’m still not sure exactly how any of it made sense to them, but when it came to the match itself, Vinnie was the one adding a win to his record. Then Bill picked himself up, came out, and shocked the world by beating me. I know he didn’t do much with the opportunities that the win afforded him, and I was able to avenge that loss two weeks ago, but I can’t take his victory away from him. Can Vinnie really put any faith in the idea that he is going to catch me off-guard like Bill did? Can he argue that I haven’t sharpened my skills and gotten my act together since then? Honestly, I feel as good today as I did when I was carrying the World Heavyweight Championship around my waist, and that makes me one of the most dangerous people on this roster right now. Vinnie might have to face me now, and just take the L, but at least he can rest assured that my sights are actually set on the Mixed Tag Team Championships. If he wants to chase the Roulette, Internet, or World Heavyweight Championships, he doesn’t have to be afraid that I will be there at every turn to throw up a roadblock. All it is going to cost him is this match. Then I am someone else’s headache.

It did not seem like Vinnie was actually getting such a bad deal in Kris’ mind.

So where does that leave us, Vinnie? We are just a wannabe crazy dude, and a guy living in the past according to our King for a Day. Despite our successes we are nearly at the very bottom of the card. Even though our records are looking a lot more spotless than others in this company, we are looked down on. It doesn’t matter what we say, or how much we can back it up, we are still on the outside of the championship scene while mediocre talents take our place.

Another sigh, and this time Kris seems almost at a loss for words.

So what do we do?

A smile spreads across his lips as an idea comes to mind.

I guess we could hop onto social media and whine and cry about every little thing that doesn’t go our way until we get gifted opportunity after opportunity. Then again, I think O’Malley has already cornered that market. We could lose match after match just to make big announcements about wanting another opportunity every time, but then what would Griffin Hawkins have to say after every supercard? How about we go out and talk about winning and rising through the ranks, just to walk away after a loss like all of those “hungry” new talents that were supposed to put me in my place. Where is Finn now? Where did Jack Russow go? Are Tiberius the Great and El Dark even still under contract?

Kris had laughed it off when he came back and Griffin told him that SCW was “fine” without him. He took at least a small amount of joy in watching the names that were thrown at him fall into SCW’s wastecan to be lost forever. It did not matter what anyone said, Kris was a staple in Sin City. Nobody could take that away from him.

People like Vinnie and I are proven commodities, but get tossed aside to try and hype up these fresh faces that burn out before they gain any momentum. We get told that we are old news and need to make room for new stars that always fall flat on their face when given every opportunity to succeed.

He backtracks again, not wanting to sound too arrogant.

...and before anybody thinks that is just cockiness talking, let me remind you that I was one of the ones leading the #BenDeservesBetter charge as the World Heavyweight Champion while everyone else doubted his ability. I’m not brushing off these newcomers arbitrarily. I’m saying that they aren’t up to the task because they have proven themselves inept. It’s not my fault everyone else is too polite to say it.

The smirk Kris flashes at the camera basically screams sorry, not sorry.

SCW will continue to see subpar challengers fall at the feet of their champions, because the real challengers are forced to fight each other over peanuts in the opening bouts every card. Although, maybe once we get back to semi-competent people booking the shows things will get better, not that I have a lot of faith. Apparently they are still thinking about sending us on a pandemic cruise, but that’s another issue for another time.

He was not even letting himself think ahead to Summer XXXtreme yet.

At this point nothing can change the fact that Vinnie and I are going to do battle come time for Climax Control. The only advice that I can give him is the same thing that I told Ben going into our first match with one another.

It doesn’t matter where the match is on the card if you tear the roof off the place.

I don’t have any problems with you, and I can respect the things that you have accomplished in Sin City. Let’s go out there and set the bar so high that people don’t remember this Climax Control for Jack losing to Ben in the main event. Let’s show them the main event that they could have had. Let’s give them the show that they deserve, even if it’s just a filler episode.

Kris shrugs his shoulders again, this time with a smile.

At least then, when you lose, you will still have something positive to hang your hat on.


==========================================================

 SPACE
Kris’ Apartment - San Diego
14 June 2020
OFF-Camera


Had he gone too far? Probably. Kris was not going to let that stop him from trying to get things back on the right track though. Coby was still understandably angry about what had happened during the last Underground show. Kris had gone out with the intention of playing by his friend’s rules but lost track of it once the spotlight was on him. He had been out of line to disqualify Coby. That was a mark on his record that was not ever coming off. For that, Kris at least had to make an attempt to apologize.

Kris: Yo...

The door was already ajar, so Kris pounding the side of his closed fist on it scooted it further open until his friend was in plain sight. His back was to Kris, and he was packing up some of his things laying around the room. Kris’ tried his best to keep things light, but had a feeling he was about to get his head bitten off.

Kris: Going on vacation?

He attempted to inject some hopefulness into his voice, but Coby’s flat response crushes it instantly.

Coby: I’m going home.

Determined to not assume the worst, Kris tries his best to spin Coby’s departure in the most positive light. However, the cheeriness in his voice wavers.

Kris: Ah, no match this week so you are running back to the wife and child?

Kris attempts to force a fake laugh to cut some of the tension in the room, but Coby turns towards him and talks over it.

Coby: No match this week, so no reason to force myself to be around you. I can get away from you and go the only place that I know you won’t follow.

It was a low blow. Kris had been estranged from most of their extended families for months now. Neither his wife nor Kali had answered many of his calls. The others had given up trying to convince him to come back. Coby knew that Kris’ ego was too fragile for him to follow back to Seattle. He would have to address the possibility that everyone was fine without him. Better off even. Naturally, Kris tries his best to get his friend to walk his comment back.

Kris: That’s a bit harsh. I’m not so bad...

He trails off, but Coby does not take the bait. Instead, he doubles down on his previous hurtful claims and digs the knife in a little deeper.

Coby: You’re intolerable! It’s not even just during the shows. It’s all the time. I can see why nobody else wanted to come down here and babysit you. Everything is always about you. Why do you think everyone in SCW keeps saying the same thing to you? It’s just how you are, and you are too dense to get it.

Kris starts to shrink in front of Coby. His arms cross in front of his chest, and his shoulders dip. At this point Kris cannot even lift his eyes to meet Coby’s gaze.

Kris: I never asked for you to be here.

It was a classic Kris misdirection away from the point. Coby does not let him off the hook though.

Coby: Yeah, but you’ve proven time and time again that you need supervision or you spiral out of control. Unfortunately people care enough about you to try to save you from yourself, but you know what? I’m tapping out. I’m going home. I can’t do it anymore.

He turns back to his bag and continues packing up his things. Kris should have just left. There was nothing that he could say that was going to get past Coby’s defenses when he was this angry. This had been the worst case scenario that had been running through Kris’ mind his whole way up to Coby’s room. At this point, Kris was desperate not to let any of that show on his face.

Kris: What about Underground?

It was a last ditch effort to draw Coby into any topic other than how Kris had been a letdown. Coby doesn’t bother turning back to him to answer, and continues packing.

Coby: I’ll be back for the show, and whatever you have planned for ruining it. I’m not quitting. I am just not going to do this anymore. I thought if I went to SCU and stayed out of your way that you would let me do my own thing, but you’re incapable of coexisting with anyone.

He zips the top of the bag closed and takes one last look around the room as he finishes. His eyes meet Kris’ for just a moment and the SCW Grand Slam Champion flashes his a smile and tries to lighten the situation.

Kris: What can I say? The spotlight loves me?

Coby shoulder checks him on his way out of the room, not indulging Kris any longer. He calls back to him over his shoulder on his way down the stairs.

Coby: Does it? Or do you love swooping in and stealing it from others?

Kris quickly follows him down, no longer content just to accept the verbal beatdown that Coby was laying on him.

Kris: I ca--

Before he can even make his point Coby turns around at the bottom of the staircase and cuts him off. It was better not to even let Kris get going, and Coby knew it. He had the upper hand, and he was not going to give it up.

Coby: ...you did it to Kyle. You did it to Court when she was trying to win Blast from the Past. You were the reason Aaron bailed out of SCW. And why is that?

Kris shrugs.

Kris: I gu---

Again, Coby refuses to let him talk, answering the question for him.

Coby: It’s because we were your friends. We were the people you helped train and get their foot into the right doors. So when you kept popping up, we let you. Anyone else would have put you in your place. That’s why you always do it to us. But you always take it too far. It always has to be about you. You never know when you overstay your welcome. That’s why you’re going to end up alone.

Coby turns again, making his way through the main floor of the apartment. Kris follows him through the hallways, not wanting to give up on the argument.

Kris: I have always just been trying to help.

Coby laughs, and fires back immediately.

Coby: Who? Us or yourself?

Kris does not overthink his answer, not wanting to get cut off by Coby before getting to answer for himself.

Kris: Both.

They were closing in on the front door now, and Coby was not making any signs of stopping or reconsidering heading back home. As he pulls the door open, he turns back to look at Kris for just a moment.

Coby: Well it never looked that way to us...

It stops Kris in his tracks, and he does not have anything to say for himself. Coby does not wait for him to find the answer, stepping through the door and leaving his friend alone in the apartment.

==========================================================



The scene opens looking down on Kris Ryans as he hangs from a pegboard on the wall of the Jet City Sports Lab. He works his way across the board, supporting all of his weight with one hand as he pulls a peg out of the wall and moves it further down the line. Once he is sure of his grip, he shifts his weight right, and moves the second peg closer to the first one that he moved. As he continues moving across the wall, he starts to speak without looking up at the camera.

Crystal isn’t so bad.

I know it’s not going to be the popular opinion this week, but it is the truth. It seems like I am the only person that is not too good to admit it though. There are so many of us that get the chance to control our own destiny this week. If this was a regular card, would we have all gotten this chance?

Of course not.

Mark and Christian can be generous, but not this generous. We probably would have seen one of the Roulette Championships up for grabs no matter what in a main event. A couple of matches would have led to possible contendership opportunities, but nothing like this. Two bombshells and myself get the opportunity to name a match of our choosing from now until the end of the year. It’s a hell of a handout.

He gets to the end of the wall and starts to swing back and forth to gather some momentum. On his third swing he lets go of the pegs and launches himself through the air, landing on a raised platform. The camera bounces from the impact, but stays attached to him. Kris sits down on top of the obstacle, attempting to catch his breath.

People are going to complain about how things aren’t fair, but nobody ever said that Crystal had to be fair. Remember when Christian went to war with Griffin Hawkins? Was that fair?

Others are going to complain that the top two champions of the company are in the show opener. I remember a time where I was the SCW World Heavyweight Champion, and Ben Jordan was happy to participate in the opener against me. I guess time really has changed Saint Ben while I was away.

He shrugs, and moves on, not wanting to waste any time on the SCW World Heavyweight Champion at the moment. If he were to walk away from this match a master of his own destiny, he could spend some time talking about Ben. Until then, he needed to stay focused.

For me it is not just about the opportunity to take a shot at any championship that I desire in the next few months. For me this match is a lot more than that, and that is why I had to give credit to Crystal for doing something intelligent. I would be stupid to say that I didn’t care about the prize awarded to the winner of the match, but that isn’t the only thing that interests me.

He shakes his head, and a smile spreads across his face. He had known Crystal a long time, and there was no way that she hadn’t thought things through before putting him in this match. It made it hard to say anything bad about her when she knew him so well.

Since I first started here, I haven’t been very good at losing. Unsurprisingly, I don’t take it very well. It eats at me.

He uses his hand to claw at the skin of his left arm like something was actually crawling around beneath the surface.

It gets under my skin and there’s really only one thing that I can do to make the feeling go away.

He stops, the smile coming back.

That’s why I’ve made a habit of going back and beating the people that have gotten one over on me in the past. I talked about it leading up to my match at Into the Void, and Crystal must have been listening, because she dropped Bill Barnhart directly into my lap this Sunday.

Despite his loss last time he was in the ring with Bill, Kris seemed confident, possibly bolstered by his recent victory over Griffin Hawkins.

At this point, everyone knows that Bill’s win over me was a fluke. It was my first match back after an extended period of time away, and he got the luckiest win he is ever going to get in his career. Even Mark and Christian were surprised by it, and they handed him a chance to win the Internet Championship based on his win over me. Of course, he isn’t carrying that championship into this match, so obviously giving him a chance was a waste.

It was harsh, but it was the truth. Bill Barnhart had beaten Kris and gotten the opportunity of a lifetime, but pissed it away. Kris took some personal satisfaction in the fact that he hadn’t been a sudden launchpad for Bill’s career.

Bill, I started you on a path towards greatness last time around, and you proved that you weren’t up for it. I gave you all of the momentum in the world, and you couldn’t rise past the upper middle. You were barely able to come away with a victory over me when I was unfocused and rusty. What are you going to do now that I am better conditioned? You aren’t going to outlast me this time, and I have already absorbed your best shots. I am sure that Griffin wishes that he had fought me that first match back instead of at Into the Void. I’m sure that O’Malley wishes he was in any match other than this one. Nobody wants to step into the ring with me when I am on top of my game.

Kris flashes a smile to the camera one more time and moves around the platform that he is sitting on. He looks down at the floor beneath him, before looking back up into the camera with one last message for Bill.

Last time was a fluke. There will not be a second.

With that, he drops off of the obstacle into a pit of foam blocks. As he makes impact, the camera cuts to a black screen.



==========================================================


Jet City Split
Jet City South - San Diego
16 June 2020
OFF-Camera


It did not make any sense. Coby had gone back to Seattle days ago. Kris had locked the gym up hours ago. Yet, as he was finally relaxing for the night one of the motion sensors had sent an alert to his phone. He had checked the cameras without seeing anything out of sorts, and thought it had to be a mistake. Twenty minutes later it happened again. Again Kris checked the cameras, only to be disappointed. When it happened a third time, he had already made his decision to investigate. However, this time when he checked the camera a single light was on in the middle of the gym. From the view Kris had, he could not see who it was, only that they were standing in the center of his six-sided ring, and looking out at the rest of the gym. It had to be Coby. He was the only other person with a key. Kris grabbed his phone and made his way down to the bottom floor of the building. The front door was still locked, another sign that it was not Coby. Kris was starting to worry that he was dealing with a legitimate break-in as he unlocked the door and made his way inside.

Kris: Can I help you?

Whoever was standing in the middle of the ring was leaning on the ropes with his back to Kris. He laughs, and Kris’ relaxed immediately. He did not have to see his face to know that the man standing in front of him was his brother and former tag team partner.

Jason: Probably not...

Jason didn’t sound like he was in a mood to play games, and Kris quickly put together why. They had been partners in Jet City, but that had gone way past the two of them being a team in Sin City Wrestling. They had built a successful gym together. Kris knew it was just a matter of time before Jason found out that he had basically stolen half of their gym and taken off to San Diego.

Kris: I should have known that Coby was going to run and tattle on me. Is he still in the middle of his tantrum?

Jason turns towards his younger brother, his expression blank. He shrugs his shoulders, and shakes his head slowly.

Jason: I don’t know. I haven’t talked to him. I’m sure whatever he is mad about is your fault though. You have a knack for being a jackass.

Jason’s condescending smirk started to corner out of the corner of his mouth, but Kris was not going to stand by and let his brother waste his time.

Kris: So if Coby didn’t tell you what was up, how did you find out?

Kris climbs up the stairs in one of the corners of the ring and walks up along the apron. Jason takes a step closer to him, but stays in the center of the ring. He was almost insulted that his younger brother thought this little of him. Jason was by-far the more responsible of the two of them. If anyone was going to notice something wrong with the gym, it was going to be him.

Jason: Well there’s the fact that storage got cleaned out a couple of months ago, but I knew it wasn’t me.

Kris shrugs and rolls his eyes.

Kris: I didn’t think you checked it.

Jason’s voice raises, not happy with Kris treating him like he was an idiot.

Jason: Oh, and the fact that you keep filming all of your promos for SCW from here.

Kris had not even thought of that possibility. It was nice to know that even though the people at home were mad at him, they were still fans of his. They might have been the only ones that he had left these days. Maybe they would set Coby straight.

Kris: You people are still watching the shows?

The look on Jason’s did not make Kris hopeful that he was going to have a pleasant answer.

Jason: We started watching them all together. That didn’t last long.

The fact that all of their friends and family had watched Kris fall on his face in his debut felt like getting caught with his pants down. Although, he had literally gotten caught with his pants down in his last run with the company, so this couldn’t be as bad for him as that was. Kris timidly tries to shake off the embarrassment.

Kris: I didn’t exactly have the best debut...

Jason helps him along, but not the way that Kris would have gone if he was given the option.

Jason: No, and since then you have been running around making an asshole out of yourself. You brought up me and Parker fighting Griffin in order to get into his head? What is wrong with you. You two are friends. How do you think Heather feels about all that? Or do you not think about that?

Kris had done what he had to do going into that match, and he had not allowed himself to feel bad about it. He shrugs his shoulders again, a little of his confidence returning.

Kris: I won.

Jason still doesn’t seem impressed. If anything, Kris was just digging himself a bigger hole. He could see the disappointment building in his older brother’s eyes.

Jason: ...but what does all of that cost? What does all of this cost you?

Jason gestures to the gym that Kris had built. This visit was not just about the way that Kris was acting, or bringing him back home. It was about all of it, the gym included. Kris had made a choice and run away from everything, screwing over everyone in Jet City in the process. Kris wasn’t ready to have that conversation though. He tries his best to deflect away from it.

Kris: I mean we already owned the building so it’s really just about keepin---

Jason refuses to participate in the circus act and yells over Kris.

Jason: You know what I mean!

Kris had been moving like he was going to step between the ropes and enter the ring to face his brother, but the sudden outburst stopped him in his tracks. Jason pressed on before Kris even realized what was happening.

Jason: Every time you come back you end up leaving more injured and with less people that give a shit about your well-being. You get in front of a camera and decide to be your worst self just to get attention. You piss people off and then someone finally breaks you for it. What’s going to break this time?

Kris finds the willpower to step into the ring now, and does his best to keep calm. He was not going to let Jason get to him the same way that Coby had.

Kris: I guess we’ll burn that bridge when we get to it.

Jason reaches into the inside pocket of his jacket and pulls out a stack of papers. He extends it out to Kris.

Jason: No, we can do that now. I was hoping to talk some kind of sense into you but there’s no point.

Kris reaches out to take it, but could not decipher what he was looking at right off the bat.

Kris: What’s all this?

Jason moves around his brother, happy to explain that he was finally cutting him loose after all of the years that he spent taking care of him.

Jason: This is me giving you all of this shit. It’s yours. The rest is mine.

Kris stops flipping through pages and turns back to his brother with a smile. He goes to the last page in the stack and signs his name in a few places before tossing it back to his brother.

Kris: Done.

Jason catches it, but it was not the outcome that he had been hoping for. Despite all of the negatives that came with him, Kris was family. He didn’t like the idea of casting him out, even though he had left everyone no alternative.

Jason: It didn’t have to be like this.

Kris was not going to give him the satisfaction of begging him to stay. If Jason was trying to call Kris’ bluff, he was going to continue to be disappointed by Kris’ stubbornness.

Kris: I think we both knew that it was always going to end like this.

Jason nods, and tucks the papers back into his jacket pocket. He takes one last look around the gym that Kris had built for himself before stepping out of the ring and dropping down to the floor. The slaps the mat twice before making his exit.

Jason: Good luck.

==========================================================



The cameras catch up to Kris looking a little breathless. The top half of his sleeveless red shirt is much darker than the bottom, and visibly damp. The former champion’s usually perfect hair is beyond frazzled. He unscrews the lid off of a bottle of water and finishes the last half of it before throwing it into a bin next to the front entrance of Jet City South. The cameras follow him as he makes his way inside.

Into the Void IX is going to end up being my most favorite match of my SCW career.

It did not come out like a joke, or that he was gloating. The smile on his face looked to be genuine, like Kris was thinking about turning over a new leaf.

I know. Even I didn’t believe that it would be at first. Believe me, I have worked it all out though. My matches with Despy were great, but he was just better than me back then. My brother and I tore the house down when we fought on Climax Control, but I feel like he was already past his prime. I even thought back to all of my battles with Crimson, or possibly even the match with Ben, but none of them measure up. As of today, I feel like it has to be the match with Griffin.

Kris stops once the camera crew was inside and locks the door behind them before making his way across the gym. The space was huge, but quiet. He had not opened it up to the public and now that his partners were not around, it was really just Kris using the space.

Let’s put aside all of the things that we said to each other building towards the match.

It was easier said than done. The things that Kris had dragged out into the public eye for the sake of their match had done more harm than he had intended.

While we are at it we can put aside the fact that Griffin’s dreams of a shot at the SCW World Heavyweight Championship died when he lost to me. That’s not going to be helpful for this either.

He had hooked everyone in until now. Suddenly the smile on his face did not feel so genuine anymore. If he wanted to bait people in by being positive before dropping the hammer on them, he had been successful. He wasn’t quite done reeling everyone in though.

The match itself was amazing. I don’t think that there is another person that I have been more evenly matched with in all of my years stepping into the ring. Since the moment that Griffin accepted my challenge he pushed me to be at the top of my game. I couldn’t walk into the match with Griffin with the same attitude that I approached Bill Barnhart with weeks before. I had to be sharp. I had to regain the instincts that made me the face of this company two years ago.

The former champion had crossed the line between confidence and cockiness.

I walked into that match with something to prove, and walked out with my hand held high in the air. But like I said going in, that outcome was not preordained by any means. I am not unbeatable, nor am I unstoppable. I have proven that I can lose a match after a single misstep time and time again. I wasn’t fighting Griffin to prove that I was perfect though. I was fighting Griffin to prove that I am one of the best to ever step into the six-sided SCW ring.

Any thought that Kris was going to grow up was out the window now. He was just as full of himself after his victory as he had been beforehand. If anything, the win had reinforced the worst parts of his personality.

Griffin attempted to sell me on the idea that there were so many up and coming guys that were ready to take my place if I wasn’t able to deliver like I used to. He reminded me that there are always people looking up from the bottom and wanting what the people at the top have. He reminded me that I was one of the few that was able to break through that glass ceiling and take over a company. Nobody believed that I could do it back then, and not many believed I had enough left in the tank to keep doing it now.

The thrill he got out of proving people wrong was the whole reason that he still wanted to compete despite how much it had cost him. He had spent the last two weeks doubting himself but was starting to remember what he loved so much about the industry.

Thanks to Griffin Hawkins I was able to prove all of the doubters wrong at Into the Void. It didn’t matter what was said. It didn’t matter what anyone thought of me. I came down to that ring, turned out Griffin’s lights with a well-aimed boot to the side of the face, and walked out a winner. Any thought that my career had stalled after losing to Bill was brushed away. Any talk of Griffin Hawkins passing me up and becoming a top contender was squashed in a split-second.

He snaps his fingers and then pauses for just a moment. He tries to force himself to ratchet down the confidence and sound more serious.

Griffin has been kind of quiet about things since the loss, so I assume it got in his head a little bit. It is hard when you talk a big game and then fail to come through in the end. I get it. I have been there my fair share of times.

Kris raises his index finger to tap his bottom lip and then rests his hand on his chin. Something he had said earlier in the week about Bill Barnhart started to come to mind.

The good thing is, Crystal seems to be giving Griffin the same second chance that she is giving me. While I am aiming to avenge a fluke loss against Bill Barnhart, Griffin can try to do the same thing. This time he doesn’t even have to actually pin me to make it happen either. All he has to do is take out Bill or O’Malley, neither of which pose the same threat that I do.

He knew that it would sting for both men to hear, but that didn’t make it any less true. Kris wasn’t going to feel bad about telling the truth. At least there was at least some path to success for Griffin, even if O’Malley and Bill were screwed.

If Griffin can pull it off, then his loss at Into the Void becomes an unfortunate speed bump. He gets his opportunity to challenge for whatever title he chooses, whenever he chooses to do so. At the same time, he manages to finally get around the only obstacle that he hasn’t been able to overcome: Kristopher Ryans. You have to admit, it makes for an exciting story.

Kris’ eyes wander away from the camera as he thinks over the possibility that his friend could actually rise to the occasion. It doesn’t last long, as Kris would not willingly give up the spotlight to let something like that happen.

Unfortunately for Griffin, we have already seen the ending. He is going to be on the brink of victory, only to have it snatched away at the last moment by someone just slightly more talented than he is. It’s a problem that has plagued him for most of his career, but one that I have already shrugged off.

Sorry about costing you another opportunity Griffin, but I’m going to need to take this one for myself as well. Better luck next time.  



==========================================================

FTW
Kris’ Apartment - San Diego
19 June 2020
OFF-Camera


The two weeks following Into the Void had not gone Kris’ way. Everyone had ignored his birthday. Coby had left. Jason had cut him off. His family had abandoned him. Worst of all, Kris was starting to believe that it was entirely his own doing. Had he really been pushing everyone away all this time? The distractions had made preparing for his match difficult. Having nobody around to bounce ideas off of had added another level of torture of it as well. Kris had been making his way through his routine and was halfway through his set on an inverted leg press machine when a pair of hands covered his eyes. His headphones had canceled out the sound of her approach, but Kris easily identified her by the scent of the lotion she had covered herself in.

Kris: I’m really not in the mood for any games right now.

Mikah takes her hands away from his eyes and sits down on the machine next to him with a frown on her face. The tank top she has on is soaked, indicating she had been going through a workout of her own. Kris tries not to let her distract him from what he is doing. He exhales, and starts his set over, trying to ignore her.

Mikah: What? Are you upset that Coby finally got sick of your shit? You should have seen that coming.

Kris stops. He had already reached his threshold of shit he was going to allow people to shovel his direction.

Kris: I did.

Mikah does not let the hostility in Kris’ voice get her off of her game. She was used to dealing with him, regardless of how combative he was feeling. The two of them used to do the Kris and Mikah Show in front of cameras while livid with one another. She was not afraid of him in any way.

Mikah: So you are pouting about something else?

It came out as more of a taunt than an actual question, but Kris was too knotted up not to take the bait. He sighs, and starts to unload some of his baggage.

Kris: Jason showed up and signed all of this over to me.

He gestures to the gym around them. Of course, that did not seem like a bad thing to Mikah. Kris and Coby had spent months working on getting the gym ready to open. Kris had been stressed about what Jason would do once he found out it was open. The fact that he knew, and seemingly didn’t care, felt like it should be a good thing. The way Kris was acting made it feel like the opposite.

Mikah: That seems like something to be happy about. That is what you wanted, right?

Kris laughed, not sure how she could miss why Jason would do something like that. It was not a favor. It was an insult.

Kris: It means that they are all giving up on me. They don’t want me back.

Mikah stretches out across the machine next to Kris, trying to sit more comfortably. She still couldn’t what had made Kris so upset. He sounded a lot like how she was talking when she first showed up after her fight with Drake. Kris had told her to stop hanging onto something that was only letting her down. Maybe it was her turn to do him the same courtesy.

Mikah: All you ever do is complain that they are always trying to control  you and tell you what to do. This sounds like a good thing.

She was right, but something about it still was not sitting well with Kris. It felt like he was letting everyone else down by chasing what he felt was right for himself. He loved being in the ring, but nobody seemed to understand that. He didn’t care about the injuries or the risk. It was better than sitting at home wasting away. The fact that his brother was willing to write him off over that felt unfair.

Kris: It’s just a weird feeling. We took a tag team, built a training center around it, and kind of all became really close-knit because of it. It feels like being kicked out of the family once and for all.

Mikah was well aware of what that felt like, and gives Kris the same advice that he had given her time and time again.

Mikah: Well, you never needed them anyways.

It was not something that Kris was used to hearing. Everyone was always telling him that he needed their help, or that he required supervision so that he would not get into trouble.

Kris: What?

Mikah smiled, she knew that she had him on the hook now. After two weeks of being chopped down to size, Kris was dying to hear anyone say something positive.

Mikah: You’re Kristopher Ryans, SCW Grand Slam Champion. None of those people were around for any of that. You did that all on your own. You overcame every obstacle thrown at you. You’re adaptable.

Kris wasn’t sure that everyone would agree with her. The Nobodies had helped him along as Internet Champion. His brother had co-captained Jet City during their tag team run. Her heart was in the right place though, and Kris could kind of her see point.

Kris: That depends on who you ask...

Mikah had the perfect answer waiting for any kind of resistance from him.

Mikah: Me! Because I am the only one with an opinion that matters. Look at me!

Reluctantly, Kris looks up from the machine to meet her gaze.

Kris: What?

Mikah: Every time you have run into a problem you have picked yourself up, and found a way to get past it. So what if Jet City hates you now. They weren’t around when you were a nobody anyways. They only came around once you were already The Miracle.

She had a point. Jason hadn’t even come up with the idea of them opening a gym until after they were holding the SCW Tag Team Championships. By that point Kris was already an established star on the roster. He clawed his way up the ranks on his own before then. It did not change the fact that his current situation was deflating though.

Kris: Well I’m not exact feeling very miraculous...

Mikah shrugs, refusing to allow Kris to continue sulking.

Mikah: Then maybe it is time to adapt.

Kris laughs and shakes his head. It was one of those things that was easy to blurt out as an idea, but difficult to do.

Kris: What does that even mean?

Luckily, from the moment that Kris’ name had been announced as a participant in the Control You Destiny match, Mikah had been plotting the change Kris needed to get things turned around in the right direction.

Mikah: I have an idea.

==========================================================



The cameras do not find Kris in the middle of his strange workout routines this time. Instead, he is sitting in the center of the ring on a stool. He is dressed in street clothes, and has his attention focused on the camera in front of him.

O’Mally is, by far, my least favorite type of person in the world.

There is no smile, and no game being played. It must have been Honesty Hour at Jet City South.

This is a man whose opinion of me is something like ‘a little flaky, and nothing respectable’. In his lead up to losing at Into the Void, he said that I should have been easily beaten by Finn Whelan. Let’s not forget that O’Malley went on to prove he can’t do something as simple as climb a ladder and remove a briefcase while I was busy putting on another SCW Classic against Griffin Hawkins.

This time Kris doesn’t let his last win get him off track. He was not here to talk about Griffin. He was here to talk about a guy that was too cowardly to even speak for himself, unless it was to complain on Twitter.

I guess it is a little unfair to call Darcy’s words against O’Malley, but since the guy is incapable of talking for himself I guess I don’t have much of a choice. It is kind of strange though. O’Malley pretends to be an intimidating presence, but needs his significant other to come and be his mouthpiece. He is supposedly a talented alumni of the GO Gym, but it looks like everyone else from there is ashamed to know him. The guy wants to be considered a decent competitor and champion but stole the Underground title and says he would rather have the week off than have a chance to compete on Climax Control.

It is clear that nothing about O’Malley impresses Kris. The former champion had at least had a little fun during his addresses to his other opponents. However, there was nothing joyous about his demeanor now.

This is a guy that made it a point to complain that nobody else had anything to say about his match at Into the Void, but never actually speaks for himself. He says that others put in half-assed effort while sitting on his ass and letting Darcy speak for him. He wonders why he is still struggling to legitimize his grip on his B-show championship when it is clear to all of us. He can’t speak for himself. He can’t win without her help. He can’t win a title unless he is stealing it from the rightful champion.

Kris shrugs, with a sorry-not-sorry smirk coming back onto his face.

...and for all of Darcy’s complaining in his promos, he hasn’t been going out to the ring and getting anything done. Is he planning his next big move as King of a Day? No, Jack Washington is. The same Jack Washington that threatened to break me before I put him in his place just a few weeks ago. A guy that I laid out in the middle of the ring after he told me that I was too feeble to be a real threat. That was the guy that rose to the occasion and bested O’Malley, and yet I am supposed to fear him for some reason?

The laugh that Kris lets out is almost as offensive as any of his words.

Mark Cross may have been a shitty Underground Champion but at least the guy speaks for himself and actually has the talent to get it done in the ring on his own. O’Malley needs someone to do the talking for him, and someone to bend the rules for him just to gain any traction. When it comes to the championship he carries around, he took advantage of two real champions having just beaten the hell out of each other. There is nobody in this company that is scraping by doing the bare minimum quite like O’Malley is. Yet, he has the audacity to try and call out anyone like he is better than they are.

When I pressed him about this match, he said that he would show up and win the whole thing if he wanted to, but he wasn’t sold on it. This is a guy that just took the shortcut of all shortcuts to steal the Underground Championship, but suddenly has no interest in winning this one? Days ago, he made the ludicrous statement that if he lost it would just be because he wasn’t interested in the opportunity.

Maybe he is not interested because there is no way to cheat his way around putting in the work this time. Maybe he knows that his days of letting Darcy fight his battles for him isn’t going to get him the kind of respect that he is demanding out of people. Or maybe he just realizes that he is not good enough to do any of these things on his own. We have all heard Darcy talk about how she was the one to see his potential and draw it out of him. We have heard her say that he was on the wrong path before she got involved. It seems like she thinks that he is a failure without her.

Kris knew that he was not going to be able to cause any friction between the two with his opinion, but he couldn’t help but point out the facts.

I’m here to make sure that he knows that everyone still thinks of him as a failure, even with her. Possibly even because of her.

The predictability of it all made Kris start to appear bored even wasting time on the not-so-dynamic duo.

...but still. I bet she ends up at ringside for this match and does her best to help him steal another victory that he couldn’t possibly earn on his own. It will be entertaining to get to see the heartbreak on her face up close when he loses yet again.

It’s going to be hard to wait two more days before I get to see it.  


==========================================================

 Old Business
28 May 2020
ON-Camera

The cameras catch up to Kris standing in the middle of a six-sided ring. However, the space around him does not look like the Sin City Wrestling ring being set up inside the Gold Ring Casino. Instead, he is surrounded by gym equipment, standing in a ring with the varied shades of blue and black that both Jet City and PRIDE wrestling had made their signature. Throughout his time back the gym had slowly gotten more and more put together, but today it appears polished and ready for a potential opening whenever the world allows for it.

I have spent all of my time here talking about moving forward. I know it might not always look like that, but it’s true. It’s not as simple as just putting one foot in front of the other though. Otherwise anyone moving forward would look a lot like they were just running away from whatever is behind them. That is why I have always done my best to make sure that there is never anything behind me that I am running away from. Anybody that I lost to, I tried to get a rematch with so that I could fix that mistake. Any time I embarrassed myself, like my first time in the Roulette Division, I came back to do something miraculous and wipe the smudge off my record. I didn’t climb to the top of the company by blowing off my past and making excuses. I did it by fixing those mistakes, righting those missteps, and succeeding everywhere that I had previously failed. By the time I became the face of this company, there was nothing that anybody could say to dispute my place.

The camera seems to float around the top of the ring in a circle around Kris. He does not move with it, allowing it to circle him. He did not have the typical condescending smirk on his face as he usually would in this type of environment.

I worked so hard to get to this point, and I know that I should be focused ahead of me, on this match with Griffin Hawkins at Into The Void, but I’m not quite there yet. Since I have been back I keep finding myself looking backwards, instead of forward. I keep hanging on to the past, and my place in it, and it has caused me to stagnate in place for a month. I want to move forward. The problem is, there is some old business holding me back. Before I can get there, I want to talk about Climax Control. I want to talk about Jack Washington. I want to talk about how right Griffin Hawkins was in his interview backstage. I don’t think I can move forward without clearing the air a little bit.

Kris looks almost physically pained by the admissions that he is about to make, never one to be very humble.

Griffin Hawkins thinks I act like a spoiled child that doesn’t feel loved enough.

Viewers can tell that it might sting him a little to admit, but he presses on anyways, not letting it slow him down.

He says the business has changed without me… I think he said it has ‘evolved’ in my absence. I’m a little spotty on the details because I had just gone out and won another match, but we will get to that.

Even the joke at Griffin’s expense does little to improve Kris’ mood. There was obviously something weighing on him that he was not willing to carry into such an important match. He was running out of time to unload all of the baggage. It was best to do it like ripping off a band-aid.

Apparently this roster is younger, hungrier, and more exciting than it ever has been before. People like The Jacks: Washington and Russow, Finn Whelan, and Mark Cross are supposedly the up and comers set to lead SCW to new heights!

The forced excitement is not very hard for viewers to see through. No matter how hard everyone had tried to sell him on that idea, it had never rang true to his ears. They were just names of people that had promise, but had lacked follow through thus far to make it as far as Kris had. He was not impressed by those that were considered longshots or underdogs. He had always been one himself, until the miracle happened. Until he forced people into acceptance, but that was another time.

I mean, when I left there was just Sin City... but now there is Underground. Now there is GRIME. Now SCW is bigger than ever before. I took my ball and went home, but SCW exploded in the last two years.

Again, he tries to cover up the fact that the criticism bothers him. Instead of fighting against it, he flips the viewers expectations on their heads and goes the other way with it.

He makes a compelling argument.

Kris shrugs his shoulders. It was new ground to admit that maybe someone else was right, but he was steering into it.

SCW was good before me, and SCW will be good long after me.

It was true. His phone had not exactly been ringing off the hook while he was away. In fact, the first time that anyone had actually come calling, Kris showed up almost immediately. He was not an original member from way back when the company was founded. By the time he arrived Sin City was already a success. While he was gone, it had only grown. It only made sense what the future would hold, with or without him.

On the surface, it seems like something that should offend me. I bet fans at home were sitting there thinking that I would get mad, or be offended. If I was truly the petulant child that Griffin has made me out to be, that would be exactly how I would react. However, he is allowed to feel however he would like to feel about my actions. I’m not here to tell people how to live their lives.

The self-righteous smirk finally starts to cut through his otherwise calm demeanor. It was a clear sign that the ‘but’ of it all was coming. Kris was not the type of person to cut himself down without a catch, and everyone should have expected that it was coming.

I am here to tell people that “good” wouldn’t be good enough for me if I was an SCW fan. I have always felt like everyone was entitled to a little something more than that. None of us are here because we are good. We are here because we are some of the greatest at what it is that we do. We are here to elevate what happens out there in the ring. Just about anyone can step out there and have a good fight with minimal training. I think we should be setting the bar a little higher though. I think SCW needs someone that can step out there and do something miraculous every time they step into the ring. I think people want to see the best of the best, and nobody wants to settle for a roster full of “good” competitors.

He laughs, and shakes his head, trying to find the right words to drive his point home. He takes a step towards the camera, actually looking up directly into the lens for once.

It would be one thing if that was just an empty insult, but it’s not. I brought the receipts with me.

He raises his hand, and starts to list off his competition, first with just an index finger in the air.

Mark Cross? You mean a guy that is only still champion right now because Ben Jordan thinks two championships are better than one? The guy that got carried by Evie through Blast from the Past? The one that has been a literal ghost since the tournament ended?

He raises his middle finger next.

What about Russow? The guy fell on his face on his first night as champion. And I know people are going to cite that he ended the record breaking reign of Griffin Hawkins, but let’s be honest Griffin has dropped more matches in recent weeks than he has won.

His ring finger pops up as he struggles not to let his amusement get him off track.

And who embarrassed the new champion on coronation night? None other than Jack Washington. The guy who promised to break me, because I am weak. The guy who wanted to hurt me. The guy who wants to achieve everything that I have, but faster, just out of spite. He got so hype off of winning the Jack-Off a few weeks ago that he said he was going to put me back on the shelf.

Kris looks down, and then pats at his upper body to make sure that he is still standing there in one piece.

Unless I missed something, I think I made it out unscathed. To be honest, he’s probably feeling it a little more than I am.

Kris taps twice on the solid knee brace strapped to his left leg. It had been a little under a week since he had driven into Jack Washington’s throat with a SmackShot just for mentioning trying to put him back on the injured reserve.

Someone like Jack Washington might be good for SCW, but on Climax Control he stepped into the ring with an SCW great and got put in his place. He talked about chewing me up and spitting me out, but one SmackShot later he is asleep on the canvas and my hand is being raised in the air. Griffin came out parroting all the same things that Jack said leading into that match, and spouted off his list of names, but where did all that talk get Jack Washington? Is that the road that Griffin really wants to go down?

Kris raises a pinkie now, getting back to his list of people that Griffin had suggested were somehow better than he was.

Finn Whelan was the best name to come out of Griffin’s mouth. He’s a person that I can at least respect for what he has done in this business. At least I can credit Finn with pushing me to shake off the rest of the ring rust. When I was preparing for that match I wasn’t just trying to get back to where I was before I left. I was pushing myself to sharpen, and evolve. Then when we stepped into the ring together, like so many others before him, he came up short.

Kris gives the camera an over-exaggerated shrug while rolling his eyes. He drops both of his hands to the side, and shakes his head. He was far from impressed by any name that had been thrown at him.

Yet these are the people that have been rising through the ranks while I was sitting at home. That is the list Griffin rambled off, a week after losing all momentum heading into our match. That is what he had to say, moments after I walked away victorious over someone who had said the exact same thing. If I were him, I wouldn’t proudly be floating the names of subpar newcomers to make my point either. All of these so-called replacements for me just seem to keep piling up at my feet.

This time he is not able to stop himself from laughing. He makes a kicking motion at the imaginary pile of bodies in front of him as he tries to collect himself. Once he does, he looks up at the camera a little more seriously.

Everyone keeps telling me to stop thinking about the past, and worrying about my legacy here. Maybe that’s true, but maybe everyone else needs to start worrying about when they started accepting all of the mediocrity that I am surrounded by as ‘good enough’. It would be one thing if I was coming out to the ring and losing match-after-match.

The confidence that he had lost earlier is not back in full force.

I’m not.

The smile on his face now feels a lot more genuine than the forced enthusiasm he was trying to muster up earlier, showing the audience that the cockiness was just muted, not gone.

I’m consistently going out there and proving that even though I am still getting back into the swing of things, I am still head and shoulders better than all of the generic copies of me that Mark and Christian have attempted to replace me with. Or better yet, maybe someone should ask them if they just want their company to be thought of as ‘good’. Let’s see if they are happy with maxing out around the upper middle.

It was a question that everyone already knew the answer to, the goal of every company was to offer something better than all of their competitors. Kris’ words had become louder, and faster as he went like he was building up a head of steam. His calm and collected attitude deteriorates in a split second as he throws out his counter offer.

Or maybe everyone should open their eyes and consider the fact that I am back because they still think that I am the best option to lead this company. Maybe I miraculously rose to the top of this company despite all of the opposition because I am every bit as great as I say that I am. Maybe you should all consider that I am not a child yelling for attention, but more of the light at the end of a tunnel of mediocrity that you could see if you would just open your damn eyes.

Knowing that most people were not going to see it his way, he lets out a defeated sigh, and rolls his eyes disappointedly.

...but what do I know?

Another shrug.

I’m just the guy that it seems everyone wants to be, with the resume that everyone wishes that they had.

The words carry the same confidence as before, but they come out more matter-of-fact than his previous tone.

You would think that people would want to listen to what I have to say. Maybe the type of people in this locker room are just the kind of people that need it beaten into them before they finally get it.

The alternative did not seem like such a bad idea. All of this time spent trying to get Griffin’s attention, or wait for Into The Void to arrive was starting to bore him. The chances that everyone was going to suddenly agree with Kris were slim, but once the match started, none of it would matter. He would be able to show everyone that he was right, and they would have to accept it. With that thought, all of the anger seemed to fade away. The smirk comes back to his face.

Maybe I am looking forward to Into The Void...

The camera lingers on him for a second, catching a chuckle and a wide smile before it cuts to black.



==========================================================

Hopeless
Jet City South - San Diego
28 May 2020
OFF-Camera

Kris had known that there was a fight brewing in Jet City. Coby had been angry headed into Underground after saying Kris embarrassed him the week before by hijacking a camera crew. It had been made worse by Kris inserting himself into his friend’s match with John Blade. When Coby had stopped showing up to their normal training hours, Kris was smart enough to know that it was not a coincidence. Still, when Kris heard the back entrance of the building slam shut, creating a booming echo throughout the entire space, he could not help himself from making the situation worse.

Kris: It’s fun to slam doors when you’re mad!

His voice comes out in a sarcastic sing-songy manner. It was loud enough that Coby was going to be able to locate Kris inside the large space. Kris had not broken his routine, still focused on the swinging bag in front of him. There was a cross drawn at his feet, and every time the bag moves around him, Kris pivots, first diagonally to dodge as the bag closes in on him.  He punches the bag away, changing its trajectory. When it rebounds faster he repeats the process, shifting his feet to two different squares created by the cross and avoiding contact before sending it in a new direction. Coby uses the sounds to track Kris through the building, finally finding him and wrapping both hands around the bag to stop it from moving.

Coby: Are you trying to start a fight with me, because I am close to taking you up on it?

Kris had prepared for frustration, but Coby was much more than that now. There was real, genuine rage on his face, which was new territory for Kris. He had never been more than a mild annoyance to Coby, despite trying to push the envelope on several occasions.

Kris: You can’t get all bent out of shape just because I gave you a little help in your match. I know you had it under control, I just really wanted to boot that guy in the dome meat. Can’t stand him. Never could. It wasn’t like I was saying you needed help or anything.

Coby rolls his eyes and shoves the bag towards Kris. He does all he can to avoid it, but has to brace himself and just absorb the contact. The bag hits him in the center of the sternum, knocking the air out of his lungs.

Coby: You’re such an idiot….

Kris struggles to force air back into his lungs, suddenly not finding what he had done to Coby just a week before comical anymore. He steps away from the equipment, and puts his hands on his thighs, leaning forward in an attempt to force more air into his lungs. It was getting easier to breathe, albeit slowly.

Kris: Jesus! You’re still mad... about the camera thing?

Coby takes a step forward, balling up his fists. It was like Kris was toying with him.

Coby: Why do you always have to go digging up stuff from the past that is better off being forgotten?

The picture finally snapped together for Kris. It had been the old promo of Griffin’s that he had posted. The one showing that his opponent had been through his own fair share of less-than-flattering days in this business.

Kris: I don’t see why you’re all bent out of shape, it was eight years ago.

Coby tries to advance on Kris, but the Grand Slam Champion holds up his hands in a gesture to tell him to just wait. Coby instead turns and hits the bag that Kris had been working against. It nearly sends the entire apparatus to the ground when the bag attempts to rebound.

Coby: Nevermind...

Having regained most of his capacity to breathe, Kris was not about to let the argument slip away from him after having to take a free shot over it. As Coby turned to leave, Kris did the only thing that he could do to get his historically non-confrontational friend to actually say what was on his mind.

Kris: You’re quick to point the finger of blame, but can’t even get all the words out before you explode about it. Really contradicts the whole zen thing that you try to sell to everyone.

It was a cheap shot, and even Kris knew it, but it was enough to get Coby to stop in his tracks. Unwittingly, Kris had just made his point for him. Coby spins around, his tone less hostile, but more accusatory than it had been previously.

Coby: You never really stop to think about how the things you say mess with people do you? It’s all just white noise to you. Everyone just has to play your game one way or another, right? Whether they want to or not?

Kris did not see the problem with it. Especially because it looked like most people were ignoring him these days anyways.

Kris: It’s not like Parker is even still mad about any of that. I talked to him before I even brought it up. Yeah, what Griffin said about him was shitty. None of it was true though. It was all just Griffin trying to piss him off because of who Parker worked for.

Coby could not believe that Kris was missing the point by that much.

Coby: You don’t even remember being there do you? Because I do.

The question catches Kris by surprise, and his face scrunches up as he tries to reach back to the memories that far back in his mind. He shakes his head, realizing that it is all a hazy, drug-filled, mistake-riddled blackout. Honestly, he had not even been the one to remember it originally, just thought of it as useful for his situation.

Kris: Pretty sure that was before you would have been part of the gym man. I don’t even think I was up and going in the business back then.

Coby rolls his eyes, having a much clearer memory of the night than Kris did, and probably for good reason.

Coby: I was there. I bought a ticket and went with friends. It was actually the first time that I met Parker, and tried to convince him to train me. I actually got to go back into the locker rooms where we stumbled across an addict that was clearly in no shape to be in public. It was you. Smacked out at a show you had no business being at. Of course, because of that, Parker blew me off, and tried to tell me to go to school.

Kris interrupts his friend, the memories of a much younger Coby always popping up started to come back to him. Both Parker and Kris’ brother Jason had refused to train Coby unless he was also going to school. All of the founding members of Jet City had been dealt serious injuries throughout their careers. They were not about to let a bright young student get away with not having a back-up plan. Still, he was at a loss for what all the anger was about.

Kris: So you think he was shitty because of Griffin? You been holding a grudge about it?

Coby shakes his head.

Coby: It’s not even that. You want to bring up what Griffin said, how about how that shit weighed on Parker? How about how he felt like he was representing an entire community by going out and fighting someone that had a bunch of black stereotypes to toss his way in a promo? Then add in the fact that he lost that match, all because he was taking care of some inconsiderate idiot backstage instead of paying attention to what he needed to be doing.

Kris was once again lost.

Kris: ...so now it’s my fault Griffin said that shit? I guess everyone really does hate Kris.

Coby lets the joke pass by without even acknowledging it.

Coby: I don’t even care about Griffin. That was then. This was now. It’s not my fight. The thing that I am mad about is how you constantly screw people over, and you’ve only ever cared about yourself. You screwed Parker when there were people like me there hoping that he could put Griffin in his place for saying all that shit, and now you have the audacity to try and use it against him when you know that’s not the person he is. You drove away basically all of Jet City. You’ve managed to agitate everyone in SCW, and have now decided that you are just allowed to pop in and do it in Underground at my expense. Even Mikah stopped showing up around SCW to annoy people once you came back. It’s like you work overtime to be a pain in every single ass you come across. You ever stop to think that maybe it is you that is the problem?

Coby had been hanging onto a lot of those feelings for a long time, and now that it was all out in the air, he felt exhausted by having carried it around for so long.

Kris: I mean it certainly could be that I-

Coby explodes, even if it is just for a second.

Coby: WHO ANSWERS THAT QUESTION?

Coby’s eyes close, and he lets out a deep breath that he had been unaware that he was holding in. He was too angry for this to be any kind of productive conversation. He should have waited until after he had cooled off. At least now that he was realizing his mistake, he could try and fix it. Kris seems more surprised by the explosion than anything else, and sits in stunned silence, just watching his friend sort through his emotions. When he starts to speak again, his voice is more level.

Coby: Man, just forget about it. I have my own stuff to worry about this weekend, and a partner that actually has my back. You just handle your stuff. I don’t need this right now.

Coby shoulder checks Kris as he finally forces his way past him. Kris turns to watch him head out the front door of the new Jet City South that they had built together, but does not try to go after him to continue fighting. He would have to let him cool off. Plus, he was right, there were bigger fish to fry at the moment.


==========================================================

New Business
29 May 2020
ON-Camera


The feed comes to life in an office. The high-backed chair sitting behind the desk is facing the other way looking towards the wall to the back of the room. Someone had clearly taken great care in crafting the room. Three columns of bookshelves had been built into the wall itself, and backlit individually. Viewers can look easily from shelf to shelf at the pictures, books, and championships each contained. It does not take long for the viewers to deduce whose office they are in. Two pictures on a middle shelf to the right of the shelf shows Kris Ryans with both Kali Fox and his wife Heather. On each of the corner shelves sits one of the championships of Sin City Wrestling, all with Kris’ name on the bottom plates, with the exception of Jet City’s tag straps. He lets out a heavy sigh, the first indication to the fans that he is there at all, still completely obscured by the back of the chair.

Sorry for the lack of bells and whistles everyone….

He stops and laughs, finding something funny in his last line. His hands come up from the sides of the chair, motioning to the wall in front of him.

I usually try so hard to keep you people out of my personal space. I typically do these things from a gym, or while moving from place to place. I don’t really welcome people into my bubble, because that never really ends well.

He drops an arm, but uses the other to wave at the air, getting rid of the idea that got him off track. He had not allowed people into his office to throw himself a pity party. It was what was in front of him that was important, not his feelings about it. After all, the scattered pictures on the shelves seemed to pepper in all of the members of the Jet City family, and nearly all of them had turned their back on him at this point. That was not what he wanted to share with the audience though.

I wanted to talk about our history for just a second.

Kris stands from the chair, and runs his fingers along the top edge of the SCW Internet Championship. It was roughly waist height on the wall, just barely visible to the camera, and directly across from the Roulette Championship in the other corner. Both of Jet City’s tag team championships sit across from a second Roulette Championship and the SCW World Heavyweight Championship that he had won on the same night.

Usually people only want to talk about the good stuff, but that is awfully dishonest. I’m certainly guilty of it. I have been talking about my status as a Grand Slam Champion since coming back, even though every single one of my opponents has tried to say it doesn’t matter. They’re right...

Instead of sitting back down in his chair, Kris moves around to the front of the desk and leans against it, squared up to the camera.

...anyone can be wrong from time to time...

He does not look like himself. For once there is no grandiose posturing. There is no self-indulgent behavior that led people to sour on him in his return. He had stepped in front of the camera to tell the truth, as he sees it, for once in his life.

Take for instance, these promos we do. We set up a camera and say things leading into these kinds of matches in an attempt to gain a mental edge over our opponents. We poke and prod at our adversary’s perceived faults to get under their skin, and get them off their game.The problem is, the things we say on the way in don’t always hold up years later.

He laughs, and then corrects his statement to be a little bit more accurate.

Shit, a couple of years would actually be nice. In some cases, they don’t even hold up for the walk to the locker room after the match. People promise victory, only to get beaten. Sometimes people promise to maim, injure, or outright murder people in the middle of the ring, and fail to gain any momentum.

It is a definite jab at Jack Washington and all of the agony he had promised but failed to deliver on during their match on Climax Control. Kris does not linger on it, staging focused on his current opponent.

In the case of Griffin Hawkins, he said some really horrible things leading up to a match almost eight years ago, and has been trying to say that he is not the same person as he was back then. He is quick to brush it off as just a product of the time and what the company brought out in the people that are there. He is quick to say that he has grown as a person, and is better now. As terrible as his words were, and as hard as this is going to be to believe, I have no reason to doubt him. After all, he was not the only one stepping into a match and trying to gain an edge.

Kris raises his hand and runs his fingers through his hair, trying to pull back memories of that time.

People would say things like, “Griffin Hawkins is a face that you are only going to see in the background of something important.” “He isn’t a main event.” “He’s lucky to have a spot on the roster at all.” Even while the guy was showing up and busting ass. I remember Parker saying, ”calling Griffin Hawkins is insignificant would be an insult to truly insignificant people. He doesn’t deserve to be any higher than a curtain-jerking show opener.” Some people, like those that they worked for back then were more open about it. They would just hit you with ”Griffin Hawkins cannot lead a company anywhere but into the ground.”

Kris shakes his head. It was harsh, and not necessarily his own thoughts, but it was also a part of weird way that history had tangled the two of them.

I can see how a guy would lash out and try to say some attention grabbing shit in order to change the narrative about himself. I can understand trying to gain an edge, no matter what the cost is. When everyone is against you, sometimes you have to shock them in order to get your point across. Is it unsavory? Sure. But look where Griffin is now. Look at the person that he has become since then. He broke through like nobody thought that he could, and became a better person in the process. It is almost enough to make me want to cheer him on. Maybe I would be in his corner under different circumstances. The problem is, I am the one standing across from him this time.

...and this is the part where I am supposed to make those types of bold claims though, right? This is where I am supposed to say something about how Griffin doesn’t stand a chance. I’m supposed to close this thing out by making it seem like my hand being raised at the end of this thing is already a foregone conclusion.

I mean, it usually works out that way, doesn’t it? I have a knack for really making people look lackluster when I am the measuring stick that they are up against. To me, that doesn’t feel like building myself up, that is just the truth. Is it hard to hear for some people? Absolutely. Is it difficult for some of the people on the roster to stomach? Of course it is. The fact of the matter is that despite how much everyone wants to be, they aren't as good as I am. They haven't accomplished as much. They aren't going anywhere in Sin City Wrestling that I haven't already been.

It’s not like I’m unbeatable though. Not by any means. Honestly, if Griffin manages to pull this thing out at Into the Void, I wouldn't be surprised. If at the end of the match, Griffin cues up a Shot In The Dark and my shoulders are pinned to the ground, I am sure that nobody watching would be surprised. Look what Bill Barnhart was able to accomplish just a few weeks ago. Nobody saw that coming, and it acted as a catapult for that guy’s career. Those things happen, and there is no reason to think that if Bill got the job done, that Griffin couldn’t.  I am not some unstoppable force, nor an immovable object. I’m not the biggest man on the roster by far. I am not the heaviest man by even more than that. What I am, is unpredictable.

That is why I have been so successful in this company, and in this business. I’m not someone that you can plan for. I’m not someone that follows a script. Inside that ring, I don’t have a gameplan that you can pick apart, I’m just there trying to survive until I find an opening to exploit. I’m not some technical wrestling genius, but I am a cannonball that can cave in the side of your face in a split second. Don’t believe me? Go ask John Blade about it, that is if his brains have been unscrambled in the last few days. Jack Washington thought that I was too injury prone, and too washed up to be able to keep up with him, but all it took was one SmackShot and my music was blasting through the PA system. I pick my spot, and after I hit it, nobody leaves the ring the same person that they walked in. Everyone doubts me on the way in, but understands on the way out. The things I do inside the ring are miraculous. There’s no other way to describe it. I’m one of a kind. An original, but not unbeatable. Not by a long shot.

Kris seems satisfied with the critique of himself. It isn't common that any superstar, let alone one as self serving as Kris would do anything to show weakness. His eyes move away from the camera and towards the shelves on the wall and the championships that rest on them. Kris thinks back through all of his championship reigns, but not for the successes that he had in winning them, or defending them. Instead, he replays each defeat: Despayre taking the Internet Championship from him, Jet City losing their belts in under a minute, Crimson busting his face open to take the Roulette Championship, and even failing to end Fenris’ reign before he took his two year sabbatical. He lets it sink in that he is unstoppable, and feels his focus sharpen, knowing that he is not without his own boundaries.

I am showing up to Into The Void hoping to add another win to an already storied career. I plan on walking out feeling like I am on top of the world. I like Griffin Hawkins. He and my wife are good friends. He is someone that has earned my respect over the last eight years where everyone told him that he was never going to amount to anything. He may have started out as a shitty person, but maybe getting a little reminder every now and again will help him to keep moving forward. A reality check from time to time keeps you humble.

If I am honest though, I don't care about the end result as much as I do about sending a message. We all know that Griffin Hawkins has eyes on the SCW World Heavyweight Championship. It was what he was after eight years ago when I was getting started in this business and he was saying things to be ashamed of. It is the only thing that he feels like he has yet to accomplish here. He wants to be the guy that the entire company has to look up at. All these years and he is still trying to prove all of the naysayers wrong. The problem is, unlike most of the people that he has come up against in this company, I have already been to the top. I have already done the thing that he wants most. Even worse, his biggest claim to fame in this company is breaking my Roulette record.

He says the words again for extra emphasis, pausing between them to make sure that they each have time to sink into the viewers’ minds.

MY. Record.

Kris taps his chest three times in the center of the chest, his words now picking up a little momentum.

Meaning I had already been there, and done that. The difference between the two of us is that after losing the Roulette Championship, I went on to win the SCW World Heavyweight Championship. And then I went on to hold it not until someone beat me, but until I had to walk away due to injury.

Kris had picked himself apart all week in an attempt to explain everything that Griffin had simply written off as a tantrum, but now it was Kris’ turn to really open up about what nobody was saying about his opponent.

Under all of the talk about me not being the same, or the company evolving, there is one simple truth. Griffin Hawkins wants to use me as a stepping stone to doing the things that I have already accomplished. He wants to catapult himself to the top of the contenders list, whether Ben Jordan or Mark Cross comes out of Into the Void with the biggest prize in SCW. The truth is, as soon as I came out to the ring and challenged him, his eyes lit up. He saw someone that nobody can deny is a star in this company. He saw someone with an indisputable record in this company. He saw someone that carried this company. Regardless of anything he says about me, he knows that I am one of the single best to ever step into an SCW ring. That was why it was a no brainer that he would accept. I am his best chance to take that step to the main event.

Come time for Into The Void, my message to Griffin and the rest of this roster will be perfectly clear. People don’t get to just pass me up on their way to the top of this company. I might not be carrying around the title, but take a look at how just being in this match has already helped Griffin. We are talking about a guy that lost at Blaze of Glory, and again on Climax Control. The highlight of his month was me coming out and throwing him a bone. He may not have made it onto the card otherwise.

The Grand Slam Champion snaps his fingers.

...and just like that he is a win away from being considered a real contender.

Kris holds his arms out to his side, allowing himself to bask in his praise of himself.

Such is the power of the miracle.

The whole thing seems over-the-top, but such is Kris’ nature. The important thing was that he appeared to be back to feeling more like himself.

I’m sorry to tell these young and hungry newcomers, if you want to be considered one of the best, you need to go through me. Unfortunately for most of you, that’s too high of a bar to expect you to be able to clear.

He circles back around to the task at hand, leaving the rest of the roster for another time and place.

We’ll see which side of the fence Griffin lands on soon enough. I hope he knows what he is getting into when he steps through those ropes. I hope he has prepared himself for what is going to be waiting for him in this match. I hope he realizes everything that he has to lose if I walk away victorious. If not, he has a week to figure it all out. As for all you couch surfers out there, you are going to have to wait another week to find out.

With that, the camera cuts to black.

==========================================================

 Get It Together
Jet City South - San Diego
28 April 2020
OFF-Camera

It was the fourth straight day that Coby Quik had beaten Kris down to the makeshift gym that he had built in what used to be a grocery store, then a bowling alley, and finally a laundromat beneath his apartment. It had been Kris’ idea for them to train with each other. The way that they pushed one another had paid off years ago when both of their careers were on the rise. They had been hoping to recreate the magic. However, since agreeing to meet first thing every morning, Kris had failed to actually show up. Coby had just pressed ahead without him until now. This morning was different though. Instead of starting his routine, Coby turned around and went back upstairs. Within moments he was beating on Kris’ bedroom door, no longer giving him space.

Coby: We got work to do! Let’s go!

There was an immediate rustling inside the room that gave Coby an odd sense of satisfaction. It sounded as if Kris was knocking over a variety of objects on his way to the door and his disheveled appearance told Coby that his friend had been fast asleep. Kris only opened the door far enough to fill the space with his face, but his eyes were only half open and stinging from the light in the hallway.

Kris: What time is it?

Coby pushed the door open, knocking Kris off balance from still being half asleep.

Coby: Time to get up and actually put some work into this thing you have dragged me into.

Coby moves across the darkened space as Kris tries to get his bearings. Before Kris even realizes what Coby is doing, he yanks back the curtain, letting light into the room and blinding Kris all over again.

Kris: That’s totally uncalled for...

Kris, now turning away and shielding his eyes, never sees Coby turn back to him. Despite being the smaller of the two, Coby sizes Kris up and easily sweeps his legs out from under him, planting The Miracle on his back in the middle of his own bedroom.

Coby: You know… I thought losing would wake you up.

Kris uses his arms to cover his face, trying to get rid of the stars floating in front of his eyes. Not long ago he was dead asleep, and this was not how he had intended to start the day. If Coby thought that this course of action was going to force Kris to be receptive, he was wrong.

Kris: I’m really not mentally prepared to be lectured, can we try to pencil it in for tomorrow?

Coby pulls the chair away from Kris desk and places the legs around his friend’s torso. He promptly sits down on it, pinning Kris to the ground beneath it. Once Kris moves his arms, he is face-to-face with Coby looking down at him.

Coby: What’s the difference between the two of us?

Kris still was not convinced to participate in the conversation in a productive manner.

Kris: I understand personal boundaries and you don’t….

Coby had been around long enough to know that Kris was not going to be helpful. After all, if he was going to give Kris that much credit, he would not have gone as far as to pin him to the ground beneath the chair. He had learned a long time ago that sometimes Kris just needed to hear things, whether he wanted to or not. The problem was not getting him to talk. The problem was always keeping him somewhere that he would be forced to listen.

Coby: I didn’t just sign a contract and expect smooth sailing. I checked out the roster of the place. I did a little scouting at the show beforehand. I gameplanned for my opponent. I busted my ass during the week to prep. I knew what to expect. I won.

Coby pauses just long enough to give Kris a chance to change his mind about listening to what he has to say. Unfortunately, Kris was not on the same page.

Kris: Yeah, you fought a guy your own size and walked out with a win. You should have. Whoever trained you was talented.

Despite being only one of the three different people to help him through his training at Jet City, Kris always found a way to try and take full credit for it. It was Kris’ gym now, at least on paper. Any success was his success. Any failures got blamed on his brother. Coby was smarter than to let it get him off track though.

Coby: The people that trained me made sure to let me know that I couldn’t just sit back and wait for good things to happen for me. I had to go out there and make it happen for myself. I had to be smarter than the people around me. I had to train harder than they did. I had to want it more. I had to prove them wrong about me. That’s what I learned. I damn sure didn’t learn to give up after a setback.

Coby finally saw a little bit of light arise in Kris’ eyes at the assumption that he was just going to give up.

Kris: I’m not givi---

Coby Quik-ly (puns) cuts him off, not even letting Kris get his defense started.

Coby: That sure is what it looks like. You can call it blowing off the gym, or wallowing in self pity, but it all amounts to the same thing. You lost, and now you lost interest. If I knew that you were going to quit this early on, I wouldn’t have even come down here.

Of course, that was not entirely true. Coby had used Kris as an excuse for getting back into the business. He was not about to let that get in the way of his guilting Kris into action though.

Coby: You know, for all your talk about all of us at Jet City meaning something to you, you have a terrible way of showing it through your actions.

It was not an accusation that Kris was willing to just lay back and take though.

Kris: I did everything that I could for you guys.

It sounded good to Kris, but he had unwittingly made Coby’s point for him.

Coby: Exactly! You talk about it like it is some kind of past tense thing. We are still here! We are still competing! It’s not a thing of the past. It’s not something that we used to do. You are out there as the biggest representative of all of us, and you’re blowing it.

Kris tries to shake off the responsibility of carrying their brand on his shoulders just as he always does.

Kris: Jason and Parker are th---

Coby cuts him off again though, having already heard that excuse too many times.

Coby: Those two might have been great at one point, but we both know that they are both done inside the ring. And yeah, Jay was a Triple Crown Champion. Sure, Parker was a Grand Slam like you. I mean, I have held championships of my own, and Courtney even won the Blast From The Past tournament that everyone gives Fenris the credit for. None of us are the face of Jet City though. You are.

Kris had never thought that a day would come where he was outside of his brother’s shadow. He had always been able to be the talented fuck-up that just barely skates by somehow. Jason had always been the driving force. For the first time, Kris was starting to notice that things had changed.

Kris: I don’t think I’m the guy for that particular job...

Maybe it was because Coby had gotten to him while he was half asleep, but it had been easier than expected to dig under Kris’ rigid exterior.

Coby: I don’t think you have a choice. Court has been out of action almost as long as you have been. I’m really just getting started again, and nobody in SCU really knows me yet. You are the one everyone is going to be looking at.

Coby could see in Kris’ eyes that he was running through how his actions reflected on Jet City as a whole, as if the weight of his disappointing return was not enough.

Kris: ...so when I look like shit, we all look like shit.

Coby nodded. He did not need to rub it in any further, although Kris definitely would have if their roles were reversed.

Coby: Now you see why I’m gonna need you to get your shit together, right? You’re making me look bad.

Kris nods, and taps his hands on the legs of the chair Coby was using to pin him down.

Kris: So you’re going to let me up now?

The smile on Coby's face turns down into a frown, and he shakes his head, much to Kris’ dismay.

Coby: Not unless you are ready to get up and get to work. Like, for real this time.

Instead of agreeing immediately, Kris grabs the legs of the chair and attempts to push them up off of the ground. Coby seems confident, but the chair starts to wobble. Instead of trying to overpower him physically, Coby simply reaches down and flicks Kris in the center of the forehead, causing him to laugh. The laughter makes it impossible for Kris to hold his grip, and he gives up.

Kris: Who flicks someone in the forehead? I’m pretty sure you’re some kind of terrorist.

Coby shakes his head.

Coby: Not me. I learned that one from your brother.

It actually made sense to Kris that it would be advice that Jason gave. There were countless times where their disagreements had turned physical and ended a lot like this.

Kris: He give you the chair thing too?

Coby nods with the smile back on his face.

Coby: He said you would need someone like me to keep you in line if you were going to make it.

Just like that, Coby’s words cut through years of fog in Kris’ memory. There was a reason why all of this had seemed so familiar. A conversation that he had with his brother came to mind, and Kris had to fight hard to keep the feelings that it stirred off of his face. Now was not the time to dig into that. The point was that Jason was right back then, just as Coby was now. He had been going about everything the wrong way. It was time to fix that.

Kris: Then let me up and let’s get to work.

==========================================================


The Climb
30 April 2020
ON-Camera

”Let’s start off with the stupid questions.”

The camera feed opens looking down on Kris Ryans. The natural light of the area shows that they have to be outside, but the ground appears to be nearly twenty feet beneath them.

Confused? I’m talking about the stupid shit that all of the backstage interviewers are going to be buzzing about. The questions that don’t deserve answers.

The camera pans back a little to show that Kris’ hands are locked into small knobs on the wall. His legs are spread apart, with each of his feet on different levels of posts in the wall.

Things like, was my return a setback for me? Do I regret making the decision to come back? Have I lost a step or... nine? What does the future hold? Am I just going to take my ball and go home?

Fans appear to be looking down from the top of the rock wall Kris attempts to climb up, but the former champion appears to have reached one of the more difficult spots. His eyes search for a path up as he speaks.

The last thing that I want is anyone to be running to ask me something like this when I step into the GO Gym for my next match. I don’t want my return to be the focus of the night. So we are going to clear some shit up right now, and then we’re all going to move past it.

Just as he finishes his thought, he uses all of the strength he can muster to leap up off of the posts on the wall to get to a grip spot that had been just out of reach. Kris dangles there for a second, searching for a foothold without being able to really look down.

I was overconfident.

His left foot finds a divot in the wall to step into, while his right finds one of the grip knobs to stand on top of. He reaches out for a higher spot with his free hand and nearly loses his balance.

I was sloppy.

Instead of looking up, Kris looks down to his footing, finding a place to move up, allowing him to easily reach the spot that he had missed before.

I underestimated my opponent, and also how easy it was going to be to just slide back into competition after being away for so long.

He appears to be two-thirds of the way up the wall, with the camera panning back to show a giant inflated mat beneath him should he actually fall during his ascent.

I was wrong, and it cost me the first impression of my return. That’s something that I am going to have to live with. It’s not something that is going to get me off track though. I’m not going to let falling short cause me to rethink the fact that I want to be out in the ring. I have already had to give up a lot just to be back in SCW. I want this. That has not, and will not, change.

As he speaks Kris is moving more and more confidently up the wall, not letting his near miss moments ago get into his head.

A stumble is not a defeat. I’m not going to try and take anything away from Bill Barnhart. The guy beat me. He deserves the opportunity that he has been given after pulling out what everyone has been calling an upset. I walked in expecting to win, and everyone was putting their money on me. That bit me in the ass.

He comes to another spot where there is nothing within reach. Instead of continuing straight up though, he moves horizontally a few notches. He continues to speak, though not really focused on the camera recording him.

I’m actually kind of grateful for it though. I could have lost to a much more annoying person. The opportunity at the Internet Championship could have gone to someone less deserving. I could have continued thinking that there was nothing wrong with the way I was approaching coming back. Winning that match would have had consequences down the line. Maybe it would have cost me a lot more than just a first impression.

Viewers can tell that the climb is starting to wear on him a little. Sweat starts to bead down his forehead and into his eyes when he looks up to try to find a way up.

It’s good to get the failure out of the way early, but it’s not something that has ever actually happened since my first match here. I lost my actual debut in Sin City, only to come back better, and more focused on creating the career that I have had here.

The Miracle does not stop moving in order to reminisce about the past, even working his way back towards the camera as he climbs.

On the other hand, the times that I have come out feeling bulletproof, I have lost focus in some big spots. When I went on the streak to win the Internet Championship, the inevitable downfall handed me my worst losing streak to date. I ended up hurt and in rehab not long after. I came back with my brother but Jet City dropped the tag titles in embarrassing fashion after being dominant for months. I let Crimson derail my entire career not once, but twice after that. Both times I ended up seriously injured and had to take time away. All because I couldn’t get out of my own way. I felt like nothing could stop me.

He is back to being directly beneath the camera now, just feet below reaching the top of the wall.

So, I’m kind of glad that Bill Barnhart stopped the trend from starting again this time around. Sure, losing sucks, and I am bad at admitting when someone had my number, but I’m not going to dwell on that. I’m not going to fixate, or kind someone else to blame for it. There is no explaining it away. I just have to own it, and move on.

The top lip of the wall appears to give the former champion some trouble. His arms look like they want to give out, but he refuses to give up when he is this close to the top. Kris places his hand on the top of the wall, and then swings to get his leg up as well. From there, he rolls, laying at the feet of the cameraman. He seems pleased with himself.

Losing was a wake up call, and it happened at the perfect time. Luckily, I have some people around to knock some sense into me, and get me to start pushing myself back to where I need to be. I didn’t become a Grand Slam Champion by sitting back and relying on tricks and minimal effort. I wanted to come out and prove everyone wrong about me. I had to put in the work. That hasn’t changed.

Kris slaps the top of the wall and pushes himself up to his feet. He takes a deep breath before looking down to the ground below. He gives a shrug to the camera and a confident smirk.

I know that I’m playing catch up now, but at least I’m not afraid of the climb back to the top…. Or a fall all the way back to the bottom to start over….

Kris holds his arms out to his side and falls backwards off of the top of the wall. The cameraman rushes forward and the camera catches most of Kris’ fall down to the giant inflatable below. He bounces upon impact, rolling backwards and landing on his feet on some of the mats below as the camera fades to black.

==========================================================

Jet City Calling
Jet City South - San Diego
8 May 2020
OFF-Camera

What a difference eleven days had made. Following his loss to Bill Barnhart, Kris had been blowing off showing up to training. He had not been preparing mentally for Finn Whelan. He had been dragging his heels about putting in the work required to make a successful comeback. However, Coby had finally gotten things turned around. Not only had Kris put the failure of his return behind him, but he was actively taking part in preparing for the next challenge. At the beginning Coby was able to brag about how Kris could not keep up with him, but after the Grand Slam Champion started to shake off some of the rust and get a lot of his timing back, Coby found himself struggling to gameplan for Kris inside the ring.

As Kris’ confidence came back, so did his ability to improvise unique ways to get himself out of trouble. With Coby as a stand in for Finn, Kris had the perfect training dummy. All three men were similarly built. All three of them employed similar styles inside the ring. For maybe the first time in his career, Kris was actually focused and looking ahead, instead of flying by the seat of his pants. It was a good change. One that Coby hoped would stick. After all, the sharper Kris got, the more Coby could use Kris to push himself. That was the only way that Coby was going to be able to keep up in SCU.

This was their last day to really push themselves ahead of the show, not wanting to go too hard in the days leading up to the actual fight. The two men had already packed everything up, and were supposed to be closing down for the day when Coby made his way back into the gym. Instead of finding Kris ready to head out, the only thing that he could hear was the same sequence of sounds echoing through the otherwise quiet space.

*THWACK* *THWACK* *THUD*

The same three sounds repeat yet again, while Coby searches for the source. He gets closer to it as it cycles a third time. Before the fourth though, he finally finds Kris. The former champion is standing in the center of the ring they had built, staring at one of the corners. In it, he has a heavy bag set up. Coby had seen Kris working on something like this before he had taken time away, but Kris had never quite gotten it right. The fact that he was back at it told Coby all he needed to know about where Kris’ level of confidence was at. Kris sprints towards the bag, getting airborne just a few steps before he reaches the corner. He drives his forearm down into the top part of the bag.

*THWACK*

Kris lands on his feet in front of the bag but in rapid succession, he follows with a knee to his would-be opponent’s rib area.

*THWACK*

Kris leaps to his left and plants his foot cleanly on the middle rope. However, instead of attempting the roundhouse kick that Coby had seen finish off the combination before, Kris hooks his legs around the bag and falls backwards to the mat, flipping it out of the corner and down to the center of the ring.
*THUD*

Kris smacks the mat and rocks back on his shoulders. He kicks his legs, and rolls forward, kipping back up to his feet. He was winded, but there was a smile on his face when he saw the positioning of the bag on the mat. Kris lets out a heavy sigh, and falls back to be sitting on the middle turnbuckle in the corner of the ring. Coby finally lets his presence be known, clapping a few times to acknowledge Kris’ accomplishment.

Kris: Oh, shut up! I couldn’t get the kind of distance that I wanted all week. I think I finally got it down.

Coby holds up his hands to make himself appear innocent of trying to mock Kris.

Coby: I remember when you first started working on that and needed Jason’s help to get the timing right. I’m thinking you might finally be onto something.

Kris shrugs his shoulders, and points out to where the bag lays in the center of the ring.

Kris: I need something to create some space, and it feels like people in SCW have just been getting bigger since the last time I was around. It wasn’t so much of a size disadvantage. I could just kind of wing it…. Now though...

Coby does not have any trouble finding the words that Kris was missing.

Coby: ...now people like Bill Barnhart are just going to hold you to the ground and make you tap out every time you step into the ring.

Kris looks up annoyed, but Coby is long past being afraid of his scowl.

Kris: Not exactly, but yeah. The same old tricks aren’t going to keep working. I need to keep people away from me so that I can keep myself off of the ground. Luckily, I don’t think it’s going to be a problem this time around though.

Coby takes two running steps and leaps up to the apron of the ring. The two of them had built it themselves, but it was well enough done to pass for the real thing. He ducks in between the middle and top ropes and makes his way to the center of the ring across from Kris.

Coby: Alright, so forget about that for a minute. What are you going to need to work on for this week, huh? Let’s see what you got...

Kris laughs, and points at Coby before pushing himself up off of the turnbuckle. He takes a few steps closer to the center of the ring but not within striking distance of his friend.

Kris: You standing in for Finn? You know enough about how he moves?

Coby just nods, and makes the first move towards Kris. Coby catches him with a running knee to the midsection, but Kris is able to backpedal away from most of the contact.

Coby: You were ready for that knee at least.

Coby goes for a straight kick to the center of Kris’ chest, but the Grand Slam Champion catches it and pushes him back. Kris charges out of the corner and leaps to attempt a running wheel kick, but Coby has it scouted and slips under it. As Kris gets back to his feet Coby attempts an enziguri that narrowly misses catching Kris face. Coby continues to be the aggressor, closing the distance between Kris and himself with a spinning back elbow that actually lands. Kris continues to backpedal and finds himself with his back against the corner. Coby closes in, looking to send a chop across Kris’ chest.

Kris: Not fast enough….

Kris rolls forward, ducking under the chop but planting his heels firmly into the mat. He leaps backwards, and would have leveled Coby with a pele kick if Jet City’s Quikest had not managed to get his hands up in front of his face first. Instead Coby falls back against the same corner he had backed Kris up into just moments before.

Coby: You’re the one moving so slow...

Coby charges out of the corner, having scouted Finn with Kris and knowing what he would do with this opening. Coby tries to hook an arm around Kris’ neck and attempts the sit-out sleeper slam that Finn had used to lay out opponents, but Kris is able to counter by hooking his arm around Coby’s neck and dropping himself backwards into a neckbreaker. Coby immediately grabs at the back of his head as the two lay in the center of the ring.

Kris: Yeah, but I was ready for that. If I keep trying to create space he is destined to attempt that Fenian Rising thing to turn the tides. It was the one thing he will go to if I am winning, which I intend to be. Tough break that you would think I didn’t know that.

Coby lets his arms fall back to the mat and he actually lets out an amused chuckle.

Coby: I really thought I had you for a second.

Kris shakes his head, allowing himself a moment to gloat.

Kris: That’s just what I wanted you to think. Sometimes you have to sucker people in to create yourself an opportunity.

Coby shrugs his shoulders, having no problem admitting defeat.

Coby: I just would have hit you in the side of the head with a running knee and called it a day. This guy is a little like you. There is definitely a passion for adding some flare. You know, style points.

Kris was not just going to let that kind of insult to his style stand though.

Kris: There is nothing flashy about just booting someone in the face to end a match-up and I’ve been doing that for forever.

Coby again has the perfect amount of experience dealing with Kris to be able to explain away his answer effortlessly though.

Coby: Yeah but before that it was that flipping leg drop so that you could cheat and hit people with that bulky brace. I think that is about as close to the line as you can get without breaking rules.

Not having any shame, Kris does not even try to deny it.

Kris: First of all, still going to be doing that. It’s awesome. I enjoy being in the air. Plus, you gotta take what you can get. I have cleaned up a lot of my tricks, but there is no need to color all the way inside the lines at all times.

Coby sits up on the mat and starts to push himself back to his feet.

Coby: That’s where we are going to have to agree to disagree.

Kris rolls to his side and pushes himself up off of the mat. He knew that Coby saw the rules as rigid and never meant to be broken, but Kris had not always had the relationship with them that he does now. He used to think that rules were meant to be broken, and to get away with it meant you were skilled. More recently though, he has strayed from breaking them but was never afraid to test their pliability.

Kris: I’m not going to be hitting people with brass knuckles or sneaking low blows when the referees are not looking, but I am not above trying to gain an edge.

Coby gestures around the room that they are standing in, the smile gone from his face.

Coby: What do you call all this? You think everyone has the time, money, or ability to set up their own personal gym like this? You think everyone can just create their own environment to train in? This right here is your leg up on the competition, and you still don’t quite get that, do you?

Kris takes a second to look around at what they had built in the very short time that they had been in San Diego.

Kris: They have their GO Gym, and Staggs whatever…. People can train anywhere.

Coby uses Kris point against him instead of trying to deflect away from it.

Coby: ...and when you look at the people that Staggs has trained, or the ones that come out of the GO Gym, look at how successful they are in SCW. Look at how they have come in and dominated. For that matter, look at everything that the Jet City people have been able to accomplish under the radar there. People that have this kind of set up, and can prepare like we can already have every advantage that they need.

It was not an angle that Kris had ever looked at it from. Coby was not done trying to shake Kris out of his old line of thinking though.

Coby: You went into your last match flippant, and relying on your shortcuts and little tricks to win. It didn’t work out. It hasn’t ever worked out. For every single one of your successes there is an equal failure that could have been avoided. How many times have you gotten hurt? How many times have you gotten pushed out of your comfort zone and it cost you a match? This….

Coby again points around the room at the equipment that they are surrounded by.

Coby: ...this is the key to winning. What we have been doing for the last two weeks is how you are going to take your spot back in SCW. If you want to get back to winning, this is the way. Not bending the rules. Not trying to cheat under the radar. And definitely not….

Coby cuts himself off before he goes too far. Although, the way that he stops manages to grab Kris’ attention almost more than any of the words that actually made it out of his mouth.

Kris: What were you going to say? Definitely not…. what?

Coby takes a step back from his friend, knowing that Kris is not ready to hear what he had stopped short of letting slip out. They were getting there, but now was not the time.

Coby: How about this, you go win that match, and maybe I can impart some more wisdom. I don’t give free tips to people that can’t handle themselves inside the ring.

Kris knew that Coby was mostly joking, but was willing to play along for the time being.

Kris: So that’s how it is?

Coby nods as he makes his way out onto the apron of the ring. He does not look back at his friend as he hops down to the floor.

Coby: That’s what’s up!

Kris picks up a towel from near the center of the ring and tosses it in Coby's direction. It catches the ceiling and falls short of reaching the Underground star.

Kris: We agreed on no catchphrases!

Coby puts his hands up in the air as he makes his way back towards the exit. He yells back at Kris without breaking his stride.

Coby: Sometimes it needs to be said!

Without waiting for Kris to call anything back to him, Coby makes his way out of the back entrance of the building, leaving Kris to finish cleaning up and locking up on his own.

==========================================================


Known Unknowns
San Diego, CA
6 May 2020
ON-Camera

It is supposed to be hard to step into the ring against someone that is new to the company.

Kris sits in the middle of the ring inside a dimly lit room. The camera seems to hover in front of him, but he is not looking at it. Instead, he sits back a little in the chair and lets out a heavy sigh.

I mean I admit it. When I saw the card go up, I may have been more nervous than I thought I would be. I mean had it been someone like Dmitri, Caleb Storms, Ben Jordan, or even Fenris I would have been more in my comfort zone. These are people with history here. They are people that I have shared the backstage area with. They are known quantities. Regardless of their level of talent, I know what to expect. There is a safety net there.

Clearly Kris is still not quite over coming up short in his return to the company.

Bill Barnhart was not one of those known quantities, and look how that ended up going for me. I wouldn’t necessarily call it my finest moment.

He tries to shrug the memory away, but some of the negativity still shows on his face. He does what he can to attempt to move past it.

I know that Finn Whelan is going to want to capitalize on the fact that I lost my last time out. I know that he has to be thinking that this is the jackpot spot to be in. He is only two matches into his SCW career and he gets to take on one of the best that has ever been in Sin City’s six sided ring.

He has said the words dozens of times before, but this time they do not sound the same. It is possible that his most recent loss had shaken the Grand Slam Champion’s confidence.

I know that my last match may not have been all that impressive, but there is no denying my place in SCW history. I guess I am a Triple Crown Champion according to the people running the show around here, but it’s actually a Grand Slam. I was man of the year just two years ago. Finn Whelan could have found himself in the ring across from someone that has yet to do anything impressive. He could have been in a match where he would have been the heavy favorite to win. Instead, he finds himself against “The Miracle” Kristopher Ryans.

He pauses, and allows himself to think about what this match could have been.

On another show, at another time, that’s a match worthy of a main event.

Both men had risen to the top of their profession, and both in some of the most violent ways. Had they entered Sin City Wrestling at the same time, the Roulette Division may not have survived. Kris tries not to let his mind linger on what could have been though.

I know that I haven’t earned that spot back yet, and I know that Finn is not there in SCW yet either, but nobody could argue the appeal.

Kris sits forward in his chair. The cadence of his voice starts to speed up as he gets more excited about the possibilities of this match.

I mean this guy is an unknown as far as Sin City goes, but that doesn’t make him an actual unknown. It doesn’t mean that he is unproven. He may be new around this locker room, but that doesn’t mean people don’t already know his name. How could I be part of Jet City without being familiar with The Seattle Saint?

Kris had taken pride in familiarizing himself with the talentpool in Seattle. It was how his brother had recruited for PRIDE both times the company was open. It was how they scouted talent for the Jet City Sports Lab. This card was hardly the first time he had come across Finn Whelan’s name.

To go even further, how could I, Kristopher Ryans, not know of Finn Whelan? If you don’t count the wonderfully different childhoods that we had, looking at Finn is a lot like looking in the mirror.

Kris pushes himself up from the chair and starts to move towards the camera. He holds his hands up though, pleading innocence before the viewers can accuse him of anything stereotypical.

This isn’t one of those villain ‘we are a lot alike’ speeches either. This is just me making an observation. I know that the guy might be relatively new around here, and he wasn’t exactly talking everyone’s ear off in his debut, but the more you learn about him the more it makes sense.

Kris runs his hand through his hair, trying to wade through how best to phrase his words.

The guy bounced around early in his career with Elena Dedraca and got into some trouble here and there not unlike myself and my brother when we teamed as Jet City. I’m not saying the two things are exactly equivalent, but the more I think about it, the more things like that just started to line up.

He shrugs his shoulders, but quickly finds another example.

The guy had some problems to deal with outside the ring. The kind of problems that plagued my early career and got me sent home from shows more than a handful of times. He picked fights with people just for something to do, because he didn’t really care about much else.

The smile that crosses Kris’ face almost makes it seem like he is talking about himself. It was starting to become clear why he had been so excited for this opportunity.

So then he trained. He got a leg up by being shown the ropes by people that had already climbed to the very top of this business. He always seemed to be the underdog, no matter what the situation. If anyone can relate to that it’s me. I started off as a Nobody and had to fight tooth and nail to become a Somebody. Every time I took a step forward everyone was just expecting a backslide. There was a point where I thought no amount of success was going to change the way that people thought of me. I’m glad that I was wrong.

Kris had only just started to accept that he had moved out of his brother’s shadow, and the weight that was lifted off of his shoulders was clear on screen. He seemed more free now than he had in his previous stints with the company.

I remember back when I was actually holding the SCW World Heavyweight Championship, Finn’s name just kept popping up in the finals of tournament after tournament. It seemed like everyone was always counting on him to lose, but the dude was always there at the end. It always seemed like the biggest prizes were always just out of reach for him though. I remember there was a company that closed on him once before a title match. That has to be a tough break.

He shakes his head, and does his best not to try and sound insulting. Instead of dwelling on the bad, Kris shifts gears, just as he starts to pace along the ropes.

Luck changed for him, not unlike it did for me. He went from a guy that was always just a little bit short to the guy sitting on top of the mountain. When I was tearing apart SCW fighting Crimson, Finn was dominating another company in a way that very few people can say that they have.

Kris almost sounded impressed, which was not something that his opponents could typically say of him.

Finn seems like the type of guy that is fueled by proving people wrong. I may be reading into it too much, but I think he is just a guy trying to make his impact on this business. He’s the type that wants people to remember him alongside some of the best to ever do it. Competing in the middle of a ring is the thing that he is best at, and he wants to show that off. I can’t say that I blame him.

After all, Kris shares the exact same type of personality. He stops at one of the corners of the ring and the camera stops with him, hovering just in front of him. Kris seems to be trying to pull out anything else that he could remember but nothing comes to mind. He shifts gears away from it as not to get stuck in a loop.

I honestly can’t say that I’ve kept up with what he’s been up to in my time away. I know that there was a time that we overlapped when I ventured outside the confines of Sin City to a ring with only four corners. I don’t think we ever actually got to cross paths though. He was just a guy on social media that I had a feeling was going to end up making people look silly when he finally rose to the top.

The smile on Kris’ face starts to fade though.

...and it looks like that time is now. It looks like the person that he is going to attempt to make a fool of, is me.

He raises his hand up to his chest, and does his best to convey his over-the-top hurt feelings to the viewers.

The problem is, regardless of how little he says in his promos, and regardless of how short and sweet he makes his appearances, he is not an unknown to me. He does not have the Bill Barnhart advantage of being someone that has flown under my radar. He had put together one hell of a career, and it has been entertaining to follow. The problem for him, is that I have followed. The crowd of people that told him that he could never amount to anything: I wasn’t in it.

He shrugs his shoulders, and the smile starts to come back to his face.

Now Finn Whelan is going to attempt to come into my environment and try to steal away a win from me? That’s not going to happen. Last time around I was hoping that I wasn’t going to have to leave my comfort zone. This time around I am better prepared, sharper, and more ready than I have ever been. It is just an added bonus that I am just as familiar with Finn as I am with people that have been on this roster for years. I told people when I came back that I was going to be taking back the spot that was taken away from me. I was going to refresh people’s memory when it came to the things that I did here. I was the nobody that proved everyone wrong. I was everything that Finn Whelan has tried to be for his entire career. This matchup couldn’t have come at a better time, because Finn helped me realize something that I almost forgot. Luckily, Coby was here to beat it into me before Finn got the chance.

Kris looks directly into the camera, not thinking about all of the fans watching at home anymore. The part of the show that was for them is already over. He drops the jovial tone and becomes more blunt.

So Finn, now that it’s clear that I know you, maybe I should introduce myself in case this is your first time. I’m Kristopher Ryans. I know you. I hope, for your sake, that you learn a little something about me. You're going to need to, because I just remembered that I’m the miracle that everyone's been waiting for. I’m the one that proves the naysayers wrong. I'm the resident underdog that always manages to come out on top eventually. And I'm going to be the person to hand you the first loss of your SCW career.

He laughs, and the confident smile returns to his face.

Someone go ahead and call Finn Whelan an ambulance… There’s gonna be an accident!

With that the video fades to black.

 Friday
8.31.18
Jet City, Washington
9:17am
“Suck it up!”
OFF-Camera

To say the former SCW World Heavyweight Champion was acting childish would be an insult to children. Since he announced his comeback, nearly everything had spiraled out of control. Fenris had been outed against his will. Crimson had taken off from the company. He was not on speaking terms with Mikah, and there were too many young people always asking questions. Instead of laying on his couch to lament the choices that got him to where he is today, he made a spectacle of himself, as usual. His feet were propped up on one of the cushions of the couch, but he laid in the middle of the floor. His arms are crossed over the world’s ugliest mustard-colored pillow in order to clutch it tightly to his chest. When he speaks it is not in his usual tone of voice. Instead his words are barely louder than a whisper, and he shakes his head through them.

Kristopher Ryans: There has just been so much that has gone so wrong since I came back, ya know?

The sigh that comes from across the room does not even draw Kris’ eyes off of the ceiling above him, despite the obvious frustration filling the air. Laying sideways, with her head draped over one side of a reclining chair, and her legs hanging over the other side is the rightful number one contender to the Bombshell Championship, Courtney Pierce. It was clear from the look on her face that she had been at this for hours and her patience was running thin.

Courtney Pierce: Oh for fuck’s sake, who cares? You made us all come here. Are you coming with us or not?

Kris scoffs, feigning as much offense as he could fit on his face. He tosses the pillow like a frisbee in her direction, but it is snatched out of the air by Adam Wilson.

Adam Wilson: I am down for staying here as long as he wants. The longer we are here, the less time I am going to spend getting my ass kicked learning some lesson.

Kris shifts his anger towards Adam, and sits up from the floor as his newest trainee made his way across the room. He tosses the pillow back at Kris, who avoids contact with it. It hits the floor behind him, but cuts off his words before he can respond. The third of the intruders into Kris’ house takes the opportunity to describe the situation to the others.

Kyle Kavanagh: See, Kris here is having an identity crisis again, children.

Court rolls her eyes from her chair, but tilts her head up to meet Kyle’s eyes.

Courtney Pierce: Dude we are like the same age, don’t be condescending. You’re the least accomplished person here, and that includes the rookie.

Adam does not take the compliment, instead pointing to Kyle and taking his side.

Adam Wilson: ...at least he has won a championship this year.

Court’s eyes narrow on Adam and she lashes out at him next.

Courtney Pierce: We both know I could take you, newbie.

Kris finally pulls his legs off of the couch and pushes himself up to his feet. He brushes at his shirt, clearing off some of the random lint from the rug he was laying on. His eyes move between all three of them in rapid succession.

Kristopher Ryans: All of you shut up!

All three of the recruits cut out their arguments and straighten up a little. Their plan had been to get him up and moving, and it had worked. Whatever the fallout of that was, they had gone in prepared to face the consequences. Kyle was the first to get Kris’ direct anger.

Kristopher Ryans: You are going to leave me alone about this Fenris thing. I don’t want to hear it.

Court seemed to snap to attention at the mention of her Blast From The Past partner, but when she opened her mouth to ask, Kris cut her off.

Kristopher Ryans: You need to stop being so damn salty. You haven’t won the championship from Mikah yet. How about you worry about that instead of me?

Adam nodded in agreement on both accounts, but that did not stop Kris from turning some of his outrage on the newcomer.

Kristopher Ryans: Don’t be so smug, and stop bitching about getting run down in training. Get better.

Both Kyle and Court were immune to these kinds of outbursts having had to deal with them for months already.

Courtney Pierce: That was real inspirational. Go team!

Her words were dripping with sarcasm, but it did not stop Kyle from piling on in a way he knew would get under Kris’ skin.

Kyle Kavanagh: New Jet City!

Kris spun around in his direction with an index finger pointed towards him. Before any words leave his mouth though, Adam looks up with a smile on his face.

Adam Wilson: Hey, we should totally use that.

Kris’ hostility instantly deflates, and he lets out a heavy, defeated sigh. He shakes his head while looking down at the ground and speaks almost under his breath.

Kristopher Ryans: I hate all three of you...

Kris moves around Kyle and starts to head out of the room. Court calls out to him from her chair with glee in her voice.

Courtney Pierce: Pack your shit up champ, plane leaves in an hour!.


================================
================================

“Fine. I guess.”
ON-Camera


”Alright, so I realize that all of you have been waiting for me to say something about this. This whole Fenris story came out, I gave the dude some space to deal with it. I kept my mouth shut. I did my best to shut it down and then I went about my business. I took myself away from social media so that people would not draw more attention to it. I flew a low profile when it came to the tournament Mikah and I were competing in. I kept quiet to keep questions to a minimum. Not for my benefit. Personally I do not care. It doesn’t bother me, and never has. People expect me to do whatever I want and this is no different. This is just more of Kris being Kris.”

“Since all of that went down though, I have had a match canceled, and I have tried to slip away into the background while Fenris got through some of his issues and worked his confidence back up. I wanted him to compete and win. I wanted him to get back to feeling like himself. All of this was an unnecessary distraction. All it is doing is taking away from what is really important, the SCW World Heavyweight Championship. We all know that I am going to have to talk about that eventually. We all know that match is coming sooner rather than later. You can all guess where I stand on the issue without me even having to say much, but talking about that is going to be getting ahead of ourselves.”

“Before I can get to all of that, I have to go through Dmitri. I have to fight back the vampire that has beaten me nearly unconscious twice. Now, do not get me wrong. The guy can’t beat me. Every time we get in the ring with each other, he finds himself on the losing end of the stick. Whether he is in the ring with Crimson and I, with a shitty partner dropping L’s to Jet City, or flying solo under Roulette Rules, the guy can’t beat me.”

“That is not to say that there is not anything to worry about. I mean, the guy has a knack for coming up short and then laying me out in the center of the ring. I constantly find myself reduced to a puddle and left to listen to his shitty music play through the PA system while I try and see through the stars. There is a very real chance that could happen again this time.”

“There is also a very good chance that this time I prove that this guy and I are just not on the same level. Maybe this is the time that I let myself go a little bit too far, so that by the time the bell rings, I am not catching a beating. Maybe this time I use Dmitri to send a message to Fenris like Fenris sent to me by kicking Kyle Kavanagh’s face off. It seems like I would have every reason to put the vampire down once and for all. I would be crossing a guy off my list that I know is going to try and come after me once the championship is back around my waist where it belongs.”

“I have been in the background lately, but we all know where my place in this company is.”

“SCW is not Fenris.”

“SCW is not Dmitri.”

“SCW is not Ben Jordan.”

“SCW is not Crimson.”

“SCW is Kris.”

“I think everyone needs to be reminded of that this week on Climax Control. I’m going to be happy to do so, and get to work on setting things right.”

  - “Ispy”

It wasn't like I was trying to grab anyone's attention or anything, so I didn't think the word was even directed at me. It sounded more muttered under someone's breath and I wasn't about to try and start another conversation after the two ladies at the bar looked like they wanted to rip my head off. That's probably why the guy in the first booth putting up his hand to stop me caught me off guard.

- “You are just going to let her blow you off like that and walk away?”

I wasn't about to take shit from some random guy, but there was something familiar about his face. I knew it from somewhere, but I couldn't place it. More than that though, his voice was the same as the one before. It suddenly clicked together that whatever he had said was directed at me. There was only one problem.

Adam: “What was it you called me? Ispy?”

He laughed in my face, and motioned to the bench opposite him in the booth. I wasn't fond of the idea of some stranger laughing at me, but for some reason I didn't get ass offended by it as I reasonably should have. It had to be some kind of insult. I don't know why I didn't walk away right there. I didn't really know who he was. I had no obligation to sit, but I did. As I got comfortable in the booth, he nodded back over to the bartender that had rudely refused to answer my question.

- “Ispy.”

So it was some kind of insult, but it wasn't aimed at me, or so I thought.

Adam: “What because she wa--”

He didn't let me finish the thought, and actually sighed like he was annoyed. To that point, I rarely felt like the dumbest person in the room. I usually felt like I could outwit anyone within earshot, but there was something about this guy. Being corrected and taunted should have ticked me off, but I was more curious what he was going to say than anything else.

- “I...spy…”

It clicked together in that moment. I knew where I recognized his face from, and knew why it seemed so normal that he would be talking me in circles just to mess with me. Before I could ask, he cut me off to continue.

Kris: “I saw the way you looked at her when you walked up. She shut you down hard before you could even say anything.”

He made an annoying and judgemental clicking sound with his tongue against the roof of his mouth. I flashed back to how many times I had seen adults do it to me as a kid and found it more frustrating than his laughing in my face.

Kris: “....and you just walked away like a bitch. It was disappointing.”

I wasn't going to let him keep poking at me. He was probably banking on me not knowing who he was, and letting it all get under my skin. The familiarity made it easy to deny him what he wanted. I could end the game before he even got to enjoy it.

Adam: “Well not everyone is famous and can get anyone to do whatever they want. Some of us aren't that lucky.”

I tapped my knuckles on the table twice and rolled my eyes at him. I had places to go, and more important things to worry about than entertaining some asshole.

Adam: “Thanks for the… whatever this was. Advice?”

I shook my head, and saw something change in his eyes. He tried to interrupt me, but I had him now. It was my turn to cut him off.

Adam: “Nah, advice has to be useful. This was just… well.. it happened.”

I slid to the end of the bench and got up to my feet proud of myself. I knew he wasn't going to let me get the last word, but I thought I would be able to brush off whatever it was.

Kris: “You're pretty good at running away but making it look like it's what you really want to be doing. Must have a lot of practice.”

It cut me, but not as deep as I think he was banking on. It was also painless to turn it back on him.

Adam: “Yeah, we can spot our own.”

I winked at him before he could throw the trademark my direction. I didn't wait for him to put together any kind of rebuttal either, making my way towards the door.

Adam: “Try not to get thrown up on again, champ.”


===========================
=======================
===================


The growl of frustration slipped from the young girl's lips as she slung her overly large purse over her shoulder as her shift at the bar ended. She shoots the blonde that was still sitting at the bar a look as she makes her way to the door.

Elowyn: “Stupid Mikah. Showing up and costing me money.”

She mumbles under her breath as she walks out of the bar. She waves bye to the bouncer and doesn't pay attention to where she's going. As she comes out of the front door and onto the sidewalk, she is nearly mowed over by a bicycle that screeches to a halt and slides sideways to avoid her. The person on it was just as shocked to see her as she was to see him, and stutters over a few words trying to explain himself.

Adam: “I-I-I didn't even see you come out. I was just trying to leave. Sor--”

He cuts himself short of an apology when he realizes who she is. Instead of finishing the word, he shrugs his shoulders and gives her an undeniably fake smile.

Adam: “You know what? No. I should have just ran you over.”

She glares at him, the wind picking up a little bit and blowing her already messy curly locks all over her face. She folds her arms over her chest before looking him over.

Elowyn: “Of course. You'd have to have a bicycle to run anybody over because you can't do it with just yourself. Pathetic.”

She gives him a once over again before rolling her eyes and trying to move around him. She wasn't in the mood to deal with his bullshit and was going to make sure let him know that.

Adam: “Oh look, she does talk.”

He tries to move the bike to the side to get out of her way, but unintentionally moves in the same direction that she does, cutting her off. They both try to sidestep the opposite direction at the same time, leading them to still be standing in each other’s way.

Adam: “I guess there must be some rule about doing so when you’re on the clock. Can you get out of my way, please?”

She takes a deep breath, trying to contain her frustration. She was growing more and more agitated with the guy in front of her and his accusatory tone he was taking with her.

Elowyn: “Can YOU get out of MY way? Seriously, do you have a problem?”

She doesn't make a move to go around him but instead, stays in place. The frown was settled on her pretty face as well, letting him know about her frustration.

Elowyn: “YOU were the one that cut me off. So I don't know if you're uneducated or what, but you need to move before I make you move. I am not in the mood to deal with your shit.”

He motions around to his left with his arm, allowing her to pass in front of him, keeping the bike steady.

Adam: “After you.”

She looks at him, his eyes narrowing at him but she doesn’t hesitate in walking past him.  She shakes her messy hair out behind her as she literally struts past him.

Elowyn: “Thank you.”

It was not a sincere thank you but it was something she felt that she needed to say to him. Why?  She hadn’t been too sure but something about him was strange.

Elowyn:  “And maybe, instead of being such a goddamned hoodlum, you should work on not running people over.”

He shrugged his shoulders, not letting the insult get to him at all.

Adam: “Well, you're not a speed bump on the sidewalk, so I guess I'm already ahead of the curve.”

He looks over his shoulder in her direction with a smirk on his face.

Adam: “While we're giving free advice though, when you work for tips, being a bitch costs you money.”

She whips around to glare at him, stopping in her tracks to do so.  She looks at him before vaguely remembering him as the guy that tried to interrupt her conversation with Mikah.

Elowyn: “Being a dick doesn’t get you a drink, now does it?”

She smirks before rolling her eyes and turning back around, walking in the direction of the house she lived in.  She didn’t count on him following or anything really, just started to walk.

Adam: “You think you know everything…”

He spins the bike around towards her and rides forward, coming alongside her.

Adam: “I'm not riding around on this because I think it makes me look good. I'm not carrying extra weight because it makes for a good workout.”

He nods behind the seat of the bike where a case is strapped above the tire.

Adam: “I wasn't looking for a drink. I was trying to ask for help, but I guess I'm just wasting my time trying to give someone down here the benefit of the doubt.”

She tries her best to keep her emotions in check as he talks and rides his bicycle alongside her.  She turns her body slightly, stopping at a crosswalk with a DO NOT CROSS sign flashing at them.

Elowyn:  “What?  Are you saying that the people that live down here are trash?”

She didn’t bother with hiding the look of irritation in her eyes as she stares at him, like she was trying to stare a hole through his body.

Elowyn:  “You chose to go into that bar and you chose to insert yourself into the conversation I was having.  That was YOUR choice, not mine.  You could have chosen a gas station to ask for help.  Or you know, asked one of the hundred other people in the bar for help.”

She gives him a look as she starts walking again as the sign lets them cross now.

Elowyn: “So, don’t try to push your stupidity on me, guy.”

He pushes the bike away from the curb, still at her side, and not wanting to let her get the last word in the argument.

Adam: “A conversation you were having instead of doing your job…”

As she goes up onto the sidewalk on the other side of the street, he rides alongside it still on the road.

Adam: “Your job paying some kind of attention to possible customers…. and you can't even seem to do that well enough, so maybe the stereotype fits.”

She rolls her eyes before contemplating on sticking her foot out to trip him on the bike but thinks better of it.

Elowyn: “I was talking with that lady who apparently is like a daughter to the owners.  It was a serious conversation.  A conversation you had no part in.  And should have kept your pointy nose out of it.”

She doesn’t bother looking at him as she walks, watching the houses pass them by.  She wasn’t scared of the neighborhood, having lived there her entire life and just barely scraping by.

Adam: “Pointy nose?”

He laughs at the attempt to insult his appearance, not taking offense to it in the least.

Adam: “That is the best you have? All this time arguing and that is the best you came up with? Way to prove my point about how bright the neighborhood is.”

She runs a hand through her messy curls as they were getting dangerously close to her house.  She wasn’t sure if she wanted him to know where she lived so she stops in the middle of the sidewalk again.

Elowyn: “What the hell is your problem!?  Do you not know when you’re not wanted?  Are you like a dog that doesn’t know the word no?”

She gives him a dirty look before rolling her eyes in irritation again. She puts her hands on her hips and looks at him, expectantly. He stops, and plants both feet on the ground, just now realizing that he was following her in the opposite direction from where he thought he needed to be albeit just being a guess. He looks back over his shoulder in that direction, and then back to her.

Adam: “I can see that this is a lost cause…”

It was Kris that had gotten in his head with this girl. Maybe that was why he argued with her. He wanted to prove someone he did not even know wrong.

Adam: “Enjoy the rest of your miserable day.”

He spins the bike around in the opposite direction. She watches him for a moment.

Elowyn: “Don't fall off your bike!”

She shouts at his back as he starts to ride away.

Elowyn: “Because I'm not fixing you up!”

He rides straight across the road they had just crossed, not waiting for the light to change. Instead of turning back towards her, he waves over his shoulder quickly before hopping up onto the sidewalk and racing away to make up for the time that he lost.


==============================
=========================
=====================


They did not cross paths again for a few days following their strange meeting, but that had not stopped Adam from talking about the experience. Especially now that he found himself back in the same neighborhood. It was more of a social call this time, instead of work pulling him this direction. As such he was dressed a lot more casually.

Adam: “I dunno man, she was pretty shitty for no reason. Not sure anyone down here is going to be worth pic---”

He kicked the skateboard at his feet up and then tossed it to one of his friends behind him as his eyes found her inside the small store. They seemed to pick up on the way his words stopped coming, and traced his eyeline to her. Before anyone in the group could give him any shit for it, he pushed through the door, and pulled it closed behind him. He made his way across the store, tucking his hands into the front pockets of his jeans and stepping up behind her in line.

Adam: “I guess they let anyone in these places…”

She had been on a mission to get pedialyte and soup because Lincoln was sick. She hadn't expected to run into the douchebag from the other night in the store.

Elowyn: “Clearly. They let you in here.”

She doesn't bat an eye and doesn't even turn around to look at him. Her arms were full and she couldn't find the pedialyte, so he had to accept the fact that Gatorade would work just the same.

Elowyn: “Is there a reason you're in here? It is clear that you don't have a life and are trying to start something.”

She looked a mess, her wild hair up in a messy bun to keep the strands from her face and to probably conceal the fact that she hadn't had time to properly wash her hair. Shower? Yes but before she could get her hair washed, she was being shouted at by Asher.

Elowyn: “I really don't have time for your antics right now. So either way whatever it is you have on your mind or get lost.”

She steps forward in line. She didn't know if she could handle anything he threw at her without breaking. It had been a rough couple of days, money wise.  And their father had stopped by to see their mother and that was a mess in itself.

Adam: “Wow… so you’re like, always a bitch. It wasn’t just a one time thing.”

He shrugs lightly, and tries to shake off any sign of visible surprise. He was not even sure that she was going to remember seeing him. He certainly hadn’t thought that he was going to see her again, at least not so soon. His friends all hung around the outside of the doors, looking through the glass windows, but unable to hear the conversation. He tries to wave them off without her noticing.

Adam: “Here I was… about to give you the benefit of the doubt, and you just prove that I was right the first time.”

She looks at him before shaking her head, not in the mood to deal with him.

Elowyn: “And what did you expect me to do?”

She raises an eyebrow at him before turning to see if she needed to move forward in line.

Elowyn: “Did you expect me to just jump into your arms and hug you? Like I should be so excited to see you?”

She raises an eyebrow at him. He shakes his head without even acknowledging that she meant it more as an insult than anything realistic.

Adam: “Maybe a.. Oh you’re that guy. Sorry I was shitty to you for no reason...”

He does his best to mimic the cadence of her voice back to her, knowing that there was no way that he could strike the same tone that she did.

Adam: “Or even, hey we got off on the wrong foot, don’t be a dick next time and maybe we can just get past that.”

He shrugs lightly, and tilts his head slightly to his left.

Adam: “Maybe?”

She looks at him before sighing, not really having it in her to fight with him today. She moves forward and places her things on the counter.

Elowyn: “Maybe.”

She grabs her purse as the cashier rings things up and she scrambles through her things and finds the right amount of cash and shoves it into the guy's hand.

Elowyn: “Thanks.”

She takes the bag he offers her before looking at Adam. She offers a smile before turning to leave or at least move out his way.

Elowyn: “You...right. Sorry I was having a bad night the other night.”

He steps to the side, and reaches into his pocket before slapping a bill down on the counter. He does not even look at the cashier before doing so.

Adam: “That is so much better. See, we could have started there last time and already become friends.”

He looks up at the cashier finally, and points to the outside.

Adam: “I am hoping that ice machine has something useful in it because I literally need to buy all of it.”

The cashier looks down at the bill on the counter, and then back up at Adam confused. Adam’s eyes shift back and forth and few times, not exactly sure what the hold up is.

Adam: “No seriously. They are only a few dollars each. Use your little magic marker to make sure it is real and then give me a thumbs up or something. Kinda got things to do.”

Ellie had started to move away from him as he spoke with the cashier, but as he went about checking the bill, Adam spun around her way.

Adam: “...and if you don’t have any plans tonight, maybe you want to come have fun for a while. Nothing too dangerous.”

She looks at him, a little unsure of where he was going with this. But how could she go anyways? Lincoln was sick.

Elowyn: “Fun? What's fun?”

She gives him an unapologetic look as she shifts the bag to her other hand as she starts to walk in the direction of her house. The cashier gives up a sarcastic thumbs up without producing any change, and Adam follows her from the small store. His friends disperse and move a truck in front of the ice machine before tossing bags from it into the back of the truck. Adam’s focus was less on them though, and totally on her.

Adam: “See, fun is a thing that you do in order to get away from the things that suck, even if just for a few hours.”

He comes up to her side, looking over at her as they walk.

Adam: “Makes the bullshit more tolerable.”

She looks at him as he walks alongside her and she smiles at him a bit bit not much.

Elowyn: “Coming from a guy who probably has absolutely no responsibility. And I am not saying that in a negative manner.”

She shrugs her shoulders as they stop to cross the street. She watches the light, waiting for it to change before they cross.

Elowyn: “Plus, how would I even know how to get there?”

He reaches into his back pocket and pulls out a phone. When he clicks the screen on, there is not much to the display.

Adam: “I actually had some thoughts about that.”

He opens up the messenger on it and sends a quick text. Almost as soon as his does, a second phone chimes in his front pocket.

Adam: “Here…”

He catches the strange look she gives him and tries to brush it off.

Adam: “Not going to be presumptuous enough to ask for your number or anything. This is just a throw away. I sent a message to myself. You have my number in it now. If you want to come, let me know. You don't have to decide now.”

He extends the phone out to her after clicking off the screen. She looks at the phone and then over at him, frowning.

Elowyn: “I cannot take a phone from you. Under no circumstances would that be acceptable.”

She looks at the phone that he was still holding out to her.

Elowyn: “I can't come anyways. My brother is sick and well…”

She doesn't offer anything else but an apologetic look. He does not appear to follow the line of thinking.

Adam: “You're not taking it. You're borrowing it in order to get directions to a party. Just a couple people. Okay… maybe like a couple dozen people.”

His friends pull away from the store, and quickly catch up to where they are walking. He holds a hand out to stop them from trying to yell out at him, with only his index finger extended upwards.

Adam: “Anyone can make excuses not to do things. They can also find ways around those excuses too if they really want to.”

She looks at him, biting her bottom lip. She knew she could ask Asher to watch Lincoln but still.

Elowyn: “I'll think about it.”

It was all she offers him before she turns before looking at the house that was just a few hundred feet away. With her eyes up at the house, he reaches out and slips the phone into the top of the bag that she is carrying before moving away from her.

Adam: “Well, you'll have to get that back to me somehow. I guess either way you will have to text me.”

He offers her a wink as the truck picks up speed to meet him at the side of the road. It does not even come to a full stop before he leaps up onto the back of it with all of the ice.

Adam: “Or you know, steal it, sell it, smash it, hope to never run into me again.”

She watches him as he seems pretty confident in her going to whatever party he was throwing. She raises an eyebrow at him.

Elowyn: “Maybe all of the above.”

She doesn't try to give the phone back, however. The thought of getting away from the house seemed decent. If only for one night.

Elowyn: “We will see…”

She turns and starts walking up the sidewalk to the house as the truck speeds away down the road.

 

“I realize that I live on the bubble of insanity. I feel the weight of human suffering, loneliness and despair on me all the time. It's not getting easier; if anything, it's always right on the edge of my skin.”

-Erwin McManus


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20 May 2018
On The Move
OFF-Camera
Descent


The last day had not gone the way that he wanted it do, or planned. In all honesty, he was not really sure how it had spun so out of control so quickly. One second it felt like everything was running smoothly, the next things had started to go wrong. Court snapping on him was not something that he had seen coming. His father being right there to rub it in his face was not something that he needed. Both of those interactions left him in a more fragile place than he had been in months. For some reason it had eaten away at whatever scab had formed over Kris’ emotional wounds.

The fight with Mikah had sent him over the edge. It was where it all started coming together, in the worst possible way. Crimson was busy constructing away at something that was going to end Kris’ career. His friends had abandoned him. The new people at his side had shunned him. It was all started to come true. Maybe he was cursed after all. Maybe since he was fighting so hard against it, the slow burn had only made it take longer. The end could be coming. It could be as near as Sunday. There was no stopping it from coming now.

Kris did what he always did in these situations. From the moment that he disappeared from Mikah’s door, everything device he had got turned off. If Holden had tracked him to Chicago, if Crimson was keeping tabs on him, he was not going to make it easy for them. He packed up his things, and did not even think of taking Jet City Airways to his destination.

Instead, with his bags packed and ready to go to Las Vegas, he got on a plane going the opposite direction, and paid in cash to buy himself as much of a headstart as he could get. The last place that anyone would look for him would be New York City. The only place worse, in Kris’ mind, was Detroit, but he would never go there.

Yet, it was fitting. Before last year’s Into The Void he had made a similar trip. Granted, the show was taking place in New York which made it a little bit easier for him to swing. This was going to be out of the way, but if it kept him from losing his mind, it was easily the right thing to do. After all, it was not like he was going to be sleeping outside in the storage space. Those days were long gone. The alley that the unit opened out in was no longer available to the public due to their own incompetence. The owner had blamed Kris for what happened to the space, and to shut him up he had bought it. It was a retreat, and it was finally coming in handy.

When Kris pushed the door to the small upstairs apartment open, he was pleasantly surprised with what his people had been able to do with the space. The storefront below was completely empty, and everything was covered in plastic. The windows showed a “FOR LEASE” sign, but anyone that had ever inquired about it got the same blow off. He liked it exactly how it was. He wasn’t going to give it over to someone else.

Kris tossed his bag into a chair in the corner of the room and made his way over to the bed. Instead of laying down, he jumped into the air and falls onto the bed on his back, bouncing up into the air a few inches before settling into the middle. The thought of this place would scare the other members of his family if they knew he had bought it. The things that he used to do downstairs in that storage space no longer haunted him, but not everyone believed that.

The only plan that Kris ever had for the place was silence. He needed it, and at least in that way, coming here was not a mistake. Tonight it would function as a place for him to clear his head, and that was as far ahead as he was thinking. If anyone found him and thought the worst, so be it. Maybe something like that would save him from whatever fate was awaiting him at Into The Void.

He settled into the bed and pulled out his phone intended to send a single message to let everyone know that he was fine. The phone screen never managed to switch on though. As it pulled it from his pocket, he laid it on his chest. Just a few minutes, he thought to himself. Then he would get up and start to sort through all of the mess that he had created. From all of the flying, and all of the hostility, he just needed a few minutes to shut his eyes.


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“To attempt the destruction of our passions is the height of folly. What a noble aim is that of the zealot who tortures himself like a madman in order to desire nothing, love nothing, feel nothing, and who, if he succeeded, would end up a complete monster!”

-Denis Diderot

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20 May 2018
Edge Of Nowhere, Everywhere
OFF-Camera
Madness in Dreamscapes

I could feel the tightness in my chest. It was always the same, no matter what. Whether it was my first match, or my last. Whether it was against the best of the best, or someone yawn inducing. That same tightness was there. The anxiety of standing on the back side of that curtain is like nothing else in the world. You can hear every voice on the other side constantly trying to talk over everyone else. All of the applause, the boos, the stomping and jumping around echoes through this small hallway. Over the years I have learned to convince myself that I am anywhere but here while I prep for the match. Once I get here though, there is no more denying it. The worst part is, this is the part that I always have to do alone.

Maddie Wilson: “You already beat him once, didn’t you? ”

The voice got my attention immediately. My head jerks in her direction, and there she is, sitting on top of a crate. The pink shorts and matching boots gave her away before my eyes ever got to hers. She looked the exact same as she did when she graduated out of Jet City. The smile on her face was a fresh change from the resting bitch vibe she had given off lately. She was right too. I have stood right here in this spot before. I have walked out and beaten the man that was already out there. Yet, here I was. Afraid to hear the music start.

Jason Halich: “Well? You need a hand with him?”

Each individual nerve ending up my spine fired at the same time, triggering a cold chill that I couldn’t make any attempt to hide. When I turned to him, he was laughing, with a hand out. He knew that those days were a thing of the past. I didn’t even think that he was going to be coming to the show. Truth be told, we haven’t really been on speaking terms for the longest times. The public gets a show. Not even family members know. He taught me to be the best actor in the room. Forcing my face to stay blank as I shook my head was easy. I turned back to Maddie, but she wasn’t there.

Liz Smalls: “He doesn’t need anyone’s help. You gots this, right cutie?”

Both the crate and Maddie were gone. In their place was someone I never thought I would see in these halls again. Everything about her was pink, and as usual, her attention was more on her nails than on our conversation. She takes just a second to look up and shoot me a reassuring wink, probably just to piss Jason off. I couldn’t wait to see the look on his face, and already had my hand raised to add a point to my laugh, but it got smacked away.

Violet Ripley: “He doesn’t need anyone’s coddling. Just let him go already.”

She worked her way in a circle around me, having taken offense to my near poking her in the face. Both of her hands come up, with her index fingers extended up. She lunges at me, attempting to return my near poking her in the face. The fake fight quickly breaks down into a light-hearted battle of hands slapping against one another. Heather might have been the best thing to happen to me, but Violet was the sister that life robbed me of. She knew it too. We were alike, or at least in her opinion. I always thought she was way stronger than I was ever going to be.

Amanda Stephens: “Go take care of business, we got this back here...”

The voice of reason. I didn’t even have to look back over my shoulder at her. Violet backs away with her hands held up innocently so that I can turn without having to worry about her jumping at me. Amanda had a big smile on her face, as she did most of the time. Suddenly the space is bigger. When I turn it is not just some small hallway leading to a curtain, but an open room full of kids running around. My eyes find KJ first. I guess that they are just trained that way. I try to say something to him, but it is no use. I hear the crowd come to life. The familiar opening of the newest song I had forced the company to pay for. A hand tightened around mine, pulling me back towards the curtain. Before I even saw her long blonde hair, I knew it who it was on touch alone.

Clarissa Ashford: “Come on… let’s do this!”

She was the first one to ever manage me in the company, and the first person I ever really trusted. It was only fitting that she was the one to drag me through the curtain for the biggest match that I have ever competed in. She was fearless like I always wanted to be. The crowds never bothered her. New opportunities never scared her. She was always willing to run head on into anything, and drag me right along with her. Standing in the middle of the stage next to her was a relief that I didn’t know that I needed. I could breathe again. I want to tell her how grateful I am for what she has done, but she could not hear me over the roar of the crowd. They were deafening.

Kirsten Reynolds:: “Holy shit that is a lot of people….”

I couldn’t help but to be startled. By the time my eyes found her on my left, she was pushing the black rimmed glasses up to her eyes from where they had started to slide. She wasn’t wrong though. I looked out to the crowd for the first time, only it was not the Gold Coast Casino. It wasn’t any arena I had ever been in. I have performed in front of hundreds, and I have performed in front of thousands. The dozen or so tiers of seating moving upward and outward were packed with what had to be hundreds of thousands of fans, and they were all still screaming in excitement.

Jules Halich: “Just think about how many more are watching at home….”

Clarissa’s grip on my hand was gone, and was replaced by a light nudge in the ribs. In her place was the woman that had finally managed to tie Jason down. The last time that I saw her was when she was just starting to show from the pregnancy. From all appearances, she had already had the baby. She didn’t look bad either, already wearing her headset, and carrying her clipboard. Directing a show wasn’t easy. She had millions around the world to keep entertained, all I had to do was keep the people in the building to keep interested. Only the thing was, she did not work for Sin City. That was PRIDE, and there was no more PRIDE. How was she here? Why?

Lexa Ryans: “Hey, you with the face. Don’t forget that they’re all here to see you, okay?”

It was the sister that I never knew that I had. Her popping up at all was a surprise. It hadn’t taken long for us to start to find things that we had in common, even though we were separated for our entire lives. She was behind me, and it was vaguely reassuring to hear her voice. More importantly, something that I had somehow forgotten was in her hand. She reached around me, the SCW Heavyweight Championship catching my eyes as the light from the spotlights overhead hit the plates. I reached for it, but there was already another hand on it. My eyes traced up the arm of the person holding it, and I found a warm smile on her face before she even said a word.

Kali Fox: “We all are.”

She traded my the championship for my hand, and we started down the long ramp to the ring. For the first time, I looked down at the ring, but not at the man already standing in it. From this distance, he was just a red blur on a white canvas. However, around him was something unlike anything I had ever seen. There were no words to describe it at first. The bright red bars of the structure somehow seemed alive, like it was breathing, and waiting on me. Just as I felt the tightness start to return to my chest, I was jabbed in the stomach with something solid. My hand managed to grab the object before it could pull away. It was a hand, but covered with a cast, and Kali was no longer at my side.

Abby Watkins: “You can’t let him get under your skin. Remember how that ends?”

Guilt rushed over me, but we didn’t stop moving towards whatever hell awaited me at the bottom of the ramp. Parker’s sister’s eyes were on me, begging me to understand. She tried to flex her fingers in the cast, and it all snapped together. Her hand wasn’t still broken. This was years ago. She was cocky, and entitled. I wanted to see how far I could push her. It didn’t take longer for her to throw a punch in anger. When I ducked it broke her hand. It basically ended her career. If I let Crimson do that to me, I was going to end up just like her. I try to stop walking down towards the ring, but I find myself back to back with someone refusing to let me backpedal. I lean back against them, and she leans her head back on my shoulder before talking directly into my ear.

Chelsea Quik: “You can’t be afraid of what is going to happen in there. It’s gonna get messy. You might even get hurt again. Don’t let that paralyze you though.”

Nobody knew what it was like to be injured during an SCW event like Chelsea had. I remember how hard it was for her to fight back. It took almost relentlessly pushing her on a day-to-day basis in Jet City to get her to shake that fear and give it another shot. I watched her push through that mental block though. She signed with Liberty. We were going to do great things before things went to hell. I didn’t want to backpedal anymore, and I took a step forward. Sure, things had gotten pretty rough, but the source of all of that hurt was standing in the middle of the ring in front of me.

Kurtis Gordon: “How scary can he really be? You’ve have already lived through your darkest possible day, remember? It can’t be worse than that.”

He was on the corner as I got to the bottom of the ramp, and was tossing popcorn into his mouth. I hated how smug he was, even now, but was glad that Kali was not with me. She would have snapped and taken him out. Mainly because he had a point. There was nothing that Crimson could do inside this hellish contraption that could compare to having my life ripped apart last year. Kurtis had set all of it in motion. It was only slightly satisfying knowing that he was stuck in the crowd watching me about to do things he could only dream of. He tried to ruin my life. I got the dream, and the girl. The structure in front of me seemed to buzz with some kind of life of it’s own, but the person holding the door was another familiar face. He nodded in Crimson’s direction wearing the smirk that he had stolen from me.

Kyle Kavanagh: “...and it can’t be worse than the one that you have to keep inside.”

Another shiver ran up my spine. The one time that we had spoken before was when he told me to keep that part of me locked up. It was not what anyone needed anymore, least of all me. I didn’t have to be the same person that Crimson was in order to beat him. The person that tried and that failed twice. I tried to match his hate in the Roulette Championship match and he turned it against me. The second match played right into his hand, and he embarrassed me. Everything had fallen apart when I tried to be that person. I was different now. I was better. I needed to be better.

The stairs leading up to the ring were not attached to the corner, but instead were as wide as an entire side of the ring. I climbed them, seeing his eyes on me from the ring. Sitting on the middle rope, with a cold half-smirk was one of the few people I have ever met that made me feel stupid. He was so good at weighing out ever option that the confidence it gave him was contagious. It was why I joined the Black Sheep. It was why I trusted him.

Porter Sweete: “Don’t tip your hand too early, kid. He’s good enough to see through you if you let him.”

Always the long game. That was Porter’s philosophy. If you tried to get to the end too fast, you were going to lose yourself along the way. Each step in the plan was equally important. Everything had to fall into place perfectly, or was all going to go sideways. He held up the top rope with his shoulder, and gave me a pat on the back as I stepped through the ropes.

What I wasn’t expecting to hear once I was inside was the chime of the bell. The music flooding the PA was gone. I shot a look back over my shoulder, but there was no entrance ramp, or cage door to be seen, let alone any of the people that had been with me. The crowd had closed around the ring. The floor space outside the cell had disappeared, with the fans in the front row able to reach out and grab the bars of the structure. My eyes followed the steel upwards to see that it was not some regular cage, but a dome. It pulsed around me, and stole my attention away from the man sharing the space with me. He didn’t hesitate to blindside me with a right hand that forced me back against the ropes. I tried to hook my arm around the rope to draw a break and some separation, but no referee stepped in to help. He easily pulled me away from the ropes with strength that I did not know that he had. Panicked, I tried to rake at his eyes, but it didn’t bother him. I caught a swift kick below the belt that doubled me forward. When I reached out to hook my hands around his neck and bring him down with my desperation jawbreaker, he kicked me in the chest, and put me on the mat as the crowd laughed.

Killian Sweete: “This isn’t the minor leagues anymore. This is the main event. The same old tricks aren’t going to work. He’s been ready for you for a long time.”

The words came alongside two hard slaps on the apron. The more friendly of the two Sweete twins struck a more serious tone than normal, but he was always weary of the planners. I think that is why he clashed so much with his brother. Porter’s meticulous planning always rubbed up against Killian’s desire to go with the flow. The problem was, both of them were only half right. That is why they worked as a tag team for so long. There is no substitute for having a game plan, and Porter’s was usually good enough to see us through. When push came to shove though, Killian’s adaptability could get us out of any jam.

Without even looking to him, I knew that Crimson was coming. He was not going to quit. If I was on the mat, there was blood in the water. He wasn’t going to let me up. Taking Killian’s words to heart, I had to do something out of character. I waited for the sound of his steps to stop, and then rolled backwards. The spot the challenger splashed on the canvas missed me by only inches, but now my feet were under me.

Phillip Ripley: “Remember not to let him touch you...”

Of course he would give that advice. Phillip at ringside was a laughable sight. He was too afraid of germs to even touch the mat, and the steel of the dome seemed to bother him like nothing else I had ever seen. He had a point though. Crimson would have a counter ready if I threw a punch. He was angry. He was going to keep coming. All I had to do was not let him touch me.

I let him throw the first punch, and leaned away from it easily. He tried to throw a left hand to keep the advantage, but that one was easily deflected away. I knew he was going to go low, because as much as I wanted to deny it, we were alike. Inside this ring we operated under the same rules. We had the same style. Preparing for this was as easy as knowing what I would do in any situation. He raised his left foot from the mat, but I brought a fist down hard on his knee, forcing it back down. He threw an elbow, thinking my focus was going to be lower, but the only thing he caught was the palm of my hand and a shove away from me.

The anger on his face was growing by the second, and I knew it was bound to bubble over. My eyes were pulled just past him though, to a smaller man sitting on the top turnbuckle. He tapped his chin twice, and then shook his head.

Coby Quik:: “If you’re not bigger, and you’re not taller, be faster. That’s rule number one, old timer. Get it together.”

The kid had come full circle in the short time I had known him. It wasn’t just in his relationship with Chelsea, or his success in the ring. He knew more about staging a comeback than I would ever know. It made him the best trainer that I could have asked for back before I became the champion. I had no strength in my arm. I’m close to the smallest on the roster. For once I was in the same boat that Coby had been in for his entire life. I used his advice back then and became a champion. I followed it this time and ducked easily under a clothesline attempt that would have probably taken my head off. I flashed the speed that only Coby was capable of getting out of me, and whipped around before Crimson could regain his footing.

Parker Wayde: “A fist collapses on itself… a forearm is like getting hit with a brick.”

He was leaning on the ropes, shaking his head as my fist closed in on the challenger’s temple. It was the first lesson Parker ever taught me. It changed my approach then, and the one strike that got me on more posters than anything else in my arsenal was born. It was almost too natural to twist my hips as I pulled my fist back towards my chest. My elbow scraped against the cheekbone of my attacker, and it sent him off balance. He did not drop to the mat, and if anything I had only worked to frustrate him. He screamed at me, but the words of my own protege rang through my head, blocking out whatever hostility was hurled my way.

Aaron Isaacs: “Actions over words.”

I repeated the words under my breath, and paused for just a second, allowing the challenger a second to inch that much closer to the edge. I could see the hate becoming overwhelming. Each time I succeeded, it was just making him stronger. Every time I was falling short he was just becoming more determined. As soon as it snapped together, a sarcastic voice that I wouldn’t have expected to hear pulled both of our attention away from our fight.

Zaylee Flynn: “Maybe you should be asking what’s so special about you, fuckhead...”

The noncommittal shrug was indicative of any interaction I have seen Zay have with anyone. Something about it though took his focus off of me. He sprinted towards the ring, but before he could reach out for Zay, she dropped down from the apron. With his eyes off of me, I took off after him, and kicked his legs out from under him. As I got to my feet I looked down to the floor, only to find that Zaylee was nowhere to be seen. Instead, an even younger female was leaning over the top rope, looking down into his face as he started to snap.

Keisha Quickens: “I don’t see what his problem is anyways. This is all that you’ve ever wanted. Why aren’t you allowed to have it? Who made him the one that gets to pick who gets to be at the top anyways? Can we get a recount on those votes?

He got up, but only to take a swipe at Keisha. The youngest member of of the Quik family held her own though, leaning down to her left side and putting her hand on the apron. She balanced on it and brought her foot around to catch him across the cheek in the same place that my elbow had. With a giggle she dropped off of the mat before he could get his hands on her. Fortunately for Keisha he couldn’t pursue her.

PJ Cooper: “What are you waiting for?!

It was not just the more flamboyant half of Awkward Inc standing at my side, but both of them. They were the only two high flyers out of Jet City, and that made them my responsibility. Neither of them had any kind of real training. Instead, they were wrecking balls. I knew that there was only one thing that they were ever going to tell me to do. The same thing that I had screamed at them dozens of times.

JD Wright: “Get into the air already!”

I ran to the ropes, and stepped up onto them instead of rebounding off of them for speed. When I catapulted myself back in his direction, I was expecting to have the advantage. I had planned for this spot. This was going to be it. It had to be it. I lowered my arm, trying to strike the same place a third time, but he had me scouted. The only thing that I caught on the way down was a hard kick to my ribs, and I was barely able to stay on my feet. The spinning back kick that followed the first cracked ribs down my right side, and took me down to my knees. I could feel every bit of the confidence that I had built start to fade. I looked around for someone to help, but there was nobody to be found. I did not have long to worry though, because a well placed kick to the side of my head put me face down on the mat, seeing stars. It took a couple of moments for my eyes to refocus, and stomps coming down on each of my limbs did not make it any easier.

I couldn’t bring myself to look up at him in his enraged moment of glory. Nothing was going to be enough. Nobody was going to be able to help, not really. After a half dozen of the strikes, I could feel my body starting to stop responding so intensely to each. I was started to shut down. If nobody stepped in, all it was going to take was one good shot, and the lights were going to be turned out. Before it could come, a figure shrouded in a black hood spoke up from the floor outside the ring.

Nobody: “We still want to be somebodies. It’s only over when we say it is.”

I couldn’t see their face, but I knew exactly who they were. It was a rule. Get what we want, by any means necessary. Even though the group was long dead, that ideology stuck with me. I was a nobody. I wanted to be a somebody. If anyone was going to stop me, they were going to have to kill me. If I wanted something, I was taking it and stamping my name on it. I wanted to be the measuring stick, and measuring sticks do not get beaten unconscious in front of the entire world.

I timed it as perfect as I could, and summoned all of my strength to catch his foot, and keep hold of his ankle all the way through a hard kick to my chest. Luckily, all of the tightness from the anxiety was long gone. Unfortunately, any ribs that were only possibly cracked were definitely cracked now. I held on for my life, and the ferociousness of which he pulled back from me was enough to drag me to my feet. It would have given me the immediate advantage, if it weren’t for being blinded by the white light of whoever was perched on the top rope.

PURE: They’re right, you know…. You remember who you are, right?”

I let go of my grip as the confusion set in. It was the worst time to have some kind of existential crisis, and allowed the tables to turn. Being on the receiving end of the kind of forearm strike that I am used to hitting others with was brain-rattling as well. Before I knew it, I was back on defense, and I couldn’t understand why. As I stumbled back, I was confronted with a masked man I had never seen before. His head cocked slightly to the side, and his shook his head. The expressionless face of the mask couldn’t hide the disappointment in his stance.

Discord: “I don’t think he does, but he sure could use one…”
>Again, the voice was familiar. It was not until I saw the last of them that I understood. As I struggled to find balance, I backed into a man tangled up in the ropes. As soon as I registered the red of the hoodie he was clad in, the pieces of the puzzle were starting to come together. His face was as plain as day, despite being inverted in front of me. It was like looking in a mirror.

Accident: “He’ll find it. He always does….eventually.”

He nodded towards my challenger as he charged in at me. Instead of raising my hands, or trying to get up, I waited for him to get within a step, and turned quickly. I extended both of my legs out, picking his ankles between my shoes, and rolling his ankle to trip him. He fell hard, hitting his face against the middle turnbuckle before his knees found the mat. The crowd intensifies around me, and I could feel it too. I rolled back, but then propelled myself forward onto my feet. When I hit the mat though, I was already running. As I crossed the ring, I didn’t bother leaped up. All i wanted from the ropes was speed, and I got it off of the rebound. The challenger rose as I sprinted back across the ring, and then jumped. I leaned back, and extended my leg, knowing that my aim was perfect.

Godspeed took him off his feet, and stopped every bit of my momentum. He hit the mat hard, and I landed on top of him. There was no count from any referee. The fans exploded one second, but in the next the arena was completely empty. I looked beneath me to find that there was nothing there. The structure around the ring was gone. The house lights were off, and a single spotlight beamed down on me from the roof.

Reese Spencer: “Always scraping by in the end, mister. I should stop hoping that you’ll ever really change.”

I rolled in the direction of her voice, ready to fire back, but the woman standing in the ring with me wasn’t the worst influence that I had ever had in my life. Instead it was the one person that had given me the drive to actually make something of it. She shook her head with confidence, and a wide smile.

Heather Ryans: “He’s never needed to...”

I got up from the ring, the bumps, bruises and broken bones were as gone as quickly as they had appeared, and I felt better than I had in recent memory. I closed the two steps between us and wrapped my arms around her, relieved that whatever it was that was happening was finally over. I closed my eyes tightly,

Kali Fox:“That’s why we’re always going to be here....”

I do not know where she came from, but I was stuck between the two of them. Kali’s arms wrapped around the two of us. I opened my eyes to see everyone from Jet City standing in the ring with us. I tried to turn towards everyone, but Heather’s hand on my cheek stopped me. She pulled me back towards her, but was gone when I turned.

Everyone was.

Heather Ryans: “...even when we’re not.”


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“There is a beauty and clarity that comes from simplicity that we sometimes do not appreciate in our thirst for intricate solutions.”

-Dieter F. Uchtdorf

21 May 2018
New York City, New York
OFF-Camera
Clarity

Kris woke in a panic, and sat up in the middle of the bed. He was still in his room, but there were no blankets left on the bed around him. The pillows had ended up discarded around the room, and he had no problem understanding why. What he had experienced had felt so real that he could not wrap his head around it. Sure, it was a dream, but it felt like more than that.

Holden:
“You talk in your sleep...”

Kris had no reaction to the sound of his father’s voice. Holden had expected him to be caught off guard, irritated, or at the very least surprised. After all, he had not been invited on this little adventure to the other side of the country. In fact, Kris had purposefully kept the information away from him after he popped up in Chicago. Waking up with someone silently waiting on him was not a new feeling though. Maybe Jason was Holden’s son too. It would have explained a lot.

Kris
“Yeah, well, nobody asked you to come, so whatever you heard you will have to live with.”

The light tone that poured from Kris’ mouth was totally unlike anything that Holden had ever heard. He had met Kris at one of the worst times of his life, and things had not gotten a whole lot brighter since. Sure it had moments, and it always felt like it was building towards something, but there was always a cloud hanging over his son’s head. For the first time, it didn’t sound like Kris was carrying that weight. Holden found it hard not to let the satisfaction spread across his face. There would be a time for that, but it wasn’t now.

Holden:
“You’re pretty predictable, you know? You made a big deal about this place last year before Into The Void. That was when things were still looking up. Right before you won the Roulette Championship. Remember?”

Kris nodded, and had been thinking about it more and more in recent days. He had gone down the rabbit hole of trying to get into Crimson’s head, and if his dream was any indication, the reverse had happened. It seemed like in the last few days he had slowly lost himself in his opponent’s head. It did not seem nearly as important in hindsight though.

Kris
“It’s not just about being the best, is it?”

Somehow he knew, without even having to ask. Whether he had really been talking in his sleep and Holden had been here for the show, or if there was something more at play, Kris knew that his father would understand exactly what he meant.

Holden:
“It’s always been about taking something away from you.”

Kris nodded again. He had spent so much time trying to put together some sort of grand puzzle that he was not able to see what was right in front of him. On the other hand, the experience he had following falling off the deep end in Chicago had made everything much more clear.

Kris
“He knows he is good, but he doesn’t feel anything, not really. How could he? I mean just listen to him talk.”

Holden laughs lightly, and brings a new meaning to the first words Crimson had made once he came back.

Holden:
“He wants to cut parts out of you until the two of you are the same.”

It was close, but it no longer felt like the whole truth.

Kris
“This is the one thing that I wanted for the majority of my life. I mean, that was the whole reason that Jason got into it in the first place. He was just helping me to train. Then that led to him getting hurt. Then he recruited Parker. Parker gave him the idea for PRIDE. That is how he met Phillip, and Violet and where Jet City comes from. Parker recruited Coby. The students rolled in from there. It all came from me.”

Hearing the words coming out of Kris’ mouth was more than Holden could have hoped for. With any luck, all of the nudging was going to pay off. For the first time Kris was connecting all of the dots between everyone. The thing that Holden had spent months trying to engineer was on the tip of his son’s tongue.

Holden:
“Aren’t most of those guys all kind of spread out now though?”

Kris answered without even really considering it, but an interesting thing happened when he did.

Kris
“No, not really...”

Kris shook his head, and the words Heather had spoken to him in his dream rattle around in his head. Holden does his best to look confused, and when Kris panics and searches his father’s expression, he tries to backtrack his statement.

Kris
“I mean yeah… they are. Everyone is doing their own thing. That doesn’t really mean they are gone though.”

It was another first, and Holden was not going to have to hold back from pressing on this one. He could tell from the way that Kris was acting that something had changed the way that he was thinking, and if Kris was not going to actively acknowledge it, he was going to force him to.

Holden:
“That’s new.”

Kris forced a shrug, and then slid to the edge of the bed, dropping his feet to the floor. He tried to avert his eyes, knowing that they were going to give away the lie if he had to hold Holden’s gaze.

Kris
“Not sure what you mean.”

He tries to blow it off by pushing himself up from the bed and stretching. Holden was not going to let it go though.

Holden:
“I mean normally any time somebody leaves the room you are whining about them abandoning you. You literally just had a freak out about all of your friends leaving you hanging…. Yesterday. You went from being alone, all the way to, ‘that doesn’t mean they’re gone’ in one night. All it took was staying in this shitty apartment next to your hobo alley.”

Kris had originally run away to this apartment so that he could take a look at the hole that he used to live in. He had debuted it to the world last year before Into The Void, and it almost immediately turned it into a prime spot for graffiti and trespassing. He got so many complaints that he had bought the building, and now just used it as an escape.

Kris
“I like to see how far I have come sometimes.”

Holden steered them back around to the conversation that he wanted to have instead of letting Kris slip away from it.

Holden:
“Like in the last day for instance...”

Kris did not look overly pleased with the accusation. Kris knew his father had meant it in a different context than he did.

Kris
“They might not be here right now, but each of them gave me something to build from. They all came on board for my dream, added a big of their own flair, and then gave it back to me. They did not leave me. They just went back to living their own dreams. How could I justify being pissed off about that?”

Having the perfect answer, at the perfect time, is something that happens only a few times in a lifetime, but this was one of them.

Holden:
“You never had a problem with trying to before.”

Kris shrugs and moves across the room, past where his father sits in the corner. Kris turns into the bathroom and turns the faucet on.

Kris
“I wasn’t thinking clearly. I am now.”

Kris allows the water to pool in his hand, and splashes it against his face.

Holden:
“Well they say that there is a first time for everything….”

Kris brushes the water away from his face with a slight chuckle, and dries himself off with a towel on the counter.

Kris
“I’m not going to be insulted first thing in the...”

Holden checks his phone for the time and finishes his son’s thought for him.

Holden:
“...early evening….”

It should not have surprised Kris. By the time his flight had even gotten in, it was already getting into the early hours of the morning. The sun was already rising when he has finally fallen asleep.

Kris
“Either way… So shut the fuck up old man!”

The words themselves would have been hostile is not for the sarcastic tone of his voice. Holden had gotten used to it as Kris’ way of distancing himself from getting too close to people he was unsure about. When Kris emerged from the bathroom, the smile on his face was genuine. He took a deep breath, and then let it out slowly and calmly. Holden pointed up at him with a smirk.

Holden:
“You look lighter...”

Kris did not try to sidestep or deflect it.

Kris
“Yeah…. An anchor.”

Holden was not quite following, and his eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. Before he could ask though, Kris cuts him off to explain.

Kris
“From the moment that Crimson first put his eyes on me, he has wanted me to be alone. Like you said, the guy has me scouted. He knows my abilities sure, but it’s more than that. He knows my insecurities. He knows what buttons to push, and he knows how I am going to react when he pushes them.”

Holden relaxes in the chair a little, and nods.

Holden:
“That was why he went after Kali first.”

Kris gets even more excited about having put it together now that his father was back on track.

Kris
“He wants to fill me up with the same things that fill him up. It’s not about cutting those parts out of me. It’s about what he is putting in to replace it. If you keep hacking away at the good parts of a person’s life, all that’s left is the bad stuff. It’s all some mindfuck. He tells me that I am already like him, but I’m not. It’s some kind of sick self-fulfilling prophecy.,,,”

Kris’ thoughts trail off, but Holden is able to reign them in for him.

Holden:
“By the time he is done with you, you will be like him, but be convinced that you were like that the whole time.”

Kris snaps his fingers, and points to his father.

Kris
“Bingo!”

Knowing that Kris is finally seeing things clearly, Holden does not hold back his opinion of the number one contender to his son’s championship.

Holden:
“He’s a monster.”

The same smirk that made Kris famous comes across his face, and he shrugs his shoulders without a care.

Kris
“Yeah… well…. I’m a Miracle.”


==================================================
=================================================


“I can compare clarity to pruning in gardening. You know, you need to be clear. If you are not clear, nothing is going to happen. You have to be clear. Then you have to be confident about your vision. And after that, you just have to put a lot of work in.”

-Diane von Furstenberg

=============
===========

25 May 2018
Las Vegas, Nevada
Gold Coast Casino
ON-Camera
I Am

”You almost had me, you know?”

The cameras come to life on the back of the SCW World Heavyweight Champion. The championship itself is facing the camera, slung over Kris’ shoulder to be on full display.

”I was panicked. For the first time in a long time there were some serious creeping doubts running through my mind. It wasn’t going to change much. The fact remains that you are a problem that I allowed to happen. Nothing that you could ever say or do could change that really. What you could do, is distract me. You were that close.”

He holds his hand up so that it can be seen over his shoulder. His thumb and index finger are separated by mere millimeters.

”It was masterful really. I mean, other than the fact that you have basically given me all the answers, just in the wrong context. You talk about trying to mindfuck people into acting the way you want them to. Look at all the scary-eyed homeless people you had running around. Sure, it is exciting. It draws attention. It creeps most people the fuck out to be honest...”

He shrugs with a light laugh, but does not let it derail him.

”...and it almost worked on me. I was almost looking left, when I should have been looking right. You were setting me up to get blindsided by a harsh reality that you created. You want me to believe that we are alike? It is not going to happen. I am not ever going to be like you, because I have no reason to lower myself down to that level. I have no reason to waste so much time and energy hating everyone, and everything. I have no desire to spend my time plotting about how to rip people’s dreams away from them just so that they can feel empty. I know what that feeling is like, and it loves company. That’s what this whole thing with us is really about. Recruiting me to be like you.”

He turns around and shrugs the championship off of his shoulder and down into his hand. Kris raises it up in front of the camera, and looks back and forth between the faceplate and the lens.

”We have already agreed that this is just something that places us at the very top of the mountain. It is just a prop in the story that you are trying to tell, right? We don’t need it. If this championship was not on the line, we would still be having this match. We would still have the same hatred for one another. For the first time, the gold at the end of the rainbow isn’t the focus at all.”

He drops it from the frame, and lets it fall to the mat beneath his feet. The camera pulls back from him as he starts to walk forward across the ring. Viewers can see that crews are already going to work setting up for the show. The ring in the center of the room was the least of their issues.

”You wouldn’t stab me in the back when you had the chance, all because it was my idea. You proved it when you dumped me over that balcony. There was no moral dilemma of you attacking someone from behind. It is about attacking someone on your terms, to serve your purpose. All anyone is to you is a puppet on a string. You wanted to twist me up, and have me walk into this match with dozens of different things on my mind. You wanted me distracted and spaced out. You wanted me at my worst so that you would have a chance to walk away with a win if you were at your best. It worked the first two times you tried it, right?”

He makes a clicking sound against the inside of his cheek and shakes his head. With his hands free, he crosses his arms in front of his chest, and looks across the open space at a banner being hung. Kris himself was one of the four people featured, and it did not help his already swollen ego.

”I wasn’t around to fall for your bullshit going into Full Circle, and I was better than you were. You could try to pin your match with Harris as your excuse for losing, but we both know you had your opportunity to take me out. You weren’t helpless. You were able to fight. You just weren’t in my head. I wasn’t in the locker room to be manipulated by your every word. I came out with a clear head, and got to watch you panic as I came down to the ring. I watched you lose before the match even started, I just didn’t know it.”

Suddenly, he points across the space at the poster.

”We both knew that this would happen when we signed back on with Sin City, but only you knew why until now. It wasn’t for the championship. It wasn’t for the spotlight. The reason that we have been on this collision course for this long is because that is exactly where you want me to be. You want me standing in the ring across from you. You want to break me down time, after time, after time, as many as it takes. Not because we are the same, but because you aim to make us the same. The whole reason you want to cut parts of me out is because those aren’t the parts you think a partner needs. You want to turn me into one of those freaky white-eyed bastards. But why? That is the question that I couldn’t figure out the answer to...”

He snaps his fingers and points at the camera.

”...until I got rid of all of the distractions.”

Suddenly his week-long silence starts to snap together for the viewers. He had not run away, or gone into hiding. He had been looking for an answer, and he found one.

”What did I look for in the people that I recruited to Jet City? I mean it clearly wasn’t size. There were people like Aaron Isaacs there competing for their spot against people half their size. It wasn’t gender, because we were practically split right down the middle. I wasn’t race, religion, skill set, or a group specific thing. Not everyone there got along, and nobody really knew each other before they started. I didn’t look for any of those things. What I looked for, every single time I thought about taking on a new student, it was about how good they were.”

He holds up his hand before anyone watching can object to his statement.

”You are no different Crimson. Except your standards were higher. The fish that you intended to fry needed to be the biggest one in the pond. You needed to take someone that you felt was the golden boy, and help them to fall from grace. You wanted the very best that this roster had to offer, and after all your searching, you found me. It was the reason you came here. It was the reason you stayed here. It was the reason that you came back when the doors opened. You already know that I am the very best. If I wasn’t, then you wouldn’t be interested in this match at all.”

He shakes his head again, and scoffs at the idea of ever allowing himself to become like his opponent.

”I have no interest in joining up in your miserable existence. I have no interest in being a monster. Your life seems empty, and joyless. You tried to drag me down there where you are, but you don’t understand that it’s not possible. You can try to isolate me from the people around me, but you can’t take away the person that they have helped me to become. You can demean me for whatever you want. It doesn’t change the fact that I know exactly what I am, and it’s not ever changing.”

His tone becomes more challenging, and he crosses back to where he started in the ring, and reaches down to scoop the championship up off of the canvas. He holds it up in front of the camera again, having trouble stopping himself from laughing to get the words out.

”This is the only part of this match that means nothing to you, and it is the only thing that you could ever hope to take away from me. Nobody can win every match. It’s not feasible. Eventually your number is up. It is possible for you to beat me and take this championship, but it would be a hollow victory, wouldn’t it. You aren’t going to be satisfied with it. You are going to want to break me, and that is why you aren’t going to be able to end it. There is no breaking me. Not now.”

He places the championship back onto his shoulder, and moves on from it..

”You can bring all of the rules, toys, gadgets, weapons, cages, cells, head games and whatever the fuck else you want with you. You have full control to pick your very best shot. I cannot stop you from doing any of it, so I am not going to lose anymore sleep, or waste anymore time dwelling on it. If you think that I am going to run away scared, then you didn’t hold that Roulette Championship long enough. I broke a fucking record for carrying it longer than any person had ever been able to. I asked for all of my matches to be fought under Roulette Rules. I never had any idea what I was walking into, and I was more successful in those matches than anyone else that has ever worked in this company.”

He laughs at the thought of finding the unknown to be intimidating.

”I almost feel sorry for you. You tried so hard to turn me into a monster, and fell so short just inches away from the finish line. Now the only thing that you have to fall back on hoping that I don’t somehow find a way to overcome the odds and walk out of your creation with my sanity, and my championship.”

The smirk starts to creep onto his face, but he tries to hold it back.

”A nobody, an accident, a patron saint, or a pure asshat might not have been able to walk out of this one in one piece. Luckily I am not any of those things, and I’m not sure that I ever was. I’m pretty sure I’ve always been exactly who I needed to be, and it just so happens, it is the exact thing that anyone needs to survive a match like this.”

He finally allows the smirk it's time to shine in the spotlight, and gives a light shrugs of his shoulders.

”It’s really too bad for you that I’m the only Miracle that this company has ever seen. Looks like you are going to come up just one short of everything that you wanted.”

He winks at the camera as it starts to fade out.

 Monday
4.23.18
Jet City, Washington
7:12am
“Madness”
OFF-Camera


The trip home had been less than enjoyable. Staff at Climax Control had not wanted to let Kris leave until the morning after the show. As a result of his fall, nothing was broken, but they called an ambulance anyways. That was when the champion had taken his leave. He called his own ride, and by the time anyone was looking for him in Primm, he was back in his hotel room. After getting checked out before the sun was even up, he was packed and boarding Jet City Airways before anyone was even looking for him.

The flight had sucked, the constantly jostling around caused the bruise running nearly the length of his back to scream at him. He had driven himself back from the airport, and found himself glad that he traveled so light. Upon getting home, he grabbed the gym bag holding the SCW Heavyweight Championship, but did not dare throw it over his shoulder.

He had a 50/50 guess at what was going to happen once he stepped in the door. The sun had barely  started to come up as he pulled into the driveway. Either they were all going to be asleep, having missed the tail end of the show, or he was going to have to answer a lot of questions about how he was feeling. Neither of the options were entirely favorable. He moved up the path leading to the front door and found it unlocked. He quietly opened the door and placed his bag down next to it. Closing the door as quietly as he could, he spins the lock into place and makes his way to the stairs leading up to the rooms of the house.

A light clicks on in the living room, automatically making Kris feel like a teenager getting caught sneaking in late, or in this case incredibly early. Kali was sitting on the couch, wearing flannel boxer shorts and a thin cotton tank top. Curled up, with her head on Kali’s lap was Heather. She was snoring lightly with her mouth slightly open. Kali shoots a look at Kris.

Kali: “She was up early yesterday with the kids. Neither of them sleep well when you’re away.”

Kali brushes some light brown hair away from Heather’s face. She still hadn't decided if she liked the new colour or not.

Kali: “When you didn't answer my calls or texts, Mikah was kind enough to tell me the doctors had cleared you and you were on your way back home.”

He nods a little and turns from the stairs to cross the room back towards her.

Kris: “Phone did not survive the fall…”

He reaches into the back pocket of his pants and pulls the mangled remains of the phone free. He holds it up so she can see it and then flips it into and empty chair next to the couch.

Kris: “They wanted me to go to a hospital, so I left. No broken bones. I have to check in Friday to be cleared for Sunday. Sounds like a Future Kris problem.”

He walks around the circular table sitting in front of the couch and then carefully sits down on it in front of her.

Kris: “Not something I saw coming…”

There was some clear defeat in his voice. He sighs and raises his left hand up to run his fingers through his hair.

Kris: “At least it was me instead of either of you.”

This doesn’t sit well with Kali though.

Kali: “If I had been there maybe it wouldn't have happened at all. I could have seen him before you. You don't seem to understand that I have been waiting for a chance to get even with that psychopathic douchebag since last year.”

There is anger in her voice, but it is not directed at Kris but towards the man that had kidnapped and tied her up. It had taken months for her to stop having nightmares over the ordeal.

Kali: “Just one stiff kick to his balls...”

He shakes his head. This was not the first time that the conversation had come up since he had made the decision to go back. The flat tone of his voice shows just how many times he has had to recycle the same response to her.

Kris: “It would make you feel better, but then things would just escalate.”

He raises his eyes up to her and gives a light shrug of his shoulders.

Kris: “We talked about that last week. Just listen to the guy. He wants to cut out everything that separates me from him. Without you there, he has to come after the way I interact with fans, with people on the roster, and just in general. He has to come after me to do what he wants. If you're there… he's not coming after me.”

He had stopped short of going further than that on every other occasion. Maybe it was the frustration of being laid out at the end of the night, or the injury itself practically eliminating all of his patience, but he did not stop this time. The words were not in a raised tone, or even mean by themselves, but they were blunt.

Kris: “I don't want you there with me for this. Not until it is over. That's not going to change.”

She reaches forward to put a hand on his knee.

Kali: “You really think he would go far enough to hurt me like that? To risk going to prison... over a wrestling match? You know how ridiculous that is right?”

She sighs.

Kali: “I love you Kris. I love both of you more than I can even describe. As much as I hate having to be benched, I don't want your attention to be divided and you having to make a choice between us and your title. I know how much it means to you.”

He shoots a look over to the gym bag with the championship sitting in it. He had not even taken it out of the bag unless a camera was rolling on him.

Kris: “It's not about that. If I lose it, I would still be there. It is the place. That's why it didn't work out in Liberty.”

He looks back to her, but no longer seems broken by the fact that he needed to be a part of Sin City.

Kris: “It's why I can't get it out of my head. When people started telling me that it was basically mine, I felt like it was my job to make sure the right things happen.”

He chuckles a little lightly, trying to separate himself from how much he cared by making it a joke instead.

Kris: “I mean, without me we get someone like Calvin Harris tearing it all down, someone like Crimson burning it to the ground, or people closing the doors.”

Kali nods.

Kali: “You know, I was originally going to be a doctor like my mother. I thought it would be my calling. Like continuing the legacy but after one semester of pre-med I knew I couldn't do it. My mind constantly went back to the law texts I had poured over as a child. The hours I would spend sitting in my Father’s office. It just always clicked. And then, when I came to do that contract for Jet City, to basically be your babysitter... afterwards, the idea of it being over and potentially never seeing you or Heather again put me in a panic. We all have a calling, Kris. Even if it is not what everyone else wants you to do.”

She looks down at Heather.

Kali: “Just like Heather was meant to sing. Nothing else ever worked out for her. The universe sometimes has funny ideas how to get us to the places we need to be.”

He looks down from and and to Heather, still sleeping in her lap.

Kris: “She just needed to believe she could do something… anything. She was always going to succeed in whatever it was once she realized she was actually worth something.”

A smile crosses his face thinking about how far they had come since first meeting. He was overjoyed to not ever have to return to those times.

Kris: “It's weird being out there by myself…”

He takes a deep breath, possibly just coming to the realization for the first time. His words sound more like thinking out loud than anything.

Kris: “Like all of us started out separately, and all came together to be really close. The three of us, Jet City, Coby and Chelsea, Parker, everyone. Sin City shut down, and it seemed like everything fell apart. Everyone is kind of off doing their own thing. I'm still out there though.”

He did not appear upset by it, and the smile on his face actually widens a little.

Kris: “Jason only got into wrestling because of me. Then he recruited Parker. Then Coby went to Parker. People just kept stacking on because he was carrying my dream for me. Being the last one standing feels like they all finally gave it back to me. I might be by myself out there, but it doesn't feel like it. I have all these people that have added onto the thing that I wanted, and helped me make it better.”

Kali: “Well if you are lonely, you could always take Vi...”

Kali chuckles at the idea. The panic of just thinking about it flashes in his eyes and he shakes the thought away.

Kris: “Adding another crazy person to an already insane situation would not go well for me.”

Kali offers a shrug.

Kali: “I dunno, might even out the score.”

She is full out laughing now, but it fades off as she makes her next point.

Kali: “I just want you to be more careful. Next time, you might not be lucky enough to walk away.”

He does not even have to put a second of thought into his response for the the answer comes tumbling from his mouth.

Kris: “Next time I'm kicking his face off…”

He raises a hand up in front of his face.

Kris: “Just gone. The whole thing.”

Kali gets a scary determined look on her face.

Kali: “Good. After the things he said to me...”

She stops. She had refused to tell him what Crimson had said to her when he had captured her.

Kris: “He's not going to be a problem for much longer. When I beat him this time he goes to the back of the line. He's not a problem anymore.”

She shakes her head.

Kali: “Men like that never cease to be a problem.”

He nods in agreement, but only in part.

Kris: “Well he can go be someone else's problem. Injuries suck worse than they used to when pain was optional. I'm not trying to pile them up.”

He tries to stretch out his shoulder, but barely starts to bring it up to his chest before the soreness of it makes him think twice. He brings a hand around to his lower back and arches back, popping it to relieve some of the tension, but not without a grimace.

Kris: “I'm not doing this every week.”

She gently slides Heather's head from her lap as she rises. She comes up to his side.

Kali: “Let me see how bad it is.”

He pulls the zipper down on his hoodie and lifts his hand up to her. She pulls the cuff of it over his hand so he can pull his arm out. He quickly discards it to the chair with the broken remains of his phone and looks back to her.

Kris: “This part I can't do…”

He leans forward and her fingers slip into the back of his collar. He extends his arms forward and she pulls the shirt over his head. She tosses the shirt to the pile as he repositions so she can see the damage up his side in the light. The bruise starts just below his shoulder and travels down the left side all the way to his lower back. It is already starting to turn purple, which appears to be the worst of it. Tiny scratches from the broken windshield accompany half the length of the bruise, but none of them looked bad enough to worry about.

Kris: “It probably looks exactly as bad as it feels…”

She grimaces and runs her hand lightly down his side, almost as though she didn't trust the doctor's assessment of his injuries.

Kali: “At least nothing is broken. These little cuts will sting in the shower until they scab over. It really looked a lot worse on TV.”

He does not even try and argue the point.

Kris: “It was. Knocked the air out of me pretty bad. Took me a little bit to be breathing like there wasn't a fat guy sitting on me.”

Her eyebrow half raises at the mention, and he waves it off.

Kris: “Oh like you're really even surprised that I would know what that's like…”

She sits beside him.

Kali: “I am learning to not be surprised at most things you may or may not have experience with.”

He rests a hand on her thigh, but then taps it twice as an idea strikes him.

Kris: “While you're learning new things… that car window… first time I've gone through one of those.”

He nudges her with a genuine smile on his face.

Kris: “There's still some firsts for you to be around for.”

She laughs.

Kali: “Not a first I would have wanted for you. I am relieved you are okay though.”

She nods toward Heather.

Kali: “Once she heard that you were good enough to get on a plane it was like one second she was talking and the next she was out. But me? I couldn't think of sleeping until I saw you myself.”

It did not seem strange at all that they would have different reactions. He even had some idea why. He looked down at his wife, and brushes away stray strands of hair from her face.

Kris: “She has seen a lot more of it. The night I got jumped at her birthday party was probably the worst I have ever been beat up. I still got on a plane and competed in Japan.”

Thinking back to it, it was pretty amazing that he had even talked her into letting him go.

Kris: “I always come back. She knows that. If I am capable of being on a plane then it can't be worse than when I left to Japan, and that was pretty bad. The only time she would panic is if I couldn't leave. Like when I broke my arm.”

Kali: “We were both panicking at that. I guess it is just in my nature to worry. I still worry about my brother whenever he gets deployed even though he has done it at least a dozen times by now. Maybe it's a good thing I chose not to have kids.”

He shrugs.

Kris: “Maybe not birth any, but you definitely have two. I have seen it.”

She smiles.

Kali: “It's not the same though. But I do worry about them too. I am more like an aunt then their mom.”

He shakes his head. He had seen her interact with both of the kids dozens of times. He even felt a sense of calm when he was away, knowing that she was here with them and Heather.

Kris: “You can tell that to yourself if you want but I'm not buying it.”

She immediately changes the subject.

Kali: “Should wake Heather up and get her upstairs. Do you think you can sleep in bed?”

He nods slowly.

Kris: “Yes, but I smell like Primm and a jet that I would personally be afraid to blacklight.”

He looks back over towards the stairs, and then back to Heather. A smile crosses his face and he leans forward on the table. He works an arm under hers and around to her back. Once he has her, he uses his left to hook under her knees and in one motion lifts her up from the couch in his arms. Her eyes come open as soon as he is standing, and he smiles down at her.

Kris: “Always sleeping on the couch when there is a perfectly good bed upstairs. What am I going to do with you?”

His voice was playful, mostly just to reassure her that he was okay despite what she may have feared. She yawns.

Heather: “Whatever you want.”

She smirks a sleepy grin at him before her eyes close again. Kali is surprised.

Kali: “Are you sure you should do that?”

He turns from the couch and starts towards the stairs, not hesitating at all.

Kris: “If I slip, fall, and nearly kill us it will be something we laugh about in a few years.”

He turns back towards Kali with a smile on his face, and looks down at Heather.

Kris: “Look how peacefully sleepy and gorgeous she is though. We can't expect her to wake up and walk stairs! That's madness.”

Kali leans in to kiss his cheek.

Kali: “You are the only one going mad around here.”

She laughs and then walks toward the stairs.

Kali: “Are you going to need help getting in the shower?”

Kris: “Getting in? Nah. While in? Always.”

She starts up the stairs first, but he follows quickly behind her, putting Heather just a few steps behind Kali's rear. He leans down, talking more softly, but loud enough for Kali to hear.

Kris: “You're missing a wonderful view by sleeping…”

Kali shakes her head, but she is grinning. All her worry had been easily washed away with Kris’ reassurance. She trusted him. She knew that even with his unpredictable nature, he would always look out for his own survival.



================================
================================


ON-Camera
“Let's Go!”



“If you can't go through a car window and then compete the next week, what CAN you do? I guess I should thank everyone for the positive response. I should be touched that people are worried. To be honest though, it just seems like a waste. Don't let some douche distract all of you by pushing me. If it were that easy to get rid of me, he would have a long time ago. I have been through three matches that haven't deterred me. I have lost titles. I have won titles. I have been beaten badly, threatened with a knife, and insulted relentlessly. Yet, I am here. Yet, I am still the SCW Heavyweight Champion.”

“That's the thing. Everyone in this company will tell you that being here is really the only thing that I want. If you look at my life, being here is the only thing that has ever worked. When I came back at Full Circle, all I wanted was a chance to make something happened. All I needed was for management to have a little bit of faith in me. I knew that I was going to be doing it by myself. I knew that it wasn't going to be easy, especially coming back from injury. I still did it. I still walked out of Full Circle with the Roulette and Heavyweight championships.”

“If a broken arm didn't stop me then, how is getting pushed off a ledge going to stop me now? Maybe if I was wrestling someone like Ben Jordan, I would be concerned. That guy knows how to win, and has been around long enough to exploit me not being 100%. Let me make something clear though, O’Malley is no Ben Jordan. Nobody is. That is why that guy deserves better.”

“O’Malley is a guy that I'm gonna guess was hoping to fly under the radar. I understand the allure of coming out to the ring and making a statement, but none of that sat right with me. You have this guy that came in with a name-droppy trainer, and a bunch of hype. I even bought into it. He was partnered with a legend in Blast From The Past, but could not make it out of the first round. How do you come back from that? Well, apparently you call out the champ.”

“O’Malley undoubtedly saw the opening to the show. He heard the promise that got made to me. He noticed that maybe my focus was elsewhere, and took his shot. Maybe he thought I wouldn't see it. Maybe he could save some face, generate some hype for himself, and it would slip right by my unnoticed.”

“Wrong. Lesson one, O’Malley: Kris is SCW. SCW is Kris.”

“There is nothing happening in this company that I don't pay attention to. There aren't promos I don't watch. There aren't segments that I ignore. I check out the matches to scout each and every one of you, and I get to know you so that when things like this happen, I can tailor an appropriate response.”

“What does that mean for O’Malley? Means I'm going to have to bring back a phrase I haven't gotten to say in a while. Last year, back when I restored the Roulette Championship to glory, you're welcome, I came up with a phrase for people that called me out. There were a lot of them, and it took me more than 100 Days to whack all the moles that popped up out of nowhere. Slowly but surely though, all of them had to face the same fate. You made their mistake, so you're next to meet the same consequence.”

“Get ready for Climax Control. It's your turn to just #JustTakeTheL.”