{The scene opens with Roxi walking up to a home, a large manila folder under her arm, and she marches up the driveway. She cautiously rings the doorbell, and pulls out her phone and dials.}
Roxi – I’m outside.
{Just as quickly, the conversation ends, and soon enough a familiar face answers the door.}
Roxi – AJ.
Amy Jo Smyth – Long time no see.
Roxi – I’ve missed you too.
Amy Jo Smyth – So, what kinda shit you in now?
Roxi – I was hoping you could tell me.
{AJ eyes the folder under Roxi’s arm.}
Amy Jo Smyth – I take it that’s the shit.
Roxi – It is.
Amy Jo Smyth – Alright, I’ll take a look. Follow.
{Roxi follows AJ into the house, and up into her very own personal laboratory.}
Roxi – Nice setup.
Amy Jo Smyth – Science is life, Roxi.
{AJ throws her arms and head back, shakes her whole body, and screams.}
Amy Jo Smyth - SCIENCE!
Just as quickly AJ returns to normal and smiles at Roxi.
Amy Jo Smyth - Truest thing around, babe.
Roxi – I’m hoping you’re right, and I can narrow some of this stuff down.
Amy Jo Smyth – Provided you give me solid information, I can narrow it down. But, chemistry is really my specialty so...
Roxi – You’re pretty much the only person I trust to give me accurate information. And to tell it to me straight.
{AJ arches a brow, but then shrugs.}
Amy Jo Smyth – You flatter me, but I’m up way too early for this shit, you know?
Roxi – I need the truth, that’s why I did it this early… Also, it’s like 11:30.
Amy Jo Smyth – Jesus… Anyway, let’s see what we have here.
{Roxi hands AJ the manila envelope. AJ removes the contents and places them under her microscope and digital enhancing computer. She looks at the photos with a deep look of concern, before turning back to Roxi.}
Amy Jo Smyth – What the fuck are you showing me?! Where did you even get these?
Roxi – I went back after my initial conversation with the cops, took some more crime scene photos.
Amy Jo Smyth – Now I see why you did this before lunch. What the fuck, Roxi?!
Roxi – You were a cop, I figured you saw things like this?
{AJ looks back at Roxi again as she looks at the photos.}
Amy Jo Smyth – Nothing like this! What even happened here?
Roxi – I don’t know. Body was mangled and torn apart.
Amy Jo Smyth – By what? A fucking bear?
Roxi – That’s the question I was hoping you could answer.
Amy Jo Smyth – I’m not a medical examiner either, Roxi. I’m a chemist.
Roxi – And a cop. And a damn good one. If anybody can make sense of this, you can.
{AJ sighs, putting on her glasses and shaking her head.}
Amy Jo Smyth – I never said I wouldn’t try. What else can you tell me?
Roxi – Outside of the body, there’s not much to go on.
Amy Jo Smyth – Lot of candles.
Roxi – Looks like it could be a satanic ritual.
Amy Jo Smyth – Then maybe you need an exorcist. But please don't buy into that Satanic Panic shit.
{Roxi rolls her eyes.}
Roxi – It’s an angle. But nothing concrete on that, since we don’t even have a name.
Amy Jo Smyth – Who owns the house?
Roxi – A man named Frank Fairchild.
Amy Jo Smyth – Anything on him being missing?
Roxi – They’re checking into it. Thus far, nothing.
Amy Jo Smyth – Well, let’s assume this is Frank. Anything out of the ordinary?
Roxi – The house was spotless. Nothing was out of place. It looks like everything happened inside the house.
Amy Jo Smyth – Or…
Roxi – Or what?
Amy Jo Smyth – Maybe the house was a dump site.
Roxi – No sign of forced entry though.
{AJ continues to flip through the photos, scanning them into her computer.
Amy Jo Smyth – Could mean a number of things. Frank may know the person who killed him, again, assuming he’s the victim. Or his keys were taken. There’s way too many variables with that. Person kills Frank, lets themselves in, dump the body, set up the whole thing.
Roxi – That’s a lot of trouble to go to…
Amy Jo Smyth – It’s an angle. Again, there’s way too much we don’t know to piece this together at the moment. Any prints lifted?
Roxi – A few, many partials.
{AJ sighs, turning around in her chair.}
Amy Jo Smyth – You haven’t given me much to work with. I’ll see what any enhanced photos can tell me, but without more evidence or really any evidence at all, it’ll be hard to give you anything solid. But I’ll do what I can.
{AJ flips back around, turning to the last photo, the cube with the letter “E” on it.}
Amy Jo Smyth – What’s this?
Roxi – I was hoping you had an idea.
Amy Jo Smyth – Just looks like a kid’s toy block. Just painted.
Roxi – Nothing familiar about it?
Amy Jo Smyth – Doesn’t look like anything. Was that at the scene?
Roxi – It was the one thing out of place.
Amy Jo Smyth – Put there on purpose?
Roxi – Looks like it.
Amy Jo Smyth – Well, does lend something to my theory about the dump site. We may have a serial killer on our hands. And this was the first victim.
Roxi – One person did that?
Amy Jo Smyth – Could have been a team. Cut the guy into pieces. Anything from the autopsy?
Roxi – I haven’t heard, but I’ll check with the guy on the case.
Amy Jo Smyth – See if he can shed any more light. I’ll work on these photos, but I also wouldn’t lost track of that cube either. It was put there for a reason. Also chemical traces wouldn't hurt. The things I could tell you with just a speck of dirt.
Roxi – I’ll look into it. I’ll let you know if I find anything. I really appreciate you doing this for me.
Amy Jo Smyth – You’ll owe me.
Roxi – Put it on my tab.
{Roxi rubs AJ’s shoulder and hugs her as AJ looks at the computer.}
Amy Jo Smyth – Let me work.
Roxi – I will. Thanks again.
Amy Jo Smyth – Yeah, yeah.
{Roxi soon departs AJ’s home, and changed into her costume out of sight, before dialing on her phone.}
Roxi – Detective Tracy?... We need to meet up… Whoa… whoa… slow down.. North… Yes, I got it, North More and Varick. I’ll be there.
{Roxi hangs up, looking at her phone concerned as she heads towards the meet-up.}
<Hr>
{We shift to the meet-up, on the roof of the building, and when Roxi arrives, She sees Detective Tracy chain smoking, taking 2 puffs of a cigarette before throwing it out and reaching into his pocket to find another. He paces and rubs his ear. Roxi casually lands as the detective looks disheveled as he continues to pace.}
Roxi – You okay?
Detective Tracy – No, no I’m not okay. Did anyone follow you?
Roxi – Follow me? Really?
Detective Tracy – Answer the question?
Roxi – No. I wasn’t followed. What is wrong with you?
Detective Tracy – Ever since that night, weird things are happening. Calls to my house and cell phone constantly, no one on the other end. Call at my desk, same thing. Someone is screwing with me.
Roxi – Have you reported it?
Detective Tracy – Yeah, calls keep pinging around the system, bouncing off one tower and then another in a loop. Nothing concrete. You had anything?
Roxi – Can’t say that I have.
Detective Tracy – I haven’t felt this nervous since I was a manager at Burger King.
Roxi – Why would that make you nervous?
Detective Tracy – Night shift.
Roxi – Were you robbed a lot?
Detective Tracy – No, all those hot drunk women coming into the store, eye-fucking the shit outta me, was wondering if I’d ever be caught.
Roxi – You’re disgusting.
Detective Tracy – What? I was 28 at the time. Just a young kid.
Roxi – Look, I don’t have time for your stories. What is going on with the investigation?
Detective Tracy – We did finally identify the victim.
Roxi – And?
Detective Tracy – A Garrett Hankins. 35. Bartender. Found his head in the river.
Roxi – Wait… so where is Frank Fairchild?
Detective Tracy – That’s still a mystery. And he’s the prime suspect at this point.
{As if on cue, the detective’s cell phone rings. He answers it, but there is nothing but silence on the other end.}
Detective Tracy – Tracy… Hello? Hello?
{He angrily hangs up the phone.}
Roxi – What’s the number?
Detective Tracy – Unknown.
{Tracy pulls out a cigarette and again takes two puffs and tosses it down.}
Roxi – You get your number changed?
Detective Tracy – Yeah, hasn’t stopped.
Roxi – I’ll see if there’s anything I can look into. In the meantime, what about Mr. Hankins?
Detective Tracy – Family checks out. No history of mental illness, no arrests, just seemed like a normal guy.
Roxi – So why would he be a target?
Detective Tracy – Looking into that. If this phone thing doesn’t keep getting in the way.
Roxi – What about the cube?
Detective Tracy – Nothing. It’s not a bomb, it’s not anything. It’s just a fucking cube. Bomb squad tested it, no prints were lifted. It’s doesn’t do anything.
Roxi – It has to do something.
Detective Tracy – Well, I’m telling you it doesn’t.
Roxi – Where is it now?
Detective Tracy – …
Roxi – What?
{The detective reaches into his coat, and produces the cube.}
Detective Tracy – Right here.
Roxi – Did you… take that from evidence?
Detective Tracy – I did, look, I like puzzles, tried to see if this was one. Only thing the damn thing does is blink.
{Another cigarette is quickly used up.}
Roxi – First off, this needs to go back to evidence. What were you thinking taking it from there? Second… what do you mean blinks?
{Tracy looks around leaning in even though the two are alone.}
Detective Tracy – I got it to blink fiddling with it. It actually opens.
Roxi – Why did you just tell me it doesn’t do anything then?
Detective Tracy – Nobody’s got a clue about it. I think it may open even more. Watch…
{Tracy fiddles with the cube and it does start to blink after a few seconds of him rubbing his fingers around the “E”.}
Detective Tracy – Sick huh?
Roxi – Yeah, you are. Take that thing to evidence.
Detective Tracy – You’re not fun.
{The cube suddenly begins to vibrate and heat up in Tracy’s hand, forcing him to let go. He yelps, as the cube hits the roof cement, and opens slightly, causing a blinding light for a few seconds. Both Roxi and Tracy are stunned, and eventually, their vision returns.}
Roxi – What was that?!
Detective Tracy – I don’t know, it never did that before!
Roxi – Get that thing out of here… What bar did Hankins work at?! I’ll do some work there.
{Tracy picks up the cube, placing back into his pocket}
Detective Tracy – Some place call Prost. Up on Rainey.
Roxi – Good. I’ll take it from there…
Detective Tracy – Oh… here..
{Tracy reaches into his pocket again.}
Roxi – You’ve given me enough for one day, Tracy.
Detective Tracy – I think you’ll need this.
{Tracy hands Roxi a photo.}
Roxi – What’s this?
Detective Tracy – That’s our guy Hankins, head attached.
{Roxi peers down at the photo, and it’s of Griffin Hawkins, her friend. She looks up at Tracy with anger and confusion.}
Roxi – There… must be some mistake.
Detective Tracy – No, that’s him, dental records matched.
Roxi – No… it’s not possible.
Detective Tracy – I saw the head. That’s the guy.
Roxi – No, it…
{Roxi blinks and the detective’s cell phone rings again.}
Detective Tracy – Tracy… yeah? Where? Alright, I’m not far away… I’ll be right there.
{Tracy slips the phone back in his pocket. Eyeing Roxi with a more concerned look.}
Roxi – What?
Detective Tracy – Another body. Same M.O.
Roxi – Where?
Detective Tracy – Roxbury Street.
Roxi – I’ll meet you there.
Detective Tracy – Yeah.
{The two depart from their meeting, and Roxi quickly pulls out her phone and dials.}
Roxi – Pick up… pick up…
{There is no answer after a few rings. Roxi ends the calls and tried again.}
Roxi – Don’t you do this to me…
{Finally, there call is picked up, but there is silence on the other end, followed by an ear-piercing sound.}
Griffin Hawkins – Whoops. Sorry Rox, had the phone too close to the amp. Wanted you to hear the new fender.
Roxi – That’s… great Griff, I am glad you’re alive.
Griffin Hawkins – Uh… yeah, that’s… really odd of you to say.
Roxi – It’s… it’s just… the amp and that noise… and… never mind. I just called to.. check on you. After that NFW match.
Griffin Hawkins – Oh, yeah, I’m good. Bumps and bruises, but… I’ll heal.
Roxi – Cool. Great. I gotta run but we’ll catch up at SCW.
Griffin Hawkins – Yeah, sure… you sure you’re okay?
Roxi – You’re not dead, so that’s a plus.
Griffin Hawkins – What?!
Roxi – Nothing, later Griff..
{Roxi abruptly ends the call, and looks back down at the photo, which now shows a very different looking man, with long dark hair and a mustache.}
Roxi – Mind must be playing tricks on me, that damn light…
{Roxi heads off, in search of the next crime scene, following Tracy’s words.}
{The scene now shifts to the Roxbury home. Once again, the crime scene is filled with blood and body parts. The crime scene photographer is once again physically ill as he tries to take photos. The body is covered by a white sheet, but there are two arms and two legs alongside the sheet, belonging to the victim. Roxi enters, she herself abit shaken, but noticing the same things as Tracy, and the previous scene.}
Detective Tracy – What the hell are we dealing with?
Roxi – A psychopath.
Detective Tracy – You seeing this too?
{Tracy points around the room.}
Roxi – Spotless.
Detective Tracy – Again.
Roxi – What is the house… isn’t the important factor here?
Detective Tracy – A dump site?
Roxi – Right. What if the bodies are put in just houses the killer knows.
Detective Tracy – We’re seeing if Hankins and Fairchild were connected in any way. ABP is still out for him. Gonna keep looking around.
{Roxi looks around and begins reaching for the white sheet covering the victim. She pulls it back revealing the face of the victim and gasps in horror.}
Roxi – St….Stacy?
{Tracy turns back, confused.}
Detective Tracy – Huh?
Roxi – I…
Detective Tracy – You know her?
{Roxi looks back down… instead seeing a young pale Asian woman as opposed to her friend. She takes a second and tries to regain her composure.}
Roxi – Give…. Give me a second.
{Roxi steps outside, dialing on her phone. It rings, and rings and then is picked up, and on the other end, is a loud creaking noise.}
Roxi – Hello? Stacy?
Stacy Jones – *Belch* Man, that was good. What’s up Rox?
Roxi – Don’t take this the wrong way but… you’re…okay right?
Stacy Jones – Yeah, I’m fine. Just sitting at home. Eating some pizza. Why? Are you okay? You sound weird.
Roxi – Probably… just the reception. Kind of bad sometimes. Just… uh… called to check on you.
Stacy Jones – Um…. Okay. Are you sure you’re okay?
Roxi – Yeah, yeah, no worries. We’ll catch up soon, just stay safe for now, yeah?
Stacy Jones – …. Yeah, sure. No problem.
Roxi – Thanks Stace. Talk to you soon!
{Roxi hangs up and rubs her face, and shakes her head, trying to clear her vision and clear her thoughts.}
Roxi – What the hell is going on?
{Roxi slowly regains her composure, and re-enters the room, where Tracy takes her by the arm away from everyone else.}
Detective Tracy – There’s another one.
Roxi – Another one what? What are you talking about?
Detective Tracy – The cubes.
Roxi – DON’T. TOUCH IT.
Detective Tracy – I’m not. I..
{The detective’s phone rings.}
Detective Tracy – Trac –
{He cuts himself off as it’s nothing but dead air.}
Detective Tracy – Dammit.
{He ends the call and shuts his phone off.}
Roxi – I think these cubes are a problem.
Detective Tracy – You think the cubes are causing my phone issue?
Roxi – They’re doing something. I think my people should look at them. In the guild. It’s no coincidence that we found them both at these scenes. Let me… let me have them.
Detective Tracy – I can’t do that… It’s evidence.
Roxi – You didn’t find it. I did. I’ll take the heat, but there’s so much we don’t know. Who’s house is this anyway?
Detective Tracy – The victim. Janice Stone.
Roxi – looking into the connections between the three names?
Detective Tracy – Already on it.
Roxi – Good. Where’s the other cube?
Detective Tracy – Under the chair in the living room.
Roxi – I’ll grab it.
Detective Tracy – Better you than me.
Roxi – Yeah.
{Roxi walks cautiously into the living room, picking up the cube, and heading back to Tracy, who hands him the previous one. The new cube is marked “F”}
Detective Tracy – F and E. I really hope we didn’t miss A through D.
Roxi – I don’t know. But I’m going to get any information I can.
Detective Tracy – You do that. Call me in anything comes up.
Roxi – Yeah. You be sure to follow up, and keep safe.
Detective Tracy – I’m not a kid, Super.
Roxi – From the looks of things, everybody is going to need to watch their back.
{Roxi gathers both cubes and places them inside of her utility belt pouches. She exits, and feels queasy for a few seconds, before flying herself to the guild.}
{Roxi slowly enters the guild, heading to the science division.}
Roxi – I need these looked at.
{Roxi produces the two cubes and places them into the table in front of her.}
Scientist – Where did you get these?
Roxi – Crime scenes. Are you familiar with them?
Scientist – No, but they are emitting heat. I can feel it from here.
Roxi – They need to be tested.
Scientist – What for?
Roxi – Anything. Two crime scenes, two of these things show up. Also, one of them blinks, and emitted a blinding light. They may be puzzles of some sort, but they should be tested here, where if something happens we can contain it.
Scientist – I’ll see what we can come up with.
Roxi – Thank you.
{Roxi turns, taking a deep breath and still trying to clear her head as she finally get to head home.}
{Roxi finally ends up at home, where Keira is seated watching her match from last week. She growls and looks frustrated as she watches.}
Roxi – Hey.
Keira – Hi.
Roxi – You doing okay?
Keira – No.
Roxi – You did fine.
Keira – I didn’t do “fine”. I lost.
Roxi – You did great. You’re being too hard on yourself.
Keira – You’re just as guilty.
Roxi – … Fair enough. I am still proud of you.
Keira – I don’t –
{Keira turns her head and stands up, noticing Roxi’s posture.}
Roxi – What?
Keira – You look like you’ve been fighting all night. Are you okay?
Roxi – I’m... not sure. This investiagation is weighing on me.
Keira – I told you it’s that monster.
Roxi – I don’t think so. But I’m just tired at this point. I think I’m going to get some rest. I have to get ready for Crystal.
Keira – Alright, but I’m worried about you. Don’t run yourself ragged on this.
Roxi – It could be something for us. I’m just… keeping an open mind. But, I need to get some sleep.
Keira – Okay, be up in a minute. Gonna disconnect the phone.
Roxi – What? Why?
Keira – Somebody keeps calling here and not saying anything… Once or twice is understandable, but it’s been like 6 times. I’ve had enough.
{Roxi’s eyes widen as she says nothing. She walks into the bedroom, hoping all this was a bad dream as the scene fades.}
“The only way to know how strong, is to keep testing your limits.”
- Jor-El (Man Of Steel)
Hello again SCW.
This time speak to you is bittersweet. I am happy and thankful enough to have joined the field all gunning for the SCW Bombshell’s championship. But at the same time, I am bummed that my wife will not be joining the festivities and not have her own chance to win. I know she had her heart set on being a part of that, and at the end of the day, she finds herself on the outside looking in, and that is extremely frustrating. I know she’s bummed and she feels like she failed, but we all know that even from the outset, my wife has defied expectations. She was given the chance and she has beaten the odds and what things look like on paper many, many times. She continues to impress and surprise, even at this stage of her life and career. I wish I could have done something to help her or told her some sort of secret that could have helped her, but she has never needed me to fight her battles. She’s a warrior and I’m proud of her.
But, it is what it is, and we have to move forward. But Keira has proven time and time again that no matter how many times you knock her down, she’ll keep getting back up, and come back stronger.
That’s what superheroes do.
Now my focus shifts to a tune up for December 2 Dismember. The gauntlet is just around the corner, and this week, I once again face Crystal. At this point, It’s really the only thing I can call her because everything else changes so rapidly, it’s difficult to keep up with it all.
But I guess I should be used to it at this point. Knowing Crystal for practically a decade there have been many changes. She’s been married, divorced, queen of the wicked, the nicest person when she needs something, overall nice, a delusional movie star, meddlesome, conniving, backstabbing, gracious, grateful, forgiving, annoying… and the list just goes on and on. And she has placed this giant target on herself, and it’s rather simple to pick that low hanging fruit and make light of her and shame her for every little thing she’s done wrong. I mean, Alicia Lukas has become a master at it she’s gone to that well so many times.
But I try very hard to see beyond that, and the honest conclusion I’ve come to is that Crystal still really doesn’t know who she is. Sometimes, it takes a long time in person’s life to really discover who they are and what they are about. Sometimes you’re in your ‘40’s before you really have a handle on life. Things happens that stunt your ability to find yourself, you get in with the wrong crowd, you get the wrong people in your life and then you get set back a long time, and then you fall into habits. And they are hard to break. When things come easy and then you begin to expect they will be easy. You begin to neglect the hard work that is needed to maintain things, and you fall back into bad habits, and then when success doesn’t come your way, you lash out, you get angry and you blame everyone else when you really need to take a look in the mirror. It’s easy to understand, when you get to know a person.
And let’s be perfectly, clear, that is not me excusing Crystal’s behavior. I can’t explain every choice Crystal has made, just attribute them. I’m not Crystal, nor am I her doctor. I don’t even play on TV. Crystal has made extremely poor choices and contradicted herself, and yes, the shtick of her asking for forgiveness and asking to turn it all around and then failing to follow through on that… it weighs on her friends and people who care. But unlike many, I cannot simply turn my back on a person I care about because they fall down.
And I can already see the champ’s subtweet claiming victory, but she’s gotta have something about somebody else to talk about otherwise no one pays attention to her.
But she’s not the focus, Crystal is. And yes, I can sit her and throw out all the inconsistencies in this whole thing. She came out last week and said she wanted competition and to but on a show in her hometown, but she’s not really from California at all. She’s from Michigan. This is an adopted city, a home away from home, and that’s all well and good. I can understand that perfectly, but let’s not say things that just aren’t true.
It is, and always will be, my hope that Crystal will one day figure all this out. But on Sunday, I’m not really looking to be in the ring and make Crystal look good. I’m looking to win, and add more momentum to December 2 Dismember and free the bombshell’s championship from the purgatory it is currently in.
We are friends, and that will never change, but Sunday, we’re opponents, and that means we do battle, and aim for the win. Friendly competition, maybe, but competition none the less. I sincerely hope Crystal is ready.
Because I will be.
It’s almost like it’s fate.
