{The scene opens at the tail end of a heist, there’s cop cars all around, surrounding a large warehouse and there’s cops moving into position. Lt. Murphy is on scene and getting SWAT ready to move.}
Lt. Murphy – I need people on the parimeter! Go! Give me a full 360!
{Move officers move into position around the back. Murphy checks his watch, and continues to monitor the area. He grabs the police megaphone and bellows into it.}
Lt. Murphy – This is the police! We have you surrounded! Come out with your hands up, or we will come in and take you! This is your only warning!
{The team at the rear entrance all get into position. The leader radios to Lt. Murphy.}
Team 2 Leader – This is Team 2, in position.
Lt. Murphy – Be ready to move on my signal.
Team 2 Leader – Roger.
{Suddenly there is a rumbling coming from inside the building, the team look at each other, confused, and anxious, each man gripping his weapon a little tighter. The team 2 leader places his hand on the rear door, and begins giving a silent countdown, but over the radio, Murphy can hear the shuffling and scooting of people moving.}
Lt. Murphy – Somone has their radio key’d!
{Team 2 stops, and checks, but before anything else can happen, the door opens from the inside and a small grenade is rolled out. The hiss of gas billows from the door, causing team 2 to have to back up, coughing and being stunned.}
Team 2 member: CS Gas!
{As they men back up, a second CS grenade goes off. From another rear door, men begin trying to haul whatever loot outside the door. Team 2 can’t quite radio for anything, but Roxi shows up, in full gear, flying and landing in front of the would-be thieves.}
Roxi – I don’t think so.
{One of the men simply whistles.}
Henchmen – She's here. Hammer!
{Breaking through the wall, the massive Hammer emerges, causing Roxi to sigh.}
Roxi – Really Hammer, I thought we had an understanding here. What are you doing?
Hammer – I'm just here to bust up the supers that show up. And that means you.
{Roxi simply shakes her head.}
Roxi – You know good and well –
{Hammer doesn’t let Roxi finish as he begins swinging wildly at her, but is unable to hit her. Roxi backs up, dodging Hammer’s blows, before simply grabbing his arm and lifting him high into the air as she takes flight.}
Hammer – Hey! No fair! Put me down!
Roxi – If you insist.
{Roxi lets Hammer go and he plummets back down to the ground landing with a thud onto a parked car. Roxi attempts to head back to stop the stealing of the valuables out of the warehouse, but Hammer is already back up and charging her. Roxi avoids the charge and goes back to dodging Hammer’s attacks, before she grabs his arm and tosses him again through the building wall. Roxi turns to see a van beginning to speed away. She tries to chase after it, but Hammer is there again, this time grabbing Roxi from behind in bear hug.}
Hammer – Gotcha!
Roxi – Get....OFF!
{Roxi uses her energy to send Hammer off of her, against the wall where she ends the fight with a punch to the face. Hammer’s powers causing him to turn it into his own strength, but his body can’t handle that much of an increase, and he puffs up, becoming way too bulky to even move.}
Roxi – Now... you’re going to tell me what the hell this is about.
Hammer – I ain’t....saying nothing.
Roxi – Have it your way.
{Roxi begins to flick Hammer’s nose, and the increase in energy and power causes him to puff up even more.}
Roxi – I can do this all day.
Hammer – Aghhh! Okay! There’s a war coming! We need to be ready!
Roxi – We? Who’s we?
Hammer – All the gangs! I’m...gonna lead my own...
{Roxi flicks Hammer’s nose again.}
Hammer – Aghh!
Roxi – You don’t fart unless somebody is paying you, Hammer. I’m not stupid.
Hammer – There’s... there’s a new guy! Nobody knows him! He’s starting a war!
Roxi – Nobody knows him? Don’t lie to me, Hammer.
Hammer – I AIN’T! He’s new! That’s the word on the street!
Roxi – I'll ask around then. But if it comes back and you’re lying to me...we’re going to have a problem.
{Roxi shoots up into the sky, looking for any sign of the van. Unfortunately, the van has made enough ground that Roxi cannot get a clear line of sight. Roxi heads over to wear Lt. Murphy has the two teams that were going to storm the warehouse with him.}
Lt. Murphy – Super.
Roxi – Well, that didn’t go well.
Lt. Murphy – No. It didn’t.
Roxi – Are your boys okay?
Lt. Murphy – The gas is going to last a minute, otherwise yes. This is alarming trend.
Roxi – This happened before?
Lt. Murphy – A couple of weeks ago. Another shipment was intercepted, just like this one.
Roxi – What was taken.
Lt. Murphy – Last week is was some precious metals, this week it was guns. Guns that were coming for the police.
Roxi – Who knew about these shipments?
Lt. Murphy – Everybody on the force.
{Roxi ponders this for a moment.}
Roxi – An inside job?
Lt. Murphy – It's a possibility. I don’t want to think that way, be it’s possible.
Roxi – Hammer did say there was a gang war on the way. Mentioned someone new on the scene.
Lt. Murphy – Great. At least we got the leader, right?
Roxi – I don’t think so. Hammer’s a mercenary. He’s not smart enough to do this by himself. And if there is a gang war brewing, he’s trying to be in the winning team, and he’s not going to risk trying to do it himself. I’ll take him to the Guild for more questioning.
Lt. Murphy – At least there’s that.
Roxi – Look, I'll ask around. I know just where to start. But I’ll keep an eye out for anything else. But I think there needs to be a close look at your men.
Lt. Murphy – Don't tell me how to do my job, Super.
Roxi – Well, someone’s got to. I’ll let you know what I find.
{Roxi goes over and grabs the still puffed-up Hammer and flies him towards the guild as that scene fades.}
{The new scene is at the Guild where Hammer sits in his cell, resistant to his abilities as Roxi stands on the other side of the bars.}
Hammer – I ain’t saying anything else without a lawyer. I know my rights.
Roxi – You have a lawyer?
Hammer – I might. You don’t know.
Roxi – So... that’s a no. Why don’t you just tell me what else you know. You’re not getting out of here without giving the information up. Like who hired you.
Hammer – The new man hired me.
Roxi – Really? We’re going to play the pronoun game?
Hammer – The same guy trying to take over.
Roxi – Take over from who?
Hammer – The little man.
Roxi – I'm going to slap you.
Hammer – You know, the little guy. Always running his mouth.
Roxi – Wait, you mean Louie?
Hammer – Yeah, him. He wants to stay in control. But the new guy moving in, he wants all the control.
Roxi – What does the new guy need with the precious metals then?
Hammer – What metal? The only job I did was the guns.
Roxi – Wait, so whole stole the metal?
Hammer – Beats me detective.
Roxi – How did you know the guns where even there?
Hammer – A little birdie told me.
Roxi – Very funny. I will come in and puff you up again.
Hammer – I got hired for a job. I didn’t ask for details.
Roxi – Just to steal the guns?
Hammer – No, to make sure you didn’t stop the new guy.
Roxi – Just for me? He shouldn’t have.
Hammer – So having me in this cell ain’t gonna do you no good. I did my job.
{Roxi stops and paces for a few seconds.}
Roxi – That does make sense, nobody would hire you to do anything you’re not capable of doing.
Hammer – Ha.
Roxi – Well then, I guess you’re no longer useful and he’s going to leave you here.
Hammer – Probably. But sooner or later you’ll have to release me.
Roxi – And I’ll be here to put you back in here again.
Hammer – Not until I fight your partner.
Roxi – Good luck with that. I wouldn’t hold my breath about being strong enough.
Hammer – I'll take her down, and then one day I’ll get you like I did before.
Roxi – That was a long time ago, and times have changed. Enjoy your stay.
{Roxi walks away from the cell, and out of the area before heading home as the scene fades again.}
{Now back at home, Roxi heads down to the basement to look up some information when Keira comes in, holding a piece of paper in her hand.}
Keira – He drew this today?
{Keira holds up a picture of a turkey traced using Nate’s hand like most children do.}
Roxi – Awww... nice. He’s a little artist now.
Keira – Has he said anything different to you about school?
Roxi – No. He likes it. He likes the teacher, and he likes the kids. They play well together. Why?
Keira – I was just wondering. What are you up to?
Roxi – There's been two warehouse shipments robbed. I’ve gathered some information on who was there and involved. Hammer says hello by the way.
Keira – Is he ready to fight yet?
Roxi – No, the second robbery was last night and Hammer was there just to make sure one of us, if not both of us, were distracted
Keira – Damn, if I’d of been there...
Roxi – Relax. You’ve got your own stuff to worry about.
Keira – Yeah, I guess.
Roxi – It wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle, I just need some more information.
Keira – I can help with that.
Roxi – No, I got this. With any luck, I’ll be able to get to the bottom of it soon. I just need to look up a few things.
Keira – Like what?
Roxi – The second theft does make some sense. Guns and ammo. The first one is weird. Precious metals.
Keira – Gold?
Roxi – Gold, silver, platinum.
Keira – Those are highly valuable. Maybe it’s to fund an army.
Roxi – That could be. I won’t know until I talk to Louie.
Keira – Ew. Him again?
Roxi – Hammer said he was behind the first theft. So he must have a reason to actually be stealing them. Outside of possibly selling them. Maybe it is to fund an army. I won’t know until he and I have a little chat.
Keira – I can go with you.
Roxi – It's fine. I can handle it. If I need help, you know I will tell you.
Keira – Alright.
{Roxi turns toward Keira and smiles.}
Roxi – I appreciate that you want to help. I really do. We’re a team, and I know you will always have my back. I know I can count on you and I’m proud of what you have become. Let me just do this, it shouldn’t be a problem. But if it is, I know you’ll be there.
Keira – You can count on it.
Roxi – Besides, somebody’s got to be here in case something is needed with Nate.
Keira – He'll be asleep.
Roxi – He should be, but you know how he is. Anyway, I keep your theory in mind for why it was stolen. But I’ll sweet talk Louie into giving me what I want.
Keira – I hate that you do that with him.
Roxi – It's what gets the job done. We go way back. I’m sure he’ll have no trouble seeing me.
Keira – Just be careful.
Roxi – I always am.
{Roxi looks into the first theft and has the information she needs. She stands up, cracks her knuckles, and her neck, before she blows a kiss to Keira, and teleports away. The scene fades as Keira sits down to also have the information Roxi has.}
{The new scene is the Lucky Ritz building. As it usually is, a bar dressed up like a cabaret with drinks and dancing girls. Roxi simply walks in, as the bouncer eyes her.}
Bouncer – Hey! No Supers are allowed in here!
Roxi – I think Louie will make an exception for me. Unless you think you can stop me.
{Roxi waits for the bouncer to make a move, but he waves Roxi off.}
Bouncer – Lousy supers. Think they run the town.
Roxi – I thought so.
{Roxi walks right in, eyes stare her down walking through in her costume, and the room falls silent. Roxi stops in the middle of the room and shakes her head.}
Roxi – I'm not here for any of you....yet.
{Roxi walks right past the stage and pushes the button for the service elevator. It opens, and Roxi pushes the button for the third floor. Once the door closes, some elevator music plays, and Roxi just waits as she rides up the elevator. Once the ding plays and the door opens, Louie is seated at his desk, cigar in hand and a scowl on his face as he sees Roxi.}
Louie – God damn it.
{Roxi walks out of the elevator as several of the guards aim their guns at her.}
Roxi – Hello to you too, boys. Louie, we need to have a little chat.
Louie – I ain’t got much to talk about since you continue to ruin my business. How am I supposed to make a living when I’m under constant harassment!
Roxi – Well, if you quit breaking the law, we don’t have to have these types of conversations. Now, I’m being civil. So unless you want all your boys here to have many painful injuries, I think you should tell them to stop pointing guns at me. Makes me a bit nervous and twitchy.
{Louie angrily scowls and then hand waves the guards to lower their weapons.}
Roxi – See? Was that so hard? I just wanna talk about these precious metals you stole, and why you stole them and where they are now so I can take them back.
Louie – I don’t have any idea what you’re talking about.
Roxi – Well that’s funny. Are you telling me that Hammer lied to me about you stealing them?
Louie – I don’t need to steal nothing, and there ain’t no gold or anything here.
Roxi – I know you wouldn’t keep them HERE. I’m not as dumb as you look. But I do need to know why you stole them.
Louie – I told you I didn’t steal nothin’! I don’t know what Hammer is talking about, and he led you on a wild goose chase is what he did.
Roxi – So, there is no gang war about to go down. There’s no new guy in town?
{Louie’s tone changes to one of annoyance and secrecy.}
Louie – That's my business. And if I need to handle it, I’ll handle it.
Roxi – Hammer says there’s a war coming and there was a shipment of guns taken, and he says the new guy hired him to help with it. So, either you stole the precious metals to use for something, or you’re already behind the 8-ball in the gang war. And I know you, Louie. You have people everywhere and I know I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know. You’re not that dumb.
Louie – What's it to you, anyway. If there is a Gang war, and that’s a big IF, it doesn’t involve you. Hell, it helps you out.
Roxi – It wouldn’t help me out with people getting caught in the crossfire because you scum are trying to kill one another. Because that’s what’s going to happen. So, don’t make this any more difficult than it has to be. The metals, where are they, and what do you need them for?
Louie – Unless you got a warrant, you ain’t searching nothing here. In fact, you’re trespassing.
Roxi – Do I look like a cop, Louie? Do you REALLY want to push me today?
Louie – I ain’t saying nothing. I’ve heard anyway that this new guy is looking for you. Maybe he stole the metal and Hammer told you it was me. You ever think of that? If there’s a war coming, I’m already ready. I’ve been here since before you ever stepped your cute little ass in my city. I have survived everything else, all these supers, people trying to kill me. I’m still here, and I’m not going anywhere. So, if you find this new guy, and you deal with him, it’s one less issue for you. But at the end of the day, I’ll still be here, and I’ll be ready.
Roxi – So if you didn’t take them...who did?
Louie – Don't know, don’t care. That’s how it is, Super. So, unless you have something else, you want to discuss, I suggest you leave before things get messy.
{Roxi looks around and sighs.}
Roxi – If you want to play it that way, we’ll play it that way.
{Using her speed to her advantage, Roxi is able to move quicker than the blink of an eye and not only disarms all of Louie’s guards, but destroys the guns, and knocks each man unconscious. In no time at all, she’s standing right in front of Louie’s desk, catching the cigar that falls out of his mouth.}
Roxi – Now, do you want give me the answers I want, or do you just want to be next?
Louie – Whoa, whoa, take it easy. I’ll give you what you want.
{Louie slowly starts opening his desk drawer, and Roxi eyes him suspiciously.}
Roxi – Don't do it, Louie.
{Louie holds up his hand as he produces a manilla folder, he places it on the desk.}
Roxi – What's this?
Louie – What you’re after.
{Roxi slowly takes the manilla folder, but as soon as she opens it, it’s revealed to be nothing but blank paper.}
Roxi – Really?
{Louie however has reached under his desk and looks to have some kind of gun, which is fires, and it emits a wave of air that disorients Roxi and causes her to stumble and become nauseous. She stumbles around as Louie runs and enters a special door in his office, which quickly closes. After a few seconds, Roxi is able to regain her equilibrium and shake out the cobwebs.}
Roxi – What the hell was that. Dammit, I’m 0 for 2... But... what if the new guy IS looking for me...
{Roxi pulls out her “hero phone” and dials.}
Roxi – Lt. Murphy... we need to talk.
Lt. Murphy – Yeah... we do.
{Roxi shakes it off and departs from the bar as the scene fades.}
{Roxi returns to the Police HQ, on the roof, as usual when she was meeting with Lt. Murphy. He waited as he always did, puffing on a cigarette for her to arrive, as she was still trying to shake off the effects of whatever weapon Louie had.}
Lt. Murphy – You alright?
Roxi – Fine, just healing kicking in, Have you had a chance to interview any of your men?
Lt. Murphy – Not all of them. Most of them swear up and down they had nothing to do with it.
Roxi – Then who else would know about it?
Lt. Murphy – That's what I’m trying to find out.
Roxi – I mean, I guess the city people know about it. The Dock workers. Security when the shipments come in?
Lt. Murphy – Like I said, I’m working on it. What did you find out?
Roxi – Louie wasn’t giving up if he stole the metals. He told me he didn’t. I don’t want to believe him, but...why would he steal them? Louie deals guns and drugs. He wouldn’t need gold for anything. This is just not adding up.
Lt. Murphy – Well... maybe this will help figure it out.
{From his jacket pocket, Murphy pulls out piece of paper.}
Lt. Murphy – It was sent to us, but it’s for you.
{Roxi takes the folded up paper and opens it to read.}
Lady Bedlam -
3rd street tower. Top floor. Come alone.
Roxi – Any idea where it came from?
Lt. Murphy – It was left attached to a rock left by the door. No one saw anything. Your guess is as good as mine.
Roxi – Well... I’ll look into it.
Lt. Murphy – That tower’s set for demolition in a couple of weeks.
Roxi – I'll keep it in mind. I’ll let you know what I find.
Lt. Murphy – Hopefully it’s something useful, right now we have way more questions than answers.
Roxi – Something tells me it’s just not going to be that simple. It never is this simple. Unless this is someone wanting to squeal.
Lt. Murphy – Could be, could be a trap.
Roxi – I guess I’ll find out.
Lt. Murphy – Good luck.
{Roxi nods as Murphy heads back through the door. Roxi turns and departs, headed for the 3rd street tower.}
{Arriving at the 3rd street tower, Roxi looks up at the massive tower, and decides to skip the elevator this time and not wander blindly into a trap if one was set. Instead, she simply flies up, and to the top floor, breaking through the glass. With no lights, she quickly shines a flashlight and there, all by itself on desk, is a laptop, sitting on top of a charger with several USB plugs plugged in, and a sticky note with “open me” written on it. Roxi cautiously approaches, not seeing another or nearly anything in the pitch black. She opens the laptop and a zoom meeting has already been going, the other participant simply has the default no photo on the screen.}
Voice – Hello Lady Bedlam.
{The voice is distorted, clearly some voice changing software being used.}
Voice – I suppose I should introduce myself. I am... well, I’m sure you’ve heard people call me, the New man. I think that’s a terrible name, I prefer what I truly am. The Hidden Hand.
Roxi – Can we get to the point?
Hidden Hand – Ah, yes, very well. You see, I admire superheroes like you. You and the Guild have served this city for many years. You do wonders for the city, for its people, and for me. You fight and save countless lives all the time. And while you have done an admirable job, you know you’re really only putting out fires. There’s not one, or a thousand of you that could actually do anything to really change how the city actually is. How the WORLD actually is. But when there is a problem, you spring into action. But really, it doesn’t get noticed unless you’re fighting Hammer, the Peak Twins, the freaks and the super villains of the world. And when you do that... that’s when I make the most ground.
Roxi – You sent Hammer as a distraction, I’m aware of that.
Hidden Hand – What you aren’t aware of, is that I can keep sending them your way. It’ll be endless. More so than any silly Hamilton creation, more so that any group or army. Because when you fight them, it helps me.
Roxi – You think I fight crime to help you?
Hidden Hand – No, but you do, once you’re fighting those cretins, the regular criminal is free to do what they please. Those men, my men.
Roxi – You're just going to keep sending them...
Hidden Hand – Precisely. But there is a way out of this never-ending cycle. And that’s the purpose of our meeting tonight. I can keep giving you the bad guys you want to fight, you thrash them and send them away. You can still LOOK like the hero, and... I’m even prepared to pay you handsomely for it. All you have to do, is look the other way when the time comes. You simply work for me, and everybody wins.
{Roxi takes only a split second to answer back.}
Roxi – That’s not something I do. No deal.
Hidden Hand – Very well. This could have been very easy, but in what is coming... you won’t be able to stop.
{With that, the meeting ends and the laptop powers down automatically, and as if on queue, fizzes and sparks, as if someone has remotely destroyed it. Roxi shakes her head, looking at out the window of the top floor, down on the mostly quiet city.}
Roxi – I will stop this war. I will find a way.
{Roxi leaves out the window she came in as the scene fades one last time.}
“I've done something far worse than kill you, Fisk. I've beaten you”
- Spider-Man (Amazing Spider-Man Vol 1 #542)
Hello, SCW.
I have been having this feeling lately. It’s not the anger that managed to manifest itself for a little bit last week. I know what that feeling is, and this? this isn’t that. It’s not anger or rage, or sorrow. It’s not fear or anything like that. It’s not even anxiety of having to dip my fists in glass in order to fight my opponent. But it’s a very familiar feeling.
Now normally I would be talking about how I feel good for successfully defending the Bombshell’s championship, but as good as I felt doing that, and the sense of pride that washed over me for doing that, there was still this other feeling. And it was there, in the back of my neck, the back of my mind, and it was just there.
The word for what I’m feeling is Déjà Vu.
This... this thing. This whole thing just feels... I don’t know, it feels like I’ve done this before. It feels like I’ve been sitting in this very spot, and the same people having said the same things and now it just... it just feels like everything is running together in one giant memory. I have an opponent that is playing mind games with me. They are trying to get under my skin to gain an advantage. Trying to figure me out and think of the correct time to strike. I’ve been in this spot a lot of times. Too many to recount, but the only thing that seems to be changing is the name of the person trying to do it.
This time, it happens to Masque De Lune. Yes, I am aware this is a rematch, but all of this just feels... the same. I don’t why, but it does.
Now, I am proud of my wife for trying to extract just a little bit of revenge on my behalf, but that was more for her. She’s the one that really felt the rage build up inside and well, I’m just sitting here, and while I was upset as well, I saw it for what it was. It was supposed to be triggering me for a reaction. Because again, I’ve played this game before. And to be honest, I expected a little more from Masque on this end, perhaps my expectations are just too high at this point. Maybe I’m thinking about this the wrong way because all it does is conjure up feelings of this having happened a bunch of times before.
But while I have this feeling, I understand what’s in front of me. The odds, as they usually are, are stacked against me. This is a Taipei death match. And well, I don’t have a mask covering my face. I don’t have a fake hand so I can ignore cuts and scrapes. I know full well that in this match, I’m going to probably bleed. I’ve bled before and I am not afraid to bleed again. It’s just the same feeling that I’ve already gone down this route before. It’s not anything new. But that’s what Masque is offering me right now.
I’m still waiting for the string of beautifully flowing words to describe my upcoming downfall. But I know last time I didn’t get it, because I forced Masque to stop doing that nonsense and get to the point. Fancy words don’t sway me. But that draws that all-too-familiar feelings of boredom from me, when it comes to Masque. I never thought that I would say that about the resident boogeywoman of Sin City Wrestling, but yet, here I am. I stand here today unafraid, but not because I’m trying to rely on bravado, but I’m actually disappointed.
I gave Masque all the credit in the world after our first battle. I walked away the winner, but I knew once that bell rang that it wasn’t over. It was a victory for that night, and I was delaying the full force of the Rapture. But then...something happened. I don’t know exactly what it was, but something happened and now, I stand here, not dreading having to go against this dominant force, but rather questioning what happened to make me feel this way. It’s a weird feeling.
Masque seems to have lost that edge. I tried to tell everyone that Masque is still as tough as they come, and it appears people took my words to heart. Perhaps they felt that when my hand was raised, that Masque was no longer the same person. The aura of invincibility is now gone. No more streak, no more championship, now, just a contender and a woman out to get everything back in order. And then... the struggle continued. Masque didn’t beat Mercedes Vargas. That was a double countout. And just last week, while Masque did beat Keira, it was more so because Keira got herself disqualified because well, I don’t think she really cared about winning that match. In fact, she said so herself. And as much as Masque tried to continue on like nothing happened, as much as she called attention to it, she still faltered.
Which, I know has put an even bigger target on my back. Much like Mercedes, Masque has the opportunity to right all these wrongs, and missteps. She can prove I’m a fluke and that was a lucky victory. And that Mercedes didn’t actually give her more than she thought, and that my wife was just some easy victory and didn’t beat her down last week. These as blemishes on her record. And to do that, she has to beat me.
She can claim all she wants this is for Amber Ryan, but it’s really not. Do you mean to tell me right now that Masque is just going to give the championship back to Amber and after all the mental and physical torture, it’s just going to be okay? That attack with the crowbar? Water under the bridge. No, this is about trying to do the job that Amber was never and is never going to finish. This is an act of clearly someone who is all over the place and has no real plan. A desperate woman. Wounded and scarred by the fact she thought she was going to get the job done and I would just go away after that.
But as it turns out, I’m a little harder to beat than a lot of other people. Crazy, I know.
Much like I said that I would. I beat Masque. I took away all the things from her, but that wasn't the important part of it. The most important part of the whole thing, was that I beat her. I stopped the monster. I showed everyone it could be done. I temporarily had slain the beast. That was most important. Nobody, nobody in this company, nobody in this game is unbeatable. And I know deep down Masque believe she would simply walk all over me. She can hide her face with the mask, but every time I look into those eyes, I see the true feelings of disappointment and anger.
And the things is... I told her this would happen.
People blame me for a lot of things around here, and in general, but I told Masque to her face, when she failed, she could blame me. Blame me, because I would be the cause of her failure. This time it would actually be warranted. And, I always like to keep my promises.
So now Masque has to resort to tactics that should quite frankly be beneath her. She has the size and the ability to beat almost anyone without giving it a second thought. But there has to be this careful planning and when things go sideways, it was always part of the plan anyway, because she’s going to make it fit into the perfect plan and I’m just over it, and really, Masque should really be embarrassed that this is what she’s doing right now.
Even when she says things like she has so much more to show me, I can’t help but feel let down. Like I want to give this the time and credit it deserves, but I’ve seen this before. I’ve heard this before. She’s going to show me pain, she’s going to make me hurt, and it’s all in the name of Amber Ryan because I beat Amber Ryan. Is that REALLY what this is about? Wasn’t the idea to beat up Amber anyway? Wasn’t she making a choice whether or not to have this happen? This is why I asked for Masque to cut the nonsense and get to the point, because all of this has just been silly.
And now it seems she has what she wanted and got Amber to surrender, whatever that means, and now we’re here. Despite getting what she always wanted, now I’m just here and now what? What if I had lost the title to Mercedes or Seleana? Would this still be some kind of issue between myself and Masque? Would this have any less high stakes? It’s still the championship, right? I really don’t think Amber needs anyone to fight her battles for her, so this whole pretense is just ridiculous.
But I know, I must be missing the point. I don’t see the forest for the trees and all that fun stuff, because of course I don’t. This is another fun little game that Masque has been playing with me, I don’t see the point to the plan, because the plan always changes and at this point, I’m kind of done with this.
I would just prefer it is Masque just said “I want to be the Bombshell’s champion.” We can go on and on about who and what this is for, but if this was just about the championship, or giving it to Amber, or any of that nonsense, she would not have mentioned my son’s name to try and get a rise out of me. We would not be playing these games like we are now. Masque would not need to stoop so low in order try and get in my head mentally. She would be just fighting for Amber. That should be enough motiviation, right?
I mean, that’s what it was last time right?
Last time it was the grand plan and then the grand plan failed. But of course, like a good villain, there’s always more than one plan, but the goal is the same. We’re building a better mousetrap as it were. Something that will put Masque over the hump. I mean, in the back of my mind, along with that feeling, is the feeling that this whole thing is a setup and that Amber is going to have something to do with this match. She has been incredibly quiet and that makes me suspicious. She wanted to apologize, and then nothing. Silence.
So, when I hear these things, and then nothing comes of them, it makes me suspicious that something is going to happen and that Amber is going to try something to try and “help” everyone for the damage caused by Masque. I feel it in the back of my head. I can see it all happening and it sounds like it could easily work. If that is the plan, then it makes all the more dangerous for me, adding an unknown element like Amber into the mix.
But hey, it’s not the deck isn’t already stacked against me, right?
Despite the fact that I am the champion, despite the fact that I beat Masque in the ring, despite that I’ve been champion for six months. I feel like at this match here, is where everyone is expecting me to finally be beaten, because Masque is inevitable. Again, I heard this all the first time, and then I won. Yes, I barely won, yes it could have easily gone the other way. I will fully acknowledge that. But the fact is, it went the way it did, and Masque is now another challenger. The luster seems to have worn off. She’s struggling and reducing herself to trying to use my family. Struggling to find anything that can give her the advantage.
So here we are, and the desperation has reached its peak. Masque herself has reached the crossroads and she must decide what to do. She either finally wins the championship and then just...gives it to Amber or whatever, or she loses, again, and she fades back and tries to come up with another better version of the mousetrap in order to try again.
Despite how it looks, I feel that I am in control of this situation. It’s not me trying to talk about Masque’s family or involve anyone else. It’s not me searching for a means to have an advantage, I already have it. Masque has to beat me. I already beat her. I’ve shown I can do it, and I will do it again. If I am to bleed for it, fine. If I am not able to walk away under my own power, so be it. But just like I told Amber all that time ago, so long as I can fight, I will fight. I do not back down, I do not give up the fight, even when the fight appears hopeless.
Because it’s not only what heroes do, it’s what I do.
At Violent Conduct, I’m going to beat Masque, again. There will be no accidental wins, no fluke pins or submissions. I’m going to beat Masque and then, she can find another way to give Amber her “heart” back. In fact, if Amber wants this back, I already told her to her face, that I will be waiting, I will ALWAYS be waiting to fight her. She can just as easily come back and try and get it, herself. But after this, once I beat Masque and send her to the back of the line, this nonsense needs to stop.
I took most of it all the first time.
The second time... I will take everything else.
But fear not, We’re just getting started.
{The scene opens where we left off as Roxi heads back to the police station. She had placed another call to Lt Murphy and she had to meet him again. Murphy was already on the roof, cigarette in his mouth as he puffed on it as she landed. He crushed out his cigarette and let out a billow of smoke.}
Lt. Murphy – Well, you’re alive.
Roxi – Yeah.
Lt. Murpy – What did you find out.
Roxi – The new guy calls himself “The Hidden Hand”
Lt. Murphy – Cute.
Roxi – It appears he’s trying to start the gang war in the hopes that Louie and the others take themselves out and he can move it. At least that’s my working theory. Hence the thefts. People are bulking up for the oncoming war.
Lt. Murphy – Dammit. That’s just what we need. Thugs running around the streets with firearms.
Roxi – I still am working on who stole the precious metals, but honestly my gut tells me that it wasn’t Louie, and that Hammer was feeding me a line. Perhaps it was to get me to deliver the message to Louie himself. Hidden Hand knew that if he told Hammer to tell me that it was Louie, that’s I’d go to Louie. So, perhaps I inadvertently played into their hands. Now Louie knows, and I’m sure he knew about it already, even if he didn’t do it.
Lt. Murphy – So you think someone else stole the metal?
Roxi – I do. Perhaps there’s a third, or even a fourth plater. Louie and the Hand are clearly in on this. But I don’t know if there’s another gang around that’s ready to pop up. The only other one I can think is... Hamilton?
Lt. Murphy – Heather Hamilton leads a cutting-edge technology company. I’m sure if they wanted to have metals like that, they’d just buy them.
Roxi – Maybe, and maybe not. I won’t know until I do some snooping at Hamilton.
Lt. Murphy – The place was condemed after that monster weapon thing broke out.
Roxi – Bio-Sin.
Lt. Murphy – You can call it whatever you want. But Hamilton was removed from the area, and they relocated.
Roxi – And you guys didn’t do an investigation into the new place?
Lt. Murphy – What exactly would we be looking for? You think I’m going to risk my men trying figure that out? They’ve been pretty low-key since they returned to the city. Nothing of note, we do have people keep tabs on them, but so far they’re coming up with new fabrics for office chairs, and something called the Jabber-Wockey Project.
Roxi – What is the Jabber-Wockey project?
Lt. Murphy – We don’t know. And from anyone we’ve spoken to about it, they don’t either.
Roxi – That sound like a Heather-led project.
Lt. Murphy – They have been making major strides to clean up after all that was discovered.
Roxi – And still, Heather didn’t go to jail. Or prison. Or have any consequences for her actions.
Lt. Murphy – And neither have you for the countless millions of dollars in property damage you’ve caused over the years.
Roxi – I did it saving this city from things you can’t fight.
Lt. Murphy – Tell that to the tax payers.
Roxi – There’s no income tax in Florida.
Lt. Murphy – That’s not the point. I still think you and your group are bad as any gang out there. You just put on costumes.
Roxi – And they don’t?
Lt. Murphy – Not like that.
Roxi – The point of all this is, that I think you should contact the Mayor, or even the Governor. You’re going to need some serious firepower to combat this if the weapons hit the streets.
Lt. Murphy – I don’t know if we’re going to get that right away.
Roxi – It’s why I’m saying it now. Look, I’m going to do all I can to stop this from becoming a bigger problem than it already is. But if things continue down this path, there’s going to be war in the streets.
Lt. Murphy – My guys will be out there. I suppose you have to make sure you’re guys are out there too.
Roxi – That’s another thing though. It seems that the hand is hiring the “super villains” to stop me. He said it himself.
Lt. Murphy – That was never an issue in the past.
Roxi – Yes, but they aren’t there to do anything but stop me from helping you.
Lt. Murphy – Sound like you need backup then.
Roxi – I’ll handle what I can. If there’s any sign of any of those guys, you have to alert me, but we now have the understanding that all they are there to do is cause a distraction from the real issue.
Lt. Murphy – This Hidden Hand guy sounds like a real piece of work.
Roxi – Yes, I’m going to have to consult with some other people, because whoever this guy is, clearly he’s been planning this for a while.
Lt. Murphy – And just in time for the elections.
Roxi – Yeah. No doubt the politicians may try and take advantage of this for PR purposes.
Lt. Murphy – Cleaning up the streets has worked for a lot of people.
Roxi – Yeah, I know. Look, I’ll be out there. I know you and I aren’t the best of friends, but we’ve got to work together on this. You guys are going to be outgunned very soon. The best we can do now, is maybe make sure they aren’t out-manned.
Lt. Murphy – You do your job, I’ll do mine.
Roxi – As we do. I’ll be in touch. Let me know if you have any issues.
Lt. Murphy – Yeah.
{Roxi nods and departs from the roof. She tries to ponder her next move as the scene fades.}
{The new scene is Roxi arriving at the home of her friend, Amy Jo Smyth. AJ is already outside, in her back yard which just basically woods. She is still as sharp as ever shooting her pistols and shotguns at makeshift targets when Roxi arrives. AJ sees her, nods and puts her pistol down.}
Amy Jo Smyth – Let me guess, you need something?
Roxi – There’s a gang war brewing.
Amy Jo Smyth – What makes you say that?
Roxi – Guns have been stolen. Precious Metals have been stolen. There’s a new player in town trying to get it all set up for blood in the streets.
Amy Jo Smyth – And... how do I fit into this?
Roxi – I mean, you don’t fit in it, AJ. I would very much rather have you not involved, but I’m trying to figure out the best way to approach this.
Amy Jo Smyth – What do you mean? You have super powers and shit. You can end all this before it starts.
Roxi – As much as I want to believe that’s true, even super powers have limits. I can’t be everywhere.
Amy Jo Smyth – Keira has powers too. You have like a whole team.
Roxi – Guild.
Amy Jo Smyth – Whatever.
Roxi – I just... I don’t want bloodshed in the streets. I mean, how would the cops handle this.
Amy Jo Smyth – Like they have before, I suppose. If you have a gang war coming, it’s best to prepare.
Roxi – But that could cause a panic.
Amy Jo Smyth – It’s either they complain now, or they panic later. And panic later leads to more death.
Roxi – Could I ask you to pull some strings with the CIA?
Amy Jo Smyth – You could, and I’m assuming you are right now, but I think I’ve called in about as many favors as I can. They aren’t going to listen to me and try and stop a gang war in a city without some kind of... you know major reason. Wait... are there drugs involved?
Roxi – I don’t know. I don’t think so. Weapons though.
Amy Jo Smyth – No, that’s ATF. And after the stuff they kind of went through in the ‘90’s. I don’t know if they’re going to the favorite around there.
Roxi – But wouldn’t drugs be the DEA?
Amy Jo Smyth – HA. They wish. The CIA and FBI jump ALL over that shit. I mean, they might be into too...But you didn’t hear that from me. I can neither confirm or deny anything.
Roxi – AJ, that’s not helping.
Amy Jo Smyth – I don’t think I can be of much help to you otherwise Roxi. If you got a gang war, there’s gonna be gangs, and shooting. I’m not a cop anymore, and I don’t have the connections to pull CIA off of what they are doing to help.
Roxi – I see.
Amy Jo Smyth – I really wish you’d find better reasons to visit me.
Roxi – Well, I don’t know if telling you I cried like a baby when Nate started school a couple of weeks ago is the most productive. I don’t want to throw ALL my problems onto you.
Amy Jo Smyth – HA. Never stopped you before.
Roxi – That’s a bit unfair.
Amy Jo Smyth – Unfair?
Roxi – Look, you’re... part of the team, and invaluable part of the team. And I owe you so much for everything you’ve done. You saved my life a bunch of times.
Amy Jo Smyth – And you’ve saved mine, but every time you visit you always need something. I would very much like that jacket you owe me.
Roxi – Alright, alright, I promise, next time, I will bring you a jacket.
Amy Jo Smyth – Cool. But uh... about Nate.
Roxi – Yeah?
Amy Jo Smyth – Was it rough for him too?
Roxi – I don’t think so. Trust me, Keira and I were sobbing messes and he just... he took it in stride. He was ready.
Amy Jo Smyth – I knew he would be. Now, be sure to bring him over for science lessons.
Roxi – He’s not going to blow up part of the school because aunt AJ decided to show him how to make explosives.
Amy Jo Smyth – Not with that attitude.
Roxi – It’s not going to happen. I’m trying to prevent a gang war, and I really don’t need my son blowing things up.
Amy Jo Smyth – Life is better with explosions. You know that.
{Roxi sighs.}
Roxi – Yes, well... thanks anyway AJ. Just... if things get crazy, just be safe. I’m going to do what I can to stop this.
Amy Jo Smyth – If any of these mother fuckers come to my door, I will blow them all to hell. These bitches better not try me.
Roxi – Just... be safe, okay?
Amy Jo Smyth – You got it.
{Roxi shakes her head and departs as AJ goes back to shooting, the scene fading.}
{The days pass and Roxi does her nightly patrols each night, but there is no activity to speak of. Each day and night, she simply waits for something to happen, but it never does. No robberies, no shootouts, really...no gang war at all. She sits at her laptop the only light source in the room that glow from it. Keira eventually comes in, placing a hand on Roxi’s shoulder as she looks concerned.}
Keira – What are you doing?
Roxi – I... I don’t know honestly. I keep waiting for something to happen, but nothing is happening. I feel like I’m missing something and I don’t know what it is.
Keira – You'll drive yourself crazy staying up til all hours trying to catch something.
Roxi – I don’t want bloodshed on the streets.
Keira – There's no way you can always prevent that. You can’t, I can’t. Nobody can.
Roxi – I'm just trying to prevent this from happening. There’s a way to do this. I’m just missing something.
Keira – No, if anything, whatever is behind this is making you paranoid. You need to rest. You’re just chomping at the bit here.
{Roxi sighs.}
Roxi – Maybe I am. I don’t know. I feel like there’s a lot more here and I don’t have everything I need.
Keira – We’ll figure this out. But you spending every waking moment trying to stop this isn’t healthy. You’re going to make it worse if you go out there and you’re not mentally focused.
Roxi – I just need one thing, just one.
Keira – No, you need to rest. If something happens, we’ll deal with it, but waiting for something to happen isn’t going to help. There’s no use in doing that.
{Roxi turns and kisses Keira’s hand on her shoulder.}
Roxi – That's it.
Keira – What's it?
Roxi – I'm being reactive, and not proactive. There’s got to be at least three parties involved. I’ve got to find another lead. I can’t wait for one.
{Roxi stands up as Keira sighs herself.}
Keira – Just be careful, and call me if anything happens. And if nothing comes up tonight, promise me you’ll come back and rest.
{Roxi smiles.}
Roxi – I promise. I will be back as soon as I can.
{Roxi kisses Keira and then goes right back to putting on her costume and heading out on another patrol. She travels around, heading to the more unsafe areas of the city trying to find a lead on anything that could be happening. At first, her pursuit appears fruitless as again, nothing seems to be happening. This would be where Roxi would lean on a snitch for her, but he was killed by Ameila a while back, and Roxi hadn’t found someone else to give her information. Roxi eavesdrops on whatever she can, but none of the information pertains to anything important. People looking for spots to score drugs. People looks for sex. Not that these were great things to have to overhear, but Roxi was more concerned with other things. Roxi rested on a rooftop and shook her head.}
Roxi – I don’t understand. There’s got to be something.
{Roxi continues to look, but it looks like the search in in vain. She looks to be calling it a night, when she hears an argument ensuing. She moves over to see what’s going on. Three men are surrounding another.}
Man #1 – This is our territory punk! I don’t care who you think runs this town, this is Louie’s territory.
Man #2 – You think maybe we should teach this guy a lesson?
Man #3 – How about we break his ribs? Send a little message that way.
{The man in the middle however, does not appear to be too intimidated by anything.}
Man #4 – I only come with the message to be delivered. I hope you are prepared for war.
Man #1 – You hear this guy? What a waste!
Man #4 – I wouldn’t do that if I were you.
{The man in the middle opens up his jacket and reveals something, that makes the other 3 men back away.}
Man #2 – You're crazy man!
{The three men who were accosting the man in the middle step away and give the man some distance. He walks into the building past the men and he’s in and out in a matter of seconds. The other men watch him walk away, mumbling to themselves. Roxi, having seen this, follows the man walking away, who seemingly breathes a sigh of relief. Once he is out sight of the men, he turns into a full-on sprint to create even more distance and dips on and out of alley’s before stopping to catch his breath and laugh to himself. Roxi decides this is as good as time as any, and simply grabs the man who stretches his arms, only to have them both gripped and he is lifted high into the air, face to face with Roxi.}
Roxi – Impressive show back there. Would you be a dear and tell me what’s going on?
Man #4 – I don’t know anything, I’m just a messenger!
Roxi – And a scared one at that. Now it’s a long way down, and I’ve had a long day and night, so I’m a little tired. You never know when I might lose my grip. So, what were you doing?
Man #4 – I... I was... delivering a message. I got paid to do that.
Roxi – About a gang war... I’m gonna need a little more.
{Roxi dips the man, causing him to yelp.}
Roxi – Oops.
Man #4 – I don’t know! Something about a war... I was paid in a manilla package, I never saw anybody high up! I got contacted to do this job, just walk in, and drop off a package. That’s it!
Roxi – What was in the package?
Man #4 – I didn’t look... it smelled horrible though. Like rotten garbage.
Roxi – And who hired you?
Man #4 – I never knew his name. Or her name. Nobody told me anything. Just pick up this package at this address and deliver it to this address.
Roxi – And what is in your pocket.
Man #4 – They strapped it to me. Said that if I had trouble to show it.
{The man opens up his jacket and reveals a live grenade. Roxi quickly snatches it with one hand and launches it high into the air, where it explodes harmlessly.}
Roxi – They made you a suicide runner?
Man #4 – I swear! I didn’t know it was going to be like that!
Roxi – Give me the address of where you picked that up from. NOW.
Man #4 – Okay! Okay, it was... 698 Candlewood! I picked it up there.
Roxi – Good boy.
{Roxi gently lands the man on the roof.}
Roxi – What's your name?
Man #4 – O... Owen... It’s Owen, why?
Roxi – Because now, Owen, you’re going to work for me. When I need something, you’re going to tell me the information. Because I'm going to stop this gang war before it starts.
Owen – But I.... but I..
Roxi – You were obviously useless to whomever hired you. They expected you to not only encounter resistance, but wither kill yourself, or they accidently set this thing off and killed anyone you encountered. They were banking on it. So, I’d say your allegiances leave something to be desired. Plus, I’m not going to kill you. I might just drop you out of a two-story window. Nothing that you won’t survive, but I can put you in the hospital for a long, long time.
Owen – You... drive a hard bargain.
Roxi – It's either that, or you die in the streets with this thing kicks off. Because either you were going to die tonight, or they will remember you’re the person that delivered the package and use that to kill you.
Owen – Dammit.
Roxi – Yeah, I’m glad you see it my way. You keep yourself out of trouble, and at the end of all this, I will make sure you don’t end in jail because of your value as an informant. It’s win-win.
Owen – … Fine.
Roxi – Good. Be seeing you Owen. Oh, and … if this address turns out to be fake, or a trap, I’ll be coming back here, and I will give you to those guys you pissed off. Just an FYI.
{Roxi leaves Owen on the roof, and flies off, headed for the address as the scene fades.}
{Roxi arrives at the address, a small building that seems to serve as a mechanics garage. Roxi thinks about simply busting the door down, but hears voices from the other side, and so, she gets on the roof, and peers through the skylight, as Louie is flanked by a couple of body guards, and a man Roxi has never seen before in a sharp suit.}
Louie – Mr. Hamilton. I haven’t had to say that in a long time, I’m hoping we can still do business.
Mr. Hamilton – Of course, our families have worked together for a long time. It’ll be just like old times. You tell me what you need.
Louie – Well, I did hear that some metal went missing, and that some guns got stolen. I think there’s something brewing here and I need to be ahead of the game. And the Super is snooping around too.
Mr. Hamilton – So long as our name isn’t involved, we can surely help each other.
{Suddenly one of Louie’s other henchmen comes running in. }
Henchman – Boss! It’s Johnny!
Louie – What about him?
Henchmen – They whacked him, Boss!
{Louie looks angry at this revelation.}
Louie – Damn this fucking new guy. Who the fuck is he? He’s already starting shit he can’t come back from!
Mr. Hamilton – As I said, I can be of assistance.
Louie – You need to get me weapons and people and anything we can use to do damage. Because...
{All of a sudden there’s several pounds at the door, and soon enough it’s blown off, and multiple people charge through the door, but all of them are exactly the same person.}
Roxi – Crazy Wolf...
Crazy Wolf – Good evening, gentlemen.
Louie – What the hell are you doing here Wolf?
{Under Wolf’s arm is a laptop that he sets up, and the same live zoom call with the default avatar with the initials “HH” is shown.}
Hidden Hand – Thank you Wolf. Gentlemen, I trust you know my new associate, and I trust, Mr. Pinciotti that you got my message?
Louie – I don’t know who you are, but you’re fucking with the wrong people.
Hidden Hand – You old types always take things so personally. I would like this city to operate at the next level. Which means no more old school La Castra Nosa nonsense, and no more... Evil corporation either, Mr. Hamilton.
Mr. Hamilton – I assure you that we are not in that line of work.
Hidden Hand – Yes. Well... I am just here to let all you both know, and anyone else who may be thinking about entering this game, that it’s MINE. And -
{Roxi finally crashes through the skylight and into the garage.}
Hidden Hand – Oh, that must mean Lady Bedlam is here. Your presence here is...certainly a surprise.
Roxi – I don’t know, nor do I care what’s going on here, but this is going to stop.
Hidden Hand – On the contrary My dear, it’s just getting started. Wolf, eliminate them all.
{Wolf splits into multiples of himself, creating an even 20. Roxi is forced to engage them all, as Hamilton and Louie escape in the confusion. Roxi tangles with Wolf, and she can’t help but think that this wasn’t a distraction, but that Wolf was actually here to do that job. Roxi is able to quickly take out multiple Wolf copies, searching for the real one in all the confusion as well.}
Crazy Wolf – Now we can get a bonus.
Roxi – There’s only one, Wolf.
{Roxi sees all the Wolf multiples are starting to recover, and so she leans back.}
Roxi – Eney... Meeny... Miny...
{Roxi closes her eyes, and punches one of the Wolf clones in the face, and the rest fall back over onto the ground and then absorb back into Wolf.}
Roxi – Mo.
{Roxi turns back to the laptop.}
Hidden Hand – Well done. I guess that means you won’t reconsider my offer?
Roxi – No, I’m not looking the other way, and there’s not enough money in the world to make me. I will stop this before it starts.
Hidden Hand – Oh, I believe you will try. But you can’t stop what’s been put in motion. Not at all.
Roxi – This was just the first step. I’m on to you now.
Hidden Hand – You have...inconvenienced me tonight. But you are no closer to anything I have planned.
Roxi – Was that... doubt I heard in your voice. Yeah, even though you’re using a voice program, I can still hear it in your voice. I will not stop until I find you, and then I put an end to your little plan. Keep the light on...
{Roxi turns to leave, gathering up Wolf and slapping some zip cuffs on him.}
Roxi – Because I'm coming for you.
Hidden Hand – Good luck...
{Roxi takes Wolf out and takes him over the Hillsborough River, and dunks him into the water to revive him. He splashes around wildly, until Roxi takes him up and further out before straight up dropping him into the water. Still zip-tied, Wolf struggles to stay afloat.}
Crazy Wolf – What are you doing?! I can’t swim!
Roxi – I know. We’re going to have a chat about the Hidden Hand. Either that, or you drown.
Crazy Wolf – You're the crazy one!
Roxi – Yeah. I know. Now, any information, or you are you enjoying testing your buoyancy?
Crazy Wolf – Get me out of this! Come on! It’s not funny!
Roxi – Information.
{Roxi comes down and attached a secure line to the zip cuffs and then around the wrists of Wolf, lifting him up, above the water, but dunking him back down.}
Roxi – I'm growing tired of this already.
Crazy Wolf – I don’t know, he hired me for a job. I never met the guy. Said he wanted me to deliver a message and then take out whoever I came across.
Roxi – That's not very helpful.
Crazy Wolf – I swear that’s all I know. Wait... wait... whoever this guy is, he has ties to Hamilton. I overheard him talking about it. Maybe a deal gone bad or something. Maybe that’s why he wanted Hamilton there.
Roxi – See... now that was more helpful. You’re lucky I’m in a good mood Wolf. Now I have something to go on.
{Roxi takes Wolf away, back to the Guild base for his temporary imprisonment as the scene fades.}
I know Hamilton is a player now. If that man was A Hamilton and not just sharing the last name, that means Heather knows about this as well. The Hidden Hand... The HH initials? Surely Heather’s not that blatant about it? But if Hidden Hand wants to take out Hamilton, why would they work with them? And being so brazen as to kill one of Louie’s top guys? Hmm... The rabbit hole just keeps getting deeper.
But I will get to the bottom of it.
And I will stop this war.
“When you put on the suit, you become larger than life. You become a symbol. And then you don't have a choice. You have to live up to what you've made yourself into. The mask hides your fear. No one knows what you're thinking. And it's double edged. It frightens your enemies and feeds your strength. But no suit-- no mask-- can ever hide you from yourself!”
- Batman (Batman Vol 1 #455)
I continue to struggle with this feeling as this match draws closer and closer. The feeling of having been here before. The feeling of déjà vu. I’ve just been mentally preparing for the barbaric nature of this match and just how much blood I might have to lose to win. Wondering just what Masque will try and pull in order to win. Wondering how low she will stoop, and just how much I’m going to have to deal with in addition to how good she is.
Make no mistake about it, Masque is damn good. I’ve said as much from day one. The feeling I get is that I have already done this, and now I just have to do it again, and I feel pretty good about the whole thing. I know from having been victorious that I can do it again, and let’s face it, I have to. I have to do it again in order to finally put this to rest, at least for the time being. I don’t want to continually put up with Masque’s nonsense over and over and over. It’s growing very tiresome at this point.
At the very least, I finally got what I wanted from Masque this last time out. The long-winded completely ridiculous interview that graced your screens is exactly what I expected. Did you hear those beautiful words? Did you hear the malice behind them? The harmful intentions. The cold matter-of-fact-ness that came from beneath that formless, shapeless mask? It sounded so wonderful. It made for perfect background noise while I was sewing.
But while the vast majority of it was babble, the ramblings of a woman on the edge, the main point of that whole thing was that Masque exists because I exist. Good and evil. The yin and yang thing. Two sides of the same coin. This is what I am expected buy when it comes to this. It was and I’m sure the next one also will be more rambling nonsense that sounds really good until you actually examine it.
Let’s just be real here: I have been here for close to a decade. I have become a pillar of this company, and I have seen people come and go, I helped bring people here, because it was either where I was, or I thought they could help SCW. I have been doing my thing all this time. I have played the hero because it’s more to me than just something fun to call myself. I have been put in the toughest situations and persevered. I have tried my best to set a good example for how to not only be wrestler, but to be a professional. And the reason I have been able to do that, is because I’ve tried my best never to waver on my principles. I have given my heart and soul to be here and to lead by example. And when you do that, people will come and try and take you down. It’s as simple as that.
I’ve been blamed, judged, ridiculed questioned and accused. I am the scapegoat for many people’s issues. When something goes wrong, it’s my fault. I wasn’t there, I didn’t help enough. I didn’t do what I was supposed to do, because I’m the “Hero” and I’m supposed to do everything for everyone, and when I don’t, I’m the bad guy. I’ve been through this for the past 10 years of my life. So, it is all very familiar to me. The only thing that has changed is the name and face of the person doing it. Now, it happens to be Masque. The appearance is the only thing different.
I didn’t put Masque in the category of evil, she did. I didn’t start this fight, she did. And now, not only is it because I have the championship, but now we’ve added that I created Masque, and I caused all this, because of course I did. If we’re just going to keep moving the goalposts, this is never going to end. I wrestled here, before Masque got here. There was no fight, no war between her and I before this year. Masque I’m assuming wrestled elsewhere before she came here. So no, there was no Roxi did something and now we have Masque. Been blamed for similar, but this one pretty much takes the cake in terms of silliness.
I am not responsible for Masque. I don’t need the evil to make myself feel good. I don’t need a beast to slay. I don’t need an evil to combat. All I need is a ring, and an opponent. And then, my mission just resumes. Good, bad, or in between. I wrestle and I face my opponents. It has never mattered what side they were on, once the bell rung, that’s it, we do what we can, and in the end, I either win, or I lose. If you showed up to fight me, I’ll fight you.
If I remember correctly, Masque came here, to finish her thing with Amber, and now all of a sudden, I am the creator of this great evil. I am the cause of her pain and suffering. If she didn’t care about the Bombshell’s Internet title, why is the Bombshell’s championship itself so important? Given what I heard, again, it’s just because Amber had it. But also, because I am good and I need the bad and Masque is doing the bad role. But the truth is, and will always be, Masque would be doing the same thing she’s doing now, with, or without me in the picture. It had nothing to do with me for all this time. But just now, it seems to be all about me. I did not summon Masque as the next great evil I have to face. It was her, who came to me, looking to fight a “hero.”
She wished for me to play that role the first time, and she ended up on the losing end. Now, she has embraced the bad side of things to try and make this some moral issue. It is not a moral issue. It’s a woman throwing anything and everything she can against the wall to try and make it stick. Nothing more is going on here. She can as long winded as she really wants to, but at the end of the day, I did not create Masque De Lune. Masque came looking for me. And as I’ve always said, I’m not hard to find. And now she’s using this nonsense to try and appeal to all of you that I am the bad guy. I created her, and I set her on this path of evil. But the truth is, she did these things, to draw me out. She came and knocked on my door. She touched my title. She had an issue with me. She was fighting for Amber. She was using my son’s name in order to get a rise out of me. I was just here, doing what I always do.
I will be the first to admit that I should do more, and it pains me when I can’t help someone. I can’t be everywhere, and I can’t help everybody and I don’t like to admit that. I take on way too much on my own shoulders, because I firmly believe that I can handle anything. I do it to a fault. And I firmly believe that is what Masque is trying to exploit. As it is, sometimes, I cannot make a move. Sometimes, I cannot be there even when I want to be. I have to exercise restraint and not try and take on every battle for everyone else. Sometimes, my hands are tied in a way that I cannot always be a part of everything. I have learned that I’m damned if I do, and damned if I don’t.
I give people space, and that works against me, and at the same time, I don’t want to smother anybody by trying to do too much. It is a constant struggle for me. But I will never believe that this makes me a bad person or bad friend. I try. Goodness knows I try. And sometimes, that’s too much, and sometimes it’s not enough. And for those I have let down, I apologize and I’ve tried all the time to make it up to you. But I just ask for one favor:
Don’t ever believe that I didn’t try or that I purposely left you.
As much as people like Masque want to throw this on the table like it’s suddenly a good poker hand, I would like to believe that everyone knows that I try to be there for everybody, but sometimes, I physically can’t. And a lot of the time, I don’t want to interfere and tell anybody how they should do things. If you make a choice, I can give my opinion, but I won’t stop anyone from making the choice that they make. All I can do, is be who I am.
And yes, I understand I’m saying all this as I’m about to walk into a match where I’m going to get punched by hands dipped in broken glass. I understand that I’m going to have to bleed, sweat, and pay the price. I understand that I will not walk out of this title defense the same that I come into it. But neither is Masque.
Because it boils down to this, either Masque takes the title, or she loses again and she goes to the back of the line, and someone else comes right in to take her place. I realize that I took quite a bit from Masque, and now, she has almost nothing to lose. That’s why we’re stooping as low as we are now. That’s why we’re having these types of discussions. I made Masque more dangerous by removing anything of value from her, and now, it’s all on me. I’m the one with a championship. I’m the one with an undefeated streak. I’m the one who has to overcome the physical disadvantages of this type of match. The deck is stacked against me.
I suppose, as it is for every Hero.
So, I will assume that role, but I think I finally figured out why, I am feeling this sense of déjà vu. Yes, I have given it a lot of thought, and I am now fully understanding it. Masque wants the Hero. She wants to invoke my family’s names. She want to try and manipulate me and my friends for her advantage. She wants to play these mind games with me, and throw me off my game. And the reason I’ve felt the déjà vu is because I have been here before.
And I have to say... Amber Ryan did it better.
Amber Ryan did the exact same thing to me when she first showed up here. The pattern is undeniable. This is exactly how it all went. Amber came in here, and played these minds games, pissed off my wife, played with my emotions. And now, here we are again, with Masque simply trying to replace Amber Ryan.
Yes, I’m seeing it now that Masque did all this, and that is some sort of weird homage of Amber. All this talk about breaking Amber, getting her to surrender, destroying Amber and then rebuilding her. It all makes sense now. This is all simply to take Amber’s place, like some kind of replicant. This is why Amber was taken out, she has simply assumed Amber’s place and tried to make it seem like there nothing had changed. I see all this now, this isn’t about me, it’s about Amber.
But I hate to break it to Masque in this way, but...
Masque De Lune is NO Amber Ryan.
All the time to play with some many different personalities and emotions and still, none of her own. I almost pity Masque at this point. But there. Its been said, and now, I don’t need to talk about this anymore. I’m going to beat Masque De Lune and retain this championship, not for anyone else, but me. As I said, I will assume the role Masque wants me to play. I will be the Hero. I will the Hero I need to be.
Because while I am just one, I am every hero. I am all of them. A part of all of them resides inside of me, much like everyone who takes up the fight and faces down the challenge in front of them. We are all one in the same. Variants. The names, the faces, the genders, everything and anything can be different, but we are all the same. We will stand, we will fight, and we will win.
I am coming to Violent Conduct, ready to bleed. I am unafraid of bleeding. I am unafraid of the pain. That comes with the territory. I will lose blood, in order to win the match. It’s that simple. I know where my convictions lie, I know where I stand, and I know how to be the Hero. I know I will win, and I will still be the Bombshell’s champion.
I didn’t create Masque De Lune.
Masque De Lune created this.
And at the end of Violent Conduct, she will only have one person to blame when I beat her again, retain this championship and she walks away with nothing...
Herself.
See you all Sunday.