Before time claimed it in silence and decay the old Lilyons family greenhouse had been a living dream. Sunlight filtering through the arch glass ceiling casting golden ribbons across the vibrant rows of plants and flowers. The air had an earthy scent of soil and the sweet perfume of roses. A small koi pond shimmering in the center reflecting the two young faces peeking over its edge.

Vincent and Victoria were only 8 years old, leaning side by side on the stone edge of the pond laughing at the fat fish swimming beneath the surface.[/i]

“Okay but if the koi could talk which you think would have the coolest voice?” Vincent Jr asked.

“That one.” said Victoria pointing to a big white one with an orange spot on its head “He'd sound like a wizard.”

“No way.” said Vincent “That one's totally the heel! Look at his eyes!”

“You're just mad I picked the cool one first.” she said elbowing him playfully.

“Am not.” he replied.

“Are too.” she said sticking her tongue out at him.

This was their favorite place, a secret kingdom tucked behind the estate where they came to escape lessons, pressure, and the weight of their family name. Here they could just be kids.

“You think we'll live here forever Vin?” said Victoria.

“Not if I win fifty championships and buy a mansion on the beach.” Vincent replied.

“You'd hate the beach," she said “All the sand in your socks and the salt water in your eyes.”

“Yeah you're right.” he groaned “Forget the mansion.”

The kids watched the koi swim around for a while sharing a bond only twins could share, not needing to fill every silence, their bond deeper than that.

“I want to be a champion too.” said Victoria “Not just because of father, I want people to know me. To know the name Victoria Cadney Lyons."

“Yeah.” Vincent agreed.

“But we're going to do this together right?” said Victoria “Rise through the ranks, win championships, make our names mean something?”

Vincent reached out and wrapped his pinky around hers.

“Promise.” he said.

The sound of the greenhouse store creaking open interrupted their moment has strong measured footsteps echoed across the tile and their father Vincent Lyons senior stepped into view his face softening has he noticed the twins.

“I thought you two might be hiding in here." he smiled.

“We weren't hiding dad.” said Vincent Jr, straightening his posture.

“Yeah” Victoria added “We were thinking.”

“Oh?” Vincent Sr said raising an eyebrow “And what were you thinking about.?”

“Wrestling” they both said in unison.

“Wrestling.” their father nodded “Of course.”

“We want to be champions someday.” like you and Mom.” said Victoria.

“The best.” said Vincent Jr, flexing his arms and puffing out his chest.

Vincent Sr pulled both his children into a side hug.

“Well it's not an easy road.” he told them “You'll fall, you'll bleed, you’ll lose friends, you won't even trust yourself sometimes.  But if you hold on to your heart, and you hold on to each other you'll be just fine.”

“We're going to train real hard.” said Vincent Jr

“I know you will.” said Vincent Sr “But you won't train just your body. It'll also be your mind and your loyalty. Everything in this place grows because it's nurtured and the same goes for your bond, don't let anything or anyone ever poison the bond between the two of you.”

The twins looks at each other with a nod.

-They wouldn't.-

“Come on you two." said Vincent Sr “Let's go back to the house. Someone's here to visit you. Any guesses who it might be?"

The twins looked each other with a smile and again spoke in unison.

“EDDIE!!”

The excitement sent them scrambling toward the door, Vincent's shoelace coming undone halfway as he tripped and then laughed  as Victoria grabbed him and pulled him forward.

“Careful don't knock him over.” their father said “He just got here.”

But they were already gone scampering down the path to find their cousin, their best friend.

The three were inseparable back then with no championships, no grudges, no family fractures, just dreams of the future waiting to be shaped.

_________

The twins were unsure of what kept bringing them back to the old greenhouse. Something about it just felt welcoming to them. Though what once bloomed was now brittle,  and the koi pond in the center was empty with the cracked stone basin filled with blown leaves and childhood memories.

Victoria stood near the old pond with her arms crossed.

“I had Frankie.” she said sharply “I had her.”

Vincent stood nearby leaning back on an old trellis but letting her speak, she understood his silence meant he was listening.

“And then Harper Mason sticks her dumb little nose in my business and costs me everything." she continued "And for what? A Moment on somebody else's highlight reel?”

Victoria scoffed.

“I just wanted to help her.” said Victoria “And now she wants to make a name off mine? Then I have Kate still taking shots at me on X? Like they take my crown and I lose  couple matches and suddenly they think I've fallen off. They think I'm weak or that I'm finished.”

“You don't sound finished to me.” Vincent finally spoke.

“I'm not.” said Victoria “I was the queen. That wasn't a gimmick, it was a fact. Alexandra only gave the crown back because she couldn't handle the pressure of being a true queen like I was. They could have taken the crown for me at any time, but they didn't. Because they knew the truth, that I deserved to keep it.”

Victoria exhaled heavily.

“Frankie beat me.” Victoria said “It wasn't clean though, Harper stuck her hand into the mix. It's like they forget who the hell I am. They forget that I'm still one of the most dominant Bombshells in this division and these little girls keep taking their shots at me.”

“They never learn.” said Vincent “Jayden Harris is still out there running his mouth and now he's dragging his sister into the mix, crying to Mikhalia like she's going to solve his problems.”

“Pathetic. “ said Victoria with a smirk that mirrored Vincent's. “You and  need to beg for backup because our bond is bigger than that.”

“Exactly” said Vincent with a low voice “We don't have to ask  and we don't have to check in because no matter what match, what feud, or what war we show up for each other.”

“Twins just have a stronger bond.” Victoria said.

“Exactly.” Vincent nodded.

“Let them think Harper's the future." Victoria said. “Let them think that Kate Steele is relevant, or that Mikhalia is going to save Jayden from the beating that he's been owed for years. Everyone is going to learn that just because I lost the crown doesn't mean I forgot how to rule.”

“And Jayden's going to learn that crying to your little sister doesn't save you from an execution.” said Vincent.

Everything around the greenhouse may have been forgotten,  but the energy growing between the twins was very much alive.

“They can talk all they want.” Victoria said “They can tweet and they can run their mouths, they'll all get their turn in the ring Harper, Kate, Frankie, Mikhalia.”

“Jayden.” said Vincent.

They both nodded to each other with laughter.

The air remain quiet for a moment and then the sound of footsteps approaching entered their ears.

“This is the old Greenhouse..” the voice of Eddie Lyons came through. “It used to be our favorite spot as kids. We spent hours in here, lots of stories in this place.”

The twins gave a collective sigh and rolled their eyes as Eddie with Sabrina around his arm appeared into view.

“..Oh..” said Eddie finally noticing them “Didn't know you two would be here.”

“Well we are” said Victoria.

“I'm just showing Sabrina around..” said Eddie “She wanted to see some more of the place.”

“We were kind of doing something out here..” said Vincent.

“Right.” Eddie said, "Well, don't let us bother you.”

“We won't.” Victoria muttered with much snark.

“Come on Sabrina.  let's get out of here there's a lot nicer places we can check out anyway.” said Eddie. “I'll show you the old oak tree. You'll like it.”

And then Eddie was gone almost as soon as he had arrived.

“We used to be excited to see him you know” said Victoria.

“We used to be excited for a lot of things.” Vincent replied “But things break.”

“Not everything.” Victoria said.

Vincent nodded back at her

“Not everything.” he said in agreement.

Much like the warmth of the greenhouse, the bond between the twins and Eddie had faded and decayed, but what remained strong was the bond between twins. A pinky promise made as children, and now that bond was stronger than ever as adults. Together they were ready to make sure Jayden and Mikhalia understood what it meant when they didn't need to ask for each other, that they simply were.

__________

The scene opens in silence in the old Lyons greenhouse, the camera panning over the dried soil, ceramic pots, and withered roots before stopping on Victoria Lyons sitting cross legged near the edge of a cracked koi pond her eyes locked into the camera with a calm madness.

Behind her stood Vincent Lyons Jr, like a phantom waiting to strike folding his hands neatly in front of him.

“Once upon a time there was a scared little boy named Jayden.” said Victoria “He thought he was strong, and he thought he was clever, but when the Lions roared at his door he cried for help.”

She tilts her head.

“Not from the boys in the locker room.” she said “Not from his friends, no Jadyen cried to his baby sister.”

Vincent takes a step forward folding his arms.

“You called Mikhalia, Jayden." said Vincent “Drug her out of whatever quiet clean little life she was living, and dropped her into our war. You dropped her into this.”

He sweeps a hand across the greenhouse.

“Rotted glass and shattered ground.” he said “This is where we were born, where we played, fought, and bled this is where innocence died and something better took root.”

“You want to make headlines Jayden?” said Victoria “You want to prove something to yourself? Then why bring her?”

She leans forward and her voice lowers to a whisper

“Because you're not strong enough alone.” she said “Because you know what happens when you're left with us.”

“So here comes Mikhalia.” said Vincent “One night only, the heroic baby sister pulled out of obscurity to fight a war that never belonged to her.”

He grins slightly.

“She is right though.” he said “It will be one night only, because she won't survive it.”

“You say it's family.” said Victoria “But we are a true family Jayden.  We're twins, not partners, not allies, not strategy on a chalkboard. We don't have to call each other and we don't have to ask. We just are.”

“Always.” Vincent said “Every moment, always in rhythm. There is no separation between her and I, just a different face on the same soul.”

“Jayden brought a visitor into a cage of lions.” said Victoria “And you're hoping your shared blood will mean something in the end.“

“It won't.” said Vincent

“It never does.” said Victoria ”Because we don't just break bones, we unravel people, their thoughts, their confidence, and their identity.”
“
“Mikhalia is just a new thread in the tapestry we're going to tear apart.” Vincent said “So Mikhalia, let me be clear. You should have said no.”

“You should have stayed where it was safe.” said Victoria “Where the lights weren't so hard, and no one spoke in riddles or tore each other with smiles on their faces, but now it's too late.

“You've walked into a twisted house with no exit.” said Vincent “And the floor is cracking under your feet.”

“We didn't ask for this match.” said Victoria “But we'll make it unforgettable.”

“You don't really want this war Jayden.” said Vincent “But you sure as hell need it, because deep down you know you're not the main character anymore and the reality is you never were.”

“But you begged  guy with a cape for this match.” said Victoria with a laugh “Sure, give the Lyons twins a spotlight, stir up some family drama, throw in a feel-good sister act the crowd will eat it all up.”

“But fairy tales don't end well in our world.” said Vincent

“This isn't a moment of family therapy.” said Victoria “This isn't a moment of redemption. This is judgment.”

“And we are the executioners.” said Vincent.

“Every time I close my eyes I see Alexandra Calaway holding my crown.” said Victoria “I see Harper Mason smiling like a hero who didn't earn a damn thing, I hear Kate Steeles indignant  yapping trying to claw at me like a hungry rat.”

She exhales heavily.

“They think I'm broken.” she said “But the truth is, im ascending, I’m evolving, I'm burning and I'm going to bring that fire into the ring.”

“And I'm ready to continue this war with Jayden.” Vincent said “He may have won one battle, but this war is far from over.”

“You wanted a partner to protect you Jayden.” said Victoria “We brought each other to destroy you. I don't need to wonder if Vincent will catch me if I fall because I never fall.”

“Jayden, Mikhalia.” Vincent said “You will not leave the same, you will not leave together, and you will not forget us.”

“Because we are the nightmare no one wakes up from.” said Victoria “We are the cracked mirror, you look into and see your worst self looking back.”

“Once that bell rings Jayden.” said Vincent “Don't look at your sister, because she can't save you, and you can't save her. This isn't just a match, this is a massacre wearing a smile.”

“And we're the ones smiling all the way through it.” said Victoria “Two monsters. One soul.”

“We are inevitable….” said Vincent.

“…And we are…” said Victoria

“Stronger together.” they both said in unison.

There's a hollowing of a haunting wind has the twins cleared to the camera then silence then suddenly black.

Vincent stood near the window of the hotel, arms crossed watching the lights of Paris dance beneath him. His jaw switched tightly as he stood there in thought.

Victoria was pacing around behind him when he turned to her.
[/i]
“I'm going for a walk.” he said in a firm quiet voice.

“Now?” she said stopping to look at him “At this hour.?”

“Yeah.” he said grabbing his hoodie “I just need to clear my head.”

She made no attempt to stop him she only nodded slightly in his direction.

“Yeah, fine, whatever.” she said “I need to call our lawyer anyway, see if we can't take care of this Queen for a Day situation.”

“Good luck with that.” Vincent said

“Thank you.” she said “And you be careful out there, watch your temper I don't want to have to bail you out of a French jail.”

He smirked slightly and walked out the door without a word.

The breeze was light has he walked the streets of Paris hands in his hoodie pocket, Hood put up.

This city was still awake, late closing cafes, the murmurs of tourists, the rumble of mopeds moving between cars, but Vincent moved through it all like a ghost detached and observing.

The loss to Kevin Carter for the Internet Championship hung in his memory. That match WAS meant to be his redemption arc, internet champion, spotlights, another box to check.


He kept walking, letting his mind wander thinking about the loss to Aiden Reynolds, another L on the record books. Then against Helluva Bottom Carter he had made a decision. Cave in his pretty little skull.

He didn't care about the DQ. Not really. what mattered was the moment, the impact, the memory that split second when the fans realized -oh he doesn't care about winning, he just wants to destroy him.-

That moment taught him more than any title ever could, he didn't need to be a champion he needed to be unforgettable.

Now people were whispering when they saw him backstage, moving out of his path remembering what he did and now it was Jayden Harris in the crosshairs.

Jayden had confidence and fire. Vincent couldn't deny that, it was a little too much confidence and that's what made it fun. Jayden thought he was fighting a man, he didn't realize he was fighting a monster that came back from the dead.

Jayden wouldn’t leave Paris the way he came in it, not after he dragged Vincent's family's name through the mud, and if he really thought the management rules and safety he'd learn otherwise just like Carter did.

Jayden wasn't all that rested on his mind. He had his concerns about Victoria as well, something was off with her she was still doing her job, moving the pieces, and staying ahead but her edges weren't as sharp lately.

The whole queen for a day mess had her hands full, she had strings to pull and people to silence, but Vincent saw what others didn't. That the pressure was eating at her and he owed her more than loyalty.

She was the one who pulled him out of the spiral after the island, after the multiple weeks of isolation she didn't flinch when he came back more animal than man. She had brought him back to himself and now she needed him.

He would stand beside her not has a Lyons, not as a tag partner, but as a brother. As a twin. If she started to slip, he'd be the one to catch her before anyone else noticed or anyone tried to take advantage.

This match with Jayden wasn’t about championships, it was about revenge. Revenge for the transgressions against his sister and his family and it was about reminding the world that Vincent Lyons Jr survived hell, and came back sharper and better.

He was here to hurt people until they remembered his name when they closed their eyes at night. That's what Jayden Harris was going to find out when Vincent made him bleed in Paris and not only would Jayden bleed, but Vincent would make sure that his screams echoed long after the bell.

Into The Void was right around the corner and he intended to drag Jayden into the void itself kicking, screaming, and begging for the light that would never come.

__________

The cameras open on a familiar but eerie silence with that thick clinging fog coiling through a ruined landscape. The camera moves slow and deliberately, creeping pans to reveal Vincent Lyons Jr amid the mist cloaked and a tattered black coat his eyes burning with fire.

“It's easy to forget people like me exist.” he said “When the world is loud and the stage is bright and everyone's screaming someone else's name they forget until the silence comes.”

He tilts his head to the side with a smile.

“Jayden…” he said “You stand in the light and act like a boy who's finally being told he matters.  Like the world is waking up to what you always thought you were. But I've been awake Jayden. I didn't sleep not when my boat cracked against the reef, not when that island swallowed me whole, and not when the voices stopped talking. I stayed awake long enough to die and come back again.”

He exhales softly.

“You think what I did to Carter was cowardice?“ he said “You think the chair shot was some betrayal of sportsmanship? No it was survival. It was purpose. I hit him because it was the first time in years I felt clarity. The island stripped me of weakness and the silence taught me things you can't learn in locker rooms and training gyms. Besides you know damn well he deserved it and you can't tell me that you didn't like seeing it happen at least a little bit. Because like I said if there's one thing that you and I can agree on it's that Helluva Bottom Carter is in fact a piece of garbage."

He pauses again mostly for effect

“I crashed Jayden.” he said “My boat, my life, and my sanity out there beyond the noise beyond the chairs and the promos and the championships. I died and I came back with only one voice in my head and it told me to -make it matter-. So you think this is just a match? Just another notch on your rise to relevance? No. This is an execution Jayden and you're the one on the chopping block.”

A short pause.

“You say I should blame Victoria and that I should be angry at her?” he said “You think loyalty is weakness, and that if I was strong I’d turn my back on the only person who ever believed in me without condition. You don't get it Jayden. My sister is the last thread of my humanity. You try to cut that I become something else.  Maybe you're just angry that I'm a better brother to her than you are to Mikhalia.”

He laughed slightly to himself

“And then you made your little incest comments.” he said. “Is that the thread you really want to leave dangling? Because I'll tell you now Victoria and I have heard it all before. We heard every Jamie and Cersei Lannister joke and every twincest comment thrown our way in the past.”

He shakes his head.

“It's all just childish remarks from people who think shock value makes them clever.” he said, "You just mock what you can't comprehend Jayden. You laugh because you're too small-minded to understand what real royalty looks like and what devotion sounds like. But when you're choking on your teeth in that ring we'll see how funny you still find it.”

A twitch of the eye and a quiver in his lip.

“My sister didn't beg me for help. She didn't need to.” he said “Because I'm not here to protect her, I'm here to avenge her. I'm here to deal with all the weak men who want to disrespect her, who want to disrespect us. I'm the response nobody saw coming.”

He pauses again and a soft wind powers through

“Do you know when it's like to talk to the wind?” he said “To scream into the waves and get nothing back but your own echo? I do and I'll never stop hearing it; that's silence lives in me now it's part of me. You live in noise and camera flashes, you've never faced silence Jayden. Not the kind that rips you to shreds.”

He keeps his tongue sharp and direct.

“I want you to understand something Jayden Harris.” he said “When you step into the ring with me, you're not facing a man you're facing every second I spent alone. Every night I spent remembering how people forgot me, how they moved on like I never existed. You're facing the storm that raised me, and you're facing what comes after everything dies.”

He takes a few deliberate steps towards the camera the fog curling around him like a shroud.

“You won’t win Jayden.” he said “Not because you're weak, but because I'm inevitable. Because I'm the shadow that follows every step you take to the top to let you feel safe and let you feel victorious, but it's always there lurking, watching, waiting to strike.".

He laughs to himself.

“So bring the fire Jayden. Drench the world in gasoline.” he said “Say my name one more time. Once that bell rings and the fog creeps around you, just know I'm already there and you are not going to face the same Vincent you're mocking. You're facing the ghost that came back wrong.”

Which one final glance he turns and walks back disappearing into the fog his voice echoing through.

“I'll see you at into the void Jayden Harris.  Be prepared.”

Then the camera's fade to black amid the howl of the wind.

-then silence-


__________

The key card unlock the hotel door with a beep has been sent Lyons to Junior stepped inside the room was quiet the kind of quiet that felt wrong the walk had been long and slow giving him time to clear the debris that collected in his mind but the Silence of this room felt louder somehow.

It didn't take him long to come to the conclusion Victoria wasn't here the room felt as if it had been holding a breath of its own as a sense of absence hit him in the chest harder than it should have. His eyes scanned around the room.

A jacket was draped over a chair and her boots resting near the bed and on the night Stand rested her cell phone.

That was unusual, Victoria was normally not without her phone. Has he stepped closer to the phone he saw it a glass ashtray with the hotels logo waxy with fingerprints and two cigarette butts inside both bent and crushed into the glass.

But Victoria didn't smoke she had a rebellious face as a teenager, and there was a couple weeks when she divorced that Ace Michael's guy shortly after WWH closed.

That's why he knew that this was desperation frustration and presser a moment she didn't want anyone to see but she had left evidence and Vincent knew her well enough to pick up on it.

That ashtray told him everything he needed to know the Queen for a Day pressure the Fatal four-way match the eyes on her to see if she could continue to dominate as everyone expected,  or if she was going to fall in spectacular fashion like everyone wanted.

But where had she gone Vincent racked his brain she was his twin where would she go to quietly keep in her thoughts.

The Rooftop.

He quickly made his way to the hallway and into the elevator, magic road its way up to the roof the elevator doors pulled open and a breeze pushed into his face and there she was perched on the ledge with her back to him in a single cigarette between her fingers its tip glowing in the night was Victoria Lyons.

He said nothing to her and she didn't turn he stepped forward and just stood behind her without speaking the two standing there like statues for a few moments supporting each other without demand.

He didn't ask what she was thinking he already knew, he just waited because he knew she would eventually break the silence.

And then she did.

“What?...” she said.

“I didn't say anything.” he replied “Not yet…”

__________


The wind came steady off the sea as Vincent stood watching. Charlie was gone, and there was no effigy left to converse with. Nothing to make him feel like he wasn't alone. He was and he wondered if he would ever make it off this island.

His mind drifted back through the years, moments, people, things that had gotten here to this point.

He saw his father again, Vincent Sr was a true symbol of pride back before the Lyons legacy fractured into rival bloodlines and bitterness. Vincent had been the unbreakable spine of the Lyons family and after his passing everything had begun to fracture.

He remembered the news of the car crash, the dullness in Victoria's voice when she told him.

The funeral felt like a blur of black disappointment, the first time he learned grief could ride in your chest like a stone that never passed.

He'd always look to his father as a hero when he was a kid back when it was just the three of them Vincent, Victoria and Eddie.

The Pride.

They used to say it was such wide-eyed hope when they were kids. The Three Lyons, bound by legacy, strength and ambition. They were to take the rest of the world by storm. Win every championship, nobody with more gold than them.

But dreams can be fickle, Vincent curled his fingers slightly with a soft exhale the memories still circling.

WWH came and went. He had actually made history there, as the first Affliction champion. Victoria in his corner as his support before she laced her own boots up. He kick-started the new generation ofLyons Den Talent under Coach Kaiser. Vincent Jr was the prodigal son. But then like everything else WWH crumbled.

So did Coach Kaiser procure new contracts for Vincent and Victoria after WWH?

No. Instead he went with the former felon Cleo Phillips. Some street kid from The Bronx snatching the opportunity he and Victoria had bled for.  PWS wanted her not them. He was told it wasn't personal that it was part of some sort of rehabilitation program and part of Cleo's probation deal.

Fine let that be as it may. But then appeared Alexander Lyons from the unknown. His uncle Zachary's son. He grew up knowing his Uncle Ray, Eddie's father, quite well. But as far as his Uncle Zachary, he was out traveling spending time with  ring rats and apparently they making more babies than Nick Cannon.

So Alexander arrived, angry brooding and desperate to matter, he was given the second PWS contract.

But again, everything crumbles and this time it was PWS. So when SCW was reaching out to the Lyon's Den for contracts, it should have been finally their opportunity he and Victoria would finally stop being sent to mudshow companies that failed before they even started they would finally go to a company that knew what they were doing. SCW would be their return.

But this time Eddie and his sunshine smile was the one that got the deal with SCW came knocking. There must have been no space for VLJ  anymore in the story. The Golden Boy, the favorite son.

He was even starting to resent Victoria and that was the final crack. He had to go so he got on the boat with Charlie.

He didn't remember much about what they said on the dock the day they set sail they drank and laughed and we're looking forward to the open sea and then Charlie was gone…

Then he felt a way in his chest his knees began to buckle slowly he wasn't even sure how long he had been here anymore but he had became part of this island and the world had passed him by.

He had become a ghost and no one even whispered about him anymore then he felt a dizziness and the ocean twisted into shapes that didn’t make sense. Vincent felt a faint taste of salt water on his lips as everything went black……

…….
…..
…….
…….


When the light returned it came like static over a broken television. A clatter of an engine somewhere and the smell of fish and boat fuel drifted into his nostrils.

He blinked once, twice, three times. A silhouette appeared before him. A man in a jacket leaning against the edge of the boat with a cigarette burning beneath his lips.

Vincent didn't move he just looked and then saw the man look over at him and speak.

“Dimitri! He's awake!” the man said.

“The American?” another voice called back.

______

The cameras open on a cold empty room with Vincent Lyons Jr sitting on a wooden chair in the middle of this space amid the silence he leans forward slightly with his hands clasped together.

“You had a lot to say about family Jayden.” said Vincent “You made a cute fast and the furious reference, but the truth is you don't know my family at all. There is no history of the Lyons family in SCW pre Victoria, Eddie, and myself. Many in SCW know your father but I can count how many knew mine on one hand. Myself, Victoria, Eddie, and Aaron Asphyxia."

His words come calm and measured.

“That's the nature of this business I suppose. Our name was bigger elsewhere in a place where the Harris name was unknown and didn't mean shit.” he said. “Your father has you stated was an underhanded asshole, a real piece of shit the whole nine yards.”

He takes a short pause

“My father..” he said “My father had his own demons. He helped build an empire but few got to see his dark side. His other half, the one he called Syth. That was his shadow. It was a man who didn't care and only wanted blood and sometimes I feel perhaps Syth still lives somewhere inside me. It was like I could hear him knocking when that chair cracked open Carter's skull."

He lets his words linger about the air.

“Do you really think my family is built on applause and standing ovations?” Vincent said “No we're a fractured dynasty. Just look at the facts, let's take a look at Eddie. Eddie Lyons is a man too busy shining his own halo to notice how many people he steps on. He calls it righteousness, Victoria and I call it a delusion. He thinks that he's the hero of the story but he's just another narcissist convinced the sun shines out of his spotlight.”

He shakes his head.

“And my other cousin Alexander?” he said “That guy?! He hates everybody. He hates the family. He's over in PWS following Alexandra Calaway around like a sick puppy holding their tag team championships with her. He's nothing more than a black cloud trying to scream his way into mattering.”

He scoffs in disgust.

“And then we had some new arrivals this year. Matthew Zayvion and Nayeli.” he said “More of my uncle Zack's mistakes wandering and hoping to find meaning in a name they don't understand. They don't even know what they are or what they want they're just lost little cubs in a forest fire.”

He stands up now with an exhale.

“So who really is rooting for me?” said Vincent “My self righteous cousin? My other cousin who won a tag title out of spite toward Victoria? My deceased father? My uncle who choose to favor their own children? It really only is Victoria and I, and my mother I suppose.  If I’m fighting for any dynasty, it’s MY line of the family. Not Eddie’s, and not any of my uncle Zacks mistakes. That means Victoria and Me. That’s it.”

He begins to move toward a wall has the camera follows him.

“So you want to burn my family tree to the ground?” said Vincent  “Go ahead.  You're only adding gasoline to a fire that was already burning. However since you want to send a message to me about burning my family tree to the ground, I'll send you a message how I feel about your family name as well.”

That's when the camera sees it on a chunk of raw ruined concrete spray painted and red the name Harris. His back to the camera Vincent stands in front of it and unzips.

The piss hits the Harris name and trickles to the ground between Vincent's legs. Vincent moving and wriggling around to cover the entire name, careful not to step in his own mess on the floor.

He finishes, his arm shakes twice, he zips back up and turns to the camera really cocky grin on his face.

“I'm not coming into this match for the sake of legacy.” Vincent said “I'm coming for the end, and I'm coming for the execution of Jayden Harris. You have been warned.”

Then there was a sharp cut to black and then....

-silence-

The surf crashes against the shore of the island in a rhythmic pattern as gulls fly high overhead but never land, and the wind just never seems to stop.

There at the makeshift camp he and Charlie had been living at for the past month and a half is Vincent Lyons Jr, but now he's alone. Sort of.

He's hunched beside a crude figure of sticks date into the earth of the beach, and effigy built from driftwood tied together crudely with some vines, draped over it is a weather stained and bloodied Blink 182 t-shirt, Charlie's shirt.

Vincent had found it when he went back to the site where the incident occurred, Charlie fell and the wolves came.

That was just two or three days ago, he had retrieved the shirt and built the effigy himself.

He had rescued his friend.

Reaching out he adjusts the effigy slightly straightening it to be more upright.[/i]

“There you go buddy.” Vincent said “Is that better? I know you like looking out over the water.”

He crouches down and sits next to it.

“I don't know if you remember when it happened.” Vincent said as he looked out across the waters. “You fell and I tried to get there and pull you out, but the wolves and they came and I ran…., but I didn't run away. I came back for you Charlie. I came back for you.”

He looks at the effigy with a smile.

“You're here now though.” Vincent said “And you're okay. I saved you I saved you from those wolves. Terrible vicious beasts. Bad…. wolves…. bad…..”

There's a slight twitch in Vincent's eye but he keeps most of his composure at the moment.

“Yeah I saved you. You're here.” Vincent said. “We're going to get out of here man both of us together.  I won't run again Charlie..run ran hide.  run ran hide.”

There's another slight twitch in Vincent's eye.

“No, I don't think they'll come back.” Vincent said “They know you're protected now because you've got me. They won't bother us again."

There's a short pause has Vincent just blankly stares off across the sea

“Yeah we're smarter than them too.” Vincent said. “You're right about that Charlie. Big dumb dogs.”

Vincent laughs.

“I was worried I'd never find you, you know. Thought the wolves had dragged you away he said but here you are.” Vincent said. “You're safe now.”

Vincent gives the effigy a careful pat on the “back.”

“You ever wonder if this is meant to happen to us?” Vincent said “Like maybe we needed to leave the world behind for a bit? Strip everything down to just this? The real stuff?”

There's a lingering silence only broken by the sounds of the wind the sea and and the gulls above.

“I'm glad you're still here Charlie.” Vincent said “It's going to be okay. We have each other.”

He sat there for some time next to the effigy just watching the waves still waiting for a sign of anything to come to the rescue of him and “Charlie.”

__________

The Danish Skyline stretches out through the antique windows of the hotel room Vincent stairs out the window in a brooding fashion as Victoria casually relaxes on one of the beds with a half finished glass of red wine.

“You're stewing…” Victoria said, breaking a lingering silence.

“I should have finished him at Climax Control.." Vincent said “I should have finished Jayden Harris.”

“We both knew Mark Ward wouldn't let that happen.” Victoria said “He's as predictable as ever. A no contact clause, as if that ever stopped any real violence.”

“It stops me from taking Jaydens head off in catering.” said Vincent.

“All it does is buy Jayden some time.” Victoria said “Now Jayden gets to strut around for a few more weeks without consequence until Into The Void.”

“Into the void..” Vincent muttered to himself.

“Exactly.” said Victoria “Jayden Harris will get his, for now your focus shifts. At least with this clause he won't be able to interfere in any of our business.”

“Helluva Bottom Carter…” Vincent muttered.

“A walking joke and a spotlight addict.” Victoria said “Him and Miles both mocked me for months. Little Twitter comments, little promo jabs, always something to say.”

“I heard it all.” Vincent said “They thought they were clever. All you wanted to do was help them make their relationship stronger.”

“Now you get to correct him.” Victoria said “Not just beat him, but embarrass him publicly. Drag him out of that theater he calls a career and show him what real consequence looks like.”

There's a short silence as Vincent listens.

“Let him dance and let him play to the crowd and think he's safe, then tear it from him.” Victoria said between a sip of wine, “Show him what happens when you disrespect the queen.”

“What about Harper Mason?” Vincent asked “Do you really think we'll be able to pull her in?”

“Harper Mason will realize her full potential.” Victoria said “She already knows of the truths I've been telling her she just needs to learn to admit them to herself. I'm sure more will become clear to her after Christian Underwood and I discuss the Queens Gambit.”

“I hope you're right Vicks.” Vincent said.

“We’ll get her.” said Victoria “But the trick is to make sure that she believes it was her idea. You just worry about Carter and making sure he regrets ever even mentioning my name.”

“And I can send a message to Jayden Harris in the process.” Vincent said with a grin.

“That's the brother I know." Victoria said with a grin of her own and another sip of wine.

“It looks like Alex Jones will be getting a present from the Lyons Twins” Vincent said “Because Carter is going to be delivered to him at Into The Void in a box.”

As the night rolled on, Vincent continued to brood out the window, Victoria finished a couple more glasses of wine. Both mentally preparing and strategizing for whatever came next.

__________

The cameras flicker to life in a basement a bunker the location itself is hard to tell but the concrete walls drip with condensation has that familiar overhead bulb swings on its frayed wire casting shadows across the scene,  in the center of it all sits Vincent Lyons Jr knees spread resting his elbows, shoulders hunched over, hands clasped as he stares into the camera with cold distant eyes that are focused like a sniper's scope.

“Jayden Harris….” Vincent began “I'm going to start with you for a moment because I know you're watching, waiting behind your little legal bubble. Protected by Mark Ward and his no contact rule how convenient.”

Vincent shakes his head slightly.

“You're scared Jayden…” Vincent said “And you very well should be because every day that passes between now and Into The Void is another day I get sharper and meaner and the worst part of it? You know Mark Ward can't keep me away forever. Eventually he's going to run out of ink and paper, and when he does you're going to drown in all the things you tried to escape."

Vincent smirks and chuckles to himself.

“But you're not the man of the hour right now are you?” said Vincent “No the man of the hour is actually someone we share agreeing opinions on. If there's anything you and I can come to terms on. it's that Helluva Bottom Carter is a piece of garbage.”

He pauses for a moment keeping his lingering gaze on the camera.

“You hate the fact that he allowed me to do what I did to you in the elimination chamber.” said Vincent “But do understand the reason why he didn't stop it? It's because he too is afraid. He saw what was happening to you and was worried the same could happen to him. As todays kids say, he did not want that smoke. But everyone's time comes sooner or later and now that time has come for Helluva Bottom Carter.”

That unsettling unstable smile grows across his face again.

“I want you to watch this match closely Jayden.” Vincent said “I want you sit there cozy with your immunity and watch what happens when the leash comes off. Watch what happens when someone doesn't have Mark Ward to protect them, I want you to watch what's coming your way at Into The Void.”

He takes a short pause letting his words linger.

“So what about you Carter?" Vincent said with a venomous hiss. “You've been coasting for years on charmed and cringe. Constantly on X throwing your annoying relationship in everybody's face like anybody cares who you're sleeping with.”

He keeps his tone slow and deliberate.

“I've seen the way you and your little clique talk about her.” Vincent said “My wonderful, kind, magnanimous sister. You and all your little bully friends are the worst of them. You, Miles, L.J., Calaway, Bella Madison. You all thought yourselves funny but you always reap what you sow and now it's time to pay the piper.”

Vincent rubs his fingers together the well-known symbol for money.

“You were too busy bedazzling your boots in a room full of mirrors.” Vincent said, “While Victoria was busy being royalty, busy making herself the greatest Bombshell Roulette Champion of all time. She was able to take care of Calaway, she was able to take care of Bella Madison, but she could do nothing about the weak men that continued to ridicule the queen. But now Carter, now the queen’s executioner has arrived.”

He laughs to himself amused.

“You should have known someone would come for you.” said Vincent “Someone always does. But you need to listen to me close I'm not just going to win I'm going to ruin you. I'm going to expose you and I'm going to show everyone that you're not climbing any ladder, you're just hallucinating the rungs, standing on smoke and calling it solid ground and the people around you that are too afraid to tell you the truth are what keeps you from falling.”

He paces slowly slightly but deliberately.

“You're just a distraction dressed as a contender a parody a parody in rhinestones.” Vincent said “The only reason you are number one contender is because of me. I suppose Jayden and I can agree on that much as well.”

He took a heavy breath, fogging the air.

“But this is about your treason.” he continued “How you tried to drag my sister's name through the mud like she wasn't the greatest bombshell of all time.Like she isn't out there fighting and grinding for everything she's ever earned. I have nothing much to lose in this match so it's all about retribution for you insulting someone I care about, and it’s about sending a message to Jayden Harris."

There's an uncomfortable twitch of his lip.

“So I'm going to make it crystal clear in case you don't understand.” Vincent said “I'm going to hurt you, you’ll feel it in your ribs, your spine, and in your lungs when they all stop working. You won't be able to tell up from down anymore you'll cry, you’ll beg, and if you're smart you'll run away but whatever you choose you will pay.”

He continues his subtle pacing.

“My sister is a queen and she will be treated as such.” Vincent said “And you you're just the court jester and I'll do what royalty always does to jesters.  I'll cut your tongue out and hang your balls on a pike. When it's all said and done you will regret all of it, and you will never mock her again."

He keeps his home firm and strong.

“The end is coming for you Carter.” Vincent said “And if Miles is smart he'll start the funeral preparations now. I'm sure he'll get you the most shiny, bedazzled, glitter covered coffin of your dreams. I'll see you soon Carter and you will be made an example of for Victoria, for Jayden and you will be exposed to all the fans as the fraud you truly are.“

With a hideous gaze, as he lets his glare linger into the camera has everything fades out to black

__________

Vincent really wasn't one for sightseeing but he could admit there was something oddly suited about the little toy houses lined up across the Copenhagen harbor. He walked alongside his sister Victoria in silence, neither of them with any particular destination in mind. Sometimes Victoria just like to walk before an incoming storm. She said it was something about helping with clarity and control. They were walking for a few minutes when they saw a familiar face.

Eddie Lyons. From the looks of it he was snapping pictures and taking some sort of cute little video to send back to his fiancee Sabrina.

“Well would you like who it is.” Victoria said pointing Eddie out.

“So?” Vincent said “What? You want to talk to him?”

“I mean we might as well say hello to family right?” she said with a grin.

“Your idea of hello usually ends with a hospital visit.” Vincent said.

“Only when it's warranted.” she said as her smile widened “Come on let's go.”

They approached casually Eddie turning just as he heard his name called, his eyes rolling into the back of his head as soon as he saw who it was he straightened up his posture and the smile on his face vanished.

“You've got to be kidding me…” Eddie muttered.

“Is that any way to greet family?” Victoria said with a mocking tone “We happened to be walking, you happened to be here, I think fate wants us to talk.”

“Well then fate hates me.” Eddie said unamused.

Vincent let his silence do the talking standing beside Victoria studying his cousin's face still seeing that same smug self-assurance, that little moral glint in Eddie's eye like he figured out the world and can judge everyone accordingly like some self-righteous bastard.

“We just wanted to have a conversation.” Victoria said “We haven't seen you around for a few weeks we were wondering how you've been.”

“I'm fine.” Eddie said bluntly “I'm just waiting for my next round of blast from the past and in the meantime taking pictures and videos for Sabrina is that what you want to hear?”

“Well I'm sure that will make Sabrina very happy.” said Victoria.

“Is that all?” said Eddie.

“So dismissive.” Victoria replied “You dismiss your family so quickly.”

“What about Alex?” Eddie said “Was he family when you had Vincent break his wrist?”

“He aided and abided a criminal.” Victoria said.

“He defended his friend.” replied Eddie.

“He defended Alexandra Calaway.” Victoria replied taking a step forward “You know what she's done and you know what she is. Yet you still act like there's some noble cause and shielding her.”

“Look they may not be innocent.” he said “But neither are you you want to accuse everyone else of their transgressions but never admit to your own.”

Vincent took a slight step for it but felt Victoria's arm just out in front of him to stop him.

“You know there's been certain times when you said some not so nice things about your queen.” said Victoria “And treason is even worse when it comes from your own bloodline. But I can forgive, if I feel you've earned it.”

“And what's that supposed to mean?” Eddie said.

“You mention your Blast from the Past tournament.” said Victoria “You got past round one, good on you but with our help we can take you all the way. You join us and we reform The Pride, you win the whole thing you cut through the brackets like butter and then you go on and you will actually win the world championship this time.”

“You can't possibly believe I'd ever go for that.” Eddie said.

“Why not?” Victoria asked “You and I already proved we can be tag team champions. Imagine the three of us together. We could take over SCW in a fortnight."

“I don't need your help and I won't stand with people who poison everything they touch family or not.”  Eddie retorted

Finally Vincent had heard enough.

“You think you're better than us?! She's offering you everything, but you'd rather struggle for scraps and pretend it's some sort of integrity." he snapped

"I would rather lose with honor." Eddie said "Than win with you."

Vincent wanted to strike but he could feel Victoria’s gaze. she wanted to leave this alone so with a heavy breath he took a slight step backward.

“So you're still going to let pride stand in the way of power.” she said.

“No.” Eddie replied “I'm letting integrity stand in the way of corruption.”

The words pierce through Vincent's ears he was really tired of this sanctimonious idiot, always so sure of his own moral superiority and convinced that the world would bend for him if he smiled hard enough.

“Forget about him Vincent.” Victoria said “Leave him for now to his pictures and recording his little love letters for his fiancee. Let him continue to chase his fairy tale one day he'll see the truth. We'll be seeing you Eddie good luck in the tournament.”

With a wink and a smirk Victoria turned and Vincent followed as they continued their walk down the harbor leaving Eddie behind them knowing that if he didn't come to turn soon perhaps his dream would also turn into a nightmare.

The living room in the main house of the Lions estate was decorated with pictures of the family of their father their mother and the twins themselves throughout the years.

Vincent Jr sat on the armchair propping his feet up on the coffee table look his head down lost in thought.

Nearby Victoria relaxed on the couch watching him before breaking the silence. [/i]

“That Kevin Carter has a lot of nerve doesn't he?” she said.

Vincent didn't respond immediately but he shifted a gaze to her letting her know that he was listening.

“The way he talked about you Vincent he has no idea about your history, about your struggle, and what it cost for you to be here.” Victoria said. ”He doesn't know what we did years ago in World Wrestling Headquarters, he doesn't even know that The Lyons Den almost closed when dad passed away, how close all this came to crumbling down.”

That caught his attention more he looked up at her and narrowed his eyes.

“Aaron Asphyxia had to convince coach Kaiser to keep The Lyons Den open and send you to World Wrestling Headquarters.” Victoria said “He was ready to call it quits himself, but he took a chance on you and you kickstarted a new generation and then I joined you and together we brought The Lyons Den back to life.”

He continued to listen watching his sisters every move letting every word sit on his ears.

“He doesn't understand that if you had not been successful in World Wrestling headquarters there would be no new generation.” Victoria said “None of this exists, no Eddie Lyons, no Cleo Phillips no Alexander Lyons, none of it exists without the foundation you started.”

He stayed quiet, only listening.

“He wants to be all pissed off about you getting this opportunity then let him be pissed off that's his problem. You know what you are but clearly he doesn't know who you are so you need to go out there and show him that you're no hand-picked little corporate soyboy.” Victoria continued.

He watched that she took a few steps closer to him.

“So tell me brother are you going to keep letting Kevin make all these assumptions about you?” Victoria said “Or are you going to go out there make Kevin Carter eat crow, take away his Internet Championship, and start a legendary reign all of your own just as I have with Rue?"

Visions stood up from the chair and looked at his sister in the eyes.

“I take it.” he snarled.

Victoria's smile deepened and Vincent noticed the satisfied glint in her eye he was not going to let his sister down and if Kevin Carter had any brains about him he had better start taking Vincent seriously.

__________

The camera flickers to life on a near empty street a desolate landscape with nothing but a few scattered buildings and an old neon sign flickering off in the distance the late afternoon sun cast a shadow across the cracked pavement that's the sound of footsteps were heard we see the approach of Vincent Lyons Jr.

Dressed in dark jeans and a leather jacket his eyes remain sharp and focus and fixed on the camera there was an air of purpose around him as though he was contemplating something significant.

“I heard your words Kevin.” he began his words wrapped in a layer of confidence  “I heard the speeches about mountains and crushing careers like you've got the whole world figured out, but let me make one thing clear you're wrong about me. You are wrong everything you said about me and when it's all over I am going to make you eat crow..”

Vincent paused for a moment briefly scanning the empty street before looking back to the camera with an unflinching gaze.

“You think I'm some sort of shadow?” Vincent continued his voice rising “That I'm just a kid trying to live up to some legacy? But understand this Kevin, I'm chasing nobody's shadow and I'm nobody's echo I'm building my own damn legacy within my family and I don't need to rely on anything my family did in the past. I carve my own destiny."

He takes a few steps forward the camera catching the intensity radiating off him.

“That whole “black cloud” thing that you brought up?” Vincent said “That label you really think I came up with that? I'll be honest I think it's a stupid as you do, it's just some dumb marketing gimmick that the people in charge tried to throw on me because they thought it was a neat little moniker to jump up mystique, but you're right it's a joke. But in that ring I am anything but a joke.”

Vincent exhales heavily letting the words linger about in the air.

“All names aside Kevin.” Vincent said “I'm coming for you and I'm coming for that championship .so they can call me the black cloud they can call me whatever they want I really don't care because at blaze of glory I'm still coming for that championship and I'm still the one you have to face in that ring and no stupid nickname is going to protect you from that.”

Vincent takes another short moment to pause.

“And all this talk about climbing Mount Scumbag.” Vincent said “Here’s a reality check for you, I'm not interested in climbing any mountains. I'm not interested in measuring myself against your past. All you’re doing is clinging to something that's been done. It's old news, your reign, your career, the mountains you climbed, they're behind you now. No matter how many times you tell people that you're untouchable, the fact is you're slipping and you're on your way down."

He took a couple steps more forward with a more commanding presence.

“I didn't ask for this match Kevin. I didn't beg the face you at Blaze of Glory” Vincent continued “But I got it  and that's all the confirmation I needed. I guess people see something in me, they see the hunger, and they see the fire that burns and that's something you can't comprehend. I'm sorry your feelings got hurt because this new guy gets a championship match but if it makes you feel better I can bring some extra tissues."

Vincent pages with a slight nod in exhale this time.

“And as far as  experience.” Vincent said “Believe me that this isn't my first rodeo. I've been in other companies before SCW and I am the foundation of the entire The Lyons Den.  You can have all the doubts about me you want but you will find out you will find out exactly what I'm capable of Kevin Carter.”

A confident smile grows across his face.

“Keep painting that new guy narrative.” said Vincent “It's such an easy narrative to paint and it's kind of sad because I know you're smarter than that Kevin. Perhaps you probably know exactly what I'm capable of and you're trying to get under my skin. It's a fair play if that's your game but it won't work.  Your Internet Championship is coming to The Lyons Den and there's nothing you can do to stop it.”

He takes two slight more steps forward.

“I'm going to walk into Blaze of Glory.” said Vincent “I'm going to stand at the base of Scumbag Mountain and I'm going to climb all the way to the top and plant the flag of The Lyons Den where it belongs.”

He keeps his intent gaze on the camera

“You want to talk about my bulldog mouth?” said Vincent “You're the one that spoke with a lot of bravado about how easy this match is going to be for you so what happens when I take that internet championship? Are you going to go cry to J2H about it?"

Vincent laughs to himself.

“You brag all about your accomplishments and what you did with Goth and Mark Ward.” said Vincent “And good on you, I told you before you did some good stuff. Like you dropping Mark Ward on his little pumpkin head. Victoria showed me that and we had a good laugh about it.

He exhales heavily.

“But that's not important right now.” said Vincent “What's important right now is me winning a championship. I have nothing personal against you Kevin, I just want the Internet Championship and you happen to be the man that carries it. So be as braggadocious as you want because I'm not afraid of Scumbag Mountain and I'm certainly not some new rookie trying to find my way in this business. Scum but can you survive The Lyons Den? I suppose we'll find out at Blaze of Glory.

The camera lingers on Vincent for a moment before he turns and walks off camera back down the street the camera watching him has he disappears around the corner and everything fades to black.

__________

The harsh win card through the island reminding Vincent and Charlie of their isolation they had been on this God forsaken place for about three weeks now, twenty one days since their shipwreck marooned them on his place in the Bering Sea, each day was starting to blur into the next.

Vincent scans the shoreline, a tight grip around his makeshift spear has he scanned the water surface searching for any sign of life.

Not far away Charlie stood nearby a spear of his own with a composed look at determination on his face. That annoyed Vincent. How could Charlie maintain such a composure in this dire situation.?

“It’s pointless…” Vincent muttered “We're wasting energy we don't have there's nothing here.”

“We need food Vincent.” said Charlie “The supply we had in the cabin ran out, and mussels and seaweed aren't enough. We need something substantial."

“I've never been a fisherman Charlie I don't know how to do this.” Vincent exhaled sharply.

“I'm not much of a fisherman either Vincent.” Charlie said “But we have to try. You just have to be patient watch the water move slowly and strike with intent.”

Patience… in the beginning Vincent had held on to hope believing rescue was imminent but days became weeks and I hope had withered replaced by desperation.

He tried to focus narrowing his eyes looking through the shallow water and then he saw it, a flicker, a silver shape darting beneath the surface.

Slowly he adjusted his stance like a predator preparing to pounce. The fish flitted about oblivious to the danger above as Vincent counted silently to three and thrust  the spear downward.

One. Two. Three

The water erupted in a spray as the spear pierced through, but when Vincent lifted it the spear was bare and the fish had vanished, leaving only a few ripples behind.

“Motherfucker!” Vincent shouted across the barren landscape

“Patience Vincent…” Charlie reminded him.

But the cycle repeated. Waiting, spotting, striking, and missing Each failure chipping at Vincent's composure.

The sun was dipping lower when finally the spear connected Vincent lifted it triumphantly A modest fish struggling on the end. There is a sense of relief coming through that gets interrupted by a sudden screech from above.

The seagull plunged talons extended, snatched the fish from the spear and flew back off into the sky with its prize.

“Sunuvabitch!” Vincent shouted as he watched “You thieving bastard!! That was ours!”

“It's okay Vincent…” Charlie said “Resting a hand on his arm, we’ll just catch another.”

But Vincent had had enough. He pushed past Charlie in a futile attempt to apprehend the avian thief. He stumbled over the uneven terrain keeping his eyes locked on the speck in the sky.

“Get back here!!" Vincent shouted “You can't take what's mine.”

But the seagull was long gone. Breathless and trembling Vincent sank to his knees and pounded his fist into the cold earth.

“Fucking dirty seabird.” he muttered.

Charlie approached him cautiously

“Vincent we can't afford to lose ourselves.” he said calmly not now.

“I'm not losing myself”. Vincent said “I earned that fish and that dirty bastard just comes along and steals it. That seagull is going to pay. It better not come back.”

“Vincent it's a bird…” Charlie said “There's nothing we can do about it.”

There was a sort moment of silence.

“You ever feel like this island is consuming you?” Vincent said with a heavy sigh.

“Everyday Vince. But we have to hold on we have to believe we'll make it through this.” Charlie said.

Belief…. that was becoming a distant memory to Vincent he wanted to cling to it, to find solace in Charlie's optimism. But the edges were slipping through his grasp as the night descended the two men sat in silence with only a few shellfish to sustain their empty stomachs.

He could have been wrestling with Victoria back home. But he was here because he had been selfish but he knew he would be back soon and he would be back by her side where he belonged.

__________

Vincent sat alone on the stone ledge of a secluded garden within the Lyons estate. Back hunched over, forearms on his knees. This was his quiet place, where even in his youth he often came for solace, and to just get away for a little while.

He had been thinking about that day on the island he can still hear the sound of that seagulls wings cutting through the air as it stole from him. Back then it wasn't just about the food, it was about control, the moment the bird took that fish it mocked him, laughed at him and told him it without words that he wasn't in charge and he wasn't powerful.

Vincent exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair he didn't know why that moment haunted him so much maybe it was because it was the first time he truly felt powerless or maybe because with all the fight and all his effort he still lost.

And the worst part was he saw it happening again not with any seagull or with a fish but with Victoria.

His sister's obsession was eating her alive and she didn't even see it. Alexandra Calaway burning the throne should have been nothing more than a message scrawled in fire and smoke but to Victoria it was a declaration of war and she latched to it like a curse like something sacred had been stolen from her.


He watched how she spoke about it how her lips curled when she mentioned Alexandra's name. It wasn't about beating her anymore it was about destruction and obliteration and he was nervous at his sister was on too dangerous of a road.

He had to keep his faith in her though because he couldn't afford to be distracted not with his own path to walk with Kevin Carter and the Internet Championship.

It wasn't the biggest prize in the company but that wasn't important to Vincent. He wanted it, he needed it. He needed something tangible, something real something to hold in his hands and say that it belonged to him.

The irony wasn't lost on him either he was here stewing on his own obsession while condemning Victoria for hers maybe he he was a hypocrite and just as consumed as he was only with a different target. He just wanted her to remain as successful as she had been. She had done so much while he rotted on that island and he didn’t want to see that taken from her. He wanted to become a champion so that they could be champions together and show the entire SCW Universe that The Lyons Twins were the new threat and they were in fact

STRONGER TOGETHER.

_________

The cameras flicker to life in a dimly lit vague location, indistinct but clearly intentionally so. It is here that Vincent Lyons Jr stands with an unreadable expression but I sharp full of focus and something Kevin Carter would be a fool to dismiss

“Kevin Carter listen up.” Vincent began “You said your words would fall on deaf ears, but I promise I heard each and every word. I can tell you've already decided I'm nothing more than an afterthought, but I'm here to tell you the reality you clearly refuse to face reality that this match will change everything."

His eyes never leave the camera lens as he takes a slow step forward.

“For the last month and a half or so you've been spreading around like winning that Championship has made you untouchable” said Vincent “But you and I both know it only takes one moment for everything to change. One moment for someone to climb a ladder grab a belt and make the story their own.”

He pauses shortly for effect.

“I'm not the type of guy who waits for the world to hand him glory.” Vincent said “I'm not going to live in the shadow of what my cousin or my sister have done here. I'm here to carve my own path and prove that I am a contender and I am the future of SCW.

He exhales heavily.

“I'm no fool Kevin. I know what you're capable of.” said Vincent “I know the tricks you use. The mind games you've played, the braggadocio that fills every corner of your persona. You talk about your words falling on my deaf ears, but I have to wonder with how dismissive you were of me are you going to listen to anything I have to say?"

He pauses again just for a moment.

“But if you are listening you need to get ready Kevin.” Vincent continued “Get ready for the moment when I climb that ladder rung after run leaving behind every fake assurance you've clung to. Get ready for the moment when I snatch that belt away and raise it high for the world to see, the moment when your reign ends as quickly as it began, replaced by a champion who refused to be underestimated and wasn't satisfied with mediocrity.

He takes a deep breath his eyes narrowing as if he's watching the scene unfold before his eyes.

“Your time as champion ends soon Kevin.” Vincent said “Not even because I'm more talented, but because fate intervened and you underestimated me. You underestimated the hunger I have inside and the fire that refuses to die out. The will that will push me to fight even with the odds stacked against me.”

He lets the words linger in the air for a moment.

“If you listen to anything Kevin.” Vincent said “Listen to the sound of your impending downfall because when I reach the top and the belt is mine there won't be a moment for regrets or excuses it will only be the cold hard truth that Vincent Lyons Jr claimed what was always meant to be his and your so-called supremacy will be nothing more than a memory of a time when you believed yourself invincible.”

He takes a few calculated steps forward.

“So be prepared Kevin Carter.” Vincent said “Be prepared for the fall you never saw coming. The ladder awaits and so does your reckoning. When I'm done your name will be remembered as a cautionary tale, a man who was overthrown by the relentless force of ambition and when that title is finally mine the world will see I knew standard of true champion."

The screen darkens as Vincent keeps his eyes intently on the camera.

“You should have never underestimated me Kevin.” Vincent said “You have nobody to blame but yourself for what happens at Blaze Of Glory when your reign ends just as fast as it began.”

And then darkness.

Victoria was leaning against one of the walls of the Lyon's Den. Vincent could feel her gaze upon him as her words drifted into his ears, and he listened well  as this was his sister, his Queen and he wasn't looking to let her down. He wasn't Eddie Lyons, his self-righteous holier-than-thou cousin. He could be just as sick has his sister and it was time for scw to prepare for double trouble as it was time for the primal prince of the Lyons family to make his singles debut in Sin City Wrestling.[/i]

“You know how important this is Vin.” Victoria said her voice calculating “You win this match you get a shot at, Kevin Carter and the Internet Championship. A chance to follow in my footsteps and become a champion almost as soon as you arrived.”

“Just like my queen.” said Vincent

“Yes exactly!” said Victoria “As my twin, you can be just as dominating as I am. Justin Smith is….well Justin Smith. Daniel Morgan could be something of a wild card, but you're Vincent Lyons Jr, you are the Primal Prince Of The Lions Den and you will show both of them no mercy. Then you'll go on to show Kevin Carter that you are everything he wanted Eddie to be back when he was under a mask as The Entity.”

“Be careful what you wish for Kevin.” said Vincent with a smirk.

“Yes!” said Victoria “Now it's coming to him in a different form. One more dangerous than Eddie ever will be, unless he chooses to do away with his precious honor.”

“A foolish notion.“ said Vincent shaking his head.

“But you are no fool are you Vin?” said Victoria, “You're going to show them that you're not just my twin, that you're your own man, you're a fighter, a survivor, and you belong in SCW.”

She was right as usual he did want to be his own man and she was here supporting him to become that he knew wouldn't be easy but he had survived worse.

“You got this Vincent.” said Victoria, “This this is our life now and we will show that alone or together The Lyons Twins are….

He could still hear her but he could also feel his mind drifting remembering. Her voice began to fade.


“Vincent? Are you listening?” she said

The smell of salt water…

“Vin?” Victoria's voice faded further.

Cold air…A storm on the horizon…

“Vincent!?”

But he was gone, lost in a memory as the locker room and Victoria faded and his past swallowed him whole.

-Sometime Last Summer.-

The wind cut through Vincent's hair like a blade as the icy air of the Bearing Sea stung his face from his post on the bow of the boat. Despite the cold he was actually feeling relaxed. He had been on this boat trip for a few weeks now with his friend and he felt free, no expectations from his family, no wrestling just him the open seas and Charlie.

Charlie, who he had known since high school and was one of his good friends, had studied Nautical Science and taken courses on sailing. Charlie sat at the helm, keeping his hand steady on the wheel while keeping his focus steady.

“So you think this whole escape from the family and find yourself thing is going to work for you Vinny?” Charlie asked.

“Maybe man…” Vincent said with a shrug “I don't know. I just know that I needed something different, Char. No legacy, no rings, no wrestling, no Victoria. Just the open seas and whatever we can find.”

“I hope you find whatever it is you're looking for.” said Charlie “Just bear tight, winds are getting a little tight here this is the Bering Sea not the nicest in the world.”

“Everything okay?” Vincent asked.

“I think so…” said Charlie “But the winds are picking up, I don't think it'll be a full storm, might be a squall.”

“Squall?” Vincent asked “Like in Final Fantasy?”

Charlie shook his head with a slight laugh “No, it's more of a quick nasty mini storm still definitely not fun.”

As soon as Charlie finished speaking a hard gust of wind rocked the boat sending Vincent falling backwards.

“Shit this isn't good! Grab hold of something!!..." Charlie shouted.

Vincent got back to his feet and before he could find something to grab and secure his balance there was a sickening crack and the boat shuttered violently as it started to tilt to one side.

“Vincent, hold on!!” Charlie shouted.

The boat jerked again in a large wave crashed on the top rushing over the deck and knocking Vincent into the side of the boat head first.

He started to fade as he saw another wave come down and then darkness.

……


“Vincent? Hello? Hello?” He could hear Victoria's voice again, he was back.

“Victoria?” he muttered.

"Vincent? What happened? You went blank there for a minute…” Victoria asked.

“Vivid memory…” Vincent said “Reliving in my mind.”

“You going to be okay brother?” Victoria asked some actual genuine concern in her voice for once.

“Will be fine…” Vincent said “Understand goal. Become Internet champion. Will punish Justin Smith. Will punish Daniel Morgan.”

“Yes Vincent.” said Victoria "And your queen will be right here by your side to guide you proper.”

“Cameras...” said Vincent. “Want to talk to cameras.”

“Of course. Time to let them know who you are from your own mouth.” said Victoria with a grin.

__________

The camera flickers to life in a dimly lit room where Vincent Lyons Jr and Bombshell Roulette Champion Victoria Lyons, his twin sister, stand side by side. After a few moments it's Victoria who speaks first.

“Peons of my queendom.” Victoria said with a smirk “The time has come for further growth of The Lyon's Den in SCW. You see Eddie Lyons is going to continue to be a failure. Eddie Lyons thinks he can win the elimination chamber and go on to become the world champion but we all know that's not going to happen.”

She pauses for a moment.

“But there is another." she said “One who understands how to get the job done. One who is willing to do whatever it takes to become a champion. One who has a mind exactly like mine because he is my twin, Vincent Lyons Jr and he, as I did will become  a champion very quickly after his arrival.”

She looks over at her brother with a proud expression.

“But I suppose you don't need to hear from me, you want to hear from him.” she said, “So Vincent go ahead tell them what's on your mind.”

Vincent looks to his sister with a nod and turns back to the camera after a heavy exhale begins speaking.

“Justin Smith.. Daniel Morgan” Vincent said "You think you know what it means to be tough to be strong but all I see are empty shells pretending to be something they're not.”

He keeps a scowl on his face as he speaks.

“Look at you Justin…” said Vincent, "You like to talk a big game about what a tough guy you are. But are you really such a tough guy when you have your ass handed to you time and time again by literally everybody? Do you know the things that I've had to endure to still be here?"

Vincent pauses and starts shaking a little bit.

“Charlie went up the hill….Charlie fell down the hill… Charlie went up the hill… Charlie fell down the hill..”[/color] Vincent starts repeating.

Victoria steps forward and rests her hand on his shoulder giving him an authoritative look with another deep breath he exhales and begins speaking again.

“I had to survive.” said Vincent “I had to survive in a situation that would have broken a man like you. Instead it made me stronger and you and the rest of these low lives that have been disrespecting my sister will pay.”

He still keeps that scowl on his face.

“And what about you Daniel Morgan?” said Vincent “You walk around with a smug attitude with this aura like you're better than everybody but you're not and I will show the world just how fallible you are. I am going to win this match and I am going on to face Kevin Carter where I will become the internet champion.”

He looks over at Victoria who nods back in him in approval.

“I have endured things that neither of you could have ever survived.” said Vincent “But I did because I'm a Lyons and now I'm here. I'm here to fight, fight with my sister, fight for my sister. I must repent for abandoning her. bad brother bad brother bad brother bad brother bad brother bad brother bad brother bad brother….”

Vincent starts repeating himself again until Victoria rests the hand on his shoulder once more calming him down.

“We are twins…” said Vincent “Supposed to be a team. But I was selfish and sought my own needs, while she carried the weight for both of us here for almost a year now no support from our good for nothing cousin. I promise you if we had become the mixed tag team champions, we would still be the mixed tag team champions.”

He looks to Victoria who gives him a signal to continue.

“But no more.” said Vincent “The Lyons Twins are back together and soon we will both be champions and I will make amends for being a bad brother and leaving her on her own.”

He looks back with a nod and a smile at Victoria.

“The entire game is changing now.” said Vincent “Because the true male heir of the Lyons Den has arrived, the one who truly started the new generation. My sister won her championship in one of her first matches in this company and now it's not going to take her twin much longer either.”

He gives an intense glare into the camera.

“My name is Vincent Lyons Jr.” he said “And none of you are ready.”

Both Vincent and Victoria smirk into the camera and laugh arrogantly and a bit sadistically together as the scene fades to black.

__________

Vincent sat on a bench in a nearly empty Lyons Den in the early hours of the evening. He was waiting for his sister to return from the girls room when he could feel the approach of their cousin Eddie Lyons.

“Surprised to catch you alone.” Eddie said

“Victoria is in the bathroom.” Vincent replied not looking Eddie in the eyes.

“You don't have to do this you know.” Eddie said “Let her sink her claws in, you know what she's doing, controlling you, twisting you into something…”

“....She is helping me!” Vincent snapped, interrupting Eddie now intensely looking into his eyes, “You saw our debut. I won, and I did it under her guidance.”

“Helping you?” said Eddie, "Do you really believe that? I think deep down you know she's using you but you don't want to admit it.”

“What do you know about it?" said Vincent “You don't know anything about what I've been through. What I had to endure on that island, but she understands, she's teaching me to use it to make myself stronger than I ever was before.”

“Listen to yourself!” said Eddie, "This isn't you. I used to look up to you, you know. You were the strong one, the leader of all of us that was supposed to lead the Lyons Den in the next generation,  but now you become nothing more than her puppet.”

“I owe this to her.”  Vincent said “Because I abandoned her for my own selfish needs. I should have been here all this time by her side, maybe if I was, then her and I would be the tag team champions and not have lost it like you did.”

Vincent starts to shake his head.

“Bad brother bad brother bad brother bad brother bad brother bad brother bad brother bad brother.” Vincent repeats.

“Vincent…” Eddie said “Are you sure you're okay?”

Before Vincent could reply Victoria's voice cut through

“He's perfectly fine.” Victoria said stomping up to them. “You need to mind your own business Eddie.”

“I was just telling him the truth.” said Eddie, shifting a slight gaze at Vincent.

“Your truth maybe." said Victoria “But Vincent and I have our own truth and it doesn't involve you.”

“He's more than just your attack dog Victoria.” said Eddie

“I'm nobody's attack dog.” Vincent interjected himself “I make my own choices.”

“Exactly.” said Victoria running her fingers along Vincent's shoulder “Come along brother we're done here.”

Victoria pushed past Eddie heading for the exit of the Lion's Den. Eddie said nothing, only looking into Vincent's eyes with a knowing look.

“Vincent! Let's go!” Victoria said more sternly.

Vincent pushed past Eddie who simply shook his head as he watched Vincent follow Victoria out the doors of The Lyons Den.

__________

The camera flickers to life with a close, tight shot of Vincent Lyons Jr's face barely illuminated by light. With a tilt of the head and a blinking of the eyes he begins speaking.

“SCW are you watching? Are you paying attention?” he began keeping a gaze on the camera. “Are you prepared?”

He pauses as though waiting for a response.

“No you are not.” he said. “I hear The whispers, oh he's Victoria's lapdog. Nothing but her shadow. And that's where they would be wrong.”

He smirks, with a slight twitch in the corner of his mouth as though there's something caged beneath the surface.

“I follow nobody. I bow to nobody.” said Vincent “What I do is protect. Victoria is my sister, my twin and I left her alone when I should have been by her side.”

He starts to shake his head violently.

“Bad brother bad brother bad brother bad brother bad brother bad brother.” he repeats before smacking himself on the head a few times.

“She was left to deal with fools and liars. Weak men who spoke her name with no fear.” he said “But that time is over. She has handled herself among the so-called ladies in this company that disrespect her, but the men? That's where I have to step in.”

His smirk turns into a scowl as he glares into the camera.

“Those who have spoken against her, doubted her, those who have disrespected her, they will learn and they will regret every word they said.” Vincent continued.

He lets out a sharp exhale.

“Daniel and Justin.” he continued "You both are just in the wrong place at the wrong time because while there's others I might be more angry at than the two of you you stand in the way of my own personal destiny.”

He pauses and his eyes seem to darken as he continues.

“See I intend to be a champion as I stand beside my sister.” he continued “Both of us as champions and I don't care who have to go through. I will deal with the two of you and then I will go on to take care of Kevin Carter.”

He exhales sharply again.

“Kevin who is probably one of the more tolerable people in this company is also an unfortunate position.” [/color]said Vincent "But at least he's going to get out of me what he never could out of my good for nothing cousin Eddie.”

He pauses again keeping a look of instability on the camera.

“Eddie who should have been the one having her back in my absence.” Vincent continued “Instead he chose to join the hecklers and even failed her as a tag team partner. Simply despicable.”

He shakes his head in disgust.

"But all that changes now" said Vincent "Because Victoria she's great on her own but now the Lions twins together well that's going to spell trouble for everybody and if you don't believe us just ask LJ Kasey and Alexandra Calaway.”

His smirk appears more arrogant now.

“So forgive me Justin and Daniel.” he continued “But you two are going to just be simple casualties of war. A message as to what's coming to all the weak men who have been disrespectful to my sister knowing she can do nothing about it.”

There's a sort of primal look in his eyes as he pauses for a moment.

“SCW is about to see something new.” Vincent continued on “Something raw, something primal. You've seen men fight and you've seen men bleed, but what happens when the fight is not about the victory but about the hunt?”

He grins.

“I will tear through Daniel Morgan and I will break Justin Smith.” Vincent continued “And then I will go on to Blaze of Glory and take the Internet Championship away from Kevin Carter.”

He pauses again a little longer more deliberately.

“SCW watch closely," he continued “Because when I'm done and I stand over the bodies of those who thought they could stop me, you will all understand, and you will all realize you are not prepared, because nothing could prepare you for the Primal Prince of SCW.”

The camera lingers on him laughing sadistically and then…

static.