Mercedes's Answering Machine: Hi! I'm not available to take your call right now because I'm walking the Appalachian Trail. You took the time to call and hopefully in this lifetime, someone will take the time to call you back. For English, please press one. Para español, oprima dos ahora. For all other languages, please consult with a translator....Are you still there? Please listen carefully as our menu has changed: If you are calling to collect a student loan, gambling debt, or other obligation, please press 1 and hang up now. If you are selling any product or service, or requesting charitable donations, please press 2 and hang up now. Otherwise, please press 3 and leave a message after the beep. Thank you, and have a nice day.
“You have four messages--Miss Vargas, it’s been two months and we still haven’t received payment for your--Press three to delete this message--Bleeeepp--Message deleted.”
“Hey, Mr. Word Smith here with your word of the day: Alleviate. Alleviate the headache today by--Press three to delete th--Bleeeepp--Message deleted.”
“YO, MIRANDA, PICK UP THE FU--Press three to del--Bleeeepp--Message deleted.”
“Hey, this is Haiver Santos calling again. You're always welcome to do that commercial sh-Press thr--Bleeeepp--Message deleted.”
We open inside Mercedes's apartment. She is sitting nearby her answering machine having listend to it. She was both annoyed and amused at this. The phone rings and she reaches to answer, but thinks better it and lets the machine pick it up.
Mercedes's Answering Machine: Hi! I'm not available to take your call right now because I'm hiking the Appalachian Trail. You took the time to call and hopefully in this lifetime, someone will take the time to call you back. For English, please press one. Para español, oprima dos ahora. For all other languages, please consult with a translator....Are you still there? Please listen carefully as our menu has changed: If you are calling to collect a student loan, gambling debt, or other obligation, please press 1 and hang up now. If you are selling any product or service, or requesting charitable donations, please press 2 and hang up now. Otherwise, please press 3 and leave a message after the beep. Thank you, and have a nice day.
“Really? Hiking the Appalachians? Last week it was swimming the English Channel.”
“What can I say? I'm a globetrotter.”
“Anyway, it's Carmen. Just wanted to let you know I got your other flight booked for Oakland..."
“Ugh, I knew I was forgetting something this weekend!”
.”..and it's at a house show the same night as your other match in Las Vegas.”
“Great. Now I can get jetlag to go.”
“Let me know if you have any problems between now and Sunday, OK?”
“What are the chances?”
“...And try not to get into trouble.”
“Trouble? Me? Pshaw.”
_______≈₪≈______
Scene opens up outside of a local diner where Mercedes is with two guys sitting opposite her on the chair. She is wearing a psychic hat with a crystal ball between them on a table.
Greg: So are they going to win? Does Melo make the shot?
Dave: I don't know, man. I don't know.
Mercedes: Give me your hand.
Greg does as Mercedes traces in the palm.
Mercedes: Yes...The Force is strong with this one... I see terrible things in your future. You will get into an argument with your wife and...
Greg: And what? AND WHAT!?!
Mercedes: And you will be sleeping on the couch tonight.
Dave: Wait, you're married?
Sports Fan # 1 answers his buddy without even taking his eyes at the fortune teller.
Greg: Yeah.
Dave: What about the Knicks game? They're going to win tonight?
She peers into the crystal ball and begins waxing and moaning, giving a premonition before looking up at him matter-of-factly
Mercedes: 115. Hmm...I see Melo being Melo, but the Knicks lose. Sorry.
Dave: Damn it. And I had money riding on them.
Greg: She's never wrong.
The sports fan promptly take their leave as Mercedes picks up a stack of fifty-dollar bills.
Mercedes: That's another 500 dollars in my pocket. And the Mercedes Vargas train moves on.[/color]
Mercedes smiles.
Mercedes: Two time and current Bombshell Roulette Champion, still the only Bombshell to have never been pinned or submitted in an SCW ring, and once again adding another successful victory over Amy Marshall.
You didn't need to read tea leaves or gaze through a crystal ball in hopes of that happening.
Mercedes: Still, I have to hand it to Amy. She was determined. She fought like her little heart depended on it, she fought like her title depended on it, which it was, and she had the fans at the edge of their seats. You couldn't have asked for a better match between the two of us. Although history is the teacher, and I wrote the book. And the latest chapter had me winning – as usual.
The Powderpuff Hardcore match was unique, innovating, perhaps a big controversial in nature, but that was the nature of the topsy-turvy world of the Roulette Division where anything goes and everything is possible. Despite how she personally felt about the match stipulation, Mercedes only cared about the title she now claimed for the second time.
Mercedes: Well, it's another weekend, another match, and another opponent to look forward to. Well, two opponents, to look forward to. I did say I was looking for tougher challenges and seems as if I have quite the main event set for Climax Control. Me and the SCW Bombshell Champion herself, Gothika, against Traci Patterson and Necra Octavian Kane. Sounds like a great way to spend a Sunday night in Vegas.
She shrugs.
Mercedes: It seems as if this match is one little perfect circle. I've teamed with both Gothika and Necra. I've already own a singles match victory over Traci. Traci and Necra have also teamed before. And Gothika and Necra have never faced each other before, at least to my knowledge. And that's what makes this match so entertaining. We're all former or current champions, outside of Buff Barbie, and I think we want to improve our rankings among the Bombshells.
"I know it's 2014, but the more things change, the more they stay the same. I can't really change Necra's opinion of me, but then why would I want to? If her team loses on Sunday, and if she is the unfortunate one to get pinned, I wonder what she would say then? I think I would want to test that theory in our match. Traci is probably giddy with excitement, knowing that she's going to be in her first main event – of course, I've already been in three, including this one, but hey, I can't help but be proud of her. Does that mean she's going to be successful? Not if Gothika and I have anything to say about it, but a girl can dream, right?
"You know, for all the flak Gothika gets about whether she's a vampire or not, is it really warranted? I mean, she is popular with the crowd and she's a big hit at blood drives. How can you not see this? I've been lucky that she saved my neck out there the first time we we partners, though I'm not so sure about saving my neck for feeding time. No, that just won't be. My neck is fine, thank you. Oh, I'm getting off topic.
Anyway, Sunday night, Climax Control 73, Tryst Nightclub, Las Vegas, Nevada. I think we all know our past, but Necra, Traci, allow me to gaze into the future and show you what you both will be in for in less than forty-eight hours."
Mercedes closes her eyes and begins waxing over the crystal ball.
Mercedes: I see Necra Octavian Kane, I see Traci Patterson...Good news, you both are still the number one contenders for the Bombshell and Bombshell Roulette Championships, respectively...but it's getting a little foggy... (shakes the crystal ball) Ah, there it is, clear as day...
Mercedes snaps up from her premonition, a wide grin on her face.
Mercedes: "Your outlooks, yeah, they don't look so good..."
Fade.
