{The scene opens inside the Hero’s guild HQ. Roxi has been summoned to appear, and she is dressed in her costume, walking through the facility until she reaches the raised platform, and the tribunal area, where she enters. Seated above her, is Captain Freedom, one of the heroes in charge.} Roxi – You wanted to see me, sir?
Captain Freedom looks down at Roxi as shuffles through some papers in front of him.
Captain Freedom – Lady Bedlam, you have served this planet and its people will in your time as a hero. You along with Lady Kat have participated in many battles over your years of service, all while keeping our bond with the people of the world as strong as it was before your arrival.
Roxi – Thank you, sir.
Captain Freedom – We know that the battle against the forces of evil and those who would do harm to this planet and its people is a continuous battle and appears to be never ending. As that is the case, you, as well as others who have served for a number of years, understand how difficult it is to maintain numbers. So, we have added another group of trainees recently to our ranks.
Roxi – Good thinking, sir.
Captain Freedom – And as one of our most trusted members, we have assigned one of the trainees to you.
{Roxi sighs, but nods.} Roxi – Yes, sir.
Captain Freedom – His file is on the table beside you, and he is waiting for you to begin his training.
Roxi – Yes sir.
Captain Freedom – We know you will do very well in training him.
Roxi – Thank you, sir.
Captain Freedom – That will be all. Good luck.
Roxi – Yes, sir.
{Roxi turns and picks up the file, and proceeds to open it and gives it a look. She nods and walks out of the tribunal hall and down towards the training grounds. Roxi views most of the folks in training, practicing using their powers or improving their skills. However, this is one of the trainees who is off to the side, not training, Roxi looks up, and wouldn’t you know, it’s the same person she has to train.} Roxi – You must be Cypher.
{Cypher looks up, his expression changes to one of a smile and apprehension.} Cypher – Yes.
Roxi – Hello, I’m Lady Bedlam, I’ll -
Cypher – Oh wow! Lady Bedlam, you’re in a lot of the articles we read.
Roxi – Great. I’m here to help train you. I see that you’ve been approved for some field work.
Cypher – Yes ma’am.
Roxi – Alright...
{Roxi looks Cypher up and down at a quick glance.} Cypher – Yes?
Roxi – Is that your costume?
Cypher – Oh, yes.
Roxi – And you’re not training right now.
Cypher – Oh, uh, no. My skills really are mental vs physical.
Roxi – Then... how do you expect to fight crime?
Cypher – I can hold my own in a fight, but that’s not primarily what I do.
Roxi – Right. I’m looking at your file and you seem to have a lot of skills.
Cypher – Yes, ma’am. I am fluent in well over 6,000 languages and dialects. I am able to hack into any security or defense system in the world. Plus, I’m able to shape shift, so... I don’t really need a costume. Most of the damage I can do is on the stealthy side, so I don’t really need to wear a costume most of the time.
Roxi – Impressive.
{Cypher demonstrates his power by shape shifting into Roxi’s Lady Bedlam persona.} Cypher – See? It’s that easy.
Roxi – Yeah, I see.
{Cypher quickly shifts back.} Cypher – So, really, infiltration is what I do. You know, controlling information and getting back to the heavy hitters. At least, that’s what the guild sees me doing.
Roxi – You can be a valuable asset no doubt about that. Did the guild assign you a place to stay?
Cypher – Yes ma’am. I have a temporary apartment in your sector for training. Once my evaluation is complete, I will be reassigned.
Roxi – Good. So, I want you to meet me later tonight for a patrol.
Cypher – Yes ma’am. It’s a date! Err... I’m sorry.
Roxi – It’s fine. Tell you what, I’ll meet you. I have the address here, and we’ll go out on a patrol, and get you used to the city.
Cypher – No problem. I will go home and download the map of the city to my system.
Roxi – Wait... are you like... part robot?
Cypher – Oh, ha. No. I was born a little different obviously. I have the ability to memorize things very quickly. So, I can usually find my way around place very easily once I see them.
Roxi – Also impressive. I will meet you, and we’ll get to know everything. It should be a quiet night, but, if for some reason there is an issue, as a trainer, I will advise you on any actions.
Cypher – Yes... yes ma’am.
{Roxi smiles and sticks out her hand and Cypher shakes it.} Roxi – Good.
Cypher – I look forward to working with you, it’ll be an honor and privledge.
Roxi – Thank you, but let’s stay focused on the task at hand, okay?
Cypher – Oh... yes... yes ma’am.
Roxi – Great. 11pm, I’ll be there.
Cypher – Looking forward to it.
{The handshake breaks and Roxi turns and heads back home, not exactly thrilled about what she has to do, but still pretty upbeat about it.}
{Having returned home, Roxi is now seated on the couch watching television and looking at her phone. Keira exits a room and heads into the living room, plopping herself down on the couch and stretching.} Roxi – Rough day?
Keira – It’s exhausting sometimes just even watching stuff, but I’m getting close.
Roxi – I see. Well, just keep focused.
Keira – I will. What about you and Andrea?
Roxi – I’m working on it. I just have to deal with other stuff right now.
Keira – What stuff?
Roxi – They assigned me a new recruit to train.
Keira – Oh. Wait, you mean like you did me?
Roxi – Yes, It happens from time to time. We need all the help we can get.
Keira – So... is she cute?
Roxi – Well, it’s guy, so I don’t think you’d be interested.
Keira – Oh. Well last time it was a girl.
Roxi – Yes, and last time you got jealous and fought with her the whole time, and it really didn’t go so well. That wasn’t good, and that’s probably why you’re not training people.
Keira – I can train people. I know I can.
Roxi – Look, it’s not a big deal, I was just joking. The point is, I’ve got this guy to train and so I need you on standby if anything goes wrong. It shouldn’t, but you know, so 75-foot monster shows up, I might need some help.
Keira – You know you can count on me. I will always be there if you need me.
Roxi – I know. I’m just saying that my attention needs to be focused on him for right now.
Keira – I see, you’re leaving me after all this time... Well, I guess it’s all over.
{Roxi sarcastically laughs and shakes her head.} Roxi – Har har, very funny. You know I didn’t mean it like that. Knock it off and quit being dramatic.
Keira – No, it’s the end of the world!
Roxi – You know we stopped that. Twice by my count.
Keira – We did. We really did.
Roxi – Anyway, I'm doing this training and it’s going to take up some time. I was just letting you know.
Keira – Right, I get it. But are you going to be able to focus on Andrea, that’s more important to me than dealing with a trainee.
Roxi – Andrea is... a problem, I’m aware of that. I’m not discounting her by any stretch of the imagination. I just have this thrown in my lap right now, but trust me, I will make time for Andrea.
Keira – Alright, just making sure.
Roxi – Don’t worry about it.
{Keira sits up and leans forward, before turning back to Roxi.} Keira – So, what’s he like?
Roxi – He’s... he’s a kid, really. He seemed almost starstruck.
Keira – Well, you have been a superhero for a long time.
Roxi – Yeah, I guess. I’m meeting him tonight for a patrol.
Keira – Now you’re going on a date?!! What is this?!
{Roxi just rolls her eyes.} Roxi – It’s not like that, and you that.
Keira – I’m watching you, Roxi Johnson.
Roxi – I’m sure you are. You just keep your focus, champ.
Keira – Oh, I will. You just don’t forget about Andrea.
Roxi – I won’t. She’s been on my mind since she hit me in the back of the head with a mug.
Keira – And you need to kick her ass for that.
Roxi – Oh, I plan on it.
Keira – Why is she so obsessed with you anyway?
Roxi – Because... I was her hero.
Keira – Oh.
{Keira says nothing for a moment to let it sink in.} Roxi – And in a way, part of me understands.
Keira – Yeah... that’s... that’s crazy.
Roxi – I understand about having a hero in your life and what they mean to people. Whether it’s sports or whatever. It makes sense. Someone to look up to, and I feel like... I don’t know, maybe I did let her down.
Keira – Well, somewhere along the line you did, but then again, I’m sure you aren’t the only one who let her down.
Roxi – Probably not. But it still hurts.
Keira – I know.
Roxi – Anyway, I’m... gonna make some dinner. It’ll be ready soon.
Keira – Roxi?
Roxi – Yeah?
Keira – It’s not your fault. You explained it to me a long time ago, you can’t be everything, and you can’t save everyone. No matter how hard you try. Don’t spend all your time wondering what could have been and how things could have been different. The reality is we can’t change it.
Roxi – I know that, but it doesn’t make it any less painful. To have someone look up to you and idolize you and then lose that over something that you did or didn’t do is painful to sit through. I don’t want to lose fans and friends. I feel like I let too many people down as it is.
Keira – You don’t. Trust me. You go above and beyond almost all the time, no matter who it is. Maybe at the end of the day, no matter what you did or didn’t do, Karen would have hated you. Karen’s hate everything when it doesn’t go their way. Come on, you watch enough youtube videos to know that about them.
{Roxi shakes her head.} Roxi – This isn’t a Karen situation, Keira. Sure, she’s complaining about everyone and everything, but with me, this is a personal thing. In her mind, I hurt her, and so, she’s decided to hurt me back.
Keira – But you didn’t.
Roxi – In her mind... I did.
Keira – No, I’m not going to let you think about it like that. Listen, She’s mad at everyone, she’s mad at everything. She’s just jealous. She’s jealous of you. Because you are where she wants to be. That’s it. Don’t let her manipulate you into thinking that this is your fault. Because it’s not. It is not, Roxi.
Roxi – Okay, it’s not.
Keira – No, say it like you mean it. It’s not your fault.
Roxi – It’s not my fault.
Keira – Thank you.
{Roxi sighs and nods, heading into the kitchen to begins to make dinner as the scene fades.}
{We are now at the temporary apartment set up for Cypher, Roxi is in costume and appears at his front door, She goes to knock but the door is opened by a woman, standing and smiling at Roxi.} Woman – Um... can I... help you?
Roxi – I'm sorry I...
{Roxi then stops, looking around the area and feeling the energy of the surroundings. She turns back to the woman.} Roxi – Good try, Cypher.
{The woman smiles again, and walks into the apartment and quickly shape shifts back to his normal form.} Cypher – Really? Was it good?
Roxi – It would have fooled me if I couldn’t sense your energy.
Cypher – Hmm... I’ll have to remember that.
Roxi – Anyway, are you ready?
Cypher – Yes, ma’am. I am. Though I do have a question.
Roxi – Okay, what is it?
Cypher – I’ve been thinking on taking on a new name.
Roxi – Okay?
Cypher – I mean, Cypher sounds great and all, but It doesn’t have the ring like a “Lady Bedlam” does. You know? It needs pizzaz! It needs some umph.
Roxi – And you came up with a new name?
Cypher – Yes... The Human Cypher! What do you think?
Roxi – Uh..
Cypher – You don’t like it? Please tell me you like it.
{Roxi shrugs, unable to lie to Cypher} Roxi – The Human Cypher is a bit much. That’s overkill. You don’t want overkill. Besides, who’s really going to call your name? I mean, most I ever get it is “you” or “her” or “bitch” or whatever, but nobody really says “I’ll get you Lady Bedlam” before, during, or after a battle.
{Cypher frowns, clearly upset.} Cypher – You hate it.
Roxi – No, I don’t hate it. I just think it’s a bit much. Look, if you want to change your name to the Human Cypher, you go ahead.
Cypher – No... no it’s fine. My ideas have been rejected plenty of times before.
Roxi – Listen, Cypher, Human Chyper, it’s fine. I didn’t mean to stomp all over the idea, any idea you have is fine with me. Okay?
Cypher – Very well. I guess... we should be going?
Roxi – Yes, You can’t... fly, right?
Cypher – Um...no.
Roxi – Alright, just hold on.
Cypher – Sure. I’m sure given your super strength and flying abilities you should be able to do this without an issue.
Roxi – That’s the idea.
{Roxi takes Cypher around the waist, and lifts him up with her as she takes flight, carrying him with little trouble as he looks around the city from a birds eye view.} Cypher – This must be amazing to look at every day.
Roxi – It’s not so bad, I suppose.
Cypher – What? I mean, you can look down at the entire city from here.
Roxi – Yes, I mean, I don’t ever get tired of it, it’s great, but sadly I get so busy sometimes I forget to really notice it.
Cypher – I guess that’s true. Big, important hero like yourself get caught up.
Roxi – It’s... it’s not that I’m too important, it’s just I have to focus on other things.
Cypher – Oh, no... I just meant... I’m sorry, I wasn’t trying to be argumentative.
Roxi – It’s fine.
Cypher – I just... I’m curious is all. I really want to know how a true hero works.
Roxi – Well, that’s what training is for.
Cypher – Oh, yes, right.
Roxi – Okay, hang on.
{Roxi continues to fly, landing on the roof of a building and looking around to make sure the coast is clear, and then using her wrist communicator to call in.} Roxi – You around Vision?
Vision – Of course.
Roxi – I've got a trainee with me for a little bit, so... try not to send us the end of the world, please?
Vision – You got it. Starting Patrol?
Roxi – Starting now.
{Roxi ends the call and motions for Cypher to join her.} Cypher – Oh, coming.
Roxi – This is the south end of the city, this place is usually quiet. There has been some activity here, but it was years ago, and hasn’t popped up since. Not saying it won’t, but it’s been quiet.
Cypher – Wow... how long ago was it?
Roxi – Probably 8 years ago.
Cypher – Wow... what happened?
Roxi – Oh goodness, well, as you can see, there were some weird experiments going on over here. Human trafficking at times as well.
Cypher – Oh wow... must have been exciting.
Roxi – Exciting is not the word I’d use for it. It was difficult to track down, but once we found them we shut it down. There were experimenting with cloning. I’m sure you had to have read about this are part of the training.
{Cyphers nods excitedly.} Cypher – Oh yes, it’s just we only sort of get the generalized version. I find that talking to those who were there gives a great perspective and adds the lore.
Roxi – I suppose yes.
Cypher – I’m sorry, I feel like I’m making you upset.
Roxi – No, you’re fine. You’re asking questions and that’s great. I really appreciate your enthusiasm. I really do. It’s just kind of hard sometimes to get really specific with certain issues.
Cypher – Oh right.
Roxi – Look, I don’t have all the answers to every little thing, But I do want to make sure that I get you in a position to succeed. It’s nothing against you or the questions or anything you want to know. It’s a matter of what pertinent and what isn’t.
Cypher – Oh... no... I... I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to get us off track.
Roxi – You didn’t, but we need to move forward with the patrol.
Cypher – Right, right. I apologize.
Roxi – No need, let’s get going.
{Roxi ends up flying Cypher around all around to the certain points and pointing out the hot spots. Then, as she prepares to hit the next spot, she hears a familiar voice ring out.} Voice – Hop to it gentlemen!
Cypher – Whoa...
Roxi – Oh great... come on.
{Roxi leads Cypher to wear the voice came from, and looks down from the roof of a nearby building. Roxi groans as she sees a man in a black top hate, wasitcoat with tails, wearing white gloves and looking at his pocket watch. He is overseeing a group of men haul boxes} Cypher – Who in the world is that?
Roxi – Mr. Distinguished.
Cypher – I have never heard of him.
Roxi – Mostly small time. Not going to go into his history right this second because it’s complicated.
{Roxi turns and calls in to Vision.} Roxi – Vision, it might time for a time warp again.
Vision – Wow, I haven’t heard that in a long time.
Roxi – It’s Mr. Distinguished. I don’t think we really need backup on this, but the trainee is going to sit this out.
Vision – Alright.
Roxi – Just be on standby.
Vision – You got it.
{Roxi returns and looks down again at the men taking boxes out, and then back at Cypher.} Cypher – So, what’s the plan?
Roxi – I’m going to deal with this. You stay up here.
Cypher – I can be of assistance.
Roxi – It won’t take me long, just observe. If anything happens, just hit the distress button on your communicator. Don’t get involved.
Cypher – I’m sure you can handle it, but IF this gentleman is a threat, I’m sure if we work together...
Roxi – Listen, I know you’re eager to help and that’s great, but I need you to sit this one out.
Cypher – I...
Roxi – Please... I don’t want to turn this into me telling you what to do situation, but I don’t want you endangering yourself.
{Cypher nods, clearly disappointed, as Roxi turns and jumps off the roof, landing all cool in a superhero style fist on the ground landing before standing up.} Mr. Distinguished – Lady Bedlam!
Roxi – Gentlemen, I know those things don’t belong to you, so I’m only going to ask once that you put them back before things get nasty.
Mr. Distinguished – Pish posh! A dirty vamp like yourself will not stop a shiek like me. You shall not reduce me to a ragamuffin, I assure you!
Roxi – What?
Mr. Distinguished – Have at her boys! Don’t be swayed, she only wishes to stop up from acquiring the dough!
{The men drop the boxes and advance towards Roxi, who looks around, then quickly up at Cypher who is watching.} Roxi – Okay, don’t say I didn’t warn you!
{The men all charge and try and gang up on Roxi, but she is far too strong for any of them, giving her powers. She lightly tosses them all aside in a matter of seconds, immobilizing them with little to no effort.} Roxi – Now, that’s enough of that.
{Mr. Distinguish slowly attempts to back away, putting on his glasses to see where to go, before Roxi rushes him, and pins him against a wall by his lapel.} Roxi – Now, what in the world are you doing here? I sent you away a long time ago, and if you are trying anything stupid this time, you’ll go away longer.
Mr. Distinguished – Surely a tomato like yourself wouldn’t harm a man wearing cheaters! This is an outrage and you must unhand me at once.
Roxi – Did you just call me a tomato? I should punch you just for that! You want to – Gahh!
{Roxi is stunned, something that hit her like a ton of bricks, and electric shock sent up her back. A second jolt puts her on her knees groaning in pain. Behind her, a small child, also wearing a top hat and monocle, dressed similarly to Mr. Distinguished, carrying a cattle prod.} Mr. Distinguished – Excellent work, Monocle Boy! This floozy is best to be seen at a petting party to my mind!
Monocle Boy – And how!
{Mr. Distinguished kneels down as Roxi slowly starts to get up, reaching down in an attempt to unmask her, but suddenly he is grabbed from behind by one of his guards.} Guard – That's enough of that!
Monocle Boy – What are you doing?! Are you fried?!
Roxi – No, but I feel like it.
{Roxi slowly gets up and snatching the cattle prod away from Monocle Boy and then slugging Mr. Distinguished to put him down as well. Roxi then stares at the guard. She pulls out some zip ties as she cuffs up Monocle boy, who is struggling.} Roxi – I told you not to get involved.
{The guard shape-shifts, revealing himself to be Cypher.} Cypher – I saw what happened and I figured I could sneak in unnoticed.
Roxi – That's not the point. You didn’t do what I asked you to do. Look, I appreciate the help, I do. But you can’t just go jumping in without a plan like that. If there were other guards or helpers, then what? You aren’t ready to be doing things like that. Please, just... do what I ask next time, okay?
Cypher – You were in trouble. I needed to do something. They may have done worse! We caught them did we not!
Roxi – Yes, we did. Look, I’m not mad about catching the bad guys, in the end, this all worked out, but there’s nothing that says next time, or even anything after that during your training that it won’t go badly. The idea was for you to stay out of sight and let me handle it.
{Cypher frowns.} Cypher – I just wanted to help.
{Roxi finished cuffing everyone with zip ties around the hands and ankles. She nods and calls into Vision.} Roxi – We're clear here, you can send in the normal cavalry.
Vision – Got it.
Roxi - Let’s go.
{Roxi grabs Cypher and prepared to fly away to a safe distance before Mr. Distinguished wakes up.} Mr.Distinguished - I’ll get you for this Lady Bedlam! You may have escaped, but I will be back! You haven’t seen the last of Mr. Distinguished and Monocle Boy!
Monocle Boy – And how!
Roxi – Do you have any idea what any of that means?
Cypher – It appears to be English, perhaps from the ‘20’s.
Roxi – Ah, that makes sense.
{Roxi and Cypher fly up to the roof, hearing the sirens coming from the distance.} Roxi – Okay, Let me just say this now. Thank you. I didn’t see the little kid and it very well could have gotten ugly. I’m sorry if I went a little overprotective there, but you are my responsibility. If anything happens to you, I’m responsible. I have enough blood and bad things on my hands and I do not want to lose you. You are valuable as a person first and foremost, and as an asset to the Guild second.
Cypher – I... I understand. I was just trying to help, If that was wrong, then I won’t do it anymore.
Roxi – Wrong isn’t the word, it was way too risky, especially for a rookie.
Cypher – But, Ms. Bedlam, when you were a rookie, did you not make the same mistakes?
{Roxi sighs, knowing that Cypher was correct.} Roxi – Yeah, I did. I rushed in head-first into a lot of dumb situations and I’m frankly lucky to be alive. And I learned from them. I made my best attempts not to re-create those situations in the future. So, in this instance, I suppose I can mark you down for some hands-on training.
Cypher – Well, it was a pleasure to work alongside the great Lady Bedlam, A true hero. I must say, you were incredible down there, you moved so fast and effortlessly. It was almost faster than the human eye!
Roxi – Yes, I am fast, but I also had a plan moving forward to draw them out. So, I do owe you one for saving my bacon there. That cattle prod packed a lot more power than I thought.
Cypher – It looked to be the highest quality from my view.
Roxi – Anyway, just... listen and keep your eyes open and don’t rush in next time. Not all that we are going to encounter are as bumbling as Mr. Distinguished was. In the future, the people we face will be far more organzied.
Cypher – Yes ma’am.
Roxi – Well, I think that’s enough excitement for one night, let’s get you back, just think about what I said.
{Roxi grabs onto Cypher and flies him back to his apartment as the scene fades.}
{Roxi returns home and slips in through the window, where she is alone. However, she makes enough noise for Keira to know she’s back and she comes upstairs and into the bedroom as Roxi is changing.} Keira – How did it go?
Roxi – About as expected. Took a little bit of a shot, but I’m okay.
Keira – What happened?
Roxi – I was attacked by Mr.Distinguished.
Keira – And he... hit you?
Roxi – No, it was a cattle prod.
{Roxi checks out the wound in the mirror, seeing it begin to heal slowly.} Roxi – But. The kid proved himself out there. Risky, but it paid off.
Keira – Well, at least it worked out.
Roxi – Yeah, but I’m getting hero worship vibes from him.
Keira – Uh oh, that makes 2 people now.
Roxi – Yeah, don’t remind me.
Keira – You going to be okay?
Roxi – Yeah... don’t worry. Just gotta get the reports in.
Keira – Okay.
{Keira departs as Roxi finishes changing, the whole time thinking about the parrlells between Cypher and Andrea, nodding to herself as she begins to work on the report as the scene fades one last time.}
"This world and its people are under my protection."
- Superman (Superman Confidential Vol 1 10)
Hello SCW.
Well, I will call what happened this past week, cathartic at best. I wouldn’t say I enjoyed what happened, but it was something that had to be done. Whatever Andrea Hernandez thinks about me, or about Crystal, or anyone else for that matter, she was the referee and she had a job to do and she obviously had no intention of doing it correctly. So, it had to be done otherwise we wouldn’t have gotten a winner. And while in terms of momentum I’m glad that Keira and I won, I take no pleasure in kicking Andrea in the face, but now, we can all breathe a little bit better.
However, I’m sure that it has only served to make Andrea even angrier at me, than she is now, which, at this point, I’m pretty much over it. I mean, look, I wish I could always save people in trouble or dealing with any kind of issue. I wish I could always be there, and I pride myself on doing that. But you know, I have come to realize that I just can’t be everywhere at once. And for that, yeah, I’m sorry. I wish I could. I wish that I didn’t let anyone down and I always came out on top. But I haven’t. I’ve failed many a times. I have always put far too much pressure on my own shoulders because I have always felt that is my responsibility. That is me, that is my faults, my warts so to speak. I have spent my entire life, looking out for other people. And for Andrea Hernandez, I failed.
And part of me wants to apologize for that. I wasn’t there when Andrea needed me the most. I let her down, and for that, she has sworn some of blood oath or something to curse me, and my name. Well, I mean, first she attempted to cash in on my name for some reason, and when that failed, she has now gone to the point of attacking me, and burning and destroying all her merchandise and childhood posters and whatnot, of me. On a level, I feel that. I get it, and I feel that responsibility every single day. It hurts to be looked at as some kind of phony or fraud because one time or another, you’ve slipped up. I pride myself of how much I can help, and in this moment, yes, I’m sorry I wasn’t there.
And on the other hand, communication is and always has been a two-way street. I’m not psychic, and I don’t know every single little thing that goes on in people’s lives. I’d probably be more in “mother-mode” if I did. And nobody wants that. I do the best I can do, but if I don’t know there’s a problem, Its rather difficult for me to try and fix it. Anyone in any kind of service business understands this. I can’t fix a problem if I don’t know what it is. I am saddened by the fact that Andrea had a parent pass away. I feel bad about that, and I understand that the grief one feels in that situation is tremendous. I’m not trying to blame Andrea for anything on this issue, but I will not sit here and be told because I didn’t jump to Andrea’s side and spend all the time I could, trying to console her that somehow, I am to blame for Andrea’s attitude change.
Loss effects all of us differently. We all deal with pain differently, and I know that nobody should have to suffer in silence. But it is my understanding that people did reach out to Andrea. And after all of that, it’s my fault, because I personally didn’t reach out to her. And to be fair, I probably should have, but again, I have to know what happening. I not the type of person who wants to involve myself in every little detail of everyone’s lives. That’s rude and nobody wants someone like that. I respect boundaries. And let’s just be honest about the whole thing, Andrea and I, were competitive rivals and friendly with each other. I respected her, she respected me. So, with how I treat people, I assumed we were on friendly terms. I never said anything bad about Andrea as a wrestler, she’s phenomenal, she a former Bombshell’s champion, you don’t get there by luck. I have tried, through the confines of our competitive format, tried to tell her and give her advice about her behavior and attitude towards everyone else, but it appears now to have fallen on deaf ears. I guess at this point, there’s no need to sit here and try and sugar coat anything or try to reason with Andrea, so maybe I just wasted my breath just now, but it’s important to me that we establish that I never had hatred for Andrea, and I would have at least reached out, if I had known, or if she had done so. It’s not like people in SCW don’t have my number and can’t call or send a text or a tweet or a DM, it’s not that hard. It just makes me believe more and more, that this is another, in a long line of excuses that Andrea is now using to justify how she goes about things.
We’re reached the point now where it’s no longer a one-off thing, we’re at the point now where it has become synonymous with Andrea herself”
Blame someone else.
Yes, it’s totally my fault that a loved one of hers passes away and very few reach out to her. I am to blame for the all misfortune that happened in Andrea’s life for the past six months or so. So is Crystal, so is Seleana, so is Keira, everyone else is to blame, but Andrea. This is the kind of behavior all of us in the SCW bombshell’s division have dealt with for the past what, 6-8 months? This is the kind of thing we all teach our children when they are young, the world doesn’t revolve around you, I’m sorry that apparently Andrea didn’t get a pony for her birthday or whatever the case is, but this idea that when you lose something, you blame everyone else, but when you win, you will expect praise is just ridiculous. This goes far, far beyond what happened recently. This has been brewing for many years. I’m not a psychiatrist or anything, but I am pretty good at reading people and understanding a situation. It wasn’t JUST the death that caused all this. Andrea was a human volcano and after all that happened, she exploded. She went off and vented all her frustrations on anyone and everyone in the area. If it wasn’t Crystal, it would have been me. And now that the Crystal avenue is closed because Crystal beat her in the ring, Andrea had switched to me, seeking some sort of redemption and vindication for her actions. That all of a sudden everything will be justified by attacking me. And sadly, we have come to a point now where that’s just not going to be the case.
I am a big believer in karma and it comes back around on people for what they do to others. Andrea has a whole lot to answer for. She was so hell bent of getting to me, that she cost me the Bombshell’s championship, and in reality, we could be fighting for that very championship right now if she didn’t have tunnel vision. But she has it, and here we are now. I don’t know what Andrea expects to get from this outside of personal satisfaction, but I guess when that doesn’t happen, that will be my fault too.
Well, yes, it totally will. It will be my fault when I beat her at Inception, and I suppose driver her further down this hole that she has dug for herself. I tried my best to get through to her, but at the end of the day, as the only saying goes, some people, you just can't reach, and they will not be swayed by any argument. So, I’m not arguing about how we got here anymore. That part has long since become minute in the grand scheme of things. If Andrea wants to blame me, fine. She should be looking in the mirror at herself if she really wants someone to blame, but again, when people become convinced of something, they will go through hell and high water to make sure their point is heard.
I’ve seen all the videos and heard all the trash talk and how Andrea is taking this whole thing about never meeting your heroes to an extreme measure. The compliment I paid her when she won the championship last year, obviously meant nothing and she never meant it when she said thank you. Her behavior is a clear indicator of that. So, I don’t need to try and smooth this over again, there is no point. I will not reach Andrea, and while part of me wishes I could, the sensible part of me knows that I’m not dealing with an adult at this point. Perhaps that’s my problem in this whole thing. I expected Andrea to be an adult, and I’m clearly not dealing with one.
The hero letting her down thing? While hurtful, isn’t a result of me not caring. It’s a result of me not knowing. And that falls back to Andrea. I would have gladly offered condolences and well wishes in her time of need. If she needed to talk to someone, I would have been there, despite all the vile things she’s done in the aftermath. It’s a matter of personal responsibility, and that seems to be foreign concept to Andrea. Or, at least, she has done her best to completely mutate and toxify the meaning. When you go to such lengths as to call it a rebirth or say this is the true you, you’ve lost the plot quite a bit.
The truth is her actions are not justified by what happened to her. Her actions are the by-product of a lack of responsibility. Nobody is blaming her for anything that she can’t control. I tried to part that kind of wisdom on her as well. But again, it fell on deaf ears, as Andrea justified her hatred for everything and everyone based on the idea that nobody helped her. Again, this is the kind of thing a 5-year-old would say when they get yelled at for behaving badly. If you don’t let me get away with this, you must not love me. I already thought so, so now everything after this, I am just proving the point. And everyone knows that’s not how life works when you’re adult.
And make no mistake, Andrea should be treated like an adult, she’s old enough to vote, work, and pay taxes. She’s just behaving like a child, and it’s very sad for someone like me to see when someone has so much potential, and so much ability, to throw it all away because a bad thing happened to them. It’s making me think that the fandom may have been for show.
You see, the people who cheer for me, the people who buy posters and write me letters and send me messages, they understand inner strength, they understand that there’s going to be problems, and hard times in our lives, I am living proof. I’m not perfect, but I have tried very hard to make people believed in themselves, just as they do me. That they see through me, that all things are possible if we apply ourselves, and we don’t let those times we don’t quite get the job done that we can learn to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and keep moving forward. At the end of the day, that’s the lesson, keep going, and do not give up. If Andrea truly was a fan of mine, she would have gotten this message, but she, was at a completely different level to me, than most of my fans. She saw me, could speak to me, every single week, in person, if something was bothering her, but she didn’t, and I chalk that up to what is, and will be for some times, her defining trait:
Insecurity.
I get it, we all have them. But when you allow them to control you, you end up like Andrea, and she is what she is now. An insecure little girl, basically throwing a temper tantrum and acting like I owe her something because I wasn’t aware of an issue. This is about her coming to terms with what she has done, and how what she has done, effected how it all played out. Andrea has no one to blame for her problems but herself. I’m not downplaying death by any means, but this goes beyond that. At the end of the day, you reap what you sow, and this is a prime example of that and Andrea just can’t handle the truth, so it has become an externalized hatred towards me. Because she looked up to me, because she was a fan.
I take a great amount of pride in the fans I have. I have never taken any of them for granted. Anyone who buys anything with my picture or name on it, I greatly appreciate. Any time anyone has bought a ticket to see me, traveled from all over the world, hundreds if not thousands of miles just to see me, just to hold up a sign, that is an amazing feeling. Save for one time where I walked away from them for the wrong reasons, and they took me back, when I saw what I had become, and I swore I would never lose them again. My fans are amazing and to go somewhere and see people you don’t know cheering for you and hoping you do well is something I cherish. Andrea was one of those people, and you know what? I appreciate that. I really did. But to see what she has become and how she refuses to accept responsibility and lash out at me, and everyone else, it’s an insult to the people who cheer me.
And do you want to know what the saddest part about this is? The fact that Andrea Hernandez, as talented as she is, is making THIS her legacy. THIS is what Andrea’s story will be. She has managed to become a bit player in her own story. The story of Andrea Hernandez should not be all about how Roxi Johnson let her down, or how Crystal was never her friend. We are making the story of Andrea Hernandez. Why is this more about what other people have done, versus what Andrea hasn’t? I mean, that’s basic writing, if your main character isn’t the most interesting, maybe the story shouldn’t be about them. Maybe we need a new main character.
I don’t need it to be me. My story is long enough as it is. But Andrea has chosen to make this about me, and what I did or did not do with her. Instead of the story of how Andrea reached deep down and mustered a great deal of courage and came back stronger from a family death, it’s about how everyone failed her.
This story, is just not going to work.
I tried to make Andrea stronger before all this happened. I really did. So, at Inception, I’m going to simply going to continue the lesson that started last week. In two weeks, Andrea will understand what I’ve been trying to do the entire time and with any luck, maybe a punch or a kick in the face will knock some sense into her. I get to be the hero once again, because I get to beat up Andrea Hernadez, I guess that’s how this is working. But at this stage, I get to be a little selfish.
I’m not only going to beat her, for everyone who dislikes her, I’m going to beat her, for me.
But we’re just getting started with this. It’s a lesson in tough love and how to really be a hero.
