{The scene opens right after Roxi and Cassian’s loss at Climax Control. Roxi walks dejected, hands on hips, not saying a word to anyone as she just walks away. She almost power walks down the hallway and into the locker room, where she simply gathers her things, and leaves. She quickly teleports home, opening the door where Keira is waiting with a smile, which Roxi does not return. Keira tries to comfort Roxi but she is having none of it. Placing her bag in her room and now heading down into the basement, with Keira following her.}
Keira – Roxi, please don’t be like this.
{Roxi says nothing, entering the gravity room, standing inside as the door closes.}
Roxi: Computer, load the Diamond wall.
{The computer whizzes and soon, there is a solid wall made entirely of out of a diamond-like metal. Keira starts banging on the door.}
Keira – What are you doing? We only use the diamond wall for training!
{Roxi looks back at Keira only temporarily, and then walks up to the wall, feeling it’s hardness. He face contorts into a frown, and then she begins lightly tapping the wall, looking for perhaps a weak point, but stops. And then, in one swift motion, punches a HOLE through the wall itself. Keira is stunned by this as Roxi pulls back a bloody hand, that begins to heel. Roxi takes a side-step to the right, and Keira again starts banging on the door.}
Keira – Roxi! Stop!
{Another punch follows and another hole is punched through. Keira finally heads outside and uses the emergency stop. The diamond wall disappears and Roxi looks over, upset by this. Keira enters the room, confused and worried.}
Keira – Roxi... you...
Roxi – I don’t need you interrupting me.
Keira – You just punched through the diamond wall! You’re going to destroy your hand.
Roxi – I'm fine.
Keira – No, you’re not fine. Don’t give me fine, Roxi. I just watched you punch diamond. Look, I understand you’re upset, but you can’t let it get you like this.
Roxi – I HAVE TO BE BETTER.
{Keira takes a step back as Roxi shouts at her. Keira holds her hands up to try and calm Roxi down.}
Keira – Okay, stress reliever, I get it. But you don’t need that wall to do that. It’s not meant for that. It’s meant to test strength.
Roxi – It'll come back just fine. You don’t seem to understand, Keira.
Keira – Yes. I do. You lost and it sucks. I know the feeling, lost a lot recently. I know how you feel.
Roxi – No. You don’t.
{Keira is now returning anger with anger as she sighs.}
Keira – I'm trying to be patient with you.
Roxi – I don’t need you to be patient, I’m working this out.
Keira – By trying to break your hand?!
Roxi – By getting stronger, maybe faster.
Keira – You're already strong.
Roxi – Yeah, but you like to brag about being stronger.
Keira – Roxi, come on, you’re being too hard on yourself.
Roxi – I said I was fine. If you could kindly leave and let me work this out, I’ll be even better.
{Keira stands her ground.}
Keira – No. This isn’t healthy, and you’re going to hurt yourself. There are other ways to relieve stress. Please just calm down and let’s maybe eat or maybe you could play drums or something else to make you feel better.
Roxi – I WAS doing something to make me feel better, but it’s not working.
Keira – I'm not going to let you continue. Not with the diamond wall. Please, let’s just go upstairs. We can talk up there. Plus, Nate is worried about you.
{Roxi grits her teeth and finally relents with a sigh. She brushes past Keira who breathes a sigh of relief of her own as Roxi exits the room. Keira then looks back at the gravity room as she closes it, a look on her face of worry, and slight amazement that Roxi actually broke through the diamond wall. She hurries back upstairs as Roxi sits down on the couch, with Nate curled up in her lap, happy to see his mommy. She gently strokes his long hair, but she’s still seething inside. Keira heads to the kitchen and brings over a food tray and a plate of chicken parm. She sets in front of Roxi.}
Keira – Made it myself.
{Roxi stares at the food for a moment, still irritable, but sighs, understanding that Keira is really trying to help distract her from how she feels. Roxi nods and weakly smiles at Keira.}
Roxi – Thank you.
{Roxi leans down and kisses Nate on the forehead and rubs his face.}
Roxi – Alright, you gotta sit up, Mommy’s gonna eat.
{Nate smiles and sits up, sliding off of Roxi lap and leaning himself next to her while she eats.}
Roxi – It's good.
Keira – Thank you.
{Roxi continues to eat her dinner, while Keira tries to keep the mood light, playing some games on her phone while Roxi eats and watches TV. Roxi finishes her food and goes to get up, but Keira springs to her feet, and gets the tray herself.}
Keira – I got it.
Roxi – Keira, I can put my own dishes away.
Keira – No, it’s fine. Just... relax. I’ll take care of it.
{Keira smiles and kisses Roxi on the cheek, taking her plate and tray away as Nate once again sits on her lap, leaning into her.}
Nate – I love you Mommy.
{It takes Roxi a second, but she leans down and kisses Nate on the head.}
Roxi – I love you too, kiddo.
{Keira sits back down and looks at Roxi, smiling.}
Roxi – Where is my mom?
Keira – Actually, she’s... out. Yeah, your dad came by and I guess they wanted to go eat somewhere.
Roxi – Really?
Keira – Really.
Nate – Really. Grandpa was here, Mommy. He gave me candy.
{Roxi rolls her eyes and nods.}
Roxi – Of course he did. I keep telling him not to just give you candy and he does it anyway.
Keira – Yeah, they should be back soon.
{Roxi spends the rest of the evening still not feeling 100% herself, and then once Nate is in bed. Roxi heads into the bedroom and begins to put her costume on. Keira sits on the edge of the bed, looking at her.}
Keira – You know, you can take a night off patrol. I can do it.
Roxi – I need to talk to Lt. Murphy.
Keira – About the twins...
Roxi – Yes.
Keira – You know they’re in there because they’re crazy, right? They speak entirely in ‘80’s.
Roxi – You didn’t see it, Keira. They were afraid. They were afraid for their lives. I haven’t seen that level of fear in someone for a long time.
Keira – You think that that new guy is going too far?
Roxi – It's possible. That’s what I need to talk to Murphy about. I have to be sure.
Keira – Alright, but... be careful?
{Roxi nods, sliding her mask over her face as the scene fades.}
{Mere minutes later, Roxi is on the roof of police HQ, waiting for Lt. Murphy to appear. The sound of the roof door being opened and Murphy stepping out signal his arrival. The click of his lighter to light his cigarette let’s Roxi know, without looking, that’s it’s him.}
Roxi – We need to talk.
Lt. Murphy – What is it now?
Roxi – I need to know about Coleman.
Lt. Murphy – Excuse me?
Roxi – Coleman. The guard at the asylum.
Lt. Murphy – You know I can’t give you anyone’s private information. That’s ridiculous, and an ethics violation.
Roxi – So is what I think is going on at the asylum.
Lt. Murphy – What are you talking about?
Roxi – Last week, the Peak Twins escaped from Shady Acres, and I found them.
Lt. Murphy – And? You trying to get Coleman fired over one escape? I think that’s a tad hypocritical coming from you supers.
Roxi – People escape, I get that. It's not about the escape. It’s what they did after they got out.
Lt. Murphy – Oh really?
Roxi – Those two were scared to death. They weren’t escaping to cause a problem. They were escaping, to escape Coleman.
{Murphy takes a long drag of his smoke and them shakes his head, almost chuckling at the situation.}
Lt. Murphy – And you’re going to side with two insane inmates who have repeatedly cost this city millions of dollars, over my officer who is trying to get people safe? I’m beginning to wonder whose side you’re really on, Super.
Roxi – That’s not what I’m talking about. You didn’t see the look in their eyes.
Lt. Murphy – I’ve seen it plenty of times. Every scumbag that gets caught swears they are innocent. Half the people who are locked up right now anywhere swear they are innocent, and they will do ANYTHING to get themselves out of trouble. And more the half the time, they are lying. It’s kinda funny, don’t you think?
{Roxi struggles for an answer, because she actually hadn’t thought of that as possibility. She was so sure and her own instincts told her that something was wrong. Could she have been wrong? Could she have simply been fooled?}
Roxi – I just need to know if Coleman has a history of any violence or unrest.
Lt. Murphy – Of course he does. He was a prison guard for god's sake. You give a criminal the luxury of filing complaints and then you get complaints. He was decorated, not punished for his actions.
Roxi – Don’t tell me you’re covering for him.
Lt. Murphy – Don’t you sit there and think you have the moral high ground here, Super. If I had my way, you’d all be registered with the government and all your identities would be revealed, so you’d be just as legal as anyone else holding a badge.
Roxi – Yeah, but I don’t have a gun, or a license to kill people. My job is making sure people are safe, just like yours is. And that doesn’t discriminate based on anything.
Lt. Murphy – If it was that easy, everyone would do it. Stop kidding yourself, those freaks were trying to convince you that they don’t need to be in an asylum. When people have nothing but time to think, they can become pretty damn clever.
Roxi – Maybe. Maybe you’re right. But I still want to check.
Lt. Murphy – I’m not giving you someone’s personal information. I’m sorry. Until there’s actual proof of wrong doing, there’s nothing to see, and I can’t, nor would I ever, open any kind of investigation on any of my guys without it. And, I will admit that you have done a lot of good around here. My gut and my instincts tell me never to trust anyone hiding behind a mask.
{Roxi stands there for a moment, and nods.}
Roxi – Very well. But much like mine, your instincts could be wrong. You didn’t see what I saw, the eyes on those men were not one’s of manipulation, there were full of fear. And you know as well as I do, when someone comes to you, as a police officer, with a problem, it IS your duty to at least inquire. That is what I’m asking for. Not to condemn this man, but to make sure there are no issues. That’s all.
Lt. Murphy – Sorry, Super, until I get some proof, I’m not going to accuse someone of something based on an insane person’s eyes. I appreciate the hardball and the use of law tactics here, but I’ve been around a while. I know the game.
Roxi – Then perhaps I need to open my own inquiry.
Lt. Murphy – Well, good luck with getting the mayor or the governor to get anything signed this quickly, and without evidence. Look, super, don’t make my job harder than it is because you have a soft spot for people. It’s pretty simple, there’s a way that things are done, and unless you actually see it, or witness it, don’t make a mountain out of a molehill.
Roxi – Fine. If you’re not going to help me, then stay out of my way while I get to the bottom of this.
Lt. Murphy – Right.
Roxi – Just like you said, I’m not a cop, I don’t have a badge. I can go places that you can’t.
{With that, Roxi turns and flies away, off to her next destination.}
{Roxi soon lands at a familiar home, knocking on the door of the house. For a long time there is no answer, so Roxi knocks again. Finally, the outside light switches on, and the door opens, though no one is at the door.}
Roxi – Hello?
{From behind the door, Amy Jo Smyth swings around, her 9mm pistol aimed right at Roxi’s head until she realizes who it is.}
Roxi – Whoa!
Amy Jo Smyth – Jesus! You nearly gave me a heart attack!
{AJ lowers her pistol, now even more annoyed.}
Amy Jo Smyth – What the hell is wrong with you, anyway! Do you have any idea what time it is?!
Roxi – It’s 3:21
Amy Jo Smyth – Yes. In the morning! What kind of hours do you keep, you lunatic! You know most normal people are asleep at this hour! Especially retired ones, like me!
Roxi – I’m sorry AJ. It’s kind an emergency.
Amy Jo Smyth – Somebody better be dead if you’re bugging me at this hour.
Roxi – I need information on a cop.
Amy Jo Smyth – Really? That’s what this is about? That’s not an emergency, Roxi.
Roxi – I know. I said it was kind of an emergency.
Amy Jo Smyth – It’s not that either! It’s an invasion of privacy. What do you even need it for?
Roxi – I need to know if this officer has been involved in any mistreatment issues while he was a prison guard.
Amy Jo Smyth – They get into fights all the time. So probably yes.
Roxi – But I mean, really bad ones.
Amy Jo Smyth – Okay, it’s too late in the night to play word games with you. Just tell me what is going on.
Roxi – You heard about the renovation of the asylum?
Amy Jo Smyth – Should I have?
Roxi – Yes, but... *sigh* the point is, they hired extra security to ensure both inmate and worker safety.
Amy Jo Smyth – And?
Roxi – The Peak Twins escaped.
Amy Jo Smyth – That... is bad? I guess?
Roxi – Yes, and no and... dammit. Look, I saw the look in those boy’s eyes and I suspect that they be being mistreated by the security over there.
Amy Jo Smyth – Do you have anything else to go on?
Roxi – No, not really.
Amy Jo Smyth – That’s pretty flimsy, Roxi. And I’m not going to try pulling strings for you at 3am. I’ll look into it, and see what I can do. Do you at least have a name?
Roxi – Coleman. He’s a big dude, like over 6’5”
Amy Jo Smyth – And?
Roxi – That’s it.
Amy Jo Smyth – Roxi, you’re not helping your cause right now.
Roxi – Look, all I’m after, if an inquiry. Nothing more than that. Just an inquiry to see what’s going on.
Amy Jo Smyth – Like I said, I’ll see what I can do. But no promises. You’re really making me stick my neck out and call in favors without much to go on.
Roxi – I know it’s a hunch at best, but if I’m wrong, I’ll owe you one.
Amy Jo Smyth – You already owe me plenty.
Roxi – I know, I’m sorry for coming around this late, but this important to me.
Amy Jo Smyth – Yeah yeah. Next time, things better be exploding or something.
Roxi – I can’t make that promise.
Amy Jo Smyth – Then that jacket you owe me at least
Roxi – You got it. And... thanks AJ.
Amy Jo Smyth – Don’t thank me just yet. Is that all?
Roxi – Yes. For now.
Amy Jo Smyth – For now? Is that a threat?
Roxi – No, that one is a promise.
Amy Jo Smyth – Har har har. Can I go back to bed now.
Roxi – Yes. Sorry, AJ.
{Roxi gives AJ a hug as she departs and the scene fades on AJ closing her door shaking her head.}
{The next morning, Roxi wakes up and sighs, still not really over the loss. She gets herself downstairs to the kitchen, where Keira is already making food.}
Keira – Morning.
{Roxi half-heartedly responds by waving and sitting down. Keira soon places the eggs breakfast on a plate at Roxi’s place.}
Keria – Please don’t be like this.
Roxi – I'm trying, Keira. I’m trying.
Keira – Well, if it’s any consolation, I did check and you are booked at Blaze of Glory.
Roxi – Great.
Keira – It’s against Lucy.
Roxi – Oh... alright.
Keira – I mean, think of the history. Us and the Angel Clan was always a good match. So, it’ll be a good fight.
Roxi – I’m not interested in a good fight anymore, Keira. A good fight is a good fight, but, It’s about more than that. I like Lucy, I’m sure we’ll have a great match, but... gah, it’s not what I wanted.
Keira – I know, but I don’t know, this of it as a new beginning. A chance to re-establish everything. No more tournaments to worry about just this, and a way to get right.
Roxi – Maybe...
{Roxi’s phone buzzes and she checks it. A text from AJ. For the first time in a couple of days, Roxi actually looks satisfied with something.
Roxi – Good.
Keira – What is it?
Roxi – AJ managed to pull some strings, and we’re going to get an inquiry on Officer Coleman.
Keira – That’s good, right?
Roxi – If I’m right about this, then yes, it’s huge.
Keira – You do know that the Peak Twins ARE the bad guys, right? I mean, you’ve roughed them up, I’ve roughed them up. It just seems like it’s a bit weird to be taking their side.
Roxi – Perhaps. I don’t know for sure. What I do know, is that there’s right and wrong and everything in my heart tells me something is wrong. I just want to find out for sure.
Keira – I’m sure the cops are going to love that.
Roxi – If I’m wrong, then I’m wrong and I’ll admit it. But right now, I know that I’m right.
{Roxi puts her phone down and begins eating breakfast as the scene fades.}
"You have a choice, you want to save lives? Or "Uphold the Law?"
- Spider-Man (Daredevil #11)
Hello SCW.
I come to you now, extremely frustrated. Losing in that manner last week, sucked. It sucked and I hated it. I don’t really hate a lot of things, but losing is one of them. Especially when it’s in that fashion, and you know, you know deep down in your heart and soul, that you are BETTER than that. I can’t blame anyone but myself for it either. I knew what I should have done, and I didn’t do it. I failed, and now, what I had my heart set on, what I was aim for this entire time, winning the Blast from the Past tournament, how now just evaporated before my eyes. In one false step, all of that was taken away from me. It stung so badly for me that I couldn’t, as much as I wanted to, just let that roll off my back. I couldn’t just forget about it after 24 hours, the rule of negativity in my own home. I couldn’t. I actually, for the first time in a while, actually sulked and went to bed in a bad mood. I woke up the next couple of days in a bad mood. I needed an outlet for my frustrations and I just couldn’t find it. I wanted so badly to just rewind time and fix it. More than almost anything in my life, I just wanted to fix it, and I couldn’t. And the more I hear people’s words, the more it just digs at me. Time continues to pass and I feel, for the first time in a long time, just... lost. I didn’t make the extra plan in case of losing, because I expected to win. I expected to be sitting here in front of you two weeks away from Blaze of Glory, in the finals, and to be talking to you about earning one more victory and winning the tournament.
And now, it’s gone.
What else is there now? I feel like there’s other people in the place I should be in and it’s my fault. I apologized to Cassian, more so because he deserved better than that from me. I ruined something he could have really used, and that I wanted more than anything. And so, it has left me looking around and thinking about the future. I don’t want to sit around and “wait until next year.” That’s not good enough at this point. I don’t want to sit back and just be a part of the show. This was it for me, and now I don’t have that with me anymore. And even my own mindset isn’t exactly working anymore.
It’s no longer just enough to pick myself up and start over. It’s not that I can’t, or don’t have the ability to do so. It’s more so me, not meeting my own expectations. And that is pretty much what’s causing this bout of frustration. When you know you should be somewhere, and you’re just not. When you set the bar as high as I do, and you don’t reach it, and you’re supposed to lead by example, it’s incredibly frustrating.
So, one more time, maybe the last time for the foreseeable future, I WILL once again pick myself up, dust myself off, and solider on. And no, this isn’t a pity party, or a woe is me rant. This is me, telling myself more than anyone else, if you’re going to be where you think you should be, then you need to stop wasting time and leaving things to chance and take control.
And so, at Blaze of Glory, I intend to do just that.
I am no stranger to my opponent for this show, Lucy Seraphina. I have been friends with Lucy for some time. She has always been good to me, and good to my family. She’s always been a stand-up person. The Angel Clan vs. Team Hero set a bar for tag team wrestling in SCW so high, that it had to be artificially lowered so that everyone else could keep up. It went so high, that literally no one could attain it, and the Bombshell’s tag titles were retired shortly thereafter. That’s how good it got back then. I look back fondly on those days, but I also remember that the Angel Clan were the team that finally ended the Team Hero record breaking run, and that while not as painful as the previous week was for me, was still a painful blow. To know that Keira and I went that far and knowing that all streaks and runs come to an end, it still ended too early for us.
But our personal relationship aside, it’s going to take a pretty big backseat to the future. Lucy has been awesome since she returned. I was delighted when she came back. I was happy to see my friend return after a lengthy period away and still be as good as she is. It brought a smile to my face. Mainly because, I didn’t figure at this point, we would be seeing each other one on one this soon. I didn’t think that I’d be standing across from her at Blaze of Glory. And while it’s a very nice consolation prize, it’s not what I was after, and so it’s just a little bit of a letdown. It’s not Lucy’s fault, it’s mine. It’s mine for coming up short, and now being thrust into a match with someone who is on a roll like Lucy is.
So, in essence, this is a test in two weeks.
It’s a test to see where I stand, no Lucy. I can’t help but hear the word of Prudence last week and think, yeah, I haven’t had the best win-loss record recently, I have come up short time and time again, and so, the question must be raised, what happens if I lose this match? What happens if Lucy just ups and beats me? What do I do then? Do I have to start over already AGAIN? Do I just sink deeper into this rut and wonder what the heck is wrong with me? Do I need to take a break? Re-evaluate my career and wonder if this is a sign that perhaps I shouldn’t keep going this anymore? Yeah, for the first time in a long time, I have to actually let this kind of talk take effect. I know, I KNOW I shouldn’t. I know in the back of my mind that I don’t really have anything to prove anymore. In the back of my mind, I think I’m just doing this for fun, my legacy is intact and there’s no reason to let someone who has accomplished next to nothing’s words get to me like that.
But for a long time, I've let that happen, brushed it off and kept moving. But there comes a time where it can’t be brushed off so simply anymore. And I have reached that point. Trust me, if I was where I wanted to be, and in the finals, and I lost it there, it would probably sting even more, and I’d be telling you the same thing. So, maybe it’s better you’re hearing it now.
Against Lucy, In my own mind, I have my back against the wall like you wouldn’t believe. I have to come out of the gates, and rebound like I should. I have to go into Blaze of Glory and beat Lucy because it’s the standard I set for myself. I have always been my own worst critic, and maybe I beat myself up too much, that’s fair. But Lucy knows this, much like everyone else does that’s in SCW. That is NO ONE, man or woman, who takes the standard they set as serious as I do. I have never rested on my laurels and I’m not about to start now. Now, it’s a game for me, to be at the top, and continue to raise my own bar higher than ever before. I have the ability and the drive to do it, and at Blaze of Glory, Lucy will indeed find that out. I’ve been knocked down before, and I’m getting tired of it. I’m getting tired of being seen as just good or great. I want to be at the top, and it my climb starts with Lucy, so be it.
I just need Lucy to understand where I’m coming from at this point in my life. Those that say I have nothing to prove, are DEAD wrong. I have EVERYTHING to prove at this point. I have no doubt whatsoever that Lucy will be a tough test, that was never something I was going to question. She’s proven it time and time again.
The thing is, so have I.
And yet, I almost feel like no matter how many times I do prove it, something always gets in the way, something always happens, and then just as soon as it happens, all of a sudden, I’m on the decline. I’m on the downturn. And I am forced to get back to the top the hard way. Unlike some people around here, I don’t ask for championship matches, or get them handed to me. At least, no nearly as often as others. I have never depended on a hand out. And I’m never going to expect them. Maybe I’m going about this the wrong way or something. I have always depended on the quality of my work would make people understand that everything I get, I earn.
So here I am, seemingly at the bottom. At least, that’s how I’m looking at it now. So, the climb back to the top, starts again.
And no, I’m not saying Lucy is at the bottom, quite the contrary. Lucy is gaining steam each and every time she sets foot in the ring, so it is the test I need. I need to see how far I have to go, and how much work I have to do to get back to where I should be. It’s just that simple. Lucy has already accomplished so much, and she also deserves a chance to wrestle for championships even now. But at Blaze of Glory, I’m going to demonstrate at least one more time, that any rumors or insinuations about me losing anything, are nothing more than that. I’m going to beat Lucy and move forward. I almost want to apologize to Lucy in advance for what will take place, because this is something I have to do at this point. My frustration has given me, what some might perceive as a wake-up call, but I look at as more of a slap in the face. It’s time for me to re-establish everything. And that means that Lucy, unfortunately, has to fall. She has to go down, and I have to be the person who does it. Because there is a method to this.
At the end, Blast from the Past was an achievement hunt, and while that was more important to me personally that the ultimate reward, I can, in essence begin a different type of hunt. A hunt to eliminate contenders from the championship picture. There’s only one, maybe two people that can be ahead of me right now, but I cannot afford to let anyone else jump ahead of me. I have to begin the systematic elimination of those in the way, because hey, why can’t I win the Bombshell’s championship again? And I’m going to earn that opportunity doing what I’ve always done. Getting better each and every day.
At Blaze of Glory, I wish Lucy the best of luck. I know good and well she’s going to bring it, and I welcome that. I welcome that with all my anticipation and excitement. If our tag matches set an unobtainable bar, then our singles match should at the very least steal the show. I have that expectation going into this match.
But I also have the expectation to win. I just hope Lucy is ready for what that means.
As I hope everyone else does as well. 
