{The scene opens at the Team Hero gym and training center. Roxi arrives for the afternoon, while Keira handles most of the morning sessions. Keira is hard at work, watching and giving instructions to some of the trainees.} Keira - Tuck you chin! I don’t know how many times I have to tell you guys. If you don’t tuck your chin, you’re going to land on the back of your head, and you’re going to a catch a clothesline right in the mouth.
Roxi – Hey.
Keira – Hey.
Roxi – Going well, I assume.
Keira – We're getting there.
Roxi – Good.
Keira – It's just been a lot of work.
Roxi – Well, come on and we’ll chat for a bit, and then you can head home.
Keira – Take 10 guys.
{Roxi and Keira head into the manager’s office as Keira fans herself to cool off as Roxi pulls out some papers, looking at some notes and pointers she plans on giving, as she looks at Keira.} Roxi – You doing okay?
Keira – Yeah, why?
Roxi – It... it’s just felt weird that you’re not with me in SCW.
Keira – That’s sweet, but, I’m sure you’ll manage.
Roxi – I will, it’s just, I never expected that you would just stop and doing something else.
Keira – Roxi, I’ve had a long time to think about all this. I felt like I was spinning my wheels. I was obsessed with the grand slam, and finally putting an end to any more of these “shadow” talks. It’s all I’ve heard and I just became so sick of it, and as much as I tried, I wasn’t able to do it. I lost focus and lost matches I had no business losing again and again. It just got to the point where I was just done with it. I no longer was giving it everything I needed to give it. It was becoming work. And you have always said when this feels like work, it’s time to take a break. I lost focus on what was important. All I wanted was that stupid grand slam. Okay, it’s not stupid, but in the grand scheme of things? Yeah. I lost... I lost the passion for getting in the ring and I knew I just... I needed to step away.
Roxi – Fair enough.
Keira – This... this place? It makes me happy; you know? I’m enjoying watching these young kids... Jeez I sound so old calling them kids. But I’m enjoying watching them grow and develop into wrestlers, and knowing I’ve had a hand in it. I’m helping prepare the next generation of wrestlers. This is... this is what I want to do now.
Roxi – Are you sure? You know you can always come back and be part of this again.
Keira – Maybe. Maybe not. I don’t know. I’m enjoying my time away from actually wrestling and sharing my knowledge. Plus, you told me this was my baby, and I’m treating it as such. I want to see where this actually takes me. You know, watch one of our students become a champion?
Roxi – Yeah, I see what you mean. The choice is always there for you, I just want you to know that.
{Keira smiles weakly, shaking her head.} Keira – I don’t know, Roxi. I just don’t. You and I both know that we just... we can’t do this forever.
Roxi – Isn’t that more of a reason to chase what you really want?
Keira – For some people, maybe. I used to think that way. Time’s running out, clock is ticking and I’ve only got so much time so I better rush, and fight and scratch and claw and get the job done and get it out of the way.
Roxi – But?
Keira – But now... I’m taking the time to enjoy this. This is what I want to do. I’m happy. For the first time in a long time, I feel like I don’t have a giant weight on my shoulders. I’m not trying to power through that feeling. I was spinning my wheels and I know I was. And now, I don’t have to deal with any of that.
{Roxi smiles, placing a hand on Keira’s shoulder and then hugging her and kissing her on the cheek.} Roxi – That makes me happy. Seeing you happy. You do what you want. I support you 100%. I just was... it’s just been so long since I was just... on my own and always seeing you there, and always having you with me. That past few weeks have been strange. I found myself a lot of the time checking to see if you were there.
{Keira smiles at this.} Keira – You can’t get rid of me that easy. You’re going to be stuck with me for a long, long time.
Roxi – I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Keira – Good. I am getting very hungry after all this coaching.
{A chuckle escapes Roxi.} Roxi – Never change.
Keira – Never.
{Roxi finishes looking at her papers and then turns to Keira again.} Roxi – Speaking of the trainees, how are they coming along?
{Keira sighs} Keira – Some of them, appear to finally be getting it. And... some of them are not. I think Angelica and Keri need to spend some one-on-one time with a couple of them. Maybe you can too? I mean, it’s a slow process sometimes, right?
Roxi – Well, yeah. You don’t pick this stuff up in a day. I didn’t. You didn’t. It takes time.
Keira – I guess I just want them all to succeed, even though that’s... probably not really possible, is it?
Roxi – Well, it’s not going to work out for everybody, as much as you want it to happen. It’s why we’re not just doing wrestling training. It’s why we have Cheryl and Micah helping with setting these guys and girls up with other skills that they can use once the wrestling thing ends, either now, or later on in life.
Keira – Yeah, I suppose. It’s a lot harder than it seems to just tell someone they don’t have it.
Roxi – It's just how it’s going to be sometimes.
Keira – Yeah, well... We were working on some tumbling and lock-ups if that helps.
Roxi – I'll take it from here. Don’t worry.
{Keira smiles as she begins to pack up her things into her gym bag. Roxi stands up as Keira prepares to go.} Keira – I'll see you at home.
Roxi – I love you.
Keira – I love you too.
{Keira departs as Roxi steps out of the office and the other trainees prepare for her to take over.} Roxi – Okay folks, You guys know the drill with me by now. We’re here to work, and we’re going to leave the ring better than we found it. You guys ready?
{The trainees give a less-than-enthusiastic “yeah”} Roxi – Let's go to work.
{Roxi begins to help training the trainees her way, as the scene fades.}
{We are now a week later and in Long Beach Memorial Hospital. There, Amber Ryan lays on her side, facing away from the door. Her neck is both bandaged and braced, an oxygen mask over her face as well. Amber just stares at her phone, plugged into the wall, when she hears the shuffling of feet close to her. Her eyes make three simple motions, up, at the sound of the noise, to her left as she realizes it’s behind her, and then narrowing, preparing for the worst. She is forced to turn her whole body towards the door, and she locks eyes with Roxi, standing in the doorway. Amber’s eyes narrow to small slits, staring daggers at Roxi, who looks back at her, and holds up her hand.} Roxi – Let me see... You knew I would come here, but you’re still wondering WHY I’m here, you don’t want me here, and I should get the hell out of here? How’s my aim?
{Amber nods to answer “yes” to all these questions.} Roxi – I figured as much.
{Roxi enters the room completely as Amber just stares at her.} Roxi – Look, I'm not here because I feel sorry for you, and I’m not here to take some kind of victory lap because you’re laying here. Because A: I know you don’t want me to feel sorry for you, and B: There’s no victory lap to take. You put yourself here. I don’t know why, and really... it’s not any of my business why.
Amber’s eyes shift up and down as if to answer that statement with a “No shit.”
Roxi – The point is, I’m only here because you are human being and a co-worker. We’re not going to be... the best of friends, probably ever. I don’t know why it happened, but I am not happy that it did. Because what happened to you, is bigger than just us fighting.
Amber rolls her eyes.
Roxi – You can roll your eyes at me all you want, but you know I’m telling you the truth. Ask yourself what I have to gain by even coming here? If you think I’m trying to get some kind of edge of you, then you’re taking this too far.
Amber’s eyes finally open a little bit, as if she has a moment of understanding.
Roxi – I’m not here to preach to you, Amber. I’m here to tell you that I didn’t want this to be what happened to you. You are a person I respect, and hell, I want you to get better and come back and fight me. But if you keep making choices like this, then that can’t happen. I don’t know what you two had going, but obviously, this is not what you had in mind, right?
Amber turns her eyes away from Roxi for a moment, then back, still staring intently at Roxi.
Roxi – Maybe it was, maybe it wasn’t. I don’t know, and really, I don’t care. But I highly doubt you wanted to end up like this.
Amber again turns her eyes away from Roxi.
Roxi – You and I, appear to be on the path to fight each other until one of us can’t. We told each other as much. And at first, I didn’t want that, because I feared that something like this would happen to you, or both of us. But I understand now, that this is beyond that. But I can already see it right now, your wheels are turning thinking this is some kind of trick. It’s not. This is me, speaking to you, woman to woman. There’s no game here, Amber. This is not going to be something I hold over your head, Amber. Not some gotcha moment that I use when you come back.
Roxi pauses, looking at Amber laying in the bed.
Roxi – IF you come back.
Amber clenches her fists and her eyes are filled with anger again. If she could, she would rise up and attack Roxi. Roxi gives her a knowing smirk and a nod.
Roxi – Good. I can see we’re making progress. You had better hold up your end of this. Because if, and when you do come back... I will be waiting. Just something to think about.
Amber gives Roxi the finger as Roxi nods and finally departs.
{The new scene opens with Roxi on patrol for the first time in a long time, as she sits high above on a tall building, her feet dangling off the edge, as she swings them, obviously bored with the lack of anything, but also grateful for the lack of anything going on. She eventually gets up, and begins to fly around, finally getting a call on her wrist communicator} Roxi – Go ahead Vision.
Vision – So, Lt. Murphy is asking for you again.
Roxi – Again?
Vision – He’s asking us to get you.
Roxi - What's going on now? Corrupt cops? Dimensions to hell?
Vision – Well, I certainly hope not. He just wants you to help with an investigation.
{Roxi sighs and shakes her head.} Roxi – Again, last time that happened, I got sucked into a portal and a lot of people were literally ripped apart.
Vision – That's kind of our deal though.
Roxi – Yeah, don’t remind me.
Vision – It’s what we do.
Roxi – I know. Alright, tell him I’m on the way, just give me the address and I’ll be there shortly.
Vision – You got it.
{Roxi ends the call and she recieves the address and heads off in this direction from where she is. It’s only a matter of minutes before she arrives, and finds Lt. Murphy, outside the house with caution tape up signifying the crime scene. Murphy is, per usual, puffing on a cigarette as she arrives.} Roxi – Lt. Murphy.
Lt. Murphy – Super.
Roxi – So? What’s the crisis?
Lt. Murphy – Inside.
Roxi – I gathered that part, let’s not play this game, and just tell me why you asked for me.
Lt. Murphy – One dead John Doe. There’s a lot wrong with that scene. I think you need to see it for yourself.
Roxi – And it requires me?
Lt. Murphy – Given what happened, possibly our perpetrator is one of the kind of super powered folks you deal with.
Roxi – Last time you said that there were cubes that opened portals to hell.
Lt. Murphy – I'm aware of that. If that was anything routine, I wouldn’t be calling you.
{Roxi sighs and shrugs.} Roxi – If this is like last time, it’ll be more blood spilled.
Lt. Murphy – We've already had plenty. You should check it out inside. ME is already here.
Roxi – Alright, alright, fine. Lead the way.
{Murphy and Roxi head inside, and the powerful stench of a dead body fills the air, staying over the area like a haze. Roxi enters and the ME is examining the torso of a man, who has been decapitated and quartered inside the house. His arms and legs all bound at the forearms and shins, ensuring that they were ripped clean off. Roxi looks at the arms and legs which were placed near the body, making it look like an action figure that had removable parts. However, it is not any of this that really catches Roxi’s attention, but more the torso and head, the head sporting a white plastic mask. One that one would purchase from a Halloween shop. Roxi cautiously looks on with the ME.} Roxi – Somebody really wanted this guy dead.
Medical Examiner – You're telling me.
Roxi – Ever seen anything like this?
Medical Examiner – Not since Medieval times. This is a classic hanging, quartering and beheading.
Roxi – What's with the mask?
Medical Examiner – That's where it gets even weirder.
{Roxi, who is wearing gloves as part of her costume, touches the mask on the John Doe’s face, seeing and feeling the mask is actually attached now. Sewn into the victim’s skin.} Roxi – They attached the mask post mortem.
Medical Examiner – Yes. Sewn into the skin, and from what I can see under the mask, they cut the face off as well.
{Roxi herself peers between the eye slits on the mask and there is blood and visible muscle tissue.} Roxi – This man was tortured. Any idea who he is?
Lt. Murphy – Not 100%. There’s no wallet or ID of any kind. We’ll have to go by fingerprints or dental records and see if they match the home owner.
Roxi – And the house itself?
Lt. Murphy – The registered owner is a Norman Watkins.
Roxi – So this could be our guy?
Lt. Murphy – Yes. Seems like the most likely scenario.
Roxi – Any sign of forced entry or a struggle?
Lt. Murphy – No. Which would suggest our victim knew the killer.
Roxi – But this could also just be a dump site, but the man back in his home. No prints or anything usable on the body?
Medical Examiner – No. The body was handled with extreme care.
{Roxi kneels known again by the masked face of the victim, slowly, carefully tugging to free the mask even a little bit. She looks down, noticing the cuts made where the mask replaced flesh.} Roxi – These cuts were made with... something very sharp, and very precise. Like a scapel or something.
Lt. Murphy – So, they may have medical experience.
Medical Examiner – A doctor or surgeon maybe? Let me take a look.
{The ME gets down and Roxi points at the areas where the flesh was cut, and begins to peel even more, finally getting a pair of surgical scissors and cutting the sewn mask away from where the face was. He pulls one side and on the inside the of the mask, written in permanent marker, is the name “STEVE WALKER”. } Medical Examiner – Well... maybe we found our killer.
Roxi – Or another victim. Anything ringing a bell, Lt. Murphy?
{Murphy shrugs.} Lt. Murphy – It could be anybody. Steve Walker isn’t exactly an uncommon name.
Roxi – Why does that name sound so familiar to me?
Lt. Murphy – It's a common name like I said, we all probably know a “Steve Walker”
Roxi – Maybe...
{Roxi then examines the breaks and the torn limbs.} Roxi – These are just from the force of the bindings. There are ligature marks around the ankles, and...
{Roxi examines the neck of the torso.} Roxi – And around the neck. So... at the very least...you’ve got a pretty deranged killer.
Lt. Murphy – As if we don’t have enough to worry about.
Roxi – I'll see what I can find out, and look into what I can about Steve Walker and where I know it from. It’ll come to me. But for now... I don’t see that this really needs me involved until we can confirm our killer. Nothing about this appears out of the realm of physical possibility. You’d just have to find where this guy got quartered at. I mean, like the ME said... this some medieval stuff.
Lt. Murphy – I'll let your people know if we have anything else.
Roxi – Okay then gentlemen... I’ll leave you to it.
{Roxi takes one last look at the body and rubs her own chin as she slowly departs.} Who the hell is Steve Walker?
{Fade.}
“I'm a fightin' man, and the way I see it this is worth fightin' for. “
- Wolverine (Wolverine: Bloodlust Vol 1 1)
Hello SCW.
Let me just make one thing perfectly clear before we get started. I am not looking to fight Masque De Lune on behalf of Amber Ryan. I never was, and I never will be. Yes, I have fought for many, many people who cannot fight for themselves, but this, is a different situation. I’m not fighting for Amber Ryan, because I don’t NEED to fight for Amber Ryan. Amber Ryan is more than capable of fighting for herself. And to be honest, I think she’d be a little more upset with me than usual if I said as much. Did she deserve what happened to her? No. Nor am I taking any sort of victory lap? I was robbed, just like all of us were, when Amber was attacked. That is the extent of how I feel about this. Amber and I... have a level of respect for one another, and we both agreed that as long as both of us are able to, we will fight. And that, is as far as it’s really going to go after all this time. I respect Amber. Amber respects me. There was a point where I thought that maybe there was something else there, but that’s really it now. I see it, and therefore, that’s what it gets treated as. I do not weep for Amber, because Amber Ryan can fight her own battles.
My battle with Masque, has zero to do with Amber Ryan on my end.
But that is coming in due time.
This week, all the focus shifts to one Bea Barnhart.
Now look, I know that Bea is one tough woman in the ring. She brings the fight every single time she goes out, and while she may not have the best win-loss record, that does not deter her from coming out each and every time and having the confidence and the gab to go along with it. I am in no way taking Bea Barnhart lightly, like many people would. I have respect for every person I step into the ring with. I don’t think of anybody as an “easy victory” because you know, I may have done that a time or two in the past and it bit me in the butt because of it. Not giving the effort I need to give because the opponent may not be considered top tier.
That is not me anymore. Not in the slightest. I learned that lesson a long time ago so there is never ever going to be a match that I go into underestimating my opponent, or unprepared for a fight. Because I know that’s what I’m going to get when it comes to facing Bea. And that’s going to be a person who is hell bent on doing as much damage as possible. I’ve seen many opponents come back from a match with Bea and they don’t look great, even if they win. So, I have no pre-conceived notions that I’m going to walk about this match looking like a beauty queen. I’m in for a fight, and one hell of a fight at that.
But that’s what I want.
I have never backed down from a fight in my career, and I’m not going to start now simply because Bea is a tough cookie. I’ve been itching to fight ever since I was supposed to defend the Bombshell’s championship a couple of weeks ago and was robbed of that chance. I’ve been sitting on my hands and that annoys me. Because it makes me feel like I am just sitting on this championship and not doing it justice. This championship deserves better than that, and my aim has always been to get better each and every time I’m out there, and to live up to the standards I have set for myself, not only as a wrestler, but as a person. And I can’t do that, if I’m sitting here just waiting, and having my matches taken from me.
And so, that makes Bea the PERFECT opponent for me right now. Someone who is here to fight, just like I am. I am even more excited now, because I know what I’m getting. I’m not sure what’s up with Bea outside the ring and here need to lie about people all the time, I suppose it’s to make herself feel better about things, I’m not sure. But I guess, Bea never heard of the idea that if you can’t say something nice about somebody, don’t say anything at all, because she’s just flapping her gums to get as much attention as possible.
You can trust in the fact that come Sunday, she will have my full, undivided attention. I am coming to Climax Control to not only wrestle Bea, not only fight Bea, but to beat Bea. Give her all the fight she wants, just like she will for me. That’s what I want. I want Bea’s best. I don’t want any excuses as to why happens or why she loses, she’s going to be beaten. And I will show every single person who thinks that simply because I’m the Bombshell’s champion that I have somehow gotten soft or that I am an easy target, they have another thing coming.
It has been far too long since I stepped into the ring and competed, and I am hungry for that. I am hungry to show everyone that I hold this championship for a reason, and it has all the prestige it should when I am holding it. Just like every champion should. I apologize to all of you for not being in the ring as much as I should, but now, it’s time to put that little break behind me, and now, I’m coming to the ring as ready as I ever will be for Bea Barnhart, and it will be her, who walks back through the curtain on Sunday, not only with a loss, but with some bumps and bruises to go along with it. I know I’m in for a fight, but I’ve freaking spoiling for one, and I know I’m coming to the right woman to get what I want.
But as I’ve always said, the fight never ends, and I will be here for each and every single one of them. Bea is just next on the list.
And then... I will see Masque on the cruise.
But first, I will see all of you, in Scottsdale.
